2011 – Page 75 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Philadelphia’s Best Faces Put Forward

Only a city like Philadelphia would decide that it’s a good thing to put their Parking Authority on television. Of course, it has only backfired on the tourism staff, so I guess the Parking Authority doesn’t give a damn.

Today, I was witness to another example of the Philadelphia Parking Authority’s great-for-television personalities. A driver in one of their trucks started honking and swearing at a cab driver who wasn’t making a right on red. The PPA driver could clearly see the line of pedestrians crossing legally in front of the cab, but that didn’t stop his outrage.

The cab driver, to his credit, put his hand out the window and made a “hold on” type gesture. The guy had riders in the back, so no doubt he wanted to go. But that didn’t stop the PPA staffer from honking & swearing to “just fucking go already!” even as pedestrians still blocked the street. Even worse, the PPA truck wasn’t actually beside me. It was slightly behind me in the next lane, and I had my windows up and music on. Yet, I could still hear every foul word out of the PPA’s truck.

And somewhere, some bureaucrat was probably given a raise for putting the wonderful personalities like this on tv. It just reminds you that even if you’re not actually parking a car in Philly, the PPA still wants to make your life miserable – and possibly run over you if you’re a pedestrian.

Freaking Out Over Air Guns

Some local municipalities in Virginia are up in arms about being forced to allow, by state law, discharging of air guns provided reasonable care is taking for projectiles not to cross property boundaries. It’s amazing to me the kinds of things people will get hysterical about. To me this stipulation means you need an appropriate backstop, and if you have one, what’s the big deal?

Distorted View of a Politician

I read this quote from Rep. David Wu who resigned last night amid allegations of sexual assault, and I just can’t wrap my head around this kind of thinking.

â€œServing as a U.S. Congressman has been the greatest honor of my life. There is no other job where you get up each day and ask, â€˜How can I try to make the world a better place today?â€™” Wu said in the statement.

Really? There’s not a single other job on the planet where you can feel like you’re contributing toward making the world a better place? That seems a tad extreme, even from someone on the left.

Even if you take out anyone working in the for-profit sector, which I wouldn’t in my world view, but I can understand if a progressive would cross them off the list, I can think of plenty of roles and organizations where people get up every day and try to make the world a better place – even doing so without the power of government. I don’t know what drives that kind of statement – an overly inflated ego for a resigning Congressman or someone who can see no improvements to the human condition other than that which comes through government. Either way, it’s rather disturbing.

Illinois Carry Case Being Heard Today

Could be a big day for gun rights in the Land of Lincoln:

â€œWe have a very strong case,â€ Todd Vandermyde, a NRA lobbyist, said. â€œWhen you look at some of the briefs that have been filed by the state and attorney general and some of the arguments they are trying to make, I think it is clear they are very, very nervous.â€

Vandermyde specifically pointed to an argument made Madiganâ€™s office that since the state doesnâ€™t outlaw openly carrying a loaded gun outside of cities, towns and other incorporated parts of counties, there is not full scale prohibition.

Madigan’s argument would appear to be very weak here, as I don’t think it’s ever been considered that Illinois law allows carry outside the home under any circumstances. Even if it did, it seems odd to argue there’s a right to carry outside of cities and towns, but no concurrent right to carry in them. What other constitutional right is interpreted to work that way?

Does Canada’s Long Gun Registry Save Lives?

That’s the question being asked by the Vancouver Sun. I don’t really get how the answer is yes. If you’re using the registry to trace a gun, doesn’t that imply someone was already shot with it? Looks like advocates of the registry in Canada are now pointing out that if the registry is lifted, guns like the Ruger Mini-14, that horrific killing machine used in Norway, wouldn’t have to be registered.

Umm…. wasn’t Breivik’s Mini-14 registered, with all the proper paperwork? Hate to tell you folks, but pieces of paper don’t stop bullets.

