You probably all remember the Eban article that appeared in Fortune Magazine a while back. Rank apologia if I ever saw it. Dave Hardy is reporting that Fortune is now facing a lawsuit by one of the whistleblowers for publishing a known falsehood. These kinds of cases are difficult to win, but as Dave notes, Fortune may be in trouble here.
Year: 2012
A New 2A Blog
Before I get too hard on Fordham University, it is the school where Nick Johnson teaches, who e-mailed yesterday to mention he’s started blogging. The more the merrier. He also has a Federalist Society faculty podcast out on the, very first of its kind, textbook on Second Amendment law, which Professor Johnson co-authored along with Professors Dave Kopel, George Mocsary, and Michael O’Shea.
Where is the Debate? It’s Here.
The Fordham University newspaper is very concerned about the crushing of debate by the evil NRA:
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is determined to squash public discourse on the issue of gun control. The NRA opposes even reasonable measures to curb the explosion of gun violence in America. There is no reason, as far as we can tell, that any citizen should need an AK-47. With atrocities such as the massacre in Aurora, Colo. (which involved the use of an assault weapon), the Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin and the shooting of U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, we need to reevaluate the basis for easy accessibility of assault weapons.
No, we had a debate, and your side lost. This might be a shock to college students in New York City, but the rest of the country is nothing like New York City. There is also no crushing of debate. Debate would actually make gun blogging interesting again. But when we start to debate, our opponents immediately descend into insults, ad hominem and penis jokes. That’s the “your side losing” part. If you want a serious intellectual discussion of the topic, we’re happy to have one. But first you better be prepared, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from folks on the other side of this issue, is preparedness for serious debate is not their strong suit.
Can You be a Menace on Your Own Property?
That’s part of the question in an Alabama case that the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund is getting involved with down there. It’s definitely an interesting case based on the details provided in this news account.
A developer/landlord was convicted of misdemeanor menacing after he was merely holding his shotgun (not pointing it, from the description in the article) on his property while ordering a former tenant who owed millions in back rent off site. The former tenant was removing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of items from the property that the landlord said were considered part of the property until the back rent was paid – items like sinks, stoves, and booths that might, depending on the nature of the contract, actually be considered part of the building. In other words, the tenant wasn’t on site to grab his coat or family pictures that he left behind. He was ordered from the property, and the police were called.
The police officers at the time didn’t feel like the developer was committing any crimes in how he handled himself with the trespassing tenant. However, the trespasser filed charges later. So now there’s a question over whether or not Alabama residents may legally possess a firearm on their own property while ordering a trespasser to leave.
The Politicization of Medicine
Stanford School of Medicine highlights:
Children are safest in homes without guns, the AAP statement notes. It adds that pediatricians should tell parents that storing guns properly (unloaded, in a locked cabinet, with ammunition locked up separately) is the next-best option, providing substantial protection against suicides and unintentional gun injuries to children and teenagers when compared to storing firearms unlocked and loaded.
I don’t really have a problem with physicians speaking about guns in the home in the context of other potential household dangers, many of which kill more kids each year than guns. One should beware of owning pools, bathtubs, and 5 gallon buckets. But singling out guns as a unique danger, or suggesting they be removed from the home, is using the medical profession to promote a political agenda. I think doctors, many of which are gun owners, need to start speaking out about the politicization of their profession in manners like this.
It’s a Far Cry from Hunting to Gun Rights
Apparently Justice Kagan is going to try to bag herself an antelope in Wyoming. I’d like to see Justice Kagan come around to the Second Amendment, but there are plenty of people who hunt who have a poor conception of the right. I’m not sure I’d read too much into this, but it is certainly encouraging.
Also, it would seem Dave Hardy has been a busy bee. Both articles sound quite interesting, and the former would certainly be a welcome addition to the cause.
Coverage of the Courts in NRA Ads
I was pleased to see this ad:
UPDATE: Also this from the Florida Senate Race:
How to be Paranoid and Afraid on Halloween
Joan Peterson, Brady Board member extraordonaire, meets Hickok45, and hilarity ensues. These people would have made fantastic Puritans, wouldn’t they? Remember not to be so afraid and paranoid, and to ask parents whether there’s a gun in the home when you take the kids trick or treating. Also, don’t carve pumpkins with guns! Heavens no!
Odd Things About This Election
Compared to many, I’ve not been around the block that many times. The first election I voted in was the 1992 election between George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and to be honest, I didn’t really start paying close attention to these farces we call elections until 2004 or so. But this election is strange to me, for a couple of reasons.
For one, Tam has an interesting observation that down ticket candidates are trying to shake off the Obama cooties as much as they humanly can. Yet polls still show this election as a statistical dead heat? I also agree that the only people talking about Obamacare are Republicans trying to hang it around the necks of any opponent they can manage.
Second, I’m not seeing any Democratic enthusiasm. Using the sign wares as a rough gauge of enthusiasm, corners which were previously dominated by Democratic signs now have GOP signs on them. I can count on one hand the number of Obama signs I see in front of houses, whereas I now lose count of Romney/Ryan signs on my way through residential neighborhoods in Chester County, and there are a few in Bucks County too. In 2008, there were far far more signs for McCain, but McCain was giving away lawn signs like candy, whereas anyone who has a Romney/Ryan sign ordered it from the campaign and paid for it. Since Pennsylvania is not being contested by Romney, everything here has been very subdued compared to previous elections. But striking is a complete absence of any notable activity by Democrats, even for down ticket races in the ring counties.
I guess what I’m saying is this doesn’t feel like a close election to me. I see more enthusiasm from Republicans and Democrats, and the President’s major domestic program is still wildly unpopular. Despite polls showing the race in Pennsylvania narrowing, I’m not sure either campaign wants to take the bait. We’re a blue state. That’s conventional wisdom now. We haven’t gone red since the 1988 election (see this funny bit about conventional political wisdom). Perhaps what I’m seeing is the effect of living in a state which both campaigns are conceding as blue. Folks in Ohio may have a vastly different perspective.