Off topic but interesting, at least to me

A helpful hint to all teenage wannabe-muggers out there - if you've got it in your head to go out and rob a transvestite prostitute, you might want to pick one that isn't 6-3 and 290 pounds:

The two men went into a nearby alley to transact business, [Hamilton County, Ohio Assistant Prosecutor Ryan] Nelson said, when [16-year-old assailant Rufus] Bowman pulled a gun.

The two men fought. The 5-foot-7, 230-pound Bowman fired his gun. The bullet hit [very large and now extremely angry transvestite Joshua] Bumpus in the arm, went through and lodged near his ribs.

Even though he was shot, Bumpus continued fighting - and won.

'He got the gun away from (Bowman), he grabbed (Bowman) by the hair and beat him down. He beat the (daylights) out of him,' Nelson said."

Bowman is now undoubtedly the laughingstock of the Ohio penal system, which is where he will be staying for the next three years.

The Veep sticks his foot in his mouth again, to absolutely no one's surprise

"Every single great idea that has marked the 21st century, the 20th century and the 19th century has required government vision and government incentive"

- Vice President Joe Biden, New York City, October 26, 2010

Such unmitigated (but, alas, neither unexpected nor unprecedented) puffery and conceit from a member of the lifetime political class.  Whatever would we poor stupid peasants do without the gentle hands of our masters leading us out of our own pile of incompetence?

We would argue that precisely the opposite of Mr. Biden's assertion is the actual truth of things, and that government screws up far more things than it aids.

Two days.  Be part of the solution.

It's all coming apart for Dear Leader

President Obama, attempting to speak at a recent campaign rally in Connecticut, is repeatedly interrupted by liberal hecklers and thus can't get his propaganda out (disruption begins at 2:20 of the video):



Looks like the many sheep-like peasants to whom you promised to deliver rainbows and gold-excreting unicorns are getting pretty impatient with you, sir. 

By the way, that old demagogic (and disturbingly old-school Soviet-like) "O-ba-ma" chant just doesn't have quite the magical ring it once did, eh?

Bizarro-world, Colorado Edition

The Colorado Supreme Court has somehow managed to conclude that an illegal alien did not commit any crimes when he used a stolen Social Security number to get a job in the U.S., as well as apply for an auto loan:

'"We cannot conclude that [Felix] Montes-Rodriguez pretended to be another person in his loan application simply because he supplied a false Social Security number,' Justice Michael Bender wrote in his majority opinion."

Incredible.  How can those actions not be viewed as constituting felony theft and fraud?

We'll have to file that court decision away for future reference in case the need ever arises for us to move to that state and fraudulently assume another person's identity, tax history and credit rating, since that action apparently isn't a criminal offense there.

Whoa

A lifelong Democrat activist named Kevin DuJan has chronicled in an open letter to Rush Limbaugh the disgusting treatment he and other sincere Hillary Clinton supporters received at the hands of Dear Leader's political shock troops in 2008, and why as long as Obama and the other Alinskyites continue to remain in power DuJan and untold thousands of others just like him will never again support Democrat Party candidates.  Based on the hundreds of positive comments left for him by other mainstream Democrats, we suspect he's correct in asserting that he's not alone in this line of thinking.  The piece is long but exceedingly well written and well worth your attention.

As we've previously opined, who knew the day would come when Hillary Clinton would be viewed as a fairly mainstream Presidential candidate and a (choke) vastly preferable alternative to the current occupant of that office?

From the Department of Glaringly Obvious Headlines

"I was anti-gun, until I got stalked"

An apparently very liberal-leaning (she writes about sustainable living issues) Oregon woman named Jennifer Willis, recounting in Salon magazine her conversion from hoplophobe to card-carrying gun packer after being terrorized by a stalker and having local police inform her there wasn't much they could do about the situation and recommending she take that action.

We've noticed this phenomenon more than once among our own friends and relatives.  It's amusing how some people finally realize how good an idea arming oneself can be when it's their rear-end in a sling.

In all seriousness, good for Ms. Willis for taking charge of and responsibility for her own personal safety.  We plan to email her and tell her so.


