Bitter – Page 144 – Shall Not Be Questioned

Law & Order: Pennsylvania 2010

It would seem that prosecutors are the big theme of Pennsylvania GOP races in 2010:

It’s interesting to hear that ex-U.S. Atty Tom Marino (R) is again considering a run against Rep. Chris Carney (D-PA). Besides the fact that he’d be a top-rate challenger to Carney (the GOP has yet to find any high-profile takers), he’d also be the third Bush-era U.S. Atty to consider a Cong. bid in PA this cycle.

Pat Meehan (R), who had been a GOV candidate, dropped out of that race earlier this year and opted to run for Rep. Joe Sestak’s (D) open seat. Meanwhile, Mary Beth Buchanan (R) was reported to have been considering a bid against Rep. Jason Altmire (D), but that talk has died down as of late. …

But all of these candidates would be formidable challengers, and with AG Tom Corbett (R) the early leading GOP GOV contender, ’10 could be a very law-and-order contest up-and-down the ballot in PA.

I think we both fall on the side of Jason Altmire in the 4th. He has consistently been willing to stand up to Pelosi, unlike the fake Blue Dog in our district. (Patrick Murphy has supported every big spending bill & amendment he could find since he’s been in office, yet he still claims he’s a moderate.) Plus, Buchanan has a less-than-stellar reputation for going after doctors when treating patients with chronic pain. I don’t want a law-and-order type whose view of upping her conviction record is just to make more crimes.

A solid challenge to Carney would be interesting. He’s not horrible and he’s not great as a so-called Blue Dog. Since he hasn’t been completely consist on the gun issue, I’d be fine in seeing him go. (I wouldn’t call him inconsistent as far as unaware, at least based on my own observations. For his district, unaware isn’t good enough.)

Contribute What You Have

Sometimes it’s not about opening your wallet to fight a political fight. Â And you might not be great with people for purposes of going door-to-door for a candidate. Â While those things have to happen, I couldn’t help but think about how many other skills people have to offer a movement that they don’t contribute after listening to this song by a conservative performer.

Legal issues aside, no one can doubt that Shepard Fairey’s work make a huge impact for the Obama campaign. According to Edelman, Obama supporters put more than 400,000 user-created videos on YouTube. While an activist shouldn’t spend all or his/her time on these types of activities, they are relevant if you have an avenue and plan to get them out to broader audiences.

What I know I’m tired of seeing are people who are just angry and fuming. Turn that anger into motivation to do something. I know I have a few ideas for some independent outreach projects come election time, but until then I’m going to do things like contact the declared candidates and make sure they contact NRA to get a questionnaire and let them know there are pro-gun voters in the district.

I’m not exactly full of artistic talent, nor do I have much in the way of video skills, but I have been amassing a collection of stock videos, images, and songs that could come in handy someday for either a project of mine or those I know who do have more skills and talent.

With the very un-merry Christmas gift we’re getting from the Democrats in the Senate this year, use some of your time around the holidays to get a little creative in what you can give to fight for freedom.

(Song found via Ravenwood who should consider a holiday gift of giving the world more of his blogging talents.) :)

When Talking Points Collide

Sometimes talking points collide over at the Brady Campaign. They must appear like the moderate group that’s not actually trying to ban guns anymore while also jumping on board with just about every idea someone can frame as gun control. Every once in a while, those two efforts don’t quite mesh, as Thirdpower has found.

Vampires, Zombies, & Parenting

I am not a parent. Nor am I planning to become one in the foreseeable future. But should that change, I’m going to make sure I read Tony Woodlief’s entire blog archives. It takes a very talented writer and wise father to connect vampire and zombie flicks to the challenges of parenting. And yet he does in a way that not only gets at an important reminder for parents, but also makes me laugh.

There are monsters in the world, to be sure, but there is also goodness and hope, and I suppose I didnâ€™t realize that when I was a child. There is goodness and hope, and this is what I want my children to know. Iâ€™ll teach them how to work a shotgun for good measure, just in case we are besieged by zombies.

The post may also fan the flames of a good vampire vs. zombie debate, but what good lesson in parenting doesn’t?

The Judge Seems to Be Confused

According to Fox, a Montgomery County judge seems to be taking a stab at creating his own gun registry for reality stars.

