Sebastian – Page 682 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Suing the Mob

These Righthaven folks are nuts. Apparently they are suing someone with mafia connections now. I am pleased to report there are no further links to Steven’s Media sources on this blog. I wrote a script to check.

If you have a WordPress blog, and access to a machine with a command line, feel free to use my script yourself to check your blog. This is currently set up to check my own blog, but it should work for any WordPress blog with some minor tweaking. Probably even a non-Wordpress blog too if you changed around the search strings.

I do not believe we should remove links out of fear, but because these folks, by their actions, have shown they do not understand the Internet, or how to decently try to resolve copyright disputes. They are asking to be endarkened, and I don’t see any reason not to oblige them. I’m not going to support these shakedown artists with traffic, and I would ask other bloggers to join.

Hat tip to Joe Huffman for putting together the blacklist

Good News, Bad News, and a Digital Camera Bleg

The good news is, the company I work for has managed to get itself into a better financial position and my job isn’t as as iffy as it was a few months ago. Thus much of my hard work over the past year has paid off. The bad news is, I don’t get to stop working hard, because now we’re being given the chance to prove ourselves, and we better deliver. The long days will continue. But damn if I don’t really need a vacation.

Having job security for at least a few more months would normally mean I could go to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous this year, but Bitter and I have wanted to go to Hawaii for several years now, but a variety of factors have frustrated the idea. Since her grandmother, who lives out there, has a free condo that’s currently unoccupied in downtown Honolulu, that sweetened the pot sufficiently for me to say, “Let’s go!”Â I haven’t had a real vacation since 2004, mostly due to job insecurity, so I’m looking forward to this. We’ll be going at the end of August, into the beginning of September. I will probably be looking for guest bloggers to help fill in while I’m away.

Before I go, however, I need a new digital camera, so I’m looking for some advice. I don’t think I want to step up to an SLR, but I’d like an SLR-like camera with a nice telephoto. I’ve been looking at the Canon PowerShot SX20IS. Of all the point-and-shoot digital cameras I’ve had, I’ve liked the Canons the most. But I’m not sure if this is suitable, or whether I’d be better off with another camera in a similar class. I have experience with Nikons, Kodaks, and Canons. I’m curious to hear about other brands, if anyone has experience with them.

Pro-Gun Democrats Looking for a Boost

Fox News (as has been documented on a gun blog somewhere, but I lost where I got this from, so I owe someone a hat tip) is noting that Democrats are hoping for a big NRA boost this year. If you want to know why even Chucky Shumer isn’t contesting the NRA exemption, this is why. The article notes that during 2002, NRA only spent 8% of its federal campaign contributions on Democrats. this year it’s 26%.

Gun for the Disabled or Elderly

Before the Palm Pistol, there was this.

Making Up The Record

John Lott must have gotten upset when he read Dennis Henigan’s latest attack on him and his work, because he’s firing back today on Breitbart’s Big Government, pointing out that they are, surprise, distorting the record.

By the way, gun control folks, I think you lost the moral high ground on the whole Mary Rosh thing.

DISCLOSE Running Into Trouble

Schumer is having a hard time coming up with the votes. That doesn’t mean he won’t eventually, but if the GOP holds together they might be able to stop this.

Just You Ordinary Joes?

Citizens for Safety is pushing a video,Â purportedlyÂ featuring gun owners, to push Deval Patrick’s gun control agenda:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb0Tk-xEQ_Q[/youtube]

You can read more about these individuals here. We’re made to think they are just ordinary gun owning folk. Except the Chelan Brown was a Democratic candidate for state-rep at one point, one who was apparently known forÂ plagiarizingÂ portions of her web site from other candidates. She was also President of AWAKE, Inc, and has testified in favor of gun control. Jim Mathes is also a democratic activist who considered running for Mayor of New Bedford at one point.

In short, these aren’t ordinary gun owners. They are part of the Democratic political establishment in Massachusetts. They can’t win without deception.

UPDATE: Also notice the lack of eye and ear protection when she’s shooting. Did they have anyone involved in this venture who was actually a real shooter?

More Like a Right

Some folks are worried the Kansas legislature is treating carry more like a right, rather than a privilege. I should note, however, that I think making carrying while intoxicated a crime is constitutional, but some of provisions relating to the Kansas concealed carry requirements probably shouldn’t be. To me the main provision that would be unconstitutional is theÂ breathalyzerÂ requirement, which forces the surrendering your 4th and 5th Amendment rights in order to exercise your Second Amendment rights. We can do this with cars because operating aÂ vehicleÂ on the public roadways is not a right.

Wrong Target

The City of Columbus, Ohio seems to think the solution is to try harder, with vigor this time:

“Young people have access to weapons and they’re using those weapons and unfortunately we’ve tried a lot through the city. The mayor in the past, we’ve brought weapons in, we’ve had strike patrols, we’ve done many many things to try to remove them. But, as we’re constantly trying to do our work, there’s another element out there that is also doing their work and putting those guns on the street,” Tyson said.

They might want to think about trying to get the gang members who are carrying the guns off the street rather than take the guns off the street. Maybe if you actually locked these delinquents up you’d see crime drop. In what messed up world does it make sense to take away the tools and leave them on the street? If you catch a burglar trying to pry open a window with a crowbar, do you take his crowbar, shake your finger at him, and send him on his way? No, that would be insane. But such is the logic of gun prohibitionists.

Road Side Cameras

Governor Ed wants to use road side cameras in order to catch Insurance scofflaws. They’ll apparently read the license plate number and cross reference with insurance records. Anyone not having insurance gets a fine. Rendell bills it as a revenue generating measure.

I’m glad some people are fighting this. I’m against using fines as a revenue tool, especially when it involves putting cameras in public places.