Year: 2011
PA Senate Republicans Screwing Us Again
Capitol Ideas is reporting that Senator Joe Scarnati, the top Republican in the PA Senate, has put the brakes on privatizing the state liquor system. He believes the PLCB needs to be given a chance to act more like a private business. You know what makes private businesses act like private businesses, Senator? Competition.
I’m getting to the point I’d rather vote out these soft Republicans in the Senate and replace them with Democrats. What good are they?
I don’t care what your mama’s thinkin’…
… everybody knows that beer ain’t drinkin’.
This was apparently official policy in Russia until just now.
No More TSA Nude-O-Scope
Apparently a software upgrade is taking care of the issue:
After complaints from travelers the TSA earlier this year began testing at four airports software for the full-body scanners that instead uses a generic body outline and highlights the area where any anomaly is detected, eliminating the actual image of the passenger.
This deals with my primary concern about these things. I’d also want to know that there’s no way an agent can pull up the image, and that the image is not stored. I don’t really give a crap if a computer analyses an image of me. Now the only concern is the long-term effects of the radiation.
Someone should probably FOIA specs for this software upgrade to ensure everything is as advertised. You know, someone like the media, who’s supposed to hold the Government accountable. Or something like that. Hard to say that with a straight face these days.
Which Side Law Enforcement is On?
Chris Cox recently did an interview with FOP President Chuck Canterbury, where he noted:
Cox: “You’ve also spent a lot of time reminding members of Congress that FOP members are gun owners who support the Second Amendment. In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, you said ‘I take a back seat to no one in my reverence for the Second Amendment.’â€
Canterbury: “That’s correct. I meant it then and I mean it now. Our members and your members share many of the same beliefs about guns and crime. Many department chiefs are political, and they go with the anti-gun line, especially in the big cities. But our members in the rank and file know the reality on the streets.â€
Apparently that has our gift-that-keeps-giving opponents twisted up in knots:
Yeah, he does, doesn’t he, Ladd and Josh. It must really be a difficult thing, being on the wrong side of history. For a while I thought I might end up there myself, so I can sympathize. But for now I’m going to enjoy the schadenfreude of watching you come to terms with the lies and distortions you hucksters have peddled over the years coming back to bite you in the ass.
More on the Canton, Ohio Situation
Dave Hardy has some thoughts on the legal aspects of the Canton, OH, police department situation. It’s quite interesting. One thing to ponder is that what this situation essentially creates, is a great example of how coming down on like a ton of bricks on the wrong kind of person (in this case, concealed carry permitees) can cause some amazing resources to be marshaled against you, including some very talented attorneys contributing ideas to the people who are ultimately going to be suing your ass.
I’m going to bet, when all is said and done, Canton, OH police officers are going to be treating permit holders much differently in the future.
A Quick Survey on Blue Laws
Specifically, the poll tackles Sunday hunting. Richard, this is your chance to voice your opinion.
NRA just posted a survey of their followers on Facebook asking about the repeal of Sunday hunting bans in Pennsylvania and Virginia. In 4 minutes, the results are pretty overwhelming. So, if you are an NRA member and have an opinion, go share it with them.
So now you can’t say that NRA isn’t listening to you, Sunday ban advocates. It’s your chance to cast your vote alongside your fellow NRA members.
Guns, Race, and Bad Parenting
The Chicago Tribune columnist Brady Campaign Board member Tom Vanden Berk has an editorial defending Garry McCarthy’s racially charged statement, noting:
We all fail to acknowledge that children — and, yes, mostly African-American children — are dying disproportionately because of our failure to take action.
As the father of a biracial son, Tommy, who was tragically killed in the crossfire of a gang shootout 19 years ago, I know the complicated intersection of race and guns.
He then goes on to describe the shooting, which I’m hard pressed to identify race as a factor in. Gang membership? Sure. But he also notes:
As I desperately looked for Tommy, I learned that a group of teenage gang members found a flier about the party, showed up at the house and started shooting at each other with guns they obtained on the illegal market.
