I feel safe.

O'Hare screeners flunk fake-bomb tests

Undercover investigators smuggled decoy explosives through O'Hare International Airport at alarming rates six years after the Sept. 11 attacks, leading to calls Thursday for better training of security screeners, higher job-performance standards and harsh consequences for failure.

The criticism came as a new government report heightened concerns about the security of the 2 million airline passengers who travel each day in the U.S.

It found that screeners at O'Hare's passenger security checkpoints failed to detect 60 percent of simulated explosives that were hidden in carry-on bags or in the clothing of agents working for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

Isn't that the whole point of government? To make us "feel" safe? I think we should arrest these journalists and ban them from writing for violating my civil right of not feeling safe.

Surveys

Following comments regarding the GSS ownership survey and observations over time, one really has to wonder how accurate surveying a few thousand people (at most) is out of a population of 300 million.

On firearms, the GSS states that the numbers of owners are decreasing when training courses are filled to capacity across the nation, are constantly being expanded, and sales are booming,. while the Gallup poll has a difference of nearly 20 million more owners in comparison and a similar number of respondents.

Even if 80% plus of these sales are by previous owners, that still shows a steady increase in previous non-ownership and expanded collections.

On exit polls, the last few elections have emphasized how inaccurate exit polling has become(waits for the inevitable conspiracy theories).

So I have to ask: How many of us have been surveyed/polled or know someone that's been surveyed/polled over an issue?

The "Only Ones" smackin' 'em around enough.

Mom's lawsuit alleges Chicago cops beat kids

A mother of two from the South Side filed a federal lawsuit Thursday accusing two white police officers of harassing, beating and arresting her children at their school playground in May...

The suit alleged that after his son left the field, Smith arrived and assaulted J.M. Smith also attacked A.M. when she tried to pull him off her younger brother, the suit said. Smith and Evitt later ordered two female African-American officers to arrest the children, the suit said. J.M. and A.M. were held for eight hours but later exonerated in Juvenile Court, the suit said. Counsel for the police could not be reached.

And then there were 54.

Clark County, Il passes 2A resolution unanimously.

Next up, Tazewell and Jackson Counties.

200 Concerned Illinois Gun Owners Pack Tinley Park Meeting

Via ISRA:

TINLEY PARK, Ill., Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA).

Approximately 200 firearm owners packed the Tinley Park American Legion Post Tuesday night to learn what they can do to prevent the spread of Chicago-style gun control to south Cook County. Hosted by the ISRA, the rally comes on the heels of an attempt by the Tinley Park village council to enact a gun control ordinance that would ban nearly every privately owned firearm in the village.

Tuesday's meeting opened with a briefing by ISRA Executive Director, Richard Pearson, on the status of gun control legislation in the General Assembly. Pearson continued by discussing Chicago Mayor Richard Daley's master plan for establishing a 100-mile "gun free" zone around Chicago, and how the proposed Tinley Park ordinance fits into that plan.

The myth of the decreasing gun owners

Or :More fun w/ statistics.

According to the VPC:

During the period 1972 to 2006, the percentage of American households that reported
having any guns in the home has dropped nearly 20 percentage points: from a high of
54 percent in 1977 to 34.5 percent in 2006.

That's all well and good. Now let's look at the real numbers. In 1970, the number of households was 63,450 according to the Census Bureau. In 2002, the number of households was 111,278.

For those of you math impaired, that's an increase of 75% . Totaling about 34,000 homes in 1972 vs. over 38,000 homes with firearms in 2006. Now remember, that's households.

Their next claim is:

During the period 1980 to 2006, the percentage of Americans who reported personally
owning a gun dropped more than nine percentage points: from a high of 30.7 percent
in 1985 to a low during the period of 21.6 percent in 2006.

Once again, all well and good.

Population of the US in 1980 :225, 349,000
Population of the US in 2006 : 299,400,000

That's an increase of 25% in population. Or 65.25 million owners in 1980 vs. 64.5 million in 2006. That's statistically insignificant.

