Only Ones PSH

A CCW bill has been introduced into the Illinois legislature and with Blago out of the picture, there's a chance this bill might actually get heard. Unfortunately, the traditional "Wild West Shootout's" meme rears its ugly head once more:

”The threat to law enforcement would be enormous with that many people out there allowed to carry guns,” said Moline Police Chief Gary Francque. “I am a supporter of a person maintaining a weapon in their home and defending in their homes, but to be out running around with concealed weapons, you’re asking for a huge increase in violence.”



No Chief, actually you wouldn't. In the other 48 states that have CCW in some form or another, no such thing has happened.

And then there's the other traditional "it will just be taken away from you" idiocy:

East Moline Police Chief Victor Moreno warned that a concealed carry law, besides creating the possibility that handguns carried for protection could be taken away by criminals, would alter the way police and public interact. He said it would change officers’ approach to an individual because of the potential of them carrying a handgun.



So what this really shows is that the police chiefs in the Moline, Il area haven't kept up w/ the news for the last 20 or so years and have only read press releases by the Brady Campaign. Such fine examples of public figures.

There is, though, a glimmer of hope in this sea of ignorance. One point of light is the President of the Illinois Sherriff's Assoc. who supports the measure.

All Illinois residents need to contact not only their State Senators and Representatives, but also their County Police Chief and ask them to support this measure.

Thanks to the Champaign County Rifle Assoc. GSL Daily Blog for the info.

Petey's Powderhorn has more.

San Diego Activism

What do you get when you mix nutball activists from San Diego w/ articles from the Onion? A group that opposes JR-ROTC.

Sebastian covers this particular case quite well but I'm going to put in my two cents on the big picture. I lived in San Diego for four years while serving in the US Navy. In reality, San Diego is a hotbed of anti-military activism and wingnuttery.

There is a bridge going over the bay for the express purpose of providing a route to the numerous military installations on North Island and in San Diego. Elements of the local citizenry despise that bridge and the morning traffic that leaves them foaming at the mouth when discussed. Their solution is to demand that all traffic be barged across the bay. Really, I'm not kidding. They honestly think that dozens of barges trolling back and forth across the bay all day long is a better solution.

The Marine installations are constantly being harrassed for conducting live fire exercises. It disturbes the locals during their Yoga sessions and TV time. Obviously that's more important than having a military w/ the skills and experience to do their job. They should just pretend to fire their weapons.

Don't even get me started on the sub base. I recall one truly nonsense TV report using lots of inverted color shots and claims of nuclear materials just scattered willy-nilly on tarmacs.

The usual response by the city is just to ignore them. Hopefully they'll do the same w/ this bunch of clueless individuals.

NRA Motion to Intervene.

You know that stupid lawsuit the Brady Bunch have against Nat'l Park Carry? Here's their original filing.

Well the NRA filed a response and as Joe Huffman and I have noted, the Brady's are having kittens over it.

Good.

Thanks to the NRA-ILA for providing the link.

Risk vs Safety

Howard Nemerov, the author of the Examiner's Austing Gun Rights column, has a very detailed post on the Nat'l election and the comparison of Brady v NRA endorsements.

Some in-state comparisons were done earlier by myself and Bitter.

Sounds about right.

The NRA has filed against the Brady Campaign on the Federal Parks suit. According to the BC:

In the court papers filed this week, the NRA says they:

• deny that the Brady Campaign is a grassroots membership organization or that it is involved in fighting to prevent gun violence;
• deny that the Brady Campaign is dedicated to safety;
• deny that the members of the Brady Campaign, if any, will face an increased risk because of the new regulation.
  

And this is inaccurate how?

Blagojevich Out

A unanimous vote by the Il Senate stripped Blago of the governorship and has ruled that he is ineligible to ever again hold public office.

Finally the Il legislature does something right.

Now comes the criminal indictment.

Photo of the week.

San Fran Settles

The San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) and the property management company that oversees San Francisco’s public housing projects have agreed to completely remove a lease provision banning guns in the residences.

From NRA-ILA

Brady Hypocrisy

"it's wrong for a congressman from Florida or anywhere else to tell people in those states what kind of gun laws they should have."
-Brady Campaign spokesman Doug Pennington

Yet the first two things on the Brady Campaign wishlist are :

# We need to require Brady criminal background checks for all gun sales in this country, including at gun shows.

# We need to restrict access to military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

Can we say double standard boys and girls? "Home Rule" only applies when it comes to anti-gun bills in the minds of gun grabbers.

Read the rest.

Anatomy of an online gun control advocate

Over on Huffpo, a new poster showed up suggesting that Biometrics are the wave of the future for gun safety and that it was his belief that more research should go into developing the technology. All said in a nice moderate, 'reasonable' tone.

That is until people started questioning him.

At first he replied w/ the standards as set down by CA in their bill mandating biometrics. It was noted that the police/authorities are exempt from the requirements and that simple problems like having dirty hands or wearing gloves are a significant issue.

This was responded to by stating that several police chiefs supported the legislation and that all the rest were just 'red herrings'. When asked who were they mayors of these politically appointed individuals, the reply was "who cares, the police are highly trained individuals. Why should they be held to the same standards as you".

It just sort of devolved from there as the insults and personal attacks became his reply of choice. Such terms as 'unfettered access', 50mm machine guns, "unable to look at the big picture", etc. appeared in his posts. Basically "Why won't you gun nuts just accept this without question?"

But then came the real clincher that the poster was not all he appeared. An unsourced list of 'facts' to show that biometrics would solve global warming and bring peace in the Middle East. Since Google is my friend, it didn't take long to find the source of this cutnpaste. A "Fact Sheet" put out by the Brady Campaign. The footnotes reading like a who's who of Joyce Foundation gun control reports. Hemenway, Cook, Kellerman, et al.