(Once again, h/t to John Pierce of opencarry.org)

Michigan demonstrates how matters ought to be handled by law enforcement

The Michigan State Police Training and Standards Division has issued a concise and helpful memo for the benefit of local law-enforcement agencies.  It confirms that the open carry of a firearm by law-abiding residents who are not otherwise prohibited from doing so is indeed not a criminal offense.  The document also spells out exactly when police officers are authorized to make contact with those citizens:

"In Michigan, it is legal for a person to carry a firearm in public as long as the person is carrying the firearm with lawful intent and the firearm is not concealed. You will not find a law that states it is legal to openly carry a firearm. It is legal because there is no Michigan law that prohibits it;"

...

"Officers are reminded that the Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures. Carrying a non-concealed firearm is generally legal. Officers may engage in a consensual encounter with a person carrying a non-concealed pistol; however, in order to stop a citizen, officers are required to have reasonable suspicion that crime is afoot. For example, officers may not stop a person on the mere possibility the person may be carrying an unregistered pistol. Officers must possess facts rising to the level of reasonable suspicion to believe the person is carrying an unregistered pistol.

Officers are also reminded there is no general duty for a citizen to identify himself or herself to a police officer unless the citizen is being stopped for a Michigan Vehicle Code violation."

Congratulations to that professional, service-oriented agency for being so proactive about distributing this information in an effort to prevent any tragic misunderstandings that could result in innocent people,well-meaning cops or both from getting injured or worse.


(h/t to John Pierce at opencarry.org for the info)

Disagree with Obama and liberal Latinos on immigration policy? You're now an "enemy"

"And if Latinos sit out the election instead of saying, we're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us, if they don't see that kind of upsurge in voting in this election, then I think it's gonna be harder and that's why I think it's so important that people focus on voting on November 2."  (emphasis ours)

- President Barack Obama on Univision, October 25, 2010  

So according to Mr. Obama anyone, whether Hispanic or not, who legitimately and sincerely opposes such acts as a mass amnesty for illegal aliens or passage of the "DREAM" Act (which would allow illegal immigrants up to age 35 who were brought here as children to stay once minimal requirements are fulfilled) is now considered to be an "enemy" of both himself and the Latino community (who or whatever that is), despite the fact that many illegal aliens are from such diverse places as Europe, the Middle East, China and even Africa, the most famous example of the latter of course being Dear Leader's own dear "Auntie" Zeituni Onyango. 

An interesting choice of words from our benevolent master, who was once upon a time full of flowery promises of working tirelessly to bring our nation together, or some such nonsense.  How quickly all those assurances of a post-racial administration went out the window once he and his socialist community organizer buddies took over the White House.

And why was this fascinating piece of the interview not reported anywhere on the major mainstream news outlets?

One more week until this wannabe-despot's power begins to be checked in a serious way.  Hang in there.

From the Department of Glaringly Obvious Headlines

Two today, both having to do with the anticipated upcoming announcement (December 1) of budget recommendations by Dear Leader's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform: 

"Key Tax Breaks at Risk as Panel Looks at Cuts"

"Deficit Commission Weighs Dropping Mortgage Interest Deduction"

We're hearing lots of rumblings about all kinds of new and inventive ways to raise taxes "revenue", but simply dead silence and crickets chirping when it comes to the real "reform" of cutting waste, fraud and abuse "costs and unnecessary expenditures".

Our good friend Scott Jordan is completely correct - when will it occur to these moronic bureaucrats to simply stop spending so much of the peasants' money?

The Jack-Booted Thug of the Week...

... is the California Highway Patrol officer (who has apparent sexual identity issues and a seeming wish to be a stereotypical Southern small-town sheriff) who thought the following was a professional way to handle the traffic stop of a German tourist caught rocketing down a local highway:



We understand and agree that traveling 98 mph on a busy California interstate is reckless driving.  Ticket or jail the driver for his infraction then, but don't threaten him with anal rape.

How bad is this conduct?  Bad enough that the officer's compadres on the CHPForums have censored and banned the video rather than frankly discuss and learn from it.

Way to hide your heads in the sand, "boys".

An interesting journalistic choice of words

"Practically ordering cheering supporters to vote, even though he's not on the ballot, President Barack Obama declared Thursday that the Nov. 2 congressional elections will set the direction of the nation 'for years to come.'' 

Dictators order their subjects to do things.  Presidents of a free people do no such thing.  Which, of course, is precisely why Dear Leader's ambitious socialist agenda is in such dire straits these days.

Eating their own for daring to stray from the reservation

National Public Radio, a well-documented liberally-biased "media" organization substantially financed by tax dollars extracted from the peasants on pain of imprisonment, has fired liberal but well-regarded-by-all commentator Juan Williams (himself a minority) for expressing his personal opinion on another network (Fox News) that he gets "worried and nervous" when he boards an airplane and sees people dressed in Muslim-style garb.
 
