Monday, February 25, 2013

GRE Watch

Constitution Watch has the latest Gun Rights Examiner columns, including from yours truly, Kurt Hofmann, Chris Woodard and Jennifer Cruz.

Defense moves to drop remaining counts against N.M. gun dealers

“The collective testimony of all of the prosecutors with a hand in this ill-baked pie will be relevant and prove to establish either a willful constitutional violation or that there has been a pattern and practice in the U.S. Attorney’s Office under Mr. Gonzales’ tenure of suppressing ... information. [More
This evening's Gun Rights Examiner column brings another exclusive report on the Reese case that's not in the interests of "legitimate media" to keep you apprised of. Isn't it something? All those "Authorized Journalist" media outlets in New Mexico and you're learning this from #justablogger in Ohio who has no resources save an internet connection?

Help this poor family. At the very least, understand their story and make sure others do as well, and if you can help with their defense fund even better. But bottom line, unless you share the link, this latest development will stay buried and they'll continue fighting this outrageous injustice with no one scrutinizing their persecutors and demanding that they account for themselves. Unless you help shine a light, this ordeal will remain right where the government wants it to stay -- in the dark.

A Failure of Civility

Matt Bracken says he's found an essential book. [Read]

I tend to give Matt Bracken a lot of credit for knowing what he's talking about.  Still, this includes some of the few things he's written where I feel compelled to publicly disagree with him: that part where he dismisses and diminishes the importance of his own work and that part where he apologizes for the quality of his review.

Equality?

Or "home rule"? [Watch]

Debunking Gordon Duff

I was told the Secret Service sent around a directive to use “inert weapons” for the parade, as they have always done in the past. [More]
As explained:
The issue of parade rifles carried by honor guards being disabled in a different fashion under previous administrations, such as having their firing pins removed, is not being argued here, although it should be—not that it didn't happen, but that it does. But that’s not the thrust of this article. Here’s what is: Unlike in 2009, in the 2013 inaugural parade, someone in authority made the decision to change that and order the Marines to march with visibly disabled guns.
Back to Gordon:
Now the shoe is on the other foot, we are looking for a reason for this hoax and those who worked hard to damage the Marine Corp and the President by lying to the public.
You must not be looking very hard, as you've never once tried to contact me, even though my work is the basis for your attack piece -- I found out about your "debunking" from a comment poster here. And I hardly think the retired Sgt Major who first complained about the missing bolts, and the retired USMC officer who administers the active and retired Marines list that passed on his concerns, and the USMC retired officer who shared it with me were working to damage a Corps they honor and have devoted a good portion of their lives to serving. They viewed Marines being ordered to march in public with the bolts removed, rendering them visibly emasculated, as a very pointed and intentional diss.

You're free to disagree with that assumption, Gordon, but you're not free to call demonstrable facts a hoax: Bolts were removed in 2013 and were not in 2009. I note you didn't happen to ask why this method was chosen instead of the way it was conducted in the prior inaugural parade.

Now I realize, unlike you, I don't sit on any Federal Reserve-affiliated boards and I'm not partnering with the UN, USAID and International Wildlife Federation, and I also don't have colleagues blaming "the Zionists" for Newtown, so I guess I have to defer to your expertise on dupes and hoaxes...

Gun Control Fantasy

The only proposed legislation from the government seeks common-sense gun laws limiting firearms like assault weapons that are a threat not just to citizens but also to police. [More
Right, we're the ones living in fantasy land.

"Real Numbers from Real Cases"

So it's not about stopping violent crime? [Read]

Here's the letter.

[Via bondmen]

Black Out

Well of course "Out of many, one" is offensive if your agenda is to divide and conquer. [Read]

You notice we never learn the name of the bureaucrat who signed off on these things?

[Via Mack H]

We're the Only Ones Protecting and Serving Ourselves Enough

If you haven't already, read this about a subway stabbing.

Then watch this.

I don't know what's more outrageous about Furious Mike Paradise-- the cowardly parasites or the self-imposed ignorance that enables them.

We're the Only Ones Not Unduly Restricted Enough

It's like the cops, prosecutor and court were all stoned or something to come up with that ruling. [Read]

[Via William T]

Meanwhile, Over in Bashar al-Assad Paradise

Read this.

Imagine that.

