This Texas Gun Store Is Part Firearms Museum (Photos)

Bronze Samurai Warrior
CLICK TO ENLARGE

I was walking through a big strip mall a few days ago in Houston, Texas. There's a large sporting goods store that I wanted to visit there, and it's set way back in the mall. To get there I had to pass by what was, until mid-2019, a big book store. That space sat empty until a month ago, and I did a double-take when I saw that it was now occupied by a gun store.

Bronze Samurai Warrior
CLICK TO ENLARGE

But it's not just any gun store. Collectors Firearms is a family-owned business. They were at the southeast corner of Fondren Road and Richmond Avenue for many years but had outgrown that space.

The new location is at 7626 Westheimer (at Voss). I'm not good at estimating square footage, but I would guess they have at least 20,000 square feet.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

When I walked through the front door, I gasped. Glass cases filled with antique handguns give this place a museum-like atmosphere. Antique military helmets fill other glass cases. Sheathed Japanese swords guard another.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Straight ahead of the entrance are two bronze statues of Japanese Meiji period bronze Samurai warriors from the mid-1800s. (The Meiji era of Japanese history went from October 1868 to July 1912.) These bronze pieces are magnificent.

They are quite special and rightfully stand at the very center of the store -- a place of honor. One of the managers, a gentleman named Mike, is an expert in Japanese swords. He's been selling and studying them for over 30 years, and he told me the story of the two samurai soldiers.

Female YouTube Shooter Is Nasim Aghdam, PETA Warrior

YouTube shooter Nasim Aghdam (Facebook via KGO-TV)

The shooter at YouTube's San Bruno HQ has been identified as Nasim Aghdam. Also, we found that Aghdam was a radical PETA supporter.

From ABC7 San Francisco:

SAN BRUNO, Calif. (KGO) -- Chaos erupted on the YouTube campus in San Bruno Tuesday afternoon when an alleged female shooter entered the campus and opened fire, wounding three employees.

ABC7 News sources confirm the YouTube shooter was a user of the platform. Nasim Aghdam has a website with an alleged manifesto that targets YouTube for censorship and demonetization of her video content.

Most importantly, ABC7 reports that "Aghdam is said to have no relationship with anyone in the YouTube facility." This is significant because nearly all earlier reports said she may have been targeting a male YouTube employee in a "domestic dispute." The fact that her own website indicates otherwise is chilling.   More at ABC7

(Charlie Neuman / Union-Tribune)

You can watch a video by Aghdam here, in which she rants about how YouTube has demonetized some of her videos and complains that her videos were "filtered," causing reduced views. According to NBC Bay Area, "The NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit has also learned the license plate on a car towed from YouTube’s campus Tuesday is registered to Aghdam. In 2014, she posted a video on YouTube of what appears to be the same car, stating that it was vandalized by 'anti-vegans' because the car had a sign saying 'meat is murder.'" More at NBC Bay Area.

While researching Aghdam, Chicago News Bench found 2009 article in The San Diego Union that featured a photo of Nasim Aghdam protesting with the radical group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Nasim Aghdam, then 29, wore a wig and jeans "with large blood drops painted on them" as she protested with other PETA members at Camp Pendelton on August 12, 2009.

The San Diego Union quoted Aghdam as saying, “For me, animal rights equal human rights.”

I'm no psychologist, but in my layman's opinion it would seem that Ms. Aghdam was mentally unbalanced.

UPDATE: Female Shooter Dead in YouTube Shooting Incident

Photo via Pitchfork.com 

Updated 10:15 PM CDT:

Female YouTube Shooter Identified as Nasim Aghdam, PETA Warrior (Chicago News Bench)

A good summary of the shooting comes from The Guardian (UK) this evening:

"The San Bruno police chief, Ed Barberini, said during a news conference that police had responded to 911 calls from the Silicon Valley tech campus and discovered a woman, whom they believed to be the shooter, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barberini did not release any information about a possible motive or the suspect’s identity, but said the attack was carried out with a handgun and that there was no further threat to the public."

"Four people were transported to local hospitals, police said, including three with gunshot wounds. The three are being treated at San Francisco General hospital, a spokesman confirmed, including a 36-year-old man in critical condition and a 32-year-old woman in serious condition. It was not immediately clear where the fourth victim was being treated and in what condition." More at The Guardian.

Earlier: 

"Two separate law enforcement sources told ABC7 News that the shooter is a white, adult female wearing a dark top and head scarf." ABC7 reported that the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Note that a scarf does not necessarily indicate that the shooter was Muslim: It could have been meant as a disguise or to control her hair.

Obama, Emanuel, Gregory Hypocrites About Armed School Guards

Dec. 26, 2012 - The hypocrisy of Liberals, Democrats and other subspecies of anti-gun creatures is mind-boggling.

