A List Member Replies: In response to my caution that people who have just awakened are functioning as though they were just over the legal line of intoxication, one list members demands: Can you provide any documentation to support the assertion highlighted below? While I agree that a person just awake may not be at the peak of their mental capability, I am having a great deal of difficulty believing that their capabilities are similar to those of an intoxicated individual. Further, as you do not provide any indication of how long that "disability" may persist, and the news article suggests a period of at least "several" (for purposes of discussion, shall we say between three and five) minutes between Mandell's awakening and his first discharge of the shotgun, which I posit utterly negates your "just awakened = legally intoxicated" thesis. Had you focused on adrenaline rush and its effects or the inability to process complex decision-making during times of high stress I might have merely glossed over your comments. However, your resorting to the analogy of alcohol intoxication suggests that, conscious of it or not, you are feeding ammunition to the enemy - an enemy who will pose you as an "expert" and run the "intoxicated" theme until the legs fall off. Had you just awakened when you wrote that sentence? Or was there some other reason you failed to consider the damage such an assertion, without credible documentation to support it, would create? I ask you to consider responding to this in one of your next Mailings, rather than to me individually. I believe that I got this information from one of the Force Science News mailings, (http://www.forcescience.org/fsinews/archive/) previously shared with the list although I was unable to substantiate that in a quick search last night, possibly because it may have been in an article whose title did not suggest that it may have been part of that mailing. It's possible I may have read it in another law-enforcement publication. In response: * Intoxication is not an either-or proposition, it is a continuum, The statement is that the waking state is comparable to the low end, which is usually characterized by lack of awareness by the individual that he is impaired. * I don't know that anyone can make a clear statement as to how long such impairment may last due not only to variation among individuals but also as to how much sleep they may have had in the preceding days and at what stage of sleep they may have been awakened. * Epinephrine or adrenaline is a polar substance, meaning it does not penetrate the brain readily. While amphetamines, which do have CNS effects, produce a sense of wakefulness, they actually produce similar drops in mental performance to drugs such as barbiturates, which induce sleep. More to the point, activation of the amygdala or "emotional brain," which is what generally triggers a large-scale release of epinephrine from the adrenal medulla, has a distinct tendency to "short out" the neocortex or "thinking brain." For better or for worse, this has been well documented for the lay public by Joseph LeDoux. * In context, my statement was intended as a caution not to engage immediately on waking (e.g., grabbing a firearm and leaving the confines of your own home), if feasible. My statement is not in print in any readily retrievable form. If in fact, it is used against you in a court of law, simply challenge the documentation of it, as has been done above and, in the interest of not providing any further "ammunition to the enemy." I will make no further "public" attempts to provide the documentation for it. --- More on McDonald and the NRA: ... In Heller, Gura and many others felt the NRA tried to torpedo the case, first attempting to "consolidate" its own inferior filing into the case, then trying to repeal the D.C. gun ban, rendering the case moot. Wrote Tony Mauro of the Legal Times: "Even after the D.C. Circuit ruled in March, says Gura, the NRA lobbied for legislation to repeal the D.C. handgun ban as a way to keep the case out of the Supreme Court. 'The NRA was adamant about not wanting the Supreme Court to hear the case, but we went ahead anyway,' says Gura, a name partner in the firm of Gura & Possessky. 