Good Thing Michael Moore wasn't around in 1945, we'd have lost WWII!!!

Cut and Run, the Only Brave Thing to Do

Sunday, November 26th, 2006

Friends,

Tomorrow marks the day that we will have been in Iraq longer than we were in all of World War II.

That's right. We were able to defeat all of Nazi Germany, Mussolini, and the entire Japanese empire in LESS time than it's taken the world's only superpower to secure the road from the airport to downtown Baghdad.

And we haven't even done THAT. After 1,347 days, in the same time it took us to took us to sweep across North Africa, storm the beaches of Italy, conquer the South Pacific, and liberate all of Western Europe, we cannot, after over 3 and 1/2 years, even take over a single highway and protect ourselves from a homemade device of two tin cans placed in a pothole. No wonder the cab fare from the airport into Baghdad is now running around $35,000 for the 25-minute ride. And that doesn't even include a friggin' helmet.

Is this utter failure the fault of our troops? Hardly. That's because no amount of troops or choppers or democracy shot out of the barrel of a gun is ever going to "win" the war in Iraq. It is a lost war, lost because it never had a right to be won, lost because it was started by men who have never been to war, men who hide behind others sent to fight and die.

Let's listen to what the Iraqi people are saying, according to a recent poll conducted by the University of Maryland:

** 71% of all Iraqis now want the U.S. out of Iraq.

** 61% of all Iraqis SUPPORT insurgent attacks on U.S. troops.

Yes, the vast majority of Iraqi citizens believe that our soldiers should be killed and maimed! So what the hell are we still doing there? Talk about not getting the hint.

There are many ways to liberate a country. Usually the residents of that country rise up and liberate themselves. That's how we did it. You can also do it through nonviolent, mass civil disobedience. That's how India did it. You can get the world to boycott a regime until they are so ostracized they capitulate. That's how South Africa did it. Or you can just wait them out and, sooner or later, the king's legions simply leave (sometimes just because they're too cold). That's how Canada did it.

The one way that DOESN'T work is to invade a country and tell the people, "We are here to liberate you!" -- when they have done NOTHING to liberate themselves. Where were all the suicide bombers when Saddam was oppressing them? Where were the insurgents planting bombs along the roadside as the evildoer Saddam's convoy passed them by? I guess ol' Saddam was a cruel despot -- but not cruel enough for thousands to risk their necks. "Oh no, Mike, they couldn't do that! Saddam would have had them killed!" Really? You don't think King George had any of the colonial insurgents killed? You don't think Patrick Henry or Tom Paine were afraid? That didn't stop them. When tens of thousands aren't willing to shed their own blood to remove a dictator, that should be the first clue that they aren't going to be willing participants when you decide you're going to do the liberating for them.

A country can HELP another people overthrow a tyrant (that's what the French did for us in our revolution), but after you help them, you leave. Immediately. The French didn't stay and tell us how to set up our government. They didn't say, "we're not leaving because we want your natural resources." They left us to our own devices and it took us six years before we had an election. And then we had a bloody civil war. That's what happens, and history is full of these examples. The French didn't say, "Oh, we better stay in America, otherwise they're going to kill each other over that slavery issue!"

The only way a war of liberation has a chance of succeeding is if the oppressed people being liberated have their own citizens behind them -- and a group of Washingtons, Jeffersons, Franklins, Ghandis and Mandellas leading them. Where are these beacons of liberty in Iraq? This is a joke and it's been a joke since the beginning. Yes, the joke's been on us, but with 655,000 Iraqis now dead as a result of our invasion (source: Johns Hopkins University), I guess the cruel joke is on them. At least they've been liberated, permanently.

So I don't want to hear another word about sending more troops (wake up, America, John McCain is bonkers), or "redeploying" them, or waiting four months to begin the "phase-out." There is only one solution and it is this: Leave. Now. Start tonight. Get out of there as fast as we can. As much as people of good heart and conscience don't want to believe this, as much as it kills us to accept defeat, there is nothing we can do to undo the damage we have done. What's happened has happened. If you were to drive drunk down the road and you killed a child, there would be nothing you could do to bring that child back to life. If you invade and destroy a country, plunging it into a civil war, there isn't much you can do 'til the smoke settles and blood is mopped up. Then maybe you can atone for the atrocity you have committed and help the living come back to a better life.

The Soviet Union got out of Afghanistan in 36 weeks. They did so and suffered hardly any losses as they left. They realized the mistake they had made and removed their troops. A civil war ensued. The bad guys won. Later, we overthrew the bad guys and everybody lived happily ever after. See! It all works out in the end!

The responsibility to end this war now falls upon the Democrats. Congress controls the purse strings and the Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi now hold the power to put an end to this madness. Failure to do so will bring the wrath of the voters. We aren't kidding around, Democrats, and if you don't believe us, just go ahead and continue this war another month. We will fight you harder than we did the Republicans. The opening page of my website has a photo of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, each made up by a collage of photos of the American soldiers who have died in Bush's War. But it is now about to become the Bush/Democratic Party War unless swift action is taken.

This is what we demand:

1. Bring the troops home now. Not six months from now. NOW. Quit looking for a way to win. We can't win. We've lost. Sometimes you lose. This is one of those times. Be brave and admit it.

2. Apologize to our soldiers and make amends. Tell them we are sorry they were used to fight a war that had NOTHING to do with our national security. We must commit to taking care of them so that they suffer as little as possible. The mentally and physically maimed must get the best care and significant financial compensation. The families of the deceased deserve the biggest apology and they must be taken care of for the rest of their lives.

