Caption This

Sorry about that. I just realized it's not safe to have a picture like that on a blog whose server is in Italy. If you thought the U.S. was bad with the Patriot Act and all that, I hear it's worse here.

If we're lucky though, The Prince will put up the picture.

Lyin' Politicians - You Just Can't Believe 'em

The Dallas News reports on the convenient change of heart that Craig Watkins has had on the issue of capital punishment.

Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins, the state's first elected black district attorney, made national news after taking office in 2007 when he declared that he personally opposed the death penalty on moral and religious grounds.

Now mired in a rough re-election race, the 42-year-old Democrat said he's changed his mind about the use of capital punishment.

"I came in with a certain philosophical view. I don't have that anymore," Watkins told The Dallas Morning News recently. "From a religious standpoint, I think it's an archaic way of doing justice. But in this job, I've seen people who cannot be rehabilitated."

It makes me wonder if anything any of them says can be believed.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Arnold Gettin' Tough on Crime

This is a good start. The only problem is gun availability continues. The last legitimate owner of those guns should be answering questions, hard questions.

Nearly 80 parolees were arrested and more than 20 weapons seized during what was billed Thursday as the largest sweep of its kind in the history of Los Angeles County.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

The Science of Imaginary Solutions

Lacy wrote a good one. It's called pataphysics.

The fact that the United States is the only nation where one finds a concept of “gun rights”, that is the “right” to own an object which when properly used will result in death or serious bodily injury, has the highest amount of mass shootings and firearms injuries!

The answer to the gun problem is amazingly simple when one uses pataphysics: more guns!

The fact that it is admittedly easy for those who are listed as being legally disqualified to own firearms to acquire firearms leads to the truth that rather than making firearms laws more restrictive, one needs to make it easier for them to acquire firearms. We know that these people will get guns anyway, so why bother making it difficult for them to get guns?

That demonstrates the pataphysical truth of the gun rights movement. Gun control, which never has existed in any meaningful form in the US, does not work: therefore, we need to abolish gun control!

It's in Wikpedia too; he's not making this stuff up. What's your opinion?

Please leave a comment.

Robert Farago Twisting the Truth About Guns

The Truth About Guns is my favorite pro-gun blog. I think it's safe to say that. I like many of the others, but Robert Farago has some unique things about his, not the least of which is the feature, "Irresponsible Gun Owner of the Day."

But I have to say, what I read over there just now is your typical biased and slanted pro-gun nonsense. In decribing three reasons why it's OK to carry a concealed gun, he talked at some length in point number 1, about recreational drugs.

The category heading, "You know someone who uses recreational drugs," seems to be a promising start until you realize in the reading he's talking to gun owners about non gun owners. The entire essay seems to overlook the fact that many gun owners use recreational drugs, even if he does not.

Now, tens of millions of “normal” Americans smoke marijuana. Plenty of these hard-working, tax-paying Americans consider their dope dealer a “friend.”

Amazingly, he's advising the gun owners to watch out for these other folks who use drugs and know drug dealers. But if gun owners are a cross section of society and "normal" in every respect, wouldn't the drug users among them be of approximately the same proportion as in the rest of the population? I touched upon this in The Famous 10%.

Mind you, I’m not for a moment suggesting that recreational drug users should get a gun to protect themselves and their family. Quite the opposite. I’m saying they should man-up and stop using the drugs so they can keep themselves and their family safe.

I suppose it is possible that Robert lives in such a fantasy world that, based upon his own abstemious lifestyle, he really thinks ALL gun owners are clean and sober. I guess that's possible.

Basically his article is advice to the gun owners, none of whom use drugs, to beware of the non gun owners who do, and his advice to the druggies is to knock it off so they can become gun owners. No overlap at all in his view.

What's your opinion? Do you think Farago is purposely spinning the reality in favor of gun owners? Isn't it bizarre that he'd do such a thing while frequently posting videos of bad gun handling? (One of the reasons I like his site so much is because it must teach gun owners a lot. Not many of the other sites can claim that.)

Please leave a comment.

Colin Goddard Again

This is the same old video, but I think we should look at it again and again. Who cares if he himself wasn't shot with guns bought this way?

Son Reports Mom - Drunk-Driving With Gun

The Gainesville News reports on the courageous actions of a boy who reported his mother for drunk driving while carrying a gun. Thanks Southern Beale for the link.

