Friday, March 27, 2009

Happy Birthday Quentin Tarantino

Dear Quentin,

Happy Birthday, man. Thanks so much for writing the masterpiece True Romance. For me it's a work of art.

Your devoted fan,

Mikeb302000

"You just said you love me, now if I say I love you and just throw caution to the wind and let the chips fall where they may and you're lying to me, I'm gonna fuckin' die."

"I'm not lying to you, and I swear from this moment forth, I'll never lie to you again."


Rihanna's Tattoos

The Huffington Post reports on Rihanna's newest tattoos. Please click over there to see the pics.

It's been said a few times that the interminable argument on this blog about guns will probably not result in anyone's conversion. That may be true, but, I'd love to hear what some of our frequent commenters think about Rihanna. C'mon guys, admit it, those tattoos make you want to give up your guns and join my side. I swear, I won't ever say, "I told ya so."

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Joke

An old Italian Mafia Don is dying and he calls his grandson
to his bed!
'Lissin-a me. I wanna for you to taka my chrome plated
38 revolver so you will always remember me.'
'But grandpa, I really don't lika guns. Howzabout
you leava me your Rolex watch instead?'
'Shuddup an lissin. Somma day you gonna runna da
business.....you gonna have a beautifula wife, lotsa money,
a biga home and maybe a couple a bambinos'
'Somma day you gonna comma home and maybe find you wife
inna bed with another man. Whadda you gonna do then.......
pointa to your watch and say 'Times up'?

Hillary Gets on the Bandwagon

The Miami Herald reports on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Mexico and her very direct comments about the United States' involvement in the problems there.

Clinton offered the bluntest comments to date by any senior U.S. official that Americans' habits and government policies have stoked the drug trade and the accompanying violence.

"How could anybody conclude any differently?" she said. "Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade. Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians."

U.S. domestic drug-control strategies during the past three decades have largely failed, she said, suggesting that the Obama administration will try to reduce demand and emphasize treatment more than its predecessors.

"We have certainly been pursuing these strategies for ... a long time. I remember Mrs. Reagan's 'just say no,' " Clinton said, referring to former first lady Nancy Reagan's exhortation to young people to refuse drugs. "It's been very difficult."

Although this is certainly a case of Ms. Clinton getting on the bandwagon of gun smuggling across the border, there is an important distinction. Her main focus is not the guns but rather the failed war on drugs. I find this extremely encouraging. In her comments to the Mexican government, she pulled no punches on the gun issue, actually promising about the expired assault weapons ban, "[w]e're exploring approaches that might work." But she consistently made it clear that the first main problem is the "insatiable demand for drugs" in the U.S.

The immediate response has already been implemented with a much increased military presence on the border. Plus, she announced that Obama would seek $80 million, most of it in an upcoming supplemental budget request, to provide Mexico with three Blackhawk helicopters. My belief is that these efforts are largely lost in the maelstrom of violence of which there is no end in sight. The hope I take from these announcements is that by admitting the main problem is the demand for drugs in the U.S., and that the Reagan-era war on drugs has failed, policy changes will continue that will bring about a true improvement. It will take time, but I think we're heading in the right direction with the recent changes we've made.

Plus, about the gun smuggling, I for one can't wait to see what the Secretary has in mind by saying they are "exploring approaches that might work." What about you?

Do you think it's important that Clinton names the priorities, first the war on drugs then gun smuggling? Do you think it's possible to do something about the hunger for drugs in our country?

Please feel free to leave a comment.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Brady Campaign Urges Stronger Laws

Yesterday the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence urged U.S. leaders to help reduce the gun violence that is devastating Mexico "by strengthening U.S. laws to make it harder for Mexican criminals to arm themselves with U.S. firearms."

The news release, issued on March 24th, 2009, was entitled, Brady Campaign Urges Stronger Laws To Curb Guns To Mexico: Enforcing Existing Laws Is Not Enough.
“Our polices help enable this cross-border violence,” said Helmke at a news conference in Washington D.C. “For too long, we have been putting our own citizens at risk by making it so easy for criminals to get guns. Now our neighbors are threatened as well, and our national security is at risk. We must do more to keep dangerous weapons away from dangerous people.”

It's interesting that the theory of "gun flow into Mexico" has been in the news so much lately. In spite of the fact that Mr. Iknadosian has been exonerated, at least for the time being, public awareness of this problem seems to be on the rise. Tom Diaz, senior policy analyst at the Violence Policy Center spoke to the House of Representatives on March 12th. The New York Times published an article the other day about the violence in Tucson AZ.

What's your opinion? Do you think they're all wrong? Do you think they all have ulterior motives? Why do pro-gun people accuse the anti-gun folks of being biased? Aren't the gun guys the ones who have something to be biased about? What does the anti-gun movement have to gain except what they say, a decrease in gun violence?

Please leave a comment.

A Warm San Franciscan Night

Three Escaped Convicts


(Photos courtesy: Indiana Department of Corrections)

WAVE 3 TV in Louiville KY reports on the escape of three Indiana convicts who've made their way across the border into Kentucky and have broken into at least one home along the way.

Three men who escaped from a Southern Indiana correctional facility on Friday are still on the loose.

At the home in Sanders KY on Monday morning, the three fugitives first attacked Richard Marshall. He was badly beaten and tied up in the barn. Then they moved to the house.
"The other brother, Keith, when he opened the door for them, they hit him in the head with a club, put him on the floor and tied him up," said Carroll County Sheriff Ben Smith.

Police say the three escapees ransacked the house, and when the third brother, Barry Marshall, showed up, he was met at gunpoint and tied up.

"They've got clothes. They are well armed now," said Sheriff Smith. "They have got two high powered rifles, three handguns, plenty of ammunition."

Investigators say the fugitives stole 10 guns, $2,000 in cash, a truck, flannel shirts, and jeans.

I don't know about you, but I call this a dilemma. What's the well-intentioned anti-gun guy supposed to say? Should he actually say that when three escaped convicts come a knockin' it's a bad thing to have guns in the house? Honestly, I'd be hard-pressed to say that. Yet, this story, which very likely will have a bad ending, is a perfect illustration of some of the key points in the anti-gun argument.

The main point is "gun flow." These ten guns moved from the good guys to the bad guys. It's simple. Rarely is there a clearer example than this one.

Another point is that guns in the hands of the good guys are not the answer to violent crime. Now, as I said, I couldn't sit here and say that I'd not want to be armed if this frightening situation should ever befall me, I would, but using this case as an example, those 10 guns did not help the Marshall brothers protect themselves. Unfortunately, most gun owners are not as prepared and trained as some of you. In fact, those 10 guns, due to the inexorable nature of "gun flow" are now liable to do some terrible damage.

What's your opinion?