A Nice Clean DGU

The L.A. Times reports on a nice clean DGU which took place in Coeur d'Alene Idaho.

A teen trying to rob an espresso stand in northern Idaho met his match in a gun toting barista.

Police say the 17-year-old confronted Sunshine Espresso owner Michelle Cornelson with a gun Wednesday morning, demanding all her money.

Cornelson has been hunting since she was a girl and says she remained calm as a customer pulled up to the other side of her kiosk in Coeur d'Alene (kohr duh-LAYN'), distracting the teen.

Cornelson quickly whipped out her 9 mm Kel-Tec pistol, which was a Christmas present from her husband. That scared off the teen so Cornelson could call police.

A sheriff's deputy was nearby after picking up a beverage at the stand and caught the suspect. The teen was later taken to a juvenile detention center.

Now, that was a very timely Christmas present. And, apparently, Michelle Cornelson knows how to use it and how not to use it, know what I mean?

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Police Shoot Man with Toy Gun

The San Francisco Chronicle's SF Gate reports on another case of police shooting someone with a toy gun.

The man shot by Vallejo police on Wednesday while allegedly brandishing a handgun turns out not to have been involved in the robbery that brought officers to the scene in the first place, Vallejo police said.

A Vallejo police statement released Thursday also said Dennis James Merrida, 37, was carrying a replica firearm rather than a live weapon when a squad car pulled up near him at the corner of Lemon and Sheridan streets in response to a robbery call.

Merrida was shot in the upper body and transported to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, where he remains in stable condition. He is in custody for a parole violation and will be charged with brandishing a weapon and "resisting an executive officer in performance of their duties," according to the statement.

The officer who shot Merrida will be on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated.

Now I have to say it's become official. The number of these incidents, cops shooting toy-gun holders has surpassed reports of DGUs. I realize we're talking about the main stream media, and they generally like only DGUs by octogenarians, but still, numbers don't lie.

In all fairness, I must admit this phenomenon is probably more prevalent around Christmas when so many people receive their toy guns as gifts from Santa.

By the way is there a difference between a "replica firearm" and a toy gun? Either way, the cops are a bit out of control, don't you think?

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Possible Asteroid Attack

MyStateLine.com reports on how seriously the Russians are taking the possibility of an asteroid strike.

The country's top space researchers have set their sights on an asteroid called 99942 Apophis, named for the Egyptian god of destruction.

Apophis has a slim but real chance of colliding with Earth this century and that's all the incentive the Russians need to swing into action.

I think I'm starting to like these comparisons. Doesn't the above story sound exactly like the gun enthusiast who insists he needs weapons for self protection?

Apophis was discovered in 2004.

According to "The New York Times," scientists say it'll swing past Earth three times in the coming decades.

It's surest shot at impact is its second pass in 2032, when it'll have a one-in-45-thousand chance of hitting Earth.

Since it's three times the size of a 1908 meteorite that took out 80-million trees in Siberia, the Russians are understandably nervous.

The space agency says the goal is to deflect the asteroid instead of blowing it up, and there won't be any nuclear weapons used.

What this means of course is it's not only meteorites (murder) but also asteroids (rape and robbery) that must be protected against. Only a fool would fail to take the necessary precautions against these dangers, not that they're so likely to occur, but because if the do the results are so devastating.

What's your opinion? Are you worried about meteorites and asteroids? Are you doing everything you can to responsibly protect yourself and your family from these terrible disasters?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Virginia Moving Backwards on Capital Punishment

GoDanRiver.com reports on the future of Virginia.

Death penalty expansion bills that were blocked in recent years likely will become law in Virginia under a new administration, making more people eligible for what is already the nation’s second-busiest death chamber.

Since he took office in 2006, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has vetoed 15 bills making everyone from murder accomplices to killers of on-duty auxiliary police or fire marshals eligible for the death penalty. Legislators have overridden some of Kaine’s vetoes, and currently there are 15 crimes that are punishable by death in Virginia.

Republican Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell has said he will sign legislation to expand the death penalty, even though other states are restricting capital punishment or repealing it altogether.

This is a sad story. It marks the beginning of the end of Virginia's hopes to be considered a modern functioning state that plans to move ahead into the 21st century. Instead this, and you can only imagine what other backward ideas the new governor will push, will clearly place Virginia in alliance with southern and south-central neighbors.

What's your opinion? Is Governor-elect McDonnell already displaying cave-man tendencies in this matter? Do you think he and those like-minded legislators simply deny the concerns of other states, which, more enlightened, are moving away from the death penalty? Or do you think it's not necessary for them to deny anything to take this approach? Perhaps they feel like a lot of people that the death penalty cleans up the gene pool and an occasional wrongful execution is usually exacted upon someone guilty of other crimes anyway?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Fox News Network is Number One

Capital Hill Blue reports on the year in cable news.

Fox News Channel may drive blood pressures to record highs among liberals but the right-wing cable channel just finished its best ratings year ever and easily tops CNN and MSNBC with viewers.

The only cable channels that do better than Fox News are entertainment ones. MSNBC and CNN aren't even in the top 10.

In fact, ratings are falling for more liberal-oriented MSNBC and CNN. Even the darlings of the "progressive" community -- Keith Olbermann and Rachael Maddow -- face erosion of viewers while their favorite targets -- Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck -- watch their numbers rise.

Does this surprise you? It doesn't me. I think it supports those accusations that Fox isn't so much a news channel as an entertainment one. The only other way I can explain it, it to liken the widespread interest in Fox News to slowly driving past a terrible highway wreck where bloody bodies are strewn across the pavement. It's hard to turn away from something like that.

What's your opinion? Is the success of Fox News a proper gauge as to its quality? Liberal Viewer has produced over 100 videos documenting their bias. Is that what people like so much?

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Detroit Man Executes Trespasser

Freep.com reports on the vigilante style killing that took place in Detroit. Tigh Croff was the frustrated homeowner who took the law into his own hands.

Croff, a licensed gun owner, is accused of chasing Herbert Silas and fatally shooting him after finding Silas in his backyard. Croff reportedly told police that his home had been broken into three times before the shooting early Monday.

The article reads like an apology for vigilante behavior. Several neighbors testify to the ever-increasing crime problem, how the real estate market is in the pits, and to the general frustration of everyone who lives there.

Police said Silas, who was unarmed, stopped running in the 9800 block of Philip as Croff chased him. Silas turned around, put his hands up and, according to a police source, told Croff: "What are you going to do? Shoot me?"

"Absolutely," Croff told investigators he responded. Silas was hit once in the chest.

I don't suppose any of the law-and-order, stand-up-for-your-rights folks would have the nerve to condone this, but I wonder how many of them secretly cheer. Wasn't that the appeal of Charles Bronson's movies and the Clint Eastwood attitude of "make my day?" These petty criminals are barely more than insects anyway, right?

Of course, I couldn't help notice how perfectly this story supports the theory that says there are too many unfit gun owners. I don't care how frustrated or frightened you are, what this guy did is worse than what the criminals do. It's worse because up until last week he was an upstanding citizen enjoying his god-given rights protected by the 2nd Amendment. And I'm afraid he's not the only one.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Murder / Suicide in Finland - 5 Dead

The BBC reports on the tragedy which struck the Finnish city of Espoo. On the video, the Finnish spokesman described the terrible action. One of the victims, presumably the main target, was the girfriend. Dare I say it? Guns are bad news for women, even in Finland.