'It's not their case, and they are somewhat territorial.'" The question is whether the NRA, which butted into the present case against the wishes of Gura and his client, is doing so for sound tactical reasons, or as a means of "marching to the head of the parade" by claiming success for efforts not of its doing. While you might think the NRA joining the pro-gun argument is a plus ("the more, the merrier"), bear in mind that while the Court may extend oral arguments, as it did in Heller, each side is normally limited to thirty minutes. Translated, the NRA is taking precious time from a lawyer who has already won the most important Second Amendment case in history... http://www.examiner.com/x-2698-Charlotte-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d28-Court-grants-NRA-motion-to-argue-McDonald-What-are-implications --- Republicans Don't Always Support RKBA: ...Joe Biden has been a longtime advocate advocate of such "gun control" measures as bans of so-called "assault weapons," laws to close the mythical "gun show loophole," etc., and there is little reason to believe that his son has fallen far from that diseased tree. "Well," one might think; "any Republican ought to be better than that - the party platform explicitly endorses the Constitutionally guaranteed, fundamental right of the individual to keep and bear arms." Unfortunately, Congressman Castle seems not to have read that part of the platform. He is, in fact, the primary sponsor of H.R. 2324, to ban private sales at gun shows, and his legislative history shows nothing to separate him from Joe Biden. He is also a co-sponsor to Representative Peter King's (R-NY) H.R. 2159, which would empower the Attorney General to unilaterally declare anyone he wishes a "suspected terrorist," and deny him the ability to purchase firearms. In Illinois, Republican Congressman Mark Kirk seems poised to win the Republican primary for President Obama's old Senate seat (feckless Roland Burriss is not seeking reelection), and has Democrats worried. Like Castle, Kirk is an avowed gun-hater, having introduced an "assault weapon" ban bill of his own in 2008, and is very much onboard with with NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg's anti-gun agenda. He is also a co-sponsor of the above anti-gun bills... http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d27-Republican-Senate-gains-that-would-be-bad-for-gun-rights --- What the Colts Can Teach Ohio Gun Owners: ... In football, it is often said that the first points are the hardest to get. Whether a touchdown, field goal, or safety, you have to start somewhere no matter how early in the game or how far behind you get as the game goes on. Sunday, the Colts were able to get those first points early but then fell behind. However, they refused to give up and kept chipping at the Jets lead until it evaporated and they were left with a win. In Ohio, concealed carry was banned for 145 years. Finally, in 2004, Ohio gun rights activists were able to get passage of a concealed carry bill and got the first points on the board, so to speak. Some people were content at that point and willing to coast, as Braylon Edwards accused the Jets of doing once they had a big lead. I remember talk within Ohioans For Concealed Carry (OFCC) that the group could now disband as concealed carry was passed. Mission accomplished. Except that the mission wasn't accomplished. Ohio had then, and still has today, some of the most restrictive concealed carry laws in the country and there was still a lot of scoring to be done to get back into the game... http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d27-What-the-Colts-can-teach-about-restoring-gun-rights --- Cheap Theatrics Don't Block Indiana RKBA Bills: Donning a National Rifle Association cap and holding a toy pistol, state Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, walked to the front of the Indiana House floor. Explaining his support for the "Wild Wild West," he fired the fake pistol, saying, "Bang, bang, shoot 'em up!" "This is indeed an NRA state," Smith said. "I pledge allegiance, not to the flag, but to the NRA." The representative's theatrics were facetious, but the bills he was mocking both passed the Indiana House on Tuesday. Under House Bill 1065, as long as the guns stay locked in their cars, no employer could tell its workers that they must leave their weapons at home. It would also eliminate the possibility for law enforcement to take citizens' guns in an emergency, such as what happened during Hurricane Katrina. Rep. Robert Bischoff, D-Lawrenceburg, who introduced the bill, said that Louisiana was actually one of the first states to repeal provisions such as this... The bill passed on a 76-21 vote. A similar bill, Senate Bill 25, passed that chamber earlier this week. A second firearm bill, HB 1068, would keep the identities of those who apply for gun permits secret... http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/jan/27/gun-bills-pass-house-despite-antics-argument-for/ --- New Mexico Restaurant-Carry Bill Clears Committee: People with licenses to carry concealed guns could take their firearms into restaurants that serve beer and wine under a bill that zipped through a Senate committee on Wednesday. Senate Bill 40, sponsored by Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, cleared the Senate Corporations