Obama administration plans to destroy $1.2 billion of ammunition

With the military facing severe cutbacks, the Obama administration is giving away vehicles and destroying ammunition.  With Americans already complaining about an ammunition shortage, this move is only going to stoke conspiracy theories. Destroying ammunition is one way to drive up the price.  From USA Today:

The Pentagon plans to destroy more than $1 billion worth of ammunition although some of those bullets and missiles could still be used by troops, according to the Pentagon and congressional sources. 

It's impossible to know what portion of the arsenal slated for destruction — valued at $1.2 billion by the Pentagon — remains viable because the Defense Department's inventory systems can't share data effectively, according to a Government Accountability Office report obtained by USA TODAY. 

The result: potential waste of unknown value. . . .

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Mass shooting yesterday at FedEx facility in Kennesaw Georgia to place in yet another "gun-free zone"

When are news reports going to mention the simple fact that yet another attack has occurred in a gun-free zone?  The above picture is from the Kennesaw facility for Fedex.  Six people are listed as wounded from the attack.  From Fox News:

KENNESAW, Ga. –  The father of a gunman who wounded six colleagues in an Atlanta-area rampage says his son didn't seem enthusiastic about his job but never mentioned problems with co-workers. 

Geddy Kramer showed up with a shotgun early Tuesday morning at the FedEx package-sorting center where he worked. He shot a security guard, then fired on those working in a large warehouse before killing himself. . . .

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The racist history of minimum wage jobs

From an op-ed piece by Tom Sowell:

In 1925, a minimum-wage law was passed in the Canadian province of British Columbia, with the intent and effect of pricing Japanese immigrants out of jobs in the lumbering industry. 

A Harvard professor of that era referred approvingly to Australia’s minimum wage law as a means to “protect the white Australian’s standard of living from the invidious competition of the colored races, particularly of the Chinese” who were willing to work for less. 

In South Africa during the era of apartheid, white labor unions urged that a minimum-wage law be applied to all races, to keep black workers from taking jobs away from white unionized workers by working for less than the union pay scale. . . .

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Q&A with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Bloomberg's push on gun control

Click on screen shot from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review to make it larger.  The original story is available here.

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Do you want evidence that if Eastern Ukraine had a free election it would vote against joining Russia?

The views of this popular mayor in a city that the Russians will presumably soon control provides an insight into what people in this area of eastern Ukraine think of the Russians.  This mayor was a strong supporter of the former Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovich, who was Russia's man in the Ukraine, but even though this mayor supported Yanukovich, he does not support Russian rule.  Given that this mayor is extremely popular and is an elected politician, one would think that he has a reasonable good feeling for the views of people in this second-largest city in the Ukraine.  Just something to remember when the Russian stage another election as they did in the Crimea.

From the Los Angeles Times:

In a sign of the deepening destabilization of eastern Ukraine, the popular mayor of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, was shot in the back on Monday, authorities said.

Mayor Gennady Kernes was in critical condition after undergoing surgery at a local clinic, said Dr. Valery Boiko, who performed the two-hour operation. . . . 

close friend of the mayor, former regional Gov. Mikhail Dobkin. . . .

Kernes and Dobkin were staunch supporters of former Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovich, who was ousted in February following deadly clashes between police and protesters angered by a decision to abandon an economic association pact with the European Union. 

Kernes, the longtime administrator of Kharkiv, was charged with making separatist statements and put under house arrest. 

In April, when pro-Russia protests spread across eastern Ukraine, Kernes, who was still officially under house arrest, persuaded the police to storm the regional administration building in Kharkiv and push out the separatists who were occupying it.  

The criminal case against him was then dropped and he returned to his mayoral duties.
Taras Berezovets, a political consultant, said the attempt on the mayor’s life was a “gruesome message to other governors and administrators not to dare meddle in the Kremlin's game.” . . . 

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Appearance on Ezra Levant's Sun News in Canada

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People in low tax burden states like their states much better.

Gallup has an interesting survey asking residents of each state the "Best Possible state to live in" (column 2 on page 2).  Residents of Texas, Alaska, Hawaii and Montana are much more likely to believe that their states are the best places to live, while Connecticut, Illinois, and Rhode Island don't have many of their residents who like the state.  The differences are huge: 28% of Texans say that their state is the best to live in while only 3% of those living in Connecticut, Illinois, and Rhode Island say the same thing.  

The following graphs show that states with low tax burdens and high incomes have the happiest people. 

I also tried average temperature and whether there is a large body of water (ocean, great lake), but those don't add too much explanatory power.  More rainfall in a state seems related to lower levels of happiness.  Even when you run regressions you get similar results.  

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The illogic of the Obama administration stopping the importation of Russian surplus 5.45×39 type ammo

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announces Russian surplus 5.45×39 type ammo is “armor piercing." From the Daily Caller:

According to information BATFE provided to NRA, these actions are based on BATFE’s determination that the availability of a handgun in this caliber triggers so-called “armor piercing” ammunition provisions of federal law, which generally prohibit manufacture and importation. . . .

