Take note, "Just Give the Robbers What They Want" People!  Sometimes that's just not enough.  And sometimes idiot neighbors will condemn you for defending your own life, just because they're panty-shitting idiots.

...two hooded men robbed an employee of the Soprano's Meat Market at gun point at 2703 Ursulines Avenue.  Store owner and brother of the employee, Rick Abraham, says surveillance video captured the entire incident.

"They robbed him, beat him with the gun, threw him on the floor, and demanded the money," he said.

But Abraham says his brother was only carrying $50, and so when the robbers demanded more, his brother pulled out his own gun to defend himself.  "What happened wasn't just some gunfight; it was a matter of life and death situation."

The incident was recorded.  It doesn't seem like there was any doubt as to the defensive nature of this shooting, but when you have a bunch of neighborhood shrews unaccustomed to violence and unprepared to defend themselves, the victim gets the blame.

But on Tuesday night, a handful residents showed up to the First District police station, arguing otherwise. During the New Orleans Neighborhood and Police Anti-Crime Council Meeting (NONPAC), residents argued that the store employee should not have continued to shoot at the robbers, especially if the two men were fleeing the scene.

"What we don't understand is how it's possible that a business owner feels it's the safe and right thing to do to chase a robber down a full city block shooting in a residential neighborhood,” said Kate Parker, President of the Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association.

Two problems with that.  First - if a violent thug threatens your life over $50 and demands more at gunpoint, you're damn well justified in chasing him down and shooting his ass!  If you don't, chances are he'll just move on to his next victim of the night.  Second - THE VIDEO NEVER SHOWED THE VICTIM CHASING DOWN ANYONE.  Apparently the victim did shoot back - with good reason!  But that doesn't matter to the Soiled Panty Brigade who are quaking more at the idea a bullet hole in their truck or building from a righteous self dfense case than they are at the idea of a violent robber running around their neighborhood.

What really chaps my ass is that these people are such pathetic cowards that they're eager to blame someone who chooses to take responsibility for their own safety rather than blaming the armed thugs who choose to terrorize innocent victims.  These bleating, pusillanimous losers are so mired in their blame game, they don't even acknowledge the courage of standing up to an assailant. 

Many of the residents at Tuesday’s anti-crime meeting say they blame the store's owner for much of the area's illegal activity.  They say the meat market stays open later than it should, and accuse the store's owner of attracting customers who contribute to crime. 

This is much akin to telling a rape victim she's to blame for her plight because her skirt is too short.  A proprietor trying to make an honest living by working longer hours to EARN a profit is not to blame for the actions of criminal vermin.  A business owner shouldn't have to alter his business hours to the thugs' schedules.  That's the coward's way out.  The hero's way out is to ensure that violent scum doesn't come back to that neighborhood.

Too bad the neighbors are too scared and stupid to support that concept.

        

So I've had a harrowing morning.  There was an accident on I-395 in the left lane, which was immediately followed by a broken down tractor trailer in the right lane.  You can imagine what that did to rush hour traffic in DC.  You, dear readers, will be happy to know that I have not killed anyone on the highway yet.  Paul Helmke's fears of blood on the highways from armed citizens consumed by road rage have not been realized... at least not by me.

Nonetheless, I got to the office this morning to find out that two of my three computer systems decided they hate me today, and that I got an email from Bradley, quoting one of the latestRoseanne Barr emissions about Brangelina.  Great.  Now, let me say this:  I don't care about Brangelina.  Those two insipid dorks are completely irrelevant to my life.  To my knowledge they're hurting no one, going about their business of being vapid and pretty.  I couldn't care less for whom they're voting.  And Roseanne Barr... well that one is about as relevant as the League of Nations and just about as useful.  But nonetheless, her blog entry is so patently absurd, that it's worth mentioning.  For those of you who are feeling a bit down on yourselves, who are having a bout of low self esteem, read this carefully.  You'll immediately feel better about yourselves.  Trust me.

I do not like that angelina says she likes mccain. mccain is too old to be pres. and should choose dr kervorkian as his vice. he is not a hero at all, and gave up his buddies one day after capture...this is not the kind of man who can lead us. In fact, no man can, and that is why Hillary/cynthia mckinney is my choice for president convention or no, and I will only do what Hillary/cynthia tells me to do from now on, presidency or no!!!

I'm emailing a note to Hillary and Cynthia, asking them to please tell this twisted hasbeen to take her fat ass out of the gene pool in as painful a manner as possible.

