VCDL's meeting schedule: http://www.vcdl.org/meetings.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Abbreviations used in VA-ALERT: http://www.vcdl.org/help/abbr.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VCDL Update 5/8/10
1. REMINDER: Upcoming VCDL events in Roanoke/Lynchburg in May
2. The Gun wiki is ready for distribution
3. Texas gov. shoots, kills 'wily' coyote during jog
4. VA CCW issue with doctors?
5. Iowa governor signs concealed carry reform bill, will recognize Virginia permit on 1/1/2011
6. Senators seek to allow semi-automatics in D.C.
7. Critics want to ground Eddie Eagle
8. Anti slams VCDL for recognizing that gun owners are capable of drinking responsibly
9. Roanoke Times editorialist at it again (yawn)
10. Who needs a gun at GMU?
11. SNL spoof of Broadview security ad
12. Situational awareness: Off-duty officer robbed
13. Gun Safety 101: Mandatory courses in public schools, bounties for thugs
14. Who needs a gun in a Wal-Mart?
15. Cartoon: NRA elementary
16. Massad Ayoob: Armed citizens in the news
17. Gun owners stop bank robberies in Florida
18. Paul Helmke: Guns, the Guard, and Guts
19. Chicago Mayor Daley and other mayors: Seek "redress against the gun industry" in the World Court
20. Armed citizen stops Walgreens robbers in Nebraska [VIDEO]
21. Alleged mugger shot in Wooster Square
22. "Bring Your Pieces to Church" Sunday
23. Since 2008, increased support for gun rights
24. Bloomberg's Bermuda Weekends? With Guns?
25. Column: Better Beware Of Quick-Draw Shea
26. Knife-wielding man stabs 28 children, 3 adults at kindergarten in China, 2nd attack this week
27. China executes killer of eight school children
28. Our future? UK arrests and charges another victim
**************************************************
1. REMINDER: Upcoming VCDL events in Roanoke/Lynchburg in May
**************************************************
Board member Al Steed Jr. has set up some fun events in Roanoke in the
next few weeks:
1. The SW Virginia VCDL Spring FAMILY POT LUCK PICNIC will again be
held at LONGWOOD PARK, SALEM VA on Saturday, May 15. VCDL will
furnish plates, napkins, eating sticks and soft drinks --- members are
asked to bring your favorite dish to share with everyone. OUT OF TOWN
FOLKS are NOT expected to bring items that need to be heated or
cooled. We normally do NOT COOK items at the picnic. We expect a
couple of local political types there to speak for a few minutes, and
hopefully answer any of your polite questions.
We will start to eat at 11 AM. Early birds will start to set up about
10 AM. Cleanup/departure by 3 PM.
Open to all VCDL members, families and guests. Questions? Please ask
Al at al@vcdl.org
WANTED: VCDL members, families and guest to join us for a fun event!
2. There is another gun show at LYNCHBURG --- Saturday, May 15, 9
AM to 5 PM at the JAMES RIVER CONFERENCE CENTER, 400 COURT ST,
LYNCHBURG VA 24504. VCDL will have a table at this show-BUT, we
need someone to set up and run this show all day SATURDAY and someone
to run the table on Sunday morning 10 AM until about 1:45 PM. The
Saturday person(s) will have to meet me to get the VCDL equipment
prior to Saturday for this show. I will be there to help on Sunday
afternoon and bring the paperwork and equipment back.
WANTED: Please contact Al at al@vcdl.org ASAP if you are
willing to work this show.
**************************************************
2. The Gun wiki is ready for distribution
**************************************************
Eric Korn emailed me this:
--
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I own a firearms training company and it occurred to me several months
ago that there was something my company could do to give back. We
have founded the beginnings of what we hope will become the largest
repository of firearms knowledge in the world. It is located at http://www.TheGunWiki.org
. For those of you who haven't come across one yet, a wiki is a user
generated encyclopedia. So all the information in its online pages is
written by people like you, to ensure that the coming generations have
the gift of firearms knowledge. The beauty of a project like this is
that it is free to all, and will always be.
This being said, the future users of this wonderful resource need your
(the gun community's) help. They need what you know. We have done
our part and established the website, now we hope you will pick up the
torch and run with it. Here's how you can help:
1. Go to http://www.TheGunWiki.org.
2. Familiarize yourself with the method of inputting information.
3. Create a free username.
4. Start sharing what you know.
Topics for articles may include: Specific Firearms, Firearm
Manufacturers, Firearm Legislation, Ammunition calibers, Ammunition
Manufacturers, etc.
Appropriate content for specific firearm articles should include such
categories as:
1. A Short Summary of Information on the Firearm
2. History of the Firearm
3. Design Details of the Firearm
4. Variants of the Firearm
5. Field Stripping Procedures for the Firearm and all of its Variants
6. References
7. Bibliography
8. External Links
I hope that you will be willing to help, truly the success of this
project depends more on the contributions of the gun community that
anyone else!
Thanks!
Eric Korn
President and CEO
American Firearms Training
http://www.onlineconcealedcarry.com
http://www.thegunwiki.org
**************************************************
3. Texas gov. shoots, kills 'wily' coyote during jog
**************************************************
Don't mess with Texas!
Philip Levy emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/2c6rvf3
http://news.yahoo.com
Texas gov. shoots, kills 'wily' coyote during jog
By JIM VERTUNO, Associated Press Writer
Tue Apr 27, 7:55 pm ET
AUSTIN, Texas - Pistol-packing Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a message for
wily coyotes out there: Don't mess with my dog.
Perry told The Associated Press on Tuesday he needed just one shot
from the laser-sighted pistol he sometimes carries while jogging to
take down a coyote that menaced his puppy during a February run near
Austin.
Perry said he will carry his .380 Ruger -- loaded with hollow-point
bullets -- when jogging on trails because he is afraid of snakes. He'd
also seen coyotes in the undeveloped area.
When one came out of the brush toward his daughter's Labrador
retriever, Perry charged.
"Don't attack my dog or you might get shot ... if you're a coyote," he
said Tuesday.
Perry, a Republican running for a third full term against Democrat
Bill White, is living in a private house in a hilly area southwest of
downtown Austin while the Governor's Mansion is being repaired after a
2008 fire. A concealed handgun permit holder, Perry carries the pistol
in a belt.
"I knew there were a lot of predators out there. You'll hear a pack of
coyotes. People are losing small cats and dogs all the time out there
in that community," Perry said.
"They're very wily creatures."
On this particular morning, Perry said, he was jogging without his
security detail shortly after sunrise.
"I'm enjoying the run when something catches my eye and it's this
coyote. I know he knows I'm there. He never looks at me, he is laser-
locked on that dog," Perry said.
"I holler and the coyote stopped. I holler again. By this time I had
taken my weapon out and charged it. It is now staring dead at me.
Either me or the dog are in imminent danger. I did the appropriate
thing and sent it to where coyotes go," he said.
Perry said the laser-pointer helped make a quick, clean kill.
"It was not in a lot of pain," he said. "It pretty much went down at
that particular juncture."
Texas state law allows people to shoot coyotes that are threatening
livestock or domestic animals. The dog was unharmed, Perry said.
Perry's security detail was not required to file a report about the
governor discharging a weapon, said Department of Public Safety
spokeswoman Tela Mange.
"People shoot coyotes all the time, snakes all the time," Mange said.
"We don't write reports."
The governor left the coyote where it fell.
"He became mulch," Perry said.
**************************************************
4. VA CCW issue with doctors?
**************************************************
Randon Jackson, a VCDL member and veteran, emailed me this:
--
Hi Philip,
Please see below. I was wondering if this is for
real or not.
