Saturday, June 28, 2008

Heller and the Media...

So, anyhoo, the other day I made a point of leaving my hotel early enough to be online at the airport for the first words of a decision on Heller.

The decision came and I quickly put up something on The-Forum-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named and headed off to my departure gate. I sat there under a monitor which was set to CNN Headline News.

On the CNN reporting regarding Heller, they immediately had the thoughts of someone from the Brady Center. Did they include anyone from the NRA as balance? Nope.

And after the Brady Center opinion on the decision, the newsreader made the comment that BATFE is charged with ensuring that gun shops conform to local ordinances and that nothing in this decision would prevent the District from not allowing gun shops inside their borders--the implication being that if the Court says it's OK for an individual to have--to "keep"--a firearm in their home--then he could be prevented from having one in the first place by preventing it's sale.

Two points to all this...

  • The Mainstream Media is all about the narrative. Whatever you do, make sure what is said fits with what ought to be said. Offering opinions from both sides of an issue would allow thoughtful people to decide for themselves, and that would be horrible.
  • And when a decision goes against you, immediately start muddying the waters. The issue of gun shop locations had nothing at all to do with Heller. Yet the CNN reporting suggests that it does. Again, this goes to the support-the-narrative point, but it also shows that the shallowness that the Media (and unfortunately, much of the American public) has towards important issues allows them (us?) to conflate irrelevant points into an argument. Far too many of us get our only news from 30 minutes in front of a Big Three anchor or USA Today. Is it any wonder that we don't understand the issues?

Friday, June 27, 2008

Thoughts on Seat 44D...

I just got back from my annual trip to the simulator, and the flight was totally packed (of course). Lots of employees complain about full flights--they often miss flights, and when they do get on, they don't get to sit in First Class. Me, I've never done that. While a full flight means a travel benefit is more difficult to achieve, it also means the company is making money and my job is that much more secure.

However, there are some bad points to sitting in the back. I was glad to have an aisle seat, even if it was very much in the back. The really bad point came with the guy next to me.

Although he did announce that we were the lucky two who got to sit next to the guy with a 48 inch chest, he wasn't a totally unpleasant guy. He did ask about the Heller decision and otherwise had some small talk--mostly with the guy in the window seat.

He also had some obnoxious qualities. He got up four times--once during taxi out. What was really, really obnoxious, however, was his habit of raising his arms over his head. He didn't smell or anything, and he was wearing a shirt, but exposing your armpits for extended periods just isn't appealing.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Reflections on a Recent Past...

OK, so I haven't really been burning this place up lately...like in the last 5 months or so. Indoor and outdoor remodelling projects, 3 kids graduating from college (including one out-of-state), and recurrent have shoved my attention to this down the priority list.

That's all done now. I do have some things I need to get to...learning about investments, further work on my garage, light trimming and painting of the trees, but a great weight has been lifted and I foresee more time for this until the wedding begins to consume us.

Whew (#2)....

Court Rules Second Amendment Is Individual Right To Bear Arms

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Jeremy Clarkson on...

Car recycling.



h/t Theo.

Wall Street Journal

Why Iraqi's Back McCain

From the op-ed...

"...That only makes America's ambivalence toward its democratic creation that much stranger to the Iraqis. Will the next administration abandon both its principles and its friends in the region? For what?..."

Yes, Barack. For what, exactly?

Sunday, June 08, 2008

A summertime option...

...Ditch the CCW. Carry openly.

h/t Open Blog over at Ace's Place.

What kind of Western Badass are you?


What Kind of a Western Bad-Ass are You?
created with QuizFarm.com
You scored as Clint Eastwood

Names aren't important as you dish out steaming bowls of piping hot brutality to your enemies. You also enjoy a good spaghetti dinner once in a while.

Clint Eastwood

75%

Charles Bronson

75%

Lee Marvin

50%

John Wayne

50%

Lee Van Cleef

38%

h/t Cowboy Blob.

Whether public statements regarding Iraq by U.S. government officials were substantiated by intelligence...

**Telephone rings**

Receptionist: "Hello. Obama Campaign Headquarters. How may I help you?"

Receptionist: "No. Senator Obama's not available right now. He's in a meeting. But I'd be happy to take a message for him."

Receptionist: "Umm, hmmm. Yes. Yes. Ok. I've got it. Any number where the Senator can reach you? No? Ok. I'll make sure he gets the message."

**Door opens**

Receptionist: "Oh, there you are, Senator. I've got a message from somebody who called himself '2003'. No need to return his call, and I don't really understand what he meant by this, but he asked that I let you know that he'd like his argument back."

h/t to Paul at Powerline, but nearly everyone else has addressed this as well.