After the Dec. 14 shooting that killed 28 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, the NRA's Wayne LaPierre called for placement of armed guards in all of the nation's schools.

As predicted, the anti-gun crowd immediately howled that guns are not a way to protect kids in schools, many arguing that it would only compound the problem. And yet...

The hypocrisy comes from politicians such as Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and His Royal Highness Barack Obama, and such as NBC's David Gregory. They say they are anti-gun, each has made statements against putting armed guards in schools, they all send their children to private schools where armed personnel protect the staff and students.

Emanuel and Obama, and thousands of other politicians, never appear in public without a cadre of well-armed guard flanking them for protection. And who can blame them? They want to be safe. They feel that armed guards protect themselves and their kids. So, why then, do they tell us that the same thing won't protect you and me?

"As it happens," notes Wizbangblog.com, "Gregory sends his kids to D.C.-based Sidwell Friends, the same expensive, high-end school the President sends his own children to. Every day that school features armed security details. In fact, the security department is quite large for such a small school as Daniel Halper points out."

Yet, hypocritical elitists such as Obama, Emanuel and Gregory insist that what works well for them is not appropriate for the average ordinary peasant. “It’s outrageous and unsettling that the NRA would choose to address gun violence not by taking assault weapons off our streets, but by adding more guns to our schools,” Emanuel said in a written statement. “That is not the right answer for our society, our schools and most importantly our children.”

"While the Obama administration is calling the idea of armed protection at our schools crazy, they are not mentioning the fact that Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, has 11 security officers and is seeking to hire more," points out Gather.com. (See the classified ad here.) "This of course is on top of the secret service officers that are at the school daily since Obama's daughter attend there. Joe Biden's grandchildren as well as children and grandchildren of other high profile political figures attend Sidwell Friends. One more note here. As Hillary and Bill Clinton were calling for gun control, their daughter was attending Sidwell Friends for the superb protection afforded by the added by the schools armed security."

Perhaps Emanuel's hypocrisy was best summed by Jim Johnson of WLS 890 AM in Chicago:

"Oh, outraged huh? Gee, if he's soooo outraged, then why doesn't he pull his kids out of the LAB School at the U of C campus. Guess the 2 U of C armed police officers that work the Lab School everyday just make for such a scary and unsafe environment. Oh wait, if he did that then he just might have to enroll his kids in the local CPS school by his house!?!?! Wait, that can't happen. CPS is just good enough for the peasants kids but not for his little angels. Double standard hypocrite." (h/t: Second City Cop)

Johnson was referring to The University of Chicago Laboratory School, an exclusive and expensive private school. Before he ascended to the Throne, Obama sent his daughters to this bastion of education for the wealthy and privileged. Emanuel currently sends his own kids there. (This begs for a discussion of their hypocrisy about school choice and school vouchers, but we'll save that for another day.)

What the anti-gun idiots do not seem to understand is the painfully obvious fact that when there is a mad killer on the loose in a school, there will be a scramble to call 911. And why is 911 called? To get police to the scene, of course, so that they can - drum roll, please - introduce guns into the school, and thereby stop the lunatic. In other words - and this is what the anti-gun morons cannot seem to comprehend - the defensive guns will be in a school that's under attack sooner or later. Yet, with incredibly dysfunctional "logic," the anti-gun imbeciles opt have the defensive guns arrive later, after the murderous attacker has had more time to kill than he would have if an armed guard, armed teacher or other armed staff member been able to draw his or her own pistol and end the killing well before the police dispatcher even finished with the first 911 call.

"How have our nation's priorities gotten so far out of order?" asked LaPierre in his statement. "Think about it. We care about our money, so we protect our banks with armed guards. American airports, office buildings, power plants, courthouses - even sports stadiums - are all protected by armed security. We care about the President, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents. Members of Congress work in offices surrounded by armed Capitol Police officers. Yet when it comes to the most beloved, innocent and vulnerable members of the American family - our children - we as a society leave them utterly defenseless, and the monsters and predators of this world know it and exploit it. That must change now!"

So there they are: Obama and fellow anti-gun clowns telling us that we need stricter gun laws. They tell us what we cannot do to protect our own children, while they themselves do exactly what they say would be wrong for us. It should be remembered that the State of Connecticut and the City of Chicago have some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. And just how are those working out?

NRA's Wayne LaPierre: The Only Thing That Stops a Bad Guy With a Gun Is a Good Guy With a Gun

Dec. 21, 2012 - FULL VIDEO of NRA Press Conference - Many predicted that the world would end today. They were wrong. Another prediction that proved false was that the National Rifle Association would soften its stand on gun rights as guaranteed by the Second Amendment. Au contraire, for the NRA is standing strong today by issuing a powerful statement that they are standing strong on guns and the need for them. The NRA made a gutsy and hard-truths statement this morning at their news conference in Washington, D.C.