        

I bet all you guys out there are jealous.  No one else has a best friend who would call them while they're stuck in massive amounts of DC traffic just to read them a news story they know will make their head explode.  This possible detonation subsequently causes the car to break land speed records so that the trip home and to the computer to blog about the news story takes less than an hour.  Now THAT's what I call a best friend!  He always knows how to make me blog my best.

So I'm sure y'all already read about the Texas town that will allow teachers and staff to carry guns to work, right?  If you haven't, here's the gist:

The small community of Harrold in north Texas is a 30-minute drive from the Wilbarger County Sheriff's Office, leaving students and teachers without protection, said David Thweatt, superintendent of the Harrold Independent School District. The lone campus of the 110-student district sits near a heavily traveled highway, which could make it a target, he argued.

[...]

For employees to carry a pistol, they must have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun; must be authorized to carry by the district; must receive training in crisis management and hostile situations; and must ammunition designed to minimize the risk of ricocheting bullets.

Well, this makes sense to me.  In an emergency, it could take police 1/2 hour or longer to arrive at the scene!  How many people can one armed thug or two armed, trench coat-wearing sociopaths mow down while the police respond?  Since when is leaving people in the middle of nowhere defenseless a common sense policy?

Apparently, it makes sense to SOMEONE!  That someone is a toad named Gayle Fallon, and yes, she really does look like a toad.  (Thanks to NewsBusters for picking up this story.)

Fallon is the president of the teachers union out there in Houston.  Gail is a cowardly, pathetic, ignorant, callous bitch who would rather see children shot by a sociopathic malcontent than allow teachers and administrators the choice to be able to defend themselves and their charges.

Fallon doesn't have much faith in the courage and integrity of her fellow educators.  "One of the things that hit me is, you know, Columbine and the other incidents were generally initiated by students. Now, I've been around teachers a long time.  They don't have it in them to aim at a student and kill him. They'll freeze.  Nor would I want them to."   

Two words for you:  Joel Myrick.

This foul creature is obviously ignorant about the Pearl, Mississippi incident.  But what struck me was her calculating lack of compassion for the disarmed victims and her insistence that somehow a cold-blooded miscreant who decides to murder scores of innocent victims is more deserving of protection against an armed citizen than his prey are against him.

What kind of sick, twisted bitch would deny an isolated school full of victims a chance at survival, just to give some violent piece of flotsam a chance to live, get away and kill again?

Let's get something straight.  The moment a foul, self-entitled sociopath picks up a weapon and decides to kill innocent people, he ceases to be a student and becomes a violent thug that needs to be put down for everyone's good.  To quote School District Superintendent David Thweatt, "I'm not going to be politically correct on this. I don't care what their problems were. They've gone in and killed children. And if they come into our school, they are going to meet resistance. And I think if we did have some resistance in our schools, these crackpots or whoever they are would stop going into them."


AMEN, Mr. Thweatt!  AMEN!  

        

My friend Vic is one of the most brilliant people you could ever meet.  I'm not just saying this as an entertaining hyperbole.  I really mean it.  You do not want to engage this man in a contest of wits.  Chances are you will lose.  That's why when Vic posts a blog entry that contains some sincere advice for Senator Obama, the smartest thing he and his handlers could do is actually take it to heart.  But since they're probably too superior to the rest of us losers to actually read blogs, I doubt they would even get a hold of this gem.

Seeing as I have harshly criticized Obama in the past, I have decided to give some advice to the Obama campaign in the spirit of fairness:

1. Lay off the Race Card.  It is old, it is tiring, and it is doing massive damage to your credibility.  While there will always be those on all side of the political spectrum who will always see race as an issue, the overuse of the Race Card is turning moderate voters away from you.
2. Find a position and stick to it.  Seriously.  You’re waffling more than John Kerry and John McCain combined; an astonishing feat in and of itself!  You are trying to be everybody’s friend.  This tactic does not work in real life, and it especially does not work in politics.  Ask George W. Bush how far trying to be everyone’s best friend has gotten him.
3. Lose the arrogance.  You come across as someone who thinks just a little too highly of himself, and that the election is merely a formality to be observed on your way to the White House.  Ask Hillary Clinton how far her sense of inevitability has gotten her.  Also, you tend to speak over people and not to people.  This gives feeds the impression of your arrogance and it leads people to believe that you are disconnected from mainstream America.
4. Learn to speak extemporaneously.  Good grief, man!  Away from your teleprompter and rehearsed speeches, you gaffe like George W. Bush!  Like Bush, when you stutter and stammer, you come across as insincere, unprepared, and/or in way over your head.