3. We must atone for the atrocity we have perpetuated on the people of Iraq. There are few evils worse than waging a war based on a lie, invading another country because you want what they have buried under the ground. Now many more will die. Their blood is on our hands, regardless for whom we voted. If you pay taxes, you have contributed to the three billion dollars a week now being spent to drive Iraq into the hellhole it's become. When the civil war is over, we will have to help rebuild Iraq. We can receive no redemption until we have atoned.

In closing, there is one final thing I know. We Americans are better than what has been done in our name. A majority of us were upset and angry after 9/11 and we lost our minds. We didn't think straight and we never looked at a map. Because we are kept stupid through our pathetic education system and our lazy media, we knew nothing of history. We didn't know that WE were the ones funding and arming Saddam for many years, including those when he massacred the Kurds. He was our guy. We didn't know what a Sunni or a Shiite was, never even heard the words. Eighty percent of our young adults (according to National Geographic) were not able to find Iraq on the map. Our leaders played off our stupidity, manipulated us with lies, and scared us to death.

But at our core we are a good people. We may be slow learners, but that "Mission Accomplished" banner struck us as odd, and soon we began to ask some questions. Then we began to get smart. By this past November 7th, we got mad and tried to right our wrongs. The majority now know the truth. The majority now feel a deep sadness and guilt and a hope that somehow we can make make it all right again.

Unfortunately, we can't. So we will accept the consequences of our actions and do our best to be there should the Iraqi people ever dare to seek our help in the future. We ask for their forgiveness.

We demand the Democrats listen to us and get out of Iraq now.

Yours,

Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

Just an FYI, in WWII, we had a few more allies, INCLUDING Russia. And, in case no one realizes it, WWII was a TOTAL war, with all our military might involved, ALL of our production, and also that of our allies as well. The Iraq situation is not quite the same. We MIGHT be in a war, but it feels no different, generally than before 09/11/01, to me. Then again, I don't travel by air very much, either.


Current Mood: Disgusted
Current Music: Propaganda - Sparks
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS 9x19mm

Gun Facts, Part Five

Myth: Police are against concealed carrying by citizens

Fact: 66%of police chiefs believe that citizens carrying concealed firearms reduces rates of violent crime.²⁰

Fact: “All the horror stories I thought would come to pass didn’t happen . . .I think it’s worked out well, and that says good things about the citizens who have permits. I’m a convert.”²¹

Fact: “I . . . [felt] that such legislation present[ed] a clear and present danger to law-abiding citizens by placing more handguns on our streets. Boy was I wrong. Our experience in Harris County, and indeed statewide, has proven my fears absolutely groundless”.²²

Fact: Explain this to the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, Second Amendment Police Department, and Law Enforcement for the Preservation of the Second Amendment, all of whom support shall-issue concealed carry laws.


²⁰ National Association of Chiefs of Police, 17th Annual National Survey of Police Chiefs & Sheriffs, 2005
²¹ Glenn White, president, Dallas Police Association, Dallas Morning News, December 23, 1997
²² John B. Holmes, Harris County Texas district attorney, Dallas Morning News, December 23, 1997

Current Mood: Happy
Current Music: In The Navy - The Village People
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS 9x19mm

Some basic info about the Pink Pistols

Based on a now deleted comment, it's now obvious to me that some people may be mis-informed about the make-up and purpose of the Pink Pistols.

First, the Pink Pistols is not an exclusively GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Trans-Gender/Sexual) organization. You do NOT have to fit into any of the preceding categories to join the PP. The idea of the PP is for people of "alternative lifestyles" to engage in shooting sports in an atmosphere free from animosity that frequently greets some people.

If you go the PP FAQ, you can see that you do not have to be Gay ( or any of the rest of the GLBT group) to join PP. And, the idea of "alternative lifestyles," covers more than just the four letters (GLBT). And, you don't have to be into alternative lifestyles to join. Many of our members are just straight, regular people. However, they are people without the prejudices of some of the more uptight people in society. (The person who posted a comment I removed is one example.)

And for that person, (and anyone else who fits the mold) I have a response for him.

Asshole: a stupid, mean, or contemptible person.
Add to above, also cowardly anonymous poser. :D


Current Mood: Awake
Current Music: Bad To The Bone - George Thorogood
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS 9x19mm

Thanks to Cowardly ANONYMOUS drive by comments

I have no choice but to moderate any and all comments to this blog. I wish it were not so, but some people are so cowardly as well as OFF TOPIC in their comments, I can do nothing else at this time to assure my readers they won't be subject to these off topic and cowardly comments.


Current Mood: amused
Current Music: YMCA - The Village People
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS 9x19mm

Gun Facts, Part Four

Myth: People do not need concealable weapons

Fact: In 80% of gun defenses, the defender used a concealable handgun. A quarter of the gun defenses occurred in places away from the defender's home.¹⁷

Fact: 77% of all violent crime occurs in public places.¹⁸ This makes concealed carry necessary for almost all self-defense needs. But due to onerous laws forbidding concealed carry, only 26.8% of defensive gun uses occurred away from home.¹⁹

Fact: Often small weapons (that are capable of being concealed) are the only ones usable by people of small stature, or those with physical disabilities.

Fact: The average citizen doesn’t need a Sport Utility Vehicle, but driving one is arguably safer than other vehicles. Similarly, carrying a concealable gun makes the owner (and his/her community) safer as well, providing protection not otherwise available.

¹⁷ "Armed Resistance to Crime: The Prevalence and Nature of Self-Defense with a Gun," by Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz, in The Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, Northwestern University School of Law, Volume 86, Number 1, Fall, 1995
¹⁸ U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, “Criminal Victimization in the United States”, 1993
¹⁹ Kleck and Gertz, National Self Defense Survey, 1995

This one is another favorite. How many of you have been told, if you feel afraid, call the police, hire security, get an alarm. Pardon me for laughing, but at my income level, I can't afford either a security guard, nor an alarm service. My best form of self defense is myself, with my gun. I've done pretty good for 40 years, I should be able to protect myself and my family for at least another 30 years.

