The blogspot version of this blog is HERE. The Blogroll. My Home Page. Email John Ray here. Other mirror sites: Greenie Watch, Political Correctness Watch, Education Watch, Immigration Watch, Food & Health Skeptic, Dissecting Leftism, Socialized Medicine, Eye on Britain, Recipes, Tongue Tied and Australian Politics. For a list of backups viewable in China, see here. (Click "Refresh" on your browser if background colour is missing) See here or here for the archives of this site
****************************************************************************************



16 March, 2010

Outspoken Wash. medical pot activist shoots robber: "A well-known Washington state medical marijuana activist traded gunfire with robbers who invaded his home early Monday, suffering minor shotgun pellet wounds and sending one intruder to the intensive care unit of a hospital. Activist Steve Sarich, 59, runs CannaCare, an organization that provides patients with marijuana plants and advice about Washington's law. "I don't want to shoot people, but God, this is our eighth home invasion since last May," he told The Associated Press. Sarich said he was awakened at his Kirkland home by the barking of his dogs, then grabbed a .22-caliber handgun and headed down a hallway outside his bedroom. A man with a shotgun confronted him in the living room and fired, he said. The main blast struck a wall a few inches from his head, Sarich said. One pellet struck his face while another hit his leg. Sarich shot at the robber but missed. When his gun jammed, he darted back to his bedroom and grabbed another handgun. He spotted another robber standing outside the glass door to his bedroom and fired three times, hitting the robber multiple times. Sarich's live-in girlfriend called 911, as did the wounded robber, a 19-year-old from Renton. King County sheriff's deputies found him in the backyard and took him to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he underwent surgery for life-threatening wounds. Sheriff's deputies arrested a second suspect, also 19, as he tried to flag down a ride nearby a few hours later. That suspect gave investigators the names of two others involved in the robbery attempt who had fled in a vehicle.



Mich.: Customer swipes masked man's gun, kills him: "Romulus police are seeking three suspects after a party store customer wrestled a gun away from a masked man, shooting and killing him. Police say the robber and two other men were robbing the store at 9:30 p.m. Saturday in the city about 20 miles southwest of Detroit when the customer walked in with a woman. Romulus Police Sgt. Corey Sadler tells the Detroit Free Press that the customer successfully fought the gunman for control of the weapon and fired two rounds. No other injuries were reported. Police are seeking two men who escaped after trying to force a store employee to empty the safe at gunpoint.



Off-duty cop shoots robber at home: "Two men face multiple felony charges after one of them was wounded in a break-in at an off-duty Las Vegas police officer's home in Henderson, authorities said Monday. The wounded man, Carlos Chacon, 38, was hospitalized for a leg wound and booked into jail after the shooting Sunday in a middle-class residential neighborhood in the Green Valley area, Henderson police spokesman Keith Paul said. Chacon's wound was not believed to be life-threatening. Paul said Chacon was trying to elude police arriving to a report of an earlier home invasion break-in in the same neighborhood when he entered the officer's home and was shot. An alleged accomplice, Nelson Abreus-Diaz, 39, was arrested after the first break-in, Paul said."



Arkansans want to carry weapons in the open and stage protest hike over it: "Forty-three states now allow gun owners to openly carry firearms. However, Arkansas is not among them. But a group is stepping up efforts to try to change that. Stehle is one of the newest members of Arkansas Carry, a grassroots organization looking to change Arkansas gun laws. Currently on the agenda is to make Arkansas an open-carry state. "The biggest thing for me is: if I'm concealing it with my permit and I reach for a can of vegetables at Wal-Mart and it's exposed, technically, I've committed a crime," said Stehle. Steve Jones, the organization's vice chairman, believes "We have a handgun law that is archaic, old and it needs to be changed." Jones organized the 4.5 mile empty-holster protest hike. He says the group is working to get support for a bill rejected in Arkansas' Judicial Committee last year. "It's still alive. And the legislature has what they call an interim study sessions; and what we're going to try to do is get that before one of the study sessions," he said. "And try to get them to look at it and see what maybe needs to be fixed up on the bill to get it passed." According to Arkansas Carry, they are just trying to get the right that has been granted in 43 other states. "It's my right," group visitor, John Arellanes said. "I support what they are doing."



15 March, 2010

Ohio: Man shot trying to rob carryout: "Another robbery that went from bad to worse, police say, after a clerk pulled out a gun and shot a would-be robber. This is the second shooting like this in just the past few days in the same part of town, but this time the suspect is dead. The suspect was wearing a woman’s wig and brandished a gun before demanding money from the clerk at Bengal’s Food Mart on Airport Highway, Sgt. Tim Noble said. This all happened around 10 a.m. They figure he was hoping to leave with his pockets lined with cash. Instead, he was wheeled out of Bengal's Food Mart on a coroner's stretcher. It was a deadly end to what neighbors call a brazen robbery attempt."