There's only one more piece of advice I'd add to Vic's wisdom:  LEARN SOME GODDAMN BASIC ECONOMICS! 

This little bit of advice can be taken to heart by both candidates equally, but since we're speaking to Obama in this particular blog, I reiterate:  LEARN SOME GODDAMN BASIC ECONOMICS! 

A "windfall profits" tax on companies that provide a basic commodity that the vast majority of Americans need will NOT benefit the middle class, whose ass you so ardently kiss.  If anything, the oil companies will pass those costs directly to the consumer through higher prices, making it even more cost prohibitive for members of that same middle class to drive to work!

And your ridiculous tax plan will do little more than raise marginal tax rates on individuals who don't even remotely fit the definition of "rich." (h/t John Lott)

Ultimately, the American voter votes with his wallet.  The economy is a critical thing to the average American, because at the end of the day, all bullshit politics aside, it's about whether or not we can pay our mortgage payment this month, feed our kids and put fuel in our car to get to work to earn money to start the whole damn cycle over again the following month.  And let me give you a clue -- redistribution of wealth via government force from those who have earned it to those who have not will not endear you to anyone with a shred of common sense (which probably accounts for the millions of drooling acolytes you have managed to bamboozle into believing that you understand anything about leadership, economics or the military).

So lay off our earnings, and learn a bit about basic supply and demand.  That would be my advice.

        

I always find it funny when I hear Kool-Aid guzzling Republicans say they will vote for McCain because he'll somehow nominate better Supreme Court Justices than Obama.  I can just hear the thought process now... 

Well, he's crappy on the Bill of Rights.  He doesn't know shit about economics.  He not only kisses illegal alien ass, he slurps it with such glee, you'd think it was the world's tastiest Mojito. But he'll at least appoint conservative judges, right?  RIGHT????

Not so much.  Taegan Goddard has just what I need to deflate McCain's political bubble yet again.  Sorry guys.  I know some of you weren't happy to have your delusion of McCain as your Second Amendment hero deflated.  And I'm about to destroy that fantasy as well.

The Rev. Rick Warren recently asked the Senator about his potential judicial nominees.  "Which existing Supreme Court justices would you not have nominated?" he inquired.


Oh, REEEEEEALLY?  Alito was your recent favorite, Mr. McCain?  There has been some coverage of McCain's opinion on Alito in the media.  Writing in the Wall Street Journal John Fund reported:


There has been some debate about this, and McCain has ardently denied he ever made that statement. 

OK.  I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on Alito.  However, how does McCain Explain the fact that he voted to confirm three of the four Justices he now claims he would have never nominated?  Breyer, Souter and Ginsburg - all YEA votes by Senator McCain.  So he wouldn't nominate them, but he'd surely vote to confirm them?

Hmmmmm... still trust McCain to nominate conservative justices to the highest court in the land?

Not me.

        

So there Frank and I were - at a gun show in Kingsport, TN - walking around, looking at the wares, marveling at how anyone would actually buy a pink or lavender handgun and drooling over stuff neither one of us could afford at the moment - when the opportunity came up to completely embarrass me, and Frank being Frank took it. (I WILL retaliate!  Seriously!  When he's least expecting it.) 

We were walking out to get some lunch, when someone called Frank's name.  It was the guy signing people up for NRA memberships in the lobby.  If you aren't a frequent patron of gun shows, they do that a lot.  A gun show is a great place to sign up new members, so they set up and entice folks to renew their membership or purchase a new one. 

In any case, as they were talking, I looked down at the table and I saw copies of American Rifleman, American Hunter, and a magazine for which I was a contributing editor when it first began publication -- Woman's Outlook.  Yes, believe it or not, the NRA and I weren't always at odds.  Hell, we're really not that much at odds now.  I just happen to think their stance on gun control could use a bit more stridency and a bit less compromise.  And back in 2003, when Woman's Outlook was just being created, mine was a regular column entitled "My Two Cents."  The issue that lay on the table was the very first issue of Woman's Outlook - one that not only contained my "grown up" photo, but also a black and white picture of me as a kid in the former USSR that I provided to the magazine for the story. 