Current Mood: Amused
Current Music: Wolfe Tones - Rifles of the IRA
Current Gun: Tanfoglio Witness .45ACP

Gun Facts, Part Three

Myth: Texas CCW holders are arrested 66% more often

Fact: This claim comes from the Violence Policy Center (VPC), a gun control policy group. Most arrests the VPC cites are not for any form of violent crime (for example, bounced checks or tax delinquency). ¹³

Fact: The VPC "study" only includes arrests, not convictions.

Fact: Many of these arrests in this premature VPC "study" came in the early years of Texas CCWs when the law was not understood by most of the law enforcement community or prosecutors.

Fact: Compared to the entire population, Texas CCW holders are about 7.6 times less likely to be arrested of a violent crime.¹⁴
The numbers breakdown as follows:
° 214,000 CCW holders
° 526 (0.2%) felony arrests of CCW holders that have been adjudicated
° 100 (0.05%) felony convictions

Fact: A different study concludes that the four year violent crime arrest rate for CCW holders is 128 per 100,000. For the general population, it is 710 per 100,000. In other words, CCW holders are 5.5 times less likely to commit a violent crime.¹⁵

Myth: CCWs will lead to mass public shootings

Fact: Multiple victim public shootings drop in states that pass shall-issue CCW legislation.<sup>16


13</sup> “Basis For Revocation Or Suspension Of Texas Concealed “, Texas Department of Public Safety, December 1, 1998
¹⁴ Texas Department of Corrections data, 1996-2000, compiled by the Texas State Rifle Association, www.tsra.com/arrests.htm
¹⁵ “An Analysis Of The Arrest Rate Of Texas Concealed Handgun License Holders As Compared To The Arrest Rate Of The Entire Texas Population”, William E. Sturdevant, September 1, 2000
¹⁶ Lott J, Landes W; "Multiple Victim Public Shootings, Bombings, and Right-to-Carry Concealed Handgun Laws: Contrasting Private and Public Law Enforcement"; University of Chicago – covers years 1977 to 1995

The first myth above, the one about Texas CCW holders is my favorite. It was used here in Michigan back in 2001, when we were going from "May Issue" to "Shall Issue" on our CCW permit law. (Called Concealed Pistol License in Michigan). I jumped on this false hood in two different articles I posted on another site. First this one, then the 2nd one here after I got hold of the Texas crime report info. It just shows that the people who are against personal freedom will go to any lengths, to deceive those who are gullible into believing their truth is the only truth, even it their truths are nothing but lies and deceptions.

Current Mood: Thoughtful
Current Music: Back in Black - AC/DC
Current Gun: CZ-52 7.62x25mm

Gun Facts, Part Two

Myth: People with concealed weapons permits will commit crimes

Fact: The results for the first 30 states that have passed “shall-issue” laws for concealed carry permits are similar. Here are some specific cases:
State       Permits issued   Revoked    permits % Revoked
Florida   551,000 ⁶             109              0.02%
Virginia   50,000 ⁷                  0             0.00%
Arizona   63,000 ⁸                50             0.08%

Fact: People with concealed carry permits are:⁹
• 5.7 times less likely to be arrested for violent offenses than the general public
• 13.5 times less likely to be arrested for non-violent offenses than the general public

Fact: In Texas, citizens with concealed carry permits are 14 times less likely to commit a crime. They are also five times less likely to commit a violent crime.¹⁰

Fact: Even gun control organizations agree it is a non-problem, as in Texas – “because there haven't been Wild West shootouts in the streets”.¹¹

Fact: Of 14,000 CCW licensees in Oregon, only 4 (0.03%) were convicted of the criminal (not necessarily violent) use or possession of a firearm.

Fact: In Florida, a state that has allowed concealed carry since late 1987, you are twice as likely to be attacked by an alligator than a person with a concealed carry permit.¹²


6 October 1987 through Jan 1999
7 1995 – no follow-up data available
8 1994 through 1998
9 William Sturdevant, unpublished study reported in August 2000 edition of America’s 1st Freedom
10 Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Census Bureau, reported in San Antonio Express-News,
September, 2000
11 Nina Butts, Texans Against Gun Violence, Dallas Morning News, August 10, 2000
12 Florida Department of State, “Concealed Weapons/Firearms License Statistical Report”, 1998 – Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, December 1998

Current Mood: Blah
Current Music: This town ain't big enough - Sparks
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS

Gun Facts, Part One

The following is for the EDUCATION of Michael "I'm a big fat stupid white man" Moore and all his STUPID followers. More importantly, it points out a major fallacy in article 9 of his worthless "Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives."

Myth: Concealed carry laws increase crime.

Fact: Thirty five states¹ (and the majority of the American population) live in “right-to-carry” states, and in each the crime rate fell (or did not rise) after the law became active (as of July, 2006). Three more states generally issue permits, though it is optional ("do-issue").

Fact: Crime rates involving gun owners with carry permits have consistently been about 0.02% of carry permit holders since Florida’s right-to-carry law started
in 1989.²

Fact: After passing their concealed carry law, Florida's homicide rate fell from 36% above the national average to 4% below the national average and remains below the national average to this day.³

Fact: The serious crime rate in Texas fell 50% faster than the national average after a concealed carry law was passed in 1995. Fact: When citizens are allowed to carry concealed weapons:
• Murder rates drop 8%
• Rape rates fall 5%
• Aggravated assaults drop 7%

Fact: More to the point, crime is significantly higher in states without right-to-carry laws⁴:

Fact: States that disallow concealed carry have violent crime rates 11% higher than national averages.⁵

Fact: Deaths and injuries from mass public shootings fall dramatically after right-to-carry concealed handgun laws are enacted. Between 1977 and 1995, the average death rate from mass shootings plummeted by up to 91% after such laws went into effect, and injuries dropped by over 80%.

