The King County prosecutor has decided not to press charges against Officer Ian Birk regarding this incident.

This whole incident is reminding me of the what the Federal Government did to protect Lon Horiuci after Ruby Ridge.  The officer created this incident, and shot a man without any real probable cause.  The individual had done nothing wrong, was not aggressive or threatening anyone, yet he was shot four times.  The reasoning for the prosecutors office was the following:

Speaking Wednesday, Satterberg cited a 25-year-old state law mandating that police officers not by held criminally liable for using deadly force if they acted “without malice and a good faith belief” that their actions were justified.

Any civilian who made the same decision as Birk would be charged with murder, or at minimum manslaughter.  There is no way that they would escape criminal prosecution.  Even in video taped incidents of self defense civilians do end up on trial.  Why is law enforcement given a free pass?  So what that their job is more dangerous, if they use deadly force, it needs to be CLEARLY justified.  In this case Seattle PD has admitted that he was clearly unjustified.

Initially the department said Williams made a move toward the officer, but it later backed away from that assertion. Sources tell KING 5 a preliminary review on October 4 by the firearms review board concluded the shooting was not justified.

So, this is really just the same story we’ve heard before, but now on a lower level than the Federal level.  Remember, they’re exempt, you are not.

So the TSA today actually harassed a US Representative from Alaska to the point she’s returning home by boat instead of by plane. 

An Alaska state lawmaker is making her way back to the state Capitol after refusing a pat-down search at a Seattle airport, a spokeswoman said.

While our congress critters should be put through this same mess that the rest of us are.  However one should always be sure to never bite the hand that feeds you.  Most likely though our all knowing leaders will just exempt themselves from this hassle while they ensure their serfs constituents are continually abused.  It just another example how every incident involving TSA starts with “The Stupid Asshole”.

Later I discovered an undercover TSA agent showed just how much of A Security Theater the TSA is. 

The source said the undercover agent carried a pistol in her undergarments when she put the body scanners to the test. The officer successfully made it through the airport’s body scanners every time she tried, the source said.

(Emphasis mine).  She tried this multiple times and never failed.  Joe Huffman talked about his experiences with an X-ray machine in  an episode of BB&Gun’s.  The fact is the TSA can be thought of as defensive fortifications.  Tactics and strategies will be formed to get around these defensive fortifications, and because of this they will always be playing catch-up.  The fact is the TSA has never stopped anyone, and the people they abuse are the ones who’s lives are actually in jeopardy and will be the ones to actually stop an incident.

With all the criminals the TSA hires, the way they behave, and their total lack of effectiveness why haven’t our congress critters rendered them impotent?

 

Since JayG started it
and I actually have a story to tell, here goes nothing.

So here’s the meme. Long answers or short.
1. What was your first car?
Model, year, color, condition?
2. What adventures did you have in it, good or
bad?
3. What happened to it, what’s the end of the story?

My first car, bought from my cousin by my parents, was a 2002 Hyundai Accent
much like what is pictured here.

It was stick shift and the low profile model.  It also was the bare minimum
on any extras as in no cruise control.  My parents bought it for me after I
moved into an apartment from the dorms.  Since I had previously lived on campus, I didn’t need
a car and my parents said they didn’t want me driving home every weekend.  I
didn’t have a car in high school, didn’t need one and I didn’t get my license
till after I graduated, I didn’t have a use for it.  At the time, I felt school
was more important than driving.

My first urban driving experience with this car was in Seattle.  I was driving up
James St., which happens to be very steep, and had to stop in the middle of the
hill for a red light.  As I was still fairly new at driving a stick I conked the
engine when the light turned green.  After that, I quickly learned how to play
the clutch on hills which came in handy for the WSU campus.  If need be, I could
easily let it roll more than normal to warn other drivers that were on my tail.

That car was a good little car.  That is, until it became known as the coffin
on wheels.  A car that small up against a fuel tanker carrying 11,000 gallons of
fuel, head on, is not a fair fight.  The car, to say the least, did not
survive.

*Notes below are from TMM, I do not remember the accident or 5 days after the accident.  My condition was the same as Drew Barrymore’s character in 50 First Dates.* Pictures below could be considered by some to be of a graphic nature. Click read more for pictures.

I [TMM] was driving at the time of the accident.  My legs actually came out from under the steering wheel and I was laying at about a 45 degree angle with my legs laying against the dash.  After regaining consiousness and taking care of other issues *discussed in a minute* I set the compound fracture in my left leg.  It was bent about 75-80 degrees, with my foot turned in about 60-70 degrees as well. I won’t describe how I did it, a guy outside the car was disturbed by my actions.  I splinted and wedged it in place on the dash board until the cavalry arrived.

The cavalry had to peel the car open in order to pull me out.  That is quite seriously the most pain I have ever felt in my life.  My right femur was broken right at the Lesser Trochanter.  At the time we actually thought I had broken my pelvis.  That combined with the damage to my left leg, it was excruciatingly painful as they pulled me onto the back board because they basically had to drag my legs over the non-smooth interior.  When they finally got my leg in traction in the hospital it was the most refreshing feeling in the world.  Seriously it ranked right up there with sex just because of how fast it went from pain, to no pain.  It was like flipping a switch.  Which was also the switch were I finally checked out, as they did that, they also started an IV and giving me pain meds.  I have seen my signature on documents I don’t remember signing.  I gave a statement to the police evidently as well.

