I am not an addict!

Robert over at Backroad Blog directed me to this quiz:


What Gun Are You?
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aww. . . gawrsh. . .who, me?

Wandering thoughts

Can't access my comments! Somebody left one, too, which always thrills me. Except that it's on the 'Over-analyzing Santa' post. I don't do a lot of talking about God - atheists get all snooty and superior about my belief (at least some do) and Christians (most) get all shocked about my doubting-Thomasness, if that's a word. In fact, when I start talking religion there are very few people I can't irritate. It's worrisome; gentleness is what I'm supposed to be striving for, NOT stirring up wrath. I know this, but I know what I believe and also what I cannot believe without reason. Also I read the bible, and I don't see where it says many of the things that other people say it says.

Like fer instance: "judge not." I can't find that in the bible, in the context a lot of holier-than-thou types like to use it. It says "Judge not, for as ye judge so shall ye be judged" and "Thou shalt judge a tree by its fruits" and "Wine perverteth the judgment." The consistent message is to judge with care, and to remember that you may be measured by your own yardstick. That's not the same as cowering under the bed, fearing to take a moral stand.

Anyway . . .!

Lazy

I'm too lazy to blog for a while. If you look to your right (that would be your computer's left), you'll see a whole list of darn good blogs.

Here's a Halloween joke, though. Yeah, I know I'm about 3 months behind, but that's life:

Q. Where do beginning vampires learn to suck blood?

A. Law School!!

toodle-oo

Over-analyzing Santa

Eric at Classical Values points to an article by Lee Harris called Blaming Christmas, which he calls "The Best Christmas Essay." I couldn't even make it past the first paragraph . . .

C'mon - really?. Do people really take that Santa crap that seriously? Santa had the same handwriting as my mom; he used the same wrapping paper! Were other parents more deceitful, or was I the only kid who had each present under the tree memorized by the time Christmas eve came around? Are the rest of you silly, or am I just very, very greedy? Or, possibly, both.

I cannot take this Christmas angst seriously. Get over it. If you believe in Christ, that the Word became flesh and walked among us, you know that Christmas is available to you throughout the year, on the coldest, darkest loneliest nights. There is a direct line from your heart to God's love, open whenever you remember to open your own heart (easier said than done - but I digress).

If you don't believe in Christ, than what's the big deal about Christmas to you? If it's just feasting and loot, maybe you should just celebrate Saturnalia or something. I dunno, I don't get the trauma here.

Here are some things to remember about Santa, maybe they will help?

Santa is just an excuse your parents have to give you more than you deserve. They want to do this because they love you.

Santa is a personification of the loving, giving spirit. This spirit lives within us all, and eases the pain of the coldest, darkest, longest nights. It is no coincidence that Christmas (and many other such festivals from many other cultures) falls so close to the winter solstice. It is good to surround yourself with people you are close to at Christmas. If you are a Christian, even if you are completely without human companionship Christ is with you and you are assured of God's love. If you're an atheist, I can't help here - you're on your own I guess but that's YOUR choice, not God's, so don't come crying to me about it.

Jiminy, I am really not the proseltyzing type. Probably didn't even spell it right . . . but if you don't care about Christ's Mass, then DON'T CARE ABOUT IT!!!! If you would like to, or would like to know if it's worth caring about, take it up with God.

I will tell you a dirty little secret: You don't have to believe in God to talk to him. God is tough. He can take anything you dish out, as long you are being honest with him. My first prayer was something like "Okay God, I don't believe in You. I'm talking to You because I could be wrong. So far, though, I haven't seen any reason to think you exist or, if you do exist, you're an asshole. I hear people talking about blind faith, but that's stupid. If we're supposed to go on blind faith, we'd be following every shyster and snake-oil salesman that comes along. So what's the deal here?"

That horrible, awful prayer was my first real step towards God - but He's tough, He can take it. More, He will take the honest outpouring of the heart. In fact, He requires it. At least, that is what He has required of me.

