Quote of the Day – Barack Obama(10/17/2012)

“What I’m trying to do is to get a broader conversation about how do we reduce the violence generally, part of it is seeing if we can get an assault weapons ban reintroduced.”

Barack Obama – Presidential Debate
October 16th, 2012


[All of you who kept telling me that Obama wasn’t coming for my guns, shut the hell up.  That statement above makes it clear as day that we have a problem.  We have gone down this road before and it did not do anything to solve the problems it was claimed to solve.  What it did do was prevent thousands of Americans from getting effective defensive arms.  Any individual who supports a law like that is not looking out for the best for anyone.

It is becoming obvious to even those who wish to keep their heads in the sand that this man is the enemy of freedom we all thought he was.  Looks like I will be investing in more firearms and ammunition right quick.

Updated to add: I forgot that about a week ago I did this post, which quotes right off of Obama’s campaign website.  His site stated the following:

Address Gun Violence in Cities: Obama and Biden would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent.

 

Screenshot of the site can be seen here.  The fact remains that this man has no qualms about outlawing the most popular rifle in America and we also know it is a slippery slope to other restrictions.  We learned our lesson and it must be said, “Never Again!” -B ]

Ear Worm Wednesday – 10/17/2012

Disturbed – The Animal

SSCC #433 – Utah Highway Patrol

A supervisor warned in 2010 that Utah Highway Patrol Cpl. Lisa Steed, who is under investigation by her own agency, was frequently arresting people for driving under the influence of drugs who had no drugs in their systems.

The response of the Utah Highway Patrol, bury it so defense attorneys don’t find out.  This wasn’t just a minor screw up either, blood tests confirm the officer was lying.

In seven of those [20 reviewed] cases, toxicology tests showed the driver had only metabolite, Nixon wrote. Metabolite is the remnants of drugs or pharmaceuticals in the bloodstream, though not necessarily the illegal kind.

Four other drivers had no drugs in their system, according to Nixon’s memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune.

The UHP continued to allow the officer to retain the same position and took no corrective action.  The memo and findings were also with held from defense attorneys   How heavily was it buried?

The memo is “extraordinary,” said Joseph Jardine, a Salt Lake City defense attorney who earlier this year successfully petitioned a judge to gain access to Steed’s discipline record. Jardine said the memo was not included in the records he viewed. The Salt Lake Tribune showed Jardine and Skordas the memo Tuesday.

When the light was finally shined on the mold, the UHP finally removed her from road duty and began an investigation which is obviously at this point almost 3 years over due.

It gets even better though because in 2007:

Utah Highway Patrol Officer Lisa Steed is the Utah Highway Patrol’s new Trooper of the Year. The Utah Department of Public Safety made the announcement after Steed made more than 200 DUI arrests this year.

Looks like we all know how she made that accomplishment now don’t we.

State Sponsored Criminal #433: Cpl. Lisa Steed

Because when you want to come in first, arrest anyone and every one you can as long as you can trump up an excuse.  Their lives don’t matter, only your career matters!

via Tango

Living the Dream…

So it appears that some Marine got to do something so many of us only get to dream about doing.

Getting to tell Barbra Streisand and her husband to basically F’ Off not just once, but twiceHow can you get any better than that?  I’m sure there are ways but that ranks right up there.

Marine, where ever you are, stand proud.  The only way that could have gotten better is to also ask her to stop singing for the sake of humanity.

h/t Old NFO

You Keep Using That Word…

You keep using those words and I don’t think they mean what you think they mean….

It’s amazing the number of people who just shrug this behavior off and claim it as acceptable.

h/t Kevin

SSCC #431 & #432–New Jersey State Police

One November night two years ago, State Police found Daniel Fried slumped behind the wheel of his van along Route 72 in Burlington County. He stared forward, eyelids drooping. He was incoherent, slurred his words and seemed to be falling asleep.

He may have looked drunk or like he was on drugs, but doctors say these are classic symptoms of diabetic shock. Paramedics found Fried’s blood sugar was so low he could have suffered a coma, seized or died, according to State Police records.

These officers made an assumption about the condition of an individual.  They caused an adrenaline spike that made him coherent enough to be able to request assistance and they continued to ignore him.  Upon arrival of paramedics they promptly took him to the hospital because of a severe blood sugar deficiency.