Uncomfortable and not-PC?  Yep. True for a lot of people?  Again, emphatically yes.  Williams is only expressing what we ourselves have experienced when flying, and we're not bigots either.

Way to stifle the free expression of ideas, NPR.  Williams wasn't attacking anyone personally or even criticising Islam but merely pointing out a fact of life in today's America.  Shame on you for canning him for daring to discuss it candidly in the open.

By the way, can anyone explain why in an era of literally thousands of free and low-cost choices of news and entertainment selections on broadcast television, radio, Internet and cable and satellite outlets, taxpayers are forced by their masters spend millions of dollars funding an anachronism of a network which purports to be for everyone but in reality targets a liberal audience?

It's time to send this pathetic leftover of the Great Society into a long-overdue retirement.

Shut up and vote for us, you stupid sheep

Here's what passes for a passionate defense of Obamacare by liberal Democrats these days:

"'I don't think we should be making the case right now,' [Howard] Dean said. 'Elections are not the time to educate people. You win the election, then you educate people afterwards,' Dean said."

You honestly couldn't write fiction this surreal.

The Jack-Booted Thug of the Week, International Edition...

... is Toronto, Canada Constable Adam "Bubbles" Josephs, for threatening a non-violent protester with assault charges because she's standing on a sidewalk blowing bubbles during a G20 protest there:



As the video shows, the woman was arrested moments after Josephs threw his infantile hissy fit.  Coincidence?   We highly doubt it.

(Props to the female officer for showing grace, good humor and admirable restraint in the incident.  She clearly realizes that there's no intent by the protester to cause any major trouble and she responded perfectly to the situation, unlike her humorless colleague, who seems to enjoy attempting to intimidate everyone in the crowd with his barked orders, threats and scowls.  We see where it got him.)

Anyway, now Constable Josephs, big baby that he is, is now trying to sue YouTube because people there have cruelly posted cartoon videos that apparently mock his thuggish behavior:



The sensitive soul is said to be seeking $1.2 million in damages to his hurt psyche.

Sorry, pal.  America, where YouTube is headquartered, has First Amendment protection of parody, so you seem to be spit out of luck on this one. 

May we perhaps refer you to a support group for those terrified of soap bubbles?


(h/t to our good friend Carlos Miller at Pixiq)

The Jack-Booted Thug(s) of the Week...

... is the Republican-controlled (sadly; they should know better) office of the Vermont Attorney General.

They've seen fit to release the details, including video of the stop, of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Peter Shumlin's June ticket for extreme speeding, yet curiously have declined to do the same in the case of a Vermont State Trooper who was cited for the exact same offense, only the cop was nailed going even faster than the politician.  He just had the bad luck of zooming by his boss, the Commissioner of Public Safety, while he was racing around on duty but not responding to an emergency call:

"Yet after Vermont State Trooper Michael Studin was accused of going 133 mph in October 2008, state officials told the Burlington Free Press no dice on releasing any records related to the stop — not the video, not the police report, not the Attorney General’s Office’s investigation of the case."

Trooper Studin ended up getting a $1,036 ticket versus Shumlin's much smaller fine of $152.  Both were considered civil infractions instead of criminal violations, but the AG's office is lamely claiming the scofflaw cop's case was somehow a "criminal investigation", making the details exempt from public records laws.

Sorry, "no dice" yourselves, state officials.  The cases are nearly identical.  This looks suspiciously like a simultaneous dirty tricks campaign as well as an official cover up of a police officer's arrogant ignoring of the very laws he's sworn to uphold.  If nothing else it just looks bad.

Release all the details of every case on request, or release nothing.  You can't have it both ways.

Here's what "gun-free" zones accomplish - nothing

21-year-old Arizona State University student Zachary Marco was shot and killed on campus last night in an apparent armed robbery gone bad.

The carry of firearms by law-abiding citizens is banned on public universities under Arizona state law, but that impotent fact didn't seem to affect the murderous assailants who executed this innocent student for the few dollars he had on him.

If Mr. Marco had been legally armed and able to defend himself, would he be alive today?  Maybe, maybe not.  We're positive he would at least liked to have had a choice in the matter.

"Lawful" gun-free zones do nothing but place the very people they purport to protect in mortal danger from these sorts of brutal thugs, who target these areas on purpose because they have complete assurance that no one will be able to successfully fight back.

