Page Nine

D.C. v. Heller Posts

Here for your convenience are the links to Page Nine posts on the D.C. v. Heller case:

• D.C. v. Heller Eyewitness - Pregame Report
• D.C. v. Heller Eyewitness - Postgame Highlights #1
• D.C. v. Heller Eyewitness Report -- Analysis 1
• From the Mailbag: D.C. v. Heller
  
• D.C. v. Heller Eyewitness Wrapup

Communist Knife Crackdown

The lamestream media told you:

A team of Chinese and Tibetan mountain climbers proudly displayed a special Olympic torch atop Mt. Everest, in a promotional effort to boost the legitimacy of the games. The actual torch is being carried through every province in China, scheduled to reach Beijing two days before the start of the games.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Communist Red China announced on May 6 that knife owners must be registered when they buy "potentially deadly knives," according to the Xinhua communist state news agency and relayed by Reuters, to help protect the safety of the games in the world's largest communist dictatorship: http://www.mps.gov.cn.

Some observers believe that staged elections in the one-party state mean it is not a dictatorship. Reuters calls officials there "Communist rulers."

Among the knives that require citizens to be government listed are those with undefined "blood grooves," those with blades exceeding eight inches, and lock knives, presumably the type that any average American citizen might have in a pocket.

According to Reuters, "China, whose Communist rulers value stability above all else, has come down hard on anyone they fear could upset the Games, from people protesting against the demolition of their houses for venues, to the country's sometimes restless ethnic minorities."

Though the worthless fluff of the alternate-torch-on-a-cold-high-mountain news was widely carried, news of the knife crackdown fell into a hole.

Tags: China, Olympics

Homeless Carbon Bigfootprint

The lamestream media told you:

According to a report aired on National Public Radio, even small carbon footprints in the U.S. (the measure of the destruction of the planet by greenhouse gases and abuse of Mother Earth) are remarkably large. A study of the lowest carbon-footprint group, homeless people, reveals larger than expected footprints. I am not making this up.

The homeless rely on homeless shelters, which have lights, use fuel, are ventilated, and prepare and serve food. Vehicles with engines supply goods, and sewage systems remove waste, leading to surprisingly large footprints.

Among suburban households, even ones struggling desperately to limit their use of limited natural resources, the numbers are measured in hundreds or even thousands of tons annually , according to the official sounding professor who conducted the study with his students. Future studies are planned because the students found it rewarding, and the prof apparently enjoys basking in the glow of the free publicity and fawning accolade.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Several underdeveloped African nations are being singled out for top awards for the lowest carbon footprints on the planet. With an average life expectancy of only 37, and residents subsisting without power, manufactured goods or adequate clothing such as shoes, and eating rodents they can catch or food they find on the ground, Zimbabwe is leading its low-footprint neighbors. Massive deaths due to storms in other parts of the world seemed to threaten their lead, but chief footprint judge Al "Bigfoot" Gore has declared several African backwaters in the lead.

Tags: greenhouse gases, Al Gore

Advanced Degree Druggies

The lamestream media told you:

At least seventy-five students at San Diego State University were arrested on a combination of drug, weapon and other charges in a sting that had been planned for months. Agents made 130 illegal drug buys without even attending classes before descending on the students with warrants.

Seized in the raids were more than four pounds of cocaine, 350 Ecstasy pills, pot, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, meth, prescription drugs and more. A fraternity house had been used as an organized distribution center, with emailed product notices and discounts promoted.   

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Drugs may not be as bad for you as government reports claim, with breaking news that a massive San Diego State University drug bust included a student about to receive a difficult criminal-justice law degree. Another was about to get a Masters Degree in Homeland Security, a field of study that didn't exist until recently, funded and encouraged by the relatively new federal Dept. of Homeland Security.

The wisdom of having government encourage degrees to fuel its operations was not addressed. The ethics of schools taking government funds to create government degree programs was not addressed. The irony of criminal-justice students earning money through drug sales went unnoticed in "news" reports.

"Supply may have been interrupted by the federal raids," says Counterintuitive Man in an unscheduled interview, "but the countless students who for years used the supplies are simply going to look elsewhere for their goods," he said, with typical candor.