The 5.45x39 is slightly narrower and a little longer than a .22 magnum.  If you want to see the illogic of banning the importation of the 5.45x39 compare it to the .44 magnum or the 38 special.

In inches 5.45 is about .21 inches, so that is less than half the diameter of the .44 inches magnum shell.  The 38 special is .359 inches in diameter.
The 39 millimeter length is 1.535 inches, while the .44 magnum is 1.61 inches (41 millimeters).  The .38 special is also slightly longer than the 5.45x39 -- it is 1.55 inches long.

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Head of Bloomberg's Moms Demand Action apparently uses armed security!

Dana Loesch had an interaction with the head of Bloomberg's Moms Demand Action head, Shannon Watts.  According to observers:

When confronted by Loesch, Watts refused to answer any questions and eventually was whisked away in an SUV by what Loesch told TheBlaze appeared to be armed security. . . . .

Apparently, it isn't just Michael Bloomberg who uses guns for protection.

By the way, if you want to offset the misinformation that Bloomberg is paying for you might want to follow this link here.

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The Violence Policy Center's incredible errors

This makes for interesting reading: Massive errors in the Violence Policy Center’s “Concealed Carry Killers”

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Save Lives & Deter Criminals -- Help start the Crime Prevention Research Center

More information available here: Crowd funding at Indiegogo.

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John Lott versus Jehmu Greene on Fox News over Georgia getting rid of some gun free zones

The video is also available here.

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Georgia governor signs good bill to eliminate gun free zones, but it is hardly "unprecedented"

CNN makes the bill seem pretty controversial:

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed a wide-ranging gun bill into law Wednesday that has critics howling and proponents applauding.  House Bill 60, or the Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014 -- which opponents have nicknamed the "guns everywhere bill" -- specifies where Georgia residents can carry weapons. Included are provisions that allow residents who have concealed carry permits to take guns into some bars, churches, school zones, government buildings and certain parts of airports. . . .

Fox News' headline uses the word "unprecedented," but it includes a quote that puts the new law in a better perspective.

Jerry Henry of GeorgiaCarry.org told GPB News he doesn’t expect to see a surge in gun sales or an increase in gun-related businesses in the state. He noted that other states have far less restrictive gun laws than Georgia. 

The point is that other states already allow concealed carry in all those other places and they are no problems with that occurring.

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Kent County, Michigan Jewelers fend off four robbers who try to rob their store

This seems like an obvious case when you have four robbers where it would be useful to have a sizable magazine in your gun.  From MLive:

For the second time in four years, Paul Medawar Fine Jewelry has thwarted a robbery attempt – this time, apparently leaving at least one of the robbers with gunshot wounds. . . .
Police said two people inside Medawar shot at the robbers, who fled after breaking into a jewelry case. Police believed that at least one suspect had been shot, but that hasn't been confirmed.
Witnesses reported the unnamed victims of the robbery had fired shots at the robbers, injuring at least one of them.  . . . .
During a robbery on Oct. 5, 2010, Paul Medawar secretly called police when robbers came in the store.
That day, he dialed 911 on his office phone, triggering a police response that left robbers rushing out of his store. He spoke briefly to a dispatcher before a robber found him and told him to hang up.
He and his son, David, and a store manager, were told to lie on the floor after he opened a safe containing diamonds. . . .
The robbers fled quickly from that 2010 robbery, then crashed a stolen Jeep into a nearby condominium.
"The police got my (911) call. When the robbers left, the police were outside in the parking lot," Medawar said. . . .

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Andrew Cuomo refuses to debate Rick Perry on whether New York or Texas is better to do business: You can understand his reticence

This is the second time that Cuomo has turned down the chance to debate Rick Perry.  For Cuomo this would give Cuomo the national platform that he desires, but you can understand why he wouldn't want to do this debate.  From the New York Observer:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was in New York today to make his pitch to business leaders he hopes to lure to the Lone Star State, and took the opportunity to reissue his debate challenge to Gov. Andrew Cuomo–who today declined the request. 

“Yes, I’m here recruiting business. I’m don’t shy away from that. I’m very upfront about that. But I’m also here to help stimulate a conversation with the people of New York state, the people in New York City, the legislators, the governor,” said Mr. Perry, speaking to reporters after a lunch with business owners at Hill Country BBQ. 

Earlier this week, Mr. Perry said he wanted to sit down with Mr. Cuomo face-to-face to debate the two states’ approaches to economic policy, which Mr. Cuomo–whose office did not respond to requests for comment–today dismissed as  “unlikely,” according to reports. 

“I hope he’ll seriously consider doing it. I think it would be good for the people of New York and it’d be good for the country,” said Mr. Perry. “I’ll leave that to you all to probe him on.” . . .

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State Department can't name a single "tangible achievement" from the “Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review" under Hillary Clinton

I have to thank Erik Wemple at the Washington Post for identifying this gem.  Those who like no nonsense reporters will love this.



Erik provides this transcript:

LEE: I have one very brief one on the QDDR.

MS. PSAKI: Sure.

