Girls learning confidence and self-defense with guns

MINTURN, Colorado

"Stop! I have a gun. Leave my house," shouted the 11-year-old girl.

And with the words barely out of her mouth, Noel Smith opened fire.

Any intruder would be dead on his back, but this was just practice. Noel, along with seven other women, was practicing her marksmanship at a session of Girls and Their Guns, a summer-long program that teaches women how to shoot and about gun safety.

On the crisp Saturday morning at the Minturn firing range, shots echoed across the valley leaving the smell of gunpowder lingering in the air.

Noel cocked her head, squinted her eyes, placed one leg in front of the other and squeezed the trigger. Five women lined up next to her in variations of the same stance.

"I've always wanted to know what guns were like and how they were used," said Noel, who's been shooting for nearly two years and learned of the program from her karate teacher, Mathew Bayley, who teaches the gun class. "When I heard he was doing this, I really wanted to try it. ... I've been stuck to it ever since." . . .

Thanks very much to Matthew Ledyard for sending me this link.

Will NY Adopt a Right-to-Carry Law?

While attempts to make New York adopt an objective standard for concealed weapons permits have failed for almost a dozen legislative sessions in Albany, gun enthusiasts will resume their campaign for a change in the law.

"We will be pushing for that legislation," the president of the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, Thomas King, said. "The exact specifics of the bill, we're still working on."

The change being sought is at the core of the constitutional right to bear arms. In New York, a citizen's right to bear arms is frustrated, gun advocates say, by regulations limiting the ownership of guns. The proposed legislation would automatically oblige state authorities to grant licenses to all those who apply.

Gun control supporters, who say concealed weapons are incompatible with New York culture, call "concealed carry" legislation a danger to public safety.

Such safety fears have led New York to become one of eight "may issue" states, where officials can decide whether a person should be given a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Forty states have "shall issue" provisions on their books, by which anyone who meets objective criteria — taking into account criminal background and marksmanship training — must be given a concealed weapon permit. Wisconsin and Illinois completely prohibit citizens from carrying firearms. . . .

"The animal world has finally taken its revenge on Irwin"

I guess that there are some people that even experts shouldn't be able to be around wild animals.

"Noted feminist critic Germaine Greer" claims that the late Steve Irwin "deserved his fate."

Hugh Hewitt: Did ABC Edit "The Path to 9/11?"

This is sad that Disney/ABC gave into this type of pressure at all.

The Disney execs met all through the weekend - unheard of in this business - debating what changes would be made and what concessions should be given. Here is what looks to be the conclusion:

- There will be a handful of tweaks made to a few scenes.
- They are minor, and nuance in most cases - a line lift here, a tweak to the edit there.
. . .

The story here is the backlash that the Disney/ABC execs experienced was completely unexpected and is what caused them to question themselves and make these changes at all. Had this been the Bush Admin pressuring, they wouldn't have even taken the call. The execs and studio bosses are dyed in the wool liberals and huge supporters of Clinton and the Democratic Party in general. They had no idea any of this could happen. As I understand this, the lawyers and production team spent literally months corroborating every story point down to the sentence. The fact that they were the attacked and vilified by their "own team" took them completely by surprise; this is the first time they've been labeled right-wing, conservative conspiracists.

The scramble caused by this backlash was so all consuming that the execs spent their holiday weekend behind closed door meetings and revamped their ad campaign. But at the end of their mad scramble, they found only a handful of changes they could make and still be true to the events. The changes are done only to appease the Clinton team - to be able to say they made changes. But the blame on the Clinton team is in the DNA of the project and could not be eradicated without pulling the entire show. A $40 million investment on the part of ABC is enough to stem even Bill Clinton's influence. . . .

Why not just lock up the criminals?

So they take away the criminal's guns and put them back on the street and the criminals commit more crime. Is the solution really that hard to understand?

Kevin White, 24, of Philadelphia, was arrested a short time after the 11:30 p.m. shooting and will be charged with murder, rape, aggravated assault and other offenses, [Chief Inspector Joseph Fox] said. Police said they recovered a gun during the arrest.

There were five other shootings overnight in Philadelphia.

"It's a clear indication that there's too many guns on the street," Fox said. "(Police) get some guns off the street, only to be faced with the same people back on the street within days or weeks to commit the same type of crime over and over again." . . . .