¹ At publication time two more states, Kansas and Nebraska, have pass shall-issue legislation, but the new laws have not yet taken effect.
² Florida Department of Justice, 1998
³ Cramer C and Kopel D. Shall issue: the new wave of concealed handgun permit laws. Golden CO: Independence Institute Issue Paper. October 17, 1994
⁴ John Lott, David Mustard: This study involved county level crime statistics from all 3,054 counties in the U.S., from 1977 through 1992. During this time ten states adopted right-to-carry laws. It is estimated that if all states had adopted right-to-carry laws, in 1992 the US would have avoided 1,400 murders, 4,200 rapes, 12,000 robberies, 60,000 aggravated assaults – and saved over $5,000,000,000 in victim expenses.
⁵ FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, 2004 - excludes Hawaii and Rhode Island - small populations and geographic isolation create other determinants to violent crime.

Yes, I know he's not likely to read this. But it makes me feel better. If you want to read the whole thing at once, and not wait for me to post it here, you can download the PDF version for free from http://www.gunfacts.info. The title of this article is also a link to the same place, and you'll find a link to GunFacts on the side bar as well.

Current Mood: Happy
Current Music: The Door Into Summer - The Monkees
Current Gun: Tanfoglio Witness .45ACP

Dear Michael, take your pledge and SHOVE IT!!!

A Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives

November 14th, 2006

To My Conservative Brothers and Sisters,

I know you are dismayed and disheartened at the results of last week's election. You're worried that the country is heading toward a very bad place you don't want it to go. Your 12-year Republican Revolution has ended with so much yet to do, so many promises left unfulfilled. You are in a funk, and I understand.

Well, cheer up, my friends! Do not despair. I have good news for you. I, and the millions of others who are now in charge with our Democratic Congress, have a pledge we would like to make to you, a list of promises that we offer you because we value you as our fellow Americans. You deserve to know what we plan to do with our newfound power -- and, to be specific, what we will do to you and for you.

Thus, here is our Liberal's Pledge to Disheartened Conservatives:

Dear Conservatives and Republicans,

I, and my fellow signatories, hereby make these promises to you:

1. We will always respect you for your conservative beliefs. We will never, ever, call you "unpatriotic" simply because you disagree with us. In fact, we encourage you to dissent and disagree with us.

Because, as a friend of mine put it, to disagree with someone being ANTI-American (i.e., YOU) IS Patriotic.

2. We will let you marry whomever you want, even when some of us consider your behavior to be "different" or "immoral." Who you marry is none of our business. Love and be in love -- it's a wonderful gift.

Really? Gee, I wonder then, why did the Anti-Gay marriage acts pass so overwhelmingly in so many Red states, like Michigan, for instance?

3. We will not spend your grandchildren's money on our personal whims or to enrich our friends. It's your checkbook, too, and we will balance it for you.

Sure, if you call having 0 in the account, balancing.

4. When we soon bring our sons and daughters home from Iraq, we will bring your sons and daughters home, too. They deserve to live. We promise never to send your kids off to war based on either a mistake or a lie.

Unless of course it's YOUR mistake or lie, right.

5. When we make America the last Western democracy to have universal health coverage, and all Americans are able to get help when they fall ill, we promise that you, too, will be able to see a doctor, regardless of your ability to pay. And when stem cell research delivers treatments and cures for diseases that affect you and your loved ones, we'll make sure those advances are available to you and your family, too.

When you make America the last Western Democracy to have universal health coverage, America won't be a democracy anymore.

6. Even though you have opposed environmental regulation, when we clean up our air and water, we, the Democratic majority, will let you, too, breathe the cleaner air and drink the purer water.

We don't oppose it, we simply find YOUR solutions to be totally unreasonable, and un-doable.

7. Should a mass murderer ever kill 3,000 people on our soil, we will devote every single resource to tracking him down and bringing him to justice. Immediately. We will protect you.

That's hilarious. YOU had the chance during your last watch to bring him in, and YOU didn't.

8. We will never stick our nose in your bedroom or your womb. What you do there as consenting adults is your business. We will continue to count your age from the moment you were born, not the moment you were conceived.

Yes, and you'll turn abortion into an accepted form of contraception, something that every girl from the age of 10 on up will have unfettered access to.

9. We will not take away your hunting guns. If you need an automatic weapon or a handgun to kill a bird or a deer, then you really aren't much of a hunter and you should, perhaps, pick up another sport. We will make our streets and schools as free as we can from these weapons and we will protect your children just as we would protect ours.

Ok, so you make the streets free from guns. WHAT ABOUT CRIME? How am I to stop a felonious assault after you've taken away my only means of self-defense? And FYI, the 2nd Amendment has NOTHING to do with hunting, you big, fat moron!

10. When we raise the minimum wage, we will pay you -- and your employees -- that new wage, too. When women are finally paid what men make, we will pay conservative women that wage, too.

Really? HOW are you going to pay me if I don't have a JOB? Where am I going to get a job, after all the potential employers have cut back their work force in order to pay this new minimum wage?

11. We will respect your religious beliefs, even when you don't put those beliefs into practice. In fact, we will actively seek to promote your most radical religious beliefs ("Blessed are the poor," "Blessed are the peacemakers," "Love your enemies," "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God," and "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."). We will let people in other countries know that God doesn't just bless America, he blesses everyone. We will discourage religious intolerance and fanaticism -- starting with the fanaticism here at home, thus setting a good example for the rest of the world.