and Transportation Committee by a 7-1 vote. Sen. Linda Lovejoy, D-Crownpoint, cast the only vote against the measure. Gov. Bill Richardson sent an executive message to the Senate calling for such a bill to be considered. That's a necessary step in a 30-day session for bills not directly concerned with finance and budget matters. Steve Aikens, a firearms instructor from Clovis who teaches courses that are required for concealed carry licenses, told the committee that no holder of such a license in the United States has been charged with shooting a gun in a restaurant since states began passing concealed-carry laws in the mid 1980s. Aikens, who is founder of a pro-gun Web site www.handgunlaw.us, said when license holders have to leave their guns in their vehicles when they go to get a meal, they are taking a chance of the weapon being stolen and the guns going into the hands of criminals... http://www.cnjonline.com/news/bill-36865-concealed-senate.html --- More on the Washington "AWB" Hearing: ... According to Joe Waldron, legislative director for the Bellevue-based Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, "The individual sign-in sheets (showed) 313 people signed in to testify. Fourteen indicated they supported the bill and 298 checked the 'con' column, and one person left both blank." Yet Sen. Kline, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and is prime sponsor of the legislation, equally divided testimony between pro and con. Some gun rights proponents contend this gave unfair advantage and "weight" to those supporting a ban. Others were amused and/or offended by Kline's contention that certain physical characteristics of a so-called "assault weapon" make it "more lethal than your ordinary deer rifle." Without trying to confuse non-gun owners, the AR-15, which is the primary target of this proposed ban, fires a cartridge - the .223 Remington - which was designed for shooting prairie dogs and small predators such as foxes and coyotes. The "ordinary deer rifle" to which Kline alluded in the hearing typically fires a .30-caliber cartridge such as the .308 Winchester or .30-06 Springfield, which have ample knockdown power to bring down a bull elk... http://www.examiner.com/x-4525-Seattle-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d27-Fallout-continues-in-wake-of-assault-weapon-ban-hearing However...: Legislation that would ban the sale of assault weapons in Washington state will likely go nowhere this session. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held a hearing on Senate Bill 6396, which would prohibit the sale of assault weapons, specifically semiautomatic pistols, pump-action rifles or shotguns that met certain definitions. The measure is sponsored by Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle. Kline, who is also the committee's chairman, took about 45 minutes of testimony from proponents, including police representatives and the mother of a Seattle homicide victim, and opponents, including the National Rifle Association. Jeff Reading, spokesman for Senate Democrats, said in an e-mail the assault weapons measure "probably won't be voted on since it doesn't have the votes to pass out of committee." http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/archives/192390.asp?from=blog_last3 --- Ohio CHL's Surged in 2009: The Lima News is reporting that the number of people obtaining licenses to carry a concealed handgun exploded in 2009 to as high as 500 percent in some northwest Ohio counties. And that has county sheriffs offering words of caution - to criminals: "I hope criminals think twice before they attempt to steal from someone or harm someone," remarked Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon. Allen County Sheriff Sam Crish added, "With the numbers growing, it's a huge risk if you're committing some type of offense you don't know who may be carrying." ... Sheriff Crish is quoted as saying people obtaining licenses should put criminals on notice that people are serious about protecting themselves. And those people come from all walks of life and all professions and include women and men, both old and young. The numbers include a slight increase of 5 percent in women obtaining their licenses. "There's a lot of single mothers. They're just concerned for their safety," Crish said... http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7089 --- Ohio Town Bemoans State Preemption: In Beavercreek, Ohio, a suburb of Dayton, some city council members are reportedly outraged that they are being forced by state law to remove their gun ban in city parks. Statewide preemption, upheld by the Ohioans For Concealed Carry v. City of Clyde Ohio Supreme Court case, prohibits cities and towns from restricting gun rights including the locations where law