Death by Assault Weapon

Thursday, February 24, 2005

164 days after the expiration of the federal "assault weapons" ban some lunatic opened fire with an AK-47 outside a Texas courthouse.

A brave civilian with a concealed weapons permit tried to stop him but was gunned down by David Hernandez Arroyo Sr, the scumbag who happened to be wearing body armor at the time and who also took out his ex-wife over a child support dispute. Nice.

I wouldn't be surprised if this Arroyo character (who was killed by police as he tried to flee) had a serious criminal past but has been allowed to walk free due to our lax judicial process.

Should this be a call for more gun control?

Absolutely not. This case tells us two things: that concealed weapons permit holders respond faster than police because we are in greater numbers, and that criminals wear body armor too - so it's ridiculous to claim that we should outlaw guns that are "too powerful" for civilian use.

Perhaps someone with a Five-seveN (the gun the Brady Campaign calls the "cop-killer" and is trying to ban) could have been more effective at stopping the armor-wearing gunner.

God bless you, Mark Wilson, 52, a true patriot who died today trying to stop this despicable maniac.

Not Wise to Attack Floridians

From the St. Pete Times:

Some Florida legislators want to give people the right to shoot an attacker in a public place.

A House committee voted Wednesday to allow people to shoot to kill in self-defense if they are attacked "in any other place where he or she has a right to be." Sponsored by Rep. Dennis Baxley, an Ocala Republican, the bill (HB 249) passed 13-0.

State law defines deadly force as that which is likely to cause "death or great bodily harm," such as firing a gun at a person or a vehicle.

Florida courts consider deadly force a last resort and have held that a person being attacked has the "duty to use every reasonable means to avoid the danger, including retreat, prior to using deadly force."

But this legislation says a person who is under attack in a public place "has no duty to retreat."

"Law-abiding people should not be told that if they are attacked, they should turn around and run," NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer told lawmakers. "This bill gives back rights that have been eroded and taken away by a judicial system that at times appears to give preferential treatment to criminals."

Baxley held up a stack of more than 800 e-mails from Floridians who he said have written him to support the bill. He said 62 House members, a majority, have endorsed his bill, and supporters include Attorney General Charlie Crist and groups representing Florida sheriffs, police chiefs and police officers.

Rep. Jeff Kottkamp, R-Cape Coral, said the bill reminded him of a sign he saw on a constituent's house while campaigning door-to-door. Kottkamp said the sign, next to a doorbell, showed a smoking .44-Magnum handgun and the words: "We don't dial 911."

This is great news for Florida gun carriers because now to defend yourself you don't have to first make sure a "duty to retreat" is impossible. Currently, if one's life is threatened he/she must make sure it is impossible to escape before using deadly force on an attacker.

More Mail: Abortion is Beautiful

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Whym likes me but not too much:

You have a point -- a very warped point but a point nonetheless. Here's my counterpoint:

An abortion is a medical procedure -- the only people that should be involced in determining whether that particular medical procedure is carried out or not are the pregnant female, her husband, lover, sperm doner (sic) and their doctor. Not you, not me, not the POTUS or the government. If the female in question decides to bring her baby into this world she will be the one responsible for raising it; not you, not me, not the POTUS or the government. If she decides not to, she should be the one to
make that decision.

Glamorize the unborn all you want, damn the woman and her doctor (and me) all you want but the process of having a child or not having a child should not be a legal process any more than any other bodily function.

I always enjoy your blog and seldom disagree with you but I couldn't let this one slip away.

This is the classic merit-less pro-choice defense. To say it's up to "her husband, lover" is a slap in the face to all the would-be fathers who wanted to have his child but was powerless in a system that makes women the absolute authority on whether to keep or kill it. If a couple decides to have a child but she changes her mind after conception, say goodbye to your son or daughter who's headed for the trashcan.

And funny you say "she will be the one responsible for raising it." Last time I checked a father could be hauled into court for defaulting on a single alimony check.

Then there's the other soundless point: "the process of having a child should not be a legal process" or "it's a decision for her to make." On what grounds? Because it's "her body?" What about the her inside her?

Keeping up with "24"

Keeping up with FOX's hit drama "24" hasn't been easy considering I missed the second half of the second season and all of the third.

