Interesting letter

This is the news from the Brady Bunch:

********************************************************

Dear Robert,

Activists and community leaders gather in cities and towns across the country for a national day of protest against illegal gun and corrupt gun dealers.

Thank you! Your support and activism helped make our nationwide events on August 28 a huge success!

On Tuesday — the 44th anniversary of Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech during his March on Washington — in more than 25 cities and towns across America, thousands of activists gathered in their local communities to raise their voices about the dream of stopping gun violence in America.

The Brady Campaign with its network of Million Mom March Chapters organized local events — along with Protest Easy Guns activists, state group leaders, and other allied organizations — in support of the efforts of Reverend Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition to draw attention to our nation's epidemic of gun violence.

From San Diego and Richmond, California to Portland, Maine and Newark, New Jersey — and from Dallas to Denver to Duluth, Minnesota — activists and community leaders organized marches, rallies, candlelight vigils, "lie-in" protests, memorial bell-ringing ceremonies, and press conferences.

• Read a summary of the events that took place.
• Watch video and see photos from the August 28th events.

This week, volunteers around the nation came out to make it clear that there are steps we can take to fight gun violence in our communities. We applaud the efforts of Rev. Jackson, our Chapters, and all the volunteer activists across the country who worked hard to make their voices heard on this day.

If you were unable to join us at one of the events, you can still be a part of the day by giving a gift in honor of these events and helping us all make our dream of a safe America a reality. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Sarah Brady, Chair

***********************************************
What is interesting is that this bears no resemblance to to what I have read in the news or heard from witnesses.

...thousands of activists gathered in their local communities to raise their voices about the dream of stopping gun violence in America.

I wonder where that was?

This is an interesting bill

It would seem that some of our Congressmen feel that taxpayers should pay for groups friendly to illegal immigration. Why does La Raza need money out of my pocket? Most of the people I've seen associated with La Raza were running around yelling "Reconquista!" and claiming to own the part of the country I live in. Not all members of the organization are this extreme, but the group is just one step away from espousing open borders. Seems that the people whose representatives are sponsoring this bill might want to send a letter or two to those representatives.
Just my opinion.

Sponsor:
Rep. Rubén Hinojosa [D-TX]

Cosponsors [as of 2007-08-26]
Rep. Barney Frank [D-MA]
Rep. Edward Pastor [D-AZ]
Rep. Rick Renzi [R-AZ]
Rep. Silvestre Reyes [D-TX]

Another letter

The Brady Bunch is pushing again; part of their latest letter below:

************************************************

Dear Robert,

Brady Campaign President Paul Helmke joined Jesse Jackson at a Chicago protest against illegal gun trafficking, organized by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition designed to highlight the roleplayed by corrupt gun dealers.

We know you share our dream of a safer, saner America. We also know this dream must be supported by action.

That is why the Brady Campaign is supporting the Rainbow PUSH Coalition's National Day of Protest — against corrupt gun dealers and the scourge of illegal gun trafficking in our country — on Tuesday, August 28, the anniverary of Martin Luther King's March on Washington. We ask that you support this day in any way you can: by joining us at one of the protests or by giving a gift in honor of the day.

More than 20 events are being organized in communities throughout the nation by the Brady Campaign's Million Mom March Chapters, state gun violence prevention groups, and individual activists.

************************************************


Notice how they are begging for more money, again? These people have no shame.
And who is their poster boy today?
Jesse Jackson, assclown and media whore par excellence. These people are targeting law-abiding merchants (if they are doing any illegal trafficking, they would have been arrested by now) who are not bothering anyone. If they want to cut down on crime, try going after criminals, and conditions that give rise to criminals. Jackson would be better advised to try protesting against drug dealers, since much of the crime stems from drug users. Of course, he wouldn't get his face in the media or get as many donations. The same goes for the Brady Campaign; they make more money by demonizing inanimate objects than pushing for better criminal control. Most firearms used in crimes are not bought from licensed dealers or gun shows; they are stolen or bought from other criminals, something which has been known to the law enforcement community for years. Of course, we can't be distracted by the facts, can we?
I think I need another cup of coffee...

