Man Gets Out of Gun Charge Using "Biden Shotgun" Defense Strategy

Thanks, VPOTUS!

Most Successful Congress Ever?

Over at Reason, David Harsanyi argues that the current Congress, as unpopular as it is in opinion polls, has been remarkably successful at blocking the sort of freedom-eroding laws that ruin a country by degrees.

Gun owners feel this keenly, since very nearly every law passed by government concerning guns is an erosion of freedom. There has been pushback against this erosion in recent decades thanks to the efforts of the NRA and other gun owner organizations, but the default position of government is to disarm its citizens, because you can't force your will upon free men if you have to worry about them shooting you in retaliation.

Poll of the Day

We'll base it on this story: Should there be a federal law allowing veterans to render military-style salutes when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or when the National Anthem is played at sporting events?

Should There Be a Law That Veterans Not In Uniform May Render Hand Salutes?
	Yes, there oughta be a law!
	No, it's a stupid idea.
	Dont' we have more important stuff to legislate?
pollcode.com free polls

My own opinion is that we don't need such a law. Further, I think that for simplicity's sake, that if you are wearing civilian clothing you should render the standard hand-on-heart salute. We already have enough problems with phony military "heroes" without giving wannabes and fakers yet another way to disrespect our service.

Laws?

The UK Daily Mail finds the British to be a law-breaking lot:

We may have a reputation as being a reserved lot, but the British are actually a nation of rule-breakers.

A study has found that many people break 260 rules a year - but we can't really claim to be dare-devils as, for most of us, this brush with danger involves using a neighbour's bin or pinching stationary from the office.

Research shows that the average Brit knowingly breaks five rules every week, which amounts to 16,250 acts of rebellion in the average adult lifetime.

All of these "laws" fall into the malum prohibitum category: wrong simply because someone has written a law prohibiting a behavior. Many of them, such as not tipping at a restaurant, aren't even malum prohibitum laws, but customs. Here's the list:

1. Crossing a pedestrian crossing when man is red - 33 per cent
2. Taking sachets from cafes - 30
3. Not recycling properly - 27
4. Take stationery from work - 23
5. Passing parking tickets to others to save them money - 22
6. Not tipping in restaurants - 21
7. Pocketing change when given wrong amount - 21
8. Sprayed yourself with tester perfume instead of buying your own - 21
9. Eating or drinking at the wheel - 18
10. Not clearing your table at a fast food restaurant - 14
11. Used someone else's WIFI - 14
12. Putting your feet up on the train - 13
13. Putting rubbish in a neighbours bin if yours is full - 12
14. Watching pirate videos - 12
15. Cycling on a pavement - 11
16. Downloading music illegally - 11
17. Using your mobile while driving - 10
18. Throwing down cigarette butts - 9
19. Driving in a bus lane - 9
20. Dropping litter in the street - 9

As you can see, hardly a bunch of things that anyone would take all that seriously.

Jesse Ventura's Evil Twin

We'll call the evil twin "Scruff Face."

A lawyer for the ex-Navy SEAL sniper who is being sued for defamation by Minnesota's former governor over an alleged punch argued Tuesday, Dec. 18, that in order to claim punitive damages, Ventura must prove the former SEAL didn't punch someone who "looked and acted like Ventura."

John Borger, the attorney representing former SEAL and best-selling author Chris Kyle, told a federal magistrate that Ventura has to prove Kyle fabricated the story about the punch and knew it was false when he stuck it in his book.

Ventura's lawyers haven't shown that Kyle knew his statement was false, Borger said.

"They can't rule out the possibility there was a Ventura impersonator," Borger told U.S. Magistrate Arthur Boylan in the pretrial hearing in federal court in Minneapolis.

Lawyers. They fuck everything up, don't they?

Meanwhile, Over At Reason Magazine...

...Damon Root discusses how the next President will affect the Supreme Court with the opportunity to nominate one or more Justices.

He mainly discusses it in terms of Citizens United, but mentions Roe v. Wade in passing, also, and points up Anthony Kennedy's libertarian tendencies as likely to be missed. No mention at all of gun rights post-Heller.

I'm Glad They're Starting With the Important Stuff

Wanting to reduce the amount of "Big Brother" government intrusion via unnecessary laws, a Florida lawmaker has introduced a repeal on the ban on dwarf tossing in Florida.

Police So Incompetent...

...that civilians had to turn into amateur sleuths to run a proper investigation.

Fire Burns, Cold Freezes...

...and electricity will shock you to death if you aren't careful.

Really, how does someone get to be 18 years old and not learn these things? This is right up there with that idiotic lawsuit from the woman who was burned by hot coffee at McDonald's.

You Are Not Wearing A Badge, Are You Ashamed Of Yo' Profession?

Police in UK during the G20 Summit protests apparently hid or removed their badges so that they could not be identified as abusing the protesters.


Bonus points will be awarded to the reader who correctly identifies the movie quote in my subject line.

Necessity Knows No Law

A new Australian movie discusses the life of Irishman Alexander Pearce, who escaped from a prison off of Tasmania with some companions and resorted to cannibalism to survive.

See also The Custom of the Sea.

Ninth Circuit Gets One Right!

They decided that spitting in someone's face is a crime.

Just in time for this event.