If you're wondering to which issue I refer, it's the one on the top row on the left.


I showed the issue to Frank, just for the hell of it.  BIG MISTAKE!  HUGE!  Next thing I know he's talking about how I'm in this magazine and a celebrity in a very loud voice, the guy at the NRA table is joking about wanting my autograph, and I'm turning about a thousand different shades of red, because all of a sudden I feel like EVERYONE in that gun show lobby is staring at me!

So I did what any good author would do: I hid behind Frank while he and the guy at the NRA table laughed at me.  Yep.  I'm a dork.  I love to write.  I love to have people read and enjoy what I write.  I HATE attention of any kind above that!  I'm just not a people person.  Even when I'm introduced to someone for the first time, I am generally quiet, and I tend to blush if they actually pay any kind of attention to me... that is until I get comfortable.  Then, all bets are off!

I was finally able to drag Frank out of the lobby and back to our respective vehicles.  He was still chuckling as we walked out.  I hit him.  He paid for lunch.  That's a great relationship right there.

Oh, by the way, according to the NRA's site, Woman's Outlook ceased publication in 2006.  It appears it's still listed on the membership form as an option for publication of choice for those joining the NRA for the first time and those renewing their membership.  Unless you're looking for some really old issues, you might want to choose something else.

        

So if you know me at all, you know my best friend is in no way, shape or form a gun banner.  As a matter of fact, he's as stridently pro-freedom as I am.  That's why we were both shocked when he received the following in his email:

Stop Handgun Violence to Unveil Dramatic New Billboard Calling on Congress to Close the Gun Show Loophole that Gives Criminals and Terrorists Easy Access to Guns

(BOSTON) John Rosenthal, Founder and Chairman of Stop Handgun Violence, along with Mayor Thomas Menino; Public Safety Secretary Kevin Burke; Mass. State Police Commander Colonel Mark Delaney and Boston Police Superintendent Bruce Holloway, will hold a Press Conference on Tuesday, August 19 to unveil Boston's newest campaign to reduce gun violence and keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and terrorists.

America's largest billboard, a 252-foot long sign along the Massachusetts Turnpike next to Fenway Park, will be unveiled with a new powerful and provocative call- to-action message to close the "gun show loophole" in federal gun laws that allows terrorists and criminals to purchase firearms at gun shows "no questions asked" without a criminal background check or ID. This new message will be seen by more than 250,000 people every day. The billboard unveiling marks the kick-off of a national public awareness campaign by Stop Handgun Violence to pressure Congress to act on this critical public safety issue.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 19, 2008 10:00 A.M.

WHAT: Stop Handgun Violence - "We Sell Guns!" Mass Pike Billboard Unveiling and Press Conference

WHO: Stop Handgun Violence Chair John Rosenthal; Boston Mayor Thomas Menino; Mass. Public Safety Secretary Kevin Burke; Mass. State Police Commander Colonel Mark Delaney; Boston Police Superintendent Bruce Holloway. Confiscated Guns: Provided by BPD and MA State Police

WHERE: 601 Newbury Street /Art Institute of Boston, Room 320

WHY: Gun sales at gun shows have become a major threat to public safety and national security. An ATF study found that 30% of guns involved in its illegal trafficking investigations were connected to gun shows. One example of the public safety threat is the Columbine High School shooting, where all four guns used in the massacre were bought at gun shows without background checks.

John Gates
Email: john@elevatecom.com
Phone: 617.548.8972
Keith Gainsboro
Email: keith@elevatecom.com
Phone: 857.234.1481

Since I'm prone to bouts of impetuousness and stridency, my reply would be the following.  Feel free to reprint (with proper attribution, of course) and distribute.

Dear Festering Douchenozzles,

Today, for some unfathomable reason, my best friend received a press release from you.  Neither one of us is exactly sure why you're sending your grating lunacy to his inbox, but we're sure thrilled you did, because it gives me the opportunity to show you for the blithering ignorami you truly are.

So let me ask you a question... several actually.

QUESTION 1: How many terrorists have obtained weapons at gun shows, as your billboard claims?  After all, if you're going to claim that gun shows give terrorists and criminals easy access to guns, you should at least point to a single instance of a terrorist act perpetrated with a gun purchased at a gun show, right?  How about criminals?  How many of them purchase guns at gun shows?  Care to tell us?  I'm suspecting you know, but you'd look mighty stupid trying to convince people of the existence of a loophole when less than 2 percent of guns used in criminal activity are purchased at gun shows and flea markets.  And as for the terrorist question... one.  Not one percent.  One.  Maybe. 

