Bitter – Page 82 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Pennsylvania Taxpayers on the Hook for Penn State

The NCAA levied their punishment on Penn State earlier this week, but maybe it’s time for the taxpayers to come down hard on the legislature and Governor since residents are actually the ones being punished. David Post sums up the situation quite nicely in this post at Volokh:

So let me get this straight: The NCAA is ordering the taxpayers of Pennsylvania, because of the misdeeds of their agents, to set up an endowment program for preventing child sexual abuse and fund it to the tune of sixty million dollars?? And oh, by the way, taxpayers of Pennsylvania: you can take it out of lab space, computers, and teaching salaries, but YOU MAY NOT PAY THIS FINE BY REDUCING CURRENT SPENDING ON ATHLETICS!

This would be hilarious, except it is pathetic, and it has real consequences. I happen to teach at a (different) public institution in Pennsylvania, and I can tell you this: $60 million is a decent-sized chunk of a higher education budget that is under severe strain these days, with the Governor having recently proposed a 30% cut in all higher ed funding because, as he put it, â€œwe simply donâ€™t have the money.â€

Most of the coverage we read about the news of the punishment on the day it broke didn’t mention that it cannot come out of the athletics budget. Our attitude was that the fine should only be paid by football budget and nothing else. If football staff had to be let go or the program dramatically reduced, so be it.* But with this news, oh no, this is not okay. We plan on letting our local lawmakers know that we find this be quite unacceptable to be on the hook for the civil penalties related to the criminal acts of others. Penn State can work its ass off fundraising for the money, but they should not be able to just toss it off to taxpayers or slash from academic programs to pay off for the bad behavior of the athletic staff.

However, taxpayers in Pennsylvania aren’t just screwed by this fine because insurance isn’t likely to pay off any claims that come from the Sandusky actions or cover-up.

The Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association Insurance argues that Penn State withheld key information needed to assess risk, at least after school officials investigated a May 1998 complaint that Sandusky had showered with a boy on campus.

In a memo filed this week in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia, the company argues that Penn State failed to disclose that it had information about Sandusky that “was material to the insurable risk assumed by PMA.”

The company, which has long insured the university, also argues that its policies after March 1, 1992, were amended to exclude “abuse or molestation.” The insurer also argues that coverage for such behavior is excluded as a matter of public policy in Pennsylvania.

Oh, and if that isn’t enough, it appears all taxpayers are picking up the dime for the feds to hire the ousted President.

Graham Spanier might have been ousted from his post at the helm of Penn State over the sex-abuse scandal that engulfed the university, but it seems heâ€™s found a backup employer: the American taxpayer. …

His lawyer confirms to the Loop that Spanier is working on a part-time consulting basis for a â€œtop-secretâ€ agency on national security issues.

I guess they knew he was good at keeping secrets and leading cover-ups of government employees behaving badly.
Continue reading “Pennsylvania Taxpayers on the Hook for Penn State”

Another Illegal Mayor?

It looks like there’s a potential opportunity to add to the list of criminal mayors in Bloomberg’s anti-gun group.

In a CBS 21 News exclusive into the Harrisburg financial crisis, CBS 21 News has learned that the United States Justice Department is conducting a wide-ranging criminal investigation into financial transactions during the administration of former Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed.

Multiple sources have confirmed that a secret federal grand jury has convened in Williamsport to investigate Harrisburg’s financial mess, specifically financial transactions involving current and former city officials, including former Mayor Stephen Reed. …

Now, sources tell CBS 21 News the grand jury is looking at evidence concerning campaign contributions and if former Harrisburg officials personally profited from city business.

While Reed is not currently a member of MAIG, he was part of the organization before being ousted from office.

NRA’s Grading Mistakes

I recognize that NRA is a large organization. Whether it’s trying to balance the demands of more than 4 million members or even just trying to find consensus among the many divisions, it’s not exactly a small or easy operation. Even as large as it is, many employees carry more than their weight. The average gun owner isn’t keeping up with what’s happening in their own state, much less keep up with legislative happenings in multiple states. During an election year, there are hundreds of races to track in each state. With that kind of workload, mistakes happen. However, the response to those mistakes is not always what it should be – and that’s a problem.

From the Topeka Capital-Journal:

As a longtime member of the National Rifle Association and a concealed-carry permit holder, Rep. John Grange was surprised to see a card from the NRA asking members to vote for his opponent, Rep. Forrest Knox, in their state Senate primary.

Grange was even more surprised to see one of the reasons.

The card claimed that Grange “refused to answer” the NRA’s candidate questionnaire, which the card said is “often a sign of indifference, if not outright hostility, to the rights of gun owners and sportsmen.”

According to the article, Rep. Grange did complete the questionnaire and mailed it nearly two weeks before the stated deadline. NRA did post his A- rating on the PVF website, but he called to get a correction to the postcard which was obviously misleading. He was refused.