Feeling the need for a Jack Baur ass-kicking fix I recently started following the show again which is in its fourth season. A new episode airs every Monday at 9 PM EST on FOX right after American Idol and is almost at the midpoint of the season. I highly suggest you free up that one-hour block every Monday night which better not be already allotted to that just mentioned show.

For recaps of episodes and missed information I check out several helpful sites including the Right Wing Nuthouse who keeps track of death counts and dialogue among other things.

No "A" Films Yet

This week looks to be another disappointment at the movies as I'll have reviews of two films among others you are probably not anticipating.

"Cursed" stars Christina Ricci whom along with two others is attacked by a werewolf in Los Angeles and must kill the beast to end the "cursed" effects the attack has had on their bodies. It's the American answer to Canada's popular cult-trilogy, "Ginger Snaps" but likely less ambitious.

"Man of the House" proves Tommy Lee Jones has lost his mind completely when he accepted the lead role in a film about a Texas Ranger who must protect a group of cheerleaders who have witnessed a murder. Nuff said.

Bush and Marijuana

Monday, February 21, 2005

I don't care that President Bush admitted during a series of secretly recorded conversations with a supposed "friend" that he tried marijuana in his past -- or any other drug for that matter -- but what I don't understand is why his administration fights the war on drugs when clearly there are party members from within the control room who've experimented with the very essence they are trying (and failing) to eradicate.

If people like Mr. Bush aren't responsible for the drug problems in society then who is?

Abortion is Beautiful

It was only a matter of time before I elicited much heated reaction to my column I published quietly on my main website the other day without advertising on the blog. I've collected a few e-mails to share with my readers and will continue to do so as they trickle in.

Delta9 writes:

The issue I take with your article is that you assume that if abortion were illegal than (sic) the incidence of pre-marital sex will decline. Do you actually believe abortion is responsible for irresponsible sex?

Not necessarily, though I did write, "an aged 18-34 single male may sound noble and proudly forthright when he says abortion is a "woman's choice" and a decision for her to make, but if such an option were not available he'd have to think twice about jumping on anything with two legs and a skirt."

The point of the article was not to (completely) condemn acts of random sex but to imply that the availability of abortion has cheapened what is fantasized in all those romance novels; that sex is an act of love. Columnist Dorinda Bordlee, whom I quoted in the article, makes perfect sense when she says women have gotten the raw end of the deal.

Toby isn't too happy:

Your ignorant rant is bullsh*t. So what, married couples who have sex for purposes other than to procreate are contributing to the downfalls of society. Take your religious right-wing nonsense and f*ck off.

Okay, but how you imply that I'm a religious right-winger escapes me. Oh that's right, you have to be a militant Christian Jesus-freak and a conservative to believe in the sanctity of life. But on your initial reaction, I never said there was anything wrong with sex; married or not. What I did say however was the vehicle for fetal termination allows for risk-free sex, when you save for sexually transmitted diseases, and because of it more unwanted pregnancies result.

By far the vast majority of unwanted and thus aborted pregnancies stem from underage, non-married couples for reasons too obvious for me to have to print in this space.

Constantine Makes Three

Thursday, February 17, 2005

In my advanced review of the upcoming film Constantine, I mentioned it was the second time Keanu Reeves plays a character that faces the devil, thinking of the chilling horror movie "Devil's Advocate" with Al Pacino.

But it just hit me that Keanu Reeves went to Hell in "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey" as well, making Constantine the third time he's frequented the home of Satan.

That's got to be some kind of record.

No Love for Polygamists From the Left

A county clerk can legally refuse to issue a marriage license for a polygamous union, a federal judge ruled.

U.S. District Judge Ted Stewart on Wednesday rejected the argument that the state's ban on polygamy violates constitutional rights of religion and privacy, saying the state has an interest in protecting monogamous marriage.

Why aren't liberals screaming about this case? Surely if it were a gay couple the Dems would be out in full force. Just another example of Leftist hypocrisy.

Uh-Oh, God’s in School Again

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

From the Associated Press:

Public elementary schools will continue to allow Bible classes during class time while the local school board conducts a one-year review to determine if criticism of the practice by some parents is valid.