"'This is really bizarre,' [sophomore Leila] Anderson said. 'At night it is kind of scary here.' She added that for freshmen, the campus is their home. 'If I was a freshman I would be really scared.'"

We would be terrified as well, if it were us that was forced to walk a dark campus alone at night with all effective means of self-defense forbidden to us.

The students there have now learned a vital lesson they will never receive in a college classroom - only they are ultimately responsible for their own safety and well-being, and it behooves them to prepare for the all-too-common time when that possibility indeed becomes a reality.

Snake-bit by his own actions

It's all going straight down the drain for Dear Leader, despite his frantic campaign pace the last few days:

"Nearly two years after putting Obama in the White House, one-quarter of those who voted for the Democrat are defecting to the GOP or considering voting against the party in power this fall. Just half of them say they definitely will show up Nov. 2, according to an Associated Press-Knowledge Networks poll released two weeks before Obama's first midterm elections."

Ordinary peasants are finally realizing that our President is a far-left ideologue who has no interest in any other strategy than "fundamentally transforming the United States of America" (his words) into a socialist paradise.

Remember?



"'He ran as a centrist. I don't think he's a centrist at all. ... His whole economic platform is the more government spends, the better things are,' [Pittsburgh voter Aaron] Bonnaure said. "We have a far-left government. The answers are in the middle.'"

Mr. Bonnaure is but 23 years old.  There's hope for us yet.

Even Obama's enablers in the dominant mainstream media such as Boston Herald columnist Margery Eagan are beginning to take note of Dear Leader's apparent bait and switch tactics, along with his obvious incompetence:

"I don’t think the president meant to undermine anybody’s confidence with his wrong-way-out-of-the-ditch story yesterday. But that’s the nagging question — isn’t it? Even among the once-Obamified, like me? We’re afraid he’s not really getting us out of our ditch. And the ditch is getting deeper. And it’s very scary stuff."

...


"I want Barack Obama to give me something concrete to hang onto so I can hang in myself. I am trying, Mr. President. But you don’t make it easy."

Ouch.  "Once-Obamified".  We'll have to remember that one.  If you've lost New England, Mr. President, than you are truly hosed.

Nine more days.

"Moonbeam" promises the moon but fails to say how he'll pay for it

California gubernatorial candidate Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown manages to keep a straight face while vowing that there's "enough wealth" to admit all illegal alien students to public universities at in-state tuition rates, even though that dysfunctional state is hopelessly bankrupt due in no small part to policies he implemented the last time he was in charge there:



What an incompetent, pandering boob. 

We're no huge fan of Meg Whitman, mostly due to her irrational banning from eBay of firearm parts (and even accessories) during her tenure as CEO.  At this point anyone has to be better than this tired old liberal retread, however.

If this clip isn't enough to anger the hard-working taxpayers of California enough to deny Brown another chance to screw things there up even more then nothing will.

It's beginning to dawn on Dear Leader that perhaps he isn't as smart as he thought

"When I met with the governors, all of them have projects that are shovel ready, that are going to require us to get the money out the door, but they've already lined up the projects and they can make them work."

- President-elect Barack Obama, Meet the Press, December 7, 2008.


"[Obama] realized too late that 'there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects' when it comes to public works."

- New York Times, October 12, 2010.


Are we expected to just wait around until this unqualified and incompetent person finally wakes up and "realizes" his other ambitious plans to fundamentally transform our country into a carbon copy of Europe have failed just as spectacularly as this trillion-dollar waste of a stimulus package?

Of course not.  Vote his legislative supporters out of office on November 2 and save our nation.

Someone finally paid attention to the situation

Matt Bostrom, candidate for sheriff of Ramsey County, Minnesota, seems to have taken notice of the article we published last month that details the ongoing tendency of incumbent Sheriff Bob Fletcher to, shall we say, play games with that state's otherwise clearly-outlined process for law-abiding citizens to obtain a handgun carry permit:

"The law is quite specific and leaves no doubt as to its interpretation. Therefore, as Sheriff, I will issue permits within 30 days to applicants who meet the criteria set forth in subdivision 2, paragraph (b). Denials will be rare and used only for facts that are clearly articulated and related to specific public safety concerns, as prescribed by the statute and never as a political tool.

Under my administration, the Ramsey County Sheriff will have a rate of granting permits consistent with those of other Minnesota sheriffs, because the people of Ramsey County are as responsible and law-abiding as those in the other 86 counties."