Buy more ammo

The Brady Bunch and Jesse Jackson are having some sort of protest against guns on August 28. For those of us who think they are nothing more than a bunch of people exploiting the media for power and money, we ask that you buy some ammunition on that day, as a way of having our own protest.

"A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition."
-- Rudyard Kipling

H/T to The War on Guns

A special day

Click picture for larger view.

On August 18, 1973 I got married. It would turn out to be the smartest and most important thing I have ever done. Not everyone is lucky enough to find the one person that makes life complete, and helps keep a person balanced and grounded. Fortunately I was one of those lucky people. To all of the other happily married people out there, I wish you well, and hope you can be as fortunate as I am. This is a picture of myself and my lovely bride (Sandy) with Father Howlett at the St. Stephens Episcopal Church in West Valley City.

More panhandling

I just got some email today from the Brady Bunch; here is how the letter starts out:

Dear Robert,

We have a tremendous opportunity to accomplish a major Brady Campaign goal: keeping guns out of the hand of criminals and the mentally ill. And the Brady Campaign needs your help today to make this happen.

For just $5 or more each month, you can help the Brady Campaign ensure passage of this important legislation that will saves lives. The Brady Campaign is lobbying key Senators to help ensure the bill's passage and we need the necessary resources to make this happen. We must also be prepared to launch a targeted ad campaign to get our message out and get the critical Senate votes we need.

In the first place, they don't really say what their legislation is about; I am just supposed to take their word for it.
In the second place, why do they need money to pass it? Are they planning on bribing someone in the Senate?
These people are interested in money and power; and they are able to get it by appealing to uninformed people who are prone to hysteria rather than logic. If they really wanted to do some good, they would go for harsher penalties on criminals, and slapping offenders in jail, instead of letting them out on bail to commit more crimes. It seems to me that locking up a criminal is the best way for "keeping guns out of the hand of criminals and the mentally ill".
Just my opinion.

Guardian Angels come to Utah

Either for a lack of resources or a lack of concern, Salt Lake City and Ogden have not been able to stem growing gang and drug problems.
That's the position of Curtis Sliwa, leader of a controversial group of red-beret-wearing civilian security guards who came to town Thursday to announce help is on the way.

The New York native said he has seen rough parks in San Francisco and Los Angeles but never expected to see a similar site in Salt Lake City.
"You say no way, people smoking meth, smoking crack, openly in Salt Lake City," Sliwa said. "That means City Hall is openly allowing that activity. It's not a hard problem to fix."

I'll be interested to see how this pans out; a lot of people have been getting frustrated by the lack of law enforcement of gangs and related problems. The park to which they refer is Pioneer Park in SLC; it is home to junkies, drunks, dealers, and bums. Most of the undesirables there are not "just homeless", the majority of them are people who have fallen to the bottom through circumstances of their own choosing, so I have little sympathy for them.
Utah didn't really have a gang problem until a few years ago; much of it was the result of people moving from southern California to "get their children away from gangs". As soon as they got here, the "children" formed local chapters of the gangs of which they were members.
Much of the local criminal activity has been the result of two main groups; illegal aliens, and meth junkies. Between the fact that a lot of Utahns are getting CWW permits, and these Guardians coming in, maybe things may turn around a bit. We'll just have to wait and see.

Quack alert!

A study by doctors in Hong Kong has concluded that epilepsy can be induced by the Chinese tile game of mahjong.

The findings, published in the Hong Kong Medical Journal, were based on 23 cases of people who had suffered mahjong-induced seizures.

The report's four authors, from Hong Kong's Queen Mary Hospital, said the best prevention - and cure - was to avoid playing mahjong.