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," said Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA. He also said that "the monsters and the predators of the world" take advantage of the fact that schools and other places are "gun-free zones." As we've said here many times, gun-free zones are helpless-victim zones, deliberately made vulnerable to attack. (Read the full text of Wayne LaPierre's statement below.)

During the press conference, LaPierre said, "Why is the use of a gun when it's asked to be used to protect the president or used by the police, but bad when it's used to protect children." He challenged the media to "at least admit that it's possible" that armed guards might have been able to stop the Newtown shooting.

USA Today reports that a protester interrupted the event by holding up a red handmade sign that said "NRA Killing Our Kids, CodePink.org." (Watch the video, above.) The protester was escorted out by security he shouted, "NRA, stop killing our children." (The poor lunatic probably also thinks that the American Automobile Association is responsible for the approximately 30,000 traffic deaths every year.)

Guns Could Have Saved Lives In That Colorado Theater

When I first heard about the horrific shooting during a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises"at the Century 16 complex in Aurora, Colorado my first thought was, "What a shame that some of those moviegoers weren't armed." One woman was quoted as saying that the gunman, James Eagan Holmes, 24,, stood "right in front of me" and pulled the trigger. Her reaction: "I dove over the seats" to take cover.

James Eagan Holmes

Think about that. If she'd had a gun, she could have shot the bastard and saved some people. Another person aimed his cellphone camera at the gunman. Too bad that guy didn't have .38 to aim at him instead.

I have not heard or seen a single report of anybody shooting back at Holmes. 

Reuters sums up the nightmare: A gunman in a gas mask and body armor killed 12 people at a midnight premiere of the new "Batman" movie in a suburb of Denver early on Friday, opening fire on moviegoers after hurling a gas canister into the theater. Armed with an assault rifle, a shotgun and a pistol, he wounded another 59 with gunfire during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" at a mall in Aurora, which turned into a chaotic scene of bleeding victims, horrified screams and pleas for help, witnesses said. More from Reuters....

We'll be hearing from imbecile liberals all weekend and next week as they use this as an excuse for more gun control. The irony is that more guns - legal guns in the right hands - would have saved lives. Both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama had the good taste to express their horror at the shooting . I have no reason to believe that either was not sincere. The Repugnant Jesse Jackson, Sr., on the other hand, practically wet his pants, in such a hurry was he to make anti-gun political hay out of tragedy by calling for a ban on guns. Jackson, by the way, is often accompanied by armed bodyguards.

The weapons used by Holmes included an AR-15 assault rifle, a 12 gauge shotgun and a Glock .40 caliber handgun. All of his weapons were purchased legally, reports say, and this will undoubtedly be cited by liberal anti-gun extremists as further evidence of a complete ban on firearms. That would be a ridiculous argument, however, because most of the baseball bats, knives, meat cleavers, bottles of Drain-O and automobiles that are used to kill people every year are also legally purchased. No weapon, legally purchased or otherwise, kill  makes the decision to kill. That's done by the person who possesses the weapon, and the fact is that some people will always commit violence. Banning all firearms would leave the rest of us defenseless. (Please read the excellent opinion piece by Tom Weaver below.)

Must-Read: Dark Knight Rises Shooter Could Have Been Stopped 'If Members Of The Audience Were Armed,' Says American Guns Star - RadarOnline.com

Tom Weaver, candidate for Congress, understands that:
http://tomweaverforcongress.com/news/2012-07-20/another-senseless-shooting

We wake up this morning to the news of a terrible tragedy carried out in Colorado. Innocent people watching a newly released movie were suddenly facing a deranged shooter. And the effects are devastating.

Our prayers must go out to the victims and their families.

Why did this person commit these horrific acts? The answer is simple – no one will ever really know. Throughout the history of man, individuals, groups and governments have committed these crimes – destroying both life and liberty.

But as once stated, we have a natural right to life, a natural right to liberty, and a natural right to the pursuit of happiness. Our Founders believed in those natural rights and understood that the right to life means we have a natural right to defend our lives. And hence, they placed a guarantee within the Constitution that Government will never interfere with a person’s natural right to self-defense.

And yet, Government has done just the opposite by creating so many rules and regulations which limit the ability of people to defend themselves. Government has created an atmosphere which allows the right of self-defense to be forfeited for almost any reason. Government has created the façade that only they can protect us. This is wrong. Why? GOVERNMENT CANNOT PROTECT US – it is up to us, the people, to provide that protection.

One country that understands the natural right of self-defense is Switzerland. Switzerland has one of the highest gun ownership rates in the world, yet, there is hardly any gun crime.