LEE: Off the top of your head, can you identify one tangible achievement that the last QDDR resulted in?

MS. PSAKI: Well, Matt, obviously it’s an extensive, expansive process.

LEE: So, no.

MS. PSAKI: We’re looking at how it was done last time.

LEE: Just one.

MS. PSAKI: I know. I’m making an important point here.

LEE: Okay.

MS. PSAKI: The Secretary wants it to be focused. It’s going to focus on a more narrow range of issues. It’s always to look at how we can improve things, and we’ll see where we come out on the end.

LEE: So can you, off the top of your head, identify one tangible achievement that was – that resulted from the last QDDR?

MS. PSAKI: I am certain that those who were here at the time, who worked hard on that effort, could –

LEE: One that – since you’ve–

MS. PSAKI: — point out one.

LEE: — that since you’ve come on board that you’ve noticed, that someone has said – that you noticed, that you can point back saying, “Wow, the first QDDR identified this as a problem and dealt with it.”

MS. PSAKI: Well, as you know, I’ve only been here since it was concluded.

LEE: Okay.

MS. PSAKI: So I’m sure there are a range of things that were put into place that I’m not even aware of were a result.

LEE: I won’t hold my breath.

MS. PSAKI: Okay.

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Concealed carry holder in Chicago successfully defends himself against two armed attackers

Police have determined that the person acted in self-defense.  From the Chicago Tribune:

A 53-year-old South Austin man with a valid concealed carry permit was able to shoot at two men who tried to accost him outside of his home early this morning. 

The incident happened about 2:40 a.m. on the 5400 block of West Van Buren Street, said Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Michael Sullivan. 

The man was walking from his garage to the front of his home when two males in hoodies appeared in a gangway between his home and the neighbor's home, Sullivan said. 

One of the two men pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed at the man who took out his own gun and managed to fire several times at the males, Sullivan said.
The males fled the area without being struck and the shooting did not result in any property damage, police said. . . . .

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Note that at its height 115,000 Americans are said to have had pre-existing health issues that made it difficult for them to get "affordable" insurance

Note that this 115,000 number likely seems to be an over estimate because after the Obama administration had a hard time getting people to enter the program it cut the insurance premiums so much that it was actually cheaper for people with pre-existing conditions to get insurance than for healthy individuals.

Still the issue is question is if you want to help out 115,000 people, why not provide those individuals with a subsidy rather than changing health insurance for everyone?

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More Media Matters mistakes on gun-free zones

On April 16, 2014, Media Matters has a new post entitled: "Fox's Bolling Inadvertently Advocates For Gun-Free Zones."

1) "Bolling has been a vocal critic of gun-free zones, frequently promoting the right-wing misnomer that mass shooters target places like schools where guns are banned. According to Bolling's logic, gun-free zones are 'easy targets for whackos,' so 'it's time to take those gun-free zones signs down.' He's argued that mass shootings 'would happen with far less frequency' if no such gun bans existed."

Media Matters' link go back to previous posts that they have put up on the topic.  I have put up some notes on their incorrect statements available here. 

The point of this discussion was that Michael Bloomberg has 24 hour/7 day a week armed body guards.  He understands the benefits from guns for protection, but he opposes others being able to have the same protection.  That he supports a gun-free zone for everyone but himself.  

Of course, Media Matters doesn't directly deal with this point.

Instead, Media Matters points out that gun shows ask patrons not to have guns loaded.  They also make it sound as if there are attacks involving multiple victim public shootings that occur at gun shows.  

2) When shootings do occasionally occur at gun shows, it's been because people don't follow these rules and bring in loaded weapons. As CNN reported in the case of an accidental shooting at a gun show last year, "The original owner of the Taurus semi-automatic 9 mm handgun used in the shooting brought the firearm into the show fully loaded. This is despite the policy of searches to make sure all guns are not loaded and rendered safe before others can handle them."

Gun shows are hardly gun-free zones.  Even in shows where guns are unloaded, both guns and ammunition are easily accessible.  If an attack were to occur, in seconds the guns could be loaded.  There are so many guns that could quickly be loaded at a gun show, it would make only a small difference in being able to respond quickly to an attack.  With lots of people handling guns at a show, the sponsors want to make sure that there are no accidental discharges.  With no real chance of a successful mass shooting or a robbery, it seems reasonable to limit risks of accidental shootings.  The one case that Media Matters points to is an accidental shooting. 

3) "Studies show that most mass shootings in recent years have occurred in places where guns were allowed, and experts say that gun-free zones do not encourage mass shootings. It seems Bolling has finally agreed, albeit inadvertently."

In order, the responses to the links that Media Matters makes are "studies show" available here.  The discussion in the link to "occurred" attacks research that Ann Coulter cites by myself and William Landes, but the problem is that their attack has nothing to do with the research.  In the final link ("experts say"), Media Matters relies on a report by Mother Jones.  The problems with that article are available here.

It was nice of Greg Gutfeld to mention me in his discussion.