The study led the doctors to define mahjong epilepsy as a unique syndrome.

Remind me to never get a medical diagnosis from a Hong Kong doctor.
God only knows what you could get from solitaire or dominoes...

Something to ponder

My wife sent me this; I don't know who wrote it, but they obviously were thinking.



COWS

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a single cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they
are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.



THE CONSTITUTION

They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq . Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.



TEN COMMANDMENTS

The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this:
You cannot post "Thou Shall Not Steal," "Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery," and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians. It creates a hostile work environment.

Winner!

"EEEK! It's the Constitution!"


After perusing all of the captions, my favorite (your opinion may differ) has to be the one from Ambulance Driver.

This one is just begging for a caption...

Anybody got one for it? Winner will be decided and announced Friday.

I must be doing something right

I used to get a lot of Chinese hits on my sitemeter, then they stopped some time ago. I guess I know why now. Was it something I said, LOL?

Police arrest two in hypothermia death of 9-year-old boy in Salt Lake

Police have arrested two people in the death of a 9-year-old boy who apparently succumbed to hypothermia in a downtown restaurant after being placed in a trash can full of ice water.
Pedro Gaucin-Canales, 36, was booked into jail Wednesday after he told police he and another person put the child in the water at the Melting Pot fondue restaurant, where firefighters found the child dead in the kitchen about 9:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a jail booking report.
Rebecca Hernandez-Velasco, 19, the victim's sister, was booked into jail this morning on suspicion of child-abuse homicide.
Both suspects were employees of the restaurant.

What is wrong with people like that? Can anyone tell me a legitimate reason to stick a child in a garbage can full of ice water? I can't imagine doing something like this to a little kid.

Game in bag prompts airport evacuation

LONG BEACH (AP) — A suspicious item in checked luggage that prompted the evacuation of a terminal at Long Beach Airport on Thursday turned out to be an electronic game, authorities said.

Several hundred people were evacuated from the terminal for about 90 minutes and five arriving aircraft were held on the tarmac until the all-clear was given.

Transportation Security Administration screeners spotted the suspicious item while X-raying a checked bag around 9:30 a.m., agency spokeswoman Jennifer Peppin said.

"It is basically a handheld game board that a passenger packed," she told Fox News Channel.

The item turned out to be a handheld electronic game board in a "raw form" that showed its wiring, she said.

"It certainly was nothing but it certainly looked like something. It had all the wires and components that you would see in an explosive device," Peppin said.

It had wires and electrical components, so that makes it a bomb? How the hell would any of those characters know what a bomb looked like? Has it occurred to any of those people that all modern electronics have "wires and components"? Did anyone notice something called explosives connected to the "wires and components"?
In the meantime, grandmothers still have to take off their shoes, and nail files are confiscated. And they wonder why people think their tax money is misspent.

An award

I have been given an award by fellow blogger Nyx. I am not sure if I can live up to it, but I feel touched that someone considered me to be worthy of such.

************************************



"This award should make you reflect on five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you.

Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy… of knowing them and being blessed by them.”

Here are the rules for this one:

1. Copy this post (meaning the rules).
2. Reflect on five bloggers and write a least a paragraph about each one.
3. Make sure you link this post so others can read it and the rules.
4. Go leave your chosen bloggers a comment and let them know they’ve been given the award.
5. Put the award icon on your site.

The thing about a source of love and being a Godly example isn't really my thing; I am a longtime agnostic, and most of my encouragement has just been the reading of their blogs, rather than active encouragement on their part. They are all people who make me think, and whose words I enjoy reading. With that in mind, these are some of the people who I enjoy reading.
*************************************

I think the first one I would have to list is the late Acidman of Gut Rumbles. This was a person who was read by many, and both liked and disliked by a lot of people. He was a prolific blogger, posting several times a day. It was through reading his blog that I first started toying with the idea of posting my own blog. I never got to meet him, but wish I could have done so.

