Category: Politics

Help Save Holmesburg

NRA has issued an alert asking folks to help Holmesburg Fish and Game Protective Association continue to operate in the City of Philadelphia:

For seventy-seven years, the Holmesburg Fish and Game Protective Association has served sportsmen and gun enthusiasts throughout Pennsylvania. However, several months ago, the City of Philadelphia sent notice to the Association that its long existing property lease would not be renewed. If no action is taken, the last remaining shooting range in the City of Philadelphia will be forced to close its doors on January 1, 2008.

This one hits close to home for me. The Holmsburg members showed up at one of my club’s meetings asking us to take them in, but we were very close to our membership cap at the time, and they were declined. We have taken some of them in, but we can’t take all of them.

What the City of Philadelphia is doing here is utterly disgraceful. Who must pay for violent in Philadelphia? Certainly not the criminals. It’s the honest sportsmen who have to pay. It’s the honest sportsmen that aren’t welcome in the City of Brotherly Love. The criminals? Well… they rule the streets, and run the city.

So make a call if you can. It’ll mean a lot of the folks who our club can’t take in, and we’re really the only other club close by.

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Bad Bills Up in New Jersey

I know I have more than a few Jersey readers, who have no doubt been following what’s been going on in Pennsylvania lately.  Now its your turn New Jersey.  It’s time to put your war face on, storm the capitol, and reclaim the rights that are rightfully yours!  Or you could just write your state representative that are listed in the alert.  I know, I know.  No fun.  But we do what we have to.

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Free Speech vs. Philadelphia

Joey Vento, owner of Genos steaks, will go and face the PC police in Philadelphia city government today.

The Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations will hold a public hearing Friday to address a controversial sign at the popular Geno’s Steaks that has gained national attention.

The hearing was scheduled after allegations were made accusing Geno’s Steaks of discrimination for posting a sign that reads: “This is America. When ordering speak English.”

Geno’s owner Joey Vento said it is “free speech.”

“Since we have a little problem in the country with the language, it is also telling people at Geno’s Steaks, all we speak is English,” Vento said.

I think it’s free speech too, and I’m pretty sure the guys that operate Pats and Genos treat everyone equally bad. It’s part of the experience.

“Individuals who operate in a place of public accommodation cannot post signage or express messages that might have the resulting affect of making any group, any ethnicity, and any national origin person feel unwelcome,” said Nick Taliaferro, Human Relations Commission.

Philadelphia wants ot be a speech-free zone, rather than a free-speech zone. I’m not surprised.

UPDATE: Eugene Volokh weighs in on the legal front.

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Official Oppression in Pennsylvania

The case I posted about here has finally hit the papers in Pennsylvania. Sheriff Wollyung of Franklin County is pretty clearly abusing his authority as a law enforcement officer, and trampling on one man’s rights:

“He was cautioned it was best to leave (the gun) outside,” Wollyung said. “Instead of taking the easy way out, he has to take the arrogant stand.”

So because he had the audacity to assert his legal right to carry a firearm in a place where he was legally permitted, he has taken the “arrogant stand”. I think it’s not Mr. Rotz who’s the arrogant on here.

The right to carry a firearm is not the right to annoy, harass, intimidate or alarm others, Wollyung said.

“I personally believe he violated the spirit of the law, if not the law itself,” Wollyung said.

That’s the worst of it. Sheriff Wollyung has declared himself to be above the law, and the sole arbiter of its “spirit”. If this isn’t Official Oppression, I don’t know what is. There is no “spirit of the law” it is quite simply not unlawful to carry a firearm openly into a polling place in this commonwealth. If the legislature wanted to outlaw this practice, or proscribe open carry for LCTF holders, it could have done so. It did not.

Tom Corbett, the Attorney General for Pennsylvania, is on the short list for a run for Governor in 2010 when Fast Eddie’s term is up. If he wants to build some more pro-gun street credentials, he’ll investigate the actions of this sheriff, and consider bringing charges under our state’s official oppression statute.

UPDATE: It would seem that Sheriff Wollyung, while highly concerned about people lawfully carrying firearms in the Commonwealth, isn’t all that concerned about one of the courthouse security guards returning to work while he stands accused of sexually assaulting a three year old boy. (NOTE: The Rotz in this case is unrelated to Greg Rotz, the man who has his license unlawfully revoked)

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Fred’s Zinger

In the Iowa Debates:

“My goal is to get to Mitt Romney’s situation where I don’t have to worry about taxes anymore.”

Mitt responds, by saying he’d like to be in Thompson’s situation.

“Well you’re getting to be a pretty good actor actually,” Thompson quips

How is this guy not doing better?

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