Moving Quickly on Long Gun Requirement

NRA filed suit today in the long gun reporting requirement for border state FFLs. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of Arizona FFLs, in District Court in the DC circuit. My understanding is that if you are going to file suit against the federal government, you can either sue in the state, circuit and district where the plaintiff’s reside, or you can sue the federal government where it resides.

There is some precedent that would apparently seem to give a lot of leeway to demand letters. Pretty clearly the Administration wants to see how far this hobby horse can be ridden, even to the point of implementing something clearly illegal.

30 Rounds of PSH

The Washington Post is busy lamenting freedom in the US, and apparently Sweden.

These magazines too often find their way into the hands of deranged individuals, transforming them into efficient killing machines.

Do they also transform our police into efficient killing machines? If their only purpose is predation, why do the police need them? The media never wants to answer this question. I’ll make them a deal, write up a ban that applies to the police too, and get all major police groups behind it, I’ll get behind it too. I’m waiting, but not holding my breath.

To New York, and Back, and Back

Went up to New York yesterday to visit with a friend who is working at a place I’m going through the interview process with. Nice visit. There are things about the environment I’d find stimulating, and things I would find annoying. Space costs a premium in Manhattan, so folks are crammed together like sardines, with not much in the way of peace and quiet. Coming from the suburban office park to a boisterous, bohemian feeling work environment where I don’t have much personal space would be quite and adjustment. It’s also a very young workplace. That’s either going to make me feel very young, or very old. I’m still in the very preliminary stages with this job, so we’ll see how things progress. First round interview, after having survived the HR phone screen, is scheduled for next week.

Today I had a first round interview with another outfit in New York, and I think I nailed it. The job is right up my alley and doing the same kind of work I was doing for the previous company, in the same kind of research environment. Tomorrow I have a second round interview with the academic institution I’m seeking a job with. It would be very nice to have two offers to choose from, and I hope the timing can work out.

Free ice cream is going to be sparse for the next few days, unfortunately. Gotta pay the mortgage first.

2012: This Could Be Fun

If you’ve never volunteered for a campaign before, I strongly suggest 2012 as the year to start. Why?

Because when Rick Santorum is polling within 2 points of Barack in a state like Pennsylvania, you know that knocking on doors and making calls is going to result in awesome rants against the administration. If anything, you’ll be assured good laughs.

Being a Parent vs. Being a Crazy Lady

It’s always fun when moms write advice columns about kids and guns – you know, the kind without any actual knowledge of guns. Take this one I came across today. Her initial suggestion is along the lines of Eddie Eagle training & focusing on how guns aren’t like toys. That’s reasonable, but it may not be something that sticks well without a more thought-out lesson like Eddie Eagle.

Then she turns to a parenting coach who she doesn’t cite as having any knowledge of firearms. I’ll say this, at least the coach admits that her advice is embracing the crazy.

Susan Epstein, a psychotherapist in New London who has coached parents for more than 20 years, believes it is our duty to tackle the tough questions.

“I would say it in a self-deprecating way, ‘I’m over the top, but I just want to know if there are guns in your house,'” she suggests saying. She thinks this humble, nonjudgmental “you might think I’m crazy” approach can defuse many difficult situations.

Because, let’s face it, if you tell me that you’re crazy and then want to know about my guns, I’m just going to line up to tell you! Even better, the columnist suggests not just asking about guns in the home, but asking detailed questions about where they are stored and how they are accessed. The questions she suggests seem more like casing a joint rather than actual concern about your child’s access. I guess that’s just part of embracing her crazy.

Of course, said advice columnist then cites a shooting incident that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue being discussed in the column other than there was a gun and a kid. I think that’s what pisses me off about these kinds of columns. It is reasonable if you’re sending your kid over to a new house to talk to parents about what’s going to happen during said visit and what kinds of concerns you might have for your child’s safety while they are in the other parent’s care. But throwing out sob stories that are off topic and citing people who have zero knowledge about actual risks kids might face doesn’t help others to be anything other than scared and crazy.