Marko the Munchkin Wrangler is an inspiration to those who value freedom. He writes well constructed posts on politics and life in general, and does some very noteworthy stuff, such as his essay on concealed carry. Definitely a thinking person's blog.

I first started reading GuyK at CHARMING, JUST CHARMING after reading his comments at Gut Rumbles. He has a laid back relaxed view of life (after a couple of rants in the morning upon reading the news), but is not lazy. He manages to stay busy, but doesn't let life push him too much.

One of my first reads in the morning is to check on Tamara's View from the Porch. Reflections on history are common, and usually with a mixture of sarcasm and wit where required. She is always a joy to read, and teaches the proper employment of snark.

I first discovered "Scully" at Skywriter about a year ago, I think. She does serious writing that flows easily, it evokes images and memories, and makes me wish I could write that well. A combination of intelligence, education, and experience, her posts are always good to read. She also has a subtle, almost dry sense of humor when commenting that can be hilarious.


There are a lot of reasons to read the people listed, these are just a few of my reflections on them.

Make Al Gore cry...

Want something that will go anywhere, and have a carbon footprint the size of a T.Rex?
You might need one of these:




A Humvee that converts to a boat in 5 seconds, and has the global warming people wetting their pants in even less time.
I remember something like this in a couple of James Bond movies, but this is even cooler.

A little music to make things go better...

Popped a few tunes into the playlist; seems to make me feel better after a bit. Everybody familiar with the top ten in the list?

"Coming into Los Angeles" by Arlo Guthrie
"Crippled Crow" by Kris Kristofferson
"Strangers in the Night" by Frank Sinatra
"Yakety Axe" by Chet Atkins/Mark Knopfler
"Here For The Party" by Gretchen Wilson
"Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran
"Summer Nights" by Marianne Faithfull
"Nothing Is Easy" by Jethro Tull
"You Talk Too Much" by George Thorogood
"When the Levee Breaks" by Led Zeppelin

I tend to listen to odd combinations; lower in the list I also have stuff by Vivaldi, Hank Williams, and Miles Davis.

I've been expecting this

Since the Parker case has been submitted to the SCOTUS, the Brady Bunch has gone into hysterics again. I just got this in an email this morning:

District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty announced this week that the District will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the decision in Parker v. District of Columbia — an assault on D.C. gun laws and one that could threaten every city's gun laws.

The U.S. Supreme Court could decide in about three months whether they will hear the case and each month brings a tidal wave of work for the Brady Center to defend our nation's gun laws. We must be geared-up to fight this battle. Simply put: we need your support today!

Please click here to make a tax-deductible commitment of $25 or more. Your gift today will help us prepare for the incredibly large amount of work that needs to be conducted to hold off this assault on our nation's gun laws.

You'll recall, in a 2-1 decision this past spring, a federal Appeals Court overturned Washington D.C.'s long-standing restrictions on handguns based on a twisted view of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, while ignoring more than 60 years of precedent — a decision that endangers America's gun laws coast-to-coast.

This battle — to its very core — is the most important battle we have ever waged. We need your help today to save America's gun laws by building a strong Brady Gun Law Defense Fund.

Your tax-deductible gift of $25 or more today is critical to our success!

We must prepare for a long hard battle. So much of what we have worked for in the past and everything we're currently working on could be destroyed by the heinous decision of right-wing activist judges who chose to ignore more than 60 years of precedent in order to help the gun lobby accomplish in the courts what it has been unable to accomplish in Congress.

Notice how they don't waste much time panhandling for money? And distorting and lying (as usual)? These bozos are so predictable. If they would even try to give some semblance of truth, rather than the ridiculous drivel that they spew into the media. I need another cup of coffee to get the bad taste out of my mouth after hearing from them...

Couple accused of starving infants while playing video games

RENO, Nev. (AP) -- A couple authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.