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Top Hillary fund raiser from 2008 presidential campaign pleads guilty to illegal contribution (comparison to Dinesh D'Souza's case)

This is the same type of crime that Dinesh D'Souza is accused of, though his amount is much smaller ($20,000 versus $180,000).  It will be interesting to see how the penalties compare.  Hillary's donor faces a maximum of 25 years, but agreed to a plea deal that looks like he will face 5.25 years in prison and forfeit $1 million.  From Politico:

A prominent New York hotel magnate who was a top bundler for then-Sen. Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign pled guilty in federal court Thursday to making more than $180,000 in illegal campaign contributions and to witness tampering. 

Sant Chatwal, 70, admitted using employees and vendors for his hotels as straw donors to avoid limits dictated by campaign finance law. Investigators also recorded Chatwal telling an associate not to admit that donations were reimbursed, court papers say. 

"Without [donations] nobody will even talk to you," Chatwal said in a recorded conversation, according to a criminal information filed in lieu of an indictment in the case (and posted here). "When they are in need of money [unintelligible] the money you give then they are always for you.That's the only way to buy them, get into the system." . . .

In Dinesh's case, the maximum penalty is seven years if the prison terms were to run consecutively.

D’Souza was charged Thursday with one count of making illegal campaign contributions, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison. He also is charged with one count of causing false statements to be made to the FEC, which carries a maximum of five years in prison. . . . 

A copy of the indictment against Dinesh is available here.  I don't put it past the Obama administration to punish a political opponent, but the evidence seems pretty strong.  This is from Gawker (note that Denise Odie Joseph was Dinesh's mistress at this time and Tyler Vawser was his personal assistant).

On August 30, 2012, according to a quarterly report filed two months later, the Long campaign received a $10,000 donation under the name of Joseph’s husband. On the same day, the campaign received another $10,000 donation, under Vawser’s name. Campaign finance law caps individual contributions at $5,000, so both donations were flagged by Long’s treasurer for “reattribution/redesignation.” (By then D’Souza and his wife Dixie had both contributed the maximum amount to Long’s campaign.)
Vawser’s $10,000 donation was never split up or refunded, according to subsequent FEC filings. But on October 22, 2012—a week after D’Souza’s affair with Joseph scandalized the evangelical community and D’Souza resigned his presidency at The King’s College—Long’s treasurer “reattributed” $5,000 of Louis Joseph’s original donation to Denise Joseph, leaving Louis with an identical $5,000 contribution. (It's not clear from the filings why Joseph received a post-election refund for $5,000—a perfectly legal amount of money.)
If Joseph’s refund triggered the U.S. Attorney’s investigation (and Bharara’s timeline suggests it may have done so), it would have been quick work finding her husband’s original $10,000 donation, Vawser’s donation for the same amount (on the same day!), and finally the trio’s lowest common denominator: Dinesh D’Souza.
D’Souza’s lawyer has denied the charges, claiming they arose from “an act of misguided friendship.”

The problem that I see with Dinesh's defense is that he will have to explain why both donations occurred at the same time.  If it was due to a misunderstanding, he will have to explain why two people had the exact same misunderstanding at the same time.

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Three armed suspects break into home, stopped by armed homeowner, Seventh home invader killed in Detroit this year

Fox 2 News Headlines

From WJBK in Detroit (Posted: Apr 17, 2014 7:23 AM EDT):

Detroit police say a break-in suspect who was shot by homeowner has died after crashing a getaway vehicle into a nearby home.
Sgt. Michael Woody says two people tried to break into the home . . . early Thursday through a window and a third was sitting in the vehicle.
Woody says the homeowner shot at the suspects, who returned fire. He says the person in the vehicle was hit and the two other suspects fled on foot.
FOX 2's Roop Raj reports a woman in the home that was crashed into was injured. Police didn't immediately say whether the gunfire or crash killed the suspect. . . .
Raj confirms this is the seventh home invader shot in 2014 and the fourth in the last six weeks. . . .

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One measure of how cold this past winter was: Historical Ice Coverage for the week of April 16th 1981 to 2014

Click on figures to enlarge.  Data available here.  Of course, having this much ice means for a cool spring and summer.

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Media Matters resisting effort by staff to form union

To say that Media Matters vocally supports unions and union causes would be a bit of an understatement.  

Media Matters for America is apparently resisting an effort by Service Employees International Union Local 500 to unionize its staff. 

Last week, the union filed a representation petition with the National Labor Relations Board, indicating that the nonprofit media watchdog organization rejected an effort by the union to organize MMFA's staff through a Card Check election. . . . .

For some reason I suspect that if a conservative organization rejected such an effort at unionization, it would be something that they would put up more than a few scathing posts on. 

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New York pizza delivery man uses permitted concealed handgun to stop "a gang of robbers"

There might not be many permitted concealed handguns in New York state, but fortunately this pizza delivery man was able to protect himself.

A gang of robbers attacked a pizza deliveryman just before 10:30 p.m. Monday as he brought food to a house in the 400 block of Cornwall Avenue, near Erie County Medical Center. 

