Friday, March 07, 2008

I've explained build breaks before and why they are big deal.

Last night about 10:40 the guy across the hall submitted a code change for review. About 11:35 someone else replied saying it looked good. At 11:49 the guy across the hall checked it in.

This morning I saw the request for a code review and took a look at it and thought, "Hmmm.... just one line was changed. I'll look at the bug report to make sure this is the right thing to do but it almost for certain should be fine as long as it passes the buddy build." Then I saw that he had already checked it in--without any mention of a buddy build. Hmmm... Okaaaaay.

Then I saw the email about the build being broken this morning. Then I saw the email about a new bug assigned to the guy across the hall. About 30 minutes ago another other guy showed up with a very large baseball bat* in the hall. I started laughing and went out to watch more closely. I stopped laughing and left when the thumping started. It wasn't going to be pretty.

I came back after a few minutes and the guy with the baseball bat was gone and I examined the guy across the hall for bruises. There were none showing so I'm assuming his clothes cover them all.

They take their coding processes seriously around here.


*Made of hollow plastic.

Joe Huffman  Friday, March 07, 2008 12:17:47 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [2]  |  Trackback

Yesterday a friend (nameless to protect the guilty) and I were chatting over cups of hot beverages. He told me about ending up spending $1000* to save $100. He had purchased a noise suppressor for one of his toys and was going to save the $100 fee the suppressor manufacture charged to remove the "permanently attached" flash hider. After he and his grinding wheel were done he concluded it was less painful to purchase a new barrel than to submit the old mangled one for the installation. I think I managed to look sympathetic throughout the entire story even though I was thinking of Tam's relevant post with a smirk struggling to burst out. When he finished his story he read my mind and said, "Tam's post was so timely."

Yup.

*The $1000 included some other stuff that was a side effect, not just the barrel replacement.

Joe Huffman  Friday, March 07, 2008 9:58:37 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback

The President of the Brady Campaign is not anti-gun. He says so, so it must be true:

Helmke said he’s not pro-gun and he’s not anti-gun, but he is for establishing rules so that guns can be owned by responsible people.

I've said this before but it's worth saying again. If someone walking unsupervised on our streets can't be trusted with a gun then they can't be trusted with a can of gasoline and a book of matches. Hence, the rule for gun ownership has already been established: "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Joe Huffman  Friday, March 07, 2008 8:44:34 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [4]  |  Trackback

As reported by TFS Magnum (via Uncle) we are informed that a burglar had his lawsuit against the homeowner who shot him thrown out with these words from the judge:

“There is no doubt that the jury would find for the defendant,” Judge James Welker wrote in his memorandum decision. “In fact, it is likely that the jury would prefer the option of throwing the plaintiff down the steps of the courthouse.”

TFS concludes this is why we need Castle Doctrine laws but investigating further I respectfully disagree in this case. The homeowner used a gun that had the number ".380" on the side. A better result would likely have been reported had the number started with ".4" or "12".

Joe Huffman  Friday, March 07, 2008 8:34:52 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [2]  |  Trackback

Dave Young has a web page with critical commentary on the pro-DC historical briefs.

Joe Huffman  Friday, March 07, 2008 8:21:03 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, not a single American political theorist or legal commentator on the Constitution ever suggested a collective rights interpretation of the Second Amendment. Joel Barlow, for example, writing in 1792, argued that in a democracy "the people will be universally armed: they will assume these weapons for security, which the art of war has invented for destruction". Only tyrants, he wrote, "disarmed their people"; "[a] republican society", he argued, "needed armed citizens".

Jack Brian McGee
Brief of the Alaska Outdoor Council, Alaska Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fund, Sitka Sportsman’s Assoc., Juneau Rifle and Pistol Club, Juneau Gun Club, and Alaska Territorial Sportsmen, inc. as amici curiae.
[Only tyrants disarm their people. Remember that.

Only 11 more days until the oral arguments.--Joe]

Joe Huffman  Friday, March 07, 2008 8:06:05 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback
 Thursday, March 06, 2008

Are these people interested about what I have to say in a friendly manner? Or are they gathering material to put in my file?