Several hundred people attended the school board meeting Monday, with many standing and applauding the 5-1 decision to begin the review while continuing religious classes, a tradition in Staunton and some other rural Virginia school districts for more than 60 years.

Can't imagine liberals being too happy with this decision, now can we?

Before you get all pissy, just remember that the Bible class has been a tradition in the town for several decades, is at a church and not on school property (allowed by the Supreme Court), and is completely voluntary. Those students who wish to exclude themselves from religious studies can do whatever they wish during that time.

Let's not raise hell and ruin a city tradition just because we feel excluded and believe everyone else should be taken down because of it. If I were in that situation, not wanting to take the Bible class, I would be able to come up with countless ways to productively spend the allotted time. End of story.

Women Are in Control

Monday, February 14, 2005

And don't you forget it. Film critic Richard Roeper amuses us with his take on Valentine's Day:

Who's responsible for Valentine's Day becoming a major commercial and romantic event, featuring cards and flowers and dinner reservations and the giving of the bling?

Nope. We can't blame it on the greeting card companies or the chocolate manufacturers or the jewelers or even those mysterious people in Vermont who have devoted their lives to making cutesy theme teddy bears.

It's women.

Woman's Day

Without women, Valentine's Day would die a quick death. Without the input of women, Feb. 14 would be just another cold day.

A generalization? You betcha. But it's an accurate one.

I wish we could test it right now. I wish we could ask the men of this country just one question:

Should Valentine's Day exist?

What do you think the results would be? How many men would actually vote to keep Valentine's Day on the calendar?

Zero. Not even that guy on "Will & Grace."

Valentine's Day exists because women want it to exist. We can talk all we want about men and women being equal and wanting the same things and blah blah blah blah blah blah, but the truth is that most women are thrilled about the existence of Valentine's Day, and most (if not all) men would rather catch a head cold and stub their big toe every hour on the hour than observe the rituals of Valentine's Day.

And guys, you're really screwed this year, because this year we get a Valentine's Day weekend. Go ahead, pick up the phone right now and try to make a reservation for this Saturday night. You'll be laughed off the line.

But just because you're going out Saturday night doesn't mean you're completely off the hook for next Monday. There better be a card or some flowers or something on the actual day as well.

Of course, you could take a stand. You could tell your honey that you don't believe in Valentine's Day, and you're not going to be co-opted by a commercialized holiday. If you want to demonstrate your love, you don't need Hallmark to do your talking for you. You're a rebel, an individualist, a man's man! You're not going to send flowers or take her out to dinner or buy her treats just because the advertising agencies and the fluffy articles in the newspapers say you should!

One might think a woman would appreciate a man who thinks for himself like that.

One would be wrong.

The man who tells a woman he doesn't celebrate or believe in Valentine's Day is not rewarded or applauded; he is branded as a terminal cheapskate and a thoughtless oaf. Even if the woman in his life smiles sweetly and says, "That's all right honey, I don't care about Valentine's Day," inside she is thinking: You stupid jerk. How am I supposed to go to work and act happy when all the women around me are getting flowers and sappy phone calls? Stupid stupid jerk jerk.

Stop the madness? Yeah right

The only way this Valentine's Day madness could be reined in would be if millions of women of all ages decided to put a stop to it. If women led the movement to simplify and scale back Valentine's Day -- to make it less of an event -- well, they have that power.

Men: Imagine if the woman in your life came to you this morning and said, "Honey, please don't plan anything special for Valentine's Day this year. In fact, I insist that we don't do anything this weekend or next Monday. If you want to take me to dinner or send me flowers or tell me how much you love me, do it when you sincerely want to do it, not when the calendar says you're supposed to do so. That's not love, that's cultural peer pressure! Come on, what is this, the fourth grade? Now can you change the channel to ESPN, and oh by the way, my way hot girlfriends are coming over later because they've got some new negligees and they need our opinion . . ."

OK, so I got a little carried away there, but you know what I mean. Until the woman lets the man off the hook for Valentine's Day, the man is on the hook for Valentine's Day.

It's their holiday. We're just slaves to it.