In the front hallway of the house, one of the robbers, who wore a mask and had a brown hoodie pulled over his face, hit the deliveryman on the head with a hammer, according to police. 

The masked man also displayed what appeared to be a gun, police said. 

But then, the deliveryman told investigators, he pulled out his own handgun and fired a shot, striking the masked man. The rest of the gang scattered. . . .

Note that even the Buffalo News notes: "They messed with the wrong pizza guy." 

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"Worst murder - mass murder - in Calgary's history" committed with a knife

Of course, mass stabbings aren't just limited to China and the US.  Here is a case were five people were killed in Canada, none wounded.   From CBS News:

A University of Calgary student was charged in the fatal stabbing of five people at a house party Tuesday that the police chief called the worst mass slaying in the western Canadian city's history. 

Matthew Douglas de Grood, the son of a 33-year veteran of the Calgary police force, picked up a large knife shortly after arriving at the party and stabbed the victims one by one, said police Chief Rick Hanson.  

De Grood, 22, was charged with five counts of murder late Tuesday. 

"This is the worst murder - mass murder - in Calgary's history," Hanson said at a news conference Tuesday. "We have never seen five people killed by an individual at one scene. The scene was horrific." . . .

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Want to donate to Moms Demand Action? Make the check out to Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Click on screen shot to make it bigger.

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Michael Bloomberg spending $50 million in 2014 pushing for gun control, 2.5 times more than the NRA spends annually

Bloomberg is really spending much more than $50 million this year because it doesn't include the millions that he is spending to fund gun control research.  Gun control groups already massively outspent gun owner groups by 7.4 to 1 in 2013.  Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action are going to have more money than they know what to do with.  From the New York Times:

Michael R. Bloomberg, making his first major political investment since leaving office, plans to spend $50 million this year building a nationwide grass-roots network to motivate voters who feel strongly about curbing gun violence, an organization he hopes can eventually outmuscle the National Rifle Association. 

Mr. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York, said gun control advocates need to learn from the N.R.A. and punish those politicians who fail to support their agenda — even Democrats whose positions otherwise align with his own. 

“They say, ‘We don’t care. We’re going to go after you,’ ” he said of the N.R.A. “ ‘If you don’t vote with us we’re going to go after your kids and your grandkids and your great-grandkids. And we’re never going to stop.’ ” . . . 

The $50 million could be significant: In recent years, the N.R.A. has spent only $20 million annually on political activities. The political groups affiliated with the billionaire Koch brothers, who are seeking to help Republicans take over the Senate, have spent about $30 million in the last six months. 

The group will zero in on 15 target states, from places like Colorado and Washington State, where gun control initiatives have advanced recently, to territory that is likely to be more hostile like Texas, Montana and Indiana. They have set a goal of signing up one million new supporters this year on top of the 1.5 million they already have. . . .

Democrats say that they are upset with Bloomberg's push on gun control, 

Previous efforts by Mr. Bloomberg to push gun control have touched off tensions with national Democratic leaders, because he has run negative ads against incumbent Democrats whom he views as insufficiently supportive of gun control. The Democratic leaders argue that Mr. Bloomberg threatens to hand control of the Senate to Republicans, which they say would doom any hope of passing gun control legislation. 

Mr. Bloomberg dismissed those fears, saying he was concerned only with the long term.“You can tell me all you want that the Republicans would be worse in the Senate than the Democrats,” he said. “Maybe they would. But that’s not what we’re talking about here.”

But the New York Times ignores that Bloomberg is also giving millions to help support these very same Democrats.

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UC Berkeley police officer hailed as a hero is denied the ability to carry a concealed handgun

I am still surprised the extent to which people are willing to go to stop off-duty or retired police officers from carrying guns.  From the San Francisco Chronicle:

The UC Berkeley police officer hailed as a hero for helping to rescue kidnap victim Jaycee Dugardis now suing her former employer, saying she was wrongfully denied approval to carry a concealed weapon after she retired on medical disability. 

Allison "Ally" Jacobs' instincts helped lead to the 2009 capture of Phillip Garrido, the man who kept Dugard captive for 18 years at his home near Antioch. A year later, Jacobs suffered an on-duty injury and, in April 2013, she accepted a disability retirement. 

Under state law, retired cops are entitled to a permit to carry a concealed weapon. But Jacobs was told she was ineligible for a retired officer card with an endorsement to carry a concealed weapon because UC, in a policy shift, no longer considered her and others receiving disability income to be "retired." 

Jacobs' attorney, Michael Morguess, said UC officials were "playing semantics" with officers who "put their lives on the line at UC and got injured in the course of performing their duties." . . . 