Notice the way they worded that though. "From a high in 1985" after claiming a period from 1980. If you look at the data, the reported numbers from '84-'85 jumped up 5%. An increase in ownership of nearly 12 million in one year? Followed by a drop of almost 6 million two years after and another 6 million the year after that? I'ld like to see the numbers proving that one.

So as much authority is given to the GSS, it's still all based on what people choose to answer on a phone survey.

Update: To show this even more clearly, another phone survey of a similar number of people has personal ownership at 28% and "in home" at 42%. That's a difference of nearly 20 million people.

The full NORC report.

Self-Defense in Chicago

It actually can happen.

A man who shot a threatening University of Chicago student in the chest Wednesday night acted in self defense and will not be charged, authorities said today.

The student, who was reported to be in critical condition, threatened to hit a fellow apartment-building dweller with a vodka bottle and kicked in the door of the man's Hyde Park apartment, police said.

The incident began about 7:30 p.m. as the student and shooter were riding together in an elevator of their apartment building in the 5400 block of South Cornell Avenue, Chicago Police Officer Laura Kubiak said.

I'm just surprised that even w/ the Illinois pre-emption on firearm self-defense law, that the CPD didn't try and charge him w/ something. Of course now he's lost the firearm.

Theft of services

A prostitute is raped and robbed at gunpoint by a group of men. The defendant is convicted on theft and a second case with the same situation thrown out.

So prostitutes in Philly can't be raped. Gotcha.

And we wonder why violent criminals are contemptuous of the law?

Not the brightest bulb on the strand

Man Indicted On Charge Of Robbing Bank Hours After Release From Jail

CHICAGO -- A man just freed from federal lockup allegedly robbed a bank the same day, according to a federal indictment filed Wednesday.Kenneth A. Cunningham was freed from prison Feb. 15, and six hours later held up the Chase Bank branch at 5134 N. Clark St., according to the FBI.A federal indictment Wednesday charges Cunningham with stealing $6,180 from the bank.During the heist, Cunningham apparently wore the same clothes issued to him when he was released from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago, the FBI said. "I want $100s, $50s and $20s," he allegedly told the teller. "This is a robbery."When the teller said he must be kidding, he responded, "I'm not joking" and put his hand in his jacket like he had a gun, the FBI said.On Sept. 6, a surveillance photo of the robber was shown on a TV news broadcast, leading to tips from his estranged wife and an employee at a restaurant where Cunningham tried to get a job, the FBI said.Cunningham, 39, was arrested Sept. 19 in northwest Indiana, where he has relatives in Portage, authorities said.He robbed at least three Chicago banks in 1995, according to the FBI.

Hordes of pickup trucks invade Chicago.

Family Mourns 10-Year-Old Boy Caught In Crossfire

Arthur 'A.J.' Jones Lost Life To Shots In Fight By Rival Gangs

Man Shot, Killed In West Side Drive-By Shooting

Cops shut down West Pullman drug market

2nd man charged in gang shooting that killed Aurora boy

Can we find a connection here? (Hint: it has nothing to do w/ rural white men owning firearms)

Laura Washington still seems to think differently though.

Privacy rights. Illegal v Legal actions.

Cop union aims to shield officers

ALBANY -- The Albany Police Officers Union wants to keep secret the names of any officers who illicitly purchased machine guns through the department years ago....

...Meanwhile, the police officers union, which represents more than 200 officers and detectives, is arguing that the identities of officers who bought the guns should be kept private.


VS

Medford paper sues sheriff to get list of gun licensees

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) - The Medford Mail Tribune has sued the sheriff for a list of concealed handgun licenses in Jackson County, hoping to determine how many are held by teachers.

The newspaper said it wants to determine the impact of a ruling in another suit, brought by English teacher Shirley Katz. She has a permit and wants to be able to carry a gun to class.

Sheriff Mike Winters said he would oppose the newspaper's lawsuit, filed last week.



The CCW holders should take the same tack as the VCDL and start publishing the publicly available information of the newspaper writers and editors.

The next media induced scare.