Special Day

February 14th is a special day. No, not because it's Valentine's Day (Christmas for Hallmark and Russell Stover); on this day my sister celebrates her birthday. Happy birthday sis. Hopefully I'll see you before I go to New York next month.

What, a Criminal Ignored New York Gun Laws?

Sunday, February 13, 2005

From theAssociated Press:

A lone gunman opened fire with an assault rifle Sunday inside a crowded mall in upstate New York, wounding one person before running out of ammunition and being subdued by employees, authorities said.

The gunman began shooting inside the Hudson Valley Mall shortly after 3 p.m. in Kingston, nearly 90 miles north of New York City.

The 24-year-old gunman went into a Best Buy store and started firing. When he ran out of ammunition, he was captured by mall employees, police said.

Ulster Town Supervisor Fred Wadnola identified the gunman's weapon as an AK-47 assault rifle.

"Everyone was running and screaming. Then I heard the shots," witness Heather Craig told Fox News.

Whoa! You're telling me someone was able to take an AK-47 "assault rifle" into a mall and injure people?! But it's New York. They have gun laws!

And because New York has such strict gun laws - meaning citizens are prohibited from concealing weapons - a gunner can use bag-toting shoppers as target practice because guns laws keep mall shoppers at his mercy.

Had an armed civilian been inside the mall, perhaps he could have intervened before the suspect began injuring people before he ran out of ammo.

But not in New York. Because there people like me who have never had so much as a traffic ticket in life cannot conceal weapons, unlike in Florida, where you walk past us everyday without even knowing it.

Baby Refuses Abortion

That's right. A baby boy refused a premature death not once but three times. Sounds too good to be true. The Sunday Times has the story:

A BABY survived at least three attempts to abort it from the womb and was born alive at 24 weeks old.

The boy was delivered in hospital after his 24-year-old mother changed her mind about wanting the child after feeling it move on the way home from an abortion clinic.

Although the clinic had told her an ultrasound scan had confirmed the child was dead, she went into labour that afternoon and the boy was born alive.

Now two years old and healthy, he is the first long-term abortion survivor to have been born so prematurely. His remarkable entrance into the world is documented in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The mother had not realised she was going to have a baby until 22 weeks into the pregnancy and felt that she could not cope with a second child. She was given a series of abortion drugs over four days at a private clinic.

After birth the child was rushed to the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit where he was on a ventilator for 7 weeks. He fought off several life-threatening infections and suffered from severe lung disease for his first six months. He was allowed home after seven months of treatment.

I know the pro-choice lobby isn't defeated often, but this victory feels good. I wish the best of luck for the mother and her now two-year-old child.

Take Not One Year for Granted

As a family tries to save the life of their brain-damaged daughter, Terri Schiavo -- who's been in a vegetative state for 15 years -- from her creepy husband trying to pull the plug, an inspirational story emerges from Kansas about a girl who can talk for the first time in 20 years.

From the Associated Press:

For 20 years, Sarah Scantlin has been mostly oblivious to the world around her — the victim of a drunken driver who struck her down as she walked to her car. Today, after a remarkable recovery, she can talk again.

Sarah Scantlin was an 18-year-old college freshman on Sept. 22, 1984, when she was hit by a drunk driver as she walked to her car after celebrating with friends at a teen club. That week, she had been hired at an upscale clothing store and won a spot on the drill team at Hutchinson Community College.

After two decades of silence, she began talking last month. Doctors are not sure why. On Saturday, Scantlin's parents hosted an open house at her nursing home to introduce her to friends, family members and reporters.

A week ago, her parents got a call from Jennifer Trammell, a licensed nurse at the Golden Plains Health Care Center. She asked Betsy Scantlin if she was sitting down, told her someone wanted to talk to her and switched the phone to speaker mode:

"Hi, Mom."

"Sarah, is that you?" her mother asked.

"Yes," came the throaty reply.

"How are you doing?"

"Fine."

"Do you need anything," her mother asked her later.

"More makeup."

Scantlin started talking in mid-January but asked staff members not to tell her parents until Valentine's Day to surprise them, Trammell said. But last week she could not wait any longer to talk to them.

On Saturday, her brother asked whether she knew what a CD was. Sarah said she did, and she knew it had music on it.