Randon Jackson
Member VCDL
________________________________
From a friend of mine
I had a doctors appointment at the local VA
clinic yesterday and found something very
interesting I would like to pass along. While
going through triage before seeing the
doctor, I was asked at the end of the exam,
three questions:
1. Did I feel stressed?
2. Did I feel threatened?
3. Did I feel like doing harm to someone?
The nurse then informed me, if I had answered
yes to any of the questions, I would have
lost my concealed carry permit as it would
have gone into my medical records and the VA
would have reported it to Homeland Security.
I am a Vietnam vet and 15 year cc permit
holder. Looks like they are going after us
vets. Be forewarned and be aware. The Obama
administration has gone on record as
considering veterans and gun owners as
potential terrorists. If you are a veteran,
you've been warned. If you know veterans,
please pass this on to them.
--------
EM Hal Macklin emailed me this:
--
Oh good grief; Larry Pratt (GOA) has been warning about this since Day
1 when the so-called NICS Improvement Act was signed into law.
See, for example:
http://gunowners.org/ne0713.htm
Senator Richard Burr is trying to fix this problem with S.669:
http://tinyurl.com/2c7sc3w
**************************************************
5. Iowa governor signs concealed carry reform bill, will recognize
Virginia permit on 1/1/2011
**************************************************
Iowa's governor signed a bill into law that creates a uniform shall-
issue system for that state. The bill, SF 2379, takes effect on
January 1, 2011. Under the bill, a valid carry permit issued by any
other state, to a resident of any state other than Iowa, will be
recognized in Iowa.
http://tinyurl.com/2fu2uqn
http://qctimes.com
Culver signs gun permit legislation
Rod Boshart | Posted: Thursday, April 29, 2010 10:28 am |
DES MOINES -- Gun-rights advocates cheered loudly Thursday as Gov.
Chet Culver approved a standardized process for those seeking permits
to carry a concealed weapon.
The new rules will apply equally in all 99 Iowa counties, beginning
Jan. 1.
During a ceremony in the Statehouse rotunda, Culver signed legislation
that will make Iowa a "shall issue" state when it comes to county
sheriffs issuing permits to acquire or carry a concealed weapon.
"This bill strikes an appropriate balance, recognizing the rights of
law-abiding Iowans guaranteed by the Second Amendment and the duty of
local law enforcement officers," Culver said. "We all have a role to
play in public safety. I believe this is a good bill that has the
potential to keep Iowans safer."
Under Senate File 2379, county sheriffs would lose much of their
discretion in denying concealed weapons permits -- a change that
prompted most members of the Iowa State Sheriffs' and Deputies'
Association to oppose the measure.
"It's a pretty significant public safety change," said Susan Cameron,
an association lobbyist. "For the most part, they don't believe that
they're unjustly denying permits now, so they don't think that will
have a huge impact."
Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington, one of five county sheriffs
who attended the bill-signing ceremony, acknowledged the issue created
some tension among his association members. But he said it was
important to remove "a double standard" where some sheriffs were
issuing permits while others were applying stricter standards and
denying permits.
"We still have discretion. The only difference now is we have to put
it in writing and they have an appeals process," he said. "It takes a
lot of the good-old-boy factor out of it. I think after a year has
passed and there won't be any problems, it will all be forgotten."
Scott County Sheriff Dennis Conard said little would change in Scott
County, which already had a similar list of requirements in place for
those seeking a permit.
The bill seeks to create uniform standards in all 99 counties for
issuing permits to carry a concealed weapon in public. It will require
sheriffs to issue a permit to carry firearms to all applicants unless
they are subject to certain specific disqualifiers.
Under current law, sheriffs can issue or deny permits. There standards
vary with some issuing permits to nearly everyone who applies and some
denying nearly all applications. Nearly 35,000 Iowans have concealed
carry permits, according to lawmakers.
Chris Rager, an Iowa lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, said
Thursday's action signifies the first time in nearly a century that a
major step has been taken to enhance the right-to-carry freedoms of
Iowans. He said the NRA-backed legislation will allow law-abiding
Iowans the right to carry without being subject to the subjective
discretion of individual sheriffs, changing Iowa from a "may-issue"
state to a one of 38 "shall-issue" U.S. states.
Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, who opposed the bill, said she was
concerned the new law will take away local control from county
sheriffs seeking to best protect their citizens.
"This is a truly big day," said Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, a
retired state trooper who has been working on the issue for 12 years.
He called standardization of 99 sets of rules a "fairness issue."
**************************************************
6. Senators seek to allow semi-automatics in D.C.
**************************************************
Charles Proffitt emailed me this:
--
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1944057
WASHINGTON - A gun bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate
that would overturn many of the District's tough gun laws.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) are expected
to introduce the Second Amendment Enforcement Act Tuesday.
The bill would repeal the District's ban on semi-automatic weapons and
remove the requirement that guns be kept unloaded and disassembled
when stored in the home or office.
It would also authorize District residents to buy guns and ammunition
in Maryland and Virginia, and it would repeal registration requirements.
An email obtained by WTOP was sent to members of the Senate from
Tester's office seeking co-sponsors.
"The Second Amendment Enforcement Act finally secures for District
residents the rights reinforced by the Supreme Court's decision in the
District of Columbia v. Heller."
Many of the changes in the Tester/McCain bill are the same as
amendments that were attached to the D.C. Voting Rights Bill. Those
amendments were characterized as "egregious" by the District's non-
voting Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton and the reason she had the
Voting Rights Bill pulled at the last minute.
The bill does not open the door to open or concealed carry permits.
**************************************************
7. Critics want to ground Eddie Eagle
**************************************************
Anti-gunners oppose teaching kids about gun safety in schools
The Virginia Center for Public Safety doesn't like public safety -
they came out against teaching kids to be safe around guns. The anti-
gun Violence Policy Center also doesn't like public safety. For the
antis, ignorance is bliss and they sure know how to can baloney:
--
http://tinyurl.com/2fpnuxy
On the morning show with Martha MacCallum, antis regurgitated the
"study" from the VPC. It can be found here:
http://www.vpc.org/press/9711eddi.htm
http://www.vpc.org/fact_sht/eddiekey.htm
[SNIP]
"The real purpose of Eddie Eagle is not to keep children safe from
guns, but safe with guns. Eddie Eagle flies in the face of everything
public health experts teach to prevent injury from dangerous consumer
products. The NRA expects kids to be responsible for their own safety;
essentially guns don't kill, kids do."
**************************************************
8. Anti slams VCDL for recognizing that gun owners are capable of
drinking responsibly
**************************************************
A member found this on "TOPIX" gun forum. The antis are going nuts
over my suggestion that all those who can carry concealed legally in
Virginia be held to the same legal standard when carrying concealed in
a restaurant that serves alcohol - either they can drink responsibly
or they can't drink at all. The antis ignore the second option and
focus on the first so that they have something to be mad about. I
will have an alert shortly on this whole subject:
http://tinyurl.com/2anl75s
http://blogs.creativeloafing.com
Va. gun lobby: Guns and alcohol do mix
April 30th, 2010 by John Grooms in Boomer with an Attitude
Picking this week's Stupid Thing of the Week was easy. It's not too
often -- as in, "never, before now" -- that someone other than a
drunken gun freak promotes the concept of drinking while carrying a
firearm. Be forewarned, though, that people in our neighbor state,
Virginia, are considering the possibility. The leader of the Virginia
Citizens Defense League gun lobby, Philip Van Cleve (personal motto:
"Abstract principles trump common sense") wants the state's
legislature to defend the "right" to drink alcohol while carrying a
gun in public.
The VCDL is dissatisfied with a new state law that allows "concealed
carry permit holders to bring loaded handguns" into establishments
that serve alcohol, "as long as the holders do not consume alcohol."
