Friday, November 29, 2019
Caught twice in three weeks
A man from Florida was caught twice in a three week period trying to get on a plane with a firearm in his luggage. It appears like he was carrying a 100 year old Savage 1907 that had seen better days. What I don't understand is how he could be caught TWICE with a loaded firearm in New York, trying to get on a plane, and isn't getting arrested.
The swamp
Quote of the day:
Upon her private email server being subpoenaed by a congressional investigative committee, Hillary Clinton sent the computer to be professionally wiped clean of all files and then turned it over. Yet, the same people who expressed no interest in pursuing that clear obstruction of justice have been calling secondhand witnesses to a phone call, whose transcript has already been made public!
Family
We were invited to my brother's house for Thanksgiving. So yesterday, we made the two hour drive so we could spend the evening with family. My mother, my sister, and their families were all there, along with my daughter and my grandchildren. In total, there were eighteen adults and children. A great time was had by all. Of course, when that many family members get together, one of them has got to ruin it.
For us, it was my brother's son. My nephew is 19 years old, lives with his parents, and he has issues. Let's just say that the local cops all know his name, he can't keep a job, and it always seems to me someone else's fault (according to him, anyway). On top of it, my brother and his wife tolerate the fact that he drinks at 19 years old. Whatever- not my kid, not my house. The problem is that he becomes a bit of a jerk while drinking. After dinner, my nephew began wrestling with the older kids who were there (all in the 14-16 range). This mostly consisted of him beating on the teens, "all in good fun."
A couple of bloody noses later, he challenged me to a wrestling match. I refused. He retreated to his parent's bedroom and came back with a handheld stun gun. He pulled the trigger to get the loud spark effect, and the room immediately got quiet. He loudly said, "Hey, Uncle. Sit still for a minute, let's see what happens when I Taser you."
Me: "No. Put that away."
Nephew (walking towards me): "Come on, it will be funny."
Me (standing up and reaching into my pocket for pepper spray): "Put down the weapon right now, or I will have to hurt you."
It was at this point where my brother snuck up behind him and snatched the Taser out of his hand, thus avoiding a major Thanksgiving incident that would have surely wound up with someone going to the ER and someone being arrested.
My nephew stormed into his bedroom, where he stayed for the next hour. He did eventually come out and apologize.
There is always one in every family.
For us, it was my brother's son. My nephew is 19 years old, lives with his parents, and he has issues. Let's just say that the local cops all know his name, he can't keep a job, and it always seems to me someone else's fault (according to him, anyway). On top of it, my brother and his wife tolerate the fact that he drinks at 19 years old. Whatever- not my kid, not my house. The problem is that he becomes a bit of a jerk while drinking. After dinner, my nephew began wrestling with the older kids who were there (all in the 14-16 range). This mostly consisted of him beating on the teens, "all in good fun."
A couple of bloody noses later, he challenged me to a wrestling match. I refused. He retreated to his parent's bedroom and came back with a handheld stun gun. He pulled the trigger to get the loud spark effect, and the room immediately got quiet. He loudly said, "Hey, Uncle. Sit still for a minute, let's see what happens when I Taser you."
Me: "No. Put that away."
Nephew (walking towards me): "Come on, it will be funny."
Me (standing up and reaching into my pocket for pepper spray): "Put down the weapon right now, or I will have to hurt you."
It was at this point where my brother snuck up behind him and snatched the Taser out of his hand, thus avoiding a major Thanksgiving incident that would have surely wound up with someone going to the ER and someone being arrested.
My nephew stormed into his bedroom, where he stayed for the next hour. He did eventually come out and apologize.
There is always one in every family.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
This is why we have mandatory sentencing
Bleeding heart judges are why we have a crime problem. A 34 year old man with multiple felony convictions shot a Tulsa police officer. The only reason why the bullet didn't do as much damage as it could have, was that it was stopped by a Navy challenge coin that he kept in his pocket. The shooter was convicted in Federal court of felon in possession of a firearm, attempting to kill a witness, and using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.