"The idea that ruining this fraternity and revoking its revenue stream will stop pot smokers from smoking pot, or dancers from popping Ecstasy could only be believed by an imbecile," he said. "Hey, this is San Diego, on the Mexican border. You can buy almost anything here, by the ton. Closing one fraternity does nothing, but it does make nice nightly news reports where federal agents can strut around as if they've accomplished something."

He did suggest that students are probably somewhat nervous, as they smoke and pop their remaining stashes while seeking out new suppliers. Later reports suggested a half dozen fraternities were involved, but made no mention of every other college in the nation, because "officials" didn't give them anything to say.

In other news, federal agents busted an Arizona gun dealer for selling hundreds of weapons to drug gods in Mexico involved in the U.S.-managed drug war. That war has left 2,500, mostly Mexican drug entrepreneurs, dead, according to the report. There was no news on when the war might be declared a victory and an armistice sought, or declared a defeat and abandoned entirely.

In still other news, a Marine battalion stationed within 20 yards of sprawling poppy fields in Afghanistan leave the vegetables untouched and their farmers unharmed, as a strict matter of policy. According to the commanders in the beautifully illustrated story, this is the only source of revenue for the poor farmers, and disturbing it would merely turn the people against the U.S. forces needlessly. The Taliban reportedly rakes in $100 million annually from the crops, which represent 33% of the nation's gross domestic product, according to the Associated Press.

Prices for government-banned drugs remained stable on world markets despite the reports.

Tags: drugs, San Diego State University

Hiding Illegal Aliens

The lamestream media told you:

Headline, Arizona Republic: "Man suspected of impregnating 11-year-old. An 18-year-old man has been accused of having sex with a 11-year-old girl and getting her pregnant, authorities said Friday."

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

KPHO-TV version of the same story: "Illegal Immigrant Rapes, Impregnates Girl, 11. An 18-year-old illegal immigrant has been arrested in connection with the rape of an 11-year-old girl, Maricopa County sheriff's deputies said."

The Arizona Republic denies any bias or attempts to legitimize or hide illegal alien activity.

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office reports the perp had been wanted in connection with a drug case.

Media pundits continue to debate why their credibility is evaporating.

Tags: KPHO-TV, media bias, Arizona Republic

Presidential Gun Runners

The lamestream media told you:

Sen. Barack H. Obama and Sen. Hillary R. Clinton, both of whom no longer use their middle names for reasons that remain unexplained, support the olden second amendment, and they are working hard to attract the gun vote.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

The Brady anti-gun-rights campaign has issued its demands for "gun control" in a public "Message to candidates for president." The Democrat's candidates, if elected, are expected to work closely with the Brady group to implement "reasonable, common-sense" measures that include (quotes directly from the Brady newsletter):

-- Make it harder for undefined "dangerous people" to get undefined "dangerous weapons."

[FYI, note that anyone with a firearm (such as police officers, teachers or homeowners) are considered "dangerous" by hoplophobes and many politicians, and guns are not only dangerous, they're supposed to be dangerous and wouldn't be any good if they weren't dangerous.]

-- "A strong and permanent ban on military-style assault weapons."

[FYI, note that military-style weapons are precisely what the Second Amendment addresses, and "assault" is a type of behavior, not a type of hardware.]

-- "Close the gun show loophole."

[FYI, note that the private sale of property is not a loophole, that any criminal sale or purchase of a firearm at a gun show or anywhere else has already been severely criminalized and is largely unenforced, and why on earth should a gun-show gun sale be any more in Brady's sights than any other perfectly legal private sale between friends and relatives. Hmmm.]

-- "Closing the 'terror gap' in our background check system."

[FYI, I have no idea what this is but suspect it means using the so-called "no fly list" as a gun-ban list. This is a secretly generated list of airline passengers singled out for special treatment by unelected bureaucrats within the TSA or the HSA, without advanced notice or a published means of appeal.]

-- "Stand up against the gun pushers' lobby... and stand with victims... who have made it clear they want sensible gun laws."

[FYI, note they have not expressed interested in going after the criminal perps who assaulted the victims, but are focusing instead on the ownership, possession and use of liberty's teeth.]

-- "Insist the candidates get illegal guns out of our communities by [among other plans] strengthening the ATF."

