2008-06-27

DC Mayor Says Semi-Autos are Illegal

To show the lack of understanding in the DC government, one must only go to their website, in which the mayor has released a statement that semi-automatic handguns will still "generally" be banned in the city.

For those who are not familiar with guns, many do not know what semi-automatic means.  It means one pull of the trigger is required for each shot.  These types of handguns used to actually be called "automatic" but once smaller machine guns came out the "semi" was added.  

Just about any handgun made in the last 100 years is a semi-auto, including revolvers and those fed with a magazine.

Your next (smart) cell phone

The days of the phone that only makes calls are nearing an end.  No more will you be confined to a basic address book, crappy web browser, and dumb applications.  Google's cell phone operating system, Android, will be release later this year and its definitely no iPhone. 
 
The Apple iPhone is great, no question about it, but there are a few issues. 
  • It requires you to use AT&T
  • It is mostly proprietary software and tough to customize.
  • There are only 2 models of the phone
 
Unlike the iPhone, Google is not coming up with a new phone.  They are providing an operating system to run on new smart phones, so you will have your choice of LG, Motorola, and others.  And you also will likely be able to have your choice of carrier, be it Verizon, AT&T, and others. 
 
It's time to get rid of our antiquated cell phones.  I'm guilty of this as well.  My phone is not "smart."  It is just used to dial numbers, and that's a shame.  Going on a short trip requires me to lug a laptop with me, it would be much easier to just take a smartphone.  Within 2-3 years, anyone with a non-smart (should we just call it dumb?) phone will look like the guy who still watches TV over an antenna, has a non-digital camera, and books plane tickets exclusively over the phone.
 
Here are some cool things that Android will let you do, that you likely won't be able to live without once you try:
  • Bar code scanner: If you are in any store and see an interesting product, you can scan the bar code with your phone and it will immediately pull up reviews of the product (along with comparison prices).
  • Iris Scanner: Your phone is protected by your eye instead of a password
  • Social networking + GPS: Find out the location of your friends (obviously there are some privacy implications, but as long as you can turn it off, it could be useful).  Your friend tells you they are at this new cool bar, but they aren't quite sure where it is.  They can send you the location to your phone, which will give you directions.
  • Cooking programs: Will show you videos of how to cook.  Ever try to bring your laptop into the kitchen?
  • Emergency Broadcast - Will issue alerts to you about weather or other issues (like a terrorist attack).  As the system knows where you are, it will be customized based on your exact location. 
  • Keep your family safe - One program will tell you if you are in a high-crime or sex offender neighborhood (or if your other family members end up in such a place).
  • Video conferencing - Talking can only go so far
Of course, these phones will still have the standard phone, so if you just want to make calls you can or send a text message.  But who wants to do just that anymore?
 
Here are descriptions of some of the neat applications that I described above, plus some more.  http://code.google.com/android/images/adc1r1_deck.pdf

2008-06-26

District of Columbia v. Heller

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

As promised, here is my best analysis after having read the Supreme Court decision.  I did not quite read it in its entirety, but I've read enough to know what this means: our gun rights are not in jeopardy no matter what happens over the next several years.

What the decision means now:
DC must begin issuing handgun permits ASAP and cannot require guns of any type to be stored locked and disassembled.  DC will likely become as permissive about guns as Illinois (excluding Chicago), requiring the person who buys a handgun to have a permit, submit to fingerprinting, and register their gun.  So law abiding citizens in DC will now be able to buy a gun and carry it loaded while in their homes.

What is no longer allowed?
Outright bans of "common" guns such as handguns, rifles, shotguns and the requirement that they be unloaded when stored in the home.

So what is still OK?
This will likely be hashed out over the next decade, but it appears now that gun registration, bans of specific guns (like machine guns), and many other federal laws will remain untouched.  Crazy people will still not be able to buy guns, and neither will felons, at least legally.

What did SCOTUS say of the 2nd Amendment in general?
They said it means we have the individual right to own guns.  This right does not require us to be in a militia.  They did say that the first clause and second clause of the amendment are related, in that giving us the right to own guns individually would allow us to form a militia should the government get out of control.  The American Revolution was not well organized, but we still won.  Scalia also remarked that the 2nd Amendment could be modified to read "Because a well regulated militia is necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

What does "bear arms" mean?
This is another question that remains unresolved.  Scalia's opinion indicates that he likely would have opted to allow carrying of a gun.  The opinion does, however, explicitly say that concealed carry can be regulated/prohibited.  They court was silent on open carry, so that may very well be OK, but we will need a test case.  Will someone please volunteer to walk around DC with a shotgun strapped to your back?

What laws are likely to be challenged?
Many of them.  I'm sure prohibitions on concealed carry will be challenged even though I don't think these will necessarily be overturned.  I think there is a decent chance that assault weapon bans in states like California could be in danger.  Chicago's gun ban will likely be overturned quickly, as it was very similar to DCs.  