VA: Homeowner's grandson shoots intruder: "An intruder was shot this morning after forcing his way into a home in a Henrico County. Henrico police say an adult male was shot in the lower torso around 5:30 a.m. in the 10300 block of Longdale Ave. The victim was transported to VCU Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. According to police, an elderly female homeowner reported that an intruder forced his way into her home, physically attacked her and then physically attacked her adult grandson, who was also present inside the home. The woman was knocked to the floor and her grandson obtained a handgun and “fired one round into the lower body of the assailant, causing him to drop to the floor,“ said Henrico Lt. Jim Price. The woman suffered facial injuries and was treated on the scene. The investigation is ongoing, but the attack does not appear to be random, Price said. “It appears that the homeowner was not aware of this individual and had never met him; however, [the assailant] is apparently known to the adult grandson as an acquaintance, someone he recently came across or met,“ Price said. Motive appears to be breaking and entering with intent to commit assault and robbery. “He announced that he wanted money,“ Price said. Currently, no charges have been filed against the shooter or the intruder. Police said they are waiting to interview the person shot, who was undergoing surgery."



14 March, 2010

FL: 2 Charged In Connection With Home Burglary, Shooting: "Detectives with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division are investigating an early morning armed burglary and shooting. They said Maureen Cassidy told them that she woke up when she heard a noise. She said she exited her bedroom and observed a male intruder in the home. She returned to the bedroom, she said, and woke up her husband, Charles. She said her husband then retrieved his handgun, a Smith and Wesson 9-mm, and stood in the doorway of the bedroom, where he observed the male intruder walking toward him. Police said they were told that Charles Cassidy shouted to the intruder, "Stop. I have a gun." He said that the intruder continued to walk toward the bedroom area, at which time he fired one round from his handgun, striking the intruder in the hip area. Police said the intruder fled the residence through a back door and exited a screened-in porch area. Deputies said they found 24-year-old Senewa Kahle, of Hobe Sound, attempting to conceal himself and armed with a knife in the bushes outside the residence next door. He was transported to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center with injuries that are not life-threatening, investigators said. Deputies conducted a search of the area and found a green 2000 Dodge Neon occupied by 24-year-old Kelly Black, of Stuart, at an adjacent residence. Kahle stated to detectives that Black drove him to the area. Kahle has a criminal history that includes an arrest for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, according to investigators. Black has a previous arrest for possession of oxycodone, they said."



Maine lobster fishers found not guilty in shooting of aggressive rivals: "A Matinicus lobsterman and his daughter wept Friday as a Knox County jury acquitted them of charges in connection with a shooting on the town dock last summer. Vance Bunker, 68, who also has a home in Owls Head, sighed and hung his head with relief while Janan Miller, 46, of Matinicus and Spruce Head placed her face in her hands and cried. Both had claimed they acted in self-defense in an escalating dispute over vandalized lobster gear. The jury then also reheard Bunker describing the moments that led up to his pulling the trigger. “Wes grabbed the shotgun and started taking it away from Janan,” he said. “Once he grabbed the gun I didn’t know what the hell to do. I shot twice. The first time at Wes, and I missed. The second time Chris lunged for me.” The day before the shooting, Ames confronted Bunker and Alan Miller on the dock over lost gear. Ames accused the two older men of cutting his traps, which they denied. About 6 a.m. the next morning, Young boarded Bunker’s boat without permission and threatened to kill the captain before Bunker pepper-sprayed him, witnesses testified earlier this week. Later that morning, Ames and Young chased Alan Miller’s boat and made threats his wife heard over the radio that lobstermen use to communicate with each other and relatives onshore. Janan Miller told the jury that after the chase broke off she saw her husband’s boat coming into the harbor and Ames and Young waiting for him on the dock. She told the jury she grabbed a shotgun, which she did not know how to use, and ran to the dock to protect her husband, whose life she believed was in danger. Bunker testified that he brought a loaded .22-caliber revolver to the dock after he learned the brothers were there waiting for his son-in-law."





OH: Battered woman shoots abuser: "Police reports state Knight, 46, shot Ratchford, 50 [above], in the chest after an argument turned physical in their home at 25 E. Liberty St. at about 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 10. Knight has not been charged. Clark County Prosecutor Stephen Schumaker said the investigation is ongoing. With a battered face and both eyes purple and swollen, Knight recounted her memories of that evening. She said Ratchford had been drinking and an argument started in the basement of the home just before she was supposed to accompany Ratchford and his crew to a maintenance job. During a struggle, Knight said she and Ratchford ended up on the floor, where a puddle had collected in the leaky basement. “Then he took my head and said, ‘... I’m going to drown you,’” Knight recounted, sobbing. “He was slamming my face in the puddle. And I said, ‘Go ahead and kill me then, just get it over with.’ Knight said he became enraged when she told him he had broken her nose and warned she’d “better not say that again. “And then he said, ‘... I’m just gonna kill you, you need to be dead anyway,’” Knight said. “And I just (grabbed the gun from the dresser) and swung around. “I didn’t even know I pulled the trigger,” she said. “I didn’t even hear the gun go off.”