Let's list them:
Satanists
Razorblades in apples
Molestation at day care centers
Role-Playing games
Assault Weapons

and now:

Staph fatalities may exceed AIDS deaths

CHICAGO - More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph "superbug," the government reported in its first overall estimate of invasive disease caused by the germ.

Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study. Tuesdays report shows just how far one form of the staph germ has spread beyond its traditional hospital setting.

And then the fun w/ numbers to justify their fear inducing headline:

There were 988 reported deaths among infected people in the study, for a rate of 6.3 per 100,000. That would translate to 18,650 deaths annually, although the researchers don't know if MRSA was the cause in all cases.

If these deaths all were related to staph infections, the total would exceed other better-known causes of death including AIDS — which killed an estimated 17,011 Americans in 2005 — said Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft of the Los Angeles County Health Department, the editorial author.

The "Only One" who was gettin' enough..

State Trooper Accused in Porn Star Tryst Arrested

LEBANON, Tenn. — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says agents have arrested a former state trooper who resigned after a porn actress said she performed oral sex on him during a traffic stop.
The agents arrested James "Randy" Moss after a Wilson County grand jury indicted him on 10 charges related to his traffic stops. The charges include tampering with evidence, official misconduct and official oppression.Moss resigned from the Highway Patrol in May.
Since the allegations became public, more women have come forward to complain about alleged inappropriate behavior by Moss.

Said the blond to the patrol officer "Not another breath-alyzer test. That's the third one this week."

A little common sense in the Gov't

House votes to renew Internet tax block

The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a four-year extension of a moratorium on state and local taxes on Internet access, despite widespread support in both parties for a permanent ban. The tax ban, first passed in 1998, is set to expire on Nov. 1. The extension exempts some states that approved taxes prior to the original enactment.

The vote was 405-2.

Wonder who the two were.

Update: Thanks to Justin

The nays:

Anna Eshoo (D) CA's 14th district.
Michael Turner (R) OH's 3rd district.

Bear shot after PETA publishes owners name and address

Teutopolis man finds pet bear shot to death

..But after Wente went out of town for a few days, he came back to find his pet black bear dead of gunshot wounds.

Wente blames the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) animal-rights organization for stirring up feelings against his bear. PETA has sent a letter to the Effingham County Board urging officials to consider an ordinance banning the “private possession of wild animals.”

Even though board Chairwoman Carolyn Willenburg said the board hasn’t yet addressed the issue, Wente suspects somebody caught wind of PETA’s concerns and acted.

I know they will say they don’t condone stuff like this, but there are always extremists in every group,” he said. “People don’t think a guy ought to have wild animals, but if people aren’t put in danger by them, what difference does it make? It’s no different than raising cattle.”

That's what they say but their actions speak different.

And how is publishing CCW holders going to have different results?

Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome

Silly String saving lives in Iraq

After months of frustration, a mother of a soldier in has found someone to ship about 80,000 cans of Silly String to the troops, who use the foamy substance to detect trip wires on bombs. "I am so happy right now, I am shaking. I just think it's awesome that it's finally going," Marcelle Shriver said as boxes were loaded into a truck Monday afternoon.

Shriver's Silly String campaign began late last year after her son, Todd, a soldier in Ramadi slated to leave Iraq in November, asked his parents to send cans of the product.

Soldiers can shoot the substance, which travels about 10-12 feet, across a room before entering. If it hangs in the air, that indicates a possible trip wire.

This is why we love our moms.

But of course the officers know better:

Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, a military spokesman in Iraq, said recently that Shriver's efforts are appreciated, but that commanders decide which items troops need. He said the spray was used heavily in the early stages of the conflict but is not as widely needed today.

Which is why they issue tampons which are commonly used to plug bullet wounds (oh they don't, right) , which is why her son is asking for the cans of the stuff in the first place, which is why it's the troops who are developing means to defeat IED's and by the time the "officials" get around to authorizing one, it's obsolete.

CA Microstamping blocked until 2023?