Anyway . . . I'm puzzled by Christmas Angst, but that is probably because I have backup in the form of God's love.

Mandatory Disclaimer: I'm not mature in my Christianity; I'm not conventional or orthodox in my interpretations of the bible. Don't take my writings or thoughts as representative of the Christian community. I am not a theologian, nor do I play one on TV.

The Rich Facets of My Cookieness


What Kind of Cookie Are You?
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It's Quiz Day at Classical Values!

The Friday Five

What the hey:

1. What was your biggest accomplishment this year?
not getting laid off

2. What was your biggest disappointment?
not getting laid off - o not really.

3. What do you hope the new year brings?
Politicians and judges who've actually read the Constitution and think "Hey! That's pretty neat!"

4. Will you be making any New Year's resolutions? If yes, what will they be?
Same one I make every year: to try to be kinder and at the same time, less of a sap.


5. What are your plans for New Year's Eve?
Dunno. I'll either stay in or go out. I hate starting the New Year with a hangover.

Merry Christ's Mass

Praise and Glory and Gratitude
To Jesus, my Peace.
Ever-merciful Prince of my unruly conscience.

Of humble birth
Cloaked in flesh
Walked this sorry earth
Faced a man's temptations
Walked a man's stride
Lived a man's death
Like a man, died:
scorned
whipped
spit upon

You didn't have to do it;
but You did it for me.
You set me free.

Alpha, Omega, Beginning, End, the Word, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, my Guide, my Shepherd, my Bridge.

My Elevator, to lift me above the mean things that crawl upon the earth, not by my doing, but by the Grace and the Glory of God.

& on earth, peace; goodwill to men.

A Christmas Wish for Iraq and Afghanistan

You Iraqis and Afghanis, you just gotta get yourselves a successful democracy. Ya just gotta!

Because at the rate congress and SCrOTUS are ripping our constition to bits, in 20 more years we in the USA are going to need you to come rescue us from our own dictatorship.

You didn't really think it was just altruism that sent us into your countries, did you?

Looking for Your Socks?

I get the occasional sock-hunter via Google and Yahoo. Sock Hunters looking for lost socks may want to review The Quantum Theory of Laundry or visit the Island of Lost Socks for information. Paranoid types may lean towards The Worldwide Sock Conspiracy. Personally, as as a single female with a drawerful of single socks, I reject the author's premise that sock loss only occurs to married men. It is, however, interesting that Conrad (the author) states that he never lost socks prior to marriage, and that anecdotal evidence indicates married men are more likely to have single socks. This got me thinking on what married men and single women have in common. The answer that came to mind is longer lifespans than their counterparts in alternate marital states. Perhaps it's not an conspiracy of evil; perhaps it's a conspiracy of good towards those whom the Sock Gods favor.

You can witness the birth of socks at justsocks.com. After witnessing this joyous occasion, celebrate by humming along on Dr. Coconut's song, I Lost My Sock. This fine tune can be found at The Bureau of Socks, which also contains helpful medical advice on the Sock Eating Syndrome.

The Internet is a beautiful place, is it not?

Aunty Persnickety's Advice Column

Time flies when you're goofing off.

Congratulations! You're Elrond!


Which Lord of the Rings character and personality problem are you?
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Sounds accurate enough!

Worthy Read

Kim Du Toit points to an article on the Good, the Right, and Bush-hating Saddam-lovers over at Tech Central Station. Although I disagree with the author's apparent conclusion that such creatures are more to be pitied than scorned, the analysis is fascinating and could well be correct. Even so, I feel no pity, no empathy, no understanding of those who would see lives lost and souls ruined to advance their own pathetic, limited 'ideals.'

Missing Kyoto

Am I the only person who is totally unexcited about Kyoto? Didn't we all know ages ago that it wasn't going through?