So the poster revealed himself ,not as an advocate of real measures to reduce violence or accidents, but as another just another gun grabber who had problems buttoning his newly bought camo. I wonder if he knows Macca?

Chicago Gun Case: Round II

Filing in the Appellate Court.

World War 2 Veterans: Rising Sun

As the flag of Japan spreads across the Pacific, commanders fly personalized flags.


U.S. Intelligence agents work diligently to assemble information on this threat.

View From the Trailer

Just a little snow last night.

Eight Naughty Mayors, Sitting in a Jail...

Via WaronGuns and others:

Hartford, CT Mayor Eddie A. Perez joins seven of his fellow MAIG members in jail.


Passaic, NJ Mayor Samuel Rivera
Frank Melton, of Jackson MS
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
Birmingham, Al Mayor Larry Langford
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon
Jeremiah Healey of Jersey City
Racine, WI Mayor Gary Becker.

ISP sitting on FOID applications: Update

Just got an E-mail from a friend of mine who sent in his application way back in October:

So I called the ISP. While going through the prompts I found it interesting that they have a new automated message saying that FOID cards are now taking 56 days to process. Well, I entered the selection saying that it had been more than 56 days and on the voice menu after that it said 30 days. Seems like someone is really behind.

I finally got ahold of someone who very quickly asked me for my info. He stuttered out a few lines about an old applications, something to do with the $10 (it sounded more in general than related to me specifically). I got a few rambled lines about how they're behind and that the system is messed up and that they're taking more time because of it. I mentioned that I had put my app in back in Oct and he said it was entered/processed on Nov 21. By my reckoning its still past 60 days and he fed me a generic "you should get it in 7-10 days" bs line. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't they say that about the original 30 days? Ugh.

So hopefully I'll have it later this week. I have a feeling that they are letting things get caught up in red tape for a reason.

He was also told that they are into Dec. applications now. So his FOID was processed over two months ago and he still hasn't received it.

Here's the official response from the ISP:

Good Afternoon Jack,

This is the response we recieved from our Legislative Contact within the State Police. As always, if you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call.

"Unfortunately the ISP has experienced severe backlogs in the processing of FOID cards. This has most definitely not been done as a means to deprive citizens of their rights to own firearms and is directly resulting from staffing and funding deficiencies. Two additional employees were hired 12/16/08 and recent software changes should allow us to recognize a significant decrease in the backlog in the near future. Please let me know if you have further questions. "

Beth C. Goncher
District Director
Representative Tim Schmitz
(630)845-9590

That's the exact same thing they said last time in order to justify getting a cost increase. Think this isn't intentional?

CPD 90210

Fake Teen Cop Fools Police, Patrols Chicago for 5 Hours

CHICAGO — A 14-year-old aspiring police officer donned a uniform, walked into a Chicago police station and managed to get an assignment — patroling a squad car for five hours before he was detected, police said Sunday.

OK, that's just sad. He just walked into a station wearing a uniform and nobody questioned who he was.

They can do it to you

"If they can do it to a governor, they can do it to you."

The words of impeached Illinois Governor Rod "HotRod" Blagojevich on his claims that he's being railroaded out of office.

Guess what Gov? They've BEEN doing it to us and you've been part of it.

Now it's your turn. How does it feel?

David E. Young on Blogspot

Eminent 2A scholar and historian David Young now has his own blog.

Go forth and read. This will be a great resource.

Texas Campus Carry

Via A Keyboard and a .45 comes this report from the TX legislature:

RECOMMENDATIONS

Texas' concealed carry law has been in effect for over a dozen years, and statistics show that Concealed Handgun Licensees have amassed an impressive track record of law-abiding and responsible behavior over that time period. The committee does not believe that eliminating a geographical boundary beyond which they cannot currently go legally armed - in this case, college and university campuses - will suddenly transform them into dangerous and irresponsible individuals. Moreover, we do not believe that campuses will become overwhelmed by a new population of armed students: the minimum age requirements established in law serve to limit the number of adult students who would actually qualify for a license. And again, statistics provided to the committee indicate that individuals who fit into the age group most closely associated with the typical adult college student account for a very small fraction of the CHL population overall...

So CCW on Campus wouldn't cause problems. Shock.

"Weapons of War"

This seems to be the new meme in order to justify a new "Assault Weapon" ban which is on Obama's to-do list. It's latest use is by Miami Mayor (and MAIG member) Manuel Diaz to distract from the fact that the police have no clue who or why the shooting occurred. You know, because Miami has no problems w/ gangs, drugs, or illegal immigrants. It's all due to those damn guns. Unicorns would be strolling in the parks farting rainbows and crapping marshmellows if it wasn't for the NRA. Nevermind the fact that semi-autos haven't been used in war in over 60 years.

And CNN is doing everything it can to pump up the hysteria and play to the ignorant. Not like that's ever happened before, right?

ISP sitting on FOID applications

From the ISRA:

Over the past several weeks, the ISRA has received several dozen phone calls from irate firearm owners who have been waiting a month or more to have their applications for Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) cards processed by the Illinois State Police.

After making inquiries into the backlog, ISRA representatives were told by ISP officials that inadequate staffing and funding were to blame for the slowdown in application processing. Those same officials were unable to say when, if ever, the situation would improve.

Yet anecdotal evidence is showing that many cards seem to be being held until the applicants make a stink about it, receiving them days after making calls. A friend of mine applied in Oct. and still hasn't received his.

The application cost was increased last year to $10 to cover the earlier 'funding problems' so that excuse is a flat out lie. They're playing games and are in violation of state law while doing so. I'm sure they'll be held accountable for it.

