Snow Day

Heck of a snowfall today, and not something Dante gets to see as often as he'd like.

Rhetoric Has Consequences

As the news came in about the shootings of Gabrielle Giffords and Judge John Roll, I was sadly reminded that her office was one of those targeted by the so-called window war following her vote in favor of the health-care bill.  I'm not saying that any group or political stripe bears the sole blame, but we all need to step back and take a look at the rhetoric we're tolerating from elected officials, the media, and from some in our own ranks.

In the months following the 2008 election, I lost count of how many times I heard some seemingly normal person blurt something like, "I wouldn't pull the trigger, but I wouldn't cry over ______'s grave, either."  There was talk from armchair revolutionaries about it being "time to vote from the rooftops."

There was more of it after the health-care vote.  In the 2010 mid-terms, we were treated to Sharron Angle's drivel about "2nd Amendment remedies," and Sarah Palin's PAC ran an advertisement (now removed) portraying literal targets on the names of Democrats they hoped to unseat.

Words often have unpredictable effects.  Tact and diplomacy have been thrown to the wind the last few years, and the whole landscape has gone from uncivil to bewildering and disturbing. I'm well aware that nobody put the gun in this guy's hand and forced him to do this, but at some point, the atmosphere has an effect on the suggestible and unbalanced.

Politicians and commentators on both sides of the aisle will no doubt use today's tragedy to claim that it justifies their respective agendas.  If it must be used for anything, it should be as a call to reason and civility.

(It should also be mentioned that Giffords was a supporter of the 2nd Amendment, and that she signed on to the congressional brief in support of the Heller case.)

Sig Sauer 1911 XO

To this day, the steel-frame Government model remains the apotheosis of the 1911 platform.  Everyone has their own take on the design, some successful, some not so much.

After a few false starts, Sig has gotten it right.

Many Bothans Died to Bring Us This Information

Let's just say I know a guy who once knew a guy who once sniffed paint with Julian Assange in college.  He sometimes gets, shall we say, privileged information.  Some of it is highly classified, as is what I'm about to share with you.

Seriously, let's not put this all over the internet, people.

We all know that the SCAR Mk-16 was recently dropped by SOCOM, and the government claimed they were going back to the M4.  I now have evidence that this is not the case, and that a vast government cover-up is at work.

“He Had Caps, Mike”

In the movie Serenity, Joss Whedon defined "hero" as "someone who gets other people killed."

Bill Husfelt and Ginger Littleton would have done well to know that.  Mr. Husfelt was apparently laboring under the impression that the gun held by Clay Duke was loaded with blanks.  After a security officer shot Duke, Husfelt remonstrated the officer as follows:

He had caps, Mike.  That's what he wanted right there, Mike.  That's why I was trying to talk to him:  I knew.

Perhaps Mr. Husfelt didn't notice the very real bullet holes in the floor and wall behind him.  When he chose to launch into a condescending lecture to Duke under the impression his weapon was harmless, he gambled the lives of every one in that room.

Then there's Ms. Littleton.  If you're going to play the hero and attack the bad guy, you'd better be able to stop him, because if you fail, there's a good chance that you're the one who pushed him over the edge.  Littleton's impulsive, impotent, and stupid purse-swinging antics could have gotten everyone in that room killed.

I find it even more worrisome that Ms. Littleton was safely away from the scene before she chose to re-enter and engage.

Look, folks:  our first clue things are going badly is when a guy spray paints a symbol on the wall and produces a weapon. That generally doesn't bode well. You don't have the option of wondering whether it's loaded, or whether he really means harm with it.  You assume the worst and act accordingly, especially when the lives of others are on the line.

...and I Am All out of Bubblegum

Who's Captain Tactical now?  Huh?  I can't hear you!



That's right, baby.  I am.

Then There Was One

I subscribe to a few anti-gun mailing lists. As such, I get weird emails from time to time. Some are ludicrous, some are informative, and lately, most of them carry a certain air of desperation.

Today's example: a request from the Wisconsin Anti Violence Effort urging me to sign a petition against reform of Wisconsin's carry laws. According to the petition,

Research shows that allowing more people to carry guns in more places will lead to one thing -- more tragedies.

That's odd, because most statistics I've seen prove quite the opposite. Perhaps if they'd provided a citation, I could research their allegation further. Alas, none seems forthcoming.

Not that it would help much. Carry reform in Wisconsin, though long overdue, is all but inevitable.  Once passed, Illinois will be the last state in the union that completely bans concealed carry.

An Atlas of Margins

I mean, what else would I call it?  Etude #29?  Now that would be a little pretentious.

An Atlas of Margins  (00:54)

Andrew Traver and the New Math

The ATF hasn't had a director for almost four years.  Former director Carl Truscott's reign was marked by numerous complaints about misappropriation of funds and poor treatment of employees.  Following his resignation in 2006, the parameters were changed, and Senate confirmation is now required for a nominee.

In the meantime, former prosecutor Michael Sullivan served as Acting Director, but was blocked from nomination for the permanent position.  Sullivan resigned January 20th, 2009, the day President Obama was sworn in.  Presumably, the idea was that the new President could find someone capable of passing confirmation hearings.

Andrew Traver isn't that person.

I Suppose There's Always the Bus

By now, John Tyner's video is national news, as it should be. This has gone too far.

I don't mind removing my shoes and putting them on the conveyor. It's a mild inconvenience. The metal detector has been used since the 1970's without significant complaint, so I'll comply. If I forget about the steel belt buckle and they have to pass the wand over me, so be it.

But hands on the crotch? Naked body images? Slow down there, tiger. I expect to be romanced first, and airport checkpoints don't have the ambience for that.

This goes far beyond petty indignity.

No other law enforcement agency in America has the right to do such an invasive search without proving reasonable suspicion based on "specific and articulable facts." We've endured enough of this "post-911 world" nonsense. It's not keeping us any safer.

Backlights, Maybe

Best heard from some distance.

Backlights, Maybe  (01:01)

It's Called Hubris

And it'll bite you in the rear every time.

The government is once again divided enough to prevent either party from pushing anything through without the approval of the people.  We once again have a bulwark against the Legislative branch acting as a rubber stamp for the Executive. We once again have some semblance of balance.

Whether one perceives them as a third party or a fork of the GOP, the Tea Party showed some clout tonight.  They proved themselves a force to be respected in Florida, Kentucky, and most shockingly, Wisconsin.

Now we see if they can govern.  We might just see a few of those promises about fiscal responsibility kept in the coming weeks and months.  Might.

If tonight was any indication, I'm not holding my breath.