But when he asked her how old she was, Sarah guessed she was 22. When her brother gently told her she was 38 years old now, she just stared silently back at him. The nurses say she thinks it is still the 1980s.

Can you imagine what must have been going through Sarah's mind when she was told that she had slept through the best years of her life; from just entering adulthood to now at mid-life? Imagine a 20 year gap in your mind and looking at the technology that has progressed in such a long period of time.

It's a touching story for the family who's been reunited with their daughter, but another family is fighting for that same chance in Florida. Currently the courts are not on her side but perhaps this case will change the minds of those who wouldn't have seen Sarah as a person worthy of life.

Whatcha Looking at, Officer?

Friday, February 11, 2005

The Democrat who believes a $50 fine is in order for people whose pants reveal their underwear in "a lewd or indecent manner" was laughed out of the Virginia Senate yesterday.

Virginia lawmakers dropped their droopy-pants bill Thursday after the whole thing became just too embarrassing.

Republican Sen. Thomas K. Norment said news reports implied that lawmakers were preoccupied with droopy pants.

"I find that an indignation, which dampens my humor," Norment said.

Republican Sen. Kenneth Stolle, the committee chairman, called the bill "a distraction."

I can imagine all the cops in Virginia who collectively sighed with disappointment; hoping that they would have an excuse to look at the backsides of women in order to keep the peace and promote justice.

American Dad is no Family Guy

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Matthew Gilbert of the Boston Globe agrees with me that there's just nothing funny about a CIA dad who is so paranoid that he shoots the toaster.

American Dad, the new Family Guy spin-off from the same creator, Seth McFarlane, debuted Sunday night after the Super Bowl amid moderate expectations. Laughs came few and far between suggesting that this show is dead in the water. New Family Guy episodes return this May on FOX, and they can't come soon enough.

I Wanna Celebrate Murder Too!

In a recent blog post Michelle Malkin mentions the "abortion jewelry" marketed by the lovely feminist of "Unf*cked P*ssy," Joanna Rytel. Not that I was surprised - considering not long ago we were introduced to a people who proudly donned the "I had an abortion" slogan with great pride on their t-shirts.

The first trackback entry is from the typical anti-Christian variety:

Ms. Rytel is absolutely correct, the anti-abortion Christians have managed to convice (sic) nearly everyone that abortion is wrong and people should feel horribly guilty over it.

Like we haven't heard this rant before. Yes, only the Christians value life when it's a life before birth. Of course it would be wrong to make people feel "horribly guilty" over abortion, but celebrating the skull-cracking procedure "for the sake of the child" in the form of t-shirts and jewelry is to be admired.

The problem for the pro-abortion movement is that hardly anyone is taking a stand to reverse this societal brainwashing. Even by calling the movement "pro-choice" instead of "pro-abortion," it gives credence to the Christian loonies.

Here is where I agree with my fellow Libertarian. "Pro-choice" is a soft and weak label for what those people really truly represent. I prefer pro-murder, anti-life or anti-responsibility as a suitable replacement.

Americans Still Have Hope for Hostile Iraq

Americans give President Bush his highest job-approval rating in more than a year and show cautious optimism about Iraq in a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken shortly after historic Iraqi elections.

Bush's approval rating of 57% is his highest since he reached 59% in January 2004, shortly after U.S. troops captured Saddam Hussein.

As these optimistic results come in violence continues to rise in Iraq. Just today a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of Iraqis outside an army recruitment center, killing 21 other people and injuring 27 more, according to the military.

A strong indication that Americans have high hopes for the volatile region.

My Gun Belongs on Campus

Monday, February 07, 2005

Florida law allows me to carry my loaded 9mm semi-automatic almost everywhere, but bars me from carrying onto college campuses. Some states are currently fighting to allow permit-holders to carry guns onto campuses, because such populated areas are always considered possible terrorist targets.

Consider the horrific shooting that took place three years ago at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia. A 42-year-old student from Nigeria went on a killing spree with a handgun, taking the lives of the school's dean, a professor and a fellow student.

The man was finally subdued by other students, but only after they retrieved their own guns from their cars. Had the students been able to conceal their weapons at the time of the shooting, lives could have been saved and the assault could have been prevented.