This tragedy may have been avoided had the person known that everyone in the aisle seats had the ability to defend themselves, their children, their loved ones and their neighbor. Our Founders were correct in stating that government must protect the right of citizens to self-defense, to keep and bear arms.

Wilmette Drops Handgun Ban!

The proposed ordinance to repeal the local ban was passed unanimously late Tuesday night. “The Supreme Court has made their decision. It calls into question our ordinance,” said Village President Chris Canning. FULL STORY at Wilmette Life... Well, God bless President Canning. Now what the hell are Chicago's Mayor Daley and his City Council of Stooges waiting for? Hat tip to Backyard Conservative, who has some pithy comments about the Wilmette action! Also see RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS at Second City Sarge...

Four More Daley Failures

"Chicago police will be out in greater numbers for tonight’s Navy Pier fireworks show after four people were shot last night as crowds streamed out of the Grant Park fireworks and Taste of Chicago," reports the Chicago Sun-Times today.

Thank goodness for Mayor Daley's (unconstitutional) handgun ban. He could argue, I suppose, that if not for the handgun ban there would have been even more shootings in Chicago last night. He might also argue that since we cannot see beyond the horizon, the earth must be flat.

“We’re going to have an even greater police presence” tonight, Police Supt. Jody Weis announced this afternoon. “We’ll have both uniformed officers and officers in a covert status that will mingle with the crowd and provide even greater security.” He also said, “It will be agile. It will be fluid, but we will be where the problems might develop.”

It's comforting to know that Superintendent Weis has crystal balls. He apparently plans to have remote viewers on duty tonight, able to see into the future and know exactly where trouble will happen before it happens. Now, why didn't Supt. Weis have that plan in effect last night?

Blood in Chicago's Streets

Early in the week, and lots of violence in Chicago. "And It's Not Even the Weekend," says Second City Cop (SCC) darkly. All I can say is, thank God and Dictator Daley for the strict anti-handgun ban in Chicago. (What? The bad guys have guns anyway and the ban only prevents law-abiding citizens from protecting themselves? Well, then, nevermind.) SCC posts these notes (abbreviated): A 15-year-old boy was shot and wounded in his lower back early Tuesday in Chatham... A 15-year-old boy was released from the hospital Tuesday while his 11-year-old friend remained in stable condition with gunshot wounds... Two teenagers shot standing on a South Side street corner ran to a nearby fire station seeking help Tuesday night... A 9-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man were wounded in a shooting....and a woman was shot in the parking lot of ... A teenager was shot and critically wounded Tuesday night in a church... READ SCC's FULL POST...

DALEY LIED, PEOPLE DIED

The unconstitutional ban on handgun ownership in the City of Chicago has not worked. It has not kept criminals from obtaining or using guns. Most of the killings were gangsters killing gangsters, many were innocent bystanders being caught in the crossfire. But a lot of handgun murder victims, where it involved robbery or sexual assault, might have been prevented had the victims constitutional right to own handgun not been violated by Mayor Daley and every Alderman who ever supported the ban. Daley has said ad nauseum that a ban on handguns saves lives. If each and every human being obeyed the law, one could say this was true. But that is not the case. Daley knows this. He lied. And victims - people - have died. Click here to see how well the Chicago handgun ban has worked over the past year.

Gun Hysteria: Mayor Daley Needs an Enema

It should be noted that had Mathew Shepard had a handgun with him on the night he was murdered, he might not have been murdered. He may have been able to defend himself.

Okay, with that said:

Steve McClure writes this about Mayor Daley's hyperbolic overreaction to Wednesday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that handgun ownership is indeed allowed by the Constitution:

Daley is upset because groups already have indicated his city, which has a handgun ban similar to Washington D.C., will face a lawsuit in the wake of the decision by the Supremes. Daley can be as upset as he’d like, but looking at the statistics it appears Chicago’s ban on handguns hasn’t kept handguns from people who don’t really care what is or is not allowed by law. FULL POST at dnews.com...

Indeed. The ruling also threatens to pull down a major pillar of the Daley Administration: His unconstitutional denial of our Second Amendment right to own a handgun in the City of Chicago.