abiding citizens are allowed to carry their defensive firearms... Why would you need a concealed weapon in a park? I can think of a few reasons. Chevonne Ecclestone, 52, of Strongsville, died May 28, 2008 - 18 days after being beaten and robbed at Camp Corde park in Parma. Shawn Stevens, 43, of Elyria, was shot by an attacker in the Lorain County Metro Parks Carlisle Reservation. She was paralyzed after being shot in the back while walking in the Lorain Metroparks also in 2008. In 2009, a woman was attacked at Quail Hollow State Park in what investigators are calling an attempted abduction. The woman was able to fight off her attackers and escape. Also in 2009, Jory Aebly and Jeremy Pechanec were shot in a Cleveland city park, apparently the victims of an attempted mugging... http://www.examiner.com/x-2206-Cleveland-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d28-Dayton-suburb-opposes-state-law-that-killed-their-gun-ban?cid=channel-rss-Politics --- A Breath of Fresh Texas Air: George Morovich is a Republican candidate running for Texas Congressional District 25, currently held by Lloyd Doggett. If you want a Congressman to represent your right to keep and bear arms, this questionnaire will assist you in deciding if a candidate will represent you. Lloyd Doggett was endorsed by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence in 2008, which makes his position on gun rights very clear. The Brady Campaign has shown time and again that their idea of "sensible gun laws" translates into confiscation. Brady also considers the states with the most gun control the "best" states in the union, even though these states average higher violent crime and murder rates. As Obama says, it's time for change. The answers below are exactly how they were sent in Morovich's reply... (It's worth a minute or two to read them.) http://www.examiner.com/x-2879-Austin-Gun-Rights-Examiner~y2010m1d28-George-Morovich-on-gun-rights --- Austin Gun Show Finds New Venue: Next Show Date Feb. 20 & 21, Old Target Building, 6405 S Interstate Highway 35, Austin, TX 78744. Call for Further Info. (210) 872-7469 (This is the show where Austin PD and F Troop called a "nuisance abatement" meeting with the sponsor and H-E-B, the market chain that owns the prior venue, and pressured H-E-B to require that all vendors at the show have an FFL.) http://texasgunshows.net/2009ShowCalendar.aspx --- It's Official - Gunsite Owner Running for Arizona Governor: A northern Arizona businessman has officially entered the race for the Republican nomination for governor, pledging to resurrect the state's economy with tax cuts and spending reductions. Owen Buz Mills, who goes by Buz, filed papers Wednesday with the Secretary of State's Office. He contributed $2.1 million to his own campaign, making him the best funded of the candidates. Mills, 66, owns a firearms and self-defense-training facility in Paulden. He enters a Republican field that already includes Gov. Jan Brewer, state Treasurer Dean Martin and former Board of Regents President John Munger. Attorney General Terry Goddard, a Democrat, made his candidacy official on Friday. Brewer, Martin and Goddard have said they intend to run as Clean Elections candidates. But a recent court ruling could prevent them from receiving matching funds if they are outspent by a traditional candidate, calling into question whether they may reconsider running with public financing... (A recent poll showed Martin running nine points ahead of Goddard.) http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2010/01/28/20100128mills0128.html --- Open Carry Gets More Press in California: David Julian has his unloaded gun strapped to his hip anytime he's walking his dog, grocery shopping or eating dinner at a restaurant. The 28-year-old Cupertino resident estimates that he's one of 40 people in the Bay Area and more than 100 in the state exercising his legal right to carry an unloaded handgun in plain sight. Second to protecting themselves, the purpose of this loosely organized "open-carry" group is to usher in reforms to California's gun laws. "We consider ourselves coming out of the closet with our gun rights," said Julian, who often carries openly throughout San Mateo County. "The Bay Area is the last stand." The movement has sparked controversy across the state and is now hitting close to home on the Peninsula, where law enforcers are responding to the group with mixed feelings. Simply put: They are trying to strike a balance between upholding state law and protecting the community from what they say can lead to a dangerous and deadly scene. The county Sheriff's Office was the first to issue a public memo last week, alerting the community that it's legal to carry unloaded guns. In the same breath, deputies said they do not recommend doing