State plan fines feds $2,000 over gun rules: "Wyoming has joined a growing list of states with self-declared exemptions from federal gun regulation of weapons made, bought and used inside state borders – but lawmakers in the Cowboy State have taken the issue one step further, adopting significant penalties for federal agents attempting to enforce Washington's rules. According a law signed into effect yesterday by Democratic Gov. Dave Freudenthal, any agent of the U.S. who "enforces or attempts to enforce" federal gun rules on a "personal firearm" in Wyoming faces a felony conviction and a penalty of up to two years in prison and up to $2,000 in fines. WND reported just days ago when Utah became the third state, joining Montana and Tennessee, to adopt an exemption from federal regulations for weapons built, sold and kept within state borders. A lawsuit is pending over the Montana law, which was the first to go into effect. But Wyoming's law goes further, stating, "Any official, agent or employee of the United States government who enforces or attempts to enforce any act, order, law, statute, rule or regulation of the United States government upon a personal firearm, a firearm accessory or ammunition that is manufactured commercially or privately in Wyoming and that remains exclusively within the borders of Wyoming shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be subject to imprisonment for not more than two (2) years, a fine of not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00), or both."



13 March, 2010

Brainless BATF -- a rogue agency

Fed agencies seize toys, call them 'machine guns'

A gun rights organization has launched a Freedom of Information request following a decision by federal Customs and Border Protection agents to seize a shipment of toy pellet guns and a determination by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that they could be converted into machine guns so they must be destroyed.

Government agencies have explained that the Airsoft toys, made of a soft pot metal and lacking a firing mechanism, easily could be converted into a true weapon capable of automatic fire. "Our firearms technology branch classified this as a machine gun," BATFE Special Agent Kelvin Crenshaw said in a report assembled by Gun Owners of America. "With minimal work it could be converted to a machine gun."

Gun Owners spokesman Erich Pratt told WND today his organization has launched a FOIA demand for information to find out on what basis the government reached that conclusion.

The case stems from the confiscation just weeks ago of the shipment of several dozen of the plastic pellet-firing Airsoft toys from Brad Martin and his son, Ben, in Cornelius, Ore.

An analysis by John Velleco, director of federal affairs for Gun Owners noted that, "To make the transformation, the entirety of the upper receiver would have to be replaced, but the lower receiver would still be unable to endure the intense force of live ammunition because it is made of pot metal (inexpensive alloys) instead of hard steel. "And all of this work would actually cost more than buying a real – and stable – AR-15 rifle," he said.

The toys also lacked the orange paint on the muzzle that some classes of toys are required to have, but the Martins confirmed that when that situation had arisen with previous shipments from their Taiwan supplier, they were allowed to paint the ends of the barrels.

A local television station, KOIN, interviewed a specialist in the Airsoft product at issue – which actually can be used by police agencies for training because it does resemble a real weapon although it shoots only small plastic pellets. Jason Jonah of Andy and Dax Surplus said, "it looks like a gun, but the insides are completely different, the design is different, and the material it's made of is just not strong enough to fire real ammunition."

If somebody tried to fire real ammunition, he said, it mostly likely would blow up the toy. "The gun would come apart and the pieces fly at you," he said. "If it weren't the ATF making these accusations, I'd laugh, but they must be taking it seriously. In all my years, I've never had anyone talk – even laughingly – about changing these into weapons," he said. He said it would be about as easy to convert an Airsoft into a real weapon as transforming "your Cuisinart or any other electrical appliance into a real gun. "It's made of the same plastic or low-quality aluminum as any other appliance. So maybe you turn it into a firearm, but it would be like transforming any other electrical appliance – hiding a gun inside an electrical appliance," he said.

He noted that in an Airsoft, the trigger doesn't activate a firing mechanism, it sends "an electrical signal to the battery, which sends more signal to the motor, which is spinning and sending out those pellets." Velleco accused the federal government, through its gun regulatory agency, of becoming "an arrogant and out-of-control bureaucracy with a history of trampling on people's gun rights."

At the Everything Airsoft website, a commentary noted, "I would be first in line (behind a bulletproof screen) to witness the carnage that would ensue from somebody attempting to detonate a .223 round in the alloy upper receiver of an M4 GBB (Airsoft pellet gun), as unlikely as it would be with the absence of a firing pin and all the other essential parts of an AR-15 bolt to detonate a live round. "The ludicrousness dissuades me from wanting to even touch on the other issues such as the barrel ... and the dimensions of the ... receiver being incompatible with real steel tooling," the commentary said.

Source




NC: Robber Shot, Taken To Hospital: "Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said a robber became a victim Thursday night. Officers responded to a shooting at the Windsor Harbor apartments on Shamrock Drive just before 10 p.m. Thursday. Officers found a man with a gunshot wound to the neck. Police said they believe the man was trying to commit a robbery when the intended victim shot him. He was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.



Ohio: Store owner shoots man during apparent robbery: "A store owner at the Allied Music of Ohio in South Toledo shot a man Friday after the suspect held a gun to a clerk’s head, police said. Sgt. Phil Toney said the suspect entered the store asking about getting a job there. He left but returned a few minutes later and allegedly held a gun to the clerk’s head. As the suspect led the clerk to a back room, the clerk called out “I need help” and a co-owner, Eric Bilger, appeared with a gun. Gunfire was exchanged. The suspect, Steve James, 30, of Toledo, who was the only one shot, was struck in the body and hand, Sergeant Toney said. The man then fled the store and ran across Byrne Road to the Burger King parking lot, where he collapsed. Police said he was transported to the University of Toledo Medical Center, formerly the Medical College of Ohio Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition. Mark Bilger, who co-owns the store with his brother, said they have been robbed three times since last summer. He said it was fortunate his brother got a carrying a concealed weapon permit and had a gun. “I am very happy that my brother is safe,” Mr. Bilger said Neither Eric Bilger nor the clerk was injured."