[Source: "The Brady Report," Winter 2008]

Sen. John McCain, running as a Republican, has not yet responded to repeated requests to denounce or at least retract his support for the McCain gun-show loophole bill, which would have entirely eliminated gun shows in America. McCain, sometimes called "the least offensive of the Democrat's candidates," did once publicly deny that his bill would end gun shows, but unfortunately that was completely incorrect. The town hall event where the Uninvited Ombudsman had asked him about it did not allow followup questions. See the plain-English bill analysis here.

The "news" media, despite extensive opportunities, continues to refuse to ask the candidates, "If you're elected, what guns would you allow Americans to have?" The question of course is way loaded, but it would be fun to hear the replies, according to informed sources.

Tags: Barack Obama, gun control, gun shows, Hillary Clinton, John McCain

Olympic Shooting Plans

The lamestream media told you: 

Tibetan activists are bringing pressure on president Bush to boycott the upcoming summer Olympics in China.    

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that: 

More than 170 rifle and pistol shooters from around the U.S. are competing for spots on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team scheduled for August in Communist China. Rifle slots available, completely blacked out by "news" outlets focused on political posturing instead of the competitions, include Men's Prone, Men's 3-Position and Women's 3-Position. Pistol shooters are competing in Men's Free Pistol, Men's Rapid Fire Pistol and Women's Sport Pistol. The trials are held at Ft. Benning's International Shooting Complex in Columbus, Ga., May 12-22.

Tags: Olympics, Tibet

What if government harming were covered as extensively as global warming?

By Special Guest Columnist Craig J. Cantoni

A recent issue of Time magazine has a cover story about global warming. How original. It’s just one of hundreds of messages that drip on our heads and our children’s heads each day about global warming.

Drip-drip-drip.

Hundreds of other messages drip on us about Big Oil, evil corporations, rampant racism, rising income inequality, and the glories of diversity. The drops come from the media, K-12 schools, universities, and, amazingly, even from corporate advertising.

Drip-drip-drip.

The torrent contains some facts, but most of it is hyperbole and hysteria. I’d rather be water-boarded than endure this form of water torture.

Curiously, messages about government harming are as rare as rain in Death Valley. By “harming,” I mean the insidious and pervasive harm that government is inflicting on the economy and society.

For example, you won’t see this on the cover of Time: THE $800,000 INJUSTICE

The staggering sum of $800,000 is what the unfunded liabilities for entitlements and public pensions will come to -- per child -- if they are bequeathed to the 75 million children under the voting age of 18.

How many times a day do you hear about this coming travesty of justice from the establishment media, from our benevolent government, and from the presidential candidates (aka the Three Stooges)? Better yet, how many times have your children been told in government K-12 schools about the lives of servitude they face to pay off the $800,000 bill?

Oh, sorry. I showed my ignorance with the last question. Every time I’ve written that government schools are inherently statist and engage in propaganda, parents email nastygrams in response, calling me an ignoramus and other names too gross to repeat. Since I’m an ignoramus, it must be true that K-12 students are taught as often about the danger of the $800,000 as they are taught about the danger of global warming.

Right, parents?

Hello, are you there, parents? Knock-knock, anyone home? Can you hear me above the sound of the drips?

Funny thing, but when I told my kid about the $800,000, he was much more interested in that subject than he was in the subjects of global warming and diversity.

Did I break the law by telling him? Have Senators John McCain and Russ Feingold made it a crime for a father to give such facts to his son 60 days prior to an election?

For sure, you can count on President Barack “Bolshevik” Obama and First Lady Michelle “Fidel” Obama to increase the volume of drips. After all, both of them think that 13,000 hours spent with unionized teachers in government classrooms is not enough indoctrination during childhood. Drip-drip-drip.

Borrowing a page from the Third Reich and the Soviet Union, they also want young adults to join a government job corps after graduation to work for the good of society and the environment -- and, of course, to learn more about the party line. Drip-drip-drip-drip-drip-drip.

You’d think that in 13,000 hours there would be time to teach children such apolitical facts as these:

-- that the government’s share of national income has doubled in the last 80 years;

-- that transfer payments, subsidies and handouts accounted for about five percent of federal spending 100 years ago, versus over half of spending today;

-- that the cost of government and government regulations is almost $30,000 a year per household, or about 65 percent of average household income;

-- that the government created today’s healthcare mess 66 years ago;

-- that many, if not most, socioeconomic problems are caused by out-of-wedlock births and single-parent families, both of which have been fueled by government policies and praised by media outlets and Hollywood;

-- that public education has failed miserably to achieve its goal of universal education, and that the productivity of public schools has plummeted, as measured by test scores and spending;

-- that government bookkeeping is fraudulent, and that the Social Security Trust Fund is an accounting fiction; and

-- that the government is covering its profligate spending by debasing the currency and punishing savers with inflation.