so... http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Firearms-out-in-the-open-82852497.html --- Hearing Set in Philadelphia Shooting: Temple law student Gerald Ung will face a preliminary hearing in April in the shooting case that happened in front of Fox 29. Ung was initially charged with attempted murder after he allegedly shot former Villanova student Ed DiDonato Jr. at 4th and Market Streets in Philadelphia. The hearing's date was set on Monday. Ung was released on bail last week after his mother posted bail. Fox 29 security cameras caught the violence on videotape around 2:30 a.m. Sunday on January 17, when Ung bumped into DiDonato and his friends. Next, DiDonato and his friends appear to follow Ung. That's when you see Ung pull out a gun and point the weapon. Then, the video shows DiDonato - who is unarmed - lunge toward Ung. Police say Ung fired five times, critically wounding DiDonato... Police sources tell Fox 29 that Ung has a firearms permit issued to him from Virginia. http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/april-hearing-set-in-old-city-shooting --- Oops, Wrong Apartment: Emergency rooms around the Tri-State are on alert, waiting for a suspect police believe was shot by a 77 year old Avondale [OH] man in self-defense. "I shot because he was going to shoot me. I could have shot him two or three times." Clyde Tucker says two men broke down his door at the Hale Apartments on Tuesday. Tucker says lately, residents of his building have been victims of the same kind of crime-thugs who break down doors and rob them. So Tucker says, he was ready. "The guy was knocking on my door and I didn't respond so I got my pistol out." Tucker fired, and the men ran out of the building. A witness, Eric Hamilton, saw the men run out and says it was clear one of the suspects had been hit by a bullet. He was holding his torso. Police found a trail of blood coming out of the apartment building. "I could have shot him if I wanted to kill the guy or something but I don't want to do nothing like that. They'll get their lesson though." Police say the suspect will likely show up for treatment of his wound and when he does, they'll be ready to arrest him. http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/Elderly-Man-Shoots-Intruder/fyT8VlMUGEG8HNXz8vdBRg.cspx --- Oops, Wrong House: A Fort Wayne [IN] man fatally shot an armed, masked intruder who was trying to break into a southeast-side home early Wednesday. Investigators believe 21-year-old Trenton Tavon Jones was planning to rob the residents at 4730 Reed St. about 3:15 a.m. According to police, Jones tried to force his way through the home's front door... The name of the shooter has not been released, and no charges have been filed. Police believe Jones had accomplices who fled in a dark-colored vehicle. The shooting occurred after one of two men inside the home approached the front door with a gun upon hearing the attempted intrusion, police said. It was unclear how many shots were fired. The first officers to arrive at the home found Jones, wearing a ski mask, critically wounded, they said. Officers also found a gun they believe Jones was carrying... http://www.journalgazette.net/article/20100128/LOCAL07/301289976/1002/LOCAL --- Model for NYPD Training Target Dies: Thousands of cops opened fire at Jesse Oldshein over the years - and all it did was make him smile. The retired NYPD lieutenant believed to be the real-life inspiration for a paper target used in firearms training died last week at his Florida home, relatives said. He was 92 and had battled bladder cancer. It was less than two years ago that Oldshein was unmasked as "The Thug" whose visage was supposed to inspire cops to shoot straight. For years, there was debate in police circles about the identity of the snarling, pug-nosed gunman with all the charm of a kick in the teeth... When the NYPD said in November 2008 it was replacing "The Thug" with two targets - a Mr. Clean look-alike and a faceless alien - retired Detective Harold Schiffer came forward and said Oldshein was the mystery man. Oldshein said Schiffer was no liar and told how he showed up for target practice one day in the early 1960s and was asked to pose for a picture. "They said, 'Pose in a boxing stance,'" Oldshein said in 2008. "Next thing I know, my face is on the target." ... http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/01/27/2010-01-27_thug_who_survived_countless_cop_bullets_dies_happy_in_florida.html#ixzz0dpUVPrGo --- Glock Generation 4 Only Offered in Two Models: Glock has unveiled two new pistols for 2010 - the GLOCK 22 Gen4 and GLOCK 17 Gen4. The new Gen4s have several new features, most noticeably a multiple backstrap system that allows the user to change the circumference of the grip. The grip has three