Russia and Japan put the nix on it well before 2001 - the US congress said 'no' under Clinton, for goodness' sake. It's old news. It would make developed nations go broke, and keep undeveloped nations broke, and not really have that great of an effect on the environment anyway.

Did everyone else not know that, or am I psychic and just thought I knew it but really didn't, or has something new come up that I'm totally unaware of to put it back on the table?

Justice and Morality: You believe in doing what is
right for others and maybe even for yourself.
People would consider you one with good morals,
and someone who would not let them down.


Which Characteristic From the Samurai Code Matches You Best? (You may find out your best trait)
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I try, I really do . . .

It's quiz day over at Classical Values!

Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing

Random Nuclear Strikes found an insult generator specifically for use against conservatives.

Apparently, the creator was distressed by his inability to have reasonable conversations, and so created the insult generator in an attempt to - um - faciliate reasonableness by the use of artificial insults.

Yes, that's essentially what the introduction says. Go read it yourself if you don't believe me.

I look forward to future advances from this person, such as how to stop a flood with a fire hose; putting out fires with alcohol, and stopping oppression by killing everyone who disagrees with you. If this person is representative of liberals, it's hardly any wonder that they and their policies are irritating, worthless, and miserable failures. If brains were blood, the collective liberal establishment couldn't produce enough to keep a misquito from starvation.

I've been remiss!

I coulda sworn I'd linked to Pervasive Light ages ago, but apparently not. Anyway, it's now officially added! He's got some cool pictures over there today. I think this one is my favorite.

He also has a link to the best and funniest article I've read in a long time. Here's a sample:

"eglamkowski informed me today that the french diplomatic corps went on strike for 24 hours. It was almost like someone telling me that I was looking at an invisible object with no mass."

Let's Pretend

Suppose terrorists had chosen a target other than the WTC. Suppose they had chosen Berkely campus and the Oscars instead. What would your attitude towards the War on Terror be? Would you
think and feel the same;
think the same, but feel more strongly against anti-terrorism measures, including Iraq
think the same, but feel more strongly for anti-terrorism measures, including Iraq;
think terrorist were less of a threat to you personally, but feel the same;

or what?

My initial reaction would have been the same. I don't know that my 2+ years later attitude would be the same, though. It would depend on the reactions of the so-called 'anti-war' crowd. Would they still be 'anti-war'? Or would they be trying to secede from the Union in an attempt not to get blamed for 'American hegemony.' Or would they all hunker down and try to quit drawing attention to themselves?

hmmmmm.

Melvin Spaulding Update

Prosecutors will not file an attempted murder charge against Melvin Spaulding.

Kudos and Christmas Cards to Bruce Bartlett and Bob Dillinger:
"Asked about the sheriff's deputies' decision to arrest Spaulding, Pinellas-Pasco Public Defender Bob Dillinger said, "I think particularly in ones of this nature, they may want to call the State Attorney's Office before they make an arrest."

Raspberries and farts to Tim Goodman:
"Pinellas sheriff's spokesman Tim Goodman said there was nothing improper with the arrest, even though the prosecutors have decided against filing charges."

Thank God for a multi-tiered justice system. If Goodman is indeed representative of Pinellas sheriffs, then Pinellas sheriffs suck. One would prefer that one's police force have a rudimentary understanding of both the letter and spirit of the law.

This was too close for comfort. I hope some shakeups occur within this particular group of police. Tim Goodman and the arresting officers are, IMnot-soHO, miserable failures.

The Tyrant is Now a Prisoner

Praise Jesus!

Update: "Why didn't you fight?" one Governing Council member asked Hussein as their meeting ended. Hussein gestured toward the U.S. soldiers guarding him and asked his own question: "Would you fight them?"

Redneck Bear


Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?
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No stereotypes here . . . move along folks, nothing to see here.

You are Fozzie Bear.
You are caring and love your friends as if they were family. For only they will put up with your stupid jokes.