Despite the fact that the defendant was completely unrepentant, the judge gave him the minimum sentence on the charges: ten years for felon in possession, and 30 for attempting to kill a witness. He ordered that those two be served concurrently. So, even though the minimum sentences totaled 40 years, the judge ordered them to be served at the same time. The third charge has a requirement that its ten year minimum be served after the completion of all other sentences. So, a total of 40 years for all three charges. He has appealed his conviction, but I don't know the basis for that appeal and don't feel like paying PACER fees to find out.
The entire incident was caught on multiple body cams. The video is embedded below. The shots happen at 19:20.
Despite the fact that the defendant was completely unrepentant, the judge gave him the minimum sentence on the charges: ten years for felon in possession, and 30 for attempting to kill a witness. He ordered that those two be served concurrently. So, even though the minimum sentences totaled 40 years, the judge ordered them to be served at the same time. The third charge has a requirement that its ten year minimum be served after the completion of all other sentences. So, a total of 40 years for all three charges. He has appealed his conviction, but I don't know the basis for that appeal and don't feel like paying PACER fees to find out.
The entire incident was caught on multiple body cams. The video is embedded below. The shots happen at 19:20.
Monday, November 25, 2019
Transgender ridiculousness
So now teachers have to call a kid whatever name he or she picks for themselves instead of the legal name that they are registered in school under, or else we are guilty of bullying? What happens when a kid decides their name is Slick Daddy G?
This is ridiculous. I will call each student by their legal name. If they (or their parents) don't like it, then go to court and get the name changed.
So help me, I am going to identify as using one of the following names, and then demand that everyone use that name:
George Pooney
Squirt Reynolds
Luke Thighwalker
Peter Dragon
Lance Hardwood
Dick Plough
Miles O'Pecker
Then I am going to walk into the girls' locker room any time I feel like it, because to keep me out is to discriminate against my sexual orientation.
This is ridiculous. I will call each student by their legal name. If they (or their parents) don't like it, then go to court and get the name changed.
So help me, I am going to identify as using one of the following names, and then demand that everyone use that name:
George Pooney
Squirt Reynolds
Luke Thighwalker
Peter Dragon
Lance Hardwood
Dick Plough
Miles O'Pecker
Then I am going to walk into the girls' locker room any time I feel like it, because to keep me out is to discriminate against my sexual orientation.
If they refuse, it is only because they are bullying me.
Order and discipline
The president used his constitutional position as Commander in Chief of the Armed forces to restore the rank of three accused military personnel, including the rank of SEAL Eddie Gallagher. His completely out of bounds courts martial was filled with JAG misconduct, including the clearly unconstitutional decision of the prosecutors to electronically spy on his defense attorneys. Beyond this outrage – which no one was prosecuted for – these idiots then used an immunized witness who testified that he killed the alleged ISIS victim, and NOT the accused. Gallagher was acquitted of everything except some piddling charge of taking a selfie with a terrorist stiff, which normally would have been handled with non-Judicial punishment, and still had the book thrown at him.
After the acquittal, the JAGs decided to award each other medals. Medals. Not indictments for their eavesdropping antics. Not letters of reprimand for their staggering incompetence. Medals. President Trump got wind of this and had to personally direct that these defective decorations be withdrawn. Fast forward to the restoration of Gallagher’s rank and what happens next? The Naval Special Forces commander, apparently the next day, initiated a proceeding to take Gallagher’s SEAL trident, his status as a special warfare operator.
Here is the most insidious part- Gallagher had already announced his retirement, and was due to be discharged in November. No matter what, Chief Gallgher was never again going to be on an actual SEAL team. Instead, the initiation of this review means that he could not be discharged until the review and all of the associated appeals were complete. So instead of retiring in November, he would perhaps be retiring next spring. This was pure retribution for pissing off the Obama-era admirals, another example of Obama and his cronies trying to gum up the works.