Via ArmsandtheLaw

Apparently there is a section in AB1471 that makes the law ineligible until there are no patent restrictions.

provided that the Department of Justice certifies that the technology used to create the imprint is available to more than one manufacturer unencumbered by any patent restrictions. The Attorney General may also approve a method of equal or greater reliability and effectiveness in identifying the specific serial number of a firearm from spent cartridge casings discharged by that firearm than that which is set forth in this paragraph, to be thereafter required as otherwise set forth by this paragraph where the Attorney General certifies that this new method is also unencumbered by any patent restrictions. Approval by the Attorney General shall include notice of that fact via regulations adopted by the Attorney General for purposes of implementing that method for purposes of this paragraph.

ID Dynamics is currently claiming total rights over the technology so this might invalidate the law for decades.

More discussion over at CalGuns board

Warms my heart..

Dallas Man Shoots, Kills Second Burglar In 1 Month

DALLAS For the second time in one month, a business owner in west Dallas has shot and killed a burglary suspect.

The second fatal shooting occurred in the 2000 block of Chalk Hill Road.

Dallas police believe James Walton was sleeping when his burglar alarm sounded late Saturday night.

Police say he found two suspects at his business, Texas Allied Welding Supply. He shot and killed the first suspect, 37-year-old Jimmy Gannon.

The second suspect was also shot, but was not seriously injured.

According to investigators, the two suspects may have been looking for copper.

Robert Brown, one of Walton's neighbors, said he's proud of the shooting. He said it brings "a sense of pride of your neighborhood, taking care of your own. I like it."

Last month, Walton shot and killed Raul Laureles after he tried to break into his business.

"People have the right to defend their property and their own life," said Dallas Police Sergeant Andrew Harvey. "We'll refer to the grand jury and make sure they hear [the case]."

Walton was questioned by police, but was not arrested.

Now PuSH'er logic says that Walton is forcing criminals to up-gun so they can rob him. Remember, violent crime is our fault for defending ourselves.

Via KimDuToit

Rural White Males continue to murder Chicago youth.

Three teens shot in drive-by on South Side

Three male teenagers were seriously injured Monday afternoon in a drive-by shooting that police say was in retaliation for a shooting on Sunday.

The male victims were shot in the 1300 block of West 47th Street about 4:20 p.m., according to police News Affairs Officer Tom Polick.

A Deering Police District captain said the teens were on the sidewalk in front of a laundromat when an occupant inside a gray or silver Chevrolet Impala fired shots.

"The shooting was retaliation for a shooting yesterday [Sunday]," the captain said. The shooting was gang-related, the captain said.

Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford said the teens were seriously injured and two suffered gunshot wounds to the torso, Langford said.

The injured males were taken to Provident Hospital of Cook County, University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Langford said.

Wentworth Area detectives are investigating.

You just know it was a pickup truck (probably extended cab) filled with overall wearing hillbillies and blasting Garth Brooks with full bass.
Can't you see the obvious connection?

Oops

Afghan suicide bomber kills own family

KABUL, Afghanistan - A mother who tried to stop her son from carrying out a suicide bomb attack triggered an explosion in the family's home in southern Afghanistan that killed the would-be bomber, his mother and three siblings, police said Monday.


The would-be bomber had been studying at a madrassa, or religious school, in Pakistan, and when he returned to his home in Uruzgan province over the weekend announced that he planned to carry out a suicide attack, Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashary said.

Surviving family members told police that the suicide vest exploded during a struggle between the mother and her son, said Juma Gul Himat, Uruzgan's police chief. The man's brother and two sisters were also killed.

And again:

In a second accidental explosion, another would-be bomber died Friday in Paktika province after he identified himself to police and began taking off his bomb vest, Bashary said.

The bomber said he changed his mind and was aborting the suicide mission because he saw people praying in a mosque. But he accidentally triggered a blast as he slipped off the vest that killed only himself, Bashary said.

More Gun Free safe Chicago.

Unless you happen to get on the bad side of the police.

In an unprecedented move, a Cook County judge threw out the murder convictions of a man who said he was tortured into confessing by detectives working under former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge.

Today’s ruling by Judge Thomas Sumner marks the first time a judge has vacated a conviction based on allegations of torture under Burge at Area 2 police headquarters.