The son of a Gainesville woman told officers his mother was driving drunk while armed with a gun.

Deputies arrested Paula Marie Bermudez, 41, and charged her with DUI, carrying a concealed firearm and using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.

Deputies said they found a semi-automatic handgun on the passenger seat of her red Toyota Highlander.

What's your opinion? Was that a courageous move on the part of the son? Isn't it true that his actions might have saved lives? Or do you think having a few drinks, driving and having a gun are not all that incompatible?

Please leave a comment.

The Sovereign Movement - Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Sun has the story.

Four members of an anti-government movement, known as the "Sovereign Movement," have been arrested after a three-year investigation by the Nevada Joint Terrorism Task Force on allegations of money laundering, tax evasion and possessing unregistered machine guns.

These guys believed they were their own country, and as such I suppose they had to be their own weapons manufacturers.

In addition to the STEN machine gun, the task force seized a mill and other equipment that allowed Call to transform weapons into machine guns and he demonstrated an AR-15 rifle he had converted to allow for fully automatic firing.

What do you think about these guys? Do their beliefs make sense but they've just taken them too far? Or are they completely off the wall?

Members of the group believe they do not have to pay taxes and believe the federal government deceived Americans into obtaining Social Security cards, drivers' licenses, car registrations and wedding licenses, among other official records. The group believes that if these contracts are revoked, persons are "sovereign citizens."

Members of this group also believe that U.S. currency is invalid. They widely use fictitious financial instruments, such as fake money orders, personal checks and sight drafts, and participate in "redemption" schemes where the false financial documents are used to pay creditors.

Please leave a comment.

Canada's Gun Registry Works Just Fine

CBS News Canada reports on an interesting development in the gun-registry debate.

An RCMP evaluation report of Canada's long-gun registry concludes that the program is cost effective, efficient and an important tool for law enforcement.

One section of the report states: "The program, as a whole, is an important tool for law enforcement. It also serves to increase accountability of firearm owners for their firearms."

The report found that the cost of the program is in the range of $1.1 million to $3.6 million per year and that the Canadian Firearms Program is operating efficiently.

“Overall the program is cost effective in reducing firearms related crime and promoting public safety through universal licensing of firearm owners and registration of firearms," the report states.

Now, what's so hard about that? Does it take official reports to conclude that "It also serves to increase accountability of firearm owners for their firearms." I've been saying that right along.

Wouldn't it be useful for law enforcement personnel to know what guns are involved prior to entering a domestic disturbance scene or approaching a pulled-over driver?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Jon Stewart on Glenn Beck's Rally

Daily Show: Glenn Beck Has a Scheme

Baltimore Cop Fired for Ranting

At first I thought how ridiculous to fire a cop for yelling at a kid when they often give them a slap on the wrist, or nothing at all for shooting people.

But then I watched the video. What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Suicide by Boyfriend in North Carolina

North Carolina certainly has their fair share of 'em.

Ban Glenn Beck from Ground Zero

Captain Beefheart

3-Year-Old Shoots Self With Cop's Gun

Local Fox News in North Carolina, that gun-friendly paradise, reports on the latest. (via Il Principe)

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have released the name of the officer who left his off-duty weapon within reach of a 3-year-old child in Gaston County last week.

...the child got hold of Mercedes' off-duty firearm and fired a shot into his own thumb.

The boy was transported to Carolinas Medical Center and is expected to be okay.

Sure, everybody's gonna be OK. The boy will grow up with no thumb. The cop will be brought back from administrative leave with a slap on the wrist, after all, accidents can happen to anybody. And the mom will continue to hang around with stupid and irresponsible gun owners.

That's a good day in North Carolina.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams

The Examiner, and just about everybody else, has published an article about the new initiatives of Portland Mayor Sam Adams to address the problem of gang violence.

1. A curfew for juveniles convicted of gun-law violations.

2. A new city crime of failure to control kids’ access to guns.

3. A new city crime of failure to report loss or theft of guns.

4. Increase penalties for illegal possession of loaded firearms.

5. Excluding gun-law violators from neighborhoods with high rates of illegal firearm use.

I don't know what the pro-gun crowd is so upset about. These actually seem like fairly innocuous suggestions.