Grange said he was “really upset and crushed” that the NRA refused to send another card setting the record straight.

“They’ve lost my membership,” Grange said. “I’ll never renew.”

NRA better hope this guy has no future in politics – ever. It sounds like they have not only lost a member, but an ally. I doubt he would go anti-gun, but it would be perfectly reasonable for him to refuse to do any favors.

Before I jump on this too much, I do have a few things to add. One, I don’t follow Kansas politics to know if there’s some key reason why NRA would want to keep the attention focused on Rep. Knox and not concern itself with the blowback from screwing over an A- sitting lawmaker. Two, what I do know about Kansas politics is that I’ve been told there are massive divisions within the state GOP, so that may be key to inaction in this case. Three, I don’t know specifics of their histories on the issue, only that NRA currently has both candidates fairly well rated.

Now, on to my issues with this situation.

One, NRA owes local members answers on its decision to endorse. I don’t know what factors went in to deciding to endorse in a primary where there is no incumbent to the seat and the two candidates are A- and A+ rated. It’s not like there’s a clear anti-gun vote on the line here. Regardless, it doesn’t seem wise simply because of what is at risk – especially when the article cites the Senate as the road block for key legislation. They should answer questions from members in the district about why the endorsement was issued. If one candidate was truly worth the risk of pissing off the other faction of the GOP, then they should be able to say why that is the case.

Two, NRA screwed up a mailing that may not have been wise in the first place. Historically, NRA hasn’t mailed postcards for every endorsement. Why do it for a primary endorsement when both candidates are reasonably well rated? It’s a state senate race. Even if Rep. Grange had not returned the questionnaire, surely he had a voting record having been in office for seven years. The point is that saying he had no grade or did not ever respond to them, while adding in a jab that it might mean he’s really anti-gun, seems quite disingenuous. It seems they should eat the cost of another postcard mailing even if the endorsement stands.

Why should they correct the record? Because apparently this isn’t the only instance of this type of mistake in the state this year.

Regardless of the issues on the questionnaire, Grange was intensely disappointed at the NRA telling its members he refused to fill one out. He said he had heard the same thing happened to Sen. Jeff Longbine, R-Emporia, though Longbine couldnâ€™t be reached Tuesday to confirm or deny it.

If this did happen in another district, they need to make sure that organization’s reputation for actually helping pro-gun lawmakers remains intact. Too many mistakes without a reasonable resolution won’t exactly send the message that NRA will make sure members know who to turn out for come election day. Even worse, it will breed distrust among NRA members who happen to support the candidates getting the shaft. If they follow Rep. Grange’s lead, it won’t just be about the lost members. There is a good chance they will speak out against the organization to other candidates for office.

Hopefully, Kansas Republicans – politicians and voters – will feel like mistakes are addressed in a reasonable and timely way. Like I said, there is likely more to the story than what the press is reporting, but that doesn’t mean that NRA needs to risk burning bridges because of silly mistakes that have fairly simple solutions. We have enough enemies of the Second Amendment without getting folks who are with us on most of the issues to walk away from the table.

He’s Going For It…

President Obama is going for gun bans and sale restrictions:

President Obama touched the third rail of guns here on Wednesday, pivoting off last weekâ€™s Colorado movie theater shootings to call for a â€œconsensus around violence reduction” in the country.

With the last public event of a four-day trip that started with a visit to the Aurora, Colo., hospital where almost two dozen victims were brought after the shootings, Obama threw his weight behind measures to strengthen background checks at gun shows and other efforts to keep weapons out of the hands of mentally-ill people.

â€œThese steps shouldnâ€™t be controversial, they should be common sense,â€ Obama said during the National Urban League conference. …

â€œBut I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldier and not in the hands of crooks. They belong on the battlefield of war, not on the streets of our cities,â€ he added. …

â€œThereâ€™s talk of new reforms. Thereâ€™s talk of legislation. And too often those efforts are defeated by politics and by lobbying and eventually by the pull of our collective attention elsewhere. But what I said in the wake of Tucson is weâ€™re going to stay on this persistently.â€

Obama said he’d “continue to work with members of both parties and with religious groups and with civic organizations to arrive at a consensus around violence reduction.”

And with those comments, AK-47s will be backordered until the election.

UPDATE: Sean has the video.

Should You Be Sued for a Murderer’s Actions?

One New Yorker tells the Daily News that he would like to see the National Rifle Association sued for the actions of criminals and for daring to have different policy ideas than he might prefer.