President Donald Trump needs to announce a reduction in rank for the admiral in charge of the Naval Special Forces Command, for continuing with the punitive measures against Chief Gallagher against orders to the contrary. Contrary to what the Navy PIO had to say, an order doesn't have to be in writing to be an order. Had the admiral mentioned that he wanted something done, and one of his subordinates refused to do so until the orders were in writing, that sailor would have been in NJP and reduced in rank within 48 hours. I know, I did 7 years in the Navy myself. Officers are very unforgiving of what they refer to as "sea lawyers." I think it would be poetic justice to reduce him in rank to Commander, take away his Trident, and then place him in charge of the mess hall at some out of the way jerkwater naval base for the remainder of his career.
Once that is done, Trump needs to demote that Admiral’s boss for failing to maintain control of his subordinate. While he is at it, the PIO of the Navy should be second in command of the aforementioned mess hall, for allowing his command to issue passive aggressive statements disrespectful of the President. The Navy JAG corps likely needs some house cleaning, as well.
If none of that is legally permissible, then they could always convene a GCM for each of the officers above for violating various sections of the UCMJ. Here is an article that kind of touches on the legalities involved. One thing is for sure- senior military officers are under the mistaken assumption that they have the ability to refuse orders from the chain of command. That is a dangerous state of affairs for a country with a history of a civilian controlled military.
After the acquittal, the JAGs decided to award each other medals. Medals. Not indictments for their eavesdropping antics. Not letters of reprimand for their staggering incompetence. Medals. President Trump got wind of this and had to personally direct that these defective decorations be withdrawn. Fast forward to the restoration of Gallagher’s rank and what happens next? The Naval Special Forces commander, apparently the next day, initiated a proceeding to take Gallagher’s SEAL trident, his status as a special warfare operator.
Here is the most insidious part- Gallagher had already announced his retirement, and was due to be discharged in November. No matter what, Chief Gallgher was never again going to be on an actual SEAL team. Instead, the initiation of this review means that he could not be discharged until the review and all of the associated appeals were complete. So instead of retiring in November, he would perhaps be retiring next spring. This was pure retribution for pissing off the Obama-era admirals, another example of Obama and his cronies trying to gum up the works.
President Donald Trump needs to announce a reduction in rank for the admiral in charge of the Naval Special Forces Command, for continuing with the punitive measures against Chief Gallagher against orders to the contrary. Contrary to what the Navy PIO had to say, an order doesn't have to be in writing to be an order. Had the admiral mentioned that he wanted something done, and one of his subordinates refused to do so until the orders were in writing, that sailor would have been in NJP and reduced in rank within 48 hours. I know, I did 7 years in the Navy myself. Officers are very unforgiving of what they refer to as "sea lawyers." I think it would be poetic justice to reduce him in rank to Commander, take away his Trident, and then place him in charge of the mess hall at some out of the way jerkwater naval base for the remainder of his career.
Once that is done, Trump needs to demote that Admiral’s boss for failing to maintain control of his subordinate. While he is at it, the PIO of the Navy should be second in command of the aforementioned mess hall, for allowing his command to issue passive aggressive statements disrespectful of the President. The Navy JAG corps likely needs some house cleaning, as well.
If none of that is legally permissible, then they could always convene a GCM for each of the officers above for violating various sections of the UCMJ. Here is an article that kind of touches on the legalities involved. One thing is for sure- senior military officers are under the mistaken assumption that they have the ability to refuse orders from the chain of command. That is a dangerous state of affairs for a country with a history of a civilian controlled military.
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Only ones
Remember that police are the only ones that can be trusted to own guns, even when they are intoxicated and threatening Lyft drivers at gunpoint.
Friday, November 15, 2019
Interstellar space facts
I thought that this story about the Voyager probes measurements of interstellar space was fascinating.
Databases
Do you know why red flag laws won't work as they are advertised? Because the government has been collecting too much data, and have not been verifying that what they are collecting is accurate. There is an old saying in computer circles: GIGO- Garbage In, Garbage Out. A computer database cannot be more accurate than the LEAST accurate data it has been fed.
As this unfortunate man found out, the cops are not all that motivated to ensure that the information they are keeping on all of us is accurate. The result is that innocents suffer, and criminals walk free.
The real travesty here is this:
There were discrapancies, but the cops didn't care:
As this unfortunate man found out, the cops are not all that motivated to ensure that the information they are keeping on all of us is accurate. The result is that innocents suffer, and criminals walk free.