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City  :  Washington
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Distance  :  2,071 miles
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Joe Huffman  Thursday, March 06, 2008 8:53:48 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [3]  |  Trackback

The Second Amendment did not erupt in a philosophical vacuum. The Amendment, like the remainder of the Bill of Rights, arose from widely shared judgments regarding citizenry, government, and the distribution of power. Three of these judgments are particularly relevant here.

Private possession of arms is not merely acceptable, but virtuous.

[...]

There is a natural right to arms, linked to that of self-defense.

[...]

A militia composed of all freeholders and voters is the only safe and effective defense of a republic.

David T. Hardy
Brief of amicus curiae, Academics for the Second Amendment
[Remember that. It is not merely acceptable, but virtuous! Don't let the bigots try to shame you.

Only 12 more days until the oral arguments.--Joe]

Joe Huffman  Thursday, March 06, 2008 8:42:55 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback
 Wednesday, March 05, 2008

News from STI:

.22 Caliber Conversion Kit

STI international, Inc has joined with Bob Marvel to bring you the finest .22 conversion kits available anywhere. With these conversion kits, you can easily swap out your top end to go from one caliber to another- it’s like getting a second pistol for less than half the price. This will allow shooters to increase their trigger time while decreasing the cost of good training.

The improved Bob Marvel design locks the barrel in place for improved reliability and accuracy. The conversion kit may be purchased for either the 1911 (single stack) platform or the world famous 2011 (double stack) platform. The kit comes complete with adjustable sights, lock back on last round (single stack), an excellent extended 10 round magazine, complete cleaning kit, magazine loading tool, and a custom fitted hard case. The top end works on either 1911 or 2011 frames with only the magazine to replace if the shooter wishes to change frames. Extra magazines for the 1911 and/or 2011 are available.

It's an extra $35.00 for the 2011 frame over the 1911 frame but that is a small price to pay if you don't have the 1911 frame to put it on.

In competition I shoot an STI gun, I carry an STI gun and you should too.

Joe Huffman  Wednesday, March 05, 2008 4:00:47 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

The Apex of the Triangle of Death has a good web page up on the Heller case. It has all the briefs in one convenient location.

Joe Huffman  Wednesday, March 05, 2008 2:57:26 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

I can't really claim credit for creating the concept but I have been a big proponent of it for a long time. It's nice to see others adopting the language such that anti-gunners are openly called out as bigots.

Joe Huffman  Wednesday, March 05, 2008 9:30:09 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism is at the top of my must read list. Unfortunately the audio version isn't out yet and I have a very large stack of paper books that I haven't read beside my bed already.

My latest urge to get this book was fueled by Initial Thoughts... from Musings of The GeekWithA.45. Uncle and Kevin are also impressed with his post.

Last night while watching Farscape with son James I told him he must read the Geek's post. It's just wow!

Joe Huffman  Wednesday, March 05, 2008 9:25:45 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [2]  |  Trackback

Whether one examines the District’s murder rates relative to other large US cities, the neighboring states of Maryland and Virginia, or relative to the US as a whole there is no evidence that the ban reduced the District’s relative murder rate. Indeed, if anything, the evidence points to the opposite conclusion. The District’s rising murder rate cannot be explained as a result of the crack cocaine epidemic during the late 1980s because this increase started occurring right after the ban was instituted, long before crack cocaine became an issue.

Everyone wants to disarm criminals. However, the problem with bans is who is most likely to obey them. If the ban primarily disarms lawabiding citizens and not criminals, the ban can have the opposite effect of what was intended.

Richard E. Gardiner
February 2007
BRIEF OF ACADEMICS AS AMICI CURIAE IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENT
[I really liked reading this one. The comparision data was represented as ratios between D.C. and other areas (such as large cities, nearby states, etc.) over time. Usually I see the data represented as absolute numbers. The ratio representation is a good tool.--Joe]

Joe Huffman  Wednesday, March 05, 2008 8:55:53 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback
 Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Joe Huffman  Tuesday, March 04, 2008 12:12:05 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

As I have said before, a lot of crime is created by the government. Here is a great article with the details of one such area.

