We’ll know the gun-grabbers have been put out of business when you can buy a blister pack of six Glock’s at Costco.
Attributed (but unconfirmed) to Greg Hamilton
Monthly Archives: August 2005
We dodged a bullet
We temporarily dodged another attack on our civil liberties in California. From Sacramento:
Attorney General Bill Lockyer has shelved a novel gun-control measure that would have required manufacturers to stamp microscopic serial numbers on all handgun ammunition sold in California.
Sen. Joe Dunn, a Garden Grove Democrat carrying the legislation for the attorney general, said he needed more time to resolve a heated debate over how much the potentially landmark tracking system would cost and who would pay for it.
The bill, SB 357, has passed the Senate and is pending in an Assembly fiscal committee as the Legislature pushes through its final three weeks of this year’s session. The measure may be taken up where it sits next year, the second in the two-year session.
The legislation would require manufacturers to imprint or etch a serial number on the end of each slug or bullet starting in 2009. Boxes of cartridges bearing the same number could then be linked to purchasers with the swipe of a driver’s license at the time of sale.
…
Dunn said he will work during the coming months to resolve fears that his bill could pose a financial burden on some law enforcement personnel who are required to purchase ammunition for training.
“It’s a legitimate question that we will respond to,” Dunn said.
He was less optimistic about bringing manufacturers together with companies that have developed methods to code ammunition. Regardless, he predicted the measure will be delivered to the governor next year.
However, opponents say Lockyer and Dunn have yet to sell the proposal to much of the state’s law enforcement community.
Prominent organizations, such as those representing the state’s district attorneys and police chiefs, have declined to endorse the bill, noted Lawrence Keane, general counsel of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, an industry trade group better known as SAAMI.
“I think it’s pretty clear that law enforcement by and large is not supporting this effort,” Keane said.
Manufacturers say the proposal would force expensive changes on a high-volume, low-margin business. Keane and others have warned the required manufacturing modifications would either drive companies out of business or result in steep price increases.
It doesn’t bother them it how much it would cost private citizens or how a black market of out of state or stolen ammo would fill the “market niche”. It only bothers them that it would be a burden to law enforcement. I guess that means they serve the state and not the people. Does the phrase “Police State” ring a bell with anyone?
Big brother prepares to tighten his grip
From Wired News (as pointed out by Schneier):
The British government is preparing to test new high-tech license plates containing microchips capable of transmitting unique vehicle identification numbers and other data to readers more than 300 feet away.
Officials in the United States say they’ll be closely watching the British trial as they contemplate initiating their own tests of the plates, which incorporate radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags to make vehicles electronically trackable.
“We definitely have an interest in testing an RFID-tagged license plate,” said Jerry Dike, chairman of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and director of the Vehicle Titles and Registration Division of the Texas Department of Transportation.
…
Proponents argue that making such RFID tags mandatory and ubiquitous is a logical move to counter the threat of terrorists using the roadways, and that it will scoop up insurance and registration scofflaws in the process.
This scheme fails my Jews in the Attic Test and must be vigorously opposed. Besides, terrorists will just destroy or otherwise neutralize the transmitter when they go on a mission. And if detection and sanctions are in place for destroyed devices they will just destroy the devices on vehicles at random in the shopping mall parking lot until the population at large is fed up with the harassment and the police effectively ignore destroyed devices. It’s costly, it can’t accomplish it’s intended goals, and it’s a hazard to freedom. Don’t even bother testing it.
Scary gun control stuff
For some reason I don’t think they chose the right picture to encourage people to support their efforts (the article is titled The world’s first global gun treaty enters into force):
Something on the light side
If your stomach hurts and you feel like crying (as I do right now) after reading my quote of the day below here is a little something on the light side. Of course if you read Kim du Toit or Neaderpundit this is a repeat for you: Best? Movie. Clip. Ever.
Quote of the day–United Nations
On 24 September 1999, the Security Council convened its first meeting at ministerial level devoted to the issue of small arms. A report (S/2000/1092) was prepared with the assistance of internationally recognized experts following the ministerial meetings request that the Secretary-General “develop a reference manual for use in the field on ecologically safe (amended in report S/2000/1092 to read ‘environmentally sound’) methods of weapons destruction in order better to enable Member States to ensure the disposal of weapons voluntarily surrendered by civilians or retrieved from former combatants”. The report has been used as a guide in the preparation of this aide mémoire.
