The Politics Test

It's fun and interesting! Thanks Breda!

You are a Social Liberal (83% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (78% permissive) You are best described as a: Libertarian Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

More PSH from the Roanoke Times

The Roanoke Times has an editorial up about the restaurant ban repeal. They spout their usual fear mongering and distrust again, and their contempt for CHP holders is blatantly obvious.

Their blog for the column has a good discussion going, mostly by pro-gun supporters. I encourage people to go read and comment.

Sadly, they are right about one thing. The governor will probably veto this bill again, just like last year.

Blogroll Addition

Say "Hi!" to Brigid over at Home on the Range! Good, well thought out posts on guns and related things, plus lots of edible goodness! Really, really, good food posts and recipes (usually in the comments for that post).

Happy Birthday Tam!

And thanks for this quote of the day:

Look, when I'm ordering a rare filet, I don't want to taste the special herbs in which you've coated it, I don't want to taste your chef's magic marinade or spices, I don't want to taste that it's been nearly pickled in butter... I want to taste still-twitching dead cow.

I'll have to see about the Charles Schumer thing for next year.

Update on the Virginia Tech Murder

From the Roanoke Times:

When Virginia Tech authorities arrived Wednesday night at a cafe inside the Graduate Life Center, they found a decapitated female victim who had arrived on campus just two weeks ago and a young man they have now charged with killing her.

The decapitation makes this a death penalty case.

This case has rekindled the campus concealed carry debate in the comments sections of many of the sources I linked to in my previous post, including some PSH. I encourage any readers I might have to go and contribute.

I'm on my lunch break right now, so I can't really get into this now, but I'll have more after work.

UPDATE:
Rough afternoon at work, so I'm not really up to a good commentary right now. Additionally, a comment I heard at work leads me to believe I should hold off on further posts on this issue for a little while. (It has nothing to do with me, the blog itself, or my previous posts. That's all I can say at this point.)

BREAKING NEWS: Fatal Stabbing at Virginia Tech

Information at:

The Collegiate Times (the campus newspaper)

The Virginia Tech website. (Go to the "Latest News" section at the bottom. Direct link to the story here).

The Roanoke Times

WDBJ7

Planet Blacksburg

Newsvine.com

Right now this is breaking news, so these sites are updating frequently with new information. WDBJ7 and The Collegiate Times seem to be ahead of the rest.

A quick summary:
According to the news sources, the stabbing took place in the Graduate Student Center (formerly the Donaldson-Brown Hotel and Conference Center) outside the Au bon pain coffee shop, at approximately 7pm. This appears to have been a domestic situation, according to police, and they do have a suspect in custody. The GSC is in lockdown at this time.

Comments on these sites (all but the Tech sites and the Roanoke Times allow comments) show that some people are uneasy, because April 16 started as a "domestic situation" with a "suspect in custody," however, according to the news release on the VT site, police encountered the suspect at the scene, and it appears the attack was witnessed, both completely opposite what happened on the 16th. Both these factors indicate that the situation is truly contained.

I will likely have more tomorrow.

The official White House policy

We all saw this coming a while ago, but it's the official White House policy now.

Address Gun Violence in Cities: Obama and Biden [...] support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent. [Emphasis mine.]

(Scroll down to "Crime and Law Enforcement" in the linked page for the full paragraph.)

Be afraid, and be prepared.

(via a comment at Snowflakes in Hell)

Vigilantes rise in Mexico

Shadowy vigilante groups are threatening Mexico's drug gangs near the U.S. border in retaliation for a wave of murders and kidnappings that killed 1,600 people in this city alone last year.

Honestly, as bad as the situation in some parts of Mexico has gotten, I've been expecting this for a while. Not only have there been a massive number of murders, but many have been brutal, and some have been terrorist-style executions. But what really gets me is this:

"People's reactions are understandable. But this is not the route we should take to solve things," said Andreu Rodriguez, an opposition lawmaker and the head of security issues in Chihuahua's state legislature.

What else are they supposed to do? The government obviously can't protect them, and you won't let them own the weapons they need to protect themselves! The only thing they can do is band together and try to fight on their terms, not the gangs' terms.

"We cannot tolerate the presence of these type of faceless, anonymous groups," said Manuel del Castillo, a spokesman for the state government.

Again, what other options do they have? If they are open in their defiance of the gangs, not only will they become the next victims, but the gangs will likely target their friends and family, too. Plus, they will have to worry about the government arresting them for "vigilanteism" when all they are doing is trying to protect themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods, which is something their government - that would be you Señors del Castillo and Rodriguez - has utterly failed to do.

I may come across here as a fan of vigilante activity. Despite a certain fondness for the old Shadow radio shows, and innumerable comic books, I don't really approve of vigilanteism. I prefer the rule of law and trial by a jury of one's peers. But in this case, the police, the courts, and even the military have shown their inability to protect the citizens they have rendered helpless through disarmament, so I find myself left with the question:

What else can they do?

Rights? What rights?

This is why we must not submit to licensing a Constitutionally protected right! Or any Right, for that matter.

Gun Show Thoughts

I've realized something. Going to a gun show with less than $1000 to spend is pure self-inflicted torture. Lots and lots of guns that I would like to buy, and no money to buy them with.

Torture.