RELATED: Chicago Gun Ban Challenged; SF Suit Expected

Mayor Daley Hates the Bill of Rights

Chicago's tyranical Mayor Daley is crying like a liberal over today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the Constitution's Second Amendent actually guarantees the right to bear arms. You can now say that Chicago's handgun ban is unconstitutional. Daley also shows himself (again) to be an idiot. Chicago Business reports that the mayor told a group at Navy Pier this morning that he is uncertain whether the ruling, which did away with Washington D.C.'s handgun ban, would have any affect on Chicago's handgun ban. Daley called the court's ruling "a very frightening decision." [Source] Daley said that if citizens in Chicago are allowed to own handguns taxes would have to be increased to cover the hiring of more police officers. He also fantasized that legalized handgun ownership would put more people in hospitals as victims of theoretical increased gun violence. Daley has shown his disdain for court rulings - indeed, for the law - on many occasions. Two well-known examples are his midnight destruction of Meigs Field airport (now known as "Northerly Island") several years ago, and the currently ongoing attempt to place the Children's Museum in Grant Park. The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled against such placements in Grant Park four times in the past. Daley is hypocritical about the handgun ban in Chicago. He is well protected by large men who carry handguns. You and I cannot keep a handgun in our dresser drawer, Daley preaches, but it's okay for his bodyguards to walk around packing heat. Similarly, it is legal for Chicago's City Council members (aldermen) to pack heat. The hysteria about guns is all about politics, not reality. Here's some reality: The alarming increase gun violence in Chicago this year is committed for the most part with handguns. Every one of those handguns is illegal. Ask yourself whether the ban on handgun ownership has prevented the thugs from obtaining them. Or from using them. As it has been said a million times, if you ban something only the criminals will possess it. Same with handguns. Additionally, Daley's remarks about a need for increased police presence and of higher numbers of hospital gunshot wound admissions is not based in fact. In fact, the opposite would probably be true. Of the 50 United States, only Wisconsin and Illinois do not allow their residents to carry handguns. In the 48 states that allow it, handgun violence has either remained the same or been reduced from level prior to enactment of conceal-carry. Mayor Daley and the people who fight your right to own a handgun need to back off. They won't let up, however. Even if lower courts start dismantling Chicago's unconstitutional antigun laws, Daley and his useful idiots will find every way they can to harass gun stores and gun owners, most likely in the form of prohibitively high fees and taxes. Related Items: Missouri: Governor Blunt to Sign Important Pro-Gun Bill! (NRA) Gun Rules May Be Eased in U.S. Parks (NRA) Has Minnesota's Gun-Carry Law Affected Crime Rates? The Effectiveness of Firearm Conceal Carry Laws on the Incidence and Pattern of Violent Crime (Texas State University-San Marcos, Dept. of Political Science) Guns on Campus: Irrational Fears Hold Back Concealed Carry http://www.concealcarry.org/

The Party of Slavery and Racism

No, not them, silly. It's the Democrat Party. I know your socialist professors didn't tell you about this, so here's some remedial edumuhcation for you. Proof? Here's an excerpt from a great column by Bruce Bartlett. Can you handle the truth? After the war, the Democratic Party held a lock on the South for more than 100 years. All of the "Jim Crow" laws that prevented blacks from voting and kept them down were enacted by Democratic governors and Democratic legislatures. The Ku Klux Klan was virtually an auxiliary arm of the Democratic Party, and any black (or white) who threatened the party's domination was liable to be beaten or lynched. Democrats enacted the first gun-control laws in order to prevent blacks from defending themselves against Ku Klux Klan violence. Chain gangs were developed by Democrats to bring back de facto slave labor. FULL AMAZING COLUMN...

Pfleger Spanked by George the Lame

Not good enough, Cardinal George! Chicago's Cardinal George took a wimpy approach to Priest Michael Pfleger's racist outrage last Sunday. The Cardinal - once again - merely slapped the offensive priest's wrist. Cardinal George: "To avoid months of turmoil in the church, Fr. Pfleger has promised me that he will not enter into campaigning, will not publicly mention any candidate by name and will abide by the discipline common to all catholic priests." (Source: Sun-Times) Okay, but will Cardinal George extract a promise from Pfleger to never again call for a crowd to "snuff" a gun store owner? How many more outrages will the cardinal tolerate before he finally transfers Pfleger to a small island post in central Africa? Pfleger would probably be happier there, anyway, with fewer white devils around. Meanwhile, Cardinal George should look into acquiring a testicle. RELATED: Pfleger Gagged! Father Michael Pfleger and the Presidential Campaign - Catholic Online Rev. Michael Pfleger, the Latest of Barack Obama's Scary Friends ... Rev. Michael Pfleger and Rev. Jeremiah Wright Together Again The Campaign Spot on National Review Online

Barack Obama: Tired Wimpy Snob

This guy Barack Obama, who accomplished nothing as an Illinois State Senator and nearly as much as a U.S. Senator, keeps demonstrating that he's uninformed and - there's no kind way to say this - sort of a wimpy snob. Let's review a few items, not necessarily in chronological order.

April, 2008: Barack Obama says small town, rural and small-town Americans are "bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

As Michael Goodwin put it, "In one sentence, Snob-ama de-legitimized every choice people in America are free to make.... Turn his screed around and it comes out this way: If the hicks had good jobs, they wouldn't need God or guns. Then the borders could be wide open for the enlightened world to come here 'cause our hate would vanish."