…
…
A DESTRUCTION HANDBOOK
Small arms, light weapons, ammunition and explosives
UNITED NATIONS
http://disarmament2.un.org/DDAPublications/desthbk.pdf
A story title I can support
Give the TSA one-way ticket to oblivion. A pretty good article too. It’s only a half-way measure, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Personnel File versus Field File
If you work for or are considering working for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory keep in mind they play little word games in an attempt to avoid complying with the law.
At 11:24:36 today I got a call from Mr. Mike Talbot (see page 2 of the FOIA and Privacy Act request). I had called him last Thursday after getting his response to my requests of July 21. The letter said I already had my personnel file and therefore they weren’t sending it to me again. When I called last Thursday I told him the file I had received didn’t contain my performance reviews and goals. He said he would look into it. The call from him today was the followup on that conversation. He said, as I found out after I had talked to him, that my performance reviews and other information I was requesting was in my “Field File”, not the “Personnel File”. And because it was in the “Field File” it did not fall under the Privacy Act as per the contract Battelle has with the Department of Energy.
I don’t care about the details of their contract, I don’t care what they call the file, and I don’t really care if it’s the Privacy Act or Washington State Law that covers it. I just know they are supposed to give me the information in those files. Here is the applicable Washington State Law:
RCW 49.12.240
Employee inspection of personnel file.Every employer shall, at least annually, upon the request of an employee, permit that employee to inspect any or all of his or her own personnel file(s).
Employee inspection of personnel file — Erroneous or disputed information.
(1) Each employer shall make such file(s) available locally within a reasonable period of time after the employee requests the file(s).
(2) An employee annually may petition that the employer review all information in the employee’s personnel file(s) that are regularly maintained by the employer as a part of his business records or are subject to reference for information given to persons outside of the company. The employer shall determine if there is any irrelevant or erroneous information in the file(s), and shall remove all such information from the file(s). If an employee does not agree with the employer’s determination, the employee may at his or her request have placed in the employee’s personnel file a statement containing the employee’s rebuttal or correction. Nothing in this subsection prevents the employer from removing information more frequently.
(3) A former employee shall retain the right of rebuttal or correction for a period not to exceed two years.
IPSC results posted
I have the results posted from the August 7th Lewiston Pistol Club match. As I stated before I came in 4th overall. Acceptable–considering the lack of recent practice.
Quote of the day–Thomas Jefferson
Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God.
Motto found among the papers of Thomas Jefferson.
Anniversary weekend
About 18:30 on August 19th (Friday night) Barb and I decided to go to the B-23 bomber that crash landed on Loon Lake and slid into the forest in 1943 for our 29th wedding anniversary. We threw some stuff in the Jeep and drove to Riggins expecting to find a motel in either Whitebird or Riggins. There were none. The fire fighters had taken what the tourist hadn’t. We ended up finding an open spot in a campground just off the Salmon river about 12:30 AM on Saturday morning and slept in the Jeep. After waking at about 6:30 we drove about 50 miles, mostly on one-lane roads, to Chinook campground. We hiked ten miles round trip from Chinook Campground to the crash site and back to replace a missing geocache (B-23). Barb had not been there before and was very impressed with the site. The pictures are here.
On the way out we figured we should go through McCall to improve our chances of finding a motel. We arrived back at the Jeep about 18:00 tired and sore. From the Chinook Campground it took us only an hour to reach McCall. Again, the motels were all full except for a luxury suite for $225/night. We drove to New Meadows. Again, all full. We called several motels in Grangeville. Again, all full. We drove north, dirty, tired, and getting hungry. At Pinehurst we found a motel with a Vacancy sign. We rang the bell and waited, and waited. Finally a man appeared to tell us his “No” sign was broken. We drove to Riggins and found a motel with two rooms available. We were thrilled! We showered and went to dinner. It was about 20:40 when we walked into the restaurant. Except for the cook and the waitress we had the place entirely to ourselves. Riggins appears to close up early on Saturday nights. It was great food and we went to bed tired and very happy. It was a great day in the woods and one of our best anniversaries yet.
Do I get bonus points for shooting in the dark?
Analog Kid at Random Nuclear Strikes is putting on the rifle postal match I am participating in. Here is my entry, 100 yards, .300 Winchester Magnum, Blackhills Match ammo. Except for the sighter target you can see a higher resolution version by clicking on the image.
Temperature was 74 F, indicated altitude of 2300 feet above sea level and my calculator said to use a sight angle of 3.75 MOA. I took two sighter shots and figured it was good enough:
Two sighter shots.