Or a bank teller:

A Lincoln Park bank branch was robbed about noon Monday.

Police had no details on the robbery other than it occurred at a bank branch on the 2000 block of North Halsted Street about noon, according to News Affairs Officer John Henry.

A North Community Bank branch is located at 2000 N. Halsted St., according to the bank's Web site.

Chicago Police and the FBI are investigating.

Another rapper in trouble.

Has his bodyguard attempt to buy "machineguns" and silencers because he's a convicted felon. Such a wonderful role-model.

T.I. was to make his initial court appearance Monday following his weekend arrest on weapons charges.
The 27-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, faces allegations from federal officials that he planned to pick up machine guns and silencers he had his bodyguard buy for him.
Agents with the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested Harris on Saturday in midtown Atlanta. Authorities say other firearms were found in his vehicle and in his suburban Atlanta home.
Harris is charged with possession of unregistered machine guns and silencers, as well as possession of firearms by a convicted felon.

I'm sure he was under the influence of rural white men.

An interesting bit on Sgt. James Kuehlein

Remember him? The "Only One" from St George MO who threatened to invent charges against Brett Darrow? Turns out that several officers from St. Louis are in my unit and are quite familiar w/ him. According to them, he had a history of abusing his authority, acting like an ass, and harassing people.* One story they told me was that they found him sitting on his squad car, smoking a cigarette, and blocking the access to a public drive. When they asked him to move, he got belligerent and claimed he had jurisdiction anywhere in the state.

While they aren't fond of Darrow (he apparently has a history of cop baiting according to them), none of the ones I spoke to were upset at Kuehlein's firing.



*Posted w/ permission.

Englewood , Gangs, and Chicago, Oh My!!

3 slain in separate shootings

Three people were killed Sunday in separate shootings on the city's South and West Sides, Chicago police said.

At about 10:45 p.m., Darrious Blackmon, 23, was found shot outside a home in the 500 block of North Lawler Avenue. Blackman, of the 5000 block of West Ohio Street, was pronounced dead at Mt. Sinai Hospital. Police said the victim was known to have gang affiliations. It was unclear, however, if the shooting was gang-related. No arrests have been made.

About 30 minutes earlier on the South Side, a 38-year-old man was fatally shot near West 85th and South Elizabeth Streets, police said. The victim was identified as Steve Huff of the 9500 block of South Marshfield Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. Police had no further details this morning.

And police were questioning a "person of interest" in the fatal Sunday morning shooting of a 21-year-old man in the Englewood neighborhood. Brian Cooper, 21, was shot at about 12:40 a.m. as he walked through a vacant lot in the 1100 block of West 69th Street. He was leaving a party with friends, police said.

Cooper, of the 6900 block of South Peoria Street, was pronounced dead at 6:04 p.m. at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, a medical examiner's official said.

So in the "gun free" zone of Chicago, gang bangers are still running rampant and high crime areas remain high crime. Maybe they need more cameras.

Gov. Ahnold to increase Helmke's dry cleaning bill.

Since he ignored the thousands of calls and passed the microstamping bill. So of course Paul gets to crow about it on 'his' blog.

OF course he doesn't answer any of the questions that have been asked about the weaknesses of the technology, continues to present his usual ad hominems towards the numerous reports stating it's an unproven technology, and has to insult the various pro-gun organizations in his usual professional way. Not that I'm surprised. It's Paul and California. CA passing this is about as surprising as Chicago passing the AWB.

My prediction:

Most firearm manufacturers won't boycott the police forces nor will they upgrade their manufacturing to meet the requirements. Actual firearm ownership will decrease. No crimes will be solved. The PuSH'ers will then blame the "gun lobby" for not caving in and therefore supporting criminals. Similar bills will be introduced or supported in the battleground states and federally.

I join Sebastian SH in a heart fealt "F*ck You Gov. Schwartzenegger.

Ahab has more. Amongst others.

Walls of the city has some real stupid Ahnold tricks.

I'm just going to sit back and munch popcorn as we watch Californistan continue to devolve.