March, 2008: Wimp boy Obama bowls a 37 game. Oh man, that's so pitiful.

May 19, 2008: Obama tells the world that his wife Michelle is not to be criticized. In February, Mizz Obama said that "for the first time in my adult lifetime I'm really proud of this country." She's been catching criticism for that ever since, and undoubtedly will continue to be criticized.

Obama appeared on ABC's Good Morning America this morning and said, "The GOP -- should I be the nominee -- I think can say whatever they want to say about me, my track record." (What track record?!?) He said, "For them to try to distort or to play snippets of her remarks in ways that are unflattering to her I think is just low class."

Several things come to mind: 

1) Obama complained for weeks that racists, anti-American remarks made by his "spiritual mentor," Rev. Jeremiah Wright, were taken out of context. We all learned later that they were not, and finally even Obama had to admit it and denounce Wright.

2) Wife Michelle is actively campaigning for Barack, she's an adult, and therefore fair game for criticism. If Barack would prefer that she wear a burka and stay in the kitchen, well, that's an option. But while she's out there engaging, nobody should be surprised when some of the engagement includes criticism.

3) If Obama wants to talk about being "low class," could he explain to us why his circle of friends and confidants includes such high class scum as William Ayers and Tony Rezko?

May 11, 2008: How many states are there in the USA? Any sharp 4th grader knows tere are 50. Obama got it wrong.

"After a befuddled Sen. Barack Obama proclaimed he had visited '57 states' during a recent campaign stop in Oregon," writes Jennifer Harper, "nimble critics took him to task — wondering how could he accuse Sen. John McCain of "losing his bearings" when he himself overshot the nation by seven states."

Obama claims he was tired. I don't care how drunk or tired I get, I simply cannot forget how many states are in the USA.

December 2006: A sensitive Obama whined that his large ears were not to be discussed. He put writer Maureen Dowd "on notice" that he is sensitive about his big ears, that he was teased about them as a little boy, and he's still traumatized by that. (More about this...)

April, 2008: Obama finally admits that his crazy "spiritual mentor" Rev. Jeremiah Wright is disgusting. It took Obama 20 years to realize what a racist, anti-American nutjob this clown is. Quietly, Obama's sycophants erased any reference to Wright - a former consultant to the Obama Campaign - from their web site and literature. (Also see: Obama: Wright Is Wrong, Remarks 'Offend' Me)

May 4, 2007: A tornado badly damaged Greensburg, Kansas. The storm killed 11 people in that small town of 1,400. The total death toll from that storm for the entire state: 12.

Four days later, Barack Obama told an audience of 500 that 10,000 people had died. "In case you missed it," he said, "there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died — an entire town destroyed." Apparently, Obama missed it. He blamed his math error on being tired from campaigning.

So, how tired is he now, a year later, and how tired will he be when he gets a call at 3:00 in the morning from a frantic general at the Penatagon?

I could go on and on, but I'm under deadline pressure for a local newspaper which, contrary to vile rumor, has not yet fired me.

Like Clubbing a Drunk on the Head

Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown seems to be sympathetic to Alderman Joe Moore, the Chicago City Councilclown who has spent more time crafting legislation to protect geese and pounding pavement in others states on behalf of Barack Obama than he has in making sure there are enough trash cans on the streets of his 49th Ward. Or getting a year-old pile of gravel removed from a busy sidewalk. Und so weiter. In fact, Brown's column is eerily similar to what Moore said in a live interview on WLS 890 AM this morning (5/15/08), well after Brown's column was printed overnight: "That doesn't bode well for those who think the Council still might buck the mayor's intention of relocating the Chicago Children's Museum to Grant Park over the wishes of 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly and the park's neighbors." (Source) It's as though Moore read Brown's column and cribbed from it. Or did Brown write the column for Moore, so that Moore could crib from it? It may be like asking which came first, the goose or the egg. Perhaps Mr. Brown just recently moved to Chicago. No, I seem to recall reading one of his columns accidentally, a few years ago. He's been here long enough to know how Chicago politics work: The end usually justifies the means, and the local "Democrats" don't particularly like to act democratically, Mayor Daley especially. Two words prove my point: Meigs Field. In the late of night, Daley bulldozed the little airstrip on the lake. No committees, no hearings, no council meetins. Just bulldozers and klieg lights. That was wrong. Brown is correct, in principle, to criticize Daley's non-democratic methods. But Daley's methods have been the stuff of legend for years. So, the fact that Brown expresses surprised indignation is, well, surprising. Not that I disagree with his basic point: Democratic society demands democratic action. But he misses the point that Moore's foie gras legislation, and the time and effort that has gone into its creation, then implementation, and all the humiliation that Chicago has gotten because of it, and the two years of Moore and the Council wasting time debating it, the police laughing at it and rarely bothering to enforce it, and so on and on... Well, the point that Brown misses or does not care about is that something had to be done, and done now, without further adieu. When you see a drunk staggering toward you with a gun in his hand, aimed at you, and the man does not respond to your attempts to reason with him, you have a choice. You don't have time for polite negotiation, he's not listening and he doesn't care what you say. So, you can stand there and let the inevitable happen to you, or you can club the guy over the head as hard and as fast as you can. Mayor Daley wisely chose the latter course of action.