WA: Hostile judge cuts costs award: "A Longview man acquitted in January of assault on four downtown Longview nightclub employees will get roughly $40,000 in state compensation for his lawyer's fees and other trial-related costs, a Cowlitz County Superior Court judge said Friday. A jury in January found Brian Barnd-Spjut, 29, not guilty of four counts of second-degree assault. He had been accused of assaulting three bouncers and a manager at Kesler's Bar & Grill after he pulled a gun on them after they boosted him from the bar in March last year. Barnd-Spjut's attorney, Duane Crandall, argued that the bouncers had a reputation for assaulting patrons, and the jury agreed he was acting in self defense. State law allows Barnd-Spjut to collect his trial-related expenses from a state fund because the jury concluded that he was protecting himself. Crandall had asked for $92,000, including about $75,000 in attorney's fees, but Superior Court Judge Jim Warme said Friday that was too much. At a previous hearing, Warme had also suggested he may overturn the jury's determination that Barnd-Spjut was acting in self defense because he did not believe there was any evidence that Barnd-Spjut was being attacked. However, Warme declined Friday to overrule the jury, though he indicated he is still vexed by the jury's decision."



12 March, 2010

KY: Jury acquits man of killing neighbor: "A Carter Circuit Court jury on Wednesday wasted no time in deciding to acquit Timothy Emerson in the shooting death of his neighbor, Richard Lawrence. The seven-man, five-woman panel deliberated for only about an hour and 10 minutes before returning the not-guilty verdict. Emerson, 51, of Fighting Fork, was charged with murder and could’ve gotten 20 years to life in prison if convicted of that charge. Jurors also had the option of convicting him of first- or second-degree manslaughter or reckless homicide. Instead, the panel found that Emerson was privileged to act in self-defense when he shot the 41-year-old Lawrence in the face with a 12-gauge shotgun on Aug. 8. Curtis said he believed the panel’s conclusion that the shooting was justified was the correct one. “Richard Lawrence was looking for trouble,” he said. “Tim wasn’t looking for trouble.” Barbara Lawrence and her daughter, Katie, 12, were living in Emerson’s trailer at the time of the shooting because Richard and Barbara Lawrence had taken out domestic-violence petitions against one another and weren’t supposed to have any contact. Barbara Lawrence acknowledged during her testimony that her husband could be violent. She said he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and tended to be abusive when he was off his medication and drinking.... Emerson told jurors that Richard Lawrence then began violently kicking the door while threatening to kill him. Emerson had been in custody since the shooting."



Crazy Canada: "A Quebec store owner who tried to defend his property from robbers by firing a hunting rifle could face criminal charges for negligent use of a firearm. At about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Quebec provincial police in Shawinigan, Que. were called to an apparent robbery at the Grand-Mere Auto Neige store. When they arrived, they discovered evidence of a robbery, including a broken window. They also noticed bullet cartridges and traces of blood. Police don't know if the blood came from the thieves, and, if it did, whether they were shot or if they cut themselves on the broken glass. Neighbours told the police that the store owner, who lives on top of the business, fired a hunting rifle into the air to chase off the suspects. The owner was arrested. Police spokesperson Eloise Cossette said investigators will try to determine if the store owner committed any infractions relating to gun usage. The suspects are still at large."



11 March, 2010

Jury clears man who fired warning shots: "A jury has acquitted a man who fired two gunshots last year during a fight before a South Walton wedding, ruling he was acting in self-defense. Timothy Sonnier was acquitted of aggravated assault and aggravated battery with great bodily harm late Tuesday, his attorneys at the Destin law firm Pleat & Perry said Wednesday. He had pleaded not guilty at the beginning of the trial Monday. “This was a guy who was just defending himself and his life and his family,” said attorney Winter Spires. She said the gunshots Sonnier fired “were strictly warning shots” aimed nowhere near the man sheriff’s deputies called the victim in the case. The incident happened July 25, 2009, when Sonnier came to South Walton for a wedding and arrived at a condominium on Scenic Gulf Drive to find someone else intoxicated in his room, Spires said. There was an argument before 26-year-old Adam Sonnier “essentially attacked” Timothy Sonnier, Spires said, and a fistfight ensued. Timothy Sonnier eventually fired two gunshots, which Walton County sheriff’s deputies at the time said were aimed “at the victim” but instead hit a window and the floor. Spires said they clearly were warning shots, and “after the first shot, this guy still attacked him again.” Deputies also said Timothy Sonnier pistol-whipped the younger man, leaving a gash in his head. Walton County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Mike Gurspan said the men were not related despite having the same last name."