The real travesty here is this:
There were discrapancies, but the cops didn't care:
"It's up to you guys," replied the dispatcher. "Everything else that you gave me matches. So I guess he'll need to get it straightened out at the jail."They didn't care whether or not they got the right guy. Their default is to lock you up, and let YOU figure it out.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Scene safety again
Back in 2007, I blogged about how EMS should and does disarm people during an EMS call. The reason has nothing to do with depriving anyone of rights and everything to do with physiology: people who are sick, dying, or having any other serious medical issue frequently lash out. This well known phenomenon is akin to a cornered animal fighting for its life. After all, when you are dying or seriously ill, your hindbrain kicks in and demands that you fight for survival: it is an instinct that has been embedded in our behavior by millions of years of evolution.
Some people disagree. This firefighter failed to disarm a seizure patient. When that patient came to, he shot and killed the firefighter. This story is the exact reason why this is done. Had that firefighter taken the simple precaution of moving the weapon out of the room, he would be alive and his patient would not be in prison.
I disarmed every patient I had, at least until we had concluded our business. Sometimes, that meant moving the gun to another room. Sometimes I held on to it, sometimes I turned the weapon over to the cops. In a couple of cases, I put the gun in the patient's bag and placed the bag in the cab of my ambulance with my partner while the patient and I rode to the hospital in the back.
It was temporary, and only because of a medical condition that required it. No different than taking a drunk's car keys.
Some people disagree. This firefighter failed to disarm a seizure patient. When that patient came to, he shot and killed the firefighter. This story is the exact reason why this is done. Had that firefighter taken the simple precaution of moving the weapon out of the room, he would be alive and his patient would not be in prison.
I disarmed every patient I had, at least until we had concluded our business. Sometimes, that meant moving the gun to another room. Sometimes I held on to it, sometimes I turned the weapon over to the cops. In a couple of cases, I put the gun in the patient's bag and placed the bag in the cab of my ambulance with my partner while the patient and I rode to the hospital in the back.
It was temporary, and only because of a medical condition that required it. No different than taking a drunk's car keys.
Friday, November 8, 2019
Self defense from fake cop
I had a defensive gun use three years ago. I have hesitated to use it, until now.
I live in a very quiet community, and many people in the area use neighborhood electric vehicles to get around. Similar to golf carts, they are great for a quick errand to the store. Many areas in Florida are famous for this, and communities frequently include multi-use pathways just for that purpose.
Anyway, I had taken a run to the corner store and was on my way home, when a car backed out of a space in front of me, the driver obviously not bothering to check for cross traffic before backing out. I slammed on the brakes and avoided being hit by only a couple of inches. I gave him a dirty look, swerved around, and kept going. It was a white, two door Pontiac with a large "Punisher" sticker in the back window.
A minute or so later, I see in my mirror that the guy is behind me and honking his horn. As I stop to make the turn into my neighborhood, he jumps out of the car and begins telling me that it is illegal to leave the scene of an accident. I tell him that there was no accident, we never made contact. He tells me that I am a liar, and then says that he is a Navy Special Warfare police officer at the Navy base, and he is placing me under arrest. He tells me to turn around a put my hands behind my back. There are a few problems with that statement:
1 I am not aware of any "Navy Special Warfare Police"
2 Even if they exist, they have no civilian arrest powers
3 The nearest Navy operating base is over 100 miles away. Yes, there is a 'secret' Naval research facility about 20 miles from here, but I don't think that they want their personnel running around in personal automobiles 'arresting' people for stupid stuff. The facility belongs to the Naval Research Lab, and they keep a VERY low profile. I don't even know if there are military people there, it may just be civilians.
4 He is in shorts and a tank top. No identification. No uniform.
At any rate, this smells, so I tell him to back up and get back in his car. Right now, the bulk of his car and my NEV are between us, so I just tell him to get back in the car.
He says "What if I don't want to?" and steps around the car. Now we are separated by about 10 feet, and there is nothing between us but air. He takes another step closer.