If children were to know such facts about government harming as well as they know half-truths about global warming, think of what would happen. They’d grow into adults who would turn off the dripping propaganda faucet.

Of course, that’s why the brainwashers will never teach children about government harming.

An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.

Counterintuitive Man Says...

This polygamist thing confuses me -- why would any rational man want more than one wife? And how is that anyone else’s business as long as the adults consent -- as unlikely as that may seem? Our Man Flint had four women, and was revered, do we have our sensibilities screwed on right?

When the “news” calls your home a “compound” you’re screwed blued and tattooed, even if you call it a ranch (which reporters will ignore, there’s just no sensationalism there).

Remember -- a compound has barracks, the polygamists lived in dormitories. Dormitories are found on a campus, which is what the aerial views looked like (but there’s even less zip in dormitory than ranch).

Polygamy is a religious choice, or at least used to be in the land of the free. A leading panel of experts could find no powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to regulate polygamy, or marriage in any form. The correct term, long forgotten, is “holy matrimony,” clearly implying no basis for government interference.

Abuse of minor children however is a separate issue, and a legitimate criminal matter.

At least, the obsession with these people is squeezing out any mention of the billions missing from other people in the Bear Sterns scandal, and the execs who cashed out just prior to the “unexpected” collapse and subsequent bailout with taxpayer money.

Speaking of polygamy dangers, whatever happened to the killer bee threat that was going to ruin life as we know it?

Tags: polygamy, killer bees

Journalists Promote Segregation

The lamestream media told you:

[Actually, they only told themselves, in the industry trade publication, The Quill] The Hispanic news excellence contest is coming, sign up now, the Black Journalists reporters meeting is coming, sign up now...

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

The Uninvited Ombudsman does not participate in racially segregated events because it fosters racism, and such events are typically supported by racially oriented groups that deny their racism and are typically actively involved in accusing every one else of... racism.

Last month’s news media Ethics Week theme was, “Act Independently.” They just don’t get it.

Tags: racial segregation, journalism

Phony Gun Endorsement

The lamestream media told you:

The American Hunters and Shooters Association, a mainstream gun-owner group, has endorsed Sen. Obama for his reasonable positions on gun control. The Senator has repeatedly said he supports the second amendment.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

The American Hunters and Shooters Association, a Brady-endorsed anti-gun-rights group pretending to be a pro-rights group, wants people to believe gun owners are leaning toward Barack H. Obama. This is the man who, in a 1996 candidate questionnaire declared his support for a complete ban on the manufacturing, sale and possession of handguns and undefined "assault weapons." In Pennsylvania recently he said, “I am not in favor of concealed weapons.” AHSA believes that would be “reasonable, common-sense” gun policy, just like D.C.’s supporters of a total ban on any working firearm in your own home. Why any gun owners in their right mind would support such positions was unexplained at press time.

Tags: Barack Obama, The American Hunters and Shooters Association

Columbine-Style Denials

The lamestream media told you:

A 16-year-old South Bend, Indiana, teen boy has planned a “Columbine-style attack” on his high school, according to police who intervened and apprehended the suspect.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

“News reports do not encourage copycat behavior,” says every news media group in the nation. Yeah, right. A “Columbine-style attack.” Columbine was a single tragic event that occurred more than a decade ago but still makes headlines in lamestream reports. More people die in any given month from medical errors in any state, a news item perpetually suppressed by the “news” media.

Tags: Columbine

Gun Control Refresher

The lamestream media told you:

The NICS Improvement Act, also known as the “Stop Nut Jobs From Buying Guns At Retail” bill, is the first federal gun-control law in many years, according to leading news outlets everywhere.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

For lists of more than 100 changes to federal gun-control laws in the past five years, visit this link.

Both the Bradys and the NRA claimed victory in this bill’s passage. Pro-rights lawyers rewrote the entire bill before enactment, changing serious infringements into legitimate bans on gun sales to certifiable mental cases. This infuriated the antis and was generally praised by pro-rights advocates. The unedited Brady version would have allowed arbitrary denial of rights to anyone, by “determination” by unnamed authorities, with no appeal process.

