Monday, February 02, 2009

Holder Confirmed

From the Senate Legislation & Records web page [More]

All Democrats voted for confirmation. So much for A grades and endorsements. Any bets on what they'll do when the party holds their feet to the fire on other anti-gun votes?

You can find GOA Senate ratings here. We should see an attendant reduction in grade for each "Yea" vote. NRA's grades are more difficult to acccess--you need to enter your membership number on the PVF site, find the election year for the senator in question and search by individual state.

See how your senators voted and react accordingly.

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U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 1st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary
Question: On the Nomination (Confirmation Eric H. Holder, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be Attorney General )
Vote Number: 32 Vote Date: February 2, 2009, 06:15 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2 Vote Result: Nomination Confirmed
Nomination Number: PN64-7
Nomination Description: Eric H. Holder, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be Attorney General
Vote Counts:YEAs75

NAYs21

Not Voting3
Vote SummaryBy Senator NameBy Vote PositionBy Home State




Grouped by Home State
Alabama:Sessions (R-AL), Yea - Shelby (R-AL), Nay
Alaska:Begich (D-AK), Not Voting Murkowski (R-AK), Yea
Arizona:Kyl (R-AZ), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea
Arkansas:Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Yea
California:Boxer (D-CA), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea
Colorado:Bennet (D-CO), YeaUdall (D-CO), Yea
Connecticut:Dodd (D-CT), YeaLieberman (ID-CT), Yea
Delaware:Carper (D-DE), YeaKaufman (D-DE), Yea
Florida:Martinez (R-FL), Not VotingNelson (D-FL), Yea
Georgia:Chambliss (R-GA), YeaIsakson (R-GA), Yea
Hawaii:Akaka (D-HI), YeaInouye (D-HI), Yea
Idaho:Crapo (R-ID), NayRisch (R-ID), Nay
Illinois:Burris (D-IL), YeaDurbin (D-IL), Yea
Indiana:Bayh (D-IN), YeaLugar (R-IN), Yea
Iowa:Grassley (R-IA), YeaHarkin (D-IA), Yea
Kansas:Brownback (R-KS), NayRoberts (R-KS), Nay
Kentucky:Bunning (R-KY), NayMcConnell (R-KY), Nay
Louisiana:Landrieu (D-LA), YeaVitter (R-LA), Nay
Maine:Collins (R-ME), YeaSnowe (R-ME), Yea
Maryland:Cardin (D-MD), YeaMikulski (D-MD), Yea
Massachusetts:Kennedy (D-MA), Not VotingKerry (D-MA), Yea
Michigan:Levin (D-MI), YeaStabenow (D-MI), Yea
Minnesota:Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea
Mississippi:Cochran (R-MS), NayWicker (R-MS), Nay
Missouri:Bond (R-MO), YeaMcCaskill (D-MO), Yea
Montana:Baucus (D-MT), YeaTester (D-MT), Yea
Nebraska:Johanns (R-NE), NayNelson (D-NE), Yea
Nevada:Ensign (R-NV), NayReid (D-NV), Yea
New Hampshire:Gregg (R-NH), YeaShaheen (D-NH), Yea
New Jersey:Lautenberg (D-NJ), YeaMenendez (D-NJ), Yea
New Mexico:Bingaman (D-NM), YeaUdall (D-NM), Yea
New York:Gillibrand (D-NY), YeaSchumer (D-NY), Yea
North Carolina:Burr (R-NC), NayHagan (D-NC), Yea
North Dakota:Conrad (D-ND), YeaDorgan (D-ND), Yea
Ohio:Brown (D-OH), YeaVoinovich (R-OH), Yea
Oklahoma:Coburn (R-OK), NayInhofe (R-OK), Nay
Oregon:Merkley (D-OR), YeaWyden (D-OR), Yea
Pennsylvania:Casey (D-PA), YeaSpecter (R-PA), Yea
Rhode Island:Reed (D-RI), YeaWhitehouse (D-RI), Yea
South Carolina:DeMint (R-SC), NayGraham (R-SC), Yea
South Dakota:Johnson (D-SD), YeaThune (R-SD), Nay
Tennessee:Alexander (R-TN), YeaCorker (R-TN), Yea
Texas:Cornyn (R-TX), NayHutchison (R-TX), Nay
Utah:Bennett (R-UT), YeaHatch (R-UT), Yea
Vermont:Leahy (D-VT), YeaSanders (I-VT), Yea
Virginia:Warner (D-VA), YeaWebb (D-VA), Yea
Washington:Cantwell (D-WA), YeaMurray (D-WA), Yea
West Virginia:Byrd (D-WV), YeaRockefeller (D-WV), Yea
Wisconsin:Feingold (D-WI), YeaKohl (D-WI), Yea
Wyoming:Barrasso (R-WY), NayEnzi (R-WY), Nay

Audio of Police Interview with Ryan Frederick

This is the audio of the police interview with Ryan Frederick taken 30 minutes after the raid. It was played at Frederick’s trial yesterday. [More]
Via Billy Beck, who writes:
They're going to drill this kid.

