Mar 5, 2010

Loopies versus guns in St. Paul

It's hard enough keeping track of my own state legiscritters, but a friend to my north passed on timely wire note from the AP:


"...Gun control and gun rights advocates are ready for a clash over a bill that would require a background check on buyers of firearms at Minnesota gun shows. (The sponsor), a St. Paul Democrat , says he's trying to address what he and others argue are gaps in law. Members of the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance say the bill violates federal law governing background checks over private gun sales."


Since it occurs that I am acquainted with an influential Minnesota editor, I sent a message to the media:


"Any report on this should probably note prominently that there really is no "gun show loophole." Federal law simply does not require background checks for sales between non-licensed private individuals, anywhere. The point seems almost always to get lost ..."


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The "clash" today is in a committee, so passage would be the first of several steps necessary to actually cave in to wet-pants Gophers.


( I think the trimmed-down AP quote is covered by the fair use doctrine, but just in case it isn't I wanna say the AP is a great news organization and all of you should call your local papers and broadcasters and ask them to buy more AP services, which are uniformly excellent according to a blogger who can't afford to get sued.)



Mar 4, 2010

Bulletin: Faulty Political Pitch Identified!

MSNBC is leading the leftist hounds baying after a new GOP fund raising document which, gasp, portrays the Democrats as the "enemy" and embodies a "simplistic" appeal to rank and file donors {the Proles, Tam :) }

I , too, would be appalled at the gall of those Republicans if I could just manage to forget a well-known 1964 nuclear explosion and a famous little daisy-shredding girl:


So the left can wipe the drool from the sides of its mouths, as far as I'm concerned. It's wasted on anyone with even a high-school civics understanding of American political tradition.

Witches in the corn fields, shoo fly shoo...

And some you guys claim my state isn't interesting. I mean, like, have +you+ had to deal with Wiccans in the schools lately?

I'm pretty much on the kid's side. If he wants to build a Wiccan altar in shop class, what the Hell? Why not? His shop teacher telling the newspapers that he personally figures it's bad to worship rocks and trees isn't a really compelling argument. Mr. Shoppie should do his five-day suspension, then go back to yelling at kids to sand the shelf some more.

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Have you ever pondered what wonderful things would ensue if we resolved as a nation to outlaw high-school shop classes and substitute a privately owned and operated apprentice program? Fewer mothers of teenagers would get slightly lopsided jewelry boxes for Christmas, but that's about the only major drawback I can think of.


Mar 3, 2010

Size matters; "I charge by the inch."

So says Continental Air Lines in the latest installment of that long-running serial "Beyond Water Boarding; Air Travel Today."

Youngsters should be aware that once upon a time air travel was an experience to be looked forward to, even if you had a "Y" on your ticket.