As street values rise, gun thieves get bolder

Most of us know the gun debate as a war of words - a battle of sound bites between this side and that.

The real front lines are on the streets, where good guns try to hold back the bad ones, and no one takes the time to hold rallies, give speeches or argue about the Second Amendment.

There, the struggle is as intense as ever.

"In so many murders and robberies, the weapon of choice is a gun," said Norfolk Police Chief Bruce P. Marquis. "Millions are being manufactured every year, and we know a lot of them end up in criminals' hands. We put a higher priority on taking guns off the streets than we do drugs."

But clamping down on firearms can have an unintended effect.

"You create a market when you tighten things up," Garfield Headlam said.

He should know. Headlam is serving a 10-year prison sentence for operating a gun-running ring out of Norfolk in the late 1990s. His customers lived in Washington, D.C., where handguns have been outlawed for more than 30 years. Saturday night specials were Headlam's bread and butter.

"You could make a 300 percent profit on those," he said. "Buy 'em from the gun shop for $89 to $150. Cheap quality. That's what they wanted up there."

Money like that has made gun runners bold. Fourteen Virginia gun shops were burglarized last year, including six in Hampton Roads. In two of the cases, thieves sawed a hole in the roof and used ropes to drop inside. In another, armed men forced a clerk to the floor and walked out with 75 handguns.

Joe Huffman  Tuesday, March 04, 2008 11:54:50 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback

I found the following line here:

Want to find some tools for fighting junk email?

It made me laugh. Actually a pretty good argument could be made for imposing the death penalty on people that send mass junk mail--assuming that sending junk mail should be considered a crime. As much as I hate spam I don't think it should be a crime, but the argument for making the offense punishable by the death penalty is an interesting intellectual exercise for me. I may have hinted at it here before, I'll have to see if I can find it and flesh it out a bit more sometime.

Joe Huffman  Tuesday, March 04, 2008 10:24:16 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

An ATF whistle blower got demoted and had other problems:

Edgar A. Domenech says he thought Justice Department officials would welcome information about mismanagement at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Instead, the 23-year ATF veteran says, Justice officials ignored his complaints and later retaliated against him by demoting him, denying him a bonus and attempting to give him a poor job review.

"I realized I was committing career suicide at the time, but I felt I had a moral obligation as the deputy director to protect the agency and the men and women of the agency," Domenech said in an interview yesterday. "In retrospect, I was naive to believe that the department would welcome my honesty."

Domenech filed a 13-page complaint yesterday with the Office of Special Counsel, saying that ATF and the Justice Department punished him for raising questions about the performance of former ATF director Carl J. Truscott, who resigned in August 2006 while under investigation for alleged financial mismanagement.

I know from personal experience that people in power do not follow the rules and will find a way to harm you if they decide that is what they want to do. We do not have a "Justice System". We have "Legal System". It will not protect you. At best it will give you an opportunity to compensate you for your losses.

In larger terms what this means is that abuse of power is seldom prevented by the legal system. Only when it becomes egregious and a large majority of people demand the abuse stop will it actually take place. Case in point is the ATF and their abuse of firearms owners and dealers. ATF Special Agents who read Brady scripts to the press should be prosecuted for violation of 18 USC 242 but what Federal Prosecutor is going to take on that case? The prosecutor who should be building a case to put the agent in jail is a work associate of of the ATF agent. It's no different than law enforcement and prosecutors not caring if a few blacks get lynched every once in a while. It may be against the law but, basically, their reasoning will go, the people that did it are "good people" and don't deserve to have their careers ruined over something like that. "It just doesn't matter, it's only about about 10%" (inside "joke" for people that know my sociopathic ex-friend Walter).

In most cases law enforcement will not protect you from government abuse of power. Only you can protect yourself. Naive people believe we have a system of laws that will protect us. But the examples of this not being true are too numerous to even attempt to count.