Ramsey County residents now appear to have a much better choice for sheriff than the office's current occupant.  We hope they exercise their vote in two weeks and make that change.



(Disclaimer:  We have had no contact with Bostrom or his representatives, nor were we asked by anyone to endorse his campaign.  All opinions expressed are solely our own.)

A terrible idea from a predictable place

The Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police has appealed to the ultimate Nanny-state Great Britain's home secretary to make it far harder for peasants to sue his force over brutality and civil rights abuse claims.  He also wants his government to begin charging people and organizations to fulfill Freedom Of Information Act requests, in an apparent effort to cut down markedly on the number to which his seemingly overworked office has to respond.

(Ironically, "Sir" Paul Stephenson conveyed his ideas to Secretary Theresa May in a "confidential memo", portions of which were only made public after the Guardian newspaper submitted the very sort of FOIA request that Stephenson wants to make much more difficult to accomplish.)

Why should British cops enjoy special protections over and above any other government workers?  They're not "special people" at all but merely ordinary subjects that have been granted extra powers to successfully perform a public safety function.  If anything because of that situation they should be subject to more oversight than the average employee.

Here's an idea - if the police didn't regularly abuse their authority or break the law themselves there wouldn't be anything to sue about, and therefore no need to limit efforts to gain redress for the harm they most certainly cause innocent people on occasion.

"James Welch, legal director of the civil rights group Liberty, said: 'The ability to challenge police misconduct in court is a vital constitutional safeguard against abuse of power.'"

Absolutely.

Bookmark this page for future reference

A few helpful things to keep in mind when one is forced to stop at a police roadblock, courtesy of the National Motorists Association.

Not such a shining example after all

The junior Nanny-state to our north is often held up by our clueless liberal politicians as a model country worthy of emulation, particularly on matters such as gun control, health care and human rights for those accused and/or convicted of crimes.  Well, scratch that last one:

"Canadian suspects of serious crimes do not have a constitutional right to have a lawyer present during questioning by authorities, the Supreme Court of Canada said today."

Just one more example of why, in spite of all our current problems, America is by far still the best country in the world.  Let's help get it back on track by voting as many as possible of Dear Leader's conspirators out of office on November 2.

From the Department of Glaringly Obvious Headlines

"Mexican Illegal Immigrants Faced with Poor Health Care in U.S."

You mean that people who sneak into this country in violation of our laws, generally don't pay income taxes or purchase health insurance for themselves and utilize hospital emergency rooms as primary care facilities don't get crackerjack medical attention?  Who knew? 

"Mexican illegal immigrants in the United States face a higher risk of illness and death from limited access to health care, according to a new study announced this week by Mexico’s health ministry."

So we're expected to believe that peasants are fleeing that country by the millions in spite of receiving unlimited fantastic health care in their home country from a competent health ministry that's part of a successful and non-corrupt government?

Right.  Go spin that yarn to someone who will swallow that bull.

From the Department of Glaringly Obvious Headlines

"Obama wants a detente with business leaders"

Only now after he's unleashed a perfect storm of massive proposed tax increases, a plethora of overbearing government regulation and an onerous health care mandate (all of which is causing him to face a midterm election rebuke of historic proportions) on private business does Dear Leader wish to play ball with the capitalist engine that fundamentally drives the American economy:

"'The fundamental problem,' says Steve Reinemund, former PepsiCo CEO and now dean of the Wake Forest University School of Business, 'is the sense the President doesn't consider business a noble profession'.

Democrats close to the Administration say the White House wants to make amends and will make its relationship with business a priority after the midterm elections."

Much too little too late, in our opinion.

Good luck with regaining the political capital you so cavalierly urinated away, Mr. Obama.

Why I carry a handgun for protection, Vol. 40

Because even being the mayor of the 5th largest city in America (which comes with a part-time security detail) isn't enough to prevent one from being the victim of a home-invasion burglary:

"[Phoenix Mayor Phil] Gordon said some [city officials] called Saturday suggesting he increase his security detail, but the mayor said that is a judgment call he'll leave for the police department and other city officials to decide."

Gordon is very fortunate to have the opportunity to avail himself of that extra security should he wish (and good for him for not blindly panicking over the incident).  His constituents, however, do not enjoy that same advantage and so should count themselves lucky to reside in a state that has liberal firearms carry laws for law-abiding citizens as well as a strong "Castle Doctrine" statute that allows mere peasants to legally defend their homes and loved ones from such random and potentially violent attacks from the goblins that roam their streets.