Who won?
Freedom.

Who lost?
DC Mayor Fenti, who was so adamant in sending this case to the Supreme Court despite the mayors of other cities warning him that it would foil all of their efforts.  His stock just dropped.

Obama, McCain agree with SCOTUS gun ruling

Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama both applauded the Supreme Court ruling that the Second Amendment conveys an individual right to own a gun.

McCain's statement was more focused on the "landmark" aspect of this decision, while Obama said that it reflected the type of compromise he sees in the guns issue, in which we have an individual right to own a gun but "common sense" restrictions can be placed on it.

If you look at past voting records, McCain and Obama are pretty much identical on the issues of guns, so this is not a big surprise.

BREAKING: 2ND AMENDMENT GIVES INDIVIDUAL RIGHT

Supreme Court rules that 2nd Amendment gives individuals the right to own a handgun.  I will post a full writeup later today, once I have read the complete decision.
 
This is a BIG WIN for gun rights, probably the biggest ever.

2008-06-25

Death Penalty Narrowed to Murder

Today by a 5-4 margin, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty can only apply in cases of murder, invalidating a Louisiana statute that handed down the ultimate punishment to those who rape children.  

I've always had mixed feelings on the death penalty.  While there are many cases, including the rape of a child, in which a community's outrage may be best served by killing the perpetrator, the main reason proponents back it is that it helps prevent crime.  Most studies conclude that the death penalty does little or nothing to deter crime.

Furthermore, the appeals process for death penalties is lengthy, and it usually costs more to execute someone than to feed them for life in prison due to lawyer fees.  So more of your taxpayer money is wasted to kill someone.  There is also the question of whether the State has the right to end a life; a question that many libertarians will answer with a resounding "no."  

Ron Paul is very much opposed to the death penalty, Bob Barr supports it.

I think that within 20-30 years, there will be no death penalty in America.  All other democratic, developed countries have abolished it except for the US and Japan.  Time will tell, but rulings such as this mean that old sparky's days are numbered.

DC gun ban case to be decided tomorrow

Tomorrow morning at 10, the Supreme Court will issue a decision in DC
v. Heller, which will rule if the 2nd Amendment applies to
individuals, or only to a collective militia.

SCOTUS Blog predicts that Scalia wrote the majority opinion, which
would indicate that an individual interpretation is likely.

If you want to see the decision as it happens go to www.scotusblog.com


tomorrow at 10am sharp for a live webcast.

2008-06-24

Bush Ignores Own Scientists' Email

George W. Bush is not a man of science.  Now, the New York Times is reporting that the White House refuses to open an email sent to them by the EPA because it contains a document that says greenhouse gases are a pollutant.  The EPA was ordered by the Supreme Court to conduct an analysis on the issue.

Just like Saddam's non-existent WMD's when Bush and his cronies are faced with something that they disagree with, they ignore it, at everyone's expense.  

As I've mentioned previously, even John McCain, the man who cannot even find porn on the internet, recognizes that greenhouse gases are a problem.  Why does Bush continue down this path?  

2008-06-23

McCain Marries Another Man in Virginia

No, not John McCain, but Justin (AKA: Justine) McCain.  He dressed up as a woman and went to the courthouse in VA to obtain a marriage license with his partner.  Officials had trouble reading his driver's license and issued the marriage license, which the pair used to get married.  

Gay rights are not yet recognized in Virginia, but this may go further than that.  If the individual is transgender, he may be a she legally, and it is unclear if this would violate the law.  He may very well be charged with a misdemeanor, which I think many would agree is a waste of taxpayer money.  In any case, it makes for interesting reading.

McCain on his love of America

Many conservatives blasted Michelle Obama for saying that “for the first time in my life, I am really proud of my country.”

What about when John McCain said he didn’t love his country until he went to Viet Nam? Isn’t that just as bad? Only Dan Abrams has reported this. Why is the media afraid to attack McCain?

RIP: Carlin

George Carlin passed away today.  He wasn't a big fan of religion, so he'd probably say he's in hell now, but you never know.  As a tribute to him, watch the video below for the seven words you can't say on TV.




2008-06-22

Mugabe Remains in Power

Africa's longest ruling dictator, Robert Mugabe, will remain in power after the opposition leader dropped out of the election, due to fears of violence directed at him and his followers.

Zimbabwe is a complete cluster fuck these days, with inflation in the hundreds of thousands of percents: a meal there costs billions in local currency.  

Mugabe rose to power during the end of British colonialism in what was then Rhodesia.  After taking power he slowly turned his country into a complete cesspool, blaming white people for his problems.  The white Africans owned most of the farms, so he took their land, gave it to black Africans and killed most of the whites who resisted.  The new owners of the farms did not know how to run them, so there are now widespread food shortages.

This asshole will probably be in power until he's dead.