[Via j3]

Breaking Raw Intel

From Sam Adams 1776:
I am attending the RSA Conference in San Francisco. A large ATF force arrested 4 or 5 apparently clean-cut individuals at the King George Hotel at 334 Mason St.

I saw the agents leaving in several vehicles. I did not see those arrested though. I had just come down the elevator. I did hear a few people talking who had seen those arrested. They were surprised apparently how "clean cut" they looked as though they expect that anyone who is arrested should look like one of the dregs of society.


Sorry I don't have more info on the nature if the arrests.
In a follow-up email, he told me this happened this morning at around 8 a.m. Pacific time. 

The RSA Conference is a big IT/information security shindig at the Moscone Center that draws attendees from around the world. The King George is one of the hotel partners. So far, I've found nothing about this on Google news searches and there's been no field release media announcement from ATF, and at present I have no idea if the arrests are related to the conference or if this is coincidental.

I'm going to see if I can find anything out through front and back channels. Meanwhile, if anybody hears anything, feel free to leave a comment.

What, No Sapphires?

Isn't that what's traditional for a 45th anniversary? [Read]

Assuming the collectivists don't take them and leave you with ears, necks, fingers and wrists to display them on?

Not a Done Deal

It better not be. [Read]

So, Tom, while you're out there engineering a preemptive surrender that will still cover your @$$ with gun owner voters, what have you introduced or supported to end "gun-free zones"?

The Results Are Grimm

If you can't trust New York Republicans, who can you trust? [Read]

Progressive USA endangering ‘gun control’ foot soldiers

It becomes fair to ask, especially since “progressives” claim so much credit for championing workplace safety laws that everyone else must abide by, what responsibility does Progressive USA have as an employer/contractor for fully informing those it dispatches of on-the-job hazards? [More]
Today's Gun Rights Examiner report notes an absence of essential safety training and equipment.Perhaps what needs to happen is to get someone hired and then have them file a whistleblower complaint...

Day of Resistance

Doc of Maingun Military Surplus passes along his thoughts on an event he organized and has allowed me to share them here:
As I commented on the War on Guns page, I was hesitant to support these guys too. The National Level folks seemed to be out for money and fame, not for the cause.

None the less, I signed up to sponsor one of these events locally.

The minuses:

I got inundated with fund raising efforts (different names, but all related to the National group)

I got more junk mail to my email address in the past few weeks than I’ve gotten in the past few years (the old, I have all this money to move, just let me help you crap)

The “canned” press releases that they sent out for us to use were heavily focused on the national group

The pluses:

It was easy to remove references to the National group from our signs, advertising, and press releases

Lots of other groups advertised the event, so we had lots of free advertising

The result:

It rained for the past three days (heavy rain and cold), but we had 150 or so people show up

Some the traditional media outlets that proclaim to be conservative were called out to support a pro second amendment rally. And they showed their true stripes. Rudeness when they did respond. Most claimed that at best this was something that should be in the hunting news section. In the case of our “conservative” radio station, an email with a “vid cap” of the response to the Corporate Beasley Broadcasting Group got immediate attention and a written and oral apology – and coverage!

We got a conservative congressman and a moderate demoncrat to attend. The conservative was very vocal in support. The moderate democrat was very outspoken that the assault weapons ban would be killed. His words, “it didn’t work the first time, so there is no reason to do it again.” We tried to convince to go further, but alas, he is still a democrat.

Best part is that we passed the hat to cover expenses. We received an extra $210 above expenses. I’m sending it to the Reese family defense fund. [Emphasis added-DC]

I figure that as long as we know who we are dealing with, we need to use them to further the right goals.

A Growing List

Sean D. Sorrentino has been compiling a complete list of gun manufacturers joining the NY boycott and is urging action to get them all on board.  It's now up to 70.

Glock? SIG Sauer? S&W? Is there something you'd like to say to your customers?

We're the Only Ones Self-Medicating Enough

The drugs came from arrests and hospice death investigations. [More
And the "best comment" award goes to the guy who observed at least they weren't weight loss drugs.

This Day in History: February 25

His cry ended abruptly as a Patriot sword knocked him from his horse. The clash of swords and blast of rifles rose to a crescendo amid the screams of the wounded and dying Loyalists, still ignorant of what was happening. As each Patriot wheeled his horse to face a new opponent, he called out, "Whose man are you?" "The King's! The King's!" screamed the Loyalists, and the Patriot sword cut them down. [More]