Europeans claim that the US is a bigger threat to world stability than Iran

In Spain, 44% think that the US is the biggest threat to global stability, only 15% say that for Iran and only 5% for North Korea. Across Britain, Franc, Italy, Spain, and Germany, 30% view the US as the greatest threat and 23% views Iran. Only Italians view Iran as the greater threat.

Civilians with machine guns

Firing machine guns for fun:

Automatic weapons attract all types.
At the Hernando Sportsman's Club, you'd expect the camouflaged commandos toting long, mean-looking weapons.
But there's also the weekend warrior wearing a polo shirt, khaki shorts and house shoes, firing 100 rounds a minute.
Two spots down on the range is the elderly gentleman who adjusts his glasses before popping off shots from a gun that spits fire from the muzzle.

Then there's Patty Mitchell. With her ponytail pulled back by pink elastic, the slim 22-year-old shouldered her machine gun and let loose with the best of them. It was her first time with automatic weapons.

"It was overwhelming, but extremely fun," Mitchell said with a huge grin splitting her freckled face. "I was excited, really excited."

For 10 years, the club located off U.S. 19 has hosted the Labor Day machine gun shoot to raise money for its facilities. The club has a variety of ranges ranging from 200 to 10 yards for firearms, an archery range and a barn for cowboy shows. . . . .

Where have all the tough guys gone?

Where are today's John Wayne's?

Look at Gregory Peck in, say, "Twelve O'Clock High" or Clark Gable in "Command Decision," two movies of leadership agonistes set against the strategic bombing missions of World War II. In both cases -- you could add dozens more -- they were men who made decisions that cost other men their lives; they were hated, even loathed; they lived and drank alone. Their courage wasn't physical, it was almost metaphysical. They had the strength within themselves to ignore (though not really; underneath it cut bad) the will of the consensus and pleadings for such shady attributes as "compassion" and "humanity." They knew the job came first.

That certitude had vanished from many places, but nowhere more vividly than the top of the guy star pile in Hollywood.

Mel Gibson, who played an action hero, seems to have morphed into director, producer and madman, melting down in a pool of seething angers and resentments. Then there's Tom Cruise, recently dumped by Paramount for (1) personal oddnesses and (2) delivering a movie that may only make $400 million worldwide when everyone knew it should have made $500 million. Down but not out, each actor, you can bet, will hasten to a film highlighting redemption, earnestness, decency and love of fellow man. Don't bet on either guy's next movie to co-star a submachine gun. In short, they're no longer going to be John Ford heroes but Frank Capra heroes. Mel in "Mr. Goldstein Goes to Washington." Cruise in "Meet Tom Doe, Episcopalian Social Worker."

So who's left? Almost nobody. Eastwood is too old to kick you know what, Arnold is too Republican. Harrison Ford is ancient, Sylvester Stallone too kitschy as well as too old.

Let's look at a younger generation: Matt Damon? Folks, folks, I was only joking. Good God, Johnny Depp? Well, possibly his potential as an action hero was summed up when no less an important cultural figure than John Mark Karr revealed he had hoped Depp would play him in the movie. Ben Affleck? Too pretty, really. Leonardo DiCaprio? Again, I joke! . . . .

Want to honor labor?

It has always puzzled me that people honor labor by taking the day off. It would seem like the best way to honor labor would be to work hard.

Waiting and waiting and waiting for socialized medicine

Last week Ottawa-based Decima Research released results of a poll designed to answer the ultimate question in Canada: "How many wait too long for health care?" The firm says its survey of 3,070 Canadians "reveals that more than one in three Canadian households has tried and failed to get timely access to at least one health service within the last three months."

Nearly half (46%) of those waiting to see a specialist said they experienced an "unreasonable" wait time, as did 30% of those waiting to confirm a diagnosis. Of those who sought emergency hospital treatment, 44% said their wait was too long. According to Decima CEO Bruce Anderson, "In the case of some services, the number of people satisfied with the speed of service is virtually equaled by the number of people who are dissatisfied."

The Vancouver-based Fraser Institute's "Waiting Your Turn" annual report has documented Canada's waiting-time crisis in health care for 15 years. In 2005 it found "total waiting time between referral from a general practitioner and treatment, averaged across all 12 specialties and 10 provinces, was 17.7 weeks." . . . .

As Mr. Anderson put it, "These results confirm that millions of Canadian households, in the last three months alone, experienced the anxiety of waiting what they felt was too long a period of time for a health service."

Evidence of Voter Fraud and the Impact that Regulations to Reduce Fraud have on Voter Participation Rates

This is some new research that I have recently completed.