CA: Lawmaker freaked by “open carry”: "A California lawmaker has stepped into a growing gun rights debate by introducing legislation that would essentially outlaw what’s called the ‘open carry’ of unloaded weapons on public property. The measure, which was first introduced last month but is not expected to have its first hearing until April, is meant to address the growing ‘open carry’ movement, in which some gun owners have taken to meeting in coffee shops, parks and restaurants while wearing holstered weapons to raise awareness about gun rights. ‘People should be free from the fear and the potential for violence firearms represent,’ said Democratic Assembly Member Lori Saldaña of San Diego, in a statement. ‘These displays of firearms can create potentially dangerous situations.’”



Mass. court upholds state gun-lock requirement: "The highest court in Massachusetts on Wednesday upheld the constitutionality of a state law that requires gun owners to lock weapons in their homes in a ruling applauded by gun-control advocates. The case had been closely watched by both gun-control and gun-rights proponents. Massachusetts prosecutors argued that the law saves lives because it requires guns to be kept in a locked container or equipped with a trigger lock when not under the owner's control. The Second Amendment Foundation Inc., however, cited a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said people have a constitutional right to keep weapons for self-defense. The state Supreme Judicial Court, ruling in the case of a man charged with improperly storing a hunting rifle in his Billerica home, unanimously agreed that the Second Amendment does not overrule the state's right to require owners to store guns safely. "We conclude that the legal obligation safely to secure firearms (in the Massachusetts law) is not unconstitutional ... and that the defendant may face prosecution on this count," Justice Ralph Gants wrote. The case involved Richard Runyan, whose mentally disabled son allegedly shot at a neighbor with a BB gun. The 18-year-old showed police where his father kept other guns, and the father was charged with improperly storing a hunting rifle under his bed."



NM Governor signs law allowing guns in some liquor-serving restaurants: "People licensed for concealed handguns can take their weapons into New Mexico restaurants serving beer and wine under a new state law. Gov. Bill Richardson signed legislation into law on Wednesday. It takes effect in July. However, restaurants can stop people from bringing their handguns into an eatery by posting a sign that prohibits firearms or if the restaurant’s owner or manager tells a patron that firearms aren’t allowed. Even with the change in law, it will remain illegal to take a concealed weapon into a bar or a restaurant with a full liquor license — places that serve whiskey and other liquor besides wine and beer. New Mexico becomes the 41st state to allow the carrying of concealed handguns into at least some restaurants that serve alcohol, according to the National Rifle Association. Only Wisconsin, Illinois and the District of Columbia completely prohibit the carrying of concealed handguns. The Legislature approved the handgun measure during a 30-day session, which ended last month."



10 March, 2010

The Right to Keep & Bear Firearms in Motor Vehicles

Below is an article written by a Florida Legislator, Paige Kreegel, who was a co-sponsor of Florida’s “The Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear arms in motor vehicles Act” — legislation that passed and was signed by Governor Crist in 2008.

Frequently, editorials castigate legislatures and legislators, for passing or supporting legislation allowing law-abiding citizens to keep their firearms locked in private vehicles while at work or while shopping. This is an issue on which thoughtful people can and do disagree. However, so many editorial contain enough errors, assumptions, and omissions, that it begs for – in Paul Harvey’s words – “The rest of the story”.

Derided as the “Bring your gun to work” bill, in Florida our bill/law is actually titled as “The Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear arms in motor vehicles Act”. It is in reaction to many businesses including Wal-Mart, Disney World and others prohibiting their employees from being prepared for legitimate self-defense while driving to and from work.

Consider a (depressingly) common situation: A single mother with custody of her child, dealing with an abusive, violent ex-husband or boyfriend, maybe even a stalker. These unfortunate women are not part of the leisure-crowd or the golf-and-tennis-scene. Mostly they are relegated to low-paying jobs in the service industry, often evening or night shifts.

From the time they leave the house, to drop off their babies at child-care, go to work, and then reverse the process 8 or 10 hours later, these women are completely vulnerable to premeditated violence from larger, stronger, and often obsessed males. There are not possibly enough police or armed guards to escort these employees safely to and from work. Moreover…..none are offered. Their only possible protection is a firearm.

Now, some employers would take away even that basic right–the ability to self-defense, and offer no alternatives. They have forced employees to sign waivers allowing their cars to be searched in the parking lots. Private property rights of the employer are invariably invoked in this debate. But what about the private property of the employee? What is it about an employee’s car that does not seem to be “private property”?

Lobbyists for some industries claimed that employees lose their private property rights when they enter an employer’s parking lot. Really? So then an employer could steal their car, sell it and not be violating the law?

Others claim that the employee has no right to privacy while on employer property. Is that so?? Then is it OK for them to set up a hidden camera in the ladies rest room?

Much emphasis is given to the employees having “waived” their rights–in writing–as a pre-condition to employment. If constitutionally guaranteed rights can be so casually dismissed, can the employee also be forced to “waive” their right to the minimum wage? How about “waiving” your right to non-discrimination based on race, gender, or religion?

Some editors parrot what many businesses insinuate–that disgruntled employees are dangerous and violent. This is a cheap-shot, and a deceptive one at that. What do the murders at Columbine, Northern Illinois University, the Amish Community School in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, Virginia Law School, and Virginia Tech have in common? These massacres occurred at SCHOOLS. That’s right—-supposedly “gun-free” zones.