Is This Post Racist?

I'm on a police scanner kick lately. You learn a lot by listening in on what the police are saying to each other. I have been harshly critical of Chicago police in the past, but generally I am a big supporter and admirer of good police officers.

One of the first things an attentive listener learns while listening to a scanner is the sincerity of the police in trying to accomplish their mission of serving and protecting. Most of the CPD dispatchers sound African American; I cannot find statistics on this, but that's my impression.

Another phenomenon that the scanner listener becomes aware of quickly is just how disproportionately represented Blacks and Hispanics are as persons for the police to pay attention to. That is, an astounding number of calls go out regarding, for example, a "black male" waving a gun, waving a baseball bat, a knife, or who just ran out of liquor store without paying for that 12 pack under his arm. Hispanics, too, are disproportionately represented. Blacks and Hispanics, in Chicago anyway, are the subject of 911 calls and - resultantly - police dispatches. Sure, you hear "white male" sometimes. But you can listen for hours and only hear "Black" and "Hispanic" as descriptions of suspected bad guys. "Asian" is so rarely heard on the Chicago Police Department airwaves in the context of being suspects of bad behavior that it would seem to be insignificant.

Is that the result of a racist justice system? Hardly. The justice system does not (a) make the Blacks and Hispanics break out car windows, wave weapons on the street, or beat each other up, nor does it (b) make citizens call 911 with imaginary distress calls in which Blacks and Hispanics are the - ahem - alleged bad guys. Many of the dispatched events result in arrests or reports. Many of those wind up in court, in hearings and trials. Sometimes convictions are the result.

So, is the justice system biased? Surely, there are individual judges and jurors with racist attitudes. But the majority? The whole system? Does it have nothing to do with bad behavior to begin with? You would have to be the ultimate paranoid to believe that 911 calls about Whites behaving badly are selectively filtered out by the police dispatchers.

Mind you, I am NOT saying that Whites are better than non-Whites. I am NOT saying that there is some genetic predisposition for criminal behavior. But is seems reasonable to assert that there are strong cultural factors that influence behavior, from bad parenting to a general disregard for the value of other people's lives.

Let's turn to a thoughtful article by favorite writer Heather Mac Donald. In the Spring volume of City Journal, her article "Is the Criminal-Justice System Racist?" looks at this recurring question. Her conclusion: No. Her explanation is worth reading.

An excerpt [emphasis added]:

Robert Grace, the Los Angeles prosecutor, is acutely aware of the fragility and preciousness of the rule of law. “As a civilized society, we can’t allow what’s happening in Latin America to take over here,” he says. “Venezuela and Mexico are awash in appalling violence because they don’t respect the law.” Thus, when prominent figures like Barack Obama make sweeping claims about racial unfairness in the criminal-justice system, they play with fire. “For any political candidate to make such claims out of expediency is wrong,” Grace says. “If they have statistics that back up the claim, I’d like to see them. But to create phony perceptions of injustice is as wrong as not doing anything about the real thing.” FULL ARTICLE at City Journal...

RELATED READING:
Chicago gangs
Chicago's institutionalized gangs have adapted to the displacement of CHA residents, gentrification, an increase in renegade factions...

Chicago Gangs (UIC)