Armed and Safe has more including an admission that they're breaking the law.

Those Damn US Gun Shows again....

MEXICO CITY – President Felipe Calderon's war on drug trafficking has led to his own doorstep, with the arrest of a dozen high-ranking officials with alleged ties to Mexico's most powerful drug gang, the Sinaloa Cartel.

Operation Clean House comes just as the U.S. is giving Mexico its first installment of $400 million in equipment and technology to fight drugs. Most will go to a beefed-up federal police agency run by the same people whose top aides have been arrested as alleged Sinaloa spies.

The Gulf cartel is led by military-trained hit men so violent that they reportedly planned to attack even U.S. law enforcement agencies.

Obviously this is false. We all know that the cartels are really beating the crap out of the Mexican military because they were able to buy civilian semi-autos at a gun show in Texas.

Even his own lawyer thinks he's nuts

Ed Genson, Blago's lead attorney, quits:

"I never require a client to do what I say but I do require them to at least listen to what I say. ... I wish the governor good luck and godspeed," Genson said in brief remarks to reporters.

Well shock. A person who was arrogant enough to hold press conferences on the steps of the children's hospital he was trying to shake down for more money and who openly tried to sell a federal Senate seat won't listen to his attorney.

It must all be part of that conspiracy against him to raise taxes. For once I agree w/ Chicago Mayor Daley. "Cuckoo"

O-Day +4

Obama has already created an exception to his rule that there will be no lobbyists working for him by , well, hiring a lobbyist to work for him. Raytheon lobbyist William Lynn as Deputy Secretary of Defense.

So politics as usual on the hill. The 'Change' he promised must have fallen out of his pockets during the inauguration since all we see 'Changing' are his stances whenever they become inconvenient. Kind of like when he promised he would only use public funds if his opponent did (which McCain did) and then 'Changed' his mind.

Disconnect from reality

We are in control and we are the winner," Hamas legislator Mushir al-Masri declared this week, after attending the funeral of four Hamas gunmen.

Returning to the Scene..

Released detainee now Yemen al-Qaida commander

WASHINGTON – A Saudi militant who was released from Guantanamo Bay after six years of confinement is now a top figure in the Yemeni branch of al-Qaida, a U.S. counterterrorism official confirmed Friday...

At least 18 former Guantanamo detainees have "returned to the fight" and another 43 are suspected of resuming terrorist activities, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said on Jan. 13. He declined to provide the identity of the former detainees or what their terrorist activities were.

And is anyone really surprised?

Oh, sure, the argument could be made that it was being imprisoned that turned them to crime. It could be made but it's unlikely. And now we get to decide what to do w/ the others that are still imprisoned.

Blago's got a huge Twinkie

His defense of his attempting to sell a Senate seat, blackmail, etc. are getting more and more pathetic. He's now claiming that the Senate is trying to railroad him out so they can increase taxes. He's also comparing his situation to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Sorry Blago but you're not going to get support from the public no matter what you do. You've been under investigation for years and you were still stupid enough to pull the nonsense you did. All because you thought you could get away with it.

O-Day +3

--House Rejects Obama's Request For Rest Of TARP

--Obama's Ethics Policy Upsets Would-Be Staffers

--Labor Secretary nomination stalled

GWB Presidential Library

Dear Fellow Constituent: The George W. Bush Presidential Library is now in the planning stages and accepting donations.

The Library will include:
1. The Hurricane Katrina Room, which is still under construction.
2. The Alberto Gonzales Room, where you won’t be able to remember anything.
3. The Texas Air National Guard Room, where you don’t even have to show up.

Read the rest at TexasFred's.

Good thing they upped security..

Otherwise it might have gotten really bad:

BLACKSBURG, Virginia — Virginia Tech Police say a female graduate student from China who was stabbed to death on campus was decapitated.

Yep. Another murder at VT. And the security is so good there now after last years massacre of unarmed students that the killer this time had enough time to cut the head off of his victim before they got there.

I feel safe. 45 Minutes later.

O-Day +2

--Kennedy drops her bid for Senate

-- Clinton confirmed

--Obama to sign EO closing Gitmo detention center

-- Holder confirmation delayed

--Fidel loves Obama

--Tax evader gets Panel approval for Treasury Secretary

O-Day +1

--Beyond the already well established nominations of anti-gun fanatics to Obama's cabinet, we have another for the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. One Cass Sunstein. He's an "Animal Rights Advocate" in the same vein as PETA to the point that he stated in his 2004 book, Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions:

"Animals should be permitted to bring suit, with human beings as their representatives ... Any animals that are entitled to bring suit would be represented by (human) counsel, who would owe guardian like obligations and make decisions, subject to those obligations, on their clients' behalf."

Yep, that's right. Animals should be able to sue.

What's his view on hunting? Well that should be obvious (video about 39 min in):

“We ought to ban hunting, I suggest, if there isn’t a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It’s time now.”

Well that sure doesn't seem to be a position that supports hunters and sportsmen now does it?

I'm sure we'll hear criticism coming from the AHSA any day now. Ray?

Armed and Safe has more on this nutball.

--Treasury Secretary Nominee Geithner says he's sorry for not paying his taxes. I'm sure that would work for the rest of us. Right?

--Gitmo trials suspended along w/ any last minute Bush era regulations.

UMPC Stickers

You want them? In partnership w/ SnarkyBytes, you'll get them. Now it comes down to color. Take the poll on the side.

FULL COLOR

TAN SUBDUED

GREEN SUBDUED

Don't forget that the original UMPC patches in all three colors are still available. UMPC Lapel Pins and the new UM Marksman and UM Infantry patches (green only) are on order and will be available soon.