An illegal market in Chicago? How could that happen? Chicago’s laws are a great example of not-racist gun laws, if you ask ol’ Garry. Of course, federal laws also apply to making that market illegal too. You know, those racist federal laws that make it illegal for criminals to purchase, possess, and use guns unlawfully?
No one seems to have heard past McCarthy’s use of the word “racism.” I believe his point was that weak federal gun laws facilitate a form of institutionalized racism, the unregulated flow of guns into the hands of young, black teenagers, and that we have a moral responsibility to strengthen these laws.
How do you regulate a black market? It’s already illegal for teenagers of any race to buy handguns. It’s illegal just about everywhere, and federally, for teenagers to possess handguns unsupervised. It’s definitely illegal in Chicago. What more do you want?
This is a tough thing for these folks to hear, and it’s going to make me seem cold, but so be it: i’m really tired of these people making their tragedy my problem. It’s not. I had nothing to do with it. I’m not about to share responsibility for your poor parenting choices, and surrender my freedom. Did you talk to the parents who were supervising the party, or just the kids? I didn’t seem to catch that part. I can promise you my parents would have, if I was going to be permitted to stay. This is harsh to say to someone who lost a kid, but if you’re going to blame me, and make no mistake, when you advocate my freedom be more limited, you’re doing exactly that, I’m going to throw it back in your face that your kid died because you were a shitty parent. Go deal with your grief, man up to your choices in life, and leave me, and every other American out of it.
Baloney Maloney
Rep. Maloney said, “No, I do not. Operation Fast and Furious is under investigation and we’ve had one hearing on it. We intend to have more and more investigations, more interviews and we will go where it takes us.â€
“Right now, we heard about these loopholes in the law – law enforcement asked for greater tools so that they could get convictions and try to stop the flow of illegal guns and that’s where we are now,†she said.  “So we will continue our investigation.â€
I almost feel like these players had this all scripted, and faced with mistakes and blunders early on in the filming, and trying to proceed with the agreed upon script as best as they can. They just don’t know what else to do, so what do they do? Keep rolling. Keep talking about loopholes. The only loophole here is that people are going to be allowed to get away with this without going to jail.
Why Notification Laws are Nonsense
I can’t think of a better example, coming out of Ohio, as to why we need to get notification laws repealed, than this:
All I have to say is I’m glad they are sticking cameras in patrol cars these days, so the people can see what their employees are doing. I don’t think what we’re witnessing is professional behavior, and that’s being charitable. Given multiple threats of violence, and threats of retaliation, this officer needs to lose his badge. He does not deserve the trust the public has placed in him, and every day he continues to patrol the streets is an outrage.
That said, I do wonder this guy was doing in a seedy section of town with an apparent prostitute, and what would appear to be her pimp, in the back seat. But either way, that’s not really my concern, and it’s likely not illegal to do so.
I ran into a duty to inform law in Texas, when I was stopped, under questionably legal circumstances… apparently for parking suspiciously in a small town. The officer approached, and began to ask a series of questions, which I answered, and before I could get out that I had a gun on me, he asked if I had any weapons, and then I truthfully answered. We went through all the motions, and everything checked out. He only warned me that I was supposed to inform, and was otherwise pleasant and professional. But the fact is, I didn’t really have a chance to inform, at least without going against instinct in that kind of confrontation. I can completely understand why someone would believe following instructions answering questions is the more prudent path. Ohio desperately needs to change its law, and if not to eliminate duty to inform entirely, at least make it only a ticketable offense.
Final lesson in all of this is that when a cop puts you into a situation where it’s becoming apparent there’s suspicion of a crime, exercise your fifth amendment rights. You are under no obligation to talk to the police, and don’t really do yourself any favors by doing so. Let them arrest you, call your attorney, and speak to the police under the advice of counsel. If the police beat or threaten you for not cooperating, fine. You now have the basis for a civil rights lawsuit, and whatever they got out of you is inadmissible. Once it’s apparent you’re not in a typical traffic stop, that’s when you’re in lawyer country. It sucks, but remember that we have a legal system, not a justice system.
UPDATE: Canton police chief has apparently relieved the officer in question pending an investigation. They deserve credit for acting on this.