As my father had diabetes this isn’t funny, this isn’t ok, this is down right negligent.  The police officers assume without any actual evidence that this individual is a criminal.  Except he is the exact opposite.  He felt his medical emergency coming on and pulled himself off the road.  Below is the officers thank you for his responsible actions.

[Sarcasm]Yup that right there is called positive reinforcement for good behavior.[/Sarcasm]

There is also a serious policy issue given the following:

In State Police reports and court depositions, Brown, who was first on scene, said he suspected Fried had diabetes but did not call paramedics because he could not rule out drugs or alcohol. He said he saw no evidence of drugs or alcohol and did not smell anything.

So policy dictates that in an incident where someone is obviously no longer of a sound mental state, so much so they may loose consciousness, medical aid shouldn’t be sought unless it can be confirmed beyond a reasonable doubt the cause is diabetes?  What if the individual dies from alcohol poisoning or a drug overdose? Since when have police officers started receiving medical training to the degree of EMTs, much less doctors and nurses.  Their job should be merely to asses the situation and say, “Does this person need attention to verify he is ok?”  Mental incoherence is a big, “Get Help Now Idiot!”.

No matter how you cut it though these officers were criminally negligent and exercised unnecessary force because well that’s how cops deal with problems.  Instead of using their brain, the just beat the thing until they get it to do what they want.

This isn’t the first instance I’ve heard of something like this happening either.  Yeah I hate drunk drivers, more than you can possibly believe, but the legal system exists for a reason.  Even more than that, I don’t want someone who has an actual medical emergency getting beat up because someone thinks they’re drunk.  There’s simple tests to determine the truth.  Cops are paid to protect the public, beating the hell out of a man who was in a medical emergency doesn’t fit the bill.

State Sponsored Criminal #431: Officer John Doe

#432: Officer John Doe

Because when you’re a cop, you’re Judge Dread and can determine someone’s guilt on the spot.  You don’t need a blood test, there’s no such thing as a medical emergency so they must be either high or drunk.

I Think Someone Found Acceptance

I don’t know if he has truly accepted the truth, but the under the radar departure makes me think so.

A little Googling later, and I see that Dennis Henigan has left his employer of 23 years without so much as an announcement from the organization thanking him for his contributions. He’s now working with Peter Hamm at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Think about that for a second.  One of the big flag bearers of the gun control movement has packed up and left, without so much as a goodbye, after 23 years.  The way the Brady Bunch shed him is quite interesting, especially in light of their financial situation.

That situation though is yet another example of how they are constantly living in a world of denial.

Dennis, I’m glad that it seems you have finally accepted the truth.  Either that or you accepted your position was doomed to failure, either of which works.

h/t Joe and Sebastian. It was Joe’s post that made me connect it to the stages of grief.

A Compare and Contrast Exercise…

Let’s compare and contrast the following two people, what they did, and the reactions by the American Media.

GonzalesVSHolder

For those who don’t recognize the pictures, on the left we have former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, on the right we have Attorney General Eric Holder.

The significant similarities necessary for this discussion:

  • Both are tied to the highest position within the Department of Justice.
  • Both committed questionable acts while in that position.
  • Both were disliked by large parts of the American people for their actions.
  • Both acted in a manner with the express intent of undermining and destroying enumerated rights.

Differences:

  • Eric Holder’s decisions resulted in the deaths of both American and Mexican civilians.
  • Eric Holder refused to process cases where the American public was intimidated from exercising their rights.
  • Alberto Gonzales was forced to resign while Holder continues to retain his position.
  • Eric Holder was found in contempt of congress.  Eric Holder has not been arrested despite the ability for congress to do so.
  • The Congressional “no-confidence” vote against Gonzales did not succeed.
  • Alberto Gonzales was appointed by President George Bush.
  • Eric Holder was appointed by President Barack Obama.

For those who may not remember the details.  Here is the quick rundown of the two big scandals under Holder.

The details you more likely need a reminder of is the incidents involving Alberto Gonzales

So while the comments and behavior of Gonzales was despicable and worthy of question, why has AG Holder been allowed to remain?  There is a man responsible for creating programs with the express purpose of illegally undermining a constitutional right.  Programs that resulted in the deaths of members of the public.  A man who has been found in contempt of congress, yet no one seems to have the balls to actually fire him.

Ultimately the biggest difference between these two is the men who were responsible for appointing them.  Because honestly that’s the only reason Eric Holder has been able to continue in his position.  Remember that the next time some tells you about how the media isn’t biased.