Margin of error

I wouldn't want anyone to misunderstand. I stand with Ed Newman on the subject of polls. We do too damned much polling. We ask idiotic questions of ignorant persons.* We hire the best flacks we can afford to spin any survey result into a self-satisfying version of truth.**

But a giggler over at WND, proves they can be fun, especially if you happen to be a cynical Obama skeptic.

The Zogby poll reports Obama would lose an election held today. Among the sub-results:

People who pay federal income tax would vote for someone else 53-40.

People who do not pay tax prefer Obama 49-42.

Gun owners would vote for someone else, 68-26

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*Miss Hilton do you consider it likely or unlikely that CERN will identify a Higgs boson?

**Therefore President Barack Obama is the choice of unarmed hippy diaper dampeners on welfare.

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Ed Newman summed up his views with: "Ask not to know on whom the poll palls; it palls on me."

On gear worship

Quotably, IMO, Tam's shootin' buddy comments: "...for many people gun skul is for playing dress up."

Grandma with a gun again. Laugh or Cry.

The official reaction has begun, and Grandma Beatrice Turner -- who pulled a pistol, fired it, and scared off a thug who broke into her living room -- it s getting her hand subtly slapped by Des Moines bureaucrats in charge of diminishing public safety.

Let's start on a positive note, smiling approvingly at street cops who answered the call:

In most shootings, police confiscate the gun while they sort things out. Not on Tuesday. According to Turner, police helped her reload the handgun and left it in her possession. "There were about six officers here," (Beatrice. 89) said. "All of them were hugging me and telling me how brave I was."

That was about the limit of governmental good sense. County Attorney John Sarcone decided not to prosecute, but he couldn't resist a sniff of disapproval. He said homeowners shooting at home invaders was very, very unusual. He stopped short of giving evidence that he bestirred what neurons he possesses into making the connection between a low rate of blasting home invaders and the high incidence of home invasions, including many enhanced by beatings, murders, and/or your occasional case of rape, either planned or opportunistic.

However, Police Sgt. Lori Lavorato -- the department's shrieksperson -- deserves most of our scorn unless she's just mouthing idiocies under orders from Higher.

She "issued a caution about the use of deadly force."

The warning was, as you would expect, aimed at law-abiding folks, experience having shown that warning thugs not to use force tends to be a less-than-ideal anti-crime endeavor. Sgt. Lori continues:

Turner "took the course of action she felt she had to," Lavorato said. "By no means do we condone shooting at a burglar.

What do you condone, Lori? Maybe a call to 911 while the guy is ripping your stepins with one hand while holding a knife to your throat with the other as you hope the arrival of police will be somewhat more prompt than usual?

More: But she could have become a victim in a situation like that."

Lori, gol dang it, when it's Oh Dark Thirty and when a stranger has smashed in the door of your living room and won't leave even after you tell him nicely to get out or get his balls shot off you are ALREADY A VICTIM. Pardon me for shouting. I just feel somewhat strongly on the point .

Miss Senior Shooter of 2010

Or, The Second Amendment in Action:

Beatrice is 89. More to the point, she stands a chance to become 90 and more because she had a .22 handgun at hand in the wee hours today when a thug smashed in her front door. She requested he desist. He came on in and she fired. From here on the report isn't quite complete, but somehow he was still standing on her front lawn, apparently stunned, when cops arrived. His affliction was pharmacological rather than ballistic. He's in jail, charged with burglary.

Well done, madam. Everybody misses once in a while, and sometimes it's the thought that counts -- as in the thought penetrating this thug's drug-fuddled skull that, holy crap, this woman ain't kidding and maybe I better exit her living room.