The group says the law -- which allows law enforcement officers and
state attorneys to carry concealed weapons and slam down liquor --
turns regular, good ol' bar-hopping gun carriers into second-class
citizens. VCDL leader Van Cleve says his group thinks the law should
read that gun carriers can drink, "as long they are not drunk." Two
obvious questions remain, however: Who the hell wants the job of
refusing to serve a semi-drunk with a loaded gun? Or, for that matter,
taking away a drunk's gun? As one would expect, the state's police
chiefs are strongly opposed to Van Cleve's brainstorm. In normal
times, one could automatically assume such potentially catastrophic
B.S. wouldn't stand a chance of passing, but considering the weird,
overwrought state of Conservative Nation these days, we thought
readers would appreciate being warned ahead of time, just in case
Virginia decides to go all Arizona Crazy on us.
**************************************************
9. Roanoke Times editorialist at it again (yawn)
**************************************************
The Roanoke Times's editorialist, Dan Casey, is frothing at the mouth
again. Kind of like Old Faithful in Yellowstone, he goes off
regularly
http://tinyurl.com/24p8v2o
http://blogs.roanoke.com
Teed up for 2011: the bourbon-and-a-Beretta bill
2010.04.26
Philip Van Cleave, Virginia's most ardent gun maven, had a major
victory in the most recent Virginia General Assembly.
After years of unsuccessfully pushing for the legalization of
concealed carry in bars, the president of the Virginia Citizens
Defense League finally had the winning combination: a General Assembly
and a governor who were both shortsighted enough to let that dumb
legislation go through.
Beginning July 1, it will be legal for concealed handgun permit
holders to take their hidden guns into a bar provided they don't drink.
This has caused many bar and restaurant owners to wonder aloud: how
are we going to enforce THAT, if the guns are hidden?
Van Cleave is sympathetic to those barkeeps' plight. Though the ink is
barely dry on that ill-conceived guns-in-bars, Van Cleave already is
readying legislation for next year: a bill that would make it legal
for those gun hiders to drink.
From the Richmond Times Dispatch:
Philip Van Cleave wants every Virginian who has a permit to carry a
concealed handgun into a bar to be able to have a drink - or he wants
no gun carrier to be able to drink.
That's the choice that Van Cleave, the leader of the pro-gun Virginia
Citizens Defense League, wants to offer state lawmakers next year when
the General Assembly reconvenes.
He said he is going to find a legislator to submit two bills to the
body representing both positions.
His aim is to force lawmakers to expand the rights of concealed-
handgun owners in bars or rescind the current exception that allows
law-enforcement officers and commonwealth's attorneys to carry
concealed weapons and consume alcohol.
"We're not allowed to drink, but they can," Van Cleave said. "That's
two classes of citizens."
Unfair! Unfair! Unfair!
What's next?
One day in the coming years, the VCDL will push legislation, like the
recently enacted law in Arizona, that drops a requirement for
concealed carriers to have a permit at all. [PVC: You finally found
something we can agree on, Dan!]
And at some point, Van Cleave will mount this argument: concealed
carriers should be able to bring their guns into those "dangerous gun-
free zones" known as workplaces.
This year, the General Assembly passed (and Gov. Bob McDonnell signed)
not only a guns-in-bars bill, but almost passed a guns-in-cars bill.
It would have allowed gun owners to lock their guns in their cars on
their employers' property. The employers would have no say in this
matter.
But like the guns-in-bars bill, this law (if it ever passes) also is
too limiting, the pro-gunners will argue. It leaves gun owners
defenseless walking from their locked vehicles to their employer's
front door.
And, they will be be just as defenseless inside, at work.
After all, there are a lot more mass shootings in workplaces than
there are in bars. . .
**************************************************
10. Who needs a gun at GMU?
**************************************************
Travis Youngblood emailed me this:
--
Mr. Van Cleave:
I just saw this article about a sexual assault that occurred on campus
at GMU late Saturday/early Sunday. I'm a little upset that I first
heard about this through the media. When I went to JMU we would
always get "Timely Notice" emails about any crimes that occurred on or
near campus (I'm a student at GMU right now). As for as I know, the
University has not said a word about this incident.
Travis Youngblood
http://tinyurl.com/279h87e
http://www.wusa9.com
Police Investigate GMU Student Sexually Assaulted
FAIRFAX, Va. (WUSA) -- George Mason University police are
investigating an alleged sex assault on campus.
Campus officials did not send out an alert to students. They say they
don't believe there is a threat to the campus community.
But It's the lack of information about the assault that has some
students worried.
Katie Horn is a freshman and was heading to church Sunday morning when
she noticed lots of police activity.
She says, "There was a group of them. There were three cop cars
sitting at the entrance. Three state troopers talking and two George
Mason University police officers."
Crystal French, also a freshman, looked out her window and thought, it
was strange seeing so many police officers.
She says, "I was wondering why they were there. I just figured they
were checking the meters."
But parking meters were not what police were after but a possible
suspect. Campus officials say the freshman was acquainted with her
attacker.
Horn says, "I'm shocked, I've never heard anything like that happening
at Mason."
George Mason University Police would not go on camera Sunday, but
would only say they are investigating an alleged sex assault on campus
and that Fairfax County Police are helping them with the case.
Police arrived at Madison Hall, a co-ed dorm, located at Presidents
Park on campus around 5 o'clock Sunday morning.
Katie Blacklege is a GMU freshman and says, "It's awful, I hope it's
not true. but if there were actually police here, it seems more
serious."
Students use key cards to swipe themselves in and get access between
halls. But students say that's a false sense of security.
French says, "People let people in all the time. There are so many
doors you can go into. There are a lot of young women who walk around
at night by themselves, like me, I run at night by myself. Knowing
that, that happened, I'll be more cautious about that."
Katie Horn's parents visit their daughter every Sunday and are not
surprised to find trouble on college campuses.
Art Horn says, "It disturbs you, but it's the sign of the times. When
you put this many people together and on the weekend, things can happen.
Fairfax County Police had no comment on the case Sunday. Campus
officials say no one is in custody and the people involved are being
questioned. They say they'll provide more information Monday.
**************************************************
11. SNL spoof of Broadview security ad
**************************************************
While alarm systems are fine and serve an important purpose, TV ads
can be very misleading. Typically they show a man kicking in a door,
the alarm going off (assuming it was indeed armed at the time the door
was kicked in), and the telephone ringing within one or two SECONDS of
the alarm going off (very misleading indeed).
The criminal always flees at the noise as the woman in the home makes
it to her bedroom and waits unarmed for the police to arrive.
A more realistic way to handle your security is to have an alarm
system AND a gun.
Here is a spoof on those alarm commercials:
http://tinyurl.com/yctz698
**************************************************
12. Situational awareness: Off-duty officer robbed
**************************************************
Deborah Jane Anderson emailed me this:
--
An other example of why the average citizen should be allowed to be
armed. If an off-duty police officer -- who HAS a gun -- still can
get robbed, why do legislators think that average citizens shouldn't
be able to defend themselves?
On a separate note, this off-duty cop probably needs more training
with his gun if he couldn't hit the suspect -- or perhaps there's more
to the story we don't know.
http://tinyurl.com/27kqlxk
http://www.washingtonpost.com
Off-duty police officer robbed in Suitland
By Matt Zapotosky
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 25, 2010; 11:14 AM
A man in a tan hooded sweatshirt robbed an off-duty D.C. police
officer at gunpoint in the Suitland area Saturday night, and the
officer fired a gun at the suspect, Prince George's County police said.
The incident occurred at about 10 p.m. in the 3800 block of Old Silver
Hill Road, police said. The suspect, apparently unhit by the gunfire,
fled on foot with an unknown amount of cash.
Sgt. Michelle Reedy, a Prince George's police spokeswoman, said she
could not immediately provide more details. She said the D.C. officer
was unhurt.