options; a short frame version, medium frame or large frame that are easily changed and secured with a single pin. Also, the magazine release catch of the Gen4 is reversible and enlarged. The reversible magazine catch allow users to switch access of the catch to the left or right side of the pistol with no additional parts. Internally, the original recoil spring has been replaced with a dual recoil spring assembly. The dual recoil spring assembly noticeably reduces the recoil while simultaneously increasing the life cycle of the pistol. Additionally, the Gen4 has a new Rough Textured Frame (RTF) surface designed to enhance grip traction and is present on the frame as well as the interchangeable backstraps. (My take - the only reason for the interchangeable back straps is to compete for law-enforcement contracts. While the short frame makes the gun friendlier to smaller hands, I would have liked to see an insert creating a flat or nearly flat back strap. For those of us who are not fond of the Glock hump, at least it's not as much of a problem on the service-size pistols as on the compact and sub-compact models.) http://www.gunreports.com/news/news/Glock-Gen4-new-pistols_1799-1.html?ET=gunreports:e625:183810a:&st=email --- Hmong Hunters Get Guidance over Radio: Along the barren airwaves of AM radio in Northern California, somewhere between gospel music and traffic updates, Yia Yang can be heard telling his devoted listeners to always be aware of their gun muzzles. A 50-year-old Hmong immigrant from northern Laos, Mr. Yang is the host of a regular all-things-hunting program on KJAY 1430-AM. The station serves one of the nation's largest Hmong populations - one for whom the link between hunting and survival is still palpable... "In Laos, a big part of the traditional role for men was to provide meat," said Paul Hillmer, a professor of history and director of the Hmong Oral History Project at Concordia University in St. Paul. "The adjustment for Hmong men in this country was getting used to things like private-property boundaries, hunting licenses and regulations." So Mr. Yang patiently answers a steady stream of callers from all over the Sacramento Valley, whose questions range from the mundane -- Do I need a special license to hunt deer with a bow and arrow? (No, but a hunting license is required, as is a deer tag for archery.) - to the exotic. How, exactly, one hunter wanted to know, was he to deliver the severed head of the black bear he had shot to the State Department of Fish and Game, as required by law. (Present the skull - even if damaged - to a department office or officer within 10 days of killing the bear.) State officials praise Mr. Yang for translating the nitty-gritty of fish and game law for people from an ethnic group that can be wary of authority figures... (Recall that a few years back a Hmong hunter was confronted while using a tree stand on private land in Wisconsin and ultimately convicted in the murder of all six of them; as I recall the case, they apparently continued to harangue him after he had descended from the tree stand and removed the scope from his SKS rifle.) http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/us/28sacramento.html?ref=us --- When Guns Are Outlawed...: Police are looking for persons involved in a break-in at a Champaign [IL] house on Sunday night. According to a Champaign police report, two men entered the back door of a house under construction in the 3600 block of Freedom Boulevard at 8:34 p.m. Sunday. According to Champaign Police Department spokeswoman Rene Dunn, a woman who owns the house that was under construction was there at the time of the break-in. She reported watching the men try to open a locked service door leading to the garage. The men then walked to the back of the house while shining a flashlight into the kitchen area. Once they got inside the house, the two men encountered the 67-year-old woman, who hit one of them in the head with an ax and then pressed the alarm button on the remote control of her car, activating the horn. The two men ran from the house and joined a third person in a white sport utility vehicle, which was last seen headed north on Freedom Boulevard. Dunn said the people in the SUV were not found... (Illinois residents are not actually prohibited from owning firearms, so long as they maintain a state issued Firearm Owner's Identification card. It is, however, very cumbersome for them to transport them lawfully outside the home, much less wear a concealed handgun, and it sounds as though this woman did not yet reside on the premises.) http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2010/01/28/police_looking_for_suspects_in_breakin Almost 3,000 South African police firearms were lost or stolen in just nine months, it emerged today - about three for every police station in the country, which has some of the highest crime rates in the world... A parliamentary committee heard that 2,944 police weapons were lost or stolen between January and September last year - more than in the whole of 2008, which was itself an increase on 2007, she said. The recovery rate for weapons stolen from or lost by police was "extremely low", Ms Kohler Barnard added, in contrast to thefts from civilians, where it was 100 per cent. The figures suggest that, wittingly or unwittingly, South African police could be a major supplier of weapons to the country's criminal underworld. "I can't discount that," said Ms Kohler-Barnard, adding that it was impossible to say how many of the guns declared lost had instead been sold by corrupt officers. "I don't know whether they are selling them or leaving them on the counter at Wimpy's when they go to have a hamburger." Investigations into lost firearms were sometimes launched, she said, but "nothing ever comes of them, nothing ever happens and no one is punished"... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/southafrica/7085320/South-Africa-police-lose-3000-guns-a-year.html --- Tangentially Related: President Barack Obama's pointed criticism of the Supreme Court in tonight's State of the Union address, which we reported on here and here was beyond unusual; it was almost unprecedented. The third branch rarely even merits a mention in the State of the Union speeches, according to a search we've made going back to Woodrow Wilson's speech in 1913 in this University of California Santa Barbara database. (Thanks to editor David Brown for the research.) Presidents have mentioned the Supreme Court by name only nine times since that Wilson speech nearly a century ago, according to the search, and it would be hard to categorize many of those nine as criticisms. Even President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had a lot of grievances with the Court, never mentioned it in any of his State of the Union messages. And Richard Nixon, who campaigned against the Warren Court, mentioned the Supreme Court in a State of the Union talk only once, in 1972, in a bland, welcoming way... http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2010/01/high-court-is-rare-topic-for-state-of-the-union-speeches.html POLITICO's Kasie Hunt, who's in the House chamber, reports that Justice Samuel Alito mouthed the words "not true" when President Barack Obama criticized the Supreme Court's campaign finance decision. "Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests -- including foreign corporations -- to spend without limit in our elections," Obama said. "Well I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that's why I'm urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong." The shot of the black-robed Supreme Court justices, stone-faced, was priceless. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stood up behind the justices and clapped vigorously while Alito shook his head and quietly mouthed his discontent. Schumer and Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md) are trying to find a way to legislate around the Supreme Court decision... http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/0110/Justice_Alitos_You_lie_moment.html A Search Engine That Promises Privacy: Who in the world knows as much about you and your private thoughts as Google? That's the question Katherine Albrecht, radio talk-show host and spokeswoman for Startpage, a search engine that protects user privacy, is posing to American Internet surfers. "It would blow people's minds if they knew how much information the big search engines have on the American public," she told WND. "In fact, their dossiers are so detailed they would probably be the envy of the KGB." It happens every day, Albrecht explained. When an unfamiliar topic crosses people's minds, they often go straight to Google, Yahoo or Bing and enter key terms into those search engines. Every day, more than a billion searches for information are performed on Google alone... But she said there's good news. Startpage, and its European brand Ixquick,, are introducing a new search alternative that will protect and never store private information about its users. Startpage will launch its new proxy service tonight at 10 p.m. EST. The proxy service allows users to search and surf the Web anonymously. With each Startpage search, the word "proxy" appears under each result. If a user clicks "proxy," they may view the result privately... http://startpage.com/ -- Stephen P. Wenger, KE7QBY Firearm safety - It's a matter for education, not legislation. The tactics and skills to use a firearm in self-defense don't come naturally with the right to keep and bear arms. http://www.spw-duf.info .