FAVORITE EXPRESSION:
"Wocka! Wocka!"
FAVORITE AUTHOR:
Gags Beasley, comedy writer

HOBBIES:
Telling jokes, dodging tomatoes

QUOTE:
"Why did the chicken cross the road?"

NEVER LEAVES HOME WITHOUT:
His joybuzzer, his whoopee cushion and Clyde, the
rubber chicken.


What Muppet are you?
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Hat tip to Jay Solo's Verbosity.

10,000 Strong

Alaa at The Mesopotamian has a post on yesterday's Baghdad demonstration. So does Zeyad at Healing Iraq, with pictures.

God bless and protect them.

Update: Sam at Hammorabi says there were demonstrations in Najaf, Kerbala, and even Alrumadi.

Najaf sign: "Killing Children is Not Resistance". Damn straight.

Update II: can't resist passing on Joel's comments on the media.

The press are so lazy and complacent that you really have to do their work for them if you want to get the word out. . . . You have to make it easy for them, otherwise they'll just stick to their hotel-bar reporting agenda.

Ain't it the truth!

Global Warming Alert

An Englishman's Castle has a post on climate change and retreating polar caps which should cause you great concern, seeing the military industrial complex and the bushrightwingwarmongers. .

What's that? Wrong globe? uh - never mind.

Guns and Female Carry

I found a great gun board full of helpful people called The High Road. There are a lot of females on it who carry, so I'm getting some good advice on that aspect and a lot of good general advice from both sexes.

In particular, there's a thread running called Feminine Protection with excellent holster/outfit information from Pax, and one called For Persnickety and Other Ladies discussing attitude.

Plus a bunch of other threads on other gun-related subjects. If you're looking for info, I recommend it highly.

I can stop quizzing anytime I want to


Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

Hat tip to Ghost of a Flea for directing me to this fine quiz.

An Associated Press Journalist has Actual Facts

I'm linking to this article, "Dems criticize Bush, omit facts sometimes," via Newday, but I originally found it on AT&T Business. ATTbusiness doesn't make its news links permanent, so I went first to Yahoo and then to Google to find a linkable version. Yahoo would not or could not find the article, although it brought up plenty of articles that went no further than 'criticize Bush.' Well, maybe Yahoo is just slow.

Anyway, it's a most amazing article. The woman who wrote it actually, like, knows something and includes pertinent facts.

"Several of the nine Democrats attacked the tax cuts Bush pushed through Congress. But none mentioned that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who has served both Republican and Democratic presidents, has cited those cuts as a reason for the recent growth of the economy.

"Economic activity perked up in late spring and then accelerated further this summer as tax cuts provided a substantial booth," Greenspan said recently.

Both Wesley Clark and Dean accused Bush of "not fighting terrorism." Although al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden remains at large, the administration's war has substantially thinned the ranks of his network, including the arrest earlier this year of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. The administration also has thwarted dozens of attacks through increased cooperation with allies. "

etc. etc. etc. Ye gads, Ms. Pickler has sources and everything. Where did this gem come from?

I'm so used to one-sided spewing of vitriol that this genuine reporting has me all discombobulated.

Oh yeah

Did I mention today that I truly dislike Hillary "Miserable Failure" Clinton and the sorry-ass, miserable failures that make up her toddying minions? No? Well, I do.

Melvin Spaulding update

Nikki at Keep and Bear Arms is doing a good job on the Spaulding situation. You'll want to go directly to the site and see for yourself, but here's the short version:

Write to or call the state attorney's office and request that they drop the charges.

Bernie McCabe, State Attorney
Sixth Judicial Circuit
PO Box 5028
Clearwater, FL 33758
(727) 464-6221

Avenger of Bones

I just found The Mesopotamian, a blog written by a gentleman named Alaa out of Iraq. Like me, he's on blogspot, so of course his site is down right now, but assuming it's up by the time you read this post, do drop by. He has an exotic, flowery style wrapped around idealistic hope for his country and some sound common sense.

