Boneheads – Shall Not Be Questioned

Warning signs

I saw this tweet in passing earlier in the week and thought nothing of it at the time, other than “What a bad idea.”

https://twitter.com/EWErickson/status/1348795165880803328

But a friend of mine pointed out that this didn’t “look right” for what it purports to be: a call to action from “right wing elements”

Things that I noticed, more or less off the top of my head:

The color palette is Red/Yellow/Black. It should be White/Blue/Red. A white or blue background, blue or white text, and red highlights/background elements
The stars are wrong – they should be regular, filled, and either white or silver (as on the US Flag), not freehand yellow and distorted. Plus they are point-down, not point up.
The Statue of Liberty is an unlikely choice. Either a “generic government building with columns” or an image of the “WE THE PEOPLE” from the Constitution would be more likely, and either photorealistic or line art, not posterized. Or as in one of the VCDL examples, a “minuteman” or other recognizeably Revolutionary War Patriot
The text layout is wrong – both in being slanted, in color (see palette issues) and in kerning/justification (see the VCDL examples below)
There’s no exhortation to follow state and local laws concerning the carriage of firearms or other weapons

This design language screams Soviet/COMINTERN to me, from color palette to layout to image elements.

But the biggest missing item?

Attribution!

There’s no organization logos on this. No social media calls to action, no promotion at all. None of the most likely candidates for organizing this would ever pass up the opportunity to self-promote, and neither would the unlikely candidates.

I hesitate to label anything a “false-flag” operation, but this is certainly a “no flag” operation. And that is what rings the most false to me.

For comparison, see these posters from VCDL

https://vcdl.org/postercontest/

Needless to say, even if this event was actually being formented by people nominally on my side, I’d say it was a Bad Idea to go. But all of the above make me think it is a really Bad Idea.

And I’ve seen several gun rights groups say the same thing – that this isn’t coming from Our Side, and to not show up; or if you simply must, don’t show up in violation of local laws concerning carriage of arms.

Cody Wilson Caught

At this point, there is nothing that looks remotely defensible about Cody Wilson’s actions after he (reportedly) paid a minor for sex if the details in this story are correct.

At home, police say that he got on a plane to Taiwan at some point after he was tipped off by a friend of the minor that she was cooperating with a police investigation into the incident. Even if the trip was pre-planned, this seems like an unwise choice to make the trip if you’ve got any chance at defending yourself.

But now we learn that he checked in to one hotel and promptly left, decided to rent a studio for 6 months, but then didn’t show to get the keys when he realized that he was wanted in Taiwan, too. (We may not have an extradition treaty with them, but that doesn’t mean they are under obligation to let you roam free. A country with no treaty can still arrest you and turn you over to the US, it’s just a matter of whether they want to do so or not.) They eventually found him in a totally different hotel.

The report indicates that his passport was cancelled, so Taiwan could pick him up on immigration charges once he was found. He can now be deported to the U.S.

None of this will look good during a trial. Depending on the details of the encounter with the girl he is accused of soliciting, he could have potentially mounted somewhat of a defense that she lied about her age repeatedly. If he could prove it or raise a reasonable doubt that he actually knew her age, then there’d be a chance at a plea bargain or maybe an easier sentence. But fleeing to a foreign country with no extradition treaty and going so far as to rent an apartment? Yeah, that’s not going to go over well and will probably kill his chances at being released in advance of the trial since he’s now a demonstrated flight risk.

Well, That Didn’t Take Long

Via Ace of Spades, a CBS legal exec:

“If they wouldn’t do anything when children were murdered I have no hope that Repugs will ever do the right thing,” Geftman-Gold wrote on Facebook. “I’m actually not even sympathetic bc country fans often are Republican gun toters.”

Yeah, and we’re the horrible people, right?