Let's take the oft-maligned number 3. Pro-gun folks seem to think requiring the theft of a gun to be reported would do nothing good and something bad, namely "making criminals out of law-abiding citizens."

It's an odd argument since the same folks who say that also say people are responsible for their actions and only they can choose to obey or disobey laws. They're quick to hold criminals to a strict standard, yet when it comes to gun owners, they blame the law.

Laws don't make people criminals. People make people criminals, people who choose to break laws.

The other part about doing nothing good, I would also contest. The man who knows his gun cannot be stolen without a report going to the police is bound to be more careful what he does with that gun, how he stores it and to whom he lends or sells it.

This is what bothers gun owners. They hate the government overseeing what they do. But the truth is, if someone is truly law-abiding these restrictions are nothing more than minor inconveniences. And the gun owners who are not truly law-abiding, the gray-area guys, will be hampered by these rules.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Lead Poisoning from Bullets

Wait a minute, Sebastian told me a long time ago the lead from bullets was practically harmless. Even today he posted about it. I believed him and thought the only way to get lead poisoning from bullets was for them to pierce your skin and enter your body the hard way. Now I don't know what to think.

Ebonics Speakers Needed

I already knew about this because I saw it on The Wire.

Baltimore Shootings

The Baltimore Sun reports on the latest rash of shootings. There were four, non-fatal shootings reported Monday, a couple of which were interesting.

The victim ran and boarded a passing bus before he realized he was shot.

Now this is a black kid from the ghetto, but did you notice the similarity to our Polish friend in Germany?

And get a load of this one.

And early Monday morning, police found a victim sitting on the steps in the 600 block of Pulaski Street bleeding from a large laceration across the abdomen and multiple gunshot wounds.

He was SITTING there, seemingly unaware of his wounds. Get it?

Now, seriously, this is a shocking new development in the gun debate. The implications are tremendous. Whatever statistics the CDC or FBI have been offering have to be disregarded completely and vamped way up. We have absolutely no way of knowing how many people are shot and don't report it, the ones who go on riding the bus or sitting on the porch until the police somehow identify them and take them in for help. Imagine how many go undetected.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Troops Out of Iraq

This isn't what they told us before.

The number of U.S.soldiers in Iraq dipped Tuesday to 49,700, dropping below the 50,000 threshold ahead of the end-of-the-month deadline set by President Barack Obama. But the war is not yet over for the remaining troops, who will continue to put themselves in danger on counterterror raids and other high-risk missions that aren't called combat but can be just as deadly.

Until the end of 2011, U.S. troops will mostly focus on training Iraqi soldiers and police to take over the nation's still-shaky security. They will counsel Iraqi officials on how to endear themselves to their citizens, whether through handing out soccer balls to kids or building irrigation systems for farmers.

What's your opinion? When the White House announced the complete withdrawal of troops by the end of this month, did they word it carefully to allow for U.S. military, whom we will not refer to as combat troops, to teach Iraqis "how to endear themselves to their citizens, whether through handing out soccer balls to kids or building irrigation systems for farmers?" And let's not even talk about the special forces and private security guys who will remain.

I say if Obama thinks this is going to gain him some points in an apparent fulfilling of promises he's mistaken. This tricky double talk and dirty dealing will not fly, not with the media everywhere and the internet folks on it.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

One Tough Polish Guy

Reuters reports on the weird shooting incident.

BERLIN — A Polish man living in Germany went about his business for about five years without noticing he had been shot in the head because he was drunk when it happened.

Police in the western city of Bochum said on Tuesday doctors found a .22 caliber bullet in the back of his head after the 35-year-old went to have what he thought was a cyst removed.

Presented with the 5.6mm projectile, the man recalled he had received a blow to the head around midnight at a New Year's party "in 2004 or 2005", but had forgotten about it because he had been "very drunk," a police spokesman said.

"He told us he remembered having a sore head, but that he wasn't really one for going to the doctor," the spokesman said.

The wound later healed around the bullet and it was not until the man decided to have the lump examined due to recurring pains that the discovery was made.

I'll bet that happens a lot more than you think, especially in places like the deep South. We definitely have to take these cases into account when people tell us how safe guns are. There are a lot more people getting shot out there than we thought.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Bullet Girl

Guess where BulletGirl comes from? If you said the 713 area code, you win a .45 caliber bullet ring.