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Sunday's Shooter in Kansas City who killed three people references book by leftist The Nation and kills two people in gun-free zone

Remember when the media has tried to blame the Tea Party for the Aurora movie theater shooting and Sarah Palin for the Tuscon shooting of Congresswoman Giffords?  Now in this shooting in Kansas City we apparently have a liberal Democrat who reads anti-Semitic books put out by the leftist The Nation.  While the killer was motivated by his hatred of Jews, it turns out that none of his victims were actually Jewish.  From PJ Media:

What will our good friends at The Nation say now, when his very first sentence notes how inspired he is by the words of none other than Max Blumenthal, whose antisemitic and anti-Zionist book was released by the magazine’s own publishing house, Nation Books?  I can look back to find scores of examples of how various racist rants are attributed by the Left to conservatives, Tea Party members and especially to  Rush Limbaugh. Some years ago, one man tried to enter a left-wing group’s offices with a gun, and many leftists immediately attributed his actions to the hate spread by right-wing radio talk show hosts. 

Now, Mr. Miller himself, a proud Ku Klux Klan leader and avowed antisemite, has found inspiring words from the one Jew he likes–Max Blumenthal. Look again at his words: “Jew journalist Max Blumenthal exposes and explains this attempt by a foreign government Israel, to buy the presidential election for the neo-con, war-mongering republican establishment.” Except for the first two words,“Jew journalist,” Miller’s rant is similar to the arguments of Walt and Mearsheimer, John B. Judis and other realists and leftists, whose writings are filled with the same disdain for “neo-conservatives” who are always described as “warmongering.” When someone like Pat Buchanan makes that same argument, he never uses the word “Jews,” preferring to let his readers know by intuition just who is talking about. . . .

Note that in Kansas, temples are gun-free zones.  Given that The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City holds religious services, it seems very likely that the area where two of the three people were murdered was a gun-free zone.

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Justice Stevens' op-ed in the Washington Post unintentionally shows the 2nd Amendment wasn't aimed at protecting only government rights

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has a new book out where he suggests what was originally meant by the 2nd Amendment.  From his op-ed in the Washington Post:

As a result of the rulings in Heller and McDonald, the Second Amendment, which was adopted to protect the states from federal interference with their power to ensure that their militias were “well regulated,” has given federal judges the ultimate power to determine the validity of state regulations of both civilian and militia-related uses of arms. That anomalous result can be avoided by adding five words to the text of the Second Amendment to make it unambiguously conform to the original intent of its draftsmen. As so amended, it would read: 

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms when serving in the Militia shall not be infringed.” . . .

Stevens would like to add five words and also a comma after the word "Militia."  But Stevens unintentionally shows what those who drafted the amendment would have to have written to make it clear that they wanted it only to apply to those in the militia.  There is a huge difference between "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed" and "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms when serving in the militia shall not be infringed."  Both statements are quite clear, but while Stevens would like everyone to believe that the 2nd Amendment was written as only a militia right.

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Newest piece at Investor's Business Daily: "Michael Bloomberg, Gun Control And Fabricated Numbers"

Here is John Lott's newest piece at Investor's Business Daily:

No doubt, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg passionately believes in gun control. To his credit, he puts his own money — tens of millions of dollars, and possibly much more — into pushing the issue politically. 

But Bloomberg's push hasn't been just political advertising, lobbying and media appearances. He also funds studies that have gone overboard in backing up his anti-gun beliefs. 

To put it plainly, they have not only exaggerated their conclusions but have fabricated numbers. And these incorrect numbers have then been used to push for more regulations. 

The connections to Bloomberg are not always obvious, as he has funded several organizations, making it look like there is more widespread support. There are Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health and two organizations of which he is the primary financial supporter though they are not directly connected to his name: Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action. 

Over the last couple of years, studies from these organizations have received massive, uncritical news coverage, without even the slightest questioning of the numbers presented. 

Take the recent report from Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action on school shootings, which was covered in more than 2,000 news stories. . . . .

The piece is continued here. 

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White House YET AGAIN warns Russia "Against Seizing More Ukrainian Territory," How many times can Obama threaten "consequences" and be taken seriously?

Well, these threats from the Obama administration seem to be working well.  From the Wall Street Journal today:

The White House said Saturday it was concerned by what it called a "concerted campaign" by pro-Russian separatists to stoke tensions in eastern Ukraine, warning Russian President Vladimir Putin against using the events there as a pretext for seizing more Ukrainian territory. 

In a phone call Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed his concern with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the State Department said. Mr. Kerry made clear that if Russia doesn't take action to de-escalate and move its troops back from Ukraine's border, there would be consequences, the department said. 

"We are very concerned by the concerted campaign we see under way in eastern Ukraine today by pro-Russian separatists, apparently with support from Russia, who are inciting violence and sabotage and seeking to undermine and destabilize the Ukrainian state," White House National Security Council spokeswoman Laura Lucas Magnuson said. 

The White House said it saw similar "so-called protest activities" in Crimea before Russia's takeover of the Ukrainian territory last month. "We call on President Putin and his government to cease all efforts to destabilize Ukraine, and we caution against further military intervention," the White House spokeswoman said. . . . .

Have we heard this before?

From CNN on March 20th:

In a briefing to reporters, senior U.S. administration officials sounded further warnings against any Russian provocations in Ukraine."We believe that it is very important to signal that if Russia further escalates this situation they will be met with severe consequences," one official said. . . .