Today's TASER Travesty

Today's story comes out of Western Australia, where police officers saw fit to TASER an aboriginal man named Kevin Spratt an incomprehensible 24 times in two incidents over the two weeks he was in custody at the East Perth Watch House.

Mr. Spratt was TASERED 13 times after refusing to submit to a strip search and 11 times the next week after declining to come out of his cell (but he's merely an Abo so what's the big deal over his treatment, right?).

In other words, in these incidents the TASER was clearly misused as a pain-delivering compliance tool rather than a "potentially lethal" self-defense weapon, as it is only now being sensibly reclassified by such agencies as the Minneapolis, Minnesota Police Department.

"The two police officers responsible have so far escaped criminal prosecution but were fined a combined total of $1950 after a police disciplinary hearing into the incident."

Don't strain yourselves with the discipline down there, mates.

It's unbelievable that these officers are still employed as cops and face no other criminal sanction than having to pay such a trifling monetary penalty.  It's obvious that their bosses aren't taking this clear incident of police brutality seriously at all.

"Mr Spratt said he was disgusted the two officers had not been stood down.
 
'They don't deserve to to hold a weapon like that if they're just going to use it like it's a water pistol,' he told the West Australian."

We certainly agree.

The Gipper was truly ahead of his time

"I can’t help thinking that, while much of the 20th century saw the rise of the federal government, the 21st century will be the century of the states. I have always believed that America is strongest and freest and happiest when it is truest to the wisdom of its founders."

Ronald Reagan, August 8, 1988, speaking at the Annual Meeting of the National Governors' Association.

We can only hope his thoughts were indeed accurate.

(h/t to D.H.)

From the Department of Glaringly Obvious Headlines

"Three dozen fall ill at Obama rally in Md."

And he hadn't even begun speaking yet, which is usually the point at which people start to feel nauseous.

The poster boy for liberal idiocy

Some of the recent greatest hits from Rep. Phil Hare, D-IL:










We really wish the responsible residents who live in his utterly gerrymandered district overcome that unfortunate handicap and see fit to retire his dictatorial rear end in 26 days. 

Where's their jurisdiction?

Not that such questions seem to matter much anymore.

The FBI has confiscated a card bearing John Lennon's fingerprints and signature from a NYC memorabilia shop.  It was apparently made at a local police station in 1976 when Lennon was applying for U.S. citizenship.

It is unclear exactly what statutory authority gives the agency the right to seize such privately-owned historical property that simply has nothing to do with a federal crime, but we're sure they'll come up with something to justify their overreaching action.  We suppose they'll next be going after everyone who owns locks of Abraham Lincoln's hair.

"A store owner, Peter Siegel, said Homeland Security also had inquired about the card."

Because, you know, celebrities that have been dead for 30+ years represent an immediate terrorist threat to the nation.

Another infuriating example of your tax dollars being spent in a "wise and judicious" manner.

A followup

Some unsurprising updates to a story discussed here recently:

"All criminal charges have been dropped against an 84-year-old man whose neck was broken when he was thrown down by an Orlando police officer."

...

"With [Daniel] Daley's son at his side, [attorney Mark] NeJame came out swinging, saying Orlando Officer Travis Lamont is the only one who says Daley got physically aggressive with him, because all other eyewitnesses who came to the news conference said Daley did not."  (all emphases ours)

We received some feedback from readers after we commented about this incident, in which it was pointed out that elderly intoxicated people can indeed be dangerous to police officers.  Undoubtedly, in some cases.  This certainly doesn't appear to be one of them, especially in light of these recent developments.

Off topic but interesting, at least to me

This has got to be one of the funniest Yahoo! Answers ever (click to enlarge):

(Found over at Ace's place)

Anatomy of a mess

Long-time California resident Jennifer Rubin has written an interesting article for Commentary magazine which details how the out-of-control spending, anti-business policies and ever-more intrusive socially "progressive" Nanny-state laws supported by both parties in that state, as well as some of the more ridiculous propositions approved by the voters there, have left the Golden State in such a morass, financial and otherwise. 

The piece is well worth reading, as it represents a cautionary tale that warns of what's in store for the rest of the country if like-minded national politicians such as Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and President Obama are allowed to remain in charge.