After the first shot on the real target (below, ball #1) I started aiming at the bottom of the circle which contained the number.
Completed target.
The shots on balls 10 through 15 were done by the light of my van headlights. It was about 20:15 when I fired my last shot and getting very dark:
Quote of the day–Lao Tse
Leaders are best when people scarcely know they exist, not so good when people obey and acclaim them, worst when people despise them. Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you. But of good leaders who talk little, when their work is done, their aim fulfilled, the people will say: “We did this ourselves”.
Lao Tse
[I would argue most of our current political ‘leaders’ fail this test. — Joe]
Quote of the day–George Washington
When firearms go, all else goes…we need them every hour.
George Washington
The TSA stopped 14 infant terrorists from boarding planes
Well…not really. It’s just that the TSA apparently has a severe case of rectal cranium inversion. From CNN:
Infants have been stopped from boarding planes at airports throughout the United States because their names are the same as or similar to those of possible terrorists on the government’s “no-fly list.”
…
The TSA has a “passenger ombudsman” who will investigate individual claims from passengers who say they are mistakenly on the lists. TSA spokeswoman Yolanda Clark said 89 children have submitted their names to the ombudsman. Of those, 14 are under the age of 2.
It was Schneier’s post that alerted me. He is more polite than I on this topic.
Update: As one of the comments indicates it appears the TSA says to allow kids under a certain age to travel even if their name is on the watch list. But if it’s “in the fine print” the ticket agent is almost for certain going “to play it safe”.
Quote of the day–Will Rogers/Anonymous
Diplomacy: The art of saying “nice doggie” until you can find a rock.
Will Rogers
Diplomacy is the art of saying “nice doggy” until you get a sight picture.
Anonymous adaptation
[“Sight picture” refers to having the sights on your firearm aligned on the target correctly. — Joe]
PNNL responds to my FOIA request
I scanned in the letter (page 1 and page 2) I received today. Basically they said, “You have all the documents you are going to get.” But they did give me a link to a website with at least some of the Policies and Procedures Manual. This was a big help. It explains a couple of things. It includes list of things that can result in First Offense Termination. It includes “dishonesty” and “unauthorized disclosure, access, or use of information that is proprietary or confidential to PNNL or its clients”. Both of those items were in my termination letter and were totally unexpected and unjustified. I was completely taken aback they said such things about me–particularly since they never confronted me and asked for any explanation about any such allegations. It was only be including those things that they could justify a first offense termination.
It was also by going through this Policies and Procedures website that I was able to find out how they justified not sending my performance reviews. I asked for my “Personnel File.” They did send me my “Personnel File.” What I was interested in was in my “Field File.” I see…
I’ll post more as I learn more. See also the new section at the bottom of the main page of the PNNL info site.
Canada inches away from socialism
Or should that be “millimeters away”? It’s not a lot of progress but it’s encouraging:
EDMONTON — All Canadians should have the right to buy private health insurance to complement their care in the medicare system, the country’s leading doctors’ group says.
The Canadian Medical Association said, in essence, that a recent Supreme Court of Canada judgment, which struck down a ban on private health insurance in Quebec because patients were not ensured timely access to care, should apply to all Canadians.
In doing so, the CMA, which represents the country’s 62,000 doctors, also clearly rejected the notion yesterday that there should be a medicare monopoly. It did so just one day after doctors gave their backing to the existence of a parallel, private for-profit health system.
…
Barry Erlick, a physician from Toronto, told his colleagues that buying private insurance would be a wise investment because the medicare system cannot keep pace with demand for services.
“Governments are failing my patients today,” he said during the debate. “We are saying, ‘Give our patients options to alleviate their suffering.’ “
Chat with Don Kates
Quote of the day–Jeff Cooper
The Republic is in very bad shape – probably the worst since 1776 – but it does us all well to remember that the principles of the Founding Fathers stand as sound and irrefutable today as yesterday. We must bear in mind that “they” cannot disarm us. They do not have the legal power, of course, but neither do they have the physical power. An army may be defeated by another army, but the people of a nation cannot be, as long as they are aware of their principles and maintain their determination to observe them. We hope, of course, that “they” never presume to try, because “they” simply cannot do it. What the American people need is the viscera to tell “them” No! God grant that we still have the courage!
Jeff Cooper
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries
Vol. 2, No. 2
31 January 1994
[Those were very dark days in the mid-90’s. Most people forget how serious things were and how much they have improved. — Joe]