The lamestream media told you:
"LONDON -- Finance Ministers and central bankers from the world's most powerful industrialized and developing nations agreed to deliver the remainder of a $5 trillion global fiscal stimulus while outlining a compromise on efforts to rein in pay for bankers," according to William Watts, writing for MarketWatch.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
This overlooked minor item from Sep. 6, 2009 points out that: 1- The American stimulus bill shows we're pikers on the world stage; 2- Internationalists control insane amounts of cash, none of which is theirs since all "finance minister" money is taken from the public; 3- $5 trillion is $5,000 billion, or five million million, a number too large for even finance ministers to comprehend, let alone the people it has been taken from in drips and drops; 4- U.S. news coverage barely shows a tip of the iceberg on what's really going on in the world; 5- Who gets all that cash is undisclosed, as is what they'll do with it; 6- Any mechanism for following the action is unknown to mere mortals; 7- The chance that less than all of it will stay out of power brokers' pockets is probably infinitesimal; and 8- calls for more taxation at any level must be resisted and elected advocates for more taxation must be removed from office.
The lamestream media told you:
"Congress votes to add gays to hate-crime laws. Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of civil-rights-era law that Congress approved," according to Jim Abrams of the AP. [Note that sexual orientation is actually not a basis for this crime -- only odd sexual orientation is included. Whether writer Abrams is in the new protected class was not disclosed.]
Recognizing that the bill had no chance for passage, it was attached to a must-pass $680 billion defense spending bill. [Note that spineless legislators allowed this illegal maneuver, and only 29 senators refused to vote for the bill and stand on principle.]
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
George Orwell proposed it first, and Mr. Obama has just signed another one into law. A new group, people of unusual sexuality, are now a special class of victims if attacked because of their sexuality.
The bottom line in thought-crimes-labeled-hate-
According to attorney general Eric Holder, who says thought-crimes-labeled-hate-
"You better not hate anyone you physically confront," said one anonymous expert, who prefers to remain anonymous, "because if you do, or even if you don't and the feds charge you with improper thoughts, you're in a world of hurt. If you have to beat on someone, just do it in an emotionless way, it's legally safer." Senseless beatings, he says, are less criminal than specialized beatings.
The new law fails to criminalize hatred of short people, stupid people, racists, dopers, SUV owners, leaf blowers, the voice that tells you you're subject to search at the airport, white people and members of Congress or the "news" media, none of whom were reached for comment.
It's the Ft. Worth, not Austin, Star-Telegram, Austin's paper is the American-Statesman. D'oh. (See Corrections: Ammo Shortage.)
Several readers noticed ACORN's new name didn't match its acronym (see "Acorn Still Funded."). Author friend Charly Gullett explains, "At the time of writing, ACORN was struggling with what to re-name itself. CCI was and is the financial laundering arm of the organization and was considered at the time a contender for the new name. In fact they seem to have been waylaid in this re-naming effort by the recent video scandals. The name now on paper legally for the international arm (but not yet on the web) is Community Organizers International." http://canadafreepress.com/
I had complained about the federal proposal to estimate the entire economy to within 1/4 percent 12 years from now (see "Impossibly Longrange Predictions"). One astute reader gripes that he would think, "Getting an economic prediction right to within 1/4 percent for 12 minutes from now would be quite an accomplishment for a government office." I stand humbled.
The lamestream media told you:
Chicago's 27-year-old ban on handguns is coming up for challenge at the U.S. Supreme Court, with a ruling likely due by June 2010, and an oral-argument date as early as February, expected to be set soon. It is the second major gun-rights case to reach the Court, following the 2008 landmark Heller case that overturned the Wash., D.C. strict ban on working guns at home. Alan Gura, lead counsel in the Heller case, is lead counsel in this case, and is quoted as saying, "State and local politicians should be on notice: the Second Amendment is a normal part of the Bill of Rights, and it is coming to your town." The case is being brought by the Second Amendment Foundation, the Illinois State Rifle Association, and four local plaintiffs.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
Although this is presented almost everywhere as a Second Amendment case, and it does and will affect 2A in profound ways, the real significance of this case is in its 14th Amendment implications.
The 14th Amendment is supposed to protect the "privileges and immunities" of all Americans. It was enacted soon after the War Between The States (1868), to prevent states from denying rights to freed slaves. The intent was to apply the Bill of Rights to people regardless of the state they were in.
This was completely eviscerated in the Slaughterhouse cases (1873), and has remained dormant since then, leaving only the due process and equal protection clauses in 14A to carry that water. You can google the elements of this situation so I don't have to bore you with the incredibly fascinating lengthy details here.
McDonald, using the Second Amendment, is a stage upon which the High Court can at last restore 14A to the prominence it deserves and is intended to have. The issue could have arisen in other contexts, but here we get a stunning two for one drama.
If 14A is restored, the benefits for liberty, limiting government, protecting states rights and civil rights, and slowing or stopping power-mad federal legislators and Congress as a whole are ginormous, with no way to adequately express in words how big that would be for your freedom -- an effect that will play out for decades to come.