But you already said you're going to violate my religious beliefs, by taking away my guns! By taking away my GOD-Given right to self-defense! You're not even actually in office, and you're already violating my religious freedom! What a load of horse crap!

12. We will not tolerate politicians who are corrupt and who are bought and paid for by the rich. We will go after any elected leader who puts him or herself ahead of the people. And we promise you we will go after the corrupt politicians on our side FIRST. If we fail to do this, we need you to call us on it. Simply because we are in power does not give us the right to turn our heads the other way when our party goes astray. Please perform this important duty as the loyal opposition.

Really? Well why the heck didn't you guys do anything about Bill Clinton? Oh, sorry, I forgot. You didn't make this "deal" with us then, did you. Oh, and FYI, you're not "in power." Not yet. And not for another 2 years, at least.

I promise all of the above to you because this is your country, too. You are every bit as American as we are. We are all in this together. We sink or swim as one. Thank you for your years of service to this country and for giving us the opportunity to see if we can make things a bit better for our 300 million fellow Americans -- and for the rest of the world.

Signed,

Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com

In case you don't get it, your pledge means NOTHING to me. It's a ton of bull crap, and I ain't gonna fall for it.

Current Mood: Blah
Current Music: None
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS

The Traffic Ticket

Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often?

When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror. The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand.

Bob? Bob from Church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow.

Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform.

"Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this."

"Hello, Jack." No smile.

"Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids."

"Yeah, I guess." Bob seemed uncertain. Good.

"I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -just this once."

Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement. "Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?" "I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct ." Ouch. This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics.

"What'd you clock me at?"

"Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?"


"Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65." The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket.

"Please, Jack, in the car"

Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window.


The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad.

Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license?

Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again. A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. There was Bob, a folded paper in hand Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip.

"Thanks." Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice.

Bob returned to his police car without a word. Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. Jack unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost?


Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke?




Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read:





"Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it- a speeding driver. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters, all three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven before I can ever hug her again.

A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful, Jack, my son is all I have left."




"Bob"




Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.




Life is precious. Handle with care. This is an important message; please pass it along to your friends. Drive safely and carefully. Remember, cars are not the only things recalled by their maker.




Funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the sanctity of life, people think twice about sharing.



Funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them.

Pass this on, you may save a life. Maybe not, but we'll never know if we don't try.

May today there be peace within you. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. "I believe that friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."

Just send this to (4) people and see what happens on the fourth day.

FYI, I'm passing this on to the world.


Current Mood: somber
Current Music: none
Current Gun: Taurus 617B2 .357 Magnum

Another message from the great toilet mouth

Ok, so at least he's not whining this time, even if he is exaggerating a bit.

LANDSLIDE! ...a big thanks from Michael Moore
November 8th, 2006

Friends,

You did it! We did it! The impossible has happened: A majority of Americans have soundly and forcefully removed Bush's party from control of the House of Representatives. And, sometime today perhaps, we may learn that the same miracle has happened in the Senate. Whatever the outcome, the American people have made two things crystal clear: End this war, and stop Mr. Bush from doing any more damage to this country we love. That is what this election was about. Nothing else. Just that. And it's a message that has sent shock waves throughout Washington -- and a note of hope around this troubled world.

Now the real work begins. Unless we stay on top of these Democrats to do the right thing, they will do what they've always done: Screw it up. Big Time. They helped Bush start this war, and now they should make amends.

But let's take a day to rejoice and revel in a rare victory for our side -- the side that doesn't believe in unprovoked invasions of other countries. This is your day, my friends. You have worked hard for it. I can't tell you how proud I am to count all of you as part of the greater American mainstream we now occupy. Thank you for all the time you gave this week to get out the vote. Some of you have been at this since the large demonstrations of February 2003 when we tried to stop the war before it started. Only 10-20% of the country agreed with us at that time. Remember how lonely that was? Some people were even booed! Now, 60% of the country agrees with our position. They are us and we are them. What a nice, strange, hopeful feeling.

A woman, for the first time in our history, will be Speaker of the House. The attempt to ban all abortion in the conservative state of South Dakota was defeated. Laws to raise the minimum wage were passed. Democrats were elected to fill Tom DeLay's and Mark Foley's seats. Detroit's John Conyers, Jr. is going to be the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. The Democratic governor of Michigan beat the CEO from Amway. The little township next to where I live in Michigan voted Democratic for the first time since... ever. And on and on and on. The good news will continue throughout today. Let's enjoy it. Savor it. And use it to get Congress to finally listen to the majority.

If you want to do one thing today, send an email or a letter to both of your senators and your member of Congress and tell them, in no uncertain terms, what this election means: End the war -- and don't let George W. Bush get away with any more of his bright ideas.

Congratulations, again! Now let's go find a spine for the Dems to do the job we've sent them there to do.

Yours in victory (for once!),

Michael Moore
mmflint@aol.com
www.michaelmoore.com

P.S. Thanks for all those photos you sent me of you with your brooms at your polling places. They're still coming in and we're posting them here throughout the day. And for those of you who asked how "Sicko" is coming along, the answer is: better than we ever expected! We're hard at work in the edit room and it will be in theaters in June. Thanks again, everyone, for your support.

If you look through the pictures sent in, you'll notice this one:

Is it me, or does the guy with the broom look like he's wearing a Viet Cong flag for a shirt?