An FBI terrorism task force arrested a Lebanese resident of Detroit allegedly involved in shipping weapons and ammunition to Hezbollah guerrillas. Ali Boumelhem, 35, was apprehended just before departing on a scheduled trip to Lebanon. Authorities say that Boumelhem, a leader in the militant Amal militia and a "sympathizer" of Hezbollah, traveled frequently to gun shows to buy arms and then hid them in cargo crates bound for Lebanon. FBI agents intercepted one cargo container bound for Lebanon which contained a pair of shotguns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a radio and a police scanner. In addition, an FBI informant told investigators that he had seen Boumelhem in Beirut unloading shipments of automatic weapons, explosives, grenades and rocket launchers. He faces charges in a U.S. District Court of shipping firearms to a nonlicensed person.

Notice a couple of things here.  1) The charge wasn't terrorism, but shipping firearms to a nonlicensed person.  2) Automatic weapons, explosives, grenades and rocket launchers are not standard gun show fare.  Therefore, Boumelhem may have purchased said equipment elsewhere.  So is it a terrorist "loophole" if one guy who was apprehended, by the way, was trying to ship arms to Hezbollah and may or may not have made purchases at gun shows?

I suspect you know the answer to that.

QUESTION 2: Are you douchebags aware that a gun dealer has to, by law, conduct background checks regardless of where he sells his wares - whether at a gun show, his kitchen, his basement or your mother's vast ass?  Are you also aware that the majority of folks who sell guns at gun shows are registered dealers, and therefore conduct background checks?

QUESTION 3: Are you aware that just because a gun is "involved in an investigation" doesn't mean it was used illegally or even purchased illegally?

And finally QUESTION 4:  You refer to the Columbine massacre as proof positive that we need background checks at gun shows.  Are you aware that the actual murderers, Klebold and Harris, did not make the purchase?  Two legal adults, who passed background checks with no problem, were responsible for the purchase.  Their names were Robin Anderson and Mark Manes, and they bought the guns legally - something Klebold and Harris would not have been able to do.  I suspect you know this as well, since you fail to mention that little fact in your press release.

In other words, you're liars who are willing to twist, distort and obfuscate in order to push your statist agenda.

Whom do you think you're kidding?  Do you honestly believe that destroying the livelihoods of numerous gun show promoters and licensed dealers will somehow fight crime?  Put down the bong, and get with a clue.  The citizens of this great nation, who appreciate the values and ideals on which America was built will not be fooled by you, and will not allow you to destroy their freedoms.

So screw you!

Molon Labe!

        

I've written before about the questionable practices of the NRA in endorsing any douchebag gun banner, as long as he's got an "R" behind his name.  So this little tidbit might not be a surprise to any of you.  However, since I'm quite obviously in a mood today, I'm going to quickly write about this.

The National Rifle Association said Wednesday that Barack Obama's campaign is trying to mislead voters about his past support of gun control, calling the Democratic candidate "a poster child of the extremist, elitist gun control movement."

So far I'm with you, NRA.  I don't see anything that suggests Obama respects gun rights in any way, shape or form.

The group was responding to recent remarks by Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat who supports gun rights and told reporters this week that Obama "ain't ever going to take your gun away." Schweitzer, who has the NRA's support in his re-election bid, added that there is little difference between the Democrat and Republican John McCain.

Well, let's see... both know next to nothing about economics.  Both love government control.  Both have little respect for the Bill of Rights.  Both have their tongues firmly implanted up the collective rectums of the illegal alien population in this country.  Um... yeah... I'm thinking the Gov is barking up the right tree.

But apparently, the NRA doesn't think so, and is once again giving the Golden Boy of the GOP a slide on his decidedly anti-freedom, anti-Bill of Rights record.

"To somehow suggest (Obama) is supportive of gun owners because he says so when he is in Montana running for president is absurd," the NRA's Chris W. Cox said in a telephone interview from Virginia. "We are going to make sure that anybody that tells Montana gun owners that Barack Obama is not a threat to gun owners is exposed as someone who is not shooting straight."