That is why we have the 2nd Amendment. It is the last ditch guardian of inalienable rights.

Joe Huffman  Tuesday, March 04, 2008 8:51:37 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

Even in their homes, LGBT individuals are at risk of murder, aggravated assault and other forms of hate violence because of their sexual orientation. In fact, the home is the most common site of anti-gay violence. Thus, for certain LGBT individuals, the possession of firearms in the home is essential for a sense of personal security -- a fact generally lost in the majoritarian debate about restricting individual’s access to, and use of, firearms. As shown below, not only do members of the LGBT community have a heightened need to possess firearms for self-protection in their homes, the Second Amendment clearly guarantees this most basic right. This Court should not permit the democratic majority to deprive LGBT individuals of their essential and constitutional right to keep and bear arms for self-defense in their own homes.

Michael B. Minton
Brief of Pink Pistols and gays and lesbians for individual liberty as amici curiae in support of respondent.
[As suggested by Kevin I downloaded the entire set of Heller briefs from Constitution Arms and found it quite useful.

One of the points made in the Pink Pistols brief is that majority rule without the minority right to self-defense leads to physical abuse and even death of those minorities. The essence of the way I see it is the minority individual has a much easier time defending themselves in court against a prosecution than being protected from the initial attack by an uncaring or hostile police force. Think of it in terms of what is required for successful prosecution versus a successful unlawful attack on the minority individual. Or, if you want, use the old standby, "It's better to be judged by 12 than carried by six."--Joe]

Joe Huffman  Tuesday, March 04, 2008 7:50:41 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback
 Monday, March 03, 2008

Both in January of 2007 and 2008 our group at work took the day off (with pay) to go to Stevens Pass to ski (all expenses paid--including transportation and two meals). Those not interested in downhill skiing could snowshoe or cross country ski. Both times I took my own snowshoes (rentals would have been covered but I would rather take my own) and opted for the hike through the trees instead of the downhill adventure my knee surgeon (after the second surgery) advised me to never take up. Even though snowshoes were recommended I found my size 14 boots were more than adequate for the packed trails. It was a very nice hike and I kept wanting to take Barb up there. Yesterday I finally got around to it. She agreed, it was a very nice place to go hiking. Below are some pictures:

Here is what it looked like in January when I went with the people from work:

Although there was less snow on the trees it was sunny and nicer weather when Barb and I went.

Joe Huffman  Monday, March 03, 2008 7:46:39 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

Since the Federal government has a huge regulatory agency charged with the regulation and taxing of a right guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment why not expand it or create a new agency charged with regulation and taxing of the 1st Amendment? It seems entirely in line with those that admit we have an individual right to own firearms but claim that right can be restricted. Those same type of regulations should be considered "reasonable" when applied to the 1st Amendment, right?

Doesn't having to get a license involving fingerprints and a background check before you can attend church sound like a good idea? Opening a new church would, of course, require a license, an environment impact statement, and noise abatement plans. And no churches could be located within five miles of a school or public park.

You should fill out the equivalent of a 4473 and get a NICS check before you can write a letter to the editor. And of course there would be a government mandated 10 business day waiting period before it could be published.

All the complaints about the lies by the media would all be solved if we just had better government regulation. Reporters and editors of all media types would be required to keep meticulous records in bound books showing they had properly researched each story. The books could be viewed by government inspectors anytime there was a claim of a falsehood in a story. The entire news organization would have all their computers, printing presses, and printed material seized before they even heard the specifics of the "Federal Press Laws Violations" let alone had their day in court.

"Free-Speech Free Zones" would extend for 1000 feet around schools and in our National Parks. Anyone with a pamphlet, newspaper, magazine, voice or music projection device, Bible, or any other religious printed matter or symbols within ready access of an occupant of a vehicle could be charged with a crime.

That's just a very, very small sample of what would be possible if the analogs of the laws and regulations imposed on the 2nd Amendment were imposed on the 1st Amendment.