O-day

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more / Or close the wall up with our English dead!" (Henry V, Act III, Scene I)





Here's the roundup of commentary via Liberty Sphere.

Ah Hah!

Ayers Turned Away From Canada By Immigration Officials

Weather Underground founder and Barack Obama supporter William Ayers was not permitted to clear customs at a Toronto airport Sunday.

This is one person whose past definitely deserves to come back and haunt him.

And So It Begins

Illinois anti-gun bills:

HB 0012 - One gun per month
http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp...ID=76&GA=96

HB 0048 - Background check for private handgun sales
http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp...ID=76&GA=96

HB 0165 - "Assault weapons," .50 cal (and .50 cal ammo), and full capacity magazine ban
http://ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp...ID=76&GA=96

HB 0179 - "Safe storage" (raises age from 14 to 18; renders firearm unavailable for immediate defense)
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus...ID=76&GA=96

HB 0180 - Handgun dealer licensing
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus...ID=76&GA=96

Licensing, registration, "Safe Storage", the works. I'm sure we'll see plenty more as the weeks drag on. I think the only reason these don't have more sponsors is that the Blago situation has everyone distracted.

There are some good bills but historically they'll never see the light of day.

Thanks to 45Superman via IllinoisCarry.

Chicago weather...

Apparently the cold hasn't effected the crime rate:

2 teens charged in shooting of another teen

Mother accused of beating 2 children

Off-duty cop's home invaded, police say

Woman found slain on Southwest Side street

Man shot during West Side home invasion

I Am the SCCC

Since I'm back in school, I decided officially joining the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus would be advantageous. Unfortunately they didn't have an Campus Leader for Eastern Illinois University so I offered my services to do the job.

Hi Roy,

Your application for Campus Leader has been approved. Please take some time to review SCCC's Answers to the Most Common Arguments located at http://www.concealedcampus.org/arguments.htm to familiarize yourself with our response to a variety to claims. You may also find the SCCC Handbook of interest, as it contains a far more detailed look at SCCC's mission, history, and outlook for the future. You can find the handbook here: http://www.concealedcampus.org/sccc_package.pdf (approximately 6MB).

Thanks for your willingness to help and welcome aboard,

My buddy Kurt Hofmann remarked "Tough environment--not only a university campus, but an Illinois university campus. Like swimming against the current, do you?"

A bit ironic coming from a guy that volunteered to jump out of perfectly good airplanes but no, not really. Like him, I just want to do my part. Every Campus Leader, each Gun Rights Examiner column started, even every blog post gets the word out just a little bit more.

World War 2 Veterans: Das Reich

Hey, the National Socialist Flyers Corps issues daggers to its members.



That seems awful militaristic for a civilian organization. OH NOES!!! The Nazi's are re-arming! All those 'civilian' pilots are joining the Luftwaffe.


I guess we'd better print up a mess-load of these:


So this will succeed:


Go get 'em boys!

Blago's on his own

As his attorneys quit his impeachment case.

Poor baby.

UM Patch Prototype

As was noted, a new patch is being designed. Here's the initial design:



A few tweaks are still being worked on (including bottom wording) but this is the general idea.

These are the final designs.

Thoughts? Comments? Pre-Orders? :)

World War 2 Veterans: Viva Italia

US Army Intro to Italian Language Manual TM 30-303 circa 1943:


A very important little document which assisted in leading up to this:

Detroit Free Press. June 5, 1944.

AK's, RPG's, and Grenades! Oh My!

As has been reported, more PSH in regards to Mexico and guns.

Basically we have two options.

1) There really are gun shops that are selling RPG's, Grenades, and AK-47's by the hundreds to the Mexican Drug Cartels. The thousands of legal firearm owners in TX,AZ, and NM just can't find them.

or

2) The 'reporters', assuming they actually go to the shows to 'investigate', see dummy grenades, Prop RPG-7's w/ inert rockets, and semi-auto AK-47's and are unable/unwilling to tell the difference. The heavy weapons the Drug Cartels are actually using are coming from the corrupt Mexican military and Drug Cartels south of their border.

Which seems the more likely answer?

Getting the Word Out

Our very own author of Armed and Safe is now the columnist for the St. Louis Examiner Gun Rights.

Congrats buddy.

OK. This is Seven.

By the latest count.

Passaic, NJ Mayor Samuel Rivera
Frank Melton, of Jackson MS
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
Birmingham, Al Mayor Larry Langford
Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon
Jeremiah Healey of Jersey City

Are joined in their fine club of indicted and/or convicted MAIG mayors by Racine, WI Mayor Gary Becker.

I'm going to have to start another category if this (hopefully) keeps up.

UMPC: The Next Generation ?

The UMPC patches have been so popular that two additional orders have been necessary to keep up w/ the demand.

That being said, some expansion is in the works. I'm looking at UMPC Lapel Pins and variations on the UMPC patch. Pricing would be around $3.50 - $4.50 ea. for the pins.


Patches are most likely going to take an infantry model with wording to be determined. The quill and Propaganda Corps would be removed w/ the traditional crossed infantry muskets added behind the Gadsen. A graphic for this is in works.

UPDATE: Latest prototype patch here

So basically I'm asking the community to tell me what they'ld be interested in. Would you like UMPC Lapel Pins? What kind of wording would you like on the new patch? Two polls are being added to the side for your input. If you can't or are unwilling to leave a comment, feel free to contact me at

thirdpower at hotmail dot com

UPDATE: Latest prototype patch here

EU with a Clue

The current president of the EU stated:

"The conflict has been going on for 60 years and I don't have any illusions, I don't think we are going to see a resolution tomorrow. Above all we need to try to reduce the violence and obtain a ceasefire," Mirek Topolanek told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"But at this point I am fairly sceptical that we will achieve it very soon."