Worst Neighbor in the World

Saturday, February 05, 2005

We've all lived next to some pretty undesirable people at one point or another, but I can't imagine anyone being worse than this.

A Colorado judge ordered two teen-age girls to pay about $900 for the distress a neighbor said they caused by giving her home-made cookies adorned with paper hearts.

The pair were ordered to pay $871.70 plus $39 in court costs after neighbor Wanita Renea Young, 49, filed a lawsuit complaining that the unsolicited cookies, left at her house after the girls knocked on her door, had triggered an anxiety attack that sent her to the hospital the next day.

Taylor Ostergaard, then 17, and Lindsey Jo Zellitte, 18, paid the judgment on Thursday after a small claims court ruling by La Plata County Court Judge Doug Walker, a court clerk said on Friday.

The girls baked cookies as a surprise for several of their rural Colorado neighbors on July 31 and dropped off small batches on their porches, accompanied by red or pink paper hearts and the message: "Have a great night."

The Denver Post newspaper reported on Friday that the girls had decided to stay home and bake the cookies rather than go to a dance where there might be cursing and drinking.

Zebra Report has a picture of the good-intentioned girls. Maybe delinquency does pay off better.

Don't Hold a Grudge

Melissa saw a different movie:

I read your review on the grudge and have to ask. Did you even watch the movie? In your review you say " many corpses begin piling up in a house that for some reason does not have a reputation for killing its many inhabitants. " if you had actually watched the movie you would know the emma, mathew and jennifer are the FIRST occupants of the house since the death of the previous family. Also you state " everything happens at night " which also is not true in the case of this movie.

The weakest part of your review was when you said ""The Grudge" gets stuck in a circular loop plagued by a pattern that utilizes flashbacks too complicated for its own good. " if you thought THAT was complicated then i suggest you stick to watching kiddie films for your own safety.

Emma, Matthew, Jennifer and previous family qualifies for "many inhabitants." Everything significant does happen at night. The circular loop technique is a way for a film to send a character back through time with no explanation. Good films don't resort to so many jump-cuts. Don't get me started on Boogeyman.

Maybe I'll take your advice. Let me know the next time a good kiddie film comes out.

Staying the Course in Iraq

Thursday, February 03, 2005

A CNN poll asks readers to rate the president's State of the Union speech last night. After 90,000 votes Mr. Bush has a 'C-C+' grade across the board, meaning 45,000 Republicans gave him an 'A' and 45,000 liberals failed him.

But a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll suggests more people side with the president. 70 percent of respondents said Bush's policies on health care were positive, while 66 percent approved of the president's plan for Social Security. 78 percent said U.S. policy in Iraq is hading in the right direction, a 12 percentage point increase over pre-speech polling. Overall, 77 percent of respondents said Bush is taking the country in the right direction after the speech compared to 67 percent beforehand.

And who wasn't moved by the embrace of mother of a soldier killed in Iraq and the daughter of a man killed by Saddam Hussein's regime? It was a beautiful moment last night that resulted in the longest standing ovation of the evening.

Today the parents of Marine Corps Sgt. Byron Norwood said the Iraqi woman, Safia Taleb al-Suhail, had turned and introduced herself just before the speech.

"She thanked us for our son's sacrifice and made sure we knew the people in Iraq were grateful for the sacrifices that were made not just by our son, but by all of them," Janet Norwood said.

It was an uplifting moment suggesting that maybe we're doing the right thing. I talked to a friend currently serving in Iraq last night and he says morale is up and the presence of troops is a positive thing. They just can't pack up and leave. Not just yet. We must be patient.

Where's the Anti-Cell Phone Movement?

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

From Live Science:

"If you put a 20-year-old driver behind the wheel with a cell phone, their reaction times are the same as a 70-year-old driver who is not using a cell phone," said University of Utah psychology professor David Strayer. "It's like instantly aging a large number of drivers."

Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year, according to the journal's publisher, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

So where's the cell-phone-control lobby? It's an epidemic problem. There's no reason to carry on a conversation while driving. It's stupid, could get you or someone else killed, and severely handicaps your attention and awareness.

Those who get into accidents resulting from cell phone usage should face strict penalties as if the driver was under the influence.

So just how guilty are you?