So, sure, we want to see 2A "incorporated" against the states, and prevent states from flatly ignoring 2A and denying or infringing fundamental rights as they have been doing for decades. And sure, the gun-rights players and the hopelessly biased "news" media are highly focused on this important element of the case and Chicago's tyrannical gun ban for innocent people. But it is the 14A aspect that deserves at least equal attention, because it will affect the entire Bill of Rights, 90% of which could also use the help.
Don't forget that Bill of Rights Day is coming up on Tuesday, Dec. 15 this year. Mark your calendar now for events in your area -- and organize one if there isn't one already. http://www.gunlaws.com/BOR-Day-2008-Report.htm. Do something good -- send that link to your email list.
The lamestream media told you:
From the AP: "CAIRO – Al-Qaida on Tuesday released a new 106-minute long video predicting President Barack Obama's downfall at the hands of the Muslim world.
"The Arabic-language video, entitled 'The West and the Dark Tunnel,' is part of series of messages by the organization marking the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Bin Laden released a short message of his own on Sept. 14...
"Many analysts believe that al-Qaida has been alarmed by Obama's comparative popularity in the Middle East, especially following his landmark speech to the Muslim world in Cairo in June.
"'America has come in a new, hypocritical face. Smiling at us, but stabbing us with the same dagger that Bush used,'" said Al-Qaida's No. 2 boy Ayman al-Zawahri in the message...
"'God willing, your end will be at the hands of the Muslim nation, so that the world and history will be free of your crimes and lies,'" he said addressing Obama at the end of the two-part video...
"'Unfortunately for the Democrats, and judging by their first seven-and-a-half months at the helm of the sinking American ship, the prognosis doesn't look good,' he said." http://tinyurl.com/nrf9sp
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
I can't add much to that. I've been wondering why we haven't heard much from our friends the Muslims and the religion of peace. It's interesting that they too have noticed Obama has a tendency to lie, but that of course just makes him the same as virtually every other politician in office, so it's unfair to single him out for it. Several careful analyses of his lies before Congress have circulated widely on the web and are easily googled, but are inexplicably missing in lamestream reports.
The AP translation, "God willing, your end will be at the hands of the Muslim nation," would of course have been "Allah willing, your end will be at the hands of the Muslim nation," in the original.
In late breaking news, Mr. Obama received the Nobel Peace prize, in part for his work with Muslims, according to the awards committee, surprising him and nearly everyone else on the planet, even his ardent supporters, some of whom are Muslims and are now celebrating.
The lamestream media told you:
Nothing.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
The National Shooting Sports Foundation's "First Shots" program has helped introduce thousands of first-timers to shooting at their local ranges. Nearly half of these participants have been female. The shooting sports are the #2 consumer sport in America, based on money spent, ahead of #3 golf by $100 million, but golf gets all the "news" coverage for reasons that were unclear at press time. http://www.firstshots.org
A new report from NSSF shows a snapshot of these new women shooters. For example, after attending a First Shots seminar at their local range, 47 percent of women have met their local requirements to purchase a sidearm, 26 percent said they have already purchased a sidearm and 58 percent said they are planning to purchase a sidearm in the future. When asked what their primary reason for purchasing a sidearm would be, 86 percent said personal protection, recognizing that when seconds count, the police are just minutes away. See the report, fascinating and data rich: http://www.firstshots.org/PDF/Female_Perspective.pdf
The lamestream media told you:
The Associated Press reports that the Congressional Budget Office study of the proposed greenhouse-gas control bill could have "comparatively modest" effects on overall economic growth over the next 40 years. The CBO estimates the cap-and-trade bill could lower the nation's gross domestic product by 1/4 to 3/4 of a percent by 2020.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
The idea that anyone, let alone an office of the federal government, could estimate the effects of a single bill on the entire national economy 12 years from now is absolutely preposterous.
The idea that the estimate could be as close as ¼ of one percent (0.0025 or 25 ten-thousandths) is patently absurd, proving yet again that reporters and the entire editorial chain has no command of math.
The AP obediently reported the report handed to it by government officials, and called it "reporting." The number of variables that could affect such a thing are incomprehensibly large, but apparently unimportant to the world's largest but math-challenged "news" organization.
This is the same government that couldn't predict people would line up for billions in free clunker cash in mere months. Months, according to leading experts, are shorter than years, and thus easier to predict. This is the same government that ran financially amok, without realizing its fiscal policies would lead to an unexpected and devastating economic crash, predicted by no one. This is the same government that wants to take over the entire U.S. health care system, but can't deliver a single poorly tested pig-flu vaccine in the face of a proposed epidemic, in a timely way. Reporters who pass such drivel on to the public, without asking even the most rudimentary questions or raising the most obvious doubts, aren't qualified to empty the wastebaskets their drivel is thrown into.
The lamestream media told you:
According to wire services, "Professional eater 'Humble Bob'
Schoudt ate 33-1/3 burritos in 10 minutes to win $1,500 in the 2009 World
Burrito eating championship at the New Mexico State Fair, edging out Hall
'Hoover' Hunt who put down 30 burritos. Competitors ate 4-ounce burritos,
each weighing about a quarter of a pound."