I was taken aback by his comments on President Bush's visit to Iraq:

"The bones of the mass graves salute you, Avenger of bones."

I don't know that a single sentence has ever moved me quite that much. 11 words with decades of implication for 100's of thousands of souls . . .


On the more pragmatic side, that must be heady stuff to hear about yourself. I'm afraid if I received that sort of salutation on a regular basis, I'd get quite the swelled head.

Quotes

"The beauty of the second amendment is that we won't need it until they try to take it away."
- attributed to Thomas Jefferson -

Sauce for the Goose, Sauce for the Gander

As usual, I'm 3 days behind all the cool blogs, like Madfish Willie, the Englishman's Castle, Serenity's Journal, and probably many more. Still, in my own slow, plodding way, I do what I can eventually.

Hillary Clinton is a Miserable Failure. Her husband is also a Miserable Failure. Worse, our google-bomb against the Miserable Failures doesn't seem to be working correctly. If you go to google and type in Miserable Failure you'll see that the Miserable Slavering Rapacious Failures on the other end of the spectrum are beating us. Still, I see no need to remove these Miserable Failure links but instead will continue working on the posts, so that I will not be a Miserable Failure like Hillary Clinton,
but instead will figure out how to turn the Miserable Failures that started this nonsense on their Miserable Failed heads.

Miserable Failure

Miserable Power-Mad Failure

Miserable Failure

Miserable Failure

Miserable Failure

Miserable Failure

Miserable Faustian Failure

The Nice People at the St. Pete Times didn't have any new information, but very patiently explained some of the legal processes. Those of you who are attorneys or who have been arrested a lot may already know this, but it was news to me:

When an 'incident' happens, the cops arrest the most likely suspect. In this case they chose the guy that fired that gun. They take him to the station and a judge then decides about bail, if any. The information on the case is sent up to the state attorney's office, and it's the state attorney's responsibility to decide whether any charges should actually be filed, and if anyone else should be arrested and charged. Apparently being arrested doesn't mean quite as much as I thought it did. Certainly it's a pain in the backside for the arrestee; you're in jail for at least until you can see a judge and get bail and you have the very real potential of charges hanging over you, but you're not yet in 'real' trouble.

The state attorney's office has up to a year after the arrest to investigate and determine whether or not charges should be formally filed. If charges are formally filed against you by the state attorney, you are now offically in real trouble.

The St. Pete Times lady, who didn't seem especially anxious to have her name immortalized in my humble blog, was of the opinion that Spaulding would get off either completely or else very lightly. As she said, a judge doesn't release someone who's been charged with attempted murder on their own recognizance unless he or she felt that the individual was no danger to society and that the charges would most likely not be filed. The fact that misdemeanor battery charges were filed against the 3 thugs is also a good sign, as it makes a very strong statement in favor of self-defense.

SO we are all in limbo until the Pinellas/Pasco state attorney's office finishes its investigation and decides whether or not to file charges, and if so, against whom. There are apparently many possible alternatives. In between pressing the attempted murder charge and exonerating Spaulding completely, the attorney's office could offer some sort of a plea bargain like a charge of firing a weapon in public.

The problem with any sort of a plea bargain would be that it would make Mr. Spaulding lose his concealed weapons permit. Your record has to be squeaky clean, and I do mean squeaky, to have a permit.

I would still like to know why Mr. Spaulding was arrested on such a serious charge, and how many bullets he fired, and what sort of bullets the police use, and why, if a .22 is such a dangerous caliber, don't the cops use it themselves, and what, if anything, the police do in such a case to ensure the safety of a now-weaponless person, and how many guns they confiscated, and why they took all his weapons (if they really did & if he had more than one weapon to take) - probably because of the seriousness of the charge, which puts me full circle.

Ugh

SO & so at the Bay News Nine Pinellas County desk seemed to think the arrest of Spaulding is justified.

"Well, he fired a gun at someone."

"Yes, to save someone else."

