A friend of mine just posted this on her blog titled “Losing the Cool Photo Op War.” I *had* to steal it.

Contrast:

vs.

I LOL’ed, truly.

Page 11 of the September 2010 issue of Soldier of Fortune is a full-page advertisement for H-S Precision’s HTR, favorite of the FBI, which reads in part: “America’s Freedom Protected by American Products.” Ha, ha.

We’re talking about Lon Horiuchi-lovin’ H-S Precision.

Soldier of Fortune is a weird mixed bag of JBT love/hate, so I don’t know how it’ll be received, but we’ll be letting them know The Inconvenience won’t renew his subscription if they don’t end their relationship with H-S Precision.

You can email the editorial staff of SOF at editorsof@aol.com. Even if you’re not a regular SOF reader, take a moment to let them know how you feel about H-S Precision and those who do business with them.

I’m proud to say I’m good friends with Mr. Baker:

http://www.mountainstateslegal.org/legal_cases.cfm?legalcaseid=224

Go get ‘em, buddy! :)

Earlier today, we noticed that the Idaho National Guard armory down the street was flying their flag at half-staff. The Inconvenience remarked that it is downright insane to lower the the flag on Independence Day, especially in honor of such a distasteful waste of flesh as Robert Byrd.

Turns out it’s also in direct violation of the Presidential Proclamation on the subject.

Not fifteen minutes after I learned that, to what did my wondering eyes did appear, but a freshly-shaven, sharp-looking Sergeant of Marines in full dress blues, striding on down to the Armory… and raising the flag to full-staff.

*cough*

Sure glad I don’t know anybody who would do anything like that…

*whistles*

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin prosecutor said he won’t enforce a host of state weapons laws after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week Americans have a right to own a gun for self-defense.

Jackson County District Attorney Gerald R. Fox said in a statement he will no longer prosecute Wisconsin’s prohibitions on carrying concealed weapons, transporting uncased or loaded guns in vehicles, carrying guns in public buildings and taverns and carrying switchblades and butterfly knives. He said the Supreme Court’s ruling renders those statutes unconstitutional.

…

Fox, a Democrat with self-described Libertarian leanings, faces re-election in 2012. He said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press but if the Brady Campaign wants to mount a recall drive, the organization should “bring it on.”

“If a majority of people want me to move on, that’s the price for standing up and saying ‘this is what I believe,’” Fox said.

There are some really lulzy quotes in there from a mentally defective police chief, so go read the whole thing. I’d really like to know if the predicted hogleg rush came to pass, hurr… I’m going to guess not.

Fox’s whole press release can be read here.

“These so-called “public safety” laws only put decent law-abiding citizens at a dangerous disadvantage when it comes to their personal safety, and I for one am glad that this decades-long era of defective thinking on gun issues is over.”

OH MY GOSH JUST GO READ IT.

Maybe I’m a nerd, but this makes me positively giddy. I really want to email Mr. Fox and thank him for his badassery. Right now all I have is, “Dear Mr. Fox, you’re fantastic. Love, Me” so I should probably wait until I stop swooning.

I’m on the iPhone and haven’t read the decision yet, but had to make a brief post to join in the McDonald celebration.

We win!!!

I also saw someone quicker-witted than I changed the Brady Campaign’s Wikipedia page to label them, by definition, a hate group – due to their stated opposition to an established constitutional right. Love. It.

As several commenters pointed out, the problem with the death penalty is bigger than the death penalty. It’s the justice system, which is broken.

Because of stories like Cory Maye’s, I will never support the idea that sentencing a man to death is as simple as two credible witnesses (credible like… police officers?), or that we should execute someone before they can run the gamut of appeals (through appeals, Cory was removed from death row and granted a new trial).

The Case of Cory Maye – read it (again), please.

I believe to the core of my soul that it is better to let undeniably guilty men languish in prison for life, instead of facing death, than it is to execute even one innocent man. And, so long as the definition of murder can bend based on the last name of the person you kill or the color of your jury, I don’t see how it’s possible to have that sort of perfection.

So, what does this have to do with the case of the guy in Utah, who was a repeat offender, obviously guilty? Give the state the power to kill him, and you give the state the power to kill Cory.

From the NRA on H.R. 5175:

We have never said we would support any version of this bill. To the contrary, we clearly stated NRA’s strong opposition to the DISCLOSE Act (as introduced) in a letter sent to Members of Congress on May 26 (click here to read the letter).

Later in the same statement:

We didn’t “sell out” to Nancy Pelosi or anyone else. We told Congress we opposed the bill. As a result, congressional leaders made a commitment to exempt us from its draconian restrictions on free speech. If that commitment is honored, we will not be involved in the final House debate. If that commitment is not fully honored, we will strongly oppose the bill.

If the NRA gets its piece of the pie, they’ll stay quiet. Only if they don’t will they actively oppose the bill.

That’s pretty much the definition of selling out, you two-faced, double-speaking morons.

EDIT: By the way, I’m really, REALLY sick of everyone making excuses for the NRA’s bad behavior. It absolutely galls me how many gunnies are willing to turn a blind eye every time they sell us up the river “compromise” on something because they’re the biggest gun rights organization out there. I don’t really give a good god damn how big they are when they fail at actually protecting our interests.

I don’t give anyone carte blanche to speak on my behalf, especially an organization hell-bent on securing a monopoly – to what effect? When every last check on the NRA is stripped of its political power, by a combination of gun owner fear and legislative action, and we have only the NRA to represent us… Do you really trust them that much? If we treat the NRA with such undeserved reverence when we have other options, they know they’ve got us on complete lockdown if they can kill the competition. And then what?

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

All my one-question-answering friends are getting census worker visits. Where’s mine? :(

A like-minded friend responded to his visit by opening the door, declaring “THREE PEOPLE!” and slamming the door. I might do the same.

Or, I might wax eloquent about throwing the Japanese in internment camps, or about Census workers raping residents, or people posing as Census workers to commit home invasions.

Hmmm. On second thought, maybe I just won’t answer the door for a stranger.

If only the Founders had been more clear about the purpose of the census, you know. I mean – enumeration can have so many possible meanings!

Errr… nevermind.

Also: Saw someone I don’t know open carrying in Wal-Mart today. Good work, random OC guy.

I just picked up some Mongolian BBQ for dinner.

My fortune cookie had a normal fortune on one side. This was on the other:

Are we serious? They’ve infiltrated fortune cookies?!