Flushing: The National Rifle Association cannot be defeated in the political arena. But what if the victimsâ€™ families sued the NRA for creating laws that allowed this tragedy to happen? What if Mayor Bloomberg and Mayors Against Illegal Guns sued the NRA as an accessory to gun deaths and injuries in their cities? If even one lawsuit succeeded, it would establish a precedent for holding the gun lobby accountable. Plus, defending against a blizzard of lawsuits would cripple the NRAâ€™s finances. Richard Reif

Mr. Reif considers it perfectly acceptable that the American citizens who support the Second Amendment should see any attempt they make to organize to petition their government silenced by frivolous lawsuits. I am curious to know if Mr. Reif also wonders just why many people believe the political atmosphere is less civil these days.

You can also take your choice of comments from other New Yorkers and readers:

The right to bear arms should be limited to a simple, single-shot handgun for protection in the home or a single-shot rifle to be used during hunting season. No normal citizen needs anything more than that. Irene Goldsmith

I guess Dick Heller and Otis McDonald aren’t considered “normal citizens” to Irene. Perhaps she believes that the only people who should be deemed “normal” are those who think and live exactly like her – so much for tolerance.

To imply that President Obama is responsible for the Colorado tragedy and the proliferation of guns is disingenuous. Place blame on the NRA, where it belongs. James P. Hetzel …

The NRA is a group of unprincipled thugs who threaten any elected official who tries to limit its power; witness the cowardice of both Obama and Romney on gun control. Thanks for giving voice to the obvious and having the will to say what should be said. Suzanne Tenney Sutter Augur

Merely belonging to an organization that supports lawful gun ownership and use is enough for James to convict you of ties to the Colorado murders. Suzanne thinks you’re an unprincipled thug who shouldn’t have a voice with your elected officials anyway.

It’s just another glimpse in the world where anti-gun advocates don’t even believe that you should be allowed to participate in the political sphere because you don’t believe the very same things.

Olympic Shooters & Their Medals

Wall Street Journal highlights how surprisingly common it is for Olympic athletes to lose their medals. Of the athletes they interviewed, many report that their medals were stolen; though a few cited circumstances that may have been a bit more in their control. There are two shooters mentioned in the story:

Some Olympians don’t like talking about their absent-minded moment. Glenn Eller, a shotgun shooter who won gold in Beijing, says only that someone took it while he was out with colleagues in Fort Worth, Texas, in late 2008. “I put myself in a situation that I probably shouldn’t have been in, and someone stole it out of my pocket,” he says. “I’m trying to forget it and go ahead.” He has since received a replica. …

Corey Codgell, a shotgun shooter who won bronze in Beijing, doesn’t take any chances. She usually keeps her nicked-up medal in her front pocket when she travels. Before letting an audience at an event handle it, she warns everybody: “No one leaves this room until I get my medal back.”

On a slightly related note, Pennsylvania is represented on this year’s shooting team by Jamie Gray and Joshua Richmond.

I also continue to be amazed by the number of Olympic shooters from states that aren’t exactly known for being gun friendly or having a strong gun culture – California has three shooters while Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey each have one Olympian with ties to the state.

A Lack of Faith in Obama’s Response?

I haven’t been able to follow much news since Friday because I’ve been behind the wheel of a car for hours on end every day. However, I just loaded up HootSuite to see this tweet:

pool corrects: Romney camp raised 10 million over the last 2 days (yesterday and today) not 10 day

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) July 23, 2012

Um, I might venture a guess that it means some constituencies around the country don’t have much faith in Obama’s response to the issues of the last few days. It seems to be a perfect storm to prompt a few groups to action.

Gun Owners: We’re a given. Gun owners are worried about what kind of gun control may be headed our way. Bloomberg was out of the gate with demands for more gun control before many on the East Coast had even tuned in to the morning news. The typical anti-gun leaders have been all over the media calling for more action. Don’t even get me started on the crap on social networking sites – celebrities wondering why guns are still legal at all in America and some pretty hateful comments from political activists. Most pundits agree that it’s not going to happen, but we need to see what they are going try rally support to ban.

Conservatives of All Stripes: Thanks to Brian Ross, everyone who has any opinion that maybe the country’s financial house could be in better order with less spending was attached to this plot inaccurately. The fact that a major media outlet would allow a reporter to go on the air with such a patently false and poorly “researched” assertion cemented in the minds of many voters that the media will go to any length to discredit a conservative message. The fact that Brian Ross still has his title of “Chief Investigative Correspondent” when he clearly is not capable of seriously investigating even the simplest of facts before going to air with such slander against a private citizen only adds fuel to the fire.

So, the great irony in this situation is that Obama might not actually have to do a thing in order to motivate the GOP base and GOP-leaning voters for Mitt. His base and perceived surrogates are doing a great job at convincing voters to flock to the other guy if this fundraising haul is any indication.