Despite Bitter’s brother narrowly escaping, this won’t change our opinions on firearms. I can’t speak for Bitter, but to me this is plane crash and lightning territory. It’s a rare event, and not something that necessarily calls for “something” that “must be done.” The only way you can stop someone with a clean record who is very motivated to get a firearm from getting one is to make them flat out illegal, and even if you did that, it still won’t stop people who are determined. Gun control is and always will be a fool’s errand. It’s an easy answer for people who want there to be easy answers.

This passes for accurate reporting

A law enforcement source told CBS News the suspect was armed with a SKS semi-automatic assault rifle and a handgun, CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton reports.

What…

Uh…

That phrase does not make sense. Because of ONE politically-charged word. By dropping that one word into the description, it makes the whole thing a multi-layered lie.

Helluva Comeback There, Ted

I never expected Ted Nugent would apologize for his jewish conspiracy laced post; it’s just not his style. But this is Grade A whackadoodle material right here:

Ted Nugent Response

There was always the question about whether Ted Nugent was really anti-semitic, or whether he noticed the pictures of a bunch of gun control advocates, and belted out a rant without really taking a close look at the picture, or what it was saying. I was willing to believe the latter. But I’m having a hard time figuring out how “Meanwhile I adjust my yamika at my barmitzva playing on my kosher guitar” isn’t mocking jews. If it’s not, I might suggest shock treatment for the Motor City Madman. An apt nickname, apparently.

Get off My Side

It’s long past time we disassociated Ted Nugent from the NRAÂ by not voting for him for Board. He went off the deep end long ago, and this aging rocker isÂ long past his expiration date as being useful to the cause. Aging, angry boomers are this issue’s past, not its future.

How can you take his statement as being anything other than being anti-semitic? Is that what he’s saying? Because if it’s not he damned well implies it. The international jewish conspiracy is behind gun control? I know more than a few jews who must not be part of the conspiracy then.

I won’t often issue a non-endorsement for the Board, but he needs to go, and the nominating committee should be ashamed of themselves if they keep nominating him. I get that he could probably win by petition, but let him do it. Every endorsement by him of the nominating committee is just another punch in the face by people who want this to be an inclusive movement.

Denmark Woman Charged After Fending Off Rapist With Spray

There is technicallyÂ self-defense law in Denmark, as long as you don’t use something effective, like pepper spray. I can’t imagine any rationale by which a free society can tell someone they can’t carry and use even a defensive spray. Especially with this rape culture spreading throughout Europe. Denmark isn’t the only country. Even our neighbor to the north, Canada, bans defensive spray. Bastions of freedom, the countries of Saudi Arabia and Russia allow it. You can see the whole list of ridiculousness here.

The right to defend life and limb, and to have access to effective tools for doing so is not an American right, it is a human right. I would argue it is perhaps the most basic human right there is. It is a shame there are so many countries in the world that don’t recognize and protect it.

Run, Mike, Run

While I can’t say as I’d vote for the man, I heartily encourage Michael Bloomberg to run for president as an Independent.Â Especially if he’s going to self-fund. All of my political enemies should have an expensive and impossible hobby.

A New Leftist Trope: Tone Shaming

I have to link this with the caveat that I don’t know whether this is real, satirical, or just plain trolling. Poe’s Law is in full effect. But this does come from a credible lefty source on the Book of Face. Apparently I’ve been doing a lot of tone shaming my whole life and never realized it. So for all of you that I’ve ever refused to have discussions with until you calmed down, for all the times I’ve said I don’t argue with children throwing a temper tantrum, I’m sorry. I did not realize the error of my ways. Apparently I was wrong to expect adult conversation and disagreement, and so I offer a heartfelt apology for preservingÂ my privilege.

Ecumenical Clock Scares

This one evidently caused by an Israeli student. And ending with yet another Police Praise PSH. (Hey, maybe we need another tag, Sebastian?) This should be interesting to watch unfold. That had to have annoyed a lot of commuters, too; US 9 is a major artery for the area, as is NJ 18.

No pictures yet – if I come across one I’ll update. Wonder if he’ll be invited to the White House?