Now, maybe I'm reaching here, but when the Governor of Montana tells his constituents that Obambi "ain't ever going to take your gun away," that tells me he believes there will be mass resistance in Montana to any such effort, not that The Anointed One won't try.  Maybe I'm wrong.  I've been known to be wrong before, but it's possible.

I do have to LOL, however, when I read blatant pandering to gun owners from the Obama campaign, considering this man has never met a gun control measure he didn't love.

"The NRA is wrong to suggest we are misleading anybody," said Obama spokesman Caleb Weaver, adding: "Gun owners have nothing to fear from Barack Obama."

Now that right there is some funny shit.  Deluded and disturbing, but funny nonetheless... I don't care who ya are!  (Dave, are you proud of me?  Do I sound like a southerner yet?)

But what's NOT funny in the least farkin' bit is the NRA's double standard when it comes to setting the record straight about political candidates.  Note the immediate (and appropriate) reaction to Obama's claim that he is somehow supportive of gun rights.   But note the deafening silence from the NRA when John McCain touts his Second Amendment credentials and claims how he believes in "no gun control" whatsoever. 

"I do not believe we should tamper with the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States," he said. A woman shouted that George Washington's troops used muskets, not automatic weapons.

[...]

"I strongly support the Second Amendment and I believe the Second Amendment ought to be preserved _ which means no gun control," McCain said.

Of course, McCain's actual record shows something completely different.  Gun Owners of America has given McCain an "F-" rating, which, as far as I know, is unheard of in NRA circles for a Republican candidate.  His efforts to kill gun shows (because, you see TERRORISTS are exploiting it!), which he's currently masquerading and parading around as an effort to "standardize" sales procedures, his gun control ads for gun grabber Andrew McKelvey's gun control group Americans for Gun Safety, his love for "lock up your safety" legislation that pushes gun locks on gun owners by forcing manufacturers to include them in the packaging (guess who absorbs the cost of that, John?  Or did your mental retardation vis-a-vis economic principles kick in again?) paint a very different picture of McCain, who boasted at CPAC a few months ago how he has a spotless Second Amendment record.

And yet, while the NRA is quick to jump on Obama's ass about misrepresenting his record, they're conspicuously silent about McCain's efforts to do the same thing. 

Frankly, anyone who has as little respect for the First Amendment as McCain does can't possibly have that much respect for the Second.

But piss poor records on gun control haven't stopped the NRA from endorsing gun grabbers in the past, so why should things change? 

Any bets about when the NRA will officially endorse McCain?

        

So the 90 mile commute to work each day... there are advantages and disadvantages.  One advantage is that on the way in, I can mentally prepare myself for the day, figure out in my head (I never write anything down that I need to do, because I invariably stray from that schedule and become angry with myself for not following the set protocol), and on my way back, I can decompress, clear my head from the day's work and get into what I like to call "at home mode."  That's the mode where I get home, let the dog out, feed him, strip off clothes, sprawl on the bed and just chill for the night. (Note: the strip off clothes thing only happens when the kids are gone for the summer.  Otherwise, it's get home, hug the kids, change, make dinner, hang out with the kids, sleep...  No stripping involved.)

So anyway... part of my routine in the morning is to listen to talk radio news and ensure that nothing pressing happened that would compel me to change my mental routine for the day.  Since current events drive my schedule, this part of my day is crucial.  Unfortunately, my listening to the radio comes with a downside.  Between the bits of important current overseas events, I have to listen to stories like this.

While handguns have been legal in the District for a month, residents are still unable to purchase guns because there are no gun stores in the city. Charles Sykes is the only licensed gun dealer in the city who is willing to facilitate the transfer of handguns from out-of-state dealers into the District. Sykes, who has been transferring handguns for security firms since 1994, is waiting for the ATF to approve his change of address before he can start doing business again.

Sykes tells WTOP he met with ATF inspectors on Tuesday. "They inspected my office," Sykes says. "They say it should be only a few weeks now, then I'll get my license from the District police and I'll be back in business."

Sykes says he will be charging a $125 fee to transfer each handgun. Since Sykes is the only dealer in town, he can charge whatever he wants. $125 might seem like a lot. In my case it's 50 percent of the purchase price for my $250 Smith & Wesson. Sykes says he gets between 1 to 2 calls a day about transferring guns.