Current Mood: Neutral
Current Music: I'm So Lonesome I could cry - Hank Williams
Current Gun: EAA Witness .45ACP

Danger evident in imposing mandatory gun storage laws

Danger evident in imposing mandatory gun storage laws

By DAVID B. KOPEL
Published on: 11/08/06

Many gun owners store their gun with a "trigger lock," a device that prevents the trigger from being pressed until the lock is removed with a key. Other gun owners store their guns in safes or in "quick-lock" safety boxes, which pop open when a combination of buttons is pressed.

Some gun owners store their gun separate from their ammunition, or with a critical component (such as the bolt) removed. Any of these steps may be a sensible way to deal with the presence of guns and children in the same house.

National Rifle Association safety training strongly urges that any gun that is kept only for sporting purposes be stored in a condition so that it cannot be readily fired.

It does not make sense to mandate such storage conditions. The U.S. Constitution and the Georgia Constitution both guarantee the right to own a gun for defense, and mandatory locks nullify that right. A locked gun might not be readily available in an emergency; even a simple lock may be difficult to open at night when an attacker is just a few seconds away.

Moreover, the circumstances of protection in each individual home are too variable to mandate any one policy. A mother of a three-month-old baby, who lives in a dangerous neighborhood could safely keep a loaded gun in a bedside drawer. When the child grew older, the mother might store the gun's magazine (the device containing the ammunition) on a high closet shelf, with the hope that she could retrieve and insert the magazine if she heard someone breaking into her home.

If an ex-boyfriend started harassing her by phone, and threatened to come over that night and kill her, it would be sensible for her to keep the loaded gun on top of her bedside table as she slept, and even to carry the gun in a holster when she was awake. No single safety rule, written in the crime-free confines of a legislative chamber, can determine the best practices for gun storage in all situations.

The deadly danger of mandatory gun lock laws is illustrated by an incident in Merced, Calif., in August 2000. There, a pitchfork- wielding man cut the phone lines to a home, then broke in and began attacking four children while their parents were not home.

The oldest child, 14-year-old Jessica Carpenter, was unable to retrieve her father's guns from a locked cabinet. She ran to a neighbor's home, and the neighbor called 911. By the time the police arrived, Jessica's 7-year-old brother and 9-year-old sister had been murdered. Jessica's father's guns were locked up in accordance with the California gun storage law.

In countries such as Canada and England —which are cited as models by the American gun control movement—the need to ensure compliance with gun storage laws has been used to justify frequent warrantless inspections of the homes of gun owners.

In the last 35 years, the number of firearms in America has more than doubled, while the number of fatal gun accidents involving children has plunged. One reason is the NRA's Eddie Eagle program, which teaches children to stay away from guns, except under adult supervision.

• David B. Kopel is director of the Second Amendment Project at the Independence Institute, a think tank in Colorado.

Thank you David, I couldn't agree more.

Current Mood: Happy
Current Music: Run Runaway - Slade
Current Gun: EAA Witness - .45ACP

Election Aftermath

Well, it seems we have a change of the guard in the House of representatives coming next year. I'll be curious to see if the Democrats do better or worse than the Republicans did, when they were in charge. It should be interesting.

In Michigan, I was disappointed to see the Mourning Dove Hunt proposal (3) went down in flames. It's a shame that people voted with emotion and lies, and with their pocket books and the truth. Then again, Michigan hunters were up against the Humane Society of the United States, a rather effective anti-(all)hunting org. Unfortunately, this means it's only a matter of time before we can good bye to all forms of hunting. With their success in this venture, HSUS is sure to go after something else next.

I was however, happy to see Prop 2 pass. At least maybe now it will be a level field on the employment scene.


Current Mood: Neutral
Current Music: Chains of Love - Erasure
Current Gun: EAA Witness - .45ACP

Seems we're not the only ones with border problems

Cops get tougher on illegal aliens
346 Bangladeshis using city as safe haven deported
Smita Nair & Stavan Desai

Mumbai, November 6: Pakistani nationals coming into the country through Mumbai as legitimate passengers and then disappearing, illegal migrants from Bangladesh showing up in police investigations into recent terror attacks—it’s only natural that Mumbai police’s prime focus is now on illegal aliens who are using the city as a safe haven.

The result is a systematic crackdown on the orders of anti terrorist squad (ATS) chief K P Raghuvanshi and police commissioner A N Roy. “This was always a problem, but after the 7/11 blasts we have stepped up vigil. We are taking preventive measures, too,” said Raghuvanshi.

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According to the statistics available with the Mumbai police, so far in 2006, of the 501 Bangladeshis arrested till October, 346 have been deported. In 2004 and 2005, 701 Bangladeshis were deported.

But the challenge for the police is the fact that illegal migrants keep coming back and at times they are the same ones who were deported a year or two before. This, police say, is because of the porous India-Bangladesh border.

The special branch is making round-the-clock checks at various arrival points and well-known areas of the city. Among the 16 people arrested by the ATS so far for their alleged involvement in 7/11 blasts, at least two—Kamal Ansari and Mohammed Majid—are known to have escorted the terrorists to Mumbai after helping the them cross the border.

Last year, when the special branch arrested an illegal Bangladeshi migrant, 25-year-old Shabia Mohammed, her defence was: “I am poor and the city gives me money.” Days later, she was deported to Bangladesh.

But during a raid last month, the special branch wasn’t surprised to find her in their net—this time, she had changed her name to Bilkis Bano.

“This is a common practice,” says Roy. “Sometimes these Bangladeshis reach Mumbai even before the police escort who is sent to deport them is able to come back from Bangladesh.”

The issue is of a “porous border”, reiterated inspector Vishwanath Satam of special branch. While areas like Raey Road, P D Mello Road, Sakinaka, Govandi, Dongri and Wadala are the traditional hotspots, investigators say “they (illegal migrants) are all over, having shifted to Mira Road and Thane districts.”