Abstract:
The results provide some evidence of vote fraud in U.S. general elections. Regulations that prevent fraud are shown to actually increase the voter participation rate. It is hard to see any evidence that voting regulations differentially harm either minorities, the elderly, or the poor. While this study examines a broad range of voting regulations, it is still too early to evaluate any possible impact of mandatory photo IDs on U.S. elections. What can be said is that the non-photo ID regulations that are already in place have not had the negative impacts that opponents predicted. The evidence provided here also found that campaign finance regulations generally reduced voter turnout.

A copy of the research can be downloaded by following the above link.

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Allan J. Lichtman (Professor at American University) arrested for pushing his political views "too far"

I have had a vigorous debate with Lichtman about the Florida 2000 Presidential election. Here is my paper and Lichtman's response. Apparently Lichtman was willing to get arrested to further his Democratic political views. Lichtman's bio lists his frequent use as an unbiased expert analyst by "CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, CNBC, C-SPAN, Worldnet, Voice of America, the BBC, and many other networks worldwide."

Importance of the 2nd Amendment

Lawrence A. Stich writes me about a very poignant post making the case for the 2nd Amendment--with far more gravity than the usual.

Thanks to Lawrence A. Stich for sending me a link to this post.

"Convert or Else"

Fox News has a new report (Al-Qaeda’s # 2 releases new video calling for Americans to convert to Islam) that makes one wonder why anyone thinks that Al-Qaeda can be talked to. How do you compromise with a group that wants you to either convert or to die? How do you give in half way?

Here is another statement from the tape:

"Instead of killing yourself for Bush ... why not surrender to the truth (of Islam), escape from the unbedlieving army and join the winning side. Time is running out so make the right choice before it's too late,

"Time is running out"?

Mayor Bloomberg hit with second lawsuit

The settlements that Bloomberg has been getting so far are tiny and simply represent these stores getting rid of cases that involve significant legal costs. But Bloomberg might run into some trouble with a second lawsuit being filed against him and NYC.

Mayor Bloomberg has been hit with another lawsuit in connection with his campaign to crack down on illegal guns.

A South Carolina gun dealer became the second storeowner to sue after Mr. Bloomberg targeted it a few months ago in an undercover sting operation designed to stymie illegal gun sales.

The lawsuit, filed in South Carolina, seeks damages and claims that the city smeared the storeowner's reputation.

Meanwhile, a gun dealer in Queens targeted by the city's investigators, Michael Spallone, 41, pleaded guilty yesterday to disorderly conduct. Mr. Bloomberg touted that plea as a victory, saying it sends a strong message that "any violation of the law that allows illegal guns to flow onto our streets will be vigorously pursued."

The punishment, a $1,000 fine, was a slap on the wrist compared to the year in prison City Hall said the dealer was facing when it announced the charges just a few months ago. . . . .

Does Greenpeace ever get its facts right?

Here is a piece that claims that Greenpeace rarely if ever gets its facts correct:

Greenpeace recently released their "Guide to Greener Electronics," rating fourteen consumer electronics vendors. . . . . Do the claims have any merit? . . . . While the Greenpeace report attempted to rank vendors based upon useful and practical criteria, the actual scorecard and the methods used to collect information for their report were sloppy and incompetent. This should come as no surprise to anyone aware of Greenpeace activities. . . . .

Women Advance in Sweden (in hunting)

A record number of women are expected to take part in Sweden's annual moose hunt when it opens next week, with women now making up a quarter of those passing hunting exams, officials say.

Hunting is a hugely popular national pastime in Sweden, in particular the moose hunt, and is as much a part of life for the country's working class as it is for the rich.

Some 300,000 moose, or elk as they're known in Europe, roam Sweden's woods during the summer months, and about a third of those are killed off each autumn during the hunt.

"Society has changed over the years. Now people can pursue their interests, regardless of gender and there's nothing stopping them. Women have always been a part of the hunt but in a different way," Anja Kjellsson, a game manager in the northern county of Västerbotten and who runs a network for women hunters, told AFP. . . . .

Just do the numbers on this. 100,000 moose are killed for 8 million Swedes. For the US, that would mean the equivalent of 3.75 million killed.

"'Microstamping' Bill Defeated by California Assembly"

"(CNSNews.com) - A bill before the California Assembly that would have mandated the "microstamping" of semi-automatic handguns was defeated Thursday night."