"Well, he fired a gun."

"in accordance with Florida laws."

"But he fired a gun and hit somebody."

Couldn't So & so and others of her ilk wear little signs that say 'do not defend or assist,' so the rest of us will know not to waste our time with them? Just imagine she's in a parking lot, some guy attacks her, and person B comes to her defense with a gun. What will her attitude be, do you think? Will she say "Well, you should have let him rape me?"

Second thought update: I know some internet surfers like to raise hell, so I changed the name of the person I spoke with to 'So & so.' IMnot-so-HO, and it's my blog, dammit, there's no sense and no courtesy in harassing somebody just because they don't agree with you. It's enough to be aware of the Bay News Nine bias - there is simply no sense in making life miserable for some poor slob who gets stuck answering the phone. I also like to think that any person concerned enough about the 2nd amendment to care will also be too civilized to act like a jerk, making this update unnecessary.

Spaulding

Bay News Nine has an update on Melvin Spaulding.

"911, when you call them, and we have before, is a half-hour to an hour wait to get here," said Spaulding. "I had 10 seconds to decide what to do. I couldn't have called 911. They would have stomped him to death."

December 7, 1941

A day that will live in infamy.

I have nothing to add to that. If you are human, you understand its significance. If not, I can't help you.

Day By Day© by Chris Muir.

Any Time is a Good Time to Bash the French

"Computer analysis of the English language as spoken today shows that the hundred most frequently used words are all of Anglo-Saxon origin: the, is you - the basic building blocks. When Winston Churchill wanted to rally the nation in 1940, it was to Anglo-Saxon that he turned: "We shall fight on the beaches; we shall fight on the landing grounds; we shall fight in the fields and the streets; we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." All these stirring words came from Old English as spoken in the year 1000, with the exception of the last one, surrender, a French import that came with the Normans in 1066 . . ."

from The Year 1000 - What Life was Like at the Turn of the First Millenium by Robert Lacey & Danny Danziger, in the chapter entitled 'February.' Published by Back Bay Books.

Spaulding - No News

I have no new info for you on Melvin Spaulding. The dept handling the incident was the Patrol Operations Division of the Pinellas County (FL) Sheriff's Department. The incident happened in an unincorporated area of Pinellas, so no city cops were involved.

I sent my 1st email to the Crimes against Persons divisions, and you can see their response here. Unfortunately it was not the division handling the incident.

I've sent emails and left phone messages at the Patrol Operations Northern Division, but have not had a response.

Various & sundry good citizens have suggested trying the papers and some FL 2nd amendment groups.

This is the Pinellas County Sheriff's Dept. Contact Page.

I do want to follow this through to the end and at least see what happens, and why, and how much Florida practice matches Florida law.

Aunty Persnickety's Advice Column

If the facts don't support your opinion, you're wrong. There is no shame in changing your mind.

Wrongful Arrest, Part III
or
Rightful Arrest!

Got some info from the sheriffs!

"The case involving Melvin Spaulding, Lowe, Moore, Ganoe and Palm was investigated by members of the Patrol Operations Bureau. Detectives under my command, the Crimes Against Persons Division, were not involved. Accordingly, my knowledge of this case is limited. But, I know Mr. Spaulding was released from custody on the request of the Sheriff's Office and that Moore, Ganoe and Palm have been arrested and charged with battery on Mr. Lowe.

The charge placed against Mr. Spaulding with be investigated by the State Attorney and a determination will be made whether to prosecute or not prosecute.

I don't know if Mr. Spaulding has a lawyer, or not.

I can't offer an opinion on citizen cooperation in the future in this particular neighborhood or whether Neighborhood Watch is in existence at this time.

. . . I don't know how many firearms Mr. Spaulding may have in his possession or if any, other than the firearm used in the shooting, were confiscated."

So I sent the note to the wrong division, but so far so good. The next post on this subject will just be entitled "Melvin Spaulding" or something, because it looks my current title on these posts is going to be off-base, wrong, and possibly slanderous or libelous or something.