At first I thought it was a joke, but when I saw these folks are from Houston, Texas, it all made sense.

What's your opinion? Is this jewelry elegant and charming, or what?

(via LikeCOOL)

Global Warming Is No Joke

Here's the proof.

Even in Honolulu, Hawaii

Guns are bad news for women, even in Honolulu, Hawaii. The local ABC news reports on the tragedy.

Clayborne Conley, 43, apparently broke into the home rented by Kristine Cass, 46, and her 13-year-old daughter then apparently shot the two and their dog, then killed himself, police said.

The guy had several convictions under his belt and should have been a disqualified person. Perhaps he was.

Why is it almost always the man who does the killing in these murder-suicide incidents? It must be terrible to be the woman in a relationship with one of these abusing men, especially when he has access to the most efficient killing tool.

What's your opinion?

Straw Buyers Account for 90%

The Minneapolis - St. Paul Star Tribune reports on the problem of straw purchases of guns.

"Say a couple comes in, and the male is looking at guns while the female doesn't do anything, and finally he says, 'I will take this gun,'" said the owner of Koscielski's Guns and Ammo in south Minneapolis. "We hand him the federal form, and he will hand it to his girlfriend or wife. Can't do that."

That's how federal authorities want gun sellers to respond to "straw buyers" -- people with no criminal record who buy a gun and then hand it over someone who can't legally buy one because they're a criminal, mentally ill or underage.

Do you think that's how most of them do it? I seriously doubt it.

Experts estimate that 90 percent of guns used in crimes come through this "gray market," said Bernard Zapor, special agent in charge of the St. Paul field division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

At some point, someone is taking those guns from the lawful market to the unlawful market, he said. Whether it's someone looking to make an extra buck or a girlfriend doing a favor for a boyfriend, it's illegal.

Recently it's been suggested that most of the guns in criminal hands come from theft. It's odd that the ATF experts can differ so drastically from that idea. According to them, less than 10% are stolen and the vast majority are funnelled into the criminal world through straw purchases.

Of course it's a lot easier to defend the lawful gun owners who are victims of theft, something which I happen to dispute, but it's a lot easier to do that than to defend all those gun dealers who are allowing, by turning a blind eye, or actually assisting in straw purchases.

What's your opinion? Is this 90% figure too high? It would certainly place a spotlight of blame on the gun sellers wouldn't it?

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

South Plainfield NJ - 2 Shootings

NJ.com reports on two shooting deaths in separate incidents, one a homicide, one a suicide.

In the homicide, police were called to the Best Western hotel on Stelton Road at 11:50 p.m. after someone reported shots were fired. The officers found Quadir Ali-Muslim, 32, of Plainfield lying in a hallway on the first floor, Sewitch said.

"He was shot," the prosecutor said, not saying in what part of his body Ali-Muslim took the bullet. "He was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy is being performed today."

About 12 hours earlier, at 11:52 a.m., police were called to an area of Sampton Avenue on the report shots were fired and found the body of a 25-year-old Plainfield woman.

Sewitch said the woman had "an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head."

"She was a passenger in the car of a friend when she shot herself," he said. "She apparently shot herself in the car."

Sewitch said "no foul play is suspected" in her death.

Now, that suicide is curious. Do you suppose it means the gun was hers, legally owned? No, I doubt that. Perhaps it was illegally owned by her and the friend who owned the car had nothing to do with it. Since she's dead, it doesn't matter about the gun anymore.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

Capital Punishment in Japan and the U.S.

The Guardian published a very interesting article about the death penalty.

In the 33 years since the death penalty was revived in the US, more than 130 death row inmates have been released after wrongful convictions. Public opinion is now evenly divided between the death penalty and the alternative of life without parole. Under pressure, the number of executions is slowly declining. Yet at least 16 deaths are scheduled in the next six months, and in California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has chosen to borrow $64m to build a new death row, at the same time as cutting prison staff in the name of economy.

It is more than 60 years since the international declaration on human rights made abolition a benchmark of a civilised society. The campaign to end judicial killing everywhere would gain immeasurably from its final eradication in all of the world's most privileged nations.

What's your opinion? Would a country be more civilized if it abolished the death penalty?