California is a beautiful place to visit (and we have quite a few loved ones who reside within its borders, so we do indeed travel there from time to time), but there's no way we would ever consider living there until that place gets its act together, and from the looks of things it doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon.

Nope, no need whatsoever for personal protection in that neighborhood

The most dangerous neighborhood in America, according to a website that collated the relevant Federal, state and local crime data, is United Center Park in Chicago's near West side:

"According to the info, anyone walking down Lake Street between Damen and Western has a 1 in 4 chance of being a victim of a crime."

Now there's a stat you won't find listed in the local tourist brochures.

But of course rabidly anti-gun outgoing King Emperor Mayor-for-Life Richard Daley, as well as his carpetbagging hopeful successor Rahm Emanuel, continue to insist that there is simply no need for law-abiding Chicago residents and visitors to carry firearms for self-protection - no need a whopping 75% of the time near downtown, anyway.

We personally don't like those odds one bit, which is why we won't be spending our time and money in that city anytime soon and encourage everyone else to vote their pocketbooks in a similar manner, at least until the dictators who run Chicago as well as the state of Illinois come to their senses regarding the lawful carry of firearms.

(On the subject of Mayor Daley, a family member reminds us that we didn't weigh in when His Dishonor announced that he would not be seeking an eighth term.  Apparently he has a terminally ill wife whose deteriorating condition precipitated his decision not to run again, so out of respect for her we'll simply wish him a long, happy and overdue retirement.)

From the Department of Glaringly Obvious Headlines

"Centerpiece of Health Overhaul Not Living Up to Expectations"

Well, duh.

When will California cops ever learn?

Reader T.C., who is originally a native of southern California, sends us word that the city of San Diego has agreed to pay $35,000 of their taxpayers' hard-earned money to a man who was falsely arrested for legally openly carrying an unloaded pistol while peacefully walking to a breakfast spot in Mission Beach in November 2008.

For those who are unfamiliar with circumstances in California, it is perfectly legal to open-carry unloaded there so long as the ammunition or loaded magazine is located somewhere else on the body, one is not a prohibited person and is not knowingly within 1000 feet of a K-12 school.  The police per California Penal Code 12031(e) are only allowed to detain a person until they establish that the weapon is unloaded, unless there is evidence that another crime is being committed.  From a recent Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department memo to their deputies on the issue:

"You have the ability to run a records check of the weapon's serial number if it is visible to you during
the course of the weapon inspection. Considerable case law holds that you are not required to "close
your eyes" to things you observe during the lawful performance of your duties. Your authority to detain the subject while conducting the 12031(e) inspection is limited.

Once it is established that the weapon is being lawfully carried, and there are no other circumstances
justifying the detention of the subject, the detention must end. As a general rule, with some
exceptions discussed below, it is not illegal to carry an unloaded firearm in a public place.  (emphasis in the original)

(And yes, we realize this method of carry isn't ideal, but it's the only way the vast majority of law-abiding peasants in that Nanny-state paradise who aren't "hooked up" enough with the local constabulary to be able to get a concealed-carry permit can legally exercise their right of self-defense.)

We suppose it will continue to take even more wasteful giving out of money that's not theirs to spend before some police agencies in California finally get the message about what's lawful or not in their own jurisdiction.

The surreal and ignoble end of an empire

The liberal Nanny-state nitwits who are presiding over the ruination of once-Great Britain have just passed an "Equality" Act which will actually (and predictably) ensure no such thing.  What the new law basically does is allow anyone in a work setting over there to sue anyone else over perceived "harassing" comments, no matter how minor, unintended or innocuous, or regardless if the person wasn't the intended target or was even present to hear the remarks:

"It creates the controversial legal concept of ‘third party harassment’, under which workers will be able to sue over jokes and banter they find offensive – even if the comments are aimed at someone else and they weren’t there at the time the comments were made."  (all emphases ours)

This sounds like a bad episode of television's The Office, but this stupid legislation is indeed the proud brainchild of Labour party deputy leader Harriet Harman.

"They could even have a case against their employer if a customer or contractor says something they find offensive."

Unbelievable.  Simply unbelievable.  How is a boss supposed to prevent a rude patron from spouting off?

Yeah, that law won't be misused at all by people out for revenge for some perceived wrong, or who are looking to get a rival out of the picture so they can be promoted instead, or who simply wish to get a little extra cash from a quick settlement.

We predict absolute chaos in British workplaces will ensue once this abomination of political correctness is allowed to take effect.