From BBC:

18 March: Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses parliament, defending Moscow's actions on Crimea, then signs a bill to absorb the peninsula into the Russian Federation. Later, Ukraine says an officer has been killed as a military base is stormed in Simferopol, Crimea, the first such death in the region since pro-Russian forces took over in late February. 

From a transcript at the White House on March 14th:

President Obama: "Obviously on our minds right now is the situation in Ukraine. Ireland has been a strong voice in the European Council for the need to send a clear message of support for Ukrainian democracy and self-determination, and a strong message to Russia that it should not violate the integrity and the sovereignty of its neighbor.  We continue to hope that there’s a diplomatic solution to be found, but the United States and Europe stand united not only in its message about Ukrainian sovereignty but also that there will be consequences if, in fact, that sovereignty continues to be violated." . . .

From BBC:

12 March: Barack Obama pledges to stand with Ukraine during a meeting with interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk at the White House.
10 March: Armed men seize a military hospital in Simferopol.
8 March: The US and France warn of "new measures" against Russia if it does not withdraw its forces from Ukraine. Warning shots are fired at international monitors trying to enter Crimea. . . .

From Politico on February 28th:

President Barack Obama on Friday issued a blunt and direct warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin: stay out of Ukraine. 

If not, he said, there will be consequences — though he didn’t say what those might be. 

“We are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside of Ukraine,” Obama said, speaking at the White House. “Any violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply destabilizing.” . . .  

In language that’s about as tough as it gets within diplomacy, Obama warned Russia against a “profound interference” and what would be a “clear violation” of international laws. . . .

From USA Today:

Feb. 28: Armed men in Russian military uniforms take control of key airports in Crimea. Russian marines surround a Ukraine coast guard base in Sevastopol. Obama warns "there will be costs" for Russian military intervention in Ukraine. 

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This was definitely the wrong house to break into: Three of four family members in home had guns

More from WFLA News Channel 8:

A family in Winter Haven shot and killed a burglary suspect, according to the Winter Haven Police report. 

Officers responded to the burglary call around 6:50 a.m. Monday. When they arrived to 4219 Lake Marianna Drive they found the burglary suspect, identified as 40-year-old Mitchell Large, dead in the residence. 

According to WHPD,  the suspect was a complete stranger to the family who lived in the house. Police said, the homeowner Luis F. Pena, 54, his wife Bacenbina A. Pena, 53, and their son Luis A. Pena, 27, were all home when they heard a noise early Monday morning. A forth person, Lilliana E. Pena, 20, was also inside of the home, but did not witness the incident. 

Luis A. Pena went to check on that and found somebody rattling the french doors leading off a back porch area. He pulled out a gun and fired a shot trying to scare off the intruder but the burglar didn't stop.  

The young man went back to the kitchen where his mother and father were, both armed. Police say Large continued to charge at the residents and   the three of them all shot at the intruder when they saw him.  . . .

From a later report from WTSP television:

Investigators say Mitchell Large, who appeared to be unarmed, has a criminal history of assault and domestic violence. 

There appears, they say, to be no link between Large and the Pena family, making charges that much less likely.  

"Whether he was armed or not armed, when he failed to retreat they certainly had a right, if it turns out to be this way, would have a right - to defend themselves" said Chief Hester. . . . 

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James O’Keefe video gets Republican Senate President to Drop out of Re-election race

Despite a very closely divided state Senate in Wisconsin, Project Veritas did an undercover video that caused Republican Senate President Mike Ellis to not seek re-election this fall.   From Fox 6 in Milwaukee:

In the video, recorded two weeks ago, Ellis talks about creating a super PAC to spend money attacking his Democratic opponent state Rep. Penny Bernard Schaber.Ellis said he did not pursue the idea after realizing it was illegal. . . .

I have two thoughts on this: 1) this shows James O’Keefe is willing to go after what he considers bad behavior even when it targets Republicans (which is something that he deserves points for) and 2) whether this is bad behavior depends on the timeline here: the amount of time between the discussion and the release of the video.  If it is clear that Ellis wasn't going to follow through on the discussion, I don't see the problem.  There are so many complicated laws even legislators can't be expected to understand all the implications of them.

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Holder is quite rude to Congressman Gohmert

Just some background on Holder.  He has refused to provide documents for years (just one example here), lied to the House, mislead the Senate, held in contempt by Congress, refuses to investigate Lois Lerner, and a long list of other problems. I wish that I had a longer clip because it would illustrate Holder's unwillingness to directly answer questions.



Then on Thursday at Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, Attorney General Holder implied that the concerns about him and the Obama administration were motivated by racism.


ABC US News | ABC Business News

Holder claims that there were “unprecedented, unwarranted, ugly and divisive” attacks on him and the Obama administration.  

Holder: "What attorney general has ever had to deal with that type of treatment?"

How about Alberto Gonzalez in Attorney Probe?

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Appearance on the Dennis Miller Show to discuss shootings at military bases

Dennis' show is consistently one of my favorite and the interview on Tuesday provided a lot of useful information on the tragedy at Fort Hood.  The interview is available here.