Many prior gun-control laws enacted to protect gun rights, which we can expect to be “re-managed” under an anti-rights administration or Congress, included:

--Judiciary may not tax or add fees to the Brady NICS check;

--NICS must destroy certain records related to retail gun sales;

--Federal officers get limited funding for firearm competitions and awards;

--Reiteration of ban on centralizing certain firearms records;

--No changes allowed to Curios or Relics list;

--Continuing denial of relief for people with federal firearms disability except for corporations;

--No electronic retrieval allowed for out-of-business dealer records;

--Safeguards on using dealer records in “fishing-expedition” police work;

--$45 million for prosecutions to reduce gun violence;

--A renewed ban against advocating or promoting gun control by the Centers for Disease Control

--Expiration of arbitrary “named-weapons” ban, convincingly but inaccurately labeled “assault” weapons (assault is a type of behavior, not a type of hardware).

Tags: NICS, NRA, puppy

Self Deportation Working

The lamestream media told you:

Xenophobic anti-immigration hardliners are proposing unworkable laws that target poor working people who just want to get ahead. The proposals, which won’t work, rely on racial profiling and can’t be fairly enforced.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Patriotic citizens resisting tidal waves of illegal immigration (called xenophobic anti-immigration hardliners by the “news” media) are celebrating the successes of recently enacted laws, especially in Arizona, where more people sneak into the country than anywhere else.

Top federal officials are calling the Arizona deportation policy “a model” and want other states to follow. Under this program, jailed non-violent illegal immigrants are released from prison and immediately deported. The state has sent 1,443 such prisoners to ICE, saving $18.6 million since 2005. (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0415deport0414.html)

In other news, five tax-funded Arizona schools are set for closing for lack of students. Officials blame a new state law that severely punishes businesses that hire illegal aliens, forcing the illegals to flee. More than 1,000 students did not re-enroll in January, when the new law took effect.

Since schools get money for every pupil attending, they claim this has “cost” them millions. Actually, this saves taxpaying citizens millions, a subtle difference missed by the “news” media for unknown reasons.

Spokesmen for the illegals say this is not entirely unexpected, as the illegals are moving to states without laws designed to block them. Arizona wishes these sanctuary locations well.

State representative Russell Pearce, a leading border-protection advocate characterized as an immigration hardliner in “news” reports, says “self deportation” works, comparing it to an amusement park. “Just stop the free rides and turn off the lights and everyone leaves.”

Tags: Russell Pearce

Levy On Tour

The lamestream media told you:

Nothing.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Bob Levy, the man who financed and enabled the D.C. v. Heller gun-ban case, has been touring nationally to promote his new book (The Dirty Dozen) on the 12 worst cases decided by the Supreme Court. He appeared at an Institute for Justice seminar last week, among many stops. (http://www.cato.org/events/calendar.html)

If he had advanced notice on the release of the Heller decision he would go to D.C. for the news, but he says he doesn’t expect any. The Court will announce its announcement when it’s ready, that is all. Could be any day, must be by end of June.

The Justices are not influenced by outside forces between the hearing and the decision, in Levy’s opinion. The Uninvited Ombudsman has received similar remarks from other people in a position to know. State courts are not so insulated from dinner conversations. I’m unsure.

Levy will not be pursuing more gun cases, this was enough. More than enough. He had decided to get involved at the urging of trusted peers at the Cato Institute and in his private practice.

Of two main reasons for picking newcomer Gura as lead attorney, the man was totally dedicated to the issue and the cause, and worked independently to come up to speed beyond what payments could motivate; The fact that he was willing to work for pay that violated minimum wage laws was not overlooked by Levy who had to pay the bills, for nearly five years to get the case heard.

Gura took an enormous gamble in taking the assignment. Was it a career move or folly? What does his wife think? I’ve got a wife -- I know how important that element is. Four-plus years of immersion in a crucial American history issue, with inadequate compensation, you have to imagine what his spouse and peers thought.

Levy had to resist enormous pressure to bring in a known heavyweight, like former Solicitor General Ted Olson, but Levy stayed true to his promise to Gura.

Gura is generally seen as a champion, praised widely for an excellent job. He has also been the subject of harsh criticism, for his perceived easy acceptance of “reasonable” gun-control measures, assessed here.