Chicago Gang Violence Escalates : NPR

It's Worse Than You Know, Chicago

Fasten your seatbelts. Here is some scanner action, night of Friday, May 2 into the morning of Saturday, May 03, 2008. Much of the action heard is not included here - only the most violent. Parking violations, noise complaints and other minor incidents are not included in this report. There was plenty of violence, most of which you will never hear about on the evening news or read about in the Chicago Tribune or Chicago Sun-Times. Keep in mind that this is a small portion of the night: From 11:39 p.m. Friday to 1:42 a.m. Saturday. It is, unfortunately, fairly representative of what happens in Chicago on a typical weekend night. The excerpts below are as I wrote them down as I heard them, and are from a variety of Chicago Police districts around the city. Exact addresses are changed to blocks and peoples’ names omitted to protect privacy. 11:30 PM - Shots fired, 1200 block N. Campbell - “gang” 11:47 PM - Man with a gun walking around at 47th and Ashland 11:50 PM - Person shot, 1800 block N. California, police looking for “two male Hispanics” 11:51 PM - Man has a gun, 1800 block N. Kedzie 11:54 PM - Dispatcher says there is a “wolf or coyote” spotted at Clybourn and Fullerton. Cops on radio enjoy this. “Can we shoot?” “Tranquilizer darts.” “Come on, it’s only a wolf, you don’t have to shoot it.” “Can we shoot?” “Wolves are endangered.” 12:02 AM - Officer arranges for “removal” of a dead 19 year old female, gunshot to the head, from the ER of South Shore Hospital. 12:05 AM - Man “masturbating in the park.” 12:08 AM - Man with a gun threatened to shoot the caller on 5500 block W. Diversey, caller says he is now walking back toward him. 12:09 AM - Person down, 1400 block W. Farragut Avenue. 12:11 AM - Need evidence technician (ET) to photograph “the victim,” who is in critical condition at Mt. Sinai Hospital. 12:12 AM - Persons waving guns at 53rd and Ashland. They are driving a white Pontiac Bonneville. Reported by people who waved down a police officer. 12:20 AM - Shots fired, 1300 block of (unintelligible). 12:28 AM - ET requested in 10th District to photograph a victim, a “26 year old male black.” One of the perpetrators is in custody. 12:31 AM - Van hit a female “on the expressway” near 1800 block of N. Ashland. Illinois State Police are investigating. 12:34 AM - Two female Hispanics flashed a gun at Ohio and Ashland, then drove eastward. Purple car - another officer calls in that car is seen going northbound on Ashland, chase ensues. “Approaching Augusta…” Moments go by; “Stopped them in 1000 block of N. Ashland. “Request a female officer for a search." 12:38 AM - Requesting backup for large fight at a house, 800 block of Sacramento. 12:42 AM - Cop radios from house fight, “disregard” 12:42 AM - Person with a gun, somebody’s girlfriend driving dark red or maroon Pontiac with Texas plates. “They’re still in the area” (13th, 14th Districts). Search ensues. Cop on radio, “That car’s been up in this area all night, by Potomac and (unintelligible), was in the are when those shots were fired.” 12:44 AM - (Responding to above) “We stopped that car earlier… We’ll get those plates to you…” 12:47 AM - Person shot, Belmont and (?) 12:47 AM - “We’ve rounded everybody up at (2900 block, Devon).” 12:48 AM - Assault, victim being followed by assailant in 7000 block, N. California. “No further info.” 12:54 AM - “You can cancel that ambulance.” 12:55 AM - Officer reports that a victim is “stable, gunshot wound to the right arm,” ET requested to photograph a silver Ford Taurus. Nobody in custody in the 11th District. 12:59 AM - 5800 block, N. Magnolia - 30 kids fighting out front. 1:05 AM - “Everybody’s dispersed” from fight on Magnolia. 1:04 AM - Robbery; two male blacks, 300 block E. Garfield on Green Line CTA train, took two cell phones and $60.00 cash. 1:14 AM - 8500 block, Marquette; breaking into house, man banging on windows and doors. 1:22 AM - “Shots fired.” “MORE SHOTS!” at Spaulding and Kimball. 1:26 AM - “Subjects ran south from Evergreen.” 1:38 AM - Male posing as a cop, 4400 block, S. ???. 1:39 AM - Westbound SUV on Division, people throwing beer cans as they drive. 1:42 AM - Male Hispanic walking with a gun, 47th and Troupe. 1:42 AM - 50 people fighting on street, 16th and Karlov, throwing bottles at police.

Friday Night's Alright for Fighting

Mayor Dick Daley's Magical Emergency Meeting on Violence didn't seem to help much. Seems the nutjobs and criminals don't pay much attention to what he wants them to do - or not do. Here are just a few snippets that I jotted down while listening to my police scanner Friday evening. People, I urge you to get a scanner. You will be amazed at what is not reported to us by the big media, the police and our aldermen. 8:46 PM - black male, early/mid 20s running south on Glenwood from Pratt, beat up an "old man" 10:15 PM - Windsor and Sunnyside, 6-12 shots fired from park (23rd district)... "on Hazel," said a pedestrian. Black/dark vehicle, no license or description. 10:25 PM - 18th and Lovitt (sp?) - Shots fired... Gangster Disciples? 10:40 PM - Chicago Pie Company, manager George - burglary? 10:40 PM - 1052 Corliss - 2 shots fired 10:45 PM - Male Hispanic running with a gun, 1246 N. Campbell 10:55 PM - Shooting, 1832 S. Oakley, request Evidence Technician for shell casings and photos; victim shot in leg, good condition, taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital. 11:07 PM - Shots fired at 14th and S. Halsted

RPGG: All About Defense

Anybody out there want to help me start the Rogers Park Gun Group? Let me know.