So well entrenched are the migrants, that most come up fake passports, ration cards and voter ID cards when confronted during a raid. “Repetitive arrests have made them smart. They ensure that paper work is complete. Sometimes, it does not even take more than Rs 100 to get a fake ration card,” says special branch officer.

Thankfully, a supreme court judgment strengthens the investigators’ case: only a birth certificate can be ascertained as a legal document in such cases. “Also, we do not have a national identity card which would have solved matters once and for all,” adds Roy.

Ok, I don't like the idea of a national ID card. But maybe there's some other lessons to be learned from India's illegal alien problem?

Current Mood: Awake
Current Music: None
Current Gun: Taurus 617B2 .357 Magnum

Denny's Restaurant and discrimination

On Oct 20, 2006, at 2:00 p.m., my wife and I went to the Denny’s restaurant at 1220 Gale Gardner Way in Prescott AZ. Upon walking thru the front door we heard 3 or 4 servers from Denny’s in the main section of the restaurant talking very loudly in Spanish. So loudly that it was irritating. So, I asked the Hostess that was to seat us, if we could be seated in the English speaking section, (I do believe the persons name was Phillis). She turned and looked at the commotion that was going on, and turned back to me and said no problem, follow me. So she seated my wife and I in a different section and gave us menus. We said thank you and she left.

At this time a nice young girl named Leah came to take our order. At this point we discovered that Phillis had given us menus that were in Spanish, so we asked Leah, our server, for English menus and two cups of coffee. She apologized and brought the coffee, and went to get our menus. At this time, a man came over and leaned over the table and said he was the Manager for Denny’s (I believe his name is Patrick).

At this point he said "Denny’s does not allow any discrimination and you must leave right now." My wife asked him what we had done, he just acted very rudely and said "you must leave right now." He then said "Denny’s does not tolerate any type of discrimination, YOU MUST LEAVE."

My wife and I were shocked, we had never been asked to leave any place before. This Manager was very intimidating and we were very embarrassed, and I called him a couple of names as he ushered us out of Denny’s.

My wife and I own a Bar and Restaurant here in Prescott and we have never been treated like this any place, nor would we treat any of our customers like this. We were harassed, talked down to and discriminated against. We also feel that Denny’s may have violated our civil rights.

This is an official complaint, and we feel that we have been wronged by the Management of Denny’s. Our embarrassment has now been replaced with anger that Denny’s would hire racist managers and hostesses, and that Denny’s would condone this type of discrimination and harassment to Americans in their establishment.

We are in need of a attorney that does harassment and discrimination law suits in AZ. This is the letter we sent to Denny's and we are tired of being pushed around. Please help by pointing us in the right direction. Thank you.

Wayne and Leah *********

Current Mood: Awake
Current Music: None
Current Gun: Taurus 617B2 .357 Magnum

If you're stupid, don't vote

This from a "community contributor" to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

If you're stupid, don't vote

By DAN KENITZ

Posted: Nov. 2, 2006

Aside from what they actually vote for, what many people disagree on is whether or not it's the responsibility of eligible citizens to vote. Since you technically don't have to vote but might be wondering if it's right for you, I've assembled this list to help you discern whether or not you ought to vote.

• If you believe that it's everyone's responsibility to vote, you're stupid. Don't vote.

• If you're disillusioned with the entire democratic process because you don't like President Bush, voted against him twice yet he still got elected, you're stupid. Don't vote.

• If you understand the depth and nature of the American military's sacrifice from Bunker Hill to Baghdad and its continued importance to our survival as a nation and as a collective soul, you're smart. Vote.

• If you want to re-elect Gov. Jim Doyle because you saw a TV ad that says Rep. Mark Green gives kickbacks to Big Oil, you're stupid. Don't vote.

• If you want to vote for Green because you saw a TV ad that says Doyle gives kickbacks to everyone else, well, I think you're right but that doesn't necessarily make you smart. Don't vote.

• If you think Milwaukee Republicans got carried away about Democratic voter fraud in recent years while supporting voter ID requirements that make sure votes are being cast by actual people, join the Democratic Party, change your name to John Doe and vote 1,700 times.

• If you've already moved to China because it has bought up a majority of our debt and is moving closer to a democracy, you're smart - and disloyal. Send an absentee ballot.

• If you support the space program, vote twice.

• If you think "Barack Obama bin Laden" is the country's greatest threat since "Albert Hitler," congratulations on graduating from the U.S. public education system. But don't vote.

• If your primary motivation for voting is that someone offered you a pack of cigarettes if you vote for Candidate X, you're an honorary Democrat. Don't vote.

• If you view freedom not as something that you automatically should be entitled to just by existing but should be regularly and proactively exercised, you're smart. Vote.

• If you believe that Wisconsin needs to be more like Illinois, and therefore should have more tollways, move to Illinois and vote there.

• If you were asked who Chester A. Arthur was and you responded, "Did he start a sandwich franchise?" no points will be deducted - it was a good guess. You can vote.

• If you feel that your financial well-being is the responsibility of the government, the upper class, the middle class, your kids or anyone who's not you, you're stupid. Don't vote.

• If you get emotionally upset because a columnist called you stupid, don't vote. You're easily excitable and shouldn't have any say over who gets access to The Button.

Now, total up your score: Add a point for "vote"; subtract a point for "don't vote." If your score is zero or above, feel free to vote. If you got a negative number, steer clear from voting booths and longer words in general.

By the way, if you really use this list to figure out whether or not you should vote, you're stupid. Don't vote.

Dan Kenitz of Hartford is a writer who runs a political Web site, BipolarNation.com. His e-mail address is dan@bipolarnation.com

(Thank you Barbara!)


