National Ammo Day, 2004
# Today is National Ammo Day, and Kim du Toit's fiftieth birthday. Happy half century, sir! [kimdutoit]
# Sunni Maravillosa at Endervidualism - Balance of Power: Political Power - I linked to this yesterday, but hadn't read it yet. Now I've read it. I can't say exactly what in it grabbed me, but Sunni's essay has finally pushed me back over the edge. For now, at any rate, I am going to refuse to vote. As long as government is allowed to initiate force, for any reason, no matter how many people vote for it, I cannot support it by participating in the charade. Now I've gotta find the balls to stop paying taxes. That will probably take a while, at least until my daughter is out of the house and supporting herself. [sunni]
# Bill Whittle - Short Final - Bill's book will ship in time for Christmas. Yay! Next up, "a citizenship book".
SILENT AMERICA: Essays from a democracy at war is now at the printer. I should have a proof in my hands by Friday or Monday.
My buddy Buster O' Connor, back in good old Hogtown, did the cover and I JUST LOVE IT. I love it.
The 6x9 paperback came to a mere 232 pages; each volume must be delivered by forklift. I plan to send this softcover out to a few well-known folks, and with luck, I'll be able to get one of them to write an introduction, which I will then put in a commemorative hardcover, along with some biographical notes and other goodies. But right now I'm completely focused on getting out a paperback for the stocking stuffers.
Now, looks like PayPal purchases can start as soon as this weekend or very early next week. It should be available on Ingram and Barnes and Noble by December 6th, but won't get to Amazon until the end of December. Paypal copies will ship within 2-4 days of the order being received, and there will be priority shipping if you so desire. The price is $29.95, and then whatever shipping options you choose. It will all be finalized in the next day or so.
# Thomas Walkom at The Toronto Star - Should Canada indict Bush? for war crimes? I'd love it. Put him on trial, the same day he arrives, for crimes against humanity. If he's found guilty, hang him that afternoon. Doubt the Canadians have the balls for it, though, and apparently, their law doesn't allow them to do it. Drat. [brianf]
Oddly enough, Canada may be one of the few places where someone like Bush could be brought to justice. Impeachment in the U.S. is most unlikely. And, at Bush's insistence, the new international criminal court has no jurisdiction over any American.
But a Canadian war crimes charge, too, would face many hurdles. Bush was furious last year when Belgians launched a war crimes suit in their country against him -- so furious that Belgium not only backed down under U.S. threats but changed its law to prevent further recurrences.
As well, according to a foreign affairs spokesperson, visiting heads of state are immune from prosecution when in Canada on official business. If Ottawa wanted to act, it would have to wait until Bush was out of office -- or hope to catch him when he comes up here to fish.
And, of course, Canada's government would have to want to act. War crimes prosecutions are political decisions that must be authorized by the federal attorney-general.
Still, Prime Minister Paul Martin has staked out his strong opposition to war crimes. This was his focus in a September address to the U.N. General Assembly.
# Vin Supryniwicz at The Las Vegas Review-Journal - What do police departments really do? - enforce malam prohibitum laws against peaceful people, that's what. Behavior that only a few decades ago would have gotten them shot and fed to the local hogs. Behavior that still ought to elicit that response. [stanleyscoop]
Let us suppose that, magically, there were no police. You are sitting at home of an evening, quietly reading a book. Next door, behind his own locked doors, your 21-year-old neighbor, who inherited some handguns from his grandfather, is spending time with his 16- or 17-year-old sweetheart, whose family is happy to know she intends to marry him and bear his children as soon as she graduates high school. At the moment, the two of them are consuming some of the marijuana they grow in their back yard.
If you knew this, would you leap to your feet and race downtown, pounding on the door of the sleeping magistrate, insisting he swear out a warrant so you can rush back to your neighborhood, break into your neighbor's home and arrest him?
Of course not. He's hurting no one.
# Ron Paul's Texas Straight Talk - The Middle East Quagmire - Listen to George Washington, and get out of all those entangling alliances, says Dr. Paul. I second the motion. In spades.
# Paul Craig Roberts at LewRockwell.com - Virtuous Violence Is Upon Us - Mr. Roberts doesn't say this, but my conclusion from reading his article is that the only solution left to the neocon takeover of the executive branch of the U.S. government is for the lot of them to suffer the unintended consequences of their actions. Volunteers? [lew]
In a futile effort to assert hegemony in Iraq, the US has largely destroyed Fallujah, once a city of 300,000. Hundreds, if not thousands, of civilians have been killed by the indiscriminate use of high explosives.
To cover up the extensive civilian deaths, US authorities count all Iraqi dead as insurgents, delivering a high body count as claim of success for a bloody-minded operation. The human cost for American families is 51 dead and 320 wounded US troops -- casualties on par with the worst days of the Vietnam war.
The film of a US Marine shooting a captured, wounded and unarmed Iraqi prisoner in the head at close range has been shown all over the world. Coming on top of proven acts of torture at US military prisons, this war crime has destroyed what remained of America's image and moral authority.
...
Iraqi insurgents are condemned for deaths that they inflict on civilians. But when American troops fire indiscriminately upon civilians and US missile and bombing attacks kill Iraqis in their homes, the deaths are dismissed as "collateral damage." This double standard is a further indication that Americans have come to the belief that US ends justify any means.
# Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - Taurus PT 145 Millennium Pro .45 ACP Pistol - I remember thinking, when I first saw a picture of it, that this looked like a nice compact .45. Mr. Quinn agrees. Double-action only. [gunblast]
Note that the Speer ammo tested is the short .45 GAP cartridge, which this pistol is not meant to use. I tested it out of curiosity, and it functioned perfectly through the Taurus. The high performance Cor-Bon ammo grouped five shots within two and one-half inches with every variety tried, at a range of twenty-five yards. This is very good combat accuracy from a compact pistol. I also ran some hand loaded 200 grain lead semi-wadcutter ammo through the Taurus, and it would group five rounds into one and one-quarter inches from a rested position at twenty-five yards. This is excellent accuracy from this little pistol, much better than many full sized target pistols. The accuracy was no doubt helped greatly by the smooth trigger pull.
# Jeff Quinn at Gunblast - Taurus Tracker .44 Magnum Revolver - yum. Only drawback is a slightly short cylinder. [gunblast]
The Taurus .44 Magnum Tracker is a good, solid revolver that would make a great trail gun where power and compact size are important. It has the power to defend one's life from harm, to collect game for the stew pot, and is a fun plinker or informal target gun. It is also small enough and reasonably light enough to ride comfortably in a belt holster or on a pack frame.