Remember what Alan Dershowitz had to say:

Foolish liberals who are trying to read the Second Amendment out of the Constitution by claiming it's not an individual right or that it's too much of safety hazard don't see the danger of the big picture.  They're courting disaster by encouraging others to use the same means to eliminate portions of the Constitution they don't like.

Alan Dershowitz
Quoted in Dan Gifford
The Conceptual Foundations of Anglo-American Jurisprudence in Religion and Reason
62 TENN. L. REV. 759 (1995)

Joe Huffman  Monday, March 03, 2008 9:20:13 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [7]  |  Trackback

I thought Sebastian (Snowflakes in Hell) was already on my blogroll. I've been reading him everyday for months.

That oversight has been corrected.

Joe Huffman  Monday, March 03, 2008 8:24:54 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback

Demoting the Second Amendment to some lower tier of enumerated rights is unwarranted. The Second Amendment has the distinction of securing the most fundamental rights of all—enabling the preservation of one’s life and guaranteeing our liberty. These are not second-class concerns. Yet preservation of human life is also the government’s chief regulatory interest in arms. Constitutional review of gun laws thus finds both individual and governmental interests at their zenith.

Alan Gura
Robert A. Levy
Clark M. Neily III
February 24, 2008
RESPONDENT’S BRIEF
On Writ Of Certiorari To The United States Court Of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Circuit
[I find this last sentence a very interesting point. It explains why, obvious in hindsight, the 2nd Amendment has come under such vicious attack and those attacks have been tolerated so well by the courts and the people. It is much more difficult to justify similar attacks on the 1st Amendment and it has flourished. And a similar analysis explains why we don't have much of our 4th Amendment rights honored as well.--Joe]

Joe Huffman  Monday, March 03, 2008 7:59:03 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback
 Sunday, March 02, 2008

Showing questionable restraint Israel fired a few missiles recently:

Israeli aircraft fired missiles at the office of Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza City, escalating an offensive aimed at halting Palestinian rocket attacks.

Israel says the attack is a message that it is now targeting the political leaders of Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza. Hamas refuses to renounce violence or recognize Israel.

Had Cuba been firing multiple rockets into Florida every day for months do you think we would have just fired a few missiles back? I can't imagine people expecting anything less than encouraging non government leaders in Cuba to find refuge with friends and relatives elsewhere while our military exterminated all the vermin and started rebuilding with the only communists allowed back on the island being members of the MSM.

Instead Israel tried to get in a rational discussion with those that are irrational:

"Nothing will prevent us from striking at the terrorist organizations responsible for rocket attacks," Mr. Olmert said. "He said that no one has the moral right to preach to Israel for exercising its legitimate right of self-defense."

Responding to the bloodshed, the internationally-backed Palestinian government in the West Bank suspended peace talks with Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas described the Israeli actions in Gaza as a "holocaust." Mr. Abbas has suspended Mideast peace talks in protest at Israel's military offensive against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

No, it's not a holocaust. But if they do not get the message (see the first quote above) they are inviting a demonstration of the difference between their current situation and a true holocaust.

Joe Huffman  Sunday, March 02, 2008 9:33:40 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [2]  |  Trackback

Roberta X says she sucks at shutting up and doing what she is told.

I have that same "problem". Ask anyone in my family. Vivid examples date back to at least early grade school when my conflicts with Mrs. Cole became legends. More recent examples involved the court system.

Joe Huffman  Sunday, March 02, 2008 9:14:05 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

Instead of screaming bloody murder about the TSA (A Security Theater) Gail Todd chides the victim. The background is here:

When reader Marlys Powers prepared for a flight to visit her daughter in Phoenix, Ariz., she purchased a vinyl see-through bag to hold all her toiletries. She packed the bag with 3-ounce bottles of shampoo, lotions and toothpaste, as well as her toothbrush and hairbrush.

Marlys thought it would make it easier for security to see what was in her carry-on bag. Security didn't see it that way. Because it wasn't a quart-size bag, they took the lady aside and placed her in a private room for a thorough pat down.