Current Mood: VERY Amused
Current Music: Life During Wartime - Talking Heads
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS

Just in from Fox News

It was recently announced on FoxNews that Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death by hanging, for crimes against humanity.

It's about damn time!


Current Mood: Amused
Current Music: Rifles of the IRA - Wolfe Tones
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS

Michigan voters, vote YES on Proposition 2

That's right, I said to vote "YES," on Proposition 2 in Michigan. It's high time we ended discrimination in our hiring practices, and in college/university selection. Don't listen to the lies, find out for yourself how Prop 2 will finally even the playing field when it comes to jobs and higher education.

Check out this.


Current Mood: Tired
Current Music: Dragula - Rob Zombie
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS

Now he's targeting Concealed guns?

Mike targets concealed guns

Saturday, November 4th, 2006

Mayor Bloomberg blasted his political predecessors yesterday for handing out concealed-gun permits to their well-connected cronies.

"We have been pretty hard-nosed about renewing [permits]," Bloomberg said on his weekly WABC-AM radio show.

"Sometimes, some administrations, you know, if any of their friends want a gun permit, they just gave it to 'em," he said. "And I don't think that's right. I think you should have to justify it."

Bloomberg did not single out any of his predecessors for blame or identify the New Yorkers he believes were wrongly given permits to carry concealed weapons.

The well-known New Yorkers who have obtained permits in the past include Donald Trump, Howard Stern and state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno.

Bloomberg has been crusading against illegal handguns since being reelected and co-founded a coalition, which now consists of 109 mayors, dedicated to stopping the sale of illegal guns.

Yesterday, Bloomberg said he also is hoping to reduce the number of people allowed to carry concealed weapons in the city.

"If you tell me you need a gun permit, you're telling me you don't think the NYPD can do a good job in protecting you," he said. "Most people, I don't see any reason why they need it."

Michael Saul

Come on, Mayor! Make up you're frigging mind!! Either you want to get ILLEGAL guns off the street, or you want ALL guns off the street. WHICH IS IT??? As for trusting NYPD to protect me, are you saying I'll get my own personal cop for protection, if I should visit your fair city? If so, that's great, fantastic. Then of course, I would not need a gun for protection. But I have to say, if you have enough police officers to protect EVERY citizen in NYC, that's got to be one LARGE police department.

So, answer me this. WHY does crime still happen in New York City??? I'm confused. If they NYPD is good enough to be capable of protecting everyone, how come there are still murders, rapes, robberies and muggings going on?

Current Mood: Cheerful
Current Music: None
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS

Dear Mr. Kerry, You can go TO HELL!

Kerry then told the students that if they were able to navigate the education system, they could get comfortable jobs - "If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq,"
Pasadena Star News

Apparently "Mr." Kerry thinks that our Service men and women are stupid. Maybe he's right. WHY should they defend a country that doesn't appreciate their service? What I mean is, between John Kerry, who's now called them uneducated, and John Murtha, who's called them war criminals, if I was still in, I think I'd turn my tank around and point it's weapons at their offices!

With fellow citizens like the ones above, who needs enemies?


Current Mood: Pissed
Current Music: Heresy - Nine Inch Nails
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS

Gun laws haven't cut murder rates: study

Gun laws haven't cut murder rates: study
October 23, 2006 - 4:40PM

Australia's guns buyback has not reduced rates of gun murder or suicide, a new study says.

The paper, published in the British Journal of Criminology and written by pro-gun lobbyists Jeanine Baker and Samara McPhedran, found the buyback of 640,000 guns at a cost of some $500 million failed to make Australia safer.

That contrasts with the views of other studies and Prime Minister John Howard, who say the guns buyback has made Australia safer.

The buyback and tough national gun laws were instituted in the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre, when lone gunman Martin Bryant armed himself with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons and killed 35 people.

Self-loading rifles and self-loading and pump-action shotguns were banned, with a 12-month amnesty period for people to hand in their weapons and receive compensation.

The laws outraged farmers and recreational shooters but were widely accepted as necessary to stop future massacres.

The new paper disputes whether the laws have worked.

Ms McPhedran is the chairwoman of the International Coalition for Women in Shooting and Hunting, while Dr Baker is the South Australian president of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia.

They cited data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) to say the gun law reforms had not affected actual gun murder rates per 100,000 of population.

Neither could the reforms be shown to have altered firearm suicide rates because suicide rates by other means had also begun to decline in the late 1990s.

"Reducing the number of legally held firearms, banning certain firearms, and increasing the requirements that must be met to legally own firearms has not produced the desired outcome of a safer society," Ms McPhedran said.

"We cannot say firearm suicide rates were affected by the laws. Social changes and emphasis on prevention initiatives appear to have lowered suicides using all methods."

AIC figures point to a long-term trend in falling gun death which preceded the 1996 gun laws reforms and continued after it.

In the period 1991-2001 the number of firearm deaths in Australia, including murder, suicide and accidents, dropped by almost 50 per cent.

But University of Sydney public health professor Simon Chapman attacked the report, complaining aspects were "verging on academic dishonesty".

Professor Chapman said the study failed to differentiate between gun deaths where one or two people were killed and the large-scale massacres that the tough gun laws were designed to prevent.

Prof Chapman said the best evidence that Mr Howard's gun laws were working was that there had been no mass shooting sprees since they were introduced.

The professor said the paper was based on "statistical smoke and mirrors".

© 2006 AAP

So Prof. Chapman, what you're saying is, you'd rather see 200 people die each year in ones and twos, rather than in groups of 10 or more? I suppose that is progress. In a weird sort of way.

Makes me glad I don't live down under!

Current Mood: Happy
Current Music: Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World - Big Brudda Iz
Current Gun: Taurus PT92AFS