**************************************************
13. Gun Safety 101: Mandatory courses in public schools, bounties for
thugs
**************************************************
Dave Workman emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/2ehl79q
http://www.examiner.com
[SNIP]
Gun Safety 101: Mandatory courses in public schools, bounties for thugs
In Virginia, a new law is currently being debated that will bring
firearms education to public schools; an idea that has been urged here
in the Evergreen State, but so far remains unfulfilled. Some sheepish
parents may not want their children exposed to firearms safety, but
that's a head-in-the-sand attitude because children are exposed to
firearms, thanks to television, video games, and movies, and perhaps
their friendly neighborhood thugs.
**************************************************
14. Who needs a gun in a Wal-Mart?
**************************************************
Jonathan Short emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/2e8goq6
http://www.newsadvance.com
Gunman wounds woman, kills self at Va. Walmart
Associated Press
Published: May 2, 2010
GALAX, Va. (AP)--Police in southwest Virginia say a gunman opened fire
inside a Walmart store, wounding an employee before fatally shooting
himself.
Galax Police Chief Rick Clark said Sunday that officers responded to a
call of shots being fired inside the store at 9:54 p.m. Saturday.
Clark says the gunman, 64-year-old A.G. Anderson of Galax, was
pronounced dead at North Carolina Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem,
N.C.
Clark says a 57-year-old store employee, Rita Carico of Galax, had
gunshot wounds to the chest and head and was eventually flown to
Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in serious condition. A hospital
spokesman declined to release information on her condition Sunday night.
Clark declined comment on a possible motive for the shooting and says
the investigation is continuing.
**************************************************
15. Cartoon: NRA elementary
**************************************************
Typical mean-spirited mischaracterization by an anti-gun cartoonist -
and readers were giving him plenty of flack over it:
http://tinyurl.com/27lk5jm
**************************************************
16. Massad Ayoob: Armed citizens in the news
**************************************************
http://tinyurl.com/2aa65bk
http://backwoodshome.com/
ARMED CITIZENS IN THE NEWS
Armed citizens are much in the news of late. Here, we see Afghan
civilians trained in marksmanship and patrol tactics by the US
military routing Taliban terrorists from their villages.
A short time-frame apart, two separate bank robberies in Florida are
each foiled by armed citizens with concealed carry permits, and armed
with their own handguns.
In Omaha, Nebraska an armed robbery team comes out second to an armed
citizen, who drew a Smith & Wesson Military & Police .40 pistol,
killing a perpetrator armed with a sawed-off shotgun and capturing a
second robber. As if to prove to the world the danger he faced, one of
his bullets goes into the muzzle and down the barrel of the gunman's
sawed-off. The prosecutor has already ruled the shooting justifiable,
but the citizen, licensed to carry openly, is being accused of
illegally carrying concealed. Local gun rights activists, notably
Nebraska Firearms Owners Association , have rallied to his defense.
Details on the shooting are here and here.
Finally, my favorite of the week, sent along by old friend Adam
Kasanof, retired from NYPD where he spent much of his career with the
Chief of Department's office. A gunfight survivor himself (off-duty
encounter) Adam is one of the majority of cops who cheer when good
guys and gals prevail against the bad guys. Officers in Des Moines,
Iowa where it happened apparently agree; after the shooting was over,
they reloaded the delicate octogenarian's revolver for her. Gotta love
it: see it here.
**************************************************
17. Gun owners stop bank robberies in Florida
**************************************************
http://tinyurl.com/239y287
http://www.cfnews13.com
2 Brevard Bank Robberies Foiled
Saturday, May 01, 2010 8:22:21 AM
Reported by Nick VinZant
TITUSVILLE -- Two Brevard County bank robberies have been foiled by
civilians in the past two days.
Police arrived quickly, but by the time they did, Michael Petersen,
55, had already been captured by David H., who didn't want his last
name used.
"I hit him in the side of the head -- pow -- with my gun because he
punched me in the side of the head," David said.
David said he watched as Petersen entered the Riverside Bank around
4:30 p.m. armed with a knife.
After demanding money from a teller and getting it, Petersen left the
bank.
David, who carries a concealed weapon, followed and made Petersen lay
down in the woods behind the bank until police arrived.
"I'm glad we got the bad guy," David said. "I'm glad that it went the
way that it went."
This is the second time in as many days as something like this has
happened.
On Thursday afternoon in Palm Bay, an off-duty security guard stopped
a robbery at a Space Coast Credit Union.
Floyd Francis, 23, was arrested after a 62-year-old man with a
concealed weapons permit and a handgun forced Francis to get on the
floor.
Police said these actions are heroic, but not encouraged.
"We, as police officers, never want citizens to get into armed
confrontations by any means," said Lt. Todd Hutchinson from the
Titusville Police Department. "However, we are thankful that no one
got seriously hurt and the suspect was brought into custody."
While the two would-be robbers have been taken into custody, police
have also managed to get ahold of both the weapons used in the various
crimes and the money stolen from the banks.
**************************************************
18. Paul Helmke: Guns, the Guard, and Guts
**************************************************
Brady Campaign head argues that disarming the victims is the best way
to fight crime. How do you begin talking sense to someone with THAT
philosophy?
EM Hal Macklin emailed me this (WARNING - DUCT TAPING YOUR HEAD IS
STRONGLY SUGGESTED TO KEEP IT FROM EXPLODING):
--
In this op-ed, he describes the gun lobby as "gun pushers" -- has
anyone ever heard of that before?
http://tinyurl.com/3y4akm4
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Paul Helmke
President, Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence
Posted: April 29, 2010 03:20 PM
Guns, the Guard, and Guts
Gun violence in Chicago is boiling. Toddlers are being shot. The
number of homicides in Chicago this year is only slightly below the
number of our military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan this
year. And now two Illinois state legislators say the answer may be to
bring in the National Guard.
As a former mayor, I know cities need all the help they can get in
fighting crime, but do we want to concede that it's time for military
intervention? Still, this suggestion is worthy of debate -- not
because it would be a sensible solution, but because it helps focus
attention on how desperate the need is in too many parts of our
country to do something now about the shootings, the injuries and the
deaths.
One of the problems with this proposal to bring in armed troops to
deal with an armed population of criminals is its potential to make a
bad situation worse. In a way, it's not much different from what the
gun pushers keep telling us. They say the problem is not that the bad
guys have guns, it's that not enough good guys with guns are
countering them. But do we really want to be like Baghdad circa 2005?
More guns in more places leads to more gun violence -- whether
accidental, unplanned, or intentional.
But cowardice in the face of the gun lobby drives elected officials to
push more guns into more places, and even leads a company like
Starbucks to allow guns in its stores. Alarmingly, the Starbucks
officials say one of the reasons they're for it is they don't want
their employees to have to ask customers with guns to leave - after
all, those customers are armed.
So what we're being told, either by elected officials or private
sector officials, is that we don't want to do things to restrict
access to guns or where guns are taken, because we don't have the guts
to upset the people with lots of guns. We just try to stack the deck
and "escalate the conflict" by trying to get more "good guys" (who we
hope won't make mistakes) with guns in our communities to counter the
"bad guys" with guns.
Instead of conceding defeat, let's take steps to make it harder for
dangerous people to get dangerous weapons. That's the proactive
approach. That's the courageous approach.
If we stopped the illegal trafficking in guns, and strengthened the
ability of law enforcement officials to prevent shootings before they
happened, then we wouldn't have to be talking about calling in the
National Guard.
Unless we wise up now and do the work needed to prevent a rise in gun
violence, then this National Guard suggestion may be a glimpse forward
into the future, when troops in our cities are the only option
decision makers will think they have for dealing with 20-month-old
children dying from gunshots.