After confirming she wasn't carrying any concealed weapons, they told her they would have to confiscate all her 3-ounce bottles because they weren't in an acceptable-size plastic bag. Then one agent discovered something else: two sandwich bags filled with cookies and banana bread Marlys was taking to her grandchildren.

The agent told her if she could combine her treats into one of the bags, she could use the other to stow her plastic bottles -- which she did. The agent placed that plastic bag back inside her original plastic container and told her to have a good flight -- which she didn't.

Marlys had already missed her flight. And because all carriers were overbooked, she spent several hours standing by for a flight with an empty seat.

While packing all your personal items in a single plastic bag might sound like a sensible thing to do, remember that common sense is not a prerequisite for security rules. And if it doesn't adhere strictly to the rules, it won't fly -- and neither will you.

She goes on to inform her readers how to avoid this by following the rules exactly. It doesn't matter they don't really make sense and are totally ineffective at preventing weapons from getting on planes. But Ms. Todd apparently lives in or near Chicago so it's not too surprising that she uncritically accepts government tyranny as just part of everyday life.

Joe Huffman  Sunday, March 02, 2008 9:05:16 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback

If I were a peer reviewing this piece of work I would ask the "researcher", "Please repeat after me, 'correlation is not causation'. Again, 'correlation is not causation'. Good, keep doing that until you can remember it when you are writing your papers."

It looks to me like this guy has staked his career on something and is looking for evidence to support his hypothesis. And of course if that is all you are looking for and you ignore contradictory evidence you can probably convince yourself your hypothesis is valid.

Here is a sample of his conclusions:

Straus analyzed the results of four studies and found that spanking and other corporal punishment by parents is associated with an increased probability of three sexual problems as a teen or adult:
• Verbally and physically coercing a dating partner to have sex.
• Risky sex such as premarital sex without a condom.
• Masochistic sex such as being aroused by being spanked when having sex.

“These results, together with the results of more than 100 other studies, suggest that spanking is one of the roots of relationship violence and mental health problems. Because there is 93 percent agreement between studies that investigated harmful side effects of spanking, and because over 90 percent of U.S. parents spank toddlers, the potential benefits for prevention of sexual and relationship violence is large,” Straus says.

I haven't read all his papers so it's possible he has considered an alternate hypothesis but I could find no evidence of that in the web pages I viewed this morning. The alternate hypothesis that is just "screaming at me" is that children with behavioral problems are more likely to behavioral problems as adults. And if they have more behavioral problems as children then they are more likely to get spanked.

Joe Huffman  Sunday, March 02, 2008 8:52:35 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [3]  |  Trackback

In short, the argument that "the right of the people" is subject to reasonable regulation and restriction tramples on the very words of the Second Amendment, reading the phrase -- "shall not be infringed" -- as if it read "shall be subject only to reasonable regulation to achieve public safety."

Herbert W. Titus
February 11, 2008
Gun Owners of America
Brief amicus curiae in D.C. v. Heller
[I'm tempted to quote nothing but amicus curiae briefs until March 18th.--Joe]

Joe Huffman  Sunday, March 02, 2008 8:37:58 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback
 Saturday, March 01, 2008

The VPC Blog is a must have. "Everyone" is talking about it and it's good:

The Adventures of Roberta X keeps me looking up words in the dictionary but anyone that likes guns, science fiction and geeky stuff is interesting.

Joe Huffman  Saturday, March 01, 2008 5:59:02 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback

I listen to a lot of Audible.com books on my long commute (300 miles one way) between Moscow Idaho and Redmond Washington. This is one book that I can see raising my adrenaline level to "no sleep for you tonight" levels. From Audible:

In a hard-hitting and provocative polemic, Silicon Valley insider and pundit Andrew Keen exposes the grave consequences of today's new participatory Web 2.0 and reveals how it threatens our values, economy, and ultimately the very innovation and creativity that forms the fabric of American achievement.