My first concern on regaining consciousness and realizing what had happened was for TMW.  She was unconscious slumped down in her seat.  Her breathing was obviously labored and when I looked towards her it was obvious that her seat belt was holding her head up by her neck.  She was being choked by the seat belt.  I instructed some people at the scene to cut the seat belt.  An argument insued with them whining about a possible neck injury.  I asked what experience they had in first aid.  To which they responded, “We’re both RN’s.”  At which point I was a bit furthered upset and said, “Well didn’t they teach you anything about the importance of the airway in stabilizing a trauma victim?  If she can’t breath, everything else is null and void.”  They promptly cut the seat belt.  Which was doubly good because she had 6 broken ribs on her right side and as a result her lungs partially collapsed.  That stress coupled with a restricted airway could have easily killed her.

They removed her from the car first, and lets just say that was the most disturbing blood curdling sound I’ve ever heard in my life.  Due to her injuries she was unconscious but aware.  I could hear her quite well as they pulled her from the car.

Once we were both extricated from the car we were airlifted by helicopter to Spokane.  So I remember the ride on the angel of mercy, the wife however does not.  We both went through long surgeries that night to deal with our injuries.  After which I spent 24 hours in the ICU and TMW spent 48 while recovering.

So there’s the story and pictures (after the car was moved to the wrecking yard) of the Hyundai.  If we can find the packet of accident scene photos we’ll try and post some scans of them.

While I was busy this weekend I heard about a shooting in Mount Rainier National Park.  I didn’t have time to investigate, though this morning I heard details about it on the radio.  I figured the blood dancers would be out, I just didn’t think how idiotic they would be.

Miguel this morning just how dumb and crazy they were.  They wasted no time to blame the shooting on the NRA and the modification of the National Parks rules which said they had to follow state law regarding weapons and concealed carry. 

There’s some serious problems with this logic though.

First and foremost is that the individual was a prohibited person under the Lautenberg Amendment.

In July, the mother of Barnes’ young daughter said in court papers seeking a protection order that he “has possible PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) issues,” NBC station KING of Seattle reported. In seeking sole custody of the girl, she said Barnes was suicidal and “gets easily irritated, angry, depressed and frustrated.” 

Second the park shooting was not the first shooting that day.

Witnesses told investigators that about nine people attended the party, many of them armed, and some had a “show and tell” with their guns. Some fired shots in the air to celebrate the new year. At 3 a.m. Sunday, one partygoer asked to see another’s gun and then refused to give it back.

At least two people drew their weapons — Barnes was one of them — and four people were injured in the shootout, two of them critically, the sheriff’s office said Tuesday. It wasn’t clear who fired first.

So this individual illegally had a firearm, engaged in a shoot out with other individuals, then fled.  Yet somehow he was going to magically be stopped at an invisible border and turn around because you’re not allowed to carry a gun!?  I’ve driven through Mount Rainier national park numerous times since my 21st birthday, I often had a loaded firearm with me.  Why?  Because unnecessary handling of a firearm is how accidental discharges happen.  I was usually driving through on my way home to visit friends and family while on break.  Did I shoot anyone? No, it stayed in it’s holster the whole time, where it’s safer for everyone.  Yet these blood dancing savages criminalized that behavior and insist that it is horrible for public safety.  The would prefer I unholster at each side of the park and unload and reload.  Each of those instances provide for the chance of a accidental discharge.

You know what is really horrible for public safety.  Running out and dancing in the blood of the innocent blaming tools and inanimate objects.  The sole goal in doing so is to disarm the law abiding to ensure their victim status.  They focus on attacking the right of self-defense instead of trying to actually get people the help they need.  Why would you need to carry a firearm for self defense in a national park they’d ask.

The visitor center was locked down, with tourists finally being escorted out by armed guards after midnight. To warn one group of backcountry campers of the situation, authorities flew over by helicopter and dropped handwritten messages on paper coffee cups that a gunman was on the loose, according to postings and photographs on the nwhikers.net message board.

Looks like that question is self answering in this incident.  Tell me, were the authorities going to be able to protect those hikers in the back country of the national park?

Overall I find the behavior of the Brady Campaign and CSGV down right despicable.  Instead of trying to get people the help the need, which would help prevent incidents like this from ever happening, they insist of disarming the public and attacking inanimate objects.  They insist on ignoring the individual.  The individual is always responsible for their actions.  That said, if you want to help prevent things like this from happening, you should be seeking help for them if you are in fear for your safety.  Instead of actually trying to find out what was wrong, just like Jared Loughner, people ignored the signs.  The innocent shouldn’t be punished for the choices of others.  The correct way to help with this problem is to make sure to help those who are disturbed before they break.  Treat the individual in trouble, don’t disarm the victims.

h/t Miguel for the Facebook image.