Seems the Czech Republic can actually elect politicians that don't have their heads permanently inserted into their rectums.

Who knew?

Philadelphia is now in New Jersey?

Bryan Miller convinced a bunch of religious leaders to ignore his regular violations of the 9th Comandment in order to try and follow the Brady Bunch's failed measure at enlisting church figures to push gun control.

Beyond the usual anti-gun nonsense, here's the part I find entertaining. Bryan Miller has castigated me on his blog and deleted comments for referring to activities in Pennsylvania. His quote:

I am the ED of Ceasefire NJ, as in New Jersey.

So Philly must have been moved by an earthquake or some sort of divine intervention then if Bryan is active in PA politics.

Or else he's just full of crap.

The Grass is Always Greener..

"Maximum" Mike Sullivan has resigned as director of the JBTOTA* aka BATFE.

Now what are we going to get as his replacement?





*Jack-Booted Thugs Of The Apocalypse.

Advertising

First day of classes. Wore my NRA jacket and Arcola Guns and Ammo hat.

Three people started conversations with me about various gun related issues.

It works.

Illinois Sportsmen

I'ld like to welcome the McHenry County Sportsmen's Assoc. to my list of Gun Sites. McHenry County was the first of the 'Collar Counties' to pass the Pro 2A Resolution last April due in no small part to the advocacy of these individuals.

They contacted me wanting to buy a whole mess of UMPC patches that they plan to give away to members who are active in writing to their congresscritters, letters to the editor, etc. I was happily able to oblige them.

Keep up the good work guys.

Raisins

After a quick Spring, the fruits shriveled on the vine.

Durbin, the senior senator from Illinois, talked to Burris to congratulate him, he told FOX News. Reid was to do so later in the day, according to Reid spokesman Jim Manley.

"I congratulated him and he was stunned," Durbin said.

What a Para Cheaters

The Ten Bloggers who rigged the voting to get themselves into the "Weekend At Blackwater" Contest now are being exposed nationally for their fraud.

Even though I had more integrity than to pad the numbers to allow me to go, thanks to Sebastian, Bitter, Todd Jarrett, Para-USA, Blackwater, and DownRange TV for all the hard work in this.

Durbin grows a pair

Sen. Dick Durbin threw a sizable roadblock in Roland Burris' path to the U.S. Senate on Friday, saying firmly the former Illinois attorney general cannot be seated without a missing signature certifying his appointment.

Whether he's legally correct or not isn't the point. It's that he's opposing the Lightbringer.

Will they remain solid or will they shrivel like Blago's chances at re-election?

And Another MAIG Mayor Indicted

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has been indicted on public corruption charges. The 31-page, 12-count indictment includes charges of perjury, theft, and fraudulent misappropriation and misconduct.

This makes what? Seven?

Seems being a member of MAIG gives you greater odds of being arrested and/or convicted than either firearm ownership or CCW.

H/T to ProGunProgressive.

Interesting if True

I'm not attesting to the validity of this nor the circumstances, just its surreal nature.

Apparently the guy who brought the Obama citizenship case up convinced Chief Justice Roberts to at least hear it:

Chief Justice John Roberts agreed to hear my case, Lightfoot v Bowen, challenging eligibility for presidency of Barack Hussein Obama. He distributed the case to the full conference of the Supreme Court. The timing of this decision by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, is absolutely remarkable.

Dr.Orly Taitz, ESQ
drorly.blogspot.com
dr_taitz@yahoo.com

No. 08A524
Title: Gail Lightfoot, et al., Applicants
v. Debra Bowen, California Secretary of State