**************************************************
19. Chicago Mayor Daley and other mayors: Seek "redress against the
gun industry" in the World Court
**************************************************
Chicago's Mayor Daley, in an attempt to deflect focus on his horribly
failed policies to stop violence in Chicago, is now gone crying to
the World Court to do something about evil American gun dealers.
Daley is one of those, "Hate America First" politicians that makes my
skin crawl.
Kurt Mueller emailed me this:
--
When it looks certain that the US Supreme Court is about to rule
against your city, why not appeal? Pretty stupid stuff. I don't see it
going anywhere, but it is a reminder of our need to be vigilant on
international events (also, UN treaties), and a reminder of the
efforts our opponents are willing to attempt.
http://tinyurl.com/2wgja5c
http://volokh.com
Mayor Daley and other Mayors: Seek "redress against the gun industry"
in the World Court
David Kopel * April 28, 2010 3:36 am
April 27 was the tenth annual "Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum,"
held in Chicago. Over a hundred mayors and other local government
leaders assembled to discuss global issues. As reported in the Chicago
Sun-Times, "Daley convinced more than a dozen of his counterparts from
around the world to approve a resolution urging 'redress against the
gun industry through the courts of the world' in The Hague."
At a news conference, Daley explained, "This is coming from
international mayors. They're saying, 'We're tired of your guns,
America. ... We don't want those anymore because guns kill and injure
people.'"
Among the supporters of the Daley resolution was Mexico City Mayor
Marcelo Ebrard Casauban, who said that "85 percent" of Mexican drug
cartel guns come from the United States. Philadelphia Mayor Michael
Nutter also endorsed a World Court case, because "I love the 2nd
Amendment," but "I have a 1st Amendment right not to be shot."
In 1998, Chicago Mayor Daley and New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial filed
the vanguard of what would become three dozen municipal lawsuits
against the firearms industry. The lawsuits were not successful in
court, but they did come very close to convincing firearms
manufacturers to capitulate. The suits were finally ended by the
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, signed into law in 2005.
So what are the rules in the International Court of Justice (which is
informally called "the World Court")? Chapters 36 and 37 of the ICJ
statute define the Court's jurisdiction.
The classic World Court case is a nation vs. nation dispute in which
both parties have submitted to the Court's jurisdiction. For example,
Jamaica and the Bahamas ask the World Court to settle their
disagreement about who owns some tiny islands in the Caribbean. A
World Court ruling in such a case is binding.
In these state v. state cases, no other party participates, but the
World Court can receive information from NGOs, government agencies,
and so on.
Thus, the plaintiff in a ICJ might be the state of Mexico itself. In a
state v. state case, a state can assert the interests of its
nationals. For example, Mexico might assert the interest of Mexicans
who are allegedly harmed by firearms manufacturers which are permitted
to operate in the United States or in other nations.
There are four modes of state consent to ICJ jurisdiction:
First, the parties themselves can ask the ICJ to hear the case.
Second, the Court has jurisdiction over "matters specifically provided
for ... in treaties and conventions in force." That is, a treaty may
declare that it gives the ICJ the authority to resolve disputes
arising under the treaty.
Third, a state may make a general declaration that it will accept ICJ
jurisdiction. When the case of Nicaragua v. United States was brought
during the Reagan administration, the United States withdrew from ICJ
jurisdiction. The decision was made by Executive authority, and could
be changed by Executive authority.
Finally, jurisdiction can be based on tacit consent (forum prorogatum).
Besides issuing legally binding opinions in state v. state cases, the
ICJ can also issue advisory opinions. Certain United Nations agencies
and bodies have the authority to ask the ICJ for an advisory opinion.
For example, the United Nations General Assembly asked the ICJ for an
advisory opinion about Israel's defensive wall. The ICJ condemned
Israel's anti-terrorist barrier as a violation of international law.
An ICJ advisory opinion is not, in itself, legally binding. However,
other courts may accept the ICJ opinion as a definitive statement of
international law. So the courts which do have power to compel the
state (e.g., a nation's own Supreme Court; or the European Court of
Justice) could take the ICJ opinion, and then issue their own order
requiring the national government to comply with international law as
persuasively declared by the ICJ.
The ICJ has already shown itself to be willing to get involved in
weapons control. In the 1996 case Legality of the Threat or Use of
Nuclear Weapons, the ICJ was asked by the UN General Assembly for an
advisory opinion on the legality of the use of nuclear weapons. The
Court ruled 11-3 that nuclear weapons per se are not prohibited by any
international law, but held that most uses of nuclear weapons would
be prohibited by general laws of warfare (e.g., the prohibition on
targeting civilians). Further the Court held that there was a legal
obligation for complete nuclear disarmament: "There exists an
obligation to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion
negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under
strict and effective international control."
A court which feels competent to mandate complete nuclear disarmament
may not feel reluctant about granting the relief sought by Mayor
Daley's international allies.
Of course whether Mexico (or some other nation, such as Brazil, whose
President Lula is an ardent advocate of gun prohibition) would bring
an ICJ case is at present unknown. Likewise unknown is whether the US
would consent to suit, or whether the ICJ would infer some kind of
tacit consent. It is also unknown whether Mayor Daley and his allies
could accomplish some of their objectives by suing other nations
(perhaps with the consent of the nominal "defendants") which have
domestic firearms industries which export to the United States
civilian market, and which have explicitly consented to ICJ
jurisdiction.
A 2003 article by Joseph Bruce Alonso in the Journal on Firearms &
Public Policy explores the legal interplay between international and
domestic law in legal cases involving gun control. The short answer is
that the Second Amendment might provide some protection in US courts,
but would offer little protection from international court actions
taken against US nationals-such as the seizure of foreign assets owned
by US corporations.
--------
http://tinyurl.com/23ds729
http://www.suntimes.com
Daley: Send gun industry lawsuit to World Court
April 27, 2010
BY FRAN SPIELMAN City Hall Reporter
Six years after the state Supreme Court dismissed his $433 million
lawsuit against the gun industry, Mayor Daley today called for a
change of venue -- to the World Court normally reserved for disputes
between nations and crimes against humanity.
Wrapping up the sixth annual Richard J. Daley Global Cities Forum,
Daley convinced more than a dozen of his counterparts from around the
world to approve a resolution urging "redress against the gun industry
through the courts of the world" in The Hague.
"This is coming from international mayors. They're saying, 'We're
tired of your guns, America. ... We don't want those anymore because
guns kill and injure people,' " Daley told a news conference at the
University of Illinois at Chicago.
"If we ship over poison to a country, don't you think we should be
responsible for it? That's what they're saying: 'Be responsible for
what you manufacture and sell in my country.' ... You have to think
outside the box. You have to be [aggressive] about how you protect
your people."
Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard Casauban noted that the Mexican
government is waging a brutal war against drug cartels that get "85
percent" of their weapons from the United States.
"The U.S. government says, 'We cannot do a lot of things to stop
this,'" Casauban said. "We should take actions with legal effects in
order to stop this trade between the United States and Mexico."
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter acknowledged that using the World
Court is a long-shot. But, he said "you never know until you try" and
it's worth a try to counter the political muscle and money of the
National Rifle Association.
"We have to do different things. The political establishment in many
state capitals -- and certainly in Washington -- [is] so deathly
afraid of the NRA that people cannot make the right decision for their
own constituents," Nutter said.
He added, "People are being killed every day in the United States of
America with illegal weapons. I love the 2nd Ammendment. [But], I have
a 1st Ammendment right not to be shot."
Gun violence also dominated a panel discussion earlier in the day at
the Global Cities Forum.
It happened when Daley argued that Chicagoans have to "open our hearts
and our pocketbooks" to save another generation from being lost.
"We don't say, 'Come to us.' Government has to go to them. They're
isolated. Maybe they have a substance abuse problem. The grandmother
is 70 years old and raising grandchildren. ... We have to intervene in
a different way we never have before. We have to have more homes for
children, such as Boys and Girls Town to help them at earlier ages,"
the mayor said.