The *principal* problem here is that they cannot or will not think. That should be the most horrifying fact of all, because that's why this shit will not stop.

My god.

We're the Only Ones Essentially Defenselesss Enough

They were victims of a new kind of telephone fraud that exploits a weakness in the way the 911 system handles calls from Internet-based phone services. The attacks — called "swatting" because armed police SWAT teams usually respond — are virtually unstoppable, and an Associated Press investigation found that budget-strapped 911 centers are essentially defenseless without an overhaul of their computer systems. [More]
The "Only One" centers are defenseless? What about the poor citizens they wrongly raid?
He was even arrested as the result of one call, because authorities found weapons he wasn't supposed to have while they were searching the house.
I wonder if a solution would be found if...no, I don't want to go there...do I?

[Via HZ]

Lou Dobbs on Obama and Holder

I didn't see this on the Dobbs site so it may not be authorized. [More]

Movie Review

The basic plot (I won’t ruin it for you) is a gang of paranoid gun crazies who band together and terrorize a benevolent government that the crazies feel like are threatening them. [More]
Funny.

[Via thedweeze]

The Difference Between a Conservative and a Liberal

"Federal belt-tightening would worsen the problem right now," said Kevin Hassett, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank. [More]
What kind of idiot would even suggest shrinking government as a solution to our woes?

We're all clear on conservatism now, right?

[Via Plug Nickel Times]

Salazar Likely to Overturn Some Bush Regs

In a 40-minute roundtable with reporters, Salazar promised to closely examine regulations that include...a regulation allowing visitors to carry concealed guns into national parks.
This is a subscription service, so unless you're signed up, you won't be able to read it. The significant thing to note is prior reports have described Salazar as supportive of guns in parks.

We shall see.

[Via Oregon Firearms Federation]

Presumptive Confirmation a Preemptive Surrender

Tonight's the night.
The Senate will vote Monday on Eric Holder’s nomination to become the 82nd attorney general, with confirmation all but guaranteed.
Guess who put out an editorial strongly warning us about how dangerously anti-gun he is? [More]

This is my final warning against Eric Holder before tonight's vote. I've done everything I can.

It's a pity others chose not to.

Please share the link.

Some Monday Announcements

Gun Rights Examiner expands to two new cities [More]
We have added GREs in DC and Milwaukee, making a total of 7 cities and me at national. Go to my column to access theirs. And if you noticed, I've added links to my sidebar.

I also have some announcements for gun owners in Massachusetts and Oregon.

Tell a friend?

Excuse-Making

I'm off to a later than usual start today, and expect posting to be more abbreviated than normal. I'm still recovering from a surgery on Friday, and I'm balancing what I can do with what I think I need to do.

As such, many of you have sent me in news tips that I just won't be able to get to, nor will I probably reply to your email.

I'm not ignoring you and thank you for your understanding.

Thanks also to those who have expressed concern. If you'd like to help, there's two things I can think of:

Hold off on non-essential emails for the balance of this week.

Promote the Examiner columns. They are where I will expend the brunt of my energy.

I know from the weekend it looks like I'm back to posting normally, and I'm sure I'll do more today and in the coming days than I should, but that's just me being thick-necked and not knowing when I'm licked. I expect any minute Sweetie's gonna come in here, lay down the law, grab my ear and put me in my place, which is a big soft leather couch in front of a large screen TV, preferably tuned to something black and white, with cigarette-smoking protagonists and tough-talking dames.

This Day in History: February 2

I am no less Surprised than you are, at the policy of New England, how it will end I can not positively determine, but I dread its Consequences. I dare not (as they have) hazard the establishment of a practice, directly repugnant to a Resolve of Congress, and therefore can say nothing more to you, than desire that you would quickly determine, from Appearances, whether you can raise the Regiment by the time expected, if you think you can not, please to inform me immediately, for it would be only loosing time, [and injuring the Public,] to appoint Officers who can not answer the end proposed. [More]