And he, along with Levy, the NRA and everyone else, will stand as villains in the annals of history, if the decision finally comes down that in some way allows the Bradys to claim victory, because the standard of review for “acceptable laws” is sufficiently lax to legislate the right to keep and bear arms out of existence.

Everyone’s speculating on what the decision will be. Like Bob, I’m waiting to see.

The lamestream will issue a verdict almost immediately. Most of them will not read the anticipated lengthy decision -- they’ll just read the one-page “syllabus” or summary that accompanies decisions (written by clerks, not the Justices).

Or they will simply quote each other, led by the nose by the Associated Press, Washington Post and New York Times, the most gun-prejudiced organizations in the country. And then they’ll wonder why their credibility is in the toilet. Hint: It’s down there because they’ve earned it.

Counterintuitive Man believes most reporters who could actually read the decision would not be able to tell what it means. This could not be confirmed.

It will probably take me a week, maybe more after the pundits pronounce what the decision means, to issue an assessment. I’ll study it, actually look up the cross references (there will be many), and talk with experts nationwide to understand what the Court has done about our rights, before writing about it. Wait for it.

Tags: Bob Levy, D.C. v. Heller, The Dirty Dozen

College Shotgun Champions

The lamestream media told you:

Students and guns don’t mix. Schools are no place for guns, gun talk, gun history, gun training, gun safety, gun science, ballistics, marksmanship, gun drawings or pointed-finger make-believe guns. Any gun news coming from schools vill only deal viss crime und disaster.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

The Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships in 2008 were the largest ever in the event’s 40-year history, reports the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a large professional organization blacked out by “news” groups for reasons that remain unclear.

Lindenwood University of St. Charles, Mo., has claimed its fifth straight national title, edging out Texas A&M, Kansas State and more than 30 other colleges. Men’s, women’s and other trophy winners are listed at the link below. The Top 20 teams overall, with targets hit (out of 1,600 thrown) were:

1. Lindenwood University, 1,528
2. Texas A&M University, 1,522
3. Kansas State University, 1,447
4. Colorado State University, 1,427
5. University of Missouri - Columbia, 1,427
6. Fort Hays State University, 1,415
7. George Mason University, 1,412
8. Virginia Tech University, 1,405
9. Trinity University, 1,404
10. Southeastern Illinois College, 1,341
11. Sam Houston State University, 1,284
12. Kansas State University, Team 2, 1,283
13. University of Wyoming, 1,261
14. Purdue University, 1,246
15. Lindenwood University, Team 2, 1,240
16. Radford University, 1,217
17. University of Louisiana - Lafayette, 1,178
18. University of Nebraska - Omaha, 1,171
19. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, 1,170
20. Eastern Kentucky University, 1,152

Ivy League schools were busy booking Ward Churchill speeches and did not compete.

In other news, NICS background checks for firearms in March were 1,040,863, an increase of 6.7% over the same time last year. First quarter figures were 3,004,549. Predictions persist that sales will skyrocket on or about the next presidential election, regardless of who wins. Ammo prices are already rising.

Tags: Intercollegiate Clay Target Championships, Lindenwood University

Media Range Day

The lamestream media told you:

Nothing.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Bass Pro Shops will be the title sponsor for “Media Day at the Range” for the next three years.

The fourth annual Media Day at the Range, scheduled for the day before the SHOT Show, will be on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009, at the Orange County Sheriff's Range in Orlando. This event gives outdoor journalists the opportunity to handle and shoot new products from leading manufacturers. The event benefits youth shooting organizations, including the Orange County 4-H Shooting Sports.

Although the SHOT Show is generally overrun with outdoor journalists, lamestream media are as scarce as gun-rights advocates in a Democrat’s party. In the past however, when journalists have been taken to a range, their gun-bigotry attitudes tend to soften, which is a good thing. Take a journalist to the range, if you can convince one to join you. How about that -- you need to convince these people to go. Don’t that beat all.

Tags: Bass Pro Shops, Media Day at the Range, SHOT Show

Olympic Shooting Champion

The lamestream media told you:

Unruly demonstrators attacked the Olympic torch relay in this city, and in that city, and enroute to a ship, and it had to detour, and be hidden from view, and blah blah blah diplomats are upset.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

Three-time Olympic athlete Lones W. Wigger, now 70, has been officially inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Mr. Wigger competed in 1964 in Tokyo, 1968 in Mexico, and 1972 in Munich, where he took two gold medals and one silver medal in -- rifle shooting. The induction ceremony is set for June 19 in Chicago.