These tragedies never seem to occur at police stations, gun shows or biker-bars. The reason is obvious—folks in these locales will shoot back! Fact is, whenever a psychopathic, murdering, domestic terrorist wants to carry out carnage, they invariably head for the “gun-free” zones of our schools and malls. “Gun-free” laws have arguably created these horrors where our children are led like lambs to be slaughtered. Does anyone really think that killers will obey the “gun-free” babble on their way to murder innocents?

And who are these citizens who will have their firearms locked in their cars? They are women and men who are taking responsibility for their own safety. They are law-abiding people and are habitual “rule-followers”. They are NOT part of the problem, but they are able and willing to become a part of the solution. We in the Legislature should let them do so.

Source




MS: Suspects ID'd in robbery, chase, shooting death: "A warrant was issued for Jaime Flores, 26, charging three counts of armed robbery and one of aggravated assault. Both men believed to have robbed a small Vicksburg grocery before being chased down and one of them killed by the store owner were from Texas, police said. A warrant was issued for Jaime Flores, 26, 919 Dallas St., Houston, charging three counts of armed robbery and one of aggravated assault. Flores fled on foot Thursday night from Interstate 20 and U.S. 61 South, police believe. Found dead of a gunshot wound the next morning below the overpass was Jose Arenas. Authorities said Arenas was 25, and his last known address was 12013 Glorieta St. in San Elizario. An autopsy also showed Arenas had a broken ankle. Police Lt. Bobby Stewart said identifying the men was accomplished through tracing the 1993 Toyota with Hinds County plates that crashed during the chase and that witnesses confirmed seeing the two together before the La Chiquita store and patrons were robbed. Police Chief Walter Armstrong said the store owner told investigators he started the chase, which covered about 4 miles, to get the tag number and returned gunfire after the suspects’ vehicle crashed. The store owner has not been charged. The robbers wore ski masks, one carried an SKS assault rifle and the other showed a handgun. A woman clerk was hit with the rifle, officials said."





FL: Police Identify Would-Be Convenience Store Robber: "Police identified the would-be robber who they say tried to hold-up a convenience store clerk in Deerfield Beach. Instead police say the owner's son Samir Al-Madi shot the alleged robber identified as 24-year-old Alexander Brown [above] Friday night. Al-Madi told BSO detectives that he was on the phone when he saw an armed man with a handkerchief over his mouth wearing a hooded jacket approaching the store. Al-Madi said the suspect burst through the door yelling and demanding cash with the gun pointed directly at him. BSO robbery detectives said at about the same time Al-Madi reached for a nearby gun and fired one shot, striking the gunman in the lower jaw area. When the robber started to get up, Al-Madi fearing for his safety fired several more shots. After hearing the commotion a clerk, who was in the back area of the store at the time of the shooting, came to the front of the store and grabbed the thief's gun before he had a chance to retrieve it." Police said there were no customers at the time of the hold-up."





Peaceful "Gun free" Britain: "The number of youths taken to court for gun crimes in London rose sharply last year amid a surge in offences involving murder and robbery, Met figures show. A total of 375 suspects aged 19 or under were charged with firearms offences — 70 per cent up on the 220 recorded in 2008. The biggest increase was in gun robberies against businesses, such as late-night convenience stores, which tripled during the 12-month period to a total of 121. There was also a 37 per cent rise in gunpoint muggings taking last year's total to 95. The number of youths charged over a firearms murder was also up with 13 prosecutions last year, compared with five a year earlier, although armed rapes fell from four to two. The Met said the rise in prosecutions was partly due to an increase in anti-gun crime operations and more effective detection of offenders. But it admitted the figures also reflected a growing problem with gun crime among the young. [The pic above shows a shooter and his victim]



9 March, 2010

Ohio: Soon-to-be Marine Fires At Intruder: "A local man fights to protect his home from an intruder who breaks in, in the middle of the night. The Delhi Township man grabbed his gun – and fired two shots at the intruder. The burglar broke into his home off Hillside Avenue early Monday morning. Local 12’s Shawn Ley spoke with the homeowner who was fighting for his safety, just before he leaves to fight for our country. Kevin Boyle- “I came around the corner and looked down and saw my door was open.” And that’s when Boyle came face to face with every homeowners fear:an intruder, in his home in the middle of the night. That burglar thought he found the perfect place to rob. Boyle’s home at the end of a steep, private drive – no one around to see or hear him break in. But Boyle was home. And his powerful .45 caliber handgun was right nearby. “I kind of crouched down like this, I was against the wall … I was looking around and I saw the guy right here. I told him not to move and he reached around and pulled out what looked exactly like a gun, he started bringing it up. I fired two rounds as I was running back to get behind the wall for cover and called the cops.” Shots at such close range by such a powerful weapon, it’s hard to believe the burglar wasn’t hit – if he had, a shot from this gun would have done serious damage, perhaps even killed him."



KY: Stabbing Victim Shoots attacker: "Vaughn begins his physical and emotional recovery just one day after he says his neighbor -- Rickie Mosgrove-- tried to kill him with a knife. Vaughn says his neighbor's daughter came to his house for help Saturday night and Mosgrove followed. "He approached the property and wanted to talk and when he came on the property he brought out a knife and we wrestled to the ground," said Vaughn. That's when Vaughn says he pulled out his gun in self defense. Mosgrove and Vaughn both ended up going to the hospital. "I've got 26, 27 staples in the back of my neck stab in the front and a stab wound in the chest," said Vaughn. Mosgrove was treated in Lexington for a gunshot wound to the leg and then taken to jail where, according to the jail's web site, he's charged with assault and murder. The murder charge is expected to be amended to a lesser charge in court."