Docketed:
Lower Ct: Supreme Court of California
Case Nos.: (S168690)

~~~Date~~~ ~~~~~~~Proceedings and Orders~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dec 12 2008 Application (08A524) for a stay pending the filing and disposition of a petition for a writ of certiorari, submitted to Justice Kennedy.
Dec 17 2008 Application (08A524) denied by Justice Kennedy.
Dec 29 2008 Application (08A524) refiled and submitted to The Chief Justice.
Jan 7 2009 DISTRIBUTED for Conference of January 23, 2009.

I leave it to the readers discretion to do w/ it what they will.

Blago Impeached. 114 to 1

Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn, who would take over if Blagojevich is ousted, said it's time for the governor to "face reality" and give up his office.

The single dissenting vote was Milt Patterson D- Chicago.

Now it goes to the Senate for trial to remove him. A good day for Illinois.

More on Stripped Funding..

When Blago and the IL legislator stripped millions of dollars from conservation funds, it apparently did so in violation of federal funding rules. According to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever:

The Illinois General Assembly must act this month to restore $9.25 million in restricted funds diverted to pay state bills, or the state risks losing $16 in federal dollars for fish and wildlife management.

This was noted earlier. We'll see if the legislators bother w/ anything other than impeaching Blago.

And still no AHSA.

Blago Irony

Remember when Blagojevich stated he thought firearm owners should get psych exams?

Well apparently his advisors think he should get one as well.

But when Arya's run with Blagojevich came to an end, he had a story to tell — one of intense jealousies by the governor toward President-elect Barack Obama, House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and others, a terrorized staff, and emotional instabilities that Arya said demonstrate the need for a psychological evaluation by the legislative panel weighing the governor's impeachment...

“Many staffers cringed at the notion of calling him and we were under strict orders to never let the phone ring more than three times.”

In fact, Arya said, the running joke among staffers used to Blagojevich's disdain for the office was that he should go “on a trade mission so he could be gone for a few months and things might actually get done.”

Looking back on his 23 months on the state payroll, which ended last October, Arya described Blagojevich as “a good father and a great guy to go to a ballgame with” but an ineffective, emotionally unstable chief executive.

The man who was a leader in the charge for more gun control in Illinois.

My thoughts on Holder

It's a done deal. That's my opinion.

I've written the letters but it's still a done deal.

As for the lack of active response by the gun groups, well, they know they'll get burned right now if they try. The Obamanation has the momentum. We're on the defensive. That's the reality. Get used to it. Digging in our heels at this point will just result in a political equivalent of the Maginot Line.

Let their momentum wear down, they extend their lines, and burn their own resources. People will start seeing that the Lightbringer doesn't walk on water and everything they thought he promised isn't .

Then we counter-attack.

We are the Militia

Think like Guerrillas

Think like Partisans

Think like Soldiers

Compare and Contrast

On one side we have Cooper Firearms whose CEO donated thousands to the Obama Campaign and H-S Precision which used a known murderer as an endorsement.

On the other we have Barrett Rifles refusing to sell his .50 cals to CA LEO's and Remington Firearms CEO who takes the people he sponsors and buys from to task for stupidity and/or ignorance.

To that second list, we now add STI who will no longer sell to CA law enforcement due to the continued attack on firearm ownership in the state.

I know to which companies my money will go.


h/t to Armed and Safe.

Firearm manufacturing

More fun w/ statistics.

As usual, claims that ownership, hunting, manufacturing between such and such dates tend to be exaggerated and/or the dates specifically chosen to make an argument. This is clearly shown in the classic case of the VPC claiming that the numbers of firearm owners have been declining. Obviously this is not even close to being the truth.

The same can be said about firearm manufacturing which is supposedly in decline. Particular dates are always chosen and terminology used to show the desired results. So I decided to take a look at the data from the BATFE which is available for the years 1998-2000.

Looking at the total numbers, it does show a drop of a little under 53,000 firearms manufactured during that period. Looking at the individual types produced during the years shows a different story however:


So Handguns and Rifles vary with a slight trend upwards, revolvers remain very stable, while shotguns decreased significantly but have stabilized over the last few years.

Looking back another decade using data from Shooting Industry Magazine reports continues to show a varied history. From 1987-2006 one could say that US firearm manufacturing increased by nearly 90,000 firearms but that would still bely the wide swings in manufacturing over the last 20 years from a peak of 5.16M in 1994 to a ebb of 2.9M in 2001. That trend shows a slight drop in handgun(combined w/ revolvers) and shotgun manufacturing but a significant increase in rifles. The sales figures over the last two years seem to imply that we're still on an upward slope for manufacturing.

And these are just US numbers w/o taking into account the +/- 250K exports or +/- 1.25M imports every year.

On Closer Examin(er)ation

Not only has David Codrea's Examiner column gone national and his Cleveland spot continuing under another author, LA Examiner now has a firearm rights column.

At the same time SF is discussing dropping its handgun ban.

Perhaps the state is not a complete loss.

Ray Schoenke says Nothing...

After a 2 month hiatus, he comes back to brag about his election victories. Still nothing on what he or his group is actually doing though.

Why?

Because his group is doing exactly that. Nothing. Their whole purpose is to get anti-gun candidates elected under the guise of 'supporting hunters and shooters' and to attack the NRA.

"I'm a Big Boy now!"

So says Senatorial hopeful Burris.

Better than Ringling Bros.

My letter to the General

In response to his paper as noted by Irons in the Fire and SayUncle:

Gen. McCaffrey,

In regards to your report from December regarding crime in Mexico, I would like to make some corrections to your assertions that military grade firearms are being smuggled into the country from the United States.

To legally purchase a Class III firearm, one needs to follow all the regulations of the 1934, 1968, and 1986 firearm acts. This includes a background check, $200 tax stamp, licensing, and registration through the BATFE. No new fully automatic or select fire weapons have been added to this registration since 1986. The cheapest firearms cost over $2500 with AK-47's averaging $5000 ea. Licensed dealer rarely have more than a few in stock at any one time if at all. RPG's, Grenades, and other heavy weapons are not available through any firearm dealer unless they are licensed for explosives as well, also not common. What the Mexican authorities are facing from the US are semi-auto only clones of military firearms, commonly known as 'assault weapons'.