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Soldiers speaking out in favor of carry guns on US military bases

Soldiers who survived the 2009 attack at Fort Hood, Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning, Sgt. Howard Ray and retired Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, warn it is time the 1993 rule be revised.  Now even more are speaking out.  From the Army Times:

In the wake of last week’s shooting on Fort Hood many soldiers and some lawmakers are calling on the military to reconsider allowing troops to carry concealed weapons on post.

On social media and elsewhere, soldiers have been speaking out about their inability to defend themselves at work.   

“It’s the only place that a licensed soldier can’t carry,” said Staff Sgt. Jacob Wiley, who’s assigned to the 708th Contingency Contracting Team at Fort Campbell, Ky. “When you’re deployed,you have your weapon issued to you, and it’s mandatory that you carry it. Then you come back home and you come onto post, and ... the only people who are going to have weapons are military police ... and those who don’t care about the law.” . . . 

A warrant officer, who asked to remain anonymous so he could speak freely, said he believes select soldiers should be allowed to carry weapons on post.   

“If somebody is in a trusted position, someone with a security clearance, somebody who’s in charge of making sure a soldier’s welfare is taken care of, they should be carrying some sort of protection so we don’t have to wait 10 to 15 minutes for the police to show up,” said the warrant officer, who’s been in the Army since 2008 and is training to become a helicopter pilot. . . . .

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Obama continues to push only mental illness solutions at Fort Hood memorial

Obama's talk at the April 9th memorial at Fort Hood again emphasized only mental illness.

In our open society, in advanced bases like this, we can never eliminate every risk, but as a nation, we can do more to help counsel those with mental health issues, to keep firearms out of the hands of those who are having such deep difficulties. As a military, we must continue to do everything in our power to secure our facilities and spare others this pain. . . .

The question is: what happens if you can't accurately identify all the threats due to mental illness?  What happens if the threat is something other than mental illness?

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Newest op-ed at Fox News: "After Fort Hood: Should soldiers be allowed to bear arms on base?"

My newest piece from Fox News starts this way:

In debates on gun control, gun opponents usually speculate about what might go wrong. Unfortunately, the current debate over arming soldiers on military bases is no different.
Except for the military police, soldiers on military bases are banned from carrying guns. But that hasn’t always been the case. 

The ban itself hasn’t been around that long. It was proposed during the George H.W. Bush administration in 1992 as an effort to make the military a more "professional business-like environment." President Clinton rewrote and implemented the ban in 1993. 

After the attack at Fort Hood this past week, many soldiers no doubt wished they had been carrying a gun. The six minutes before military police arrived at the scene proved much too long for the three people killed and 16 wounded. 

Soldiers who survived the 2009 attack at Fort Hood, Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning,Sgt. Howard Ray and retired Sgt. Alonzo Lunsford, warn it is time the 1993 rule be revised. 

Master Sgt. C.J. Grisham points out that there have been “nearly two dozen shootings at U.S. military installations” since the 1993 ban. Yet such attacks have not occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan, where virtually all soldiers have carried a loaded weapon. Nor were they occurring when guns were allowed to be carried on U.S. bases. Gun-free zones in the military have not worked any better than they have in civilian life. . . . .

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20 wounded, 4 severely wounded, in multiple victim stabbing at Pennsylvania high school

Let's assume that they can get rid of guns (which I don't concede), China can attest to the multiple victim knife attacks that they have suffered.  Fortunately, the life of one of those wounded in the knife attack in Pennsylvania was spared by some fast thinking "by applying pressure to the person’s wound."  From Fox News:

Twenty people, including 19 students, were wounded — four seriously — during a stabbing spree early Wednesday at a high school near Pittsburgh and a 16-year-old male student is in custody, authorities say. 

As word of the incident spread and children streamed out of the school, parents told FoxNews.com they were shocked by the attack — and one district official expressed relief that it was carried out with a knife rather than a gun. 

“Nobody’s ever prepared for something like that as a parent,” Matt Provenzo, who had dropped his son, Mark, off at Franklin Regional High School moments after the stabbings, told FoxNews.com. "As he got out of the car, you could see students exiting the building and that the fire alarm was pulled … There were a few students who were visibly upset." . . . 

"Everyone was screaming and people were being trampled over," she told FoxNews.com. "It was a very bad scene. I was very scared. I didn’t know what was happening. I thought it was a drill." . . . .

UPDATE:  The number of injuries is now listed as "at least 24."  From the local CBS station in Pittsburgh:

Westmoreland County updated the victim count late Wednesday evening, saying 24-people had been injured. (21-students stabbed, 1-security guard stabbed, and 2-others injured)
At least five students were critically wounded, including a boy who was on a ventilator after a knife pierced his liver, missing his heart and aorta by only millimeters, doctors said. An injured school officer was discharged. . . .
Witnesses said the boy with the knives at first tackled a freshman and stabbed him in the belly, then got up and ran wildly down the hall, slashing other students. . . .

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