"This idea of losing a 14-year-old to gangs and drugs in America is
unacceptable. It is not a criteria we should ever live with."
Daley's 1998 lawsuit accused the gun industry of creating a public
nuisance by using irresponsible suburban gun shops to flood the city
with guns that traffickers supplied to criminals.
The city and the county sought reimbursement for policing, emergency
services and prosecutions tied to gun violence using nuisance laws
normally reserved for polluters. In 2004, the state Supreme Court
refused to create, what it called "an entirely new species of public
nuisance liability."
**************************************************
20. Armed citizen stops Walgreens robbers in Nebraska [VIDEO]
**************************************************
Armed citizen stops thug. Interesting comment at the end:
"McCullough has a valid permit to carry a gun, however, he was cited
for carrying a concealed weapon. "
Gary O'Brien emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/2by5z3o
http://www.wowt.com
Updated: 5:37 PM Apr 27, 2010
Update: Man Killed in Robbery Identified
Second suspect under arrest
Omaha police have made one arrest in connection with a robbery Monday
night at a Benson Walgreens in which one person was killed.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine tells Channel Six News the dead
person has been identified as 18-year-old Marquail Thomas of Omaha.
The second suspect is identified as 17 year old Angelo Douglas of 3716
N. 24th. Police records indicate he was arrested for robbery and use
of a weapon to commit a felony.
Officers have also cited the person who shot and killed one alleged
robber, and subdued the second.
The shooting happened just before 9pm at the Walgreen's at 61st and NW
Radial Highway.
Investigators say that two masked suspects entered the Walgreen's, one
armed with a shotgun. The armed suspect had leveled the gun at
customers.
One of the customers at the register saw the suspect point the shotgun
in the direction of the register where there were several others
standing.
That customer has been identified as Harry McCullough, III of Omaha.
Investigators say he drew a handgun from the waistband of his pants
and discharged it at Thomas, who was hit multiple times.
Thomas was able to flee from the store but collapsed on the north side
of the business. He was transported to the Creighton University
Medical Center where he died.
McCullough has a valid permit to carry a gun, however, he was cited
for carrying a concealed weapon.
Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine says McCullough was justified in
the shooting based on the actions of the suspects and will not face
charges in Thomas' death.
**************************************************
21. Alleged mugger shot in Wooster Square
**************************************************
Armed citizen refuses to be a victim (sorry, Paul Helmke!):
http://tinyurl.com/22nllyq
http://www.wtnh.com
Alleged mugger shot in Wooster Square
Updated: Tuesday, 27 Apr 2010, 2:34 PM EDT
Published : Monday, 26 Apr 2010, 1:20 PM EDT
By: Ted Koppy
New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - An attempted robbery in the Wooster Square
section of the city didn't go as planned for the suspect. The person
who was about to be robbed was carrying a gun.
Police in New Haven were called to the scene around 1:30pm in the area
of 21 Wooster Place near the park.
The man who was loaded into the ambulance is allegedly both
perpetrator and victim. He's the victim of a gunshot fired -- police
say -- by the man he was trying to mug in broad daylight in Wooster
Square.
The person who was shot has been identified as Hector Santiago, 40,
from New Haven.
A dog walker from East Haven came upon the scene just minutes after it
happened.
"And he's laying there moaning in the street, while this other guy --
in his forties or fifties -- is standing there on his cell phone,"
explained Chris Antonucci. "And then this plain clothes policeman goes
up to the gentleman on the cell phone and the guy on the cell phone
says 'he attacked me.'"
Police say the shooter, William Kiselewsky, 65, of Southbury, was in
fact attacked and then shot the 40-year old man.
Wooster Square is usually bustling with people at one in the
afternoon, but it was nearly deserted Monday because of the rain.
Alexander Bragg, the neighborhood block watch captain, said he did
talk to at least one witness. "He said he saw a heated police argument
right where the police tape is over there on Wooster Place, and he
heard two gunshots."
It's a sound that has alarmed those who live around this quiet,
picturesque square.
"It's very worrisome. I don't know if I'll be walking around the green
anymore," commented Ann Marie Scarpellino. "That's the way I feel. I
certainly hope it doesn't become a trend."
Santiago was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
Kiselewsky has not been charged, but police say they are still
investigating.
**************************************************
22. "Bring Your Pieces to Church" Sunday
**************************************************
Rafael Pabon emailed me this:
http://tinyurl.com/2cba4er
**************************************************
23. Since 2008, increased support for gun rights
**************************************************
Mike Gresnick emailed me this:
http://tinyurl.com/29hy4la
http://people-press.org
[SNIP]
March 23, 2010
Public Divided Over State, Local Laws Banning Handguns
Since 2008, Increased Support for Gun Rights
The public is divided over whether state and local governments should
be able to pass laws banning the sale and possession of handguns. The
Supreme Court is expected to rule in the next few months on the
constitutionality of a 28-year-old Chicago law prohibiting handgun
ownership in that city.
Half of the public (50%) says that state and local governments should
not be able to pass laws barring the sale or possession of handguns in
their jurisdictions, while 45% say they should be able to pass such
laws.
Previous Pew Research surveys have found broad opposition to a law
banning the sale of handguns. In April 2008, 59% said they opposed a
law banning handguns while 36% favored such a law. There was less
opposition to a law banning handgun sales in 2000 and the late 1990s.
In March 2000, 47% opposed a law banning handgun sales while the same
percentage favored it.
**************************************************
24. Bloomberg's Bermuda Weekends? With Guns?
**************************************************
The Mayor of New York, being infinitely more important than you or I,
has special permission for his bodyguards to carry GUNS in Bermuda. I
thought guns were bad, Mr. Mayor? Oh, not if they are guns to protect
YOU - now I understand.
James Ellison emailed me this:
--
If Bloomberg is so anti-gun, why are his bodyguards carrying guns on
an island where the police seldom bother to carry? It seems to me that
Bloomberg's very pro-gun when it comes to him having them, very anti-
gun about anybody else having them. Here's the NYT article with a link
to the original. It would probably freak him out if there were a
pro-2nd-amendment rally in front of his weekend mansion in Bermuda
while he was there. Heh heh heh. [PVC: I guarantee if that happened
the Mayor would flee the island in terror - and I am not kidding] --
James Ellison, VCDL Blacksburg.
http://tinyurl.com/23b73rb
http://www.nytimes.com
The New York Times
April 25, 2010
New York's Mayor, but Bermuda Shares Custody
By MICHAEL BARBARO
HAMILTON, Bermuda -- At Greg's Steakhouse, the power lunch spot on
this sun-soaked island, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is such a regular
that he has his own booth, with a view of the Parliament building. The
waiters have memorized his order: coffee-rubbed New York strip steak.
The cabdrivers in Bermuda know Mr. Bloomberg by sight and jockey for a
chance to drive him around town. (The billionaire mayor, they say,
tips well.)
Members of the Mid Ocean golf club, where he plays up to two rounds a
day, can rattle off the strengths and weaknesses of his game.
"He's a bit slow, to be honest," said one of them, who found himself
stuck behind the mayor's foursome recently.
Mr. Bloomberg, who owns a waterfront estate here, has walled off his
life in Bermuda from voters in New York, arguing it is none of their
business. He steadfastly refuses to say when he is on the island, and
to blindfold prying eyes, he has blocked aviation Web sites from
making public the movements of his private planes.
Yet residents here view him as one of their own -- as much a Bermudan
as a New Yorker. They follow his battles against term limits and New
York City crime, and argue that their island plays a key role in
restoring his energy and helping him succeed in office.