I felt the hairs on my neck raise, and without even realizing that I had made the decision to do so, I drew my J frame from the pocket holster in my front right pocket. I held it at the low ready, muzzle pointed at the ground between us.
His eyes popped out of his head. I remember thinking that he looked like a cartoon character. He immediately put his hands up and began backing away as he said, "I'm not armed." Then he ran, jumped in his vehicle, and sped away.
I called the 911, and a Deputy arrived less than a few minutes later. A police report was filed, they looked for the guy but never found him. The plate number I gave them was not a valid number. So he either had fake plates, or I simply didn't give them the correct number.
The one big lesson that I took from this, was that I needed to begin carrying something to bridge the gap between bare hands and lethal force. That was the day that I began carrying Pepper Spray.
I live in a very quiet community, and many people in the area use neighborhood electric vehicles to get around. Similar to golf carts, they are great for a quick errand to the store. Many areas in Florida are famous for this, and communities frequently include multi-use pathways just for that purpose.
Anyway, I had taken a run to the corner store and was on my way home, when a car backed out of a space in front of me, the driver obviously not bothering to check for cross traffic before backing out. I slammed on the brakes and avoided being hit by only a couple of inches. I gave him a dirty look, swerved around, and kept going. It was a white, two door Pontiac with a large "Punisher" sticker in the back window.
A minute or so later, I see in my mirror that the guy is behind me and honking his horn. As I stop to make the turn into my neighborhood, he jumps out of the car and begins telling me that it is illegal to leave the scene of an accident. I tell him that there was no accident, we never made contact. He tells me that I am a liar, and then says that he is a Navy Special Warfare police officer at the Navy base, and he is placing me under arrest. He tells me to turn around a put my hands behind my back. There are a few problems with that statement:
1 I am not aware of any "Navy Special Warfare Police"
2 Even if they exist, they have no civilian arrest powers
3 The nearest Navy operating base is over 100 miles away. Yes, there is a 'secret' Naval research facility about 20 miles from here, but I don't think that they want their personnel running around in personal automobiles 'arresting' people for stupid stuff. The facility belongs to the Naval Research Lab, and they keep a VERY low profile. I don't even know if there are military people there, it may just be civilians.
4 He is in shorts and a tank top. No identification. No uniform.
At any rate, this smells, so I tell him to back up and get back in his car. Right now, the bulk of his car and my NEV are between us, so I just tell him to get back in the car.
He says "What if I don't want to?" and steps around the car. Now we are separated by about 10 feet, and there is nothing between us but air. He takes another step closer.
I felt the hairs on my neck raise, and without even realizing that I had made the decision to do so, I drew my J frame from the pocket holster in my front right pocket. I held it at the low ready, muzzle pointed at the ground between us.
His eyes popped out of his head. I remember thinking that he looked like a cartoon character. He immediately put his hands up and began backing away as he said, "I'm not armed." Then he ran, jumped in his vehicle, and sped away.
I called the 911, and a Deputy arrived less than a few minutes later. A police report was filed, they looked for the guy but never found him. The plate number I gave them was not a valid number. So he either had fake plates, or I simply didn't give them the correct number.
The one big lesson that I took from this, was that I needed to begin carrying something to bridge the gap between bare hands and lethal force. That was the day that I began carrying Pepper Spray.
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Sanctuary
Lake County, Florida has voted to become a Second Amendment sanctuary. Does this mean that the Lake County Sheriff is not going to enforce Federal gun laws?
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Orlando crime news
One "teen" shoots another "teen" inside of an Orlando gym. Whenever the local media talks about "teens," anyone who has lived in Orlando knows that they are talking about black gang members. On a side note, since it is already illegal for 15 year old "teens" to have guns, what gun laws would prevent these shootings?