Proving yet again that reporters and the entire editorial chain
has no command of math, we are forced to point out that 4 ounces IS a
quarter of a pound. Sheesh.
The lamestream media told you:
Thomas Watkins, reporting for the AP, writes: "More than a thousand law-enforcement officers descended Tuesday on the homes of key members of a notorious street gang suspected of killing a sheriff's deputy and murdering rivals while defying authorities for decades. A federal indictment identified 88 suspects and detailed criminal activity spanning more than a decade... 1,100 police officers worked with nearly 300 federal agents to arrest 46 gang members (39 were already in custody)... Among them was Tammy Armstrong, a corrections officer accused of helping incarcerated gang members... gang members strafed L.A. police in Feb., 2008... off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Juan Escalante was shot dead in Aug., 2008 in front of his parents' home northeast of downtown." http://tinyurl.com/mw2k9aThe Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
Unasked and unanswered questions include: Why were 1,400 people needed to make the 46 arrests? Why was this known illegal activity allowed to continue for a decade before making arrests? If gang members strafe police, is it considered timely to wait 1-1/2 years to nab suspects? Corrections officers are supposed to help inmates in addition to keeping them locked up, what sort of help did officer Armstrong provide?While it's encouraging to hear the "news" media cheerleading for the capture of 79 desperados (nine are still at large), is L.A. now safer? How many gangbangers were still operating after the media promo ended?
Well... LAPD estimates that L.A. has 463 gangs, making the 79 individuals arrested seem small. Those gangs have an estimated 39,032 members http://tinyurl.com/yqotg8. No word yet on when the rest might be rounded up, or which of them will be promoted to fill the empty slots created by those detainees who don't get back on the streets soon. No followup "news" reports on that are expected, just the rah rah for the original collars.Stepping out further, again using LAPD figures, L.A. County has 1,108 gangs, with 85,298 members, and no word on planned arrests for them either, or available jail space for the 85,219 known or suspected gang members still at large, probably for decades.
Note that L.A. gangs are notorious for rejecting diversity and multiculturalism, according to LAPD estimates. The most numerous gangs are Latino, with 22,309 non-diverse members, and blacks (Crips and Bloods), with 14,515 non-diverse members. Rumors that white, oriental and other gangs will be filing Title VII discrimination charges could not be confirmed at press time.Anti-gun campaigns that focus on crime as a motivator overlook the fact, with the media's assistance, that crime is largely gang related and geographically isolated, leaving much of society untouched. It's also fueled in large measure by the government's feckless War on Some Drugs, making the murder rates war deaths, not gun deaths. See the maps: http://www.gunlaws.com/GunshotDemographics.htm. It's hard to remove the failed social policies that spawn the problem, because that's what justifies much of the law-enforcement community and its budgets and jobs. The 1,400 police involved in the 46 arrests (30 per detainee) are under administrative protection and could not be reached for comment. Thankfully, not one hardened criminal on the streets for more than a decade was killed. An estimated cost to provide public defenders for the former fugitives is unknown.
As expected, the end of the ammo shortage is a spotty affair, with readers writing to say that their neck of the woods is still sparse or barren. I did say it was ending, not that it's over, sorry if I overstated the case. Cabela's locally (Ariz.) has goods on the shelves, as does WalMart and local shops, and prices are dropping. Hang tight fellas and gals, the boom is off the mad rush and I believe things will normalize soon. Sorry if I implied it was done and gone and everything was universally hunky dory.
One local customer at Walmart reports: "Just left with 6 boxes of blazer gold 50rd boxes for 8.95 each . (No more left ); and 2 boxes of .40 Blazer Gold 12.95 each. they still had 20+ boxes left; Lady behind the counter said they got in 5K of WBW yesterday in 9mm and one customer bought it all. How much you want to bet it will be out at the gun show for $25-30 per 100rd box."
One major distributor was flooded with calls because of that Page Nine report, called to set me straight that it's far from over. Gun dealers are paying retail at WalMart to obtain something to sell, ranges are suffering and having to ration, even PDs are curtailing practice. But the military has few problems, says this insider, because their small arms ammo comes mainly from AFT's Lake City plant in Missouri, and commercial providers like PMC don't compete directly (but really straight answers are a little hard to come by). Some calibers are more scarce than others, with handgun loads in shorter supply. Like I said, it's a spotty affair. And let's face it, marksmen have plenty of ammo, right? you just can't get more, or replace spent shells at a good price.
In other news, CBS TV reported on 9/23/09 that there's an ammo shortage, and background checks on gun sales have spiked. They're only ten months late, why is no one surprised.
The Austin Star-Telegram quoted me in a story suggesting there is light at the end of the tunnel: http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1639775.html. The Huffington Post carried an AP story with a dimmer view: http://tinyurl.com/ykugn24. Perhaps the real news is that America's position is more precarious than we realize, and ammo's just the bellwether -- this could happen to toilet paper, batteries, canned goods, liquor, cigarettes, candles, bottled water-- any consumer goods struck by a rumor or perceived threat, and manufacturers would not be able to meet demand.