"We provide him with a place to unwind for a day or two, and then go
back to a very important job, not just to New York, but to the world,"
said John Swan, Bermuda's former premier and a frequent Bloomberg
lunch guest.
In dozens of interviews, residents described Mr. Bloomberg, 68, as a
fixture on the island, dining out with lawmakers, cruising its streets
in his golf cart and hosting small parties at his house.
It is difficult to say exactly how often he stays on the island;
neighbors and friends say he is here about twice a month, depending on
the weather in Bermuda (no sun, no Bloomberg) and the political
climate in New York.
Prolonged absences arouse worry. After Mr. Bloomberg did not show up
at a restaurant called Rustico for an unusually long stretch last
summer, the manager asked the mayor's Bermudan housekeeper if
everything was all right.
She explained that the mayor was busy campaigning for a third term,
making travel to Bermuda next to impossible (and undoubtedly
impolitic). "She said he would be back," said the manager, Antonino
Amato.
The Bermudan jaunts do pose political risks. New York City mayors have
historically prided themselves on working seven days a week and racing
to the scene of an emergency even on the weekends.
Mr. Bloomberg does not. His aides know better than to schedule public
events after Friday mornings, allowing the mayor to make his getaways
to Bermuda on Friday afternoon and be back in New York by Sunday
evening. (Of the 17 Fridays since Dec. 31, the mayor had no public
events scheduled after 10 a.m. on 13 of them.)
The mayor's aides say he can get back quickly if needed -- the flight
between New York and Bermuda takes about two hours -- but there have
been some notable absences.
In February, a City Hall aide was struck by a car early one Sunday
morning and fell into a coma, ordinarily an emergency that would
prompt a mayoral visit. The mayor spoke to the aide's grieving family
by telephone while aides rushed to the hospital. Mr. Bloomberg
eventually met with the family late Sunday afternoon, after returning
to New York.
Two weekends ago, Mr. Bloomberg skipped the annual Greek Independence
Day Parade on Fifth Avenue, leaving some spectators miffed. He has
attended the parade for the past two years, and was grand marshal in
2006. During the mayoral campaign last fall, he often boasted of his
connections to Greek New Yorkers, even printing up thousands of signs
that declared, "Greeks for Mike Bloomberg."
Bermudans say he was on the island both weekends. Asked if that were
the case, Stu Loeser, a spokesman for Mr. Bloomberg, would say only:
"The mayor, like everyone else, is entitled to some privacy, which is
why we generally don't discuss how he spends his personal time."
The mayor also takes along a police detail when he travels, flying two
officers on his private plane and paying as much as $400 a night to
put them up at a hotel near his house; the city pays their wages while
they are there, as it does whether Mr. Bloomberg is New York or not.
Guns are largely forbidden in Bermuda -- even most police officers do
not use them -- but the mayor's guards have special permission to
carry weapons. A spokesman for the Police Department declined to
comment.
Mr. Swan, the former premier, dismissed questions about the mayor's
ability to run New York City when he is, say, on the 14th hole at Mid
Ocean in Bermuda. "He is never out of reach here," he said. "People
think he is going off to some isolated place where he can't be found,
but he can return with very short notice."
He smiled broadly, and added, "We are much closer to New York than
Florida is."
In fact, Bermudans say they feel especially connected to New York
City; cable television carries local New York news stations, making
Mr. Bloomberg as familiar a sight as "Law & Order" reruns.
As she waited for a bus in Hamilton, Barbara Frith, an administrative
worker, rattled off her knowledge of the mayor, from his resume as a
businessman to his $1-a-year salary. She said she liked his
controversial rewriting of the city's term-limits law last year, which
allowed him to run for a third term. She was on his side. "If it ain't
broke, don't fix it," she said
Mr. Bloomberg bought an estate in Bermuda, called Stokes Bay, by 1998.
He demolished the 2,620-square-foot house and commissioned a local
architect to replace it with a $10 million home nearly three times its
size in Tucker's Town.
Even by Bermudan standards, it was flashy: five balconies, four
bedrooms, seven bathrooms, an in-ground pool and space for four cars,
all hidden by a gated driveway, according to documents on file with
the Bermuda Department of Planning.
The plans showed a sprawling property dotted by "imported" palm trees,
long pergolas and a ridged roof that collects rainwater for drinking.
Mr. Bloomberg's new neighbors did not approve. In a tart letter, the
planning committee at the Mid Ocean club, which acts as a zoning board
for nearby land, complained that the proposed house was "too large"
for the site and would result in the "obliteration" of views for
nearby residents. It deemed the project "unacceptable." The Bermudan
government found its own problems with the plans. Its marine experts
objected to the mayor's proposal to build a large dock in front of the
house, arguing it would disrupt the sea grass beds in the area,
records show.
Mr. Bloomberg's architect agreed to shave three feet off the height of
the house and abandon plans for the dock.
The estate contains a pristine private beach, facing Tucker's Town
Cove, but neighbors said Mr. Bloomberg was not much for sunbathing.
When he is on the island, they said, he plays golf -- obsessively. He
is a member of the island's two best courses, Tucker's Point and Mid
Ocean (initiation fee: $50,000), which are, not by accident, within
walking distance of his home.
The mayor knows the employees of Mid Ocean by name, and in typical
Bloomberg fashion, he recently ordered a giant bouquet of flowers for
the club secretary.
Michael H. Dunkley, a member of the Bermudan Senate and the president
of Mid Ocean, said Mr. Bloomberg routinely played 36 holes on Saturday
and 18 on Sunday, squeezing about 15 hours of golf into a single
weekend.
"We wish all of our overseas members played as much as he does," Mr.
Dunkley said.
The mayor brings his houseguests onto the course. Edward Skyler, the
deputy mayor for operations at City Hall, Sheldon Silver, the speaker
of the New York State Assembly, George E. Pataki, the former governor,
and Joseph L. Bruno, the former majority leader of the State Senate,
have all played with him here.
As he does in New York, the mayor dines out most evenings. He is fond
of the sleek restaurant Port O Call, where the pan-seared lemon sole
is $38, and the clubby Tom Moore's Tavern, where the grilled quail
wrapped in bacon is $35.
In January, Mr. Bloomberg and his companion, Diana L. Taylor, had
dinner at the Point, the island's most talked about new first-class
restaurant, where the mayor left a $175 tip on top of the 17 percent
gratuity automatically charged by the restaurant.
"I was very lucky that night," said the waiter who served him. He did
not want his name in the paper for fear of losing his job (and any
future tips from the mayor).
Mr. Bloomberg often eats with members of his security detail. At
Rustico, his favorite Italian restaurant in Bermuda, he stakes out an
outdoor table for six and orders platters of herb-marinated chicken,
tenderloin of beef and fresh orecchiette.
He is determined to blend in. For years his assistants made
reservations at local restaurants using an alias, to avoid having the
waiters fuss over him.
At times, though, his attempts at privacy border on the extreme.
Shortly after Mr. Bloomberg was elected mayor, he requested that the
Bermudan government seal all of his housing records, according to a
letter from his architect. The government refused. Since then, the
mayor's gardeners have stopped trimming the vegetation around his
house. It has grown several feet taller and now largely blocks the
viewfrom the water. (The downside: it obstructs the mayor's view.)
His celebrity status has made him a prize guest. He dines regularly
with the current premier, Ewart F. Brown, whose wife has become
friends with Ms. Taylor, and he has turned up at the Bermuda home of
H. Ross Perot, who lives a few houses up the street.
Mr. Bloomberg, who relishes entertaining at his town house in New
York, has fewer parties in Bermuda, friends said. Invitations to his
house are rare, and coveted. Two of the mayor's neighbors said they
had been invited over for drinks, and found the mayor -- who has a
reputation for being chilly at times -- amiable and relaxed after a
day of golf.