I'm all for the free market.  I'm one of the biggest capitalists you'll ever meet, and I fully support Mr. Sykes' right to charge whatever he deems necessary for the service only he can provide in that particular location at this time.   What pisses me off is the myriad of bureaucratic hoops that have to be navigated, paperwork filed, fees paid, etc. that makes it inconvenient, cumbersome and probably undesirable for too many gun dealers to open up shop in DC, thanks to Mayor Adrian Fenty and his motley herd of statist freaks and their insistence on placing as many obstacles in the way of gun rights as possible.  This, of course, gives Mr. Sykes a monopoly on the business in the city, allowing him to charge anything he pleases (since there's a marked lack of competition) and making tools of self defense cost prohibitive for a whole lot of folks in the District. 

Again, I don't blame Mr. Sykes.  He provides a service that no one else in the city is willing or able to provide at this point in time. He should damn well make a profit!   I do have a problem with DC's twisted little plot to keep competition in the business nonexistent, and through its elimination make guns more difficult to keep in DC.

"A few weeks" to get a license back when all you required was a change of address!!!???  How long, exactly, does it take for one fat-assed bureaucrat to punch a few keys on its brand new computer in the orifices of the ATF and change Mr. Sykes' address?  I can produce an average of one 10 page paper per week at work.  That's a paper that generally requires a copious amount of research -  not one change of address that requires some affirmative action hire to glance at a form and change one field in the computer!  And why does the ATF have to "approve" a change of address?  Why does this simple change require their permission? 

And that pisses me off...

Which leads to anger on the road and a demented desire to rear-end the vehicle in front of me with enough deliberate force so as to cause the driver to slam his head into his steering wheel and perhaps receive a bloody nose in the process.

This also leads me to want to pound the snot out of the driver of the white van, which contained no less than three illegal alien-looking grungers, that cut me off THREE times between Manassas and the Pentagon.  I realize that whatever third-world shithole these dimwits left doesn't have traffic rules, but rather suggestions.  However, when we drive on the interstates in Virginia, we generally like to:  1) turn on a friggin' signal if you're going to cut across three friggin' lanes of traffic in a span of less than five seconds, 2) try to look over your left shoulder to ensure that you're not forcing the driver in front of whom you're stuffing your bulky, crumbling jalopy of a van isn't forced to slam on his or her brakes to avoid hitting your fat ass, and 3) DON'T FRIGGIN' CUT THROUGH THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC IN FRIGGIN' RUSH HOUR.  YOU AIN'T GOING TO GET TO YOUR FRIGGIN' DESTINATION ANY FRIGGIN' FASTER, AND YOU'RE GOING TO PISS OFF A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER MOTORISTS WHO AREN'T AS NICE AS I AM AND WILL BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU, OK JOSE?

And by the way... speaking of pet peeves... what makes the fashion trend of wearing a nice business suit with FRIGGIN' FLIP FLOPS acceptable in any way?  Seriously?  It's hideous, ruins the look, and inappropriate for an office environment, ESPECIALLY if you're working for the federal government!  Sorry, but if your high heels make your life miserable during the short walk from the parking lot to your office, then maybe you should BUY MORE COMFORTABLE SHOES!!!  And some of these women don't bother changing into normal shoes when they get to the office.  They walk around in neatly-pressed dark skirts, business casual blouses and FLIP FLOPS!!!  Guess what, Lucinda!  I have ZERO desire to see your gnarly toes!

And by the way, if you weigh over 300 lbs., do not have a legitimate health reason (I can't control my constant eating doesn't count as a legitimate health reason), and are shoving a gargantuan pastry from Starbucks into your maw you should consider taking the one flight of stairs from the second to the third floor, instead of taking the friggin' elevator and forcing everyone else to roll their eyes as you heave your gigantic bulk out of the small, enclosed space after only riding one floor.  Trust me - the walk will do you good. (And yes, I took the stairs this morning from the second to the fifth floor, so lay off,  Porky!)

There.  I've vented.  I feel better.

        

So I was sitting at my computer, eating an incredibly spicy Hungarian mushroom soup, which almost made my eyes bleed from the supreme hotness of it, when I perused David's blog for the first time today.  I'd been asking David what's been going on with Ryan Horsley since he shut his old blog down, and now I know!

Ryan has a new blog!

I'm updating my blogroll.  Hopefully you're updating yours.

Welcome back to the blogosphere, Ryan!

BY THE WAY:  If you guys want to be added to my blogroll, and you think I'll like you enough to do it - or if you think there should be a site on there that I haven't added yet, please free to drop me a line.