TX: Invader and defenders all die: "Three men died in a shootout during a robbery late Sunday night in southwest Houston. The shooting occurred at an apartment complex in the 7700 block of West Airport about 10 p.m., Houston police said. Killed were Marcus Dwayne Whitaker, 33; Patrick D. Sims, 28; of Houston; and Jeffrey Luis Chaney Jr., 25, of Rosharon. Investigators said that Whitaker held a gun on Chaney as they were outside Sims’ apartment. When Whitaker forced Chaney, Sims’ friend, inside the front door at gunpoint, Sims grabbed a gun and gunfire erupted. Sims shot Whitaker but Whitaker was able to fire at Sims and Chaney, police said. Whitaker was wounded in the chest and died at the scene. Sims and Chaney both were shot in the head. Sims died at the apartment and Chaney was rushed to Ben Taub General Hospital, where later died. Police found narcotics and cash in the apartment and believe robbery was the motive for the initial attack."



They’ll take my gun when they pry it from the cold, dead fingers of my hand: "With all the fights that have gone on around the nation in recent decades about “concealed carry” laws, I’ve often wondered: Why wouldn’t gun owners go the Dodge City route and strap a holster to their hip? If carrying a gun is about personal safety, wouldn’t having a gun openly displayed work really well as deterrence? Why force a mugger to guess if they’ll get shot? But not all gun advocates are fans: “I’m all for open-carry laws,” said Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, a gun rights advocacy organization in Washington State. “But I don’t think flaunting it is very productive for our cause. It just scares people.” All due respect to Mr. Gottlieb, but isn’t scaring people part of the reason for gun ownership? If you’re buying a pistol for self-defense, aren’t you wanting to make sure you can outmuscle any assailants? And if you can assure them that they’ll be outmuscled before they even assail you, haven’t you won? Where’s the problem here?"



8 March, 2010

U.S. armed forces still using outdated equipment

The M16 scandal has been going on for years. Why can the g*ddam thing not be scrapped and a fresh start made with something reliable?

American TV screens not long ago were full of images of U.S. Marines spearheading a NATO coalition sweep in southern Afghanistan. These familiar scenes evoked memories of the Marine assault on Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004, and countless similar operations in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Vietnam and other regions over the last half-century.

Inspect the photos closely, and you would see one constant: the M16 rifle. Since the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force has progressed from flying F-4 Phantoms to B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and F-22 Raptors. These combat aircraft are superior to the Vietnam-era planes by at least an order of magnitude. But the M16 has not evolved in kind.

To be sure, the M16 has been improved upon since it was first introduced almost 50 years ago. But U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan use largely the same weapon.

I was issued an M16A2 when I was mobilized and deployed to Iraq as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve's 341st Military Police Company (San Jose) in the spring of 2003. However, we should have been issued an M4, the more modern version of the M16, which active-duty MPs were given. Instead I was handed a weapon that was state of the art during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

And the M16A2 wasn't the only piece of equipment I found lacking. I remember being issued magazines for my M9 pistol that simply did not work. Ammunition fell out of the magazine because the spring was too weak. Others in my unit had the same problem. Had I ever discharged the weapon in self-defense during my 14-month deployment there, I'm confident the first round would have fired. Subsequent rounds? I'm not sure.

Parents even mailed their sons and daughters new magazines purchased from local gun shops in California. My roommate jokes that in past wars parents mailed their children cookies and letters, not gun parts and body armor.

Toward the end of 2003, my company was transferred to a town north of Baghdad where we performed convoy escort and combat patrol missions in the volatile "Sunni triangle." Three armored Humvees were required for each squad. But initially, our company lacked enough armored Humvees for each squad to have its full complement.

Before missions, we flipped a coin to decide who would get the "thin-skinned" vehicle. I told a friend back home about this. "Isn't that dangerous?" he asked. "How safe are you then?" "About as safe as you would be driving around Iraq in your Ford," I said.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld once said, "You go to war with the army you have — not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time." I went to war with the army we had at the time. But since then, vast improvements have been made. Soldiers and Marines now patrol in vehicles much better suited to deflect improvised explosive devices and other threats that I encountered six years ago.

Have the improvements gone far enough? The young enlisted troops doing the hard work of our nation don't generally have a voice that's heard in the editorial pages of our nation's newspapers. So we don't know for sure.

Nothing would make me prouder than to learn that U.S. troops now have the best equipment we can possibly give them. It's the least we can do to help them accomplish their missions with a modicum of safety. But I can't help but worry as I watch the news footage of the young warriors going into battle in Marjah today, clutching their M16s.