In other Orlando crime news, most of the time violent crime occurs in Pine Hills, or as locals refer to it: Crime Hills. Today was no exception:
Orlando block party ends in gunfire Saturday night
Man carjacked at gunpoint in Orange County
In other Orlando crime news, most of the time violent crime occurs in Pine Hills, or as locals refer to it: Crime Hills. Today was no exception:
Orlando block party ends in gunfire Saturday night
Man carjacked at gunpoint in Orange County
Thieves targeting gun owners at gas stations
According to the Sheriff of Fayette County, Georgia, thieves looking for firearms are keying in on pickups with hunting or even patriotic stickers or emblems. They are now targeting pickups at gas stations for smash and grab robberies, hoping to snatch guns from the center console.
This is the reason why my firearm is on me, and when it is not, it is secured in a Gunvault slider safe that is securely bolted to the inside of my truck. It has room for a firearm and a spare magazine. I own two of them.
I don't have any relationship with Gunvault, other than the fact that I own two of them, and I highly recommend them.
This is the reason why my firearm is on me, and when it is not, it is secured in a Gunvault slider safe that is securely bolted to the inside of my truck. It has room for a firearm and a spare magazine. I own two of them.
I don't have any relationship with Gunvault, other than the fact that I own two of them, and I highly recommend them.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Another trillion
In July, I reported that we had borrowed yet another trillion dollars. We do it so often that trillion just isn't scary any longer. In this case, here we are just ten months after the last trillion dollar signpost, passing yet another. as we have just hit $23 trillion.
So here we are, facing the fact that the government under the Trump administration has borrowed $4,1 trillion. That is a 115% increase in the total debt.
We cannot borrow indefinitely, and that which cannot continue will not continue. What is going to happen when the lenders stop lending? I fear that we are going to find out.
Friday, November 1, 2019
Fall is here
Yesterday, the dew point was 74 degreesF here in Central Florida. This morning, it is 51 degrees. Fall is here, finally.
Statistics, damned statistics, and liars
The media has been running and re-running an article about the odds of an American being killed by "gun violence." Business insider posted the story not once, not twice, but three times last year. This headline, along with the statistical math that supposedly supports the article, is complete tripe.
The article claims that the average American stands a 1 in 315 chance of being killed by "gun violence." This is a misstatement of statistical analysis. In order to take the number of "gun deaths" each year and divide that into the total population of the country to arrive at a "chance of being killed by gun violence" statistic, each American in the total population must be equally likely of being the victim of one of these events. In other words, the events must occur randomly.
That cannot be the case. Each year, about 60% of all deaths involving a firearm are suicide. If you do not commit suicide, your chances of dying from "gun violence" were just cut in half. More than half of all homicides in the nation were committed in a city that has a population of greater than 100,000. Nearly ten percent of firearm homicides were legal shootings by police and private citizens employing firearms in self defense.
What all of this means is that if you are not in a gang, are not dealing drugs or otherwise involved in a criminal enterprise, not suicidal, and live in a city of less than 100,000 people, you are about one 50th as likely to be involved in a "gun death."
The goal here is that the press want suburban moms to be afraid of guns. In order to do that, they HAVE to lie, because telly Suzie Soccermom that gang members living in inner city Chicago are dying over drug sales turf wars doesn't generate the fear they need in order to sway her opinion.
The article claims that the average American stands a 1 in 315 chance of being killed by "gun violence." This is a misstatement of statistical analysis. In order to take the number of "gun deaths" each year and divide that into the total population of the country to arrive at a "chance of being killed by gun violence" statistic, each American in the total population must be equally likely of being the victim of one of these events. In other words, the events must occur randomly.
That cannot be the case. Each year, about 60% of all deaths involving a firearm are suicide. If you do not commit suicide, your chances of dying from "gun violence" were just cut in half. More than half of all homicides in the nation were committed in a city that has a population of greater than 100,000. Nearly ten percent of firearm homicides were legal shootings by police and private citizens employing firearms in self defense.
What all of this means is that if you are not in a gang, are not dealing drugs or otherwise involved in a criminal enterprise, not suicidal, and live in a city of less than 100,000 people, you are about one 50th as likely to be involved in a "gun death."
The goal here is that the press want suburban moms to be afraid of guns. In order to do that, they HAVE to lie, because telly Suzie Soccermom that gang members living in inner city Chicago are dying over drug sales turf wars doesn't generate the fear they need in order to sway her opinion.