Please leave a comment.

Virginia Is For Gunloons

Not too long ago, we heard about NRA member Christopher Speight of rural Virginia, who shot and killed 8--including 4 children--in a dispute about family property.

Here we go again.

LOUISA, Va. — A man who shot and killed his son and nephew and wounded four other relatives had been involved in an ongoing family dispute over a piece of property in rural central Virginia, authorities said Monday.

Sheriff's deputies had been called to the property nearly two dozen times in recent years — including once earlier in the day Sunday — before Charles P. Steadman Sponaugle, 52, opened fire on his family members, Louisa sheriff's Maj. Donnie Lowe said.

Uzi Tactical Pen

What everyone should have, just in case.

Carry this pen to defend yourself in an emergency. The razor sharp crown will drive off any attacker and - bonus! - collect some of your assailant's DNA to bring to the sexy CSI agents. Works great as a glass breaker, too!

I'm not sure if this is suggested in addition to a gun or as a defensive substitute. What do you think?

What Noble Cause?

The Brad Blog asks the question, What noble cause?"



What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

This Is How It All Started

Via boingboing, via Vintage Ads.

Las Vegas Cops

Fox5Vegas reports on the latest cover-up, well actually it's not even covered up, it's right out in the open.

The coroner's inquest into the fatal shooting of an unarmed man by a Las Vegas Metro police officer has ruled the shooting justified.

Authorities said Det. Bryan Yant, 34, shot and killed Cole when he made a sudden move during a search of Cole’s apartment the night of June 11. Yant and other officers suspected Cole was dealing marijuana from the residence.Cole was unarmed and his family has argued that he was not a threat, and wasn't the major drug dealer police were after.

Yant, who joined Metro police in 2000, has been involved in two other officer-involved shootings.The coroner's inquest was made up of a jury of seven who could reach three conclusions -- the death was justified, excusable or criminal.

In 34 years, only one case was ruled criminal in a coroner's inquest in the county.

That's bad. Those are some dangerous cops. They don't even dress it up as "lunging with an object in his hand." For these guys a "sudden move" is enough. And their superiors and the coroner's jury, everybody condones it.

Maybe this goes back to the days when Vegas was young and ruled by criminal mobs. Justice was swift and unquestioned. Perhaps that's evolved into what we have today with the police. Based on their record, it sounds like the Vegas Law Enforcement people have a license to kill.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Biker Gangs Shoot It Out in Arizona

MSNBC reports on the latest results of Arizona's lax gun laws, particularly the concealed-carry-without-a-permit law.

Police locked down a northern Arizona community Saturday after a shooting involving rival motorcycle gangs.

Four or five people were shot, and one was flown to a Phoenix-area hospital, Yavapai County sheriff's spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn said. No deaths were reported.

An unknown number of suspected motorcycle gangs members were detained.

If my sense of humor eludes you, please refer to Joe Huffman's recent post in which the quote of the day described something like this as the prediction of gun control groups. Of course, no gun control group suggested such a ridiculous connection, but maybe they should have.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

More Cover-ups in the Bizilj Case

Masslive.com reports on the latest in the 8-yr-old Christopher Bizilj case. He's the kid who killed himself with an Uzi that he couldn't control at a shooting event. We've discussed it here and here. Thanks to Southern Beale for the headsup.

The lawyer for former Pelham Police Chief Edward B. Fleury is asking a Hampden Superior Court judge to drop a manslaughter charge against her client, saying Fleury could not be expected to have foreseen the fatal accident at the gun show he organized.

The filthy cover-ups and wrist slapping continue in this case. Fleury organized the event at the club and also faces charges of furnishing a machine gun to a minor, but of course they're trying to get him off.

Hampden District Attorney William M. Bennett said that by sponsoring the show, Fleury in effect furnished the gun under state law, although the other two men brought the guns to the show and ran the firing line.

Again, Bennett said the role of sponsoring the exposition and receiving a share or proceeds from sale of ammunition is enough to make Fleury liable for involuntary manslaughter.

Fleury’s trial was to begin Sept. 9 but now that trial date may be changed.

It's easy to see what's happening here. Just like the slap on the wrist the shooting range got, "as part of a settlement in Springfield Superior Court, the club agreed to pay a $1,000 fine for the manslaughter charge and to pay $10,000 to two charities that work with children," Fleury is trying to slither away too.