Our most valued cultural institutions, Keen warns, our professional newspapers, magazines, music, and movies, are being overtaken by an avalanche of amateur, user-generated free content. Advertising revenue is being siphoned off by free classified ads on sites like Craigslist; television networks are under attack from free user-generated programming on YouTube and the like; file-sharing and digital piracy have devastated the multibillion-dollar music business and threaten to undermine our movie industry.

From Amazon:

Keen's relentless "polemic" is on target about how a sea of amateur content threatens to swamp the most vital information and how blogs often reinforce one's own views rather than expand horizons. But his jeremiad about the death of "our cultural standards and moral values" heads swiftly downhill. Keen became somewhat notorious for a 2006 Weekly Standard essay equating Web 2.0 with Marxism; like Karl Marx, he offers a convincing overall critique but runs into trouble with the details. Readers will nod in recognition at Keen's general arguments—sure, the Web is full of "user-generated nonsense"!—but many will frown at his specific examples, which pretty uniformly miss the point. It's simply not a given, as Keen assumes, that Britannica is superior to Wikipedia, or that record-store clerks offer sounder advice than online friends with similar musical tastes, or that YouTube contains only "one or two blogs or songs or videos with real value." And Keen's fears that genuine talent will go unnourished are overstated: writers penned novels before there were publishers and copyright law; bands recorded songs before they had major-label deals. In its last third, the book runs off the rails completely, blaming Web 2.0 for online poker, child pornography, identity theft and betraying "Judeo-Christian ethics."

Joe Huffman  Saturday, March 01, 2008 5:29:02 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback

It's back:

Combining the double stack capacity of its patented 2011 technology with the light weight benefits of aluminum, the V.I.P. is the best carry pistol on the market today.

Due to overwhelming customer requests, STI International, Inc. has brought back their popular V.I.P. model. Built on the patented modular frame design with a reduced length polymer grip, the VIP delivers the advantages of a high capacity firearm configuration that is well-suited for conceal carry circumstances. The frame is constructed of highly durable 7075 aerospace grade aluminum to keep the weight of the pistol to a minimal 25 oz. The frame is also available in 4140 maxxell alloy steel (which comes in at 29.7 oz)

The VIP has a stainless steel scalloped slide with rear cocking serrations, STI dovetail front sight and Heinie fixed rear sight. The slide is also available in 4140 carbon steel. The VIP comes standard with features such as a stainless steel STI hi-ride grip safety, stainless steel STI single sided thumb safety and an STI stainless steel fully supported, ramped bull barrel. Calibers available are 9x19, 40 S&W, and .45 ACP.

In competition I shoot an STI gun, I carry an STI gun and you should too.

Joe Huffman  Saturday, March 01, 2008 11:17:54 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [5]  |  Trackback

STI is giving away a free gun. Send them your business card and they may draw it out of a fishbowl on March 28th.

The unfortunate subjects of California need not apply.

In competition I shoot an STI gun, I carry an STI gun and you should too.

Joe Huffman  Saturday, March 01, 2008 11:05:58 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback

This promotion is available only to citizens of the USA. Unfortunately, citizens of California are not eligible for this promotion.

STI International
February 17, 2008
Spartan Giveaway
[Unfortunately, citizens of California have been subjugated by a tyrannical regime and have their rights infringed so badly they are unable to fully exercise even the most fundamental of human rights--the right to keep and bear arms.--Joe]

Joe Huffman  Saturday, March 01, 2008 10:38:37 AM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [0]  |  Trackback
 Friday, February 29, 2008

I think there is a little bit of projection going on here:

Politics also factors heavily into D.C. v. Heller, according to Henigan.

He said some state attorneys general — who are elected in 43 states — likely sided with Heller as a way to show constituents they support an individual-rights reading of the Second Amendment, even as they seek to preserve their own state statutes regulating guns.

“These are political actors. They don’t want to appear to be endorsing a handgun ban,” Henigan said.

Joe Huffman  Friday, February 29, 2008 7:30:51 PM (Pacific Standard Time, UTC-08:00)  #    Disclaimer  |  Comments [1]  |  Trackback