Since every firearm of any type needs to undergo an NICS check from a licensed dealer, a purchase of "a hundred at a time" would flag the buyer and warrant an immediate investigation by the BATFE.

If you have direct knowledge that this is not so and dealers are actually selling fully-auto firearms and high explosives 'out the back door', it should be brought to light and these dealers indicted.

If the authorities are facing these types of firearms from the cartels, and I have no doubt they are, they need to look south, not north, and to their own house for the reason. Numerous Mexican officials have been caught in the US attempting to purchase firearms while the entire system, as you have stated, is rife with corruption. Which would make more sense, finding officers or soldiers who are willing to accept a bribe for them to 'lose' their weapon or leave an armory door unlocked, or travel to the US to try and find a very uncommon class of weapon costing thousands of dollars? The very existence of the "Zeta's" should answer that question.

Regards,
Thirdpower

Not a perfect letter but let's see if he responds.

Late X-mas

The magazines and frog bought w/ my X-mas money came today.


Two Hungarian 20 rd Tanker magazines for my SAR-1 and a Romanian leather AK-47 frog from AK-47s.com

View From the Kitchen

Looking up.

Is This Really a Suprise to Anyone?

SIH, SaysUncle, Michael Bane, The Shooting Wire, RobbAllen, and I'm sure others are reporting that there's noises about a new AWB is in the works as punishment for opposing the LightBringer.

Well duh.

We've already seen how vindictive this administration is when they attacked TV stations for running NRA ads. Anyone who thinks that the Obamessiah WOULDN'T go after firearms were just deluding themselves to justify their opposition to Bush. IIRC, Bill Schneider had a couple of running bets w/ posters over on New West. Methinks he's going to end up being sorry he made them. I'll place money on not hearing a word from 'hunting and shooting advocate' Ray Schoenke of the AHSA.

Two Forums added

One is the G/K43 Community Forum. These are the fine individuals who helped me out on details regarding my Mauser rifles.

The second is a new forum started by TexasFred. The United States Gun Owners Association. Politics, Gun Porn, Gunsmiths, Sales/Trading, the works.

Springfield Gun Show

Went to meet the Armed SchoolTeacher. Apparently we got our days crossed as he was there Sat. while I was there today (Sun). Oops.

I did, however, get a chance to talk to Tom Shafer at the Sangamon County Rifle Assoc. booth. He runs a local pro-gun cable show ( Wed. at 7:30pm Springfield Ch 4) and has been spending his time watching the Blago impeachment hearings. We chatted about Blago and Burris for awhile and I was pleased to give him some additional info to present on his show. Notably how Blago gave a gun control speech on the steps of the hospital he was blackmailing and Burris's hypocrisy on firearms. I gave him a UMPC patch to recognize in a small way all the hard work he does.


Also got a chance to talk to Ron Corzine of the ISRA and booth volunteer Terry.


Today was busy but I was told that yesterday it was packed w/ a line out the door. I picked up a stock extender for my SAR-1 and a frog for the bayonet I got at another show a few weeks ago. Had I had more funds, I would have walked out of there w/ (receipts for ) many new toys (damn waiting period).

Both fit most nicely now.

508

The final tally for murders in Gun Free Chicago. An over 15% jump in comparison to last year.

Congratulations on a job well done Mayor Daley.

Taking your Change

WASHINGTON -- A 50 percent increase in gasoline and diesel fuel taxes is being urged by a federal commission to finance highway construction and repair until the government devises another way for motorists to pay for using public roads.

The National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing, a 15-member panel created by Congress, is the second group in a year to call for higher fuel taxes.

So the push for more fuel efficiency combined w. a recession has led to decreased revenue from gas taxes. Who would'a thunk it? So of course the response is a call to tax the sh*t out of us some more.

To bad we can't throw gas into the harbor.

Selective apologetics

Via Armsed and the Law Safe (oops), we discover an apology letter for the "Ban All Guns" nonsense the other day. Both he, Pistolero, Kevin Baker , and others have taken her to task either in the comments and/or their blogs but their is one area they missed on in their replies to her.

The sh*tstorm that hit Zumbo wasn't mostly about the guns not being good for hunting, that's just a non-thought out opinion, it was that he called them terrorist weapons and that they should be banned. My reply:

Your analysis of the Zumbo affair is not entirely complete. Through your own link he did much more than state that he felt "Assault Weapons" weren't good for hunting. That is merely and uneducated opinion. What really got the sh*tstorm to hit was his statement that they were 'terrorist rifles' and that they should be banned from outdoor activities.

That showed not only a level of ignorance and elitism from someone who was a 'lifelong hunter' but also gave ammunition to all the anti-gun groups. Within a few weeks, the Brady Campaign and others were repeating his words as the voice of hunters in the US.

Calling a firearm an "assault weapon" in no way makes it more or less accurate. There are many different configurations of the many models out there, hunting, home defense, target shooting, etc. What it boils down to is that an 'assault weapon' is merely a semi-auto firearm that has cosmetic features similar to some military firearms. They function no different than any other semi-auto.

The Rev. spoke out in ignorance and hostility and was responded to in kind. Many gun owners are tired of being called terrorists and criminals because they choose to be gun owners.

Update: Seems that being polite and presenting counter information isn't as effective as she claims.

That's really all I have to say on the subject. I'm not going to answer any more comments on it. Sorry, I'm just out of time and interest.

Translation: Facts don't matter so please don't present them if they don't fit my worldview.

What will they do now?

Nutball sites like Democratic Underground, MoveOn, Huffpo, and Daily Kos have had a hayday the last 8 years feeding their severe cases of Bush Derangement Syndrome. While I am in no way a fan , these poor deluded souls are now going to be relegated to what the "Rightwing" sites have had to deal w/, only being able to reference the past for mistakes of the current administration and cries of 'obstructionism'. I'm seeing it already. Continuing references to Palin and McCain as if they're still relevant, 'but Bush did XYZ', etc. etc. They'll be able to play that game for awhile, but it will get old quick as the incoming administration starts making its own flubs and foibles.