What's your opinion? Isn't this a case in which extended responsibility needs to be applied? The boy was 8 years old for crying out loud. Not only his father and the folks closest to the incident who failed to take proper precautions, but also the shooting range and guys like Fleuren who were involved in running the event, all these people should have been severely punished. Theirs is an unconscionable irresponsibility and nonchalance.

Of course I don't stop there in assignmìing blame, punishment ends with those named above, but the circles of blame go much further. I include all gun owners who fight against laws that prevent these kinds of tragedies.

What do you think? Please leave a comment.

The Pen Gun

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports on the very successful gun swap which netted an interesting weapon.

A pen gun made in Pakistan 30 years ago turned up Friday at the Volusia County fairgrounds.

"It's a unique gun," said sheriff's Sgt. Ken Vickery, dismantling the small-caliber weapon.

The pen gun was one of 130 weapons collected by volunteer firearms instructors helping deputies remove the unwanted guns from the vehicles of people surrendering them in the Kicks 4 Guns program at the Volusia County Fair and Expo Center.

The pen gun and some of the others will be put to good use.

Guns rounded up by the Sheriff's Office in DeLand will be examined. Good ones will be used for parts, while others with historical value will be placed in museums, said Bob Sullivan, director of special projects for the Sheriff's Office.

The pen gun will be used in training new recruits so those who have never seen such a weapon will know what to look out for.

Now who could possibly object to that? This is a wonderful opportunity for law enforcement to finally prepare themselves for the plight of pen guns, the newest scourge of America.

Several of the folks who dropped off guns said they didn't want them in the house with the kids or grandkids. To me that makes sense.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Cop Shot With Own Gun at Bachelor Party

The Sheboygan News reports on the wild incident.

A criminal complaint said Davis M. Manci, 27, was holding the .40-caliber automatic weapon at his hip in a "cowboy" pose when he pulled the trigger believing the weapon was unloaded. The bullet grazed Deputy Anthony Blodgett's left hand before passing through his left thigh and lodging in his right thigh.The shooting took place about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 7 at a party in Rhinelander where both Manci and Blodgett had been drinking, according to a report by the Forest County Sheriff's Department. Blodgett, 25, was off duty, and the gun involved was a personal weapon he was authorized to carry.

I'm not sure what the laws are in Wisconsin or what the police policies are, but wouldn' you think the off-duty cop should be responsible for his own gun?

While sitting around a campfire later, Manci asked to see Blodgett's gun, which was carried in a cloth holster. Blodgett unloaded the gun and gave it to Manci, who pulled the trigger several times.

The gun was then given back to Blodgett, who said he reloaded it in plain sight.

A short time later Blodgett, Manci and another man were playing pool in the basement, so Blodgett removed the gun and holster and placed them on a shelf. Blodgett heard someone tell Manci, "Put that away. That's how kids get hurt."

Blodgett saw the gun in Manci's hand, and a moment later he saw smoke and felt a warm sensation.

Isn't drinking to the point of intoxication at a bachelor party enough? That combined with failure to maintain complete control of the weapon, should result in immediate suspension as well as criminal charges. Don't you think?

A spokeswoman for the Forest County District Attorney's Office declined to say whether Blodgett could face charges.

Sheboygan County Sheriff Mike Helmke said Blodgett is on sick leave recovering at home. An internal investigation is under way to determine if any sheriff's department policies were violated.

I always say cops should be held to a higher standard. FWM always says they should be held to the same standard. In Sheboygan they're held to a lower standard, and not only there. The police cover-ups and special treatment are a disgrace.

What's your opinion? Please leave a comment.

Tough Cops in Miami

The Miami Herald reports on the police shootings.

A Miami police officer and a federal agent fired on two armed men who pointed weapons at officers in Liberty City early Friday, killing one, authorities said.

The Miami officer, Ricardo Martinez, had just returned to work following another fatal shooting -- that of a 16-year-old youth in Overtown during a robbery sting.

The police shootings which involve bad guys pointing guns at cops are hard to argue with. If that's what really happened, I guess I have to admit I have no problem with it. But I'll always wonder if that's what really happened. How about you?

Please leave a comment.