Make-A-Wish’s Hunting Ban

It’s long been known in the shooting and hunting communities that if a teen with a life-threatening medical condition has a desire to go hunting, Make-a-Wish will turn them down. Their wishes aren’t politically correct enough for the organization. This week, an Oregon outlet is covering a local Hunt of a Lifetime chapter and makes sure their readers know why Make-a-Wish decided to bar kids from hunting:

In 1998, Matt Pattison of Eerie, Penn., was losing his battle with Hodgkinâ€™s lymphoma when the Make-A-Wish Foundation denied his request.

Not only was the 19-year-old just over Make-A-Wishâ€™s age limit, but his dream â€” for an Alaskan moosehunt â€” put the international nonprofit in a tough spot with certain donors, among them animal rights and gun control activists.

A year later, while Tina Pattison mourned her son, Make-A-Wish made its stance official â€” no hunting-related wishes.

Yup, gun control activists helped create the policy that it’s better to keep a dying teen out of their program instead of granting a wish that involves firearms or bows. How very reasonable of them. It’s just common sense, after all, to not even allow a 17-year-old who probably won’t see his/her 18th or 19th birthday to be considered for a hunting wish.

Crazy

I’ll be curious to know if the motive for this staged shooting is ever discovered.

Indiana Conservation Officers don’t believe a Bloomington man’s story that he was shot by an unknown person while visiting McCormick’s Creek State Park on June 25.

Instead, Conservation Officers say evidence suggests Peter Raventos, 43, shot himself in a staged incident designed to portray him as the victim of a random shooting. …

On June 25, Conservation Officers and other agencies responded to a 911 call at 10:05 p.m. reporting that a man had been shot at McCormick’s Creek. The call was made by Raventos, who told Conservation Officers he was shot in the back by an unknown assailant while walking along a park trail.

Conservation Officers, McCormick’s Creek staff, the Owen County Sheriff’s Department, Spencer Police, and Indiana State Police conducted a thorough search of the park and nearby area for a possible suspect but found none.

Raventos, meanwhile, was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he was treated for wounds inflicted by more than 20 shotgun pellets and later released.

From witness interviews and evidence found at the scene and at Raventos’ home, Conservation Officers have since concluded that Raventos rigged a shotgun so he could fire it at himself from some distance.

Witness statements led Conservation Officers to an area of the park where the shooting was believed to have occurred. There they found bungee cords, fishing line, a spent shotgun shell, an unspent shotgun shell, and a small piece of plywood embedded with shotgun pellets.

Conservation Officer K-9 units searching the area also found a shotgun wad-a small plastic cup inside a shotgun shell casing that separates the pellets from the gunpowder. When fired, the wad is expelled and falls to the ground.

Conservation Officer scuba divers searched the nearby White River and located a 20-gauge shotgun that was later linked to Raventos.

Search warrants for Raventos’ home, cell phone, and vehicle turned up additional evidence.

I’m very curious about the evidence from the cell phone. That seems like an odd place to find anything relevant unless it reveals some kind of premeditation that could disclose the potential motive.

I just can’t fathom why anyone would shoot themselves in an effort to make a park look bad.

Who Wants a 1911?

TICKETS SOLD – sorta, see below for update

Our Friends of NRA committee is giving away three of them in a limited raffle. You can win a Kimber Custom II, Kahr 1911A1 Parkerized, or Remington R1.

3 Guns ~~~ 200 Tickets ~~~ 20 Bucks

Anyone who buys tickets has incredible odds. Presuming we even sell all of the tickets, that’s about a 1 in 67 chance for only $20. If we don’t sell all of the tickets by the end of the day on Oct. 15, well, your odds go up.

All money raised goes to support the NRA Foundation programs – the shooting stuff, not the political stuff. So if you want to help us reach more junior shooters and more women, then take a chance and buy a ticket.

If you’d like a ticket, then shoot me an email and we’ll make arrangements for payment and mailing the ticket stub/receipt to you. If you’re not in the Philadelphia area, you will have to arrange shipping for the gun to be sent to an FFL near you.

UPDATE: Some folks have asked about how the gun selection will go for the three tickets drawn. The first ticket drawn wins the first gun on the ticket – the Kimber. The second ticket gets the second gun – the Kahr. The third ticket gets the final gun listed – the Remington. Also, as a reminder, the winner is responsible for either picking up the gun from the local FFL here in Bucks County, Pennsylvania or responsible for having it shipped to a local FFL.

UPDATE II: If you have commented or emailed and haven’t received directions from me on how to purchase, then it’s because I’m in a holding pattern with tickets. We are thisclose to selling out the raffle now. I am technically out of tickets. There is one committee member left with some, but she believes she has likely buyers. If I find out that she has not sold out by the date of our banquet, I’ll see how many she has left and start responding again. So, for now, hold off on comments and emails. Even if she can’t move her remaining tickets, I like have enough buyers who will take them off our hands after next week.