The View From North Central Idaho

It was almost exactly two years after I put Google ads on my blog that I got my first check a couple weeks ago. It was for just over $100. Today I enabled another Google ads block that is supposed to be better for video ads which I expect will be the "up and coming thing".

Maybe I'll get another check for $100 after only one year instead of two years. Certainly I won't be "quitting my day job" anytime soon.

I was given a book by a friend recently. Very interesting and entirely consistent with what I have been hearing from my lawyers. The book is You Could Be Fired for Reading This Book: Protect Your Employment Rights. I have a little bit of a problem with the phrase "Employment Rights". You don't have a "right" to employment. But other than that it's a good book. Perhaps I'm nitpicking but in my case certain individuals committed a felony against me in the workplace. The employer could have investigated when they became aware of it (that email went to everyone on this list) and corrected the problem and reported the felony to Federal prosecutors. They did not. That made them a part of the crime.

Lots of things in the book were surprising to me and others I have mentioned them too. Let's take some examples (not from the book but similar):

1. Suppose one of your co-workers gets upset because you correctly predicted that their approach to a problem would fail. And to make things worse with 1/3 of the budget gone you get the project turned over to you to "go ahead and do it your way." You then succeed and get high praise from the customer. This co-worker then tells the boss that you have been barking at the full moon and molesting small animals with shovels and rakes and implements of destruction. Your boss confronts you, you deny it, and without attempting to verify the story fires you and says it's for dishonesty--making it difficult for you to get another job.
2. Suppose you have personal website praising the wonderfulness of the Partridge Family T.V. show. You boss has a personal website praising the wonderfulness of the Brady Bunch T.V. show and thinks the Partridge Family is crap. He fires you and even tells you and your co-workers why he did it.
3. Suppose your boss is married and is having a sexual affair with one of her other direct reports (not her spouse) and he is also married. This subordinate apparently likes playing the field and starts making some advances toward you. You, not knowing of the affair, mention it to your boss. Your boss makes up a reason and fires you even though her having the affair with a direct report is grounds for termination of the boss.
4. Suppose your boss put in your performance goals for the next year that you must publish five papers in public research journals and contribute to one or more conferences in person. If you don't succeed you will suffer the consequences in your next performance review. Suppose he didn't bother to get your goals written up and delivered to you until nearly half way through the year. You question how this is going to be possible because all your current research has at least some aspect that is classified and not allowed in public journals. New projects that might be entirely unclassified won't be available until next year. Not to mention that the projects you are involved in were budgeted without money allocated for publication of papers or attending conferences and there is very little time to write the research papers and get them published. He assures you that the unclassified parts are acceptable to put in the research papers and you should "give it your best effort" in spite of the time and money constraints. You give a few hints about coming papers on your personal blog. Your boss reads your blog and fires you for not keeping company information private and possibly violating national security.

Now, take a guess and tell me which of the above you think are grounds for a wrongful termination lawsuit in the United States.

The answer in nearly all states, and particularly in Washington state, is none of the above.

Wrongful termination lawsuits are very hard to even get into court. There are a very limited number of things (for example sexual, racial, age, or religious discrimination) that will get you any traction at all. And before you can even get the case into court you have to have some evidence or testimony, other than your own, to make the case it was one of "those things". You can't make your co-workers (who know they would be fired if they did) testify under oath until much later in the legal proceedings. You can't demand internal documents that might collaborate your side of things until much later either. You have to have the evidence with you the last time you went out the door--which in itself could be considered valid grounds for termination if they found it out and used that as the basis for termination. That could ruin your chances of winning in court should you get so far as to have a jury hear the case.

And even just bringing a case against a former employer can make you unemployable. Future employers will be extra cautious about hiring "a troublemaker". In short wrongful termination cases are tough and risky. I'm doing it anyway. I have the evidence to get us into courts. My lawyer and I are nearly certain we can prove the facts. We just have to prove the law supports us. More on that after PNNL gives us their response.

Of all the people to be given the death penalty there probably aren't more than a few dozen in the last hundred years that were more clearly deserving than Saddam Hussein. Not only as punishment for his crimes but to prevent him from ever coming to power again. As long as he was alive their was the risk that he would be free and restored to power and take an incredibly bloody revenge.

Yet according to this report our European "allies" condemned the execution:

The United Nations, the Vatican and Washington's European allies all condemned Saddam's execution on moral grounds.

In my view the United Nations has no moral ground to stand on and should just shut their mouth and hide in the corner like they usually do. Or shall we talk about the sex scandals and/or allowing the genocides in Rwanda and the Darfur region of Sudan?

I'll give the Vatican a pass--partly because it's the Christmas season.

The Europeans are going to be learning their own lessons soon enough. The Islamic extremists who are taking over their don't have any qualms about executions and the "moral objections" of the Europeans to them being given the option to convert or die will probably result in some of their positions on morality being revised.

And these are women who deliberately seek out this mutilation:

WEALTHY Australian women are jetting to Los Angeles for the hot new trend in plastic surgery — genital "rejuvenation".

...

The doctor said surgery on the female genitals, which can include reshaping the outer genitals (labiaplasty), became the hottest trend in plastic surgery in 2006 in response to the popularity of Brazilian-style waxing.

"The extra skin women could hide before is now totally visible," he said.

I've been watching my web logs pretty closely lately and I ran across this today. It's got to be my favorite visit in the past couple of months. Notice the part in RED:

68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:54:36 +0000] "GET /Report.htm HTTP/1.1" 200 22216 "http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&client=safari&rls=en&q=%22joseph+Huffman%22+pnnl&btnG=Search" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:54:36 +0000] "GET /_themes/pistol/sticharcoaltrans.gif HTTP/1.1" 200 10962 "http://www.pnnl.info/Report.htm" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:54:36 +0000] "GET /_themes/pistol/textbull.gif HTTP/1.1" 200 944 "http://www.pnnl.info/Report.htm" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:54:36 +0000] "GET /_themes/pistol/horizontal.gif HTTP/1.1" 200 1110 "http://www.pnnl.info/Report.htm" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:54:37 +0000] "GET /favicon.ico HTTP/1.1" 404 287 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:55:29 +0000] "GET /joeyouradumbass.html HTTP/1.1" 404 296 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:55:29 +0000] "GET /favicon.ico HTTP/1.1" 404 287 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:55:51 +0000] "GET /joe_your_a_dumb_ass.html HTTP/1.1" 404 300 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:55:51 +0000] "GET /favicon.ico HTTP/1.1" 404 287 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:56:17 +0000] "GET /Reinforcements.htm HTTP/1.1" 200 31153 "http://www.pnnl.info/Report.htm" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:56:17 +0000] "GET /images/JoeComputer.JPG HTTP/1.1" 200 29391 "http://www.pnnl.info/Reinforcements.htm" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"
68.113.0.103 - - [31/Dec/2006:02:56:17 +0000] "GET /favicon.ico HTTP/1.1" 404 287 "-" "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X; en) AppleWebKit/418.9.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Safari/419.3"

The part is red is a request for a file by the name of "joe_your_a_dumb_ass.html" which doesn't exist. It apparently was just a message for me. Further information on this person is available from http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm?GetLocation which yields Richland, WA. This is the home of PNNL and some of the bigots that committed the felony against me. Further information about this person is probably available from their ISP. Which nslookup shows as: 68-113-0-103.dhcp.knwk.wa.charter.com or Charter.com in Kennewick.

Probably the most telling is they are using a Macintosh computer. That narrows it down a bunch. I don't know for certain who it is, so let just call him or her "John".

John apparently has more than just a casual interest in my website. He spent the next forty three minutes reading my research notes and a bunch of other stuff. Then came back an hour and forty three minutes later to take a second look at the complaint we filed in court.

John, you probably had something to do with this or you wouldn't be so interested in my website and calling me names. As for being a dumb ass, I would like to suggest that you committing a felony was a lot more dumb than me making the details of the crime public. Time will tell who is the dumber of the two of us but it appears to me you have such a big start in the stupid department it will be difficult for me to even come close. Have a happy New Year John--while you have a chance. It's going to be tough once you start answering questions under oath. And another thing John, I know I have my share of spelling errors and typos but you should have said "you're" instead of "your".

With machine guns and flame throwers.

All perfectly legal and a good time was had by everyone. Except maybe the anti-freedom bigots reading about it at home.

Via Kevin.

One of the ways the anti-freedom people make progress is by asserting people like us are extremists, dangerous, and a "threat to society". While in fact just the opposite is true. Even if you don't want to take the time to assert (and/or prove) the anti-freedom bigots are a threat to society you can easily demonstrate the gun nuts (like me, Kevin, and his friends) are just ordinary people, are not extremists, and are only a threat to a tyrannical government. People, in general, want to be "in the middle" and "moderate". By pushing the envelope in the freedom direction you make it easier for the "moderates" to be further from the anti-freedom bigots.

Do your part and don't hide in the closet about it.

The government deficit is the difference between the amount of money the government spends and the amount it has the nerve to collect.

Sam Ewing
January 1991
Readers Digest Quote
[I never thought of it that way before but I wonder if gun control is an attempt by the government to gain more nerve and reduct the deficit.--Joe]

Christmas 2006 for Joe

Notice the toothbrush in the lower left corner from Barb? That is to counteract all the candy and jam on the entire left side of the picture from all her other relatives.

James got me me the blanket underneath everything that supposedly says "blanket" in binary ASCII but I haven't verified it yet. James also got me Obsession--The Movie and America: Freedom to Facism

I'm looking forward to testing out the Roomba from Barb. It's charging now.

I got lots of new music from Barb to keep me entertained on my trips to and from Seattle. Although I'll probably have just as much fun fantasizing about my future interactions with the felony bigots at PNNL on my long drives. The lawsuit being served is probably my favorite gift--even though I paid for it myself.

I've been told the new Battlestar Galactica series I got from Barb is better than the original one. James and I will be watching that in the evenings in Seattle just as soon as we finish off the Enterprise series.

I got all six of the flashlights from our daughter Kim and her fiancée Caleb. The LED one with the crank generator in the top right corner of the picture gets my vote for the best one.

The Boris Vallejo calendar was no surprise but then Barb has been getting one of those every year for nearly thirty years now. No reason to stop anytime soon.

The mug and the plate were hand glazed by Sara and Xenia respectively. That's an image of Enterprise on a star background on the mug.

Xenia has some pictures of the other pottery stuff she did for Christmas including a better picture of the Boomershoot plate.

Watching the Saddam hanging, I experienced Three things:  First, a little bit of empathy for the idiot, which soon passed and is nothing to be ashamed about because its just human.  Second, a lot of empathy for his untold thousands of innocent victims-- men women and children.  Third, the conclusion that they went awfully easy on him.  Had the table been turned and Saddam been the executioner, the condemned would have been beaten with rebar until he shit himself, had his ears cut off and fed to him, had his tongue ripped out, his knee caps shot, his face kicked in and covered with feces, then he'd be dragged through the dirt, spat on and hanged slowly in front of his wife and kids, all while Saddam watched, smoking a Cuban cigar with a great big giddy grin on his face.  But civilized people are better than that, I suppose.

I've said it before but talking with Lyle at UltiMAK yesterday I obtained some more evidence that gun owners are in many ways treated like blacks in this country were 50 or 60 years ago. Actual lynching don't occur. Ruby Ridge and Waco come close in many respects but no ropes and trees were involved. But what does happen is marginalization, shunning, firings (mine and I know of three other people that had similar problems), and signs such as this one (St. Louis Missouri August 13, 2006):

When I see a sign like that I can't help but think of signs like this:

From http://www.cah.utexas.edu/ssspot/lesson_plans/lesson_10.php

And read through this list and find how many similar restrictions apply to gun owners. A sample:

• Parks: It shall be unlawful for colored people to frequent any park owned or maintained by the city for the benefit, use and enjoyment of white persons.
• Education: Separate rooms [shall] be provided for the teaching of pupils of African descent, and [when] said rooms are so provided, such pupils may not be admitted to the school rooms occupied and used by pupils of Caucasian or other descent.
• Libraries: Any white person of such county may use the county free libraries under the rules and regulations prescribed by the commissioners court and may be entitled to all the privileges thereof. Said court shall make proper provision for the Negroes of said county to be served through a separate branch or branches of the county free library, which shall be administered by a custodian of the Negro race under the supervision of the county librarian.
• Railroads: The conductors or managers on all such railroads shall have power, and are hereby required, to assign to each white or colored passenger his or her respective car, coach, or compartment. If the passenger fails to disclose his race, the conductor and managers, acting in good faith shall be the sole judges of his race.

Back to what Lyle told me--One of the limiting factors to growth in his business (gun accessories) is building stuff fast enough. For over a year he has been trying to find more machine shops to build his stuff. He has had something like seven or eight companies tell him they don't want his business because it is gun related. He has been unable to find any new suppliers in the last 18 months. Legally I support their right to refuse to do business with someone. For example I wouldn't do business with someone making "ovens" for Nazis. And I don't want my Modern Ballistics program sold to certain organizations opposed to basic human rights. But that so many companies have this bigoted viewpoint tells us a great deal about the attitudes of this country.

The advice I gave Lyle was, "Ask them if they have a similar policy about doing business with blacks."

One of the rumors I have heard out of PNNL was that I had modified one or more of my sites to treat visitors from the lab differently and put "malware" on the labs network. This claim is totally false and I sometimes wondered if anyone actually thought that. Perhaps someone did because I found this. It's a report on my PNNL.INFO website in regards to spam, adware, and spyware. A number of the sites for which I am the webmaster and have some relationship to the PNNL conflict are shown to have been tested by McAfee SiteAdvisor. Others for which I am the webmaster have not been tested. I'm wondering if the bigots were trying to verify their claims by submitting my sites for analysis. If so, they failed. McAfee loves me.

It's a little bit of a stretch but it seems to me this is another bit of evidence the bigots were spreading falsehoods about me.

Did you ever notice the things we do and consider worthless we call "academic"?

Lyle Keeney
December 29, 2006
[There was no need to make mention of Lyle's opinion on the quality of our education system. Also of interest while I was visiting UltiMAK yesterday was clutter on his office floor (see below). I wish my employer would let me have that type of clutter around. Not that I would do it, because I'm generally a little neater than that, but it would nice to have the option without being considered a threat to society.--Joe]

PNNL has been visiting my blog again:

Domain Name		pnl.gov ? (United States Government)
IP Address		130.20.121.# (Battele Pacific Northwest Laboratory)
ISP		Battele Pacific Northwest Laboratory
Location		Continent  :  North America Country  :  United States  (Facts) State  :  Washington City  :  Richland Lat/Long  :  46.3282, -119.3222 (Map) Distance  :  114 miles
Language		English (United States) en-us
Operating System		Microsoft WinXP
Browser		Internet Explorer 7.0 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.1)
Javascript		version 1.3
Monitor		Resolution  :  1600 x 1200 Color Depth  :  32 bits
Time of Visit		Dec 29 2006 10:35:54 am
Last Page View		Dec 29 2006 10:44:34 am
Visit Length		8 minutes 40 seconds
Page Views		2
Referring URL		http://72.14.253.104...n&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=1
Search Engine		72.14.253.104
Search Words		cache:fbt0ho8yu5oj:www.pnnl.info/ pnnl.info
Visit Entry Page		http://blog.joehuffm...Their Attention.aspx
Visit Exit Page		http://blog.joehuffm...16-8fef957f2701.aspx
Out Click
Time Zone		UTC-8:00
Visitor's Time		Dec 29 2006 10:35:54 am
Visit Number		123,275

Practical competition is open to all reputable persons without regard to occupation. It may specifically not be limited to public servants.

USPSA Handgun Competition Rules
PRINCIPLES of USPSA Competitions
Draft--January 2008
[A reminder for those wishing to become oppressors. Government employees are servants. The way they are kept servants is by the people refusing to allow their right to own and use guns to be infringed. Reminding the servants of the skill of the people is a part of keeping the servants in line. The USPSA is part of that.--Joe]

I'm working from home (Moscow Idaho, not the Seattle area 'home') this week and arranged for the Boomershoot 2007 shipment of potassium chlorate to show up while I was here. All 275 pounds arrived today and is safely stored away. I need to buy another gallon or two of ethylene glycol (required for the most recent version of Boomerite) and I'll have all the chemicals I need for the estimated 1622 pounds of HE we will use.

In other Boomershoot news there is only one position left and that's in the .50 Caliber Ghetto. There is a waiting list of five teams (includes some of the people in the ghetto) waiting for a position in the main shooting area.

Back in the late 90's when I worked at Microsoft an anti-gun bigot invited a "team of professionals" to put on a presentation for Microsoft people on "Children and gun safety" or some such thing. Microsoft doesn't (or at least didn't) allow their facilities to be used for political activities and this bigot had some weasel worded title that made it almost sound like it was an educational instead of political presentation. I arrived 15 minutes or so early to make sure I got a good seat from which to video tape the presentation. I actually arrived before anyone, including the presenters, arrived. When they arrived I helped them bring in their computer and some other materials and help them get connected to power, etc.

By the time the presentation was supposed to start just two other people had showed up. I knew both of them and both were firearms instructors for Insights Training Center who also worked for Microsoft. They were Kevin Kerkam and John Fogh (see the quotes I have from John here). The "team of professionals" decided that with such a small group, I think there were five of them and just the three of us in the audience, that we should have an interactive discussion. But first they demanded that I put away my video camera and refused to tell me why. I finally did and they proceeded to tell us about how lax gun laws were and about all the things that needed to be done to "save the children". One of the things we discussed was a "waiting period" before one was allowed to purchase a gun. I asked why they thought that was a good idea. And the poor woman told us it was because people needed time to "cool off" before purchasing a weapon. This didn't really make much sense to me so I asked, "So, if I go into a gun shop, show them my concealed carry permit and a pistol on my hip then they wouldn't need to make me 'cool off' before purchasing another one, right?" She turned a pale shade of gray and looked around at the people beside her as John, Kevin, and I smiled expectantly at her. Her fellow bigots didn't look any more comfortable than she did and after a five or ten seconds of a deafening silence the head of Washington Ceasefire (I forget his name, but he resigned and went to work someplace else in late 2001 or 2002) spoke up and said something like, "We're not going to go there." The presentation went on for a little longer until John and Kevin also asked questions and made comments that made it clear to the "team of professionals" they were talking to people they couldn't convert and had them outclassed in both brains and preparedness. The head guy called it quits and I went up to talk to him for a while as they packed up. They had made a claim about guns and suicide and he claimed to be friends with a researcher on the topic and in response to one of my questions he was going to "do some more research" on the topic. I exchanged email addresses with him and we discussed how suicide data could be examined to find out if the presence of guns increased the suicide rate. He thought I had some good ideas on how to reduce the potential for errors and biases and agreed to let me know the results of his contact with his suicide researcher friend.

After a week or so I sent him an email and we exchanged several emails on the topic. At first he "hadn't got around to" contacting his friend and finally he just didn't answer my emails. What I never told him was that I knew the research had already been done, I knew the results, and I knew he wouldn't like them. I just wanted to see what kind of response I could get from him when he found out he was wrong on that point too.

I'm reminded of all this because another anti-gun bigot just got nailed on the "cooling off period" ruse. This time in Australia:

A parliamentary inquiry into gun-purchasing regulations has angered Tasmania's anti-gun lobby.

The changes proposed by the State Government include bringing Tasmania in line with national gun trafficking laws, limiting gun use in the security industry and strengthening licensing processes for firearm dealers.

It has also set up a parliamentary inquiry into whether it is still necessary to have a cooling-off period before a person can buy a second gun.

Gun Control Coalition spokesman Roland Browne is furious.

"The cooling-off period for the second and subsequent firearms protects the community, it's designed to protect women especially from abuse by firearm owners in the home," he said.

"That was why it was put into the national firearms agreement in the first place."

State Police Minister David Llewellyn says the cooling-off period for the purchase of a second gun does not prevent impulsive crime.

"The reason for that cooling-off period was to prevent impulsive buying of firearms that could lead to a crime, someone shooting someone in impulse," he said.

"They've already got a firearm, then obviously it doesn't actually achieve the outcome if you're talking about the second firearm."

Browne is furious? I'll bet he's just putting on an act to cover for the embarrassment of being nailed on the snow job they have been pulling on everyone. I'll bet he would be "furious" if you asked him Just One Question too.

From the Second Amendment Foundation:

BELLEVUE, WA – Recalling that the late former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was a firm, if not outspoken, advocate of personal defense – she campaigned for civil rights in 1958 in Tennessee with a pistol on her car seat – the Second Amendment Foundation today is inaugurating a new award honoring women who use firearms in lawful defense against a criminal attack.

SAF Founder Alan M. Gottlieb announced the award’s first recipient will be a Mississippi grandmother who fatally shot a would-be robber in October.

...

“We’ve spoken to Harrison County Sheriff George Payne,” Gottlieb added, “who said he is proud of Beth Greer and that she is doing well in the aftermath of this traumatic incident. In defending herself, this courageous lady set an example for others to follow. In the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt, Mrs. Greer demonstrated that when someone has the will and the means to fight back, they can overcome and win.”

Cool!

About an hour ago I got a call from John Trumbo of the Tri City Herald. He said he had just talked to Battelle about my lawsuit (Word .DOC file). Battelle said they hadn't been served yet (not surprising) and would only say that I had worked for them between "such and such dates" and that I had worked on Internet security projects. He wanted to confirm with me, as stated in the complaint that I knew of nothing I had done wrong except for the allowing of my wife and daughter to use the company laptop to access the Internet and that it was against company policy. I confirmed that was the case. He stated it was hard to imagine anyone would try to build a case for termination based on their advocation of Second Amendment rights. I agreed but assured him I am certain that is the case. He said, "It will go out tomorrow." And "Onward and upward I guess."

We'll see how my luck (very good for the last several years) with reporters and Second Amendment issues holds up under the pressure of an adversary like Battelle.

Update: It's out. I can't complain. I'm thrilled to confirm Battelle still claims the termination was "for violating PNNL policies (involving) inappropriate and unauthorized use of PNNL computers." That would be the hosting of a personal website on a company computer as they told the Department of Energy which is totally false. And/or it could be the use of the company laptop by my wife and daughter a few times which is true but is not going to be believable as cause for termination to any jury. They are going to have a "fun time" making that case. More on the quandary they are in some other post.

Interesting stuff. And not just because of the sexual aspects:

WASHINGTON: When Robert Steinbuch discovered his girlfriend had discussed intimate details about their sex life in her online diary, the Capitol Hill staffer didn't just get mad. He got a lawyer.

...

If the case goes to trial, its outcome will be important both to bloggers and to people who chronicle their lives on sites such as MySpace.

I just got a (virtual) visit from the IRS:

Domain Name		(Unknown)
IP Address		152.216.11.# (INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE)
ISP		INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
Location		Continent  :  North America Country  :  United States  (Facts) State  :  District of Columbia City  :  Washington Lat/Long  :  38.8933, -77.0146 (Map) Distance  :  2,072 miles
Language		English (United States) en-us
Operating System		Microsoft WinXP
Browser		Internet Explorer 6.0 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.0.3705; InfoPath.1)
Javascript		version 1.3
Monitor		Resolution  :  800 x 600 Color Depth  :  32 bits
Time of Visit		Dec 28 2006 7:20:28 am
Last Page View		Dec 28 2006 7:20:28 am
Visit Length		0 seconds
Page Views		1
Referring URL		http://www.google.co...q=blattner pipe bomb
Search Engine		google.com
Search Words		blattner pipe bomb
Visit Entry Page		http://blog.joehuffm...mbmaking Expert.aspx
Visit Exit Page		http://blog.joehuffm...mbmaking Expert.aspx
Out Click
Time Zone		UTC-5:00
Visitor's Time		Dec 28 2006 10:20:28 am
Visit Number		123,064

They did a search on Google for information on a pipe bomb case and found this post where I commented about being quoted by a newspaper on the case in question.

I wonder why the IRS is interested. It's possible some folks at the ATF show up as within the IRS on because they share the same block of IP addresses or something (the ATF used to be entirely within the Department of the Treasury). But I find it more amusing to believe the IRS thinks there is money to be collected from people involved in the manufacture and sale of pipe bombs.

Assault weapons—just like armor-piercing bullets, machine guns, and plastic firearms—are a new topic. The weapons' menacing looks, coupled with the public's confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons. In addition, few people can envision a practical use for these weapons.

Nothing new on the PNNL front just a report on our activities.

Xenia reported on her view of things. She took in a goodly amount of stuff.

We went to my parents place for Christmas Eve where we had very white Christmas Eve including some snow drifts that were probably eight to ten inches deep in places on the county road. There was a snow drift in our driveway too but not a big deal. It was starting to rain when we came back to Moscow and by the middle of Christmas day most of the snow was gone. We had a nice time with all the visitors. Daughter Kim and her fiancée loved the new laptop computer we bought them. Sara has been staying with us and went to my parents place as well as being with us on Christmas Day. Barb's sister Nancy and her family were here too. Nancy likes to make funny faces and I told her the picture below was was going to be on the Internet in ten minutes. Barb said, "No!" So instead of ten minutes I waited 48 hours.

Here is another picture of Nancy. This time with Barb while they are in deep concentration in a game they were playing:

This is Caleb and Kim with our bare backyard in the background

You never have to figure out what to get for children, because they will tell you exactly what they want.  They spend months and months researching these kinds of things by watching Saturday-morning cartoon-show advertisements.  Make sure you get your children exactly what they ask for, even if you disapprove of their choices.  If your child thinks he wants Murderous Bob, the Doll with the Face You Can Rip Right Off, you'd better get it.  You may be worried that it might help to encourage your child's antisocial tendencies, but believe me, you have not seen antisocial tendencies until you've seen a child who is convinced that he or she did not get the right gift.

Dave Barry
Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide
[See also my next post.--Joe]

All propaganda must be so popular and on such an intellectual level, that even the most stupid of those towards whom it is directed will understand it.  Therefore, the intellectual level of the propaganda must be lower the larger the number of people who are to be influenced by it.

Adolf Hitler
[This is part of the reason why we have trouble getting our message across to the public. Freedom, whether it is gun rights, right to privacy, or economic rights is more difficult to explain than, "The government will take care of you." But just because something is simple to explain and appealing to the masses doesn't mean it's right. Hitler's message was simple, appealing to the masses, and totally wrong. Just like the message of the anti-freedom bigots of our country today.--Joe]

I'd love one, but I'd probably get in trouble. Oregon has laws against hunting over a baited field.

Todd Ellner
12/24/2006 10:36 AM
Washington State Concealed Weapons Discussion
[Referring to the picture below which was found at this website.--Joe]

Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.

Lord Acton
February 26, 1877

Being an atheist I don't usually take much pleasure in Christmas. But this year is something very special. Last year was very tough for us after being fired from PNNL. However this year is much better. I got a good job last April. The lawsuit against PNNL and my former supervisor, Bryan McMillan, was filled October 30th. And then just in time for Christmas I received word yesterday that McMillan and his wife Torrie (community property state, in order to get full access to his assets we needed to fill against his wife too) got served with the papers.

Merry Christmas Bryan!

Sorry Torrie, but it's not my fault you married someone of such low character that he committed a felony. I'm pretty sure there will be some more unpleasant surprises for you about his character in the coming years as the lawsuit details come out.

To the people at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous that I asked not to mention the details I talked about, you are now free to blog as much as you want.

That discussion wouldn't be productive.

Peggy Hevland
Specialist
HRM, CISD
peggy.hevland@pnl.gov
509-375-6523
June 3, 2005
[When I asked, "What specifically did I do wrong?" as she and Byran McMillian were in the process of firing me. It turns out that I later found out why I was being fired--some people had a problem with me being a civil (gun) rights advocate. It's the quote of the day for today because I just found out the lawsuit papers have been served to McMillian. Peggy...Someday in the not too distant future I believe I'm going to have a very productive discussion with you. Either that you will be held in contempt of court.--Joe]

Only it's guns. A real downer for the day.

Via Say Uncle.

Dr. Joe's cure for everything, more sex, works for a lot of things but I have my doubts about this:

WHO?
All Men and Women, you and everyone you know.

WHERE?
Everywhere in the world, but especially in countries with weapons of mass destruction.

WHEN?
Solstice Day -- Friday, December 22nd, at the time of your choosing, in the place of your choosing and with as much privacy as you chose.

WHY?
To effect positive change in the energy field of the Earth through the input of the largest possible surge of human energy, a Synchronized Global Orgasm.

I'm fine with most of it but I think someone needs to take some physics classes because their understanding of energy and fields is more than a little wacked.

I'll particpate and encourage Barb to help out because it can't do any harm and it was on my list of things to do anyway but these people are nuts.

People who relieve others of their money with guns are called robbers. It does not alter the immorality of the act when the income transfer is carried out by government.

Cal Thomas
A taxing time
Jewish World Review April 17, 2000

Yes, I know, "nanny state stupidity" is redundant. Get over it. I want to rub the nanny noses in it when they come visiting.

In southern Idaho there is a fireworks supply company, Firefox Enterprises, being sued (a civil lawsuit, not criminal) by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Here is a copy of their complaint.

Basically they told Firefox they had determined that certain fireworks are banned hazardous substances. Furthermore CPSC regulations specify that "components" that are "intended to produce" banned fireworks are also banned hazardous substances. They want an injunction against Firefox directing them to:

• not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute any chlorate compound, magnesium metal, permanganate compound, peroxide compound, zirconium metal, or any chemical listed at 16 C.F.R. § 1507.2 to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF;
• not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute any of the following chemical for which the particle size is finer than 100 mesh (or particles less than 150 microns in size) to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF: aluminum and aluminum alloys, magnalium metal, magnesium/aluminum alloys, titanium and titanium alloys, or zinc metal;
• not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute any of the following chemicals in any amount greater than one pound per year per recipient to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF: antimony and antimony compounds, benzoate compounds, nitrate compounds, perchlorate compounds, salicylate compounds, or sulfur;
• not sell, give away, or otherwise distribute any fuse in an amount greater than twenty-five feet per year to any recipient who does not possess a valid manufacturing license for explosives issued by the ATF;

For those of you not familiar with the chemistry of common household and barnyard substances:

• Matches are a chlorate compound
• Matches contain sulfur
• Hair bleach is a peroxide compound
• Magnesium metal is found in many cars, motorcycles, and other common objects in your house and garage
• Starting with aluminized mylar balloon and other common objects it's not difficult to make particles of aluminum smaller that 150 microns
• Cow/chicken/pig/etc. manure is a nitrate compound and can be, and has been for hundreds of years, a component for fireworks and explosives
• Many lawn and garden fertilizers are nitrate compounds
• Ordinary string as well as cigarettes and cigarette paper (it's specially treated) can be used as a fuse

And those are just the things I can think of off the top of my head.

The more basic problem is they are trying to prevent crime. This is prior restraint and is like duct taping people's mouths shut when they go into a crowded theater so they can't falsely yell, "FIRE!!!" As I said back in 1998

Crime "prevention" is a very hot button for me.  There is no limit to the evil that can be justified and/or enabled once you accept the premise that it is acceptable to prevent crime by restricting liberty.

December 3, 1998 6:53 PM
Microsoft Gun Club Public Folder

This started in 2004 and I have sort of been following along. It doesn't directly affect me in the foreseeable future because I have the required ATF license and I no longer buy my potassium chlorate from Firefox. I buy in quantities about 10 times larger than what they think is a large order and hence get it much cheaper from a different source. Today I received an email from another fireworks supplier that I have also utilized which said in part, "THE FIREFOX CASE HAS BEEN LOST". The judge has told the CPSC and Firefox to negotiate a mutually acceptable plan or else he, the judge, will make the decision.

So to those pinheaded jerks at the CPSC: I just want you to know you are one stupid set of nannies when you are trying to ban people from selling cow manure. Why don't you go get a real job instead of being professional assholes?

The following article was actually the motivation to write my post last night, How government creates crime. From New Zealand:

Green Party MP Keith Locke has called for greater controls on the owners of military style weapons, in the wake of the Police seizure of hundreds of military style weapons during raids on 55 gun collectors and dealers.

"When even the Police express surprise at the extent of the seizures, this indicates serious flaws exist within the gun control system they administer," Mr Locke says.

"The raids are very welcome, and hopefully indicate a fresh determination by Police to tackle this problem. The Police vetting system has become far too loose, and it has become too easy to register and trade as a 'collector.'

"The profits possible from on-selling these weapons are clearly proving too much for some of these registered gun collectors to resist.

"While one can sympathise with genuine collectors, it is not acceptable that the 'collectors' market is being used as a cover for a black market trade in guns, some of which ultimately end up in the hands of gangs and criminals.

"The initial looseness in the control system is that gun owners must be registered, but not their guns. In future, guns need to be registered."

Who are the victims in the "crime" mentioned above? If you said the gun collectors and dealers you are correct. They engaged in victimless crimes. Any further restrictions, as suggested above, on the free market will only create still more "criminals" and victims.

End of the year roundup on things:

• There are only two slots left and they are in the .50 Caliber Ghetto
• There is a waiting list of four teams (six people) for the smaller caliber area some of whom claimed .50 Caliber Ghetto slots
• There are 110 shooters signed up
• There are, on the average, 1.62 shooters per position
• Excluding the targets consumed in the Precision Rifle Clinic (full since November 8th with a waiting list) on the average there will probably be 6.5 targets per shooter
• Excluding the Precision Rifle Clinic targets there will be on the average 10.5 targets per shooting position
• Excluding the Precision Rifle Clinic targets there will be on the average 21.4 pounds of explosives per per shooting position
• Excluding the Precision Rifle Clinic targets there will be on the average 13.2 pounds of explosives per shooter
• The average price paid per paying shooter (staff not counted) would buy only about 7.5 pounds of Tannerite (see also Target Master exploding targets) at list price in case quantity
• The smallest targets for Boomershoot 2007 will have three times the explosive charge of the largest targets at Boomershoot 2000
• If we use the same number of targets as last year we will consume over 1600 pounds of explosives (see More boom in the boomers)
• Assuming no unexpected expenses and an comparable level of participation then Boomershoot 2008 (a year or more from now) will be enable me to pay off the last of the debt on the construction of the Taj Mahal

Waiting for the door-to-door gun confiscation?

Better use that time to prevent them: Vote. Run for office. Train new shooters. Educate fence sitters.

Oleg Volk
November 11, 2006

Speaking of Oleg Volk, Say Uncle points out this picture from Oleg. It makes me wish I had taken pictures of my girls when they shot guns for the first time.

The title for this post is stolen from the commenter dantheserene to Oleg's post.

I helped Ry with a car problem tonight and he asked me if I had read the Oleg Volk's post about waiting for door-to-door confiscation of firearms. I hadn't. He gave me a version that was slightly mangled and said Oleg said it much better. Then in his post about it Ry pointed out the picture for the posting is an UltiMAK equipped rifle.

A portion of Oleg's advice, "Train new shooters" and "Educate fence-sitters", is a significant portion of the motivation for Boomershoot.

So what have you done to prevent door-to-door confiscations recently?

One of my pet peeves is how government creates crime and gets away with it. Not even a whisper of it in the press when some new crime creating law is being debated. "Government creates crime?", you ask. Yes, beyond any doubt. Alcohol prohibition is one example that most people can agree on without much effort. By banning most types of alcohol consumption they created a black market for a product that was in high demand. Turf wars, corruption of the police and public officials, and enforcement of business contracts via violence were the inevitable result.

Most people can also see a similar result has occurred with recreational drug prohibition.

Firearm prohibition has the same result but, probably because demand isn't as great, to a limited extent.

Prohibitions are just one of the areas however. Taxes are another. Anytime the taxes become "too high" on a product a black market is created. It's simply a light version of a ban on a product. I've heard it said that "too high" is greater than about 15%. When the taxes on a product are below 15% of the free market retail price a black market isn't viable. Above 15% and the government created a black market and all the crime that comes with that black market.

And what most people don't realize is that taxes on income helps create crime too. If someone steals $100 do you think they are going to report that as income and pay taxes on it? $100 of illegal income, assuming you don't get caught, is worth more than $100 of legal income you report and pay taxes on. The higher the income tax rate the more incentive there is to obtain your income from illegal sources. Hence government taxes on income are a crime incentive.

In general it boils down to this: Any government restriction on the free market is an incentive for people to "go illegal" to bypass that restriction. Anytime someone "goes illegal" they no longer have the court system available to them to resolve disputes and enforce contracts. The result is not only the crime of bypassing the government restriction but the crimes of police and political corruption and contract resolution via violence.

I'm not saying that all government restrictions on the free market are to be abolished. I'm just saying that any restrictions increase the price such that it exceeds some threshold, perhaps in the range of 15% of the unrestricted price, and a very careful cost/benefit analysis is required. And of course as we know from the gun control debates people seldom bring up the downside of a government restriction. They seem to be only able to see the potential upside.

And before someone else points it out (Lyle, I'm thinking of you) most government in the U.S. is already criminal. Where do they get the authority in their constitutions to do even one tenth their normal "business"? So it's not surprising they wouldn't be concerned about creating crime--criminals are their idealogical brothers.

A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on Earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference.

Thomas Jefferson
Letter to James Madison
Dec. 20, 1787
[It's as true today as it was 219 years ago. And keep in mind that the bill of rights is a list of things the government must not do. It is not a list of what it should or must do. There is no "right" to health care, education, or employment. There is a right to due process, freedom of speech, freedom from unreasonable search and seziure, and the right of the individual to keep and bear arms.--Joe]

The Constitution is not neutral. It was designed to take the government off the backs of people.

William O. Douglas
US Supreme Court Justice

I'm far from the first on this topic but no one I have read has pointed out what comes immediately to mind when I see this sort of thing:

That said, I understand that this will not be well-received everywhere. Some folks complained loudly in the past when, as a matter of routine, this newspaper published the names of those granted permits in Minnehaha County - and likely they will complain loudly now, arguing that it is none of our business whether they have a license to carry a gun.

Some will invoke the Second Amendment, which only protects their right to have guns.

Wrong. The Constitution does not give people the right to own guns. It guarantees that preexisting right will not be infringed (see An Individual Right and search for Cruikshank).

People also have the right to marry someone of a different race--even if it isn't guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Should those people be registered? Does the public have the right to know who is in an interracial marriage?

The registration and publication of gun owners and their guns only serves one purpose and that is harassment and discrimination. Bigotry is an ugly thing no matter who is practicing it.

Update: My exact same comments also apply to this article.

One of my favorite Boomershoot stories is that Paul and Tammy celebrated their honeymoon by attending Boomershoot 2001. As popular as Boomershoot is it just doesn't draw that many honeymooners. But as rare as that is I suspect that a Honeymoon in Iraq is even more rare. In addition to the admiration I have for them performing dangerous work to help secure world peace and stability I'm honored for Chris to claim he reads my blog almost every day and he made a very favorable post about my Just One Question.

Thank you Chris and Desert Lizard. Please make it back safely.

One of the most interesting, after the ant experiments and the safe cracking, parts of Richard Feynman's book Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! was his experiments with smell. While he was out of the room he would have a group of people pick a book from a shelf, handle it briefly then replace it on the shelf. He would then come back into the room and identify which books were handled and by which person. He said it was surprisingly easy.

Feynman's experiments are entirely consistent with these which extend human smell to tracking.

Ry says they don't have handles and gives this page as reference. However informative and useful the reference I beg to differ with the claim they don't have handles. Even most Manx have a little something that can be used as the rear handle and the scruff of the neck works well for the second handle. This presumes of course you have heavy leather gloves to prevent the slitting of the wrist of the hand utilizing this handle.

I have successfully accomplished the task with only minor wounds and scars that, after 15 years, only barely show. The biggest problems were the two girls, ages four and six I think, that were climbing on my back and screaming, "Daddy's trying to drown the kitty!!" Once Barb dragged them off of me things went pretty smooth--all things considered.

I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and Non-violence are as old as the hills.  All I have done is to try experiments in both on as vast a scale as I could.

Mohandas K. Gandhi
(1869-1948), Indian political and spiritual leader.
Harijan (28 March 1936).
[This is something for gun owners anxious to "push the reset button" to remember. We have truth on our side and for now we have non-violence. Once the non-violence threshold has been breached many of the terrible things they say about us will become true. That is to not to say there isn't a valid time and place to use violence. It's just that we must be very careful to have sufficient moral justification for using violence.--Joe]

The power is on for both James and I where we work so we need to be back at work tomorrow. James has power at his apartment but I don't have any at my place so I'm taking my 3500W generator. I should be able to get the gas furnance working and if not my roommates and I can continue to burn wood in the fireplaces. The generator should keep the refrigerators and the computers up. Candles and kerosene lamps for lights and we will be comfortable. We should also be able to run the washing machine if we shut down some of the other stuff to wash clothes. The water heater is gas and hasn't been affected by the power outage.

We head out in a few minutes and hope to get over Snoqualmie Pass before it snows too much.

Cases of persecution similar to Galileo's (which are also found in Protestantism) are a significant indicator of the extent to which Christians themselves have been aware of the conflict between reason and faith.  The issue is not whether Galileo was right or wrong.  The issue is:  Why has Christianity found it necessary and desirable to suppress free inquiry with the threat of force?  If reason will only lend support to the dogmas of religion, why have those countries with a strong Church-State alliance displayed such an eagerness to enforce religious dogmas and eliminate dissent through the power of the State?  Why has Christianity refused, whenever possible, to allow its beliefs to compete in a free marketplace of ideas?  The answer is obvious - and revealing.  Christianity is peddling an inferior product, one that cannot withstand critical investigation.  Unable to compete favorably with other theories, it has sought to gain a monopoly through a state franchise, which means: through the use of force.

George H. Smith
From Atheism the Case Against God
[This same argument can be used to even greater effect with Islamic extremists. They have been "converting by the sword" for centuries. Frequently murdering everyone in an entire town. I'm listening to Hatred's Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism and the picture it paints about the history of Islam is worse than I thought it was. Which was already extraordinarily negative.--Joe]

Now they are taxing sex. It's an extension of the "pleasure tax":

The sex levy is part of the "pleasure tax," which originally placed a duty on casinos and arcades and was later extended to include brothels, massage parlors and table-dancing clubs.

Okay. So it's only on the business sex. But they also pay other taxes:

The city's finance department was not able to say how many prostitutes worked in the city as individual tax numbers could be registered to entire brothels. Prostitution is legal in Germany, where sex workers also have to pay income and value-added taxes.

Value-added tax? I"m going to have to think about that one for a while...

The last couple years we have been using cardboard boxes for the targets. The Boomerite (also known as "Joe's Special Recipe") is put in zip lock bags and then put in the boxes. The zip lock bags for the 7 1/8" x 7 1/8" x 1 3/8" targets have been, when flat, 8" x 8". When filled with Boomerite they are no longer 8" x 8". When put in the cardboard boxes they leave a gap of about a half inch all the way around the edge. This year I purchased 1000 of the next size larger zip lock bags 9" x 12". This will allow us to completely fill what we call "the seven inchers" and result in slightly bigger booms.

Also for the last couple of years we had "six inchers". Boxes which were slightly smaller than the seven inchers but held almost as much Boomerite. To simply purchasing, inventory, etc. I decided to not have any six inchers this year. Where we used six inchers in the past we would use seven inchers. No one should have a problem with that. The bigger targets will be easier to hit and have bigger booms.

So far, so good, no big deal. I wasn't even going to mention the above but then when I took the newly purchased boxes and the zip lock bags out to the Taj Mahal today I noticed something about the "four inchers". I ordered, and received, boxes that were 4" x 4" x 3". Previously we had used 4" x 4" x 2". I had pressed the wrong button on the online order form. Here is the difference between the boxes:

I just tested out one of the zip lock bags we have for these and confirmed that the four inchers will have about 50% more Boomerite than last year. And since I bought 1000 of these boxes we will have some left over for next year as well.

Oh well. It wasn't what I planned but I don't think there will be any complaints.

In other news I was able to drive the van over the culvert I put in last September. There was quite a bit of water flowing but all the dirt appeared to be in place and grass is growing. Unless there is some really unusual weather next spring I don't think there will be any problems with it.

One last thing. After leaving the Taj I went to my parents place for lunch. When I walked into the shop to chat with my brother and Dad my brother was on the phone trying to help Dean Gimstead with his new computer. Dean brings the "roach coach" that provides breakfast and lunch to Boomershooters. I ended up doing the computer support and then let Dean know the exact dates for Boomershoot 2007. I just need to order the Port-a-Potties and all the major issues will be taken care of until just a few days before the event.

See also the Seattle Times article here. These were all taken on Friday December 15 between 8:30 and 12:00. I took the first one and James took the rest.

Typical residental street

Near Redmond on Highway 202 on our way out of town

Near Redmond on Highway 202 on our way out of town

Notice the power line is down on the left as well as half of highway 202 is blocked

What does it take for Americans to do great things; to go to the moon, to win wars, to dig canals linking oceans, to build railroads across a continent? In independent thought about this question, Neil Armstrong and I concluded that it takes a coincidence of four conditions, or in Neil's view, the simultaneous peaking of four of the many cycles of American life. First, a base of technology must exist from which to do the thing to be done. Second, a period of national uneasiness about America's place in the scheme of human activities must exist. Third, some catalytic event must occur that focuses the national attention upon the direction to proceed. Finally, an articulate and wise leader must sense these first three conditions and put forth with words and action the great thing to be accomplished. The motivation of young Americans to do what needs to be done flows from such a coincidence of conditions.... The Thomas Jeffersons, The Teddy Roosevelts, The John Kennedys appear. We must begin to create the tools of leadership which they, and their young frontiersmen, will require to lead us onward and upward.

Dr. Harrison H. Schmidt
Sen., New Mexico
[To win wars? Hmmm... If Schmidt is right what are we missing?--Joe]

The power flickered many times with the first record in my uninterruptable power supply logs at about 17:00 yesterday. There were numerous 10 and 20 second outages until it went out for the night about 22:30. For James it was very early this morning. Work was closed and although I could have kept our computers up it just wasn't worth the effort. We drove back to Idaho today to wait for the power to be restored to the Seattle area.

The snow on the pass and all the way to just a few miles west of Vantage wasn't bad but it was coming down pretty good so we were glad to make it across when we did. The worst part was making it through all the traffic on the Eastside of Lake Washington. With no power all the traffic lights were 4-way stops.

Ry reports in and is doing fine.

Phil at Random Nuclear Strikes hasn't said anything but I'm sure he is doing well unless he suffered a direct hit from a tree.

Mr. Completely has several reports and seems to be doing well:

• Storm Report II
• Storm Update III
• Storm Report IV
• Storm Report IV (?)

James and I took a few pictures and I'll put something up later. I need to make supper before Barb gets home from work.

During our recent motor touring, we noticed on several occasions the road sign "Gusty winds may exist." Now I find that pretty fascinating. The notice that gusty winds may exist suggests some thought be given to the relationship of reality to existence. Whether such winds may or may not exist opens the door to questions about what constitutes existence. Descartes declaimed, Cogito ergo sum (I think: therefore I am). Whether winds may or may not really and truly exist calls for serious thought. I almost ran off the road considering this matter.

Jeff Cooper
From Jeff Cooper's Commentaries
[Gusty winds do exist. Seattle without power is proof of that.--Joe]

Via Tam I read more about the wanna be truck driver I mentioned yesterday. Barb and I talked about it some tonight. This guy is really stupid:

Mohammed Yusef Mullawala wanted a license to transport hazardous materials and to learn how to drive commercial tractor trailers. There was nothing unusual about that, until he told his teacher that he only wanted to learn how to drive forward, and he wanted to learn fast.

...

Crawford said Mullawala came to the school with a Rhode Island driver's license inquiring how to obtain a commercial driver's license within a month. It normally takes around eight weeks for a student to go through all of the required courses before he or she obtains a permit, she said.

"We've been doing this for quite a long time and a lot of things just didn't add up," Crawford said.

Crawford started documenting suspicious activity: Mullawala lived in New York City but traveled to Rhode Island for the driving classes; he missed his first day of classes; and he was very insistent on getting his hazardous material transport license.

But the fact that he only seemed interested in driving forward was the most concerning.

"We tell them from Day One, 'you will be backing up,' 'you'll be backing up every single day,'" Crawford said, adding that it normally takes two to three weeks of practice backing up before drivers get road permits and learn how to drive forward, among other things.

...

After Mullawala took two classes, Crawford contacted Highway Watch, which had conducted an anti-terrorism and safety program at her school.

Two classes. That's all it took for him to totally blow his cover.

So why don't I get a warm and fuzzy feeling that this guy is pegged and probably getting a one-way ticket to the far side of the world? Because it seems all the potential terrorists we catch are incredibly stupid. I'm not so arrogant to believe that the average law enforcement people we have working on these sort of cases has 50 I.Q. points over the best and brightest of our enemy. I can only think of two reasons for what I see in the news.

1. Only the dumbest get caught. The smart ones are working on something big, keeping a low profile and haven't been noticed by our law enforcement.
2. We are nabbing brighter guys but we aren't publicizing it. The law enforcement types don't want the brighter guys to know how we are catching them so they only report the most stupid of the bad guys. The others quietly disappear in the middle of the night and get free plane trips to Club Gitmo, Turkey, or Pakistan for further questioning by professionals.

I'm hoping it is either number 2. or there is a third reason I haven't thought of or didn't consider viable.

Last night I posted about a letter I received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This morning they came visiting:

Domain Name		usda.gov ? (United States Government)
IP Address		199.156.60.# (USDA Office of Operations)
ISP		USDA Office of Operations
Location		Continent  :  North America Country  :  United States  (Facts) State  :  Colorado City  :  Fort Collins Lat/Long  :  40.524, -105.1396 (Map) Distance  :  730 miles
Language		English (United States) en-us
Operating System		Microsoft WinXP
Browser		Internet Explorer 6.0 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)
Javascript		version 1.3
Monitor		Resolution  :  1024 x 768 Color Depth  :  32 bits
Time of Visit		Dec 14 2006 8:37:30 am
Last Page View		Dec 14 2006 8:37:30 am
Visit Length		0 seconds
Page Views		1
Referring URL
Visit Entry Page		http://blog.joehuffm...1d-6c7a83021e29.aspx
Visit Exit Page		http://blog.joehuffm...1d-6c7a83021e29.aspx
Out Click
Time Zone		UTC-8:00
Visitor's Time		Dec 14 2006 8:37:30 am
Visit Number		120,426

The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun.

Buckminster Fuller
[I'm currently listening to Orson Scott Card's Empire as an audio book.--Joe]

The anti-gun bigots are at it again. They are claiming victory when they fudge the numbers:

Gun-control measures that Australia adopted after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre have eliminated mass killings and halved the number of suicides and deaths from firearms, according to a new study.

There have been no mass killings since the passage of the first measure just after the massacre, researchers led by Simon Chapman at the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney said in the study, published in the December issue of Injury Prevention. In contrast, there were 13 such killings in the 18 years prior. The study covered 1979 to 2003.

``Removing large numbers of rapid-firing firearms from civilians may be an effective way of reducing mass shootings, firearm homicides and firearm suicides,'' the authors said.

...

The laws also doubled the pace at which firearm deaths were declining, they said. Gun deaths had been falling by 3 percent a year, and the rate rose to 6 percent after the new rules, the study found. The average number of people killed each month dropped to 332.6 from 627.7, it said. Suicides make up about four out of five firearms deaths; the remainder are either homicides or unintentional deaths.

And what's your point? Why should anyone care? This totally ignores the possibility of any benefit that might have resulted from people being allowed to own those firearms that were taken from them. The total murder rate and the total violent crime rate are what is important. A reduction in the number of crimes committed with firearms is, by itself, meaningless. You could reduce the number of murders committed with baseball bats by banning the sport and the bats but it's not going to reduce the total murder rate.

They can't win being honest with the numbers so they have to cheat. But what can you expect from people that have mental problems?

From the U.K. where, if the government hadn't implemented a Criminal Occupational Safety Act, an "equalizer" from Samuel Colt, John Moses Browning, or Smith & Wesson would make this sort of thing too hazardous of a hobby to partake in this frequently in the same small geographical area and small population:

There are growing concerns tonight that police are drawing a blank in the hunt for the Suffolk Strangler.

Officers from the Suffolk force - one of the smallest in the country - have been "overwhelmed" by the discovery of five bodies in 10 days.

...

One source said: "Even a larger force would have a problem resourcing at this stage. It is six weeks since the first prostitute went missing - and police admit it is a race against time before the killer strikes again."

Detective Chief Superintendent Stewart Gull, who is leading the manhunt, went on television to say the serial killer is "out of control". He has murdered five women in six weeks, an unprecedented rate in British criminal history.

Some of the prostitutes in Ipswich's red-light area have given police names of their customers and detectives are trying to compile a complete list.

...

The numbers of sex workers in the area is said to be about 40, but the hardcore is about 15 - five of whom are now dead.

I've been saying it for over 30 years and now celebrities are endorsing it:

Hollywood beauty Cameron Diaz thinks that sex is the remedy for all the world's ills.

The actress, who is dating pop singer Justin Timberlake finds lovemaking so therapeutic she believes it could be used as a cure for practically everything.

"Sex is the most amazing stress reliever. I actually think it's the best thing for everything! I think it should be 100 per cent part of everyone's life on a day-to-day basis. We'd all be a lot happier!" she was quoted by Hollywood Ragaas as saying.

Barb and I own a little bit of farm land and because of various government programs intended to help farmers (yes stuff related to the subsidies, but also "helpful" stuff mandated by the environmentalists) we get mailings from the Federal government every once in a while. The one I got the other day made me laugh. It must have tickled my sick humor funny bone. This one is from the United States Department of Agriculture. FSA stands for Farm Service Agency:

Dear Clearwater County Producer:

The Idaho State FSA Office has been instructed to devise a plan for closing offices in Idaho. In keeping with that directive, a Committee was formed last spring to identify and prioritize the offices with the State that could be considered for closure. Now six months later, after extensive debates, discussions and arguments, the proposal is out -- Clearwater County tops the list as the first office in Idaho to close should that become a requirement.

It is important to note that no directives have been issued to actually close offices at this time. The Agency is simply looking forward, and in an attempt to be ready should future budge restrictions force the issue the office closure plan would be ready for implementation. It is also important that you know that the entire process will take approximately two years to complete. After the plan is finalized in Idaho, it is submitted to the National Office for approval, then on to Congressional Representatives for review, and finally back to the local community for comment. All in all, it can take as long as two years for a plan to be finalized.

[... blah, blah, blah...]

Two years just to come up with a plan??? How long to actually close the office? A decade if they really work at it? If it were a private business wanting to close an office the size of that one the plan would take a couple weeks and by the end of the next month new renters would be occupying the office space.

There are very, very few things government can do well. Examples abound from the airport security issues to prohibition (alcohol as well as modern day recreational drugs) to gun bans. Government is colossally incompetent at nearly anything they do. My favorite example is that for 70 years the USSR tried to increase food production in their country. During essentially those same 70 years the U.S. government tried to decrease food production in the U.S. Both governments failed.

I swear, I've never built a bomb and can't be considered a bomb making expert as some would like to claim. But that doesn't mean I don't know a little something about them. I'm going to share some of that now. The motivation at this time is this post by Michelle Malkin:

...suspected al Qaeda agent and illegal alien Nabil al-Marabh obtained a license permitting him to drive semi-trucks containing hazardous materials, including explosives and caustic materials.

Knowledge is power and giving you this knowledge gives you a little more power to save lives. Perhaps even your own life.

According to the little laminated card from the ATF I have on my cork board here at work the following minimum evacuation distances should be observed:

• Compact sedan (500 pounds of explosives): 1500 feet or 0.28 miles
• Full sized sedan (1,000 pounds of explosives): 1750 feet or 0.33 miles
• Passenger van or cargo van (4,000 pounds of explosives): 2750 feet or 0.52 miles
• Small box van (10,000 pounds of explosives): 3750 feet or 0.71 miles
• Box van or water/fuel truck (30,000 pounds) of explosives: 6500 feet or 1.23 miles
• Semi-trailer (60,000 pounds of explosives): 7000 feet or 1.33 miles

Keep this in mind--we are at war even if we don't want to be at war. We would be at war even we had no troops outside our borders. The enemy brought the war to us and wants to bring it to us again. Using our own equipment and our own materials is one of the ways they can do that.

I didn't realize it but while I was making fun of Say Uncle he was doing battle against the forces of evil (well... the collectivists anyway which are evil in my book) that took issue to some things I said here. He and I were both called on for dismissing the possibility the 2^nd Amendment refers to a collective right. Although I'm sure he is right to say I have covered it in adequate detail it hasn't been done as the primary focus of a blog posting with all the attention that would entail. I remedy that now in an attempt at forgiveness for not jumping to his side earlier in his battle against the collectivists.

One of the arguments made was that "better minds" had concluded the 2^nd Amendment referred to a collective right. Argument by authority is not entirely trustworthy yet it certainly can provide a good starting point. To that end I quote some authorities on constitutional law:

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)

And from perhaps an even greater authority:

Perhaps the most accurate conclusion one can reach with any confidence is that the core meaning of the Second Amendment is a populist / republican / federalism one:  Its central object is to arm 'We the People' so that ordinary citizens can participate in the collective defense of their community and their state.  But it does so not through directly protecting a right on the part of states or other collectivities, assertable by them against the federal government, to arm the populace as they see fit.  Rather the amendment achieves its central purpose by assuring that the federal government may not disarm individual citizens without some unusually strong justification consistent with the authority of the states to organize their own militias.  That assurance in turn is provided through recognizing a right (admittedly of uncertain scope) on the part of individuals to possess and use firearms in the defense of themselves and their homes -- not a right to hunt for game, quite clearly, and certainly not a right to employ firearms to commit aggressive acts against other persons -- a right that directly limits action by Congress or by the Executive Branch and may well, in addition, be among the privileges or immunities of United States citizens protected by the Fourteenth Amendment against state or local government action.

Laurence Tribe
American Constitutional Law 902 n. 221 (2000)

[Update July 2008:]

From the highest authority--the Supreme Court of the United States in D.C. v. Heller:

The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

[End update.]

A lesser authority:

...we conclude that the Second Amendment secures an individual right to keep and to bear arms. Current case law leaves open and unsettled the question of whose right is secured by the Amendment. Although we do not address the scope of the right, our examination of the original meaning of the Amendment provides extensive reasons to conclude that the Second Amendment secures an individual right, and no persuasive basis for either the collective-right or quasi-collective-right views. The text of the Amendment's operative clause, setting out a "right of the people to keep and bear Arms," is clear and is reinforced by the Constitution's structure. The Amendment's prefatory clause, properly understood, is fully consistent with this interpretation. The broader history of the Anglo-American right of individuals to have and use arms, from England's Revolution of 1688-1689 to the ratification of the Second Amendment a hundred years later, leads to the same conclusion. Finally, the first hundred years of interpretations of the Amendment, and especially the commentaries and case law in the pre-Civil War period closest to the Amendment's ratification, confirm what the text and history of the Second Amendment require.

U.S. Department of Justice

Keep in mind when reading the following that states and other government bodies are created and given powers by their constitutions. Hence if the object of the 2^nd Amendment right were the states then the following makes no sense to say it does not depend on the Constitution for it's existence.

The right there specified is that of 'bearing arms for a lawful purpose.' This is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence. The second amendment declares that it shall not be infringed; but this, as has been seen, means no more than that it shall not be infringed by Congress.

Chief Justice Morrison Waite
U.S. Supreme Court
U S v Cruikshank
92 U.S. 542 (1875)

But as I said argument by authority is not entirely to be trusted so lets apply some other tests.

• Does it make sense for the 2nd Amendment to refer to a collective/states right when nearly all of the states that have a right to keep and bear arms clause make it clear they refer to it as in individual right? See for example the Washington State Constitution: "The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this Section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."
• Does it make sense for the 1st Amendment to refer to a collective/state right when it refers to "the people" in, "...the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."? If not then why should it in reference to the 2nd Amendment?
• Does it make sense for the 4th Amendment to refer to a collective/state right when it refers to "the people" in, "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures..."? If not then why should it in reference to the 2nd Amendment?
• Does it make sense for the 10th Amendment to refer to a collective/state right when it refers to "the people" in, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."? If not then why should it in reference to the 2nd Amendment?

The writers and debaters of the Bill of Rights did not chose their words carelessly. Not only did they know it was a very important document it was reviewed, scrutinized, rewritten, and argued over in very fine detail. When they meant "the States" they said "the States". One would be very hard pressed to make the case they meant "the States" in the 2nd Amendment when it's obvious they meant for "the people" to mean individuals in all other cases.

So how did this "collective right" hypothesis come about? Joyce Malcolm has what I believe to be the best view on that. The short version is as follows:

Early in the twentieth century when American whites, fearful of blacks in the South and the millions of foreign immigrants in the North, wanted to restrict access to firearms, alternative readings of the amendment gained credence. In the absence of serious scholarship, constructions that reduced or eliminated the individual right to be armed seemed plausible, especially in light of the awkward construction of the Second Amendment and the sparse congressional debates during its drafting, both of which relied upon common understandings of the value of a society of armed individuals that had faded over time. These new interpretations emphasized the dependent clause referring to the militia, to the neglect of the main clause's guarantee to the people. The theory developed that the Second Amendment was merely intended to enhance state control over state militia; that it embodied a "collective right" for members of a "well-regulated" militia--today's National Guard--to be armed, not a personal right for members of a militia of the whole people, let alone for any individual. Even when an individual right was conceded, the amendment was proclaimed a useless anachronism.

The case upon which all other cases that have found the 2^nd Amendment does not protect an individual right is United States v. Miller 59 S.Ct. 816(1939). But this ruling is misunderstood. Here is the critical portion:

In the absence of any evidence tending to show that possession or use of a 'shotgun having a barrel of less than eighteen inches in length' at this time has some reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia, we cannot say that the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear such an instrument. Certainly it is not within judicial notice that this weapon is any part of the ordinary military equipment or that its use could contribute to the common d efense.

This was interpreted by other courts to mean that unless the individual had some reasonable relationship to "a well regulated militia" that the individual was not protected by the 2^nd Amendment. But that's not what the above passage says. It says the 2^nd Amendment cannot be said to guarantee the right to keep and bear the instrument, the shotgun, or weapon. And this is because the 2^nd Amendment only protects weapons that are part of ordinary military equipment or that could contribute to the common defense. Hence the military M-16 and AK-47s are protected by the 2nd Amendment but the 30-30 hunting rifle is not.

The above interpretation is not just my personal, non-lawyer, view. See also U.S. versus Emerson where the appeals courts said:

We conclude that Miller does not support the government's collective rights or sophisticated collective rights approach to the Second Amendment.  Indeed, to the extent that Miller sheds light on the matter it cuts against the government's position.

Hence I conclude that the 2^nd Amendment is an individual right, not a collective right.

But I tend to avoid getting into all this because most people don't care about the details of the law, the history, etc. They are concerned about safety and security. A piece of paper written by a bunch of dead white guys, many of whom owned slaves, doesn't get any traction with them. For those people I have Just One Question.

We conclude that Miller does not support the government's collective rights or sophisticated collective rights approach to the Second Amendment.  Indeed, to the extent that Miller sheds light on the matter it cuts against the government's position.

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States of America versus Timothy Joe Emerson
October 16, 2001

The Ohio Senate overrode the anti-gun bigot Ohio Governor who vetoed a common sense gun law on concealed carry. It will be months or perhaps years before the cities and counties actually obey the law and stop persecuting people who choose to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights (the Ohio state Constitution is more clear than the Federal Constitution on the matter of the right to keep and bear arms). But it's a downhill fight for a while.

See also:

• With Senate Vote, Legislature Overrides Taft Gun Bill Veto WHIO TV
• Senate votes to override Taft veto of state gun law Columbus Dispatch
• Senate overrides Taft's gun law veto Oxford Press
• Senate overrides Taft gun veto Cincinnati Enquirer
• Lawmakers override governor gun law veto Akron Beacon Journal

Something I noticed in the articles is that they were all very factual. No "blood in the streets" rhetoric. Just this from the bigot Toby Hoover who has been in the news for years wailing about how dangerous people are if they exercise their rights:

The Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, which opposes concealed carry, accused lawmakers of giving in to the powerful and politically generous National Rifle Association.

"The passage of HB 347 and the override of Gov. Taft's veto is an appalling arrogance against the will of and respect for the people of Ohio to govern themselves," executive director Toby Hoover said in a statement.

It's an emotional appeal but it is not the usual stuff said about gun owners being a threat to humanity. Very nice.

Congratulations to the people of Ohio that have been working on this for many years. Take a week off to celebrate then get back to work. There is still lots to be done.

Whenever someone says something to the effect that the Bill of Rights grants something or another or the Constitution gives the average person something I have a strong urge to swat them alongside the head. The Constitution only gives the government certain enumerated powers. I correct people that make such mistakes and will not converse further with them on the topic of politics until they acknowledge the truth of that. Once they verify the correctness of my remembrance of the wording of the BOR and the Constitution we can then have a meaningful discussion even if we disagree on a few particulars.

This means, as it was stated in United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542, 551 (1876), "This is not a right granted by the Constitution.  Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence.  The second amendment declares that it shall not be infringed;..."

I'm reminded of this because people in the UK are exercising their rights to keep and bear arms even though it has been severely infringed. Thanks to The War on Guns for pointing this out:

A widow who lives alone in a Wiltshire farmhouse has taken to sleeping with a Smith & Wesson Saturday Night Special under her pillow. It belonged to her husband and is more than capable of stopping an intruder, of which she has had three in the last two years.

When she goes shopping in Swindon, she slips a can of Mace into her handbag in case of assault. "Bought it at the ironmongers in Bergerac," she says. "Much more effective than an Asbo."

A senior civil servant, now retired and living in a remote house near Losthwithiel in Cornwall, believes in the efficacy of a small-calibre .22 pistol. It was easy to buy without a licence or proof of identity in rural France, where they are used to kill vermin.

...

...increasingly they are brought back from Europe by car.

HM Revenue and Customs figures confirm this, showing an increase in weaponry seized at ports. For instance, 842 stun guns were intercepted by searches in 2005, an eight-fold increase year on year.

Most weapons seized are from respectable people worried about their security. Mace, pepper spray and metal-spring batons, illegal here, are easily and lawfully acquired in Europe, while high-calibre pistols can be bought in the Czech Republic.

I read the unofficial Parker transcript by K-Romulus Chronicles the other day but didn't bother to link to it here because I didn't want to take the time to explain any of the background and read between the lines for those "following along at home". Trigger Finger has done that. Unless you are really on top of the 2nd Amendment issues in todays courts its a very worthwhile read.

I've heard New Zealand was a great place to visit and live. I was told it was because how beautiful it is. Now I find out they were holding back on me:

NEW Zealand's prowess may lag that of Australia in most sporting pursuits but condom-maker Durex says it chose Kiwis to test its products because they are sexual champs.

Durex said New Zealanders were chosen to test-pilot their wares because they were among the most sexually active and adventurous in the world.

"Kiwis have proven they're a sexually energetic bunch, and therefore it makes sense that a select few will have the chance to try our latest condom innovation, all in the name of research,'' Durex NZ manager Victoria Potter said.

This may also explain why Mr. Completely married Kiwi.

In October at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous Say Uncle was telling a few of us about his efforts to stop smoking. The part I remember most went something like this, "After three days I'm at the point where I can either smoke a cigarette or choke my wife. So I go outside and smoke a cigarette." The next day he also told us he wasn't able to tell jokes but that is a different story which I didn't believe either.

Yesterday Uncle had this to say:

• The Airing of Grievances: Politics
• The Airing of Grievances: TeeVee
• The Airing of Grievances: Knoxville
• The Airing of Grievances: Computers & Technology
• The Airing of Grievances: Bloggin’
• The Airing of Grievances: Miscellaneous
• The Airing of Grievances: The Second Amendment

After reading the details of his grievances it sounds to me like he hasn't smoked a cigarette for a couple weeks. Has anyone checked on his wife recently?

I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.

Albert Einstein
[We now know what WW III is being fought with. I wonder if Einstein will be correct about WW IV.--Joe]

When faced with important decisions, it helps to understand the situation as completely as possible.  In light of all the facts, and with an understanding of history, one can usually see the right choice, or the right set of options, with little difficulty.  Knowing Hamas and their ideology, it then becomes impossible to understand why anyone would want to compromise with them without coming to the conclusion that it is only because of an overwhelming desire to avoid reality.

This from our friend in Jerusalem:

Friends:
The Palestinian Authority's President, a Hamas member, is in Iran.  He says Hamas will never accept the State of Israel.  More, the only acceptable way to be rid of Israel is by force of arms. 
BELIEVE HIM.
Howard

Land for peace anyone?  I've spoken with several Leftists who either don't know what the Jihadis are saying, or do not believe them, or do not believe that their words are actually their words.  They instead attribute their hatred for the West to silly things like U.S. foreign policy or our "taking" (like we never pay for it-- to the tune of billions) of mideast oil (the fact there is, America is their best customer-- they should love us).

I suggest that if you want to know why they hate us, you might try listeneng to them.  Oh, but I understand that that wouldn't let you blame the U.S. and the Jews, or G.W. Bush, which seem to be the main goals for some Americans.

The stranglehold of oppression cannot be loosened by a plea to the oppressor's conscience. Social change in something as fundamental as racist oppression involves violence. You cannot have progress here without violence and upheaval because it is a struggle for survival for one and a struggle for liberation for the other. Always the powers in command are ruthless and unmerciful in defending their position and their privileges. This is not an abstract rule to be mediated upon by Americans. This a truth that was revealed at the birth of America and has continued to be revealed many times in our history. The principle of self-defense is an American tradition that began at Lexington and Concord.

Robert F. Williams
Negros With Guns
Chapter 7--Self-Defense: An American Tradition
Copyright 1962

I updated the Lewiston Pistol Club website with results from the last Action Pistol (IPSC) match and threw in some pictures. Not only did the snow not slow us down but Adam shot with his knee all messed up from sword fighting a few days earlier. He had surgery on it a couple days after these pictures. Adam is the guy sitting on toolbox with his left leg out straight in the last picture.

Saturday evening Xenia went to the dance with Jesse. Never mind she is engaged to another guy. Jesse is gay so it didn't matter. Jesse came over early and had dinner with Barb, Xenia, Sara, and I. I took some pictures and about 21:30 or so Jesse and Xenia left for the dance. Xenia tells the rest of the story with a bunch of pictures. Here are some pictures she didn't post:

Sara and Jesse

Dmitri and Xenia

One of the skunks

The following was from the Google discussion group "Lewiston Pistol" discussing the next steel match--which happens to be scheduled for Christmas Eve. Numerous people contributed. With the names removed to protect the guilty:

As the scripture sayeth: Where 2 or 3 are gathered there shooting is also.

(Gospel of St. John Moses Browning Chapter 9 Verse 45)

I shall gather at the range with thee and we shall make joyful noises of gunfire and shall celebrate the goodness that St. JM Browning hath bestowed upon us.

Those that doth present unto the Range Officer a Glock shall be cast out for these are an abomination unto the eyes of holy men.

Yay I say unto you that you are correct and I shall hopefully be there with bells on.

And for those for whom there is a great wailing heard in the house let he say unto her "Get thee back to the kitchen woman and know thy place for I am man and I am required to worship this day at the cathedral of St. Browning." and unto the male spawn of thy loins say unto them "go forth and fetch thine own range bag and pistol for thou shalt come and worship in the cathedral with thine father and learn the ways of men" and unto the female spawn of thy loins say unto them "thou are not yet forsaken from the cathedral of St. Browning and thou canst join thy father therein and worship in the proper manner for the order of St. Browning needeth more members of the fairer sex. Fear thee not the perverts that thou hast seen thy father associating with for they are harmless if thou be not a sheep. The choice be thine own."

And Lo! the not-so-wise men were guided to that place by a great column of smoke; bringing with them gifts of lead, Hoppes #9, and Dickel. There they did make a joyful noise unto Heaven and St. John Cooper looked down upon them and saw that it was good. For though the not-so-wise men be rebuked and cast out upon the sofa in their dwelling places for a fortnight they were were blessed for their righteousness and suffered not the high primer until the end of their days. But them that feareth the wrath of their females and shooteth not woe unto them! For plauges were visited upon them: of misfires and rounds which squibbeth, and their lubrication abideth not in the crevices of their slides.

I received an email asking my opinion about this article. The important part is the following:

The death of Alexander Litvinenko by radiological poisoning points to the possibility that the former Soviet spy may have been involved with Islamic terrorists in the preparation of tactical nuclear weapons for use in the jihad against the United States and its NATO allies.

Litvenenko, a former KGB agent, died in London on November 23 after ingesting a microscopic amount of polonium-210.

...

Litvinenko, who was born an orthodox Christian, was a convert to Islam with close ties to the Chechen rebels. His last words consisted of his desire to be buried “according to Muslim tradition.”

...

The neutron source or “triggers” of the suitcase nukes are composed of beryllium-9 and polonium-210. When these two elements are combined, the alpha particle is absorbed by the nucleus of the beryllium causing it to decay by emitting a neutron. Such “triggers” were a feature of early nuclear weapons in the U.S. and Soviet stockpiles.

Polonium-210 has a half-life of 138 days, necessitating the replacement of the triggers every six months. For this reason, the suitcase nukes are far from maintenance-free. In addition, the nuclear core of these devices emit a temperature in excess of one hundred degrees Fahrenheit - - further exposing the weapons to oxidation and rust. Small wonder that al Qaeda operatives including Adnan el-Shukrijumah, who are spearheading “the American Hiroshima” have received extensive training in nuclear technology.

I'm a little annoyed at the article. The physics are non-sensical. Things don't "emit a temperature". They can emit radiation of various types which could include infra-red energy which could be called "heat". They might generate enough heat to maintain a temperature of 100 degrees F while stored at room temperature. And a temperature of 100F does not necessitate "further exposure to oxidation and rust". That makes me a little bit more skeptical than I normally would be.

I haven't read much more than the headlines in the spy poisoning case so I really can address the question and comment accompanying the link:

Sounds a little far fetched. Have you heard anything similar? If it is actually true, it would mean there are mushroom clouds planned for sometime in the next six months. The biggest Christian holiday is Christmas........

Something to keep in mind this holiday season.

I'm going to make sure I know where my Geiger counter is and that it's working. Lots of other safety gear to check up on as well. There's not much else I can do. We can all "thank" the bigoted felons at PNNL for taking me out of this fight.

For those of you who say the press is out to get us, I say NONSENSE. I have dealt with virtually every major news organization in the USA and certainly every credible media outlet in Illinois. I have always got a fair shake in the press. You just have to give the press a story. The anti-gunners are just plain better at doing that than gun owners. They bring heart rendering emotion to the debate, we bring facts and figures. One picture of a dead boy with a grieving mother beats a 1,000 John Lott’s.

John Birch
President Concealed Carry Inc.
December 5th, 2006
Concealed Carry, Inc. Closes Doors For Good
[The experience of Mr. Birch is consistent with mine--as long as you go to the press first. If they came to you after being alerted by the anti-gun bigots then you were at risk of being treated like Martin Luther King, Jr. at a Klan rally.--Joe]

I found this quite appealing for some reason. Probably related to me liking sick humor. From Kim:

Something to point out to the non gunnies. The slide is locked back and there is no magazine. In this context this means the gun has been shot empty.

This is just part of the reason. This was the view out our living room window last Saturday. Picture by Sara.

In the Seattle area they stop shooting action pistol matches in the wintertime. Here is the calender for the Snoqualmie Rifle Club. Notice that in October they have an Action Pistol match on the second Saturday but nothing on November or December. For the Northwest Section of the USPSA notice for December there are no matches at Custer, Kitsap, Marysville, or Renton.

Here in Idaho we have matches all year long. The first time I shot my STI at a match here it was -10F. I was careful to lubricate it for the weather and I had no problems. Some others were shooting as if they had single shots. The slide would come back and usually eject the shell casing but then it would creep forward so slow that it would stop when it tried to strip the next round off of the top of the magazine. They would have to manually assist their gun by slamming the slide forward with the heel of their hand after every shot.

Last week at the IPSC match it was fairly warm, in the upper 20's, but there was snow on the ground. No big deal. We had one of our larger turn outs and since it was so warm...

Those Seattle area shooters are all WIMPS!

It's 2:39 AM at Moscow High School on December 2nd. Xenia and Ms. Cooke the drama instructor. Xenia and Meghan had come in first in the entire state. It's been a long day and the appropriate level of excitement really wasn't showing:

Coming back from the Seattle area yesterday afternoon I snapped this picture. I was trying for 66 MPH but I think I missed.

Rather than cut off the bottom of the tree to make it fit in our living room Xenia figured it would be easier to cut off the top.

First she tried the bolt cutters but she wouldn't let me put any of those pictures up even though (perhaps because) I thought they were quite amusing.

[Shrug] The result is satisfactory.

While there is room for optimism, one presents a Second Amendment case before the Supreme Court with great risk. New rights are discovered with extra-legal phraseology like “liberty of the person both in its spatial and more transcendent dimensions,” and explicit rights – to include core political speech – are swept away. The first case the Supreme Court takes on the merits of the individual-collective rights issue will be critical. This area of the law is no exception to the precept that the Court’s door should be knocked only with the utmost seriousness and preparation.

Stephen P. Halbrook
The Second Amendment in the Supreme Court: Where It's Been and Where It's Going
29 Hamline Law Review, No. 3, 449-59 (Summer 2006)

Yesterday Say Uncle posted about the 2nd Amendment case in Washington D.C. Later in the day I got an email from a friend pointing out the same story in a different paper. In part he said:

I find the current political landscape so depressing that I just want to wrap myself up in some nice little cotton-wool sleeping bag and pretend it isn't happening.

Obviously, it is and there'll be no hiding from it if these attorneys prevail:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Gun_Ban.html

If they prevail and if the Supreme Court agrees, it's all over. Who would have thought the Supreme Court would trash the 1st Amendment -- _seriously_ trash it -- by criminalizing "political" speech? But, they did. If they can trivialize the 1st, imagine how unimportant they think the 2nd is.

I replied:

I knew this was in the works and I heard about this AP story earlier today.

The gun-rights leaders have been working on this for several years. It is figured to be one of our best chances to get the Supremes to overthrow some oppressive laws. It was hoped we would have some more pro-gun judges on the Supreme Court before it made it there but it's not entirely clear that will happen now that the Senate is control by the Democrats and more importantly the makeup of the Senate Judiciary committee. We'll see....

My friend wrote back saying, in essence, "One should be careful what you wish for...". This is exactly correct and why many top level people in the gun-rights movement breathed a sigh of relief when the Supremes failed to take up the case of the California assault weapon ban. In that case because it "only" affected a subset of guns it was feared the court could rule that it didn't violate the 2nd Amendment. They could say something like, "As long as you are allowed to own at least one firearm then your rights have been met."

The gun rights leaders wanted a more clear cut case and went to Washington D.C. to get it. In addition to being less complicated because of the lack of state law it also completely bans handguns and renders all long guns useless. It can't get much more simple and direct. This makes it more difficult for the judges to dance around the issue and not throw out decades of oppressive gun laws. This simpleness and directness also makes it risky for the civil rights advocates.

A commenter to Say Uncles post gets it right when he says, "Don’t worry (or get elated) until the Supreme Court grants cert - and I put the odds of that at 99:1 against." The judges are going to be very reluctant to rule in such a way that thousands of laws, most of which are several decades old, will be at risk of being overthrown. To rule in favor of the civil rights advocates would throw into question the convictions of thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of prisoners.

"So what", you say? If someone was convicted solely on the basis of a violation of an unconstitutional law shouldn't they be set free? From the "good of society" perspective the answer is, "Not necessarily". Suppose the ex-boyfriend of some woman breaks into her home and beats the crap out of her. The cops arrest him in Washington D.C. and find him in possession of a gun that is forbidden under the D.C. law. The woman then decides she doesn't want to testify against him for whatever reason. The cops and prosecuting attorneys decide he is a scumbag that will likely severely injury or kill the next woman that he "hooks up with" and society would be better off with him behind bars for a few years. They can get a slam-dunk conviction on the gun possession charges and do so without addressing the fact that he has a habit of "tenderizing" women after he has used them. This also reduces the chances that he will "finish the job" he started with the woman when he gets out of prision. After all, she "did what she was told" last time. Do you want this piece of garbage roaming the streets a month after the ruling comes out? Neither do I and neither do the judges.

So what we are left with is that the judges will be faced with the overwhelming evidence that the 2nd Amendment means what it says and that the D.C. ban is unconstitutional and therefore from a legal standpoint they must rule with the civil rights advocates. On the other hand they will be faced with the practical consideration that they will be turning thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of scumbags loose on the streets. How many deaths are they willing to accept on their hands for doing the "right thing" from a legal standpoint?

One solution they could adopt is to "hold their nose" at the legal stink they would create and say the 2nd Amendment doesn't apply to individuals. But these judges aren't stupid or completely out of touch with the mindset of ordinary people. They know such a decision will likely result in violence of a different type and perhaps be even more disruptive to society.

The easiest solution for them is to refuse to hear the case. This will let the illegal law stand, keep the scumbags in prison, and avoids inviting the civil war that might result from such a blatant violation of a fundamental part of the U.S. Constitution.

Update: Say Uncle agrees with me and asks "What now?" My answer is that we have to just keep fighting the battle one oppressive law at a time. We have to undo things the same way it happened. It took decades to get here and it may take decades to regain our rights. But we don't know yet for certain. We have to wait and see for a while. The Supremes could bite the bullet, so to speak, and we'll suffer some scumbags on the street, and great wailing and knashing of teeth as laws all over the country are revised. We should know in a year or two.

Don’t worry (or get elated) until the Supreme Court grants cert - and I put the odds of that at 99:1 against. They’ve been ducking directly addressing the meaning of the 2nd for 70 years. In the last case where they did look at it, they sent the case back to a lower court for factfinding on whether Miller’s sawed off shotgun was a “militia weapon” - implying that Miller had an individual RKBA for anything that fit that description. (Except Miller was dead and his lawyer was unpaid, so the lower court hearing was never held.) Following that logic, when the army started widely issuing full-auto individual weapons, they became covered under the individual right protected by the 2nd, and the SC would rather refuse to hear cases forever than acknowledge that…

markm
Comment to The Parker Case gets some WaPo Time at Say Uncle
[I'm not sure the odds are quite 99:1 but certainly they are not good. Markm has nailed the crux of the problem. More about this in my next post.--Joe]

As one would expect with dealing with the media this didn't turn out quite the way I intended but it's not so distorted that I'm particularly annoyed.

I received a call yesterday from someone that identified himself as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. A young man was caught making pipe bombs in his dorm room. The reporter, Justin Vellucci, did a search about pipe bombs and found me via Boomershoot. He wanted to know how difficult it was to make a pipe bomb. He also wanted to know what laws had been broken. I told him I couldn't speak to Pennsylvania law but I did know a little bit about Idaho, Washington, and Federal law.

I discussed how different laws were from state to state and that if he broke Federal law it was probably because he built a "destructive device", not that he was making explosives. And from the sound of it he wasn't really making explosives. Even though he was very polite and showed interest he probably was rolling his eyes when I explained the difference between high explosives and low explosives and the difference between a detonation and rapid burning as in the cartridge of a gun.

I explained it was trivial to make a pipe bomb. The toughest part was not getting blown up in the process. That's also easy but not obvious you need to be concerned about the mechanism until it's too late. We talked about the effects of such a bomb, how much damage it would do. I gave him a link to my web page on explosive effects. I explained that getting the materials was very easy and they couldn't really be successfully restricted. The toughest was gun powder and even if it wasn't available for purchase it could be made from potassium nitrate, sulfur, and carbon with the recipe being known for several hundred years. The toughest of those ingredients is the potassium nitrate and that can be made from manure.

After the conversation I followed up with this email:

From: Joe Huffman
Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 1:39 PM
To: Justin Vellucci
Subject: Ease of making an explosive.

If you had read between the lines of our conversation you might have realized I regard it as futile to restrict access to materials in an attempt to improve public safety. Even easier than making your own gun powder is using match heads for the chemical portion of a pipe bomb.

Going beyond that I believe it is possible for me to be stripped naked, enter into your or almost any functioning office, emerge an hour later and have the room explode a few seconds after I exit. I haven't tested this but I've seen enough demonstrations of the critical aspects to believe it is possible. See for example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour_bomb. Instead of flour I would use paper in your office to make the dust. I would then disperse it in the air and have it ignited by an electric spark.

The question then becomes, "What do we do to prevent these sort of things?" My response is that things can't be restricted. The actions of people can be punished which serves as a deterrent in many cases. Beyond that we can sometimes infer intent and stop potential criminals. This was how, in the specific case we talked about, the hardware store people came to call law enforcement. The specific set of materials purchased raised suspicion. This sort of involvement and concern about public safety is the way things should work in a free society.

It would create a tremendous hardship on society to attempt restricting and/or regulating all the materials that could be used to harm people or property (anyone for registration and licensing of sharp sticks?). Instead, where there is high potential for materials to be misused the people that sell and work with those materials should assume a greater sense of responsibly and be aware of things that "aren't quite right". In the case of purchasing the gun powder it could be kept in a locked cabinet and the clerk could ask what appear to be a few casual questions like, "What caliber are you reloading?" "What sort of muzzle velocity are you getting out of that?" A legitimate customer will know the answers and volunteer them without skipping a beat. The potential criminal will not and will put the clerk on alert.

Yes, some criminals will be able to sneak through such a system. But the total cost to society will be lower even though we will have to suffer some criminal acts going through to completion.

This blog posting of mine from last week might be of interest to you as well:

http://blog.joehuffman.org/2006/11/29/Bomb+Building+Help+Request+From+New+Zealand+Girls+High+School.aspx

Joe Huffman
Boomershoot Event Director

After all that here is what ended up in the newspaper:

One bomb-making expert said much of what Blattner needed could be found at home-improvement stores, and even gunpowder would not be tough to find.

"It really is very, very easy to do something like that," said Joe Huffman, who organizes an event in Idaho where individuals use long-range precision rifles to shoot explosive targets. "The stupid thing is to do this in your dorm room."

Other than the title of "bomb-making expert" it's completely accurate. I can't complain.

The slaughter, rape and torment of the citizens of Darfur would end if humanitarian aid included guns.

...

Darfur is one more reminder that gun control is genocide's best friend.

Dimitri Vassilaros
April 1, 2005
Gun Controls Best Friend
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
[Via Jeff. How very odd that I would run across a link to this paper today via one of my usual blog reads. I'm quoted in todays edition of that same paper. My next post will be about that.--Joe]

This is from the U.S. Department of State. The Right to Bear Arms:

(The accompanying essay is under review.)

I would like to suggest they use what the U.S. Department of Justice says about the right to bear arms as the primary reference for their essay.

The amusing part? Kevin points out that this essay has been "under review" for nearly three years ever since it received this spanking.

So here’s my idea of compromise with the gun grabbers. I’ll support training and a gun license on two conditions:
1) There will be no registration of any gun including Form 4473s that could be used as registrations;
2) That everyone in the country with no exceptions must receive training and a license that cannot be voluntarily surrendered to the authorities for any reason. Anyone with a license could buy a gun.

Denise was Here
Universal Licensing--A Modest Proposal
[As a compromise I do find it appealing. But I have been listening to so much of Ayn Rand's writings recently that I must decline from supporting it. As Ms. Rand points out there can be no compromise between a rapist and his victim. The Second Amendment and many state constitutions already guarantee we may buy as many guns as we want whenever we want without a license or training. This compromise would give up that right. It would be no different than a compromise with the rapist who is allowed to sexually fondle his victims at any time. However, I think Denise's compromise would be useful in political debates to flush out the true intentions of the anti-freedom bigots.--Joe]

I don't need to modify much. Just a little. I already eat lots of cashews and granola. I just need to up the foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids. Here are the detail:

Like many aspects of health, our sex drive is affected by what we put into our bodies. Certain foods affect the body in different ways. Depending on what you consume, wining and dining a date can induce more sleep than romance.

...

To really get your blood going, consider circulation-enhancing dishes. Food that's high in Omega-3 fatty acids such as mackerel, salmon and wild salmon are best. "Omega-3 makes your nervous system function better," says Dr. Barbara Bartlik, assistant professor of psychiatry and sex therapist with the Human Sexuality Program at Weill Cornell Medical Center. "Sex is really about circuitry."

...

Improved circulation results in greater erectile response. To accomplish that, go for food rich in L-Arginine, such as granola, oatmeal, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, dairy, green vegetables, root vegetables, garlic, ginseng, soybeans, chickpeas and seeds. Studies show that L-Arginine is helpful for improving sexual function in men.

How very odd for a couple of reasons. 1) I didn't realize petrol (it's from a UK paper) and Drano would cause an exothermic reaction. And 2) What in the world was going on in this woman's mind? Did she think the men would be so stupid as to try to use the condoms?

An ex-strip club worker has been sentenced after she admitted sending condoms filled with explosives in the mail.

49-year-old Kimberly Lynn Dasilva pleaded guilty to the charges of sending threatening letters and flammable material through the post.

The 'flammable materials' included condoms filled with a mixture of petrol and the Drâno drain cleaner – a combination that can cause an explosion.

Her targets included strip clubs where she had previously worked, as well as a television station and a radio station. She claimed that she was fed up with being mistreated by men.

The incident occurred in Boston and there were several domestic papers that carried the article but it was only in the UK that they mentioned the materials used. The other articles I found were:

• Courant
• ABC
• Forbes
• The Mercury News
• ChinaDaily

Now if they came in large enough sizes and detonated from rifle fire I might order a few from Ms. Dasilva.

Samantha has a list of excuses for missing work. Pretty good stuff. Adding my favorites to the list:

• Sixty Minutes wants to interview me about my working conditions.
• The voices in my head told me today was a good day to stay home and clean my guns.
• I was up all night reloading ammunition.
• I was on America's Most Wanted last night and I need to stay low for a while.
• My house is surrounded by a SWAT team.
• The ATF wants to see my explosives magazine (I always use vacation days, not sick days).
• A hundred people with guns from all over the world are showing up expecting me to give them explosives to shoot at and I don't want to disappoint them.
• My wife is out of town so my girlfriend and her twin sister are spending the day in bed with me.

In case you didn't know, I've never used the first five--I just thought they went well together and were sort of on topic with my interests.

I've never used the last one either. My social director (Barb) hasn't been able to make the arrangements even though, for the last 30 years, she keeps saying, "Sure. I'll work on that this weekend."

People working in the private sector should try to save money if at all feasible.  There remains a possibility that it may someday be valuable again.

Norman R. Augustine
From: Defense Systems Management Review
[Cynical? Who me?--Joe]

The Clinton administration launched an attack on people in Texas because those people were religious nuts with guns. Hell, this country was founded by religious nuts with guns. Who does Bill Clinton think stepped ashore on Plymouth Rock?

P. J. O'Rourke

Friday and Saturday Xenia and Meghan competed at the State of Idaho drama competion. In the humorous ensemble catagory, with 168 entrants, they came in NUMBER 1. Yes. The number one entrant in that category for the ENTIRE STATE OF IDAHO.

Their other entry, The Duel also went to state made it into the finals (top ten) but did not place.

Here is the video I took of that a few weeks ago at the district competition of the one that won--"Open To Interpretation":

Video: Open To Interpretation

[The video is a messed up in the middle for a minute or so. I'll try and recapture the video next weekend and fix it up.]

Xenia has her own Live Journal posting on the results here. There are some pictures there too.

Barb and I are very, very proud of her.

I can see no ethical standard by which to measure the whole unethical concept of a State, except in the amount of time, of money, of effort and obedience, which a society extorts from its every member.  Its value and its civilization, then, are in inverse proportion to that extortion.

Ayn Rand
From The Fountainhead

I don't think it will pass, at least not in it's current form, but this bill would make most of my guns illegal in Washington State. My bolt action Boomershoot rifle has a muzzle brake therefore these anti-freedom bigots want to call it an assault weapon and ban it (wrong). Both of my carry sidearms are capable of holding more than 10 rounds (18+1 in one and 15+1 in the other). I think I can get a 20 round magazine for one of them. I think I'll order one right now...

Nope. The highest capacity magazine for my STI in .40 S&W doesn't hold 20 rounds. It holds 22! I bought two. I should received them in two to five business days. Just because these bigots want to ban anything over 10 rounds in a magazine I'm now going to be packing 45 rounds of 180 grain hollow points, nearly a full box, when I carry.

As I said in the comments for the online order at Shooters Connection, "I read banned books. I shoot banned (or soon to be banned) guns."

Here's the details from the anti-freedom bigots in Washington State:

(18) "Assault weapon" means:

(a) Any semiautomatic pistol or semiautomatic or pump-action rifle

5 or shotgun that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine, with a

6 capacity to accept more then ten rounds of ammunition and that also

7 possesses any of the following:

8 (i) If the firearm is a rifle or shotgun, a pistol grip located

9 rear of the trigger;

10 (ii) If the firearm is a rifle or shotgun, a stock in any

11 configuration, including but not limited to a thumbhole stock, a

12 folding stock or a telescoping stock, that allows the bearer of the

13 firearm to grasp the firearm with the trigger hand such that the web of

14 the trigger hand, between the thumb and forefinger, can be placed below

15 the top of the external portion of the trigger during firing;

16 (iii) If the firearm is a pistol, a shoulder stock of any type or

17 configuration, including but not limited to a folding stock or a

18 telescoping stock;

19 (iv) A barrel shroud;

20 (v) A muzzle brake or muzzle compensator;

21 (vi) Any feature capable of functioning as a protruding grip that

22 can be held by the hand that is not the trigger hand;

23 (b) Any pistol that is capable of accepting a detachable magazine

24 at any location outside of the pistol grip;

25 (c) Any semiautomatic pistol, any semiautomatic, center-fire rifle,

26 or any shotgun with a fixed magazine that has the capacity to accept

27 more than ten rounds of ammunition;

28 (d) Any shotgun capable of accepting a detachable magazine;

29 (e) Any shotgun with a revolving cylinder;

30 (f) Any conversion kit or other combination of parts from which an

31 assault weapon can be assembled if the parts are in the possession or

32 under the control of any person.

33 (19) "Detachable magazine" means a magazine, the function of which

34 is to deliver one or more ammunition cartridges into the firing

35 chamber, which can be removed from the firearm without the use of any

36 tool, including a bullet or ammunition cartridge.

37 (20) "Barrel shroud" means a covering, other than a slide, that is

38 attached to, or that substantially or completely encircles, the barrel

p. 5 SB 5475

1 of a firearm and that allows the bearer of the firearm to hold the

2 barrel with the nonshooting hand while firing the firearm, without

3 burning that hand, except that the term does not include an extension

4 of the stock along the bottom of the barrel that does not substantially

5 or completely encircle the barrel.

6 (21) "Muzzle brake" means a device attached to the muzzle of a

7 weapon that utilizes escaping gas to reduce recoil.

8 (22) "Muzzle compensator" means a device attached to the muzzle of

9 a weapon that utilizes escaping gas to control muzzle movement.

10 (23) "Conversion kit" means any part or combination of parts

11 designed and intended for use in converting a firearm into an assault

12 weapon.

13 NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 9.41 RCW

14 to read as follows:

15 (1) No person in this state shall manufacture, possess, purchase,

16 sell, or otherwise transfer any assault weapon, or any assault weapon

17 conversion kit, except as authorized by subsection (3) of this section.

18 Any assault weapon or assault weapon conversion kit the manufacture,

19 possession, purchase, sale, or other transfer of which is prohibited

20 under this section is a public nuisance.

21 (2) No person in this state shall possess or have under his or her

22 control at one time both of the following:

23 (a) A semiautomatic or pump-action rifle, semiautomatic pistol, or

24 shotgun capable of accepting a detachable magazine; and

25 (b) Any magazine capable of use with that firearm that contains

26 more than ten rounds of ammunition.

27 (3) Subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to any of the

28 following:

29 (a) The possession of an unloaded assault weapon for the purpose of

30 permanently relinquishing it to a law enforcement agency in this state.

31 Any assault weapon relinquished pursuant to this subsection shall be

32 destroyed;

33 (b) The transfer of any assault weapon by a licensed manufacturer

34 or dealer to a law enforcement agency in this state for use by that

35 agency or its employees for law enforcement purposes;

36 (c) The possession of an assault weapon that was legally possessed

SB 5475 p. 6

1 on the effective date of this section, but only if the person legally

2 possessing the assault weapon has complied with all of the requirements

3 of subsection (5) of this section;

4 (d) The possession of an assault weapon that has been permanently

5 disabled so that it is incapable of discharging a projectile.

6 (4) Subsection (2) of this section shall not apply to any person:

7 (a) While lawfully engaged in shooting at a duly licensed, lawfully

8 operated shooting range;

9 (b) While lawfully participating in a sporting event officially

10 sanctioned by a club or organization established in whole or in part

11 for the purpose of sponsoring sport shooting events.

12 (5) In order to continue to possess an assault weapon that was

13 legally possessed on the effective date of this section, the person

14 possessing the assault weapon shall do all of the following:

15 (a) Within ninety days following the effective date of this

16 section, submit to a background check identical to the background check

17 conducted in connection with the purchase of a firearm from a licensed

18 gun dealer;

19 (b) Unless the person is prohibited by law from possessing a

20 firearm, immediately register the assault weapon with the sheriff of

21 the county in which the weapon is usually stored;

22 (c) Safely and securely store the assault weapon. The sheriff of

23 the county may, no more than once per year, conduct an inspection to

24 ensure compliance with this subsection;

25 (d) Annually renew both the registration and the background check;

26 (e) Possess the assault weapon only on property owned or

27 immediately controlled by the person, or while engaged in the legal use

28 of the assault weapon at a duly licensed firing range, or while

29 traveling to or from either of these locations for the purpose of

30 engaging in the legal use of the assault weapon, provided that the

31 assault weapon is stored unloaded and in a separate locked container

32 during transport.

33 (6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any person

34 in this state who, after the effective date of this section, acquires

35 title to an assault weapon by inheritance, bequest, or succession,

36 shall, within thirty days of acquiring title, do one of the following:

37 (a) Comply with all of the requirements of subsection (5) of this

38 section;

p. 7 SB 5475

1 (b) Dispose of the assault weapon pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of

2 this section; or

3 (c) Permanently disable the assault weapon so that it is incapable

4 of discharging a projectile.

5 (7) The sheriff of a county may charge a fee for each registration

6 and for each registration renewal pursuant to subsection (5) of this

7 section. However, such fee may not exceed the costs incurred in

8 administering the registration program established under subsection (5)

9 of this section.

10 (8)(a) Any person convicted of violating subsection (1) or (2) of

11 this section is guilty of a class C felony.

12 (b) Any person convicted of violating subsection (5) of this

13 section is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.

14 (9) Any violation of this section shall also result in the

15 immediate revocation of the registration of every assault weapon

16 registered to such person.

17 (10) This section does not apply to:

18 (a) Marshals, sheriffs, prison or jail wardens or their deputies,

19 or other law enforcement officers of this or another state while acting

20 within the scope of their duties;

21 (b) Members of the armed forces of the United States or of the

22 national guard or organized services, when on duty;

23 (c) Officers or employees of the United States duly authorized to

24 possess assault weapons; or

25 (d) Any person engaged in the business of manufacturing, repairing,

26 or dealing in assault weapons, or the representative or agent of the

27 person who is properly licensed under federal or state laws to do so

28 and who is acting within the usual and ordinary course of the business.

From the Greg Hamilton to English Dictionary by Meredith Robinson:

Dry Fire Target: Fluffy (or Cat).

Greg Hamilton
Firearms Instructor
[I've been doing a lot of dry fire practice the last couple days because of the IPSC match tomorrow. We have two dogs and two cats in the house. I may sometimes tease Barb and Xenia about using the pets for dry fire practice but I never actually do that. It violates a fundamental gun safety rule. And in my classes I tell the story of a guy that accidently shot the family cat in the family room that way.--Joe]

I found this very interesting tidbit from my sitemeter:

Domain Name		usdoj.gov ? (United States Government)
IP Address		149.101.1.# (US Dept of Justice)
ISP		US Dept of Justice
Location		Continent  :  North America Country  :  United States  (Facts) State  :  Maryland City  :  Potomac Lat/Long  :  39.023, -77.1993 (Map) Distance  :  2,059 miles
Language		English (United States) en-us
Operating System		Microsoft WinXP
Browser		Internet Explorer 6.0 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; SV1; DOJ3jx7bf; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; InfoPath.1)
Javascript		version 1.3
Monitor		Resolution  :  1024 x 768 Color Depth  :  32 bits
Time of Visit		Dec 1 2006 5:11:13 am
Last Page View		Dec 1 2006 5:11:13 am
Visit Length		0 seconds
Page Views		1
Referring URL		http://www.topix.net/us/atf
Visit Entry Page		http://blog.joehuffman.org/2006/11/30/Dont+Drop+Your+Guard.aspx
Visit Exit Page		http://blog.joehuffman.org/2006/11/30/Dont+Drop+Your+Guard.aspx
Out Click
Time Zone		UTC-5:00
Visitor's Time		Dec 1 2006 8:11:13 am
Visit Number		116,927

http://www.topix.net/forum/us/atf gathers news and blog mentions of ATF and people at the US Department of Justice (hi!) visit those websites. I wonder what they thought of me saying "The ATF has no constitutional authorization to even exist let alone enforce illegal laws."

Of particular interest to me is that the "User Agent" string of the browser included the unusual item "DOJ3jx7bf". This item looks like it might be a unique identifier for a particular Department of Justice computer. If so then one can find out what that particular computer/user has been viewing on all websites that you have access to the logs file for.

Hence, with the proper tools and a bit of smarts, one can watch the watchers. To that effect here is a sample which includes the search terms "harvey milk gay activist", "guns & jenny price", "john+pepper+ipsc", "dirty+gun+barrel+picture", "tannerite", and the always popular "how to make a bomb". We can also see some of the other sites our "friend" has been visiting. Examples include http://nfttu.blogspot.com/, http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=229822, and http://www.alphecca.com/mt_alphecca_archives/001891.html.

One must not get too paranoid about being watched. This applies to both webmasters as well as our "friend" at the DOJ. As I was reminded by a fellow blogger at the Gun Bloggers Rendezvous a couple months ago, there are known friendlies in the government. I don't have any particular hostility toward any of the government workers I have met (certain politicians are different story--I would like to invited Schumer, Clinton, Feinstein, and some others to permanently leave the country with nothing more than the clothes on their backs). But no matter how friendly they are most Federal workers are doing jobs that have no constitutional authority.

Note to my guests from the USDOJ and/or the ATF: You are quite welcome to leave a comment, send me an email, or get a legitimate job.

It’s like dealing with a pack of five-year-olds who are so developmentally stunted that they will never be able to learn anything every day it’s a repeat of the same old simple lessons: wipe your bottom before you pull your underpants up, not after!

Andrea Harris
Uncomfortably numb
November 26th, 2006 at 10:12 pm
Regarding dealing with advocates of "global warming".
[It could just as well have been said about people in the anti-self-defense movement. Sometimes every single thing they say is wrong and/or can't possible work. Such as in this case.--Joe]