I don’t recall being asked for permission but in this case I don’t mind.  Gun Owners of America published my Just One Question post in their Opinions And Editorials section.  It’s in the “Various Authors” section.

Background:

• Bias against self-defense
• A bias against self-defense part II
• A bias against self-defense part III
• Opening arguments to verdict in 10 hours

I got a phone call from a friend of Michael Charles Williams last night.  He was sentenced yesterday.  25 to 30 years with no possibility of parole for voluntary manslaughter.  As Ry said when I told him, “There must be something else going on.”

I asked the friend if he was going to appeal but she didn’t know.  When I get some time I’m going to see if I can get some more information on the case.

Very nice of the VPC to point this out to us:

State	Number of Gun Dealers	Number of Gas Stations	State	Number of Gun Dealers	Number of Gas Stations
Alaska	844	229	Oregon	1,479	1,146
Idaho	682	663	Wyoming	550	401
Montana	1,017	597	U.S. Total	54,902	121,363

This isn’t so cool.  It’s just ignorance and bigotry:

The 1992 VPC publication More Gun Dealers Than Gas Stations first focused national attention on abuses by FFL holders and revealed that at the time of its release the number of Americans who possessed the Type 1 FFL outnumbered gas stations 245,000 to 210,000. The bulk of the licenses were held by illegitimate “kitchen-table” dealers who operated out of their homes or offices, an unknown percentage of which were actively involved in criminal gun trafficking. As the result of policy recommendations contained in the study that were implemented under the Clinton Administration, today only five states have more gun dealers than gas stations (see chart below). The full study contains information for all 50 states as well as policy recommendations.

“Illegitimate kitchen-table dealers”?  “Unknown percentage of which were actively involved in criminal gun trafficking”?  Are “kitchen-table” cosmetic dealers illegitmate?  I’m sure an “unknown percentage” of them are engaged criminal activities too.  By saying “unknown percentage” they only admit their ignorance and their open disregard for knowledge.  As far as the number of dealers goes, most gun owners have far more guns than cars so it’s to be expected there are more gun dealers than gas stations.  At least I live in one of the states where the gun dealers still outnumber the gas stations.  And remember the gasoline is more effective in mass murders than guns.  But the “Violence Policy Center” isn’t really interested in reducing violence, just the availability of guns.

The New York Times has an article about Bloombergs attack on the right of people to keep and bear arms.  They have the headline of In His War on Illegal Guns, Bloomberg is Facing Uphill.  It should be In His Illegal War on Guns Bloomberg is Facing Prison.  But he’s not–even though 18 USC 242 says he should:

Section 242 of Title 18 makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.

For the purpose of Section 242, acts under “color of law” include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within the their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of that official’s lawful authority, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. Persons acting under color of law within the meaning of this statute include police officers, prisons guards and other law enforcement officials, as well as judges, care providers in public health facilities, and others who are acting as public officials. It is not necessary that the crime be motivated by animus toward the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin of the victim.

The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.

Just like the blacks of 50 or 100 years ago the law doesn’t apply when it is the rights of gun owners that are being violated.

Background:

• Why not think for yourself?
• A question for my readers
• My decision

I received an email from FirstName today.  She sent me the response she would like me to post.  She asked that I give her my opinion of it before I posted it.  I emailed my opinion to her and I include it here:

I detect a little bit of “sucking up” to me in your response–but not so much that I’m going to “take points off” for it.

I believe her response will be a worthwhile footnote to her writing career.  And for the record, her response to my comment was: “…there was no sucking up whatsoever…I meant every word I said.”

The following is from FirstName:

Imagine you’re on top of the world…an honor student, an opinion columnist, a sorority sister, with amazing friends and a loving family…ready to take on the rest of the world ahead of you with strength and unlimited potential. And then on one ugly day in March, your world comes crashing down…and you learn that you’re unemployed at the only place that ever gave you hope, depth and honor.

I am an avid writer with a crazy passion for words, and I was given the opportunity to share these words, my words, with thousands of listeners. My opinion wasn’t typically respected in College Station, but this only made me stronger and more excited to write.

Needless to say, my time as an opinion columnist was short-lived because I blatantly cut corners. I made one of the biggest, ugliest mistakes in my life, and I undeniably regret it every single day. My facts were not well-researched and my context certainly overshadowed my opinion. I know years from now no one will even remember this happened, but I know it will haunt me forever. I am ashamed, I am remorseful, and I have paid a weighty price.

After much hesitation about emailing Joe about the whole situation, it turned out to be probably one of the most enlightening experiences I’ve had with someone who has contrasting opinions. Joe told me a story about the board of directors at his company who were searching for a new CEO…they wanted someone who had made a major mistake in their life for this poignant reason:

“People that went through life without making any mistakes or without realizing they had made a mistake were more likely to make a major mistake in the future.  They tend to think of themselves as “charmed” and/or infallible.  They trust their instincts too much.  They will charge ahead despite evidence that the path is doomed to failure.  They cut corners because they got away with it in the past.  If you really have realized you made a mistake more serious than getting caught then you may be a better person for having made that mistake.”

These words of Joe’s (and my other academic credentials) may be the only faith I have to hold on to in hopes of succeeding after graduation. This May, I am moving out of Texas, and hopefully moving on with my life…I am taking this chance to start over in a (hopefully) forgiving world.

I know I screwed up, but I am an honest woman with a good heart…and I have learned an incredible lesson. I appreciate Joe’s constructive criticism and insight, and I thank him for giving me this opportunity.

Update: September 18, 2006. I removed the actual name of the plagiarist and substituted FirstName LastName after she asked me to remove her name, wrote an apology, and I waited what I considered was a reasonable period of time.