The children of Michael and Iana Straw, a boy age 22 months and a girl age 11 months, were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors saw them after social workers took them to a hospital, authorities said. Both children are doing well and gaining weight in foster care, prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration.

Her brother had to be treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack of muscle development caused him difficulty in walking, investigators said.

Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said.

I can't imagine any normal parent deliberately neglecting their child, but to play video games? Makes me feel like beating the living shit out of them. People with those sort of priorities have no business having children. I just hope the despicable assholes have a very miserable time while in prison.

Must be feeling a bit nostalgic

Got looking at the playlist I set up today...hmmm. I don't live in the past, but sometimes I get in strange music moods. Some days it's a mixture, other days it's all classical, or country, or blues. Sometimes its rock from a certain period, other times a mishmash. Today seems to be an oldies-rock day.
This is the top ten on it:

"Tequila" by The Champs
"It's Only Make Believe" by Conway Twitty
"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" by Fifth Dimension
"Jupiter's Child" by Steppenwolf
"Pretty Ballerina" by The Left Banke
"Let's Live for Today" by The Grass Roots
"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by The Animals
"Good Morning Starshine" by Oliver
"Kind of a Drag" by The Buckinhams
"Let Me Be" by The Turtles

Anybody else out there old enough to remember these? Any comments on them?

China blames Internet for rise in teen pregnancies

BEIJING--Nearly half of the pregnant teens in China's financial hub, Shanghai, met their partners on the Internet, state media said on Tuesday.

Zhang Zhengrong, a doctor who oversees the city's first-aid hotline for pregnant teens, said 46 percent of the more than 20,000 teenage girls who called the hotline over the past two years said they had had sex with boys they met on the Internet.

A survey by Zhang's hospital found that only 7.9 percent of the parents queried talked to their children about sex, and 79 percent of high school and university students said they got their ideas about sex from the Internet.

When I was a kid, they blamed stuff like this on rock-and-roll music.

Sounds like there are a lot of teenage boys on the internet over there typing one-handed...

11-year-old girl charged with DUI after chase

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (AP) — Police who chased a car for miles along a highway at speeds up to 100 mph said the driver was drunk, hardly a rarity in this resort town. But there was more: When they looked inside the flipped vehicle with guns drawn, they found an 11-year-old girl at the wheel.

I'm a little curious where her parents are during all this, and whether this is something she does all the time.

Sax Player Boots Randolph Dead at 80

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Boots Randolph, whose spirited saxophone playing on "Yakety Sax" endeared him to fans for years on Benny Hill's TV show, died Tuesday. He was 80.

Most people out there are probably unfamiliar with his name, but those of use who are older remember him well. Those who are younger, and familiar with the Benny Hill show, will recognize his "Yakety Sax" that was played during many of the routines. He was well known for work with a lot of country western stars, and will be missed.

Insanity from iCult members

Scene from Fifth Avenue Apple Store:

Good 'ol American capitalism. A sharpie a couple seats down from me sold his spot in line for $250. He had come with his cousins to keep them company with no intention of buying an iPhone. Sensing an opportunity, he struck. The sucker… er, purchaser is now being interviewed by an MSNBC reporter (seen to the left of another salesman).

Granted, the iPhone looks interesting, but is it that important to be the first on your block with one? I think this guy would have done quite well for himself if he was still around.


H/T to SCI FI Tech

"Honey, I've got a headache..."

MIAMI - A Florida man awoke with a severe headache and asked his wife to drive him to a hospital, where doctors found a bullet lodged behind his right ear, sheriff’s deputies said.

The wife, April Moylan, fled the emergency room when the bullet was discovered but later told deputies she had accidentally shot her husband as he slept early on Tuesday.

How do you shoot someone behind the ear by accident while they are sleeping? Sounds like she was a little miffed at him. I'd be curious to know what she used to shoot him. Probably a .22 I'd imagine, but this sort of thing has happened with larger calibers.