Source

Note for those who take an interest in military equipment: I will be putting up later today on DISSECTING LEFTISM some videos that show, among other things, some interesting German WWII equipment




Miss. store's owner shot gunman in self-defense: "Vicksburg police say they won't charge a store owner who shot and killed an armed robbery suspect. Assistant Police Cheff Jeffery Scott says the suspect fired first, and was shot in self-defense. Police were still looking on Saturday for a second man accused in the holdup Thursday at La Chiquita grocery store, and had not released the dead man's name. Scott says the men put a rifle to the clerk's head, ordered her to the ground, hit her in the back of the head, and took cash, merchandise and a customer's wallet. He says the clerk told the owner, who was in an adjacent restaurant and chased the gunmen's car to try to get a license number. Scott says the car crashed on an overpass, the gunmen got out and one shot at the store owner, who fired back. [Good shot!]



FL: Store clerk shoots would-be robber: "A robbery attempt was foiled after a store clerk shot a thief. The incident occurred at the Snappy Convenience Store, located at 115 S.E. 10th Street, Friday night. Store clerk Samir Al-Madi, 25, told Broward's Sheriff's Office Robbery detectives he was on the telephone when he saw a hooded man approaching the store. According to BSO, when the suspect, 24-year-old Alexander Brown, pulled out his gun on Al-Madi, Al-Madi reached for a gun and shot Brown in the jaw. Freddy Al-Madi, owner of the convenience store and father of the victim, said, "He walked in and he tried to kill him. He did not come in here just to rob. The guy was ready. The gun was ready." When Brown tried to get up, Al-Madi felt threatened once again and shot Brown again. Brown was taken to North Broward Medical Center. He is expected to survive. There were no customers in the store at the time of the attempted robbery. BSO said once Brown is out of the hospital, he will be charged."



Jews with guns - not only in the Israel Defense Forces: "Much of the Jewish community has remained outside the debate: Some 90 million U.S. residents hold 200 million firearms, but only a tiny minority of American Jews have guns. However, there appears to be a revival among supporters of the right to bear arms among Jews who say that attitudes are changing because of new threats they face. One of them is Dovid Bendory, an Orthodox rabbi, 42, from New Jersey. Not only did he buy a gun, he also became an authorized shooting instructor and is giving lessons to members of the Orthodox community. He also distributes material that explains, on the basis of biblical texts, the right of Jews to self-defense. "I did not grow up with guns, not even with toy guns," he says. "I think that the first time I saw a real gun was when I visited Israel at age 16. But I began to think about weapons seriously after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As far as I'm concerned, the Twin Towers disaster changed the entire scene, because until then we thought that the terrorist threat existed only outside the United States." Another turning point was the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008, where one of the targets was the Chabad House. "I realized that this is no longer political terrorism but anti-Semitism," he says. "In May 2009 they arrested people in Riverdale, New York who wanted to blow up a synagogue in that neighborhood, which is a 40 minutes drive from my community." "I think that in view of our history, every Jew who is physically and psychologically capable of carrying a gun should do so," he says. "We must be ready to defend ourselves..."






Note for non-American readers: Crime reports from America which describe an offender just as a "teen" or "teenager" almost invariably mean a BLACK teenager.


Postings from Brisbane, Australia by John Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.) -- former member of the Australia-Soviet Friendship Society, former anarcho-capitalist and former member of the British Conservative party.


I am an army man and I am pleased and proud to say that I have worn my country's uniform. Although my service in the Australian army was chiefly noted for its un-notability, I DID join voluntarily in the Vietnam era, I DID reach the rank of Sergeant, and I DID volunteer for a posting in Vietnam. So I think I may be forgiven for saying something that most army men think but which most don't say because they think it is too obvious: The profession of arms is the noblest profession of all because it is the only profession where you offer to lay down your life in performing your duties. Our men fought so that people could say and think what they like but I myself always treat military men with great respect -- respect which in my view is simply their due.


Two lines below of a famous hymn that would be incomprehensible to Leftists today ("honor"? "right"? "freedom?" Freedom to agree with them is the only freedom they believe in)

First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean

It is of course the hymn of the USMC -- still today the relentless warriors that they always were.


The kneejerk response of the Green/Left to people who challenge them is to say that the challenger is in the pay of "Big Oil", "Big Business", "Big Pharma", "Exxon-Mobil", "The Pioneer Fund" or some other entity that they see, in their childish way, as a boogeyman. So I think it might be useful for me to point out that I have NEVER received one cent from anybody by way of support for what I write. As a retired person, I live entirely on my own investments. I do not work for anybody and I am not beholden to anybody. And I have NO investments in oil companies, mining companies or "Big Pharma"

UPDATE: Despite my (statistical) aversion to mining stocks, I have recently bought a few shares in BHP -- the world's biggest miner, I gather. I run the grave risk of becoming a speaker of famous last words for saying this but I suspect that BHP is now so big as to be largely immune from the risks that plague most mining companies. I also know of no issue affecting BHP where my writings would have any relevance. The Left seem to have a visceral hatred of miners. I have never quite figured out why.


Australia does have considerable restrictions on gun ownership (mostly put in place by a conservative administration as a kneejerk reaction to a mass killing) but the restrictions are not too onerous. My brother is a gun collector and has an impressive collection quite legally. And guess who is the patron of his gun club? It is Kevin Rudd, the center-Leftist Prime Minister of Australia!


The intellectual Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) said: "The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane."