2011 archive
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Promoting politeness (click for the whole article, which details existing law and the dispute):
Gun-rights advocates have lobbied Gov. Bob McDonnell to scrap the program, arguing that it is redundant because a federal background check system can replace it.
Gun-control groups say doing so would take a valuable law enforcement tool away from Virginia State Police and undermine state gun laws.Efforts to cancel the state’s 22-year-old background check system, known as the Virginia Firearms Transaction Program, could be debated in the upcoming General Assembly session. Republicans will control state government for the first time since 2001 and a determined push to loosen state gun laws is expected.
Just what we need, an environment friendlier to more Columbines and Virginia Techs.
Gun nuts will not rest until every city is Dodge City and every hill is Boot Hill.
This will for killing machines has nothing to do with the Constitution, the intent of the Framers, or personal liberty and everything to do with dark Freudian lust. All that other stuff is smokescreen.
Willie Sutton for President 0
Newt the Gingrinch wants to steal your Christmas and give it to Wall Street Banksters.
Driving while Brown, International Incident Dept. 0
Incidents with poor citizens of Mexico clearly no longer count as incidents, but incidents with wealthy citizens of predominantly white, northern European countries may turn out to be something altogether different.
Afterthought:
I’m certain that Alabama never expected its law to apply to white folks and the only reason this is news is because someone did apply it to a white folk.
Your reaction, when you read the story (admit it, you thought, “Gosh, they arrested a white folk”) is sufficient evidence of the law’s origin in bigotry and of its immorality.
Drinking Liberally Virginia Beach, Special Thanksgiving Movable Feast Edition (Updated) 0
Be sure to check the Meetup page. Changes may be pending; I will be spending tomorrow baking (sweet potato pies and sweet potato biscuits, if you must know) and will not attempt to keep up with them. In the meantime, I’m sticking this to the top of the page.
Now unstuck from the top of the page as the time is past.
Moved to Tuesday so as not to interfere with holiday plans.
When: Tuesday, November 22th, 6 p
Where:
The Jewish Mother
600 Nevan Road (Map)
More here.
QOTD 0
P. J. O’Rourke, from the Quotemaster (subscribe here):
You can’t shame or humiliate modern celebrities. What used to be called shame and humiliation is now called publicity.
CTRL-Z, Republican Style 0
On this week’s episode of Wait! Wait!, someone joked that, whereas the Democratic Party might want to undo the last 30 years of Republican ascendancy, Republican goals are much loftier: Undoing the Enlightenment.
Actually, it’s too true to be funny. From the Concord, New Hampshire, Monitor (registration may be required):
They are members of a committee set up earlier this year to study the impact of federal aid and programs in New Hampshire. A few weeks ago they made their report, and it’s a doozy. It is not a sober, serious analysis, replete with facts, expert testimony and sophisticated analysis.
Instead – as my incredulous lawyer husband noted after reading it – it’s more of an incoherent manifesto that might emerge from a late-night college dorm bull session. One fueled by several six-packs of beer. In this case, the kids are tossing out, willy-nilly, a grab bag of ideas of how governments should be run. Or, more to the point, not run.
Facebook Frolics, In Perpetuity Dept. 0
A reader writes to “Ask Amy”:
This was decades before the Internet existed. Now, that we have Facebook, it turns out she was right! How prophetic.
Big Brother Is Watching 0
From El Reg:
Having a “bad day at work” is henceforth verboten.
The Bottom of the Fox for Kindle 0
Shaun Mullen’s The Bottom of the Fox, which I reviewed here, is now available for your Kindle.
If you Kindle, Kindle that.
Spill Here, Spill Now, Corporate Chutzpah Dept. 0
This could only have been an attempt to muddy the waters (or oily the waters), then escape before the mud cleared.
“The U.S. has sovereign immunity here,” U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier said today at a hearing in New Orleans in dismissing a claim brought by Transocean in a lawsuit. The company can still present evidence of such allegations at trial in an effort to limit any damages against it, Barbier said.
It’s like Willy Sutton suing the banks.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Mourn your friends politely.
(snip)
Police say the detective later admitted to the shooting, saying it was a celebration toward Frey.
er, yeah.
We Need Single Payer 0
Sam Seder interviews Wendell Potter on tactics used by health insurance companies to keep customers in the dark about coverage and costs.
What they are most desirous of insuring is the executives’ country club memberships.
The Voter Fraud Fraud 0
Duran’s interim report now alleges that 104 voters — about one for every 10,577 on the rolls — were illegally registered to vote. Of that group, just 19 — or approximately one for every 57,894 registered voters — actually allegedly cast a ballot they shouldn’t have.
The real voter fraud happens in the counting room (and, occasionally, in the Supreme Court).
The underlying Republican definition of voter fraud is a catch-22: Republicans have decided that no legitimate voter could possibly disagree with them, thus persons who might disagree with Republicans must be kept from voting, thus the Republican keep-out-the-vote effort.
Share Your Opinion 0
Pick the next film star:
Driving while Brown 0
Alabama’s fear of persons who look different is playing out with unintended (by Alabama), but not unexpected (except by Alabama) consequences:
The Booman assesses Alabama’s attempt once again to enshrine bigotry in law.
More about the video here.
Dustbiters 0
Two more banks disappeared from view yesterday.