A Montgomery County judge issues a court order after Jon Gosselin is seen shooting a loaded gun at his Berks County house.

Judge Arthur Tilson issued the court order Thursday in Norristown, Pa., after Jon Gosselin was photographed on Wednesday in Wernersville, Pa., shooting a .38 pistol on his property.

The judge also ordered Gosselin to register his pistol at a new address in Pennsylvania within 90 days.

Media sites caught Gosselin, 32, carrying the gun and then shooting it on the vast property at the estate owned by Jon and Kate Gosselin.

The problem for Judge Tilson is that registries of gun owners are illegal in Pennsylvania. (Yes, we have the issue with a registry of sales, but that’s not the topic in this case.) One lowly Montgomery County judge cannot singlehandedly create one by court order.

It does not appear that Jon was doing anything illegal or dangerous, as press accounts indicate their property is quite large. And I can attest that the area is quite rural since we drive through Wernersville when visiting Sebastian’s dad. (Fortunately, we have avoided catching sight of Jon, Kate, and all of their 8.)

Unfortunately for Jon, reports indicate that he’s broke and can’t pay an attorney to challenge this judge. However, I can’t really see what force of law the judge would have to enforce an order that’s unconstitutional.

More on “Buy Backs”

In New Jersey, at least one paper is questioning the value of gun “buy backs” and ponders whether the incentives are wrong for criminals.

But are we sending the wrong message to criminals who want to earn a fast buck with the sale of illegal firearms?

In some jurisdictions, people are allowed to turn in up to three handguns for $200 each, according to news reports.

One must ask, are we â€“ as law-abiding citizens who obtain our weaponry through legal means â€“ at risk of having our homes, offices and businesses burglarized by criminals who intend to make a couple of hundred dollars at a gun buyback program?

We’d like to know if there is data showing a rise in gun thefts that correlates to buyback programs, and whether the guns purchased at buyback programs have been stolen from homes and businesses.

Misleading Headline

I read this headline and thought Florida gun owners were being honored with Christmas presents:

Bring a gun to West Park on Saturday and get a gift card

Of course, it’s a “buy back,” so no holiday surprises this year. Damn.

Quote of the Day

From Jim Geraghty:

John Edwards launches pilot program to assist unwed mothers with housing.

The link he included in the tweet points to this news:

Rumors have been circulating for several days through Charlotteâ€™s Eastover neighborhood that former U.S. Sen. John Edwards bought a home here for his admitted former mistress, Rielle Hunter. And now the National Enquirer is reporting in its Dec. 21 issue that Edwards has, in fact, bought a house here that the Charlotte Business Journal has identified as a residence on Providence Road.

Stench of Desperation

It seems like the Brady camp is getting desperate. They’ve seen Democrats pass pro-gun legislation, Obama silently sign a carry law, Blue Dogs putting the brakes on a progressive agenda over gun rights, and generally not been able to advance their cause even though their favored party and stalwarts are in the House leadership and administration.

At this point, they are whining that Democrats are putting the fun back in fundraising by hosting the event at NRA offices with a Laser Shot system.

What’s next? I presume protesting outside Nintendo offices for their legacy of 25 years of death & destruction.

NYT Tolerance Goes too Far

According to a PBS host, the tolerance of the New York Times simply goes too far. Why? Because they accept without question that people eat meat and that some people hunt their own meat.

Yes, according to her, the Times staff should be treating hunters like cannibals because any killing of any animal is cruel.

Interestingly, Cemetery noted the anti-gun commentary in the piece. See, even though Bonnie Erbe wants you to immediately stop eating meat, she makes it clear that she’s even more opposed to hunting with firearms than bows and/or spears. Because apparently reducing the likelihood of a quick, clean kill, she’d prefer that animals be tracked for several miles while they bleed out.* Now that’s compassion!

*I’m not saying this as a knock against bow hunters. I just imagine that using a spear to get a deer would neither be a quick process resulting in a great shot to the vitals, nor would it be terribly effective.

UPDATE (By Sebastian): I thought Bonnie Erbe sounded familiar. She’s the one who doesn’t believe in the First Amendment. You know, it’s easy to accept that there are people out there who base their viewpoints entirely based on emotion and feeling, and lack any real intellectual or analytical capacity. It’s harder to accept that the media think it’s quality journalism to give them a column.