Gun Show

When we live in a country where someone can seriously advance the argument that the fact one of the people who tackled the Arizona shooter to the ground had a concealed weapon on him at the time is proof that concealed carry works and gun control is a loser, liberal idea, then I don't know what the hell we're gonna do.

Said it before, say it again, seems like we lost the debate somewhere and were not even in the fraking game any more.

A lesson in the improper attribution of causality and demographics

From the comments (Nov. 16, 5:07 AM) of an article posted at the hilariously mistitled American Thinker:

I live in an Atl, GA suburban county voted in the same precinct for the last 16 years. My County is 68% White, 16% Black and 16% minority mix of hispanic, oriental, hindu and muslim.

In the last 5 years three muslim mosques and one gigantic Hindu World Temple have been built within 1 mile radius of my residence. The property values have dropped here nearly 75% in that same time period.

(h/t Sadly, No!)

Surrogates

(via tbogg)

I Swear I Am Not Making This Up

I just got my Oregon Voters Guide Part II: Candidates today and I was perusing the candidate bios when I came across this from Cynthia McKinney's entry:

Cynthia McKinney served 12 years in the Unites States Congress as a courageous voice of peace and seeks make America more safe and better for all Americans.

The only logical explanation is that the powers that be don't want us to think Cynthia makes any sense, so they sabotaged her entry.

Bastards.

Kabuki

Sarah Palin. I've heard something about her being "a maverick":

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday that she disagrees with the John McCain campaign’s decision to pull staff and resources out of Michigan.

“I want to get back to Michigan, and I want to try,” Palin said in an interview on Fox News. “Todd and I, we'd be happy to get to Michigan. We'd be so happy to speak to the people there in Michigan who are hurting.”

[...]

The Alaska governor first heard the news this morning and fired off a quick e-mail to campaign officials expressing her displeasure with the move.

“Oh c’mon, do we have to?” Palin said she wrote.

Which then triggered this heartfelt plea from a "Main Streeter":

From: CHUCK YOB
Date: Fri, Oct 3, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Subject: Dear Governor Palin from Chuck Yob
To: Governor Palin

Governor Palin,

I saw your comments on Fox News today and described in the Detroit Free Press article below. I wholeheartedly agree with you that the decision by the McCain campaign to pull out of Michigan was the wrong decision.

[...]

I talked to Michigan Republicans and McCain supporters on a conference call last night and they vowed to redouble their efforts. Indeed, there will still be a campaign for John McCain in Michigan whether it is sanctioned by the professionals in Washington DC or not.

Nuh-uh. I don't buy this for a second. This reeks of another campaign stunt, like they want to show that Palin's mavericky, that she's standing up for the little guy - like former Republican National Committee member Chuck Yob. I'm willing to bet money that a "grassroots campaign" spearheaded by Sarah Palin gets the McCain campaign to un-shutter their storefronts on Main Street, MI.

This just smells like so much bullshit. I really can't take these people seriously.

GOP Emails

Every liberal special interest group from MoveOn.org to Big Labor to anti-drilling extremists are laying it all on the line in 2008 with one goal in mind: to seize total control of our government.

A Timely Reminder

I am not having the best of days. This perked me up considerably. Thank God for youtube.

Made with Real Frut

I was eating at Taco Bell today because I hate myself. The tables were festooned with placards adverting their new drink the "Frutista Freeze." I spent my lunch wondering why the fine folks at Taco Bell were thinking with the spelling there. My guess is that 'Mericans think that fruit is spelled "frut" and calling the drink a Fruitista Freeze befuddled them. I also spent some time wondering how this drink name is pronounced. Maybe the name is just an in-joke for Bellers who have a larf at the rubes who don't call it a Frut-rhymes with slut-ista.

Flight .45 to Dodge City

By and large, I really don't have a problem with guns or the people who enjoy shooting them. I understand their utility as well as their more sporting aspects. Most of the people I know who own a gun are responsible and sane human beings.

That said, I think it's also reasonable to have sensible measures in place to reduce the numbers of guns in certain areas. From the hands of criminals, from people who are not psychologically well enough for gun ownership, from playgrounds and schools, etc. And I really don't understand the mentality which requires one to be armed whenever out in public.

Do we really want firearms in our airports? Aren't they still kind of anxious places, haunted by certain events? What good is it going to do for Uncle Joe to be packing when he picks us up? How long before Citizen Yahoo blasts away at some dark man who, after 15 years of flying the same flight, week after week, 6 of those years being "specially screened" because of his last name (despite being born in Dearborn), finally has the temerity to tell TSA to fuck off?