In a 25-year career, he won 13 gold medals and five silvers at the Pan American games, and 111 medals in total while setting 29 world records in international competition. His achievements are a great honor for America, the Olympics, the shooting sports in general, and are more newsworthy than a media circus over a torch. The lamestream media didn’t get the memo.

Tags: China, Olympics, Lones W. Wigger

Earth Day Follies

The lamestream media told you:

April 22 was Earth Day, when all reasonable people praised and worshipped Mother Earth, danced gaily with renewable organic flowers in their hair, adopted the deepest principles of self-sacrifice environmentalism -- which has been proven to be a scientific fact -- and conserve, reuse, recycle, reduce and lower their standard of living to save the planet and achieve equality through self sacrifice. If man-and-woman-kind weren’t inherently evil consumers of Earth’s bounty, led by the U.S. and industrialized oppressor nations with a high standard of greed, this wouldn’t be needed in the first place.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

An unknown number of people worldwide, suspecting hypocrisy in stories about Earth Day, have named April 22nd as “Exploit the Earth Day,” led by a clever band of merry men and one Craig Biddle, who The Uninvited Ombudsman does not know. According to Biddle:

“‘Exploit the Earth or die. It’s not a threat. It’s a fact.’ Either man takes the Earth’s raw materials -- such as trees, petroleum, aluminum, and atoms -- and transforms them into the requirements of his life, or he dies. To live, man must produce the goods on which his life depends; he must produce homes, automobiles, computers, electricity, and the like; he must seize nature and use it to his advantage. There is no escaping this fact. Even the allegedly ‘noble’ savage must pick or perish. Indeed, even if a person produces nothing, insofar as he remains alive he indirectly exploits the Earth by parasitically surviving off the exploitative efforts of others.”

During intensive questioning, Counterintuitive Man said, “Biddle’s right,” and added, “Atoms includes but is not limited to carbon atoms, and Biddle forgot to mention food -- you need to exploit earth’s resources for food.” Too many people fail to exploit earth for food and starve, he notes, leading to calls for funding from nations that do exploit earth for food.

Tags: Craig Biddle, puppy

Correction: Parker Gun Case

I've just learned that some people complained about this line from "Parker Gun Case":

"Asked why the change was made, an insider with knowledge of the case suggests, "D.C. has switched to Heller probably because Parker is an African-American female and Heller is a less sympathetic figure as a white male. Our side will probably keep the name Parker when responding to the D.C. cert petition, and ultimately, it'll be up to the Supremes."

My info came from a reliable source but it shows my own lack of understanding. While the reason above has a certain appeal and describes an ugly and not uncommon politic, it had nothing to do with the case as I later learned and never got around to posting. Parker was found to not have proper standing, her fear of threats was held insufficient. Heller however had applied for and been denied a handgun permit, and was thus sufficiently aggrieved to bring the case. The name of the case then took D.C. first, since the practice is to name the petitioner first. This once again proves I'm human, despite the rumors to the contrary.

Special Guest Columnist Eric ".44 Magnum" Cartridge on -- "Taking Gun Virgins for a Desert Shoot"

My line of work as a producer of advertising, photo shoots and television commercials brings me in contact with people from all over the world. They come to Arizona all winter for our consistent sunshine and great natural beauty. Many of my clients are from New York, California, England, Canada and other places not known for their tolerance of guns and gun owners. The right to keep and bear arms is legendary in the American West but equally alien in less enlightened parts of the world, and often the subject of guns comes up in conversation while we are driving around the state looking at filming (shooting?) locations.

A couple of weeks ago I was working with a New York City-based client on a fashion catalog, and the photographer said, "Eric, what's the deal with guns out here? I hear lots of people have guns in Arizona." I replied, "Of course we do, don't you have guns in New York?" (knowing full well that most New Yorkers of course don't).

He responded that he didn't have a gun. Then he carefully asked if I did.

"Well of course I own guns," I said, feigning surprise at the question.

"How many guns do you have?" he asked, with eyebrows raised, and I nonchalantly told him I had about 30 or so, but I hadn't exactly counted them in a while.