"He is the perfect neighbor," said David A. Brown, who lives next door
to Mr. Bloomberg. Applying a yardstick familiar to every New Yorker,
he added, "He is very respectful; he never makes noise." [PVC: Just
the opposite when he is in the US.]
**************************************************
25. Column: Better Beware Of Quick-Draw Shea
**************************************************
Another example of how facts can be thrown aside to allow the
columnist to write the story that he wants. Also, note that usual
"gun lingo" you get from people like this. They can't say "gun" or
"carry" or "firearm", so instead they say "rod", or "toting" or "six-
shooter."
So when Mr. Shea writes about the high number of deaths from
automobile accidents, does he say "Model T" or "Tooling down the road"
or "souped up beater?"
http://tinyurl.com/25zfruv
http://www.courant.com
Better Beware Of Quick-Draw Shea
Jim Shea
April 25, 2010
It's morning in America.
I haven't felt this good about my constitutional right to walk around
openly fingering a lethal weapon in years.
We have them on the run, fellow patriots.
Last week alone there were gun-toting rallies in Virginia and
Washington, D.C., while here in Connecticut we learned that there is
no law prohibiting licensed gun owners from exposing their rods in
public.
You know, just maybe this state isn't as sissy blue as we thought.
At the Virginia pack-in, Mike Vanderboegh, a former leader of the
Alabama Minutemen, told the crowd that armed confrontation against the
government might be justified if people were to face arrest for, say,
failing to purchase federally mandated health insurance.
"If I know I'm not going to get a fair trial in federal court,"
Vanderboegh reasoned, "I at least have the right to an unfair
gunfight."
How do you argue with that logic?
According to a story by The Courant's Ed Mahony last Sunday,
Connecticut legislators don't seem to be overly concerned about the
legality of public displays of affection between gun owners and their
significant others.
About the only people who see a problem with this are the police, who,
let's be honest here, aren't real Americans when it comes to the right
of every man, woman and child to live free in a free-fire zone.
Although Connecticut is obviously on the right, make that far-right,
track, it still has a way to go.
Virginia, Tennessee and Arizona, for example, allow bar patrons to
openly lock and load while getting loaded.
Sure the pansy crowd whines about drunks and guns being a lethal
combination, but it seems to me that being able to carry a gun in a
bar is a fair trade-off for not being able to smoke.
These states are obviously in the forefront on guns. I don't know
where they go next, but shouldn't convicts be allowed to carry guns? I
mean, is there a more dangerous place than a prison?
And what about expanding self-defense rights? Are you telling me there
aren't more than enough votes in the Arizona legislature to make it
legal to shoot another gunslinger ... as long you don't draw first?
Anyway, now that I know you can openly carry in Connecticut I'm
weighing what kind of side arm to go with.
I'm thinking maybe two retro Colt .45 six-shooters, you know, the
"Peacemaker." I'd keep them in a silver-embossed, low-slung holster
tied down at the thighs with rawhide.
Aesthetically, my preference would be ivory handles, but practically
speaking, wooden ones might be easier to put notches in.
* Contact Jim Shea at jshea@courant.com
**************************************************
26. Knife-wielding man stabs 28 children, 3 adults at kindergarten in
China, 2nd attack this week
**************************************************
So much for the anti-gun mantra that only guns can be used in mass
murders. But a gun in the hands of a good person sure would have
put an end to these tragedies quickly.
Bill Hine emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/38kcd7y
http://www.foxnews.com
Updated April 28, 2010
Knife-wielding man stabs 28 children, 3 adults at kindergarten in
China, 2nd attack this week
Associated Press
BEIJING
BEIJING (AP) -- A knife-wielding man wounded 28 children -- most just
4 years old -- and three adults Thursday at a kindergarten in eastern
China, the second such violent assault at a Chinese school in as many
days.
Five of the students were in critical condition in the hospital in
Jiangsu province, said Zhu Guiming, an official with the propaganda
department in Taixing city. Zhu said two teachers and a security guard
also were hurt in the attack that happened early in the school day.
The attacker was a 47-year-old local man, the official Xinhua News
Agency reported. It said many of the victims were 4 years old and in
the same class at the Zhongxin Kindergarten.
The violence was the latest in a string of attacks on young children
at Chinese schools. On Wednesday, a man broke into a primary school in
Guangdong province in southern China and wounded 15 students and a
teacher in a knife attack.
The rampage Wednesday in Leizhou city came on the same day as another
assailant was executed for killing eight children last month in
stabbings that shocked China.
Xinhua said no other details were known in the latest case in Jiangsu.
A staffer at the No.1 Taixing People's Hospital said by telephone that
the hospital had received some of the wounded. "The injured have been
sent here one after another. The doctors are now trying their best to
save them," said the worker, who like many Chinese officials refused
to give his name.
In Wednesday's attack in which a teacher stabbed fourth and fifth
graders in their heads, backs and arms, Xinhua said the suspect
suffered from mental illness and had been on sick leave since February
2006. He was now in police custody.
None of the victims in that case had life-threatening wounds, said the
director of the command center at the Leizhou Public Security Bureau,
who gave his name as Qin.
Wednesday was also the day that Zheng Minsheng, 42, was executed in
neighboring Fujian province for the March 23 murders of eight children
outside their elementary school as they waited with their parents for
classes to start.
During his trial earlier this month, Zheng admitted to killing the
children because he had been upset after being jilted by a woman and
treated badly by her wealthy family.
Two weeks ago, a mentally ill man hacked to death a second grader and
an elderly woman with a meat cleaver in southern Guangxi, and wounded
five other people.
**************************************************
27. China executes killer of eight school children
**************************************************
Filed under "Failed Utopia": If guns were banned we would all be safe
from murder, especially murders involving more than one victim! Oooops.
Bill Hine emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/3xk9njm
http://news.bbc.co.uk
China executes killer of eight school children
Page last updated at 10:51 GMT, Wednesday, 28 April 2010 11:51 UK
A former community doctor who killed eight school children in China's
eastern Fujian province has been executed, state media said.
Zheng Minsheng, 42, was shot in Nanping after China's top court
approved his sentence, Xinhua news agency reported.
The execution came one month after he stabbed eight young children to
death at a primary school in the same city.
In a separate incident, a knife-wielding man has injured 18 children
at a school in southern China.
The attack happened at the Leicheng First Primary School in Leizhou
City in Guangdong province, state media said.
Eighteen children and their teacher were taken to hospital but the
extent of their injuries was not known, Xinhua said.
The attacker, whose motive was unknown, was said to be in police
custody.
Appeal denied
Police blamed Zheng Minsheng's attack in Nanping on his breaking up
with a girlfriend.
Reports at the time of the attack had suggested he had a history of
mental illness, but state media later quoted police as saying that was
not the case.
Five other children were injured in the 23 March attack.
Zheng was convicted on 8 April and had appealed unsuccessfully against
his death sentence.
**************************************************
28. Our future? UK arrests and charges another victim
**************************************************
Stephen Wenger emailed me this:
--
http://tinyurl.com/36oqmey
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
[SNIP]
The friend of a teenager arrested on suspicion of murder described him
as a 'hero' today for trying to defend his mother from a knife attack.
Schoolboy James Killen, 18, was held by police after next-door
neighbour Jonathan London, 46, died of stab wounds. It is believed Mr
London attacked the teenager's mother, former air stewardess Sandra
Crawford, at her home in St Alban's, Herts on Friday. Mr Killen was
arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death Mr London but later
released on bail. It is believed the teenager, a student at nearby
Sandringham School, attacked Mr London after he discovered him
slashing his mother... [PVC: The Brady Campaign will tell you that
just because your mother is being murdered right in front of you is no
excuse to harm a poor little misunderstood criminal. Such is Paul
Helmke's Utopia.]
***************************************************************************
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Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
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