Sometimes it's GREAT to be wrong.

Update: If, indeed, I am wrong. I haven't heard back from the Northern Division of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Northern Patrol Operations Division. I hate to set up a defense fund only to find out Spaulding is in the clear, or is filthy stinking rich with no need for assistance. It does appear as if Mr. Spaulding was definitely charged, and that a judge let him at least go home.

Update II: Are there any nutjobs in the Tampa area who would be willing to do a protest-type thing in front of the courthouse, or maybe the police department? I'm talking a very low-key, bring a lawn chair and a book type protest. If so, please indicate so in comments (include your email!) or send me a note. I am realllly hoping this is actually a non-issue, but the non-response from the cops (Patrol Ops division) is worrisome. It would have to be on a weekend.

On the Other Hand

May God have pity on Cincinnati cops. 350 lbs, on PCP and cocaine, with "several lethal health problems," acting like a lunatic, puts a cop in a headlock . . .

See here for CNN article . .

& the coroner rules it homicide?!? WTF?

Note to Dr. Carl Parrott: Please wear a name tag. If ever you are attacked, I and presumably any sane police officer, will be sure not to come to your defense. You asshole.

Absolutely nuts.

Ya know, if I were a cop, and had to deal with crap like Cincinnati riots and Cincinnati coroners, surely I would feel that 'what's good for the goose is good for the gander,' and be tempted to do a bust such as what happened to Mr. Spaulding below.

BUT BUT BUT - cops and ordinary mortals need to stick together against thugs, and maybe someday we'll beat down this liberal perversion of logic that says adult humans aren't smart enough to know that commiting crimes carries some risks, and anyway there's nothing wrong with thugs attacking innocents.

Oh & precious "bias? what bias?" CNN has an interview with the Police Chief titled "Cincinnati police chief: 'There are very valid questions,' but if you read the article, the chief is quoting Dr. Calvin Smith, NAACcP Cincinnati chapter president.

Oh yeah - Note to Dr. Smith: See my note to Dr. Parrott.

"Parrott". Isn't that an appropriate name for someone who sprouts the party line with no concept of its significance?

sigh.

Wrongful Arrest, Part II

Better-than-AP article here. I've rearranged the order of the quotes below, please read the entire article yourself.

"Lowe said he and Spaulding have worked for years to clean up their corner of the Lealman area, keeping a watch out for drug dealers, burglars and gang members and alerting police to problems."

Lowe is the victim. He's a 63 year old man who was getting beaten up by THREE men in their 20s. Spaulding is Lowe's 71 year old friend. I guess Pinellas cops had their doughnut break interrupted one time too many by these darn old folks, huh? Nothing like throwing them in jail to stop that nonsense!

"One man swung at him{Lowe}, missing, but then kicked Lowe in the hip, knocking him to the asphalt. He said two other men began kicking him. A fourth was present but didn't fight, he said . . "

"Spaulding held a .22-caliber pistol and warned the men once, twice, three times to stop. Then he fired, striking one in the right biceps."

. . . . Lowe said he did not hear a gun go off. {this indicates serious stress} . . . The other two men involved in the altercation were James Curtis Ganoe III and Eric James Palm, both 18, from St. Petersburg, sheriff's officials said. Neither had been charged with any offense Monday. Goodman, of the Sheriff's Office, said an investigation was continuing. . . .

The man who was shot, James T. Moore of Seminole, was treated and released from Bayfront Medical Center on Sunday night, his 20th birthday.

After leaving the hospital, he went to jail. Deputies arrested Moore on a battery charge, based on an unrelated incident earlier Sunday night.

But Pinellas police apparently didn't arrest Moore for the beating of Lowe?

Possible bright spot from Bruce Bartlett, chief assistant state attorney:
"Bartlett said people in certain circumstances can fire at aggressors to prevent them from killing someone or causing "great bodily harm" to a victim.