What they're really going to hate is the traditional pattern of the media and celebrities. They've raised the Lightbringer to that status, now w/ him in the spotlight, it's time for them to knock him down. Everytime he takes a crap, the 'mainstream media' will be there to count the corns and anal-yze the texture. Recent reports have stated that he's already grating at the attention which will only make them even more determined to pressure him. Nothing sells better than a celebrity throwing a fit or having a breakdown.

Will they look critically at their own party during this period or will they stay quiet and support their own 'dear leader w/o question? That's been a regular attack against the Stupid Party.

What will they do?

Days of Our Trailers: 2008 year in review

Blog stats for the year 2008:

		Page Loads	Unique Visitors	First Time Visitors	Returning Visitors
Total		126,584	94,701	59,528	35,173
Average		346	259	163	96

Can you tell when I was in Northern Elbonia training Counter-Revolutionaries?

Most viewed pages:

10) Patches for Sale 606 views
9) Modern Militia: Vehicles 606 views
8) Ruger Super Blackhawk 614 views
7) Ruger GP 100 624 views
6) Il Gov calls for Psych test 626 views
5) Modern Militia: Uniforms 636 views
4) Enfield Jungle Carbine 813 views
3) Modern Militia: Firearms 1,207 views
2) Hunters who don't believe 2,337 views

And the #1 viewed page on Days of Our Trailers for 2008:

1) Unorganized Militia Propaganda Corps 4,117 views

Top Ten referrers:

10) The HighRoad.org 879 visitors
9) Xavierthoughts 1,081 visitors
8) WaronGuns 1,111 visitors
7) BredaFallacy 1,403 visitors
6) Armed & Safe 1,669 visitors
5) Google 1,675 visitors
4) ISRA 1,973 visitors
3) Ahab 2,124 visitors
2) Snowflakes in Hell 7,967 visitors

And w/ no real surprise, the #1 referrer to this site was:

1) SayUncle w/ a whopping 16,961 visitors

Special mention to my buddy Robb Allen who just missed making #10

It's been an interesting year. Lots of successes. Two big losses (death of Heston, Obama victory). Much drama. Our community has grown considerably. We've had our family squabbles but we're still here. I've met lots of good people both in real life and the intersphere, hopefully to really meet sometime in the future. The support for the UMPC went beyond anything I originally expected leading to a second order of patches in expanded colors. The 2A Blogger Bash was a hit at the 2008 NRA convention .

What I know is that I'm looking forward to another year, no matter how rocky it may be.

Happy New Year all.

More Women Hunting. Still no AHSA.

Women on Target, Women's Wilderness Escape, NWTF’s Women in the Outdoor events, Etc. All have been instrumental in the increase in firearm ownership and activities by women across the US.

And Ray Schoenke's AHSA had nothing to do with it. Two years they've been in existence to 'support hunters and shooters' and they can't point to a single event or project they've sponsored to do so.

I see your fat guinea pig

And raise you a fat cat:

I love Il Gov. Blagojevich

He's actually trying to appoint Obama's Senate replacement. Former Il AG Roland Burris, another anti-gun hypocrite.

W/ Durbin et al stating they won't let anyone appointed by Blago take the seat, it almost makes one feel sorry for him.

Almost.

According to the Trib's "Clout Street":

"Former Illinois Atty. General Roland Burris called him to say he was storing a gun in Decatur because he forgot to renew his registration, Mell said. The engraved shotgun was given to Burris by Illinois State Police when Burris left office, the alderman added."

You have to love Illinois politics.

More at WOG

I've seen this map before..

A Russian 'expert' proclaims the breakup of the United States w/ various nations gobbling up the remains either directly or as puppet regimes.

Where have I seen this division before? Oh right. When I played Fortress America in High School.

Could the US split? Sure. It's always possible. But this map is just the fancied dreams of a person dreaming of their glory days over 150 years ago w/o a clue of US regional attitudes.

TexasFred has more.

Whoever did it..

I'm sure the Ugandan locals are glad that they've been disarmed for their own safety and the betterment of society.

KAMPALA (AFP) – The Ugandan army on Sunday accused Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels of hacking to death 45 people in a church in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

It was all an accident

NY State Senate Elect Monserrate, who bashed his girlfriend w/ a bottle and is a staunch gun control advocate says he just 'slipped'.

It seems though, that he has a long history w/ mental issues and violence:

Monserrate - who just racked up his second arrest after an alleged violent outburst - claimed to be struggling with psychological issues when he quit the NYPD after 11 years.

His May 19, 1999, application for a disability pension was troubling enough that cops immediately seized his guns, public court filings show...

Yesterday's bust on charges that he slashed his girlfriend was the second time Monserrate faced a judge after a nasty confrontation.

He was arrested in the early-morning hours of Sept. 11, 2001, on charges of trying to run over a tow truck operator attempting to repossess his car. The outcome of that case could not immediately be determined.

Those high quality gun control advocates.

"Regulate the trafficking of illegal guns"

Do these idiots ever listen to themselves?

Note nothing is said about the drastic reductions in the Chicago Police or the rampant gang wars currently going on.

Again:

"Sure, I'll support more gun laws for you, as soon as you write the names of every family member and neighbor that belongs to a gang and has a gun hidden on this sheet of paper. Let me know when you're done and we'll hold a joint press conference to name names and start to really bring the cycle of violence to an end."

H/T to WaronGuns

Dance Paul Dance.

Christmas Eve Massacre Shuffle Statement from Paul Helmke:

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In response to a man dressed in a Santa suit opening fire at a home in Colvino, California, shooting an eight-year-old girl in the face, her 16-year-old sister in the back, then killing eight others and himself, Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign, issued the following statement:

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and community touched by this terrible tragedy. It is profoundly sad that a distraught man would take up arms to kill his family and others.

"In this season of hope, however, we should not despair and say this kind of violence is inevitable. We should not tolerate the steady drumbeat of gun deaths and injuries that tears our families and communities apart. We can and should do all that is within our power to find solutions to gun violence.

"In the New Year, we hope that our nation's leaders have the courage and conviction to take steps that will help protect our families and communities from gun violence."

Why don't you emphasize the "strong, commonsense gun laws" that are already in place in California giving it the top score in your rankings? What other laws do you want that would have stopped this? A complete gun ban? Oh, right, you don't support gun bans. Except when you do.

You and your organization are scum Paul. Nothing else but.

hattip to reader Ambiguous ambiguae

Going National...

David Codrea's Cleveland Examiner column is being moved to their national page.

Most excellent job.

Spreading the word one step at a time.