Bartlett was not familiar with the case. He said if his office's investigation confirms that three young men were attacking a 63-year-old man, it's possible a case could be made that the force was justified.

"On the other hand, if it wasn't a life-threatening or great bodily harm scenario, then the intervening party had no justification to use the force," Bartlett said."

Note to any and all who think that kicking a 63 yr-old in the hip cannot reasonably be considered something that could cause great bodily harm: Please come see me when you reach 63. I will hire 3 20 year olds to kick you, out of my own pocket. If you are under 63, I guess I'll have to make it 5, just to even things out.

Absolutely disgusting, smarmy twit, Pinellas sheriff's spokesman Tim Goodman, had this to say:

"The use of a weapon to stop a confrontation is not the correct way. He would have been better off calling 911."

Note to Tim Goodman: Please wear a name tag at all times. If ever I see your car stranded by the road, I will, solely to please you, not stop to see if your battery needs a jumpstart. If ever I see you in bleeding in the street, I will, solely to please you, make no attempt to stop your bleeding. If ever I see you being kicked by 3 men 1/3 your age, I will, solely to please you, yawn delicately like a cat and continue on my way.

OK, that is all I have on it for now. I will try to sneak some time at work tomorrow to call the Pinellas county sheriff's office and get an update, if there isn't anything on Google. In cases of self-defense shootings, a hearing must be held. The cops confiscate the gun used in the shooting, and hold it until after the hearing. They are supposed to return the gun if the hearing determines the shooting was justified. I didn't think they could take ALL your guns, just the one used, but am not sure.

Below are a few pertinent Florida laws & statutes. I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY but I do believe that you shouldn't have to be an attorney to understand the law (yeah, I get disillusioned a lot). I can't see any way, shape or form under which Mr. Spaulding can really be charged - but lately I don't trust governments any farther than I could spit a rat.

State of Florida Constitution

Article I
Section 8. Right to bear arms

(a) The right of the people to keep and bear arms in defense of themselves and of the lawful authority of the state shall not be infringed, except that the manner of bearing arms may be regulated by law.


Florida State Statutes

Chapter 776
Justifiable Use of Force

776.012 Use of force in defense of person
A person is justified in the use of force, except deadly force, against another when and to the extent that the person reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or herself or another against such other's use of imminent use of unlawful force. However, the person is justified in the use of deadly force only if he or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another or to prevent the imminent commision of a forcible felony.

{taken from Florida Gun Owners Guide, by Donna Lea Hawley and Alan Korwin, published by Bloomfield Press in 1998. This may well have changed, but not that much}

'Forcible felony' is interesting. Seems like, for it to be forcible battery, Moore must have had a prior conviction. There is no way Spaulding could have known whether Moore did or did not . . . which makes it seem a very silly criteria. Hopefully I am missing something but again, dammit, shouldn't have to be a lawyer to know what is and isn't legal.


Title XLVI
CRIMES Chapter 784
ASSAULT; BATTERY; CULPABLE NEGLIGENCE View Entire Chapter

784.03 Battery; felony battery.--

(1)(a) The offense of battery occurs when a person:

1. Actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against the will of the other; or

2. Intentionally causes bodily harm to another person.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (2), a person who commits battery commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

(2) A person who has one prior conviction for battery, aggravated battery, or felony battery and who commits any second or subsequent battery commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084. For purposes of this subsection, "conviction" means a determination of guilt that is the result of a plea or a trial, regardless of whether adjudication is withheld or a plea of nolo contendere is entered.

How Florida defines battery and felony battery

Update: arse-kicking Letters to the Editor of the St. Pete Times. GO CITIZENS!!

Wrongful Arrest

Hat tip to the Emperor for this story of the illegal arrest of Mr. Melvin Spaulding, for the lawful use of a firearm in defense of another.

I'm in the area - I'm going to do something about it, don't know what yet but dammit!!!!