Remember Your Nanny Knows Best

So apparently the Food and Drug Administration is working to ban a whole butt load of painkillers…

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/homepage/20090702_Painkillers_at_a_crossroads_as_FDA_decision_
looms.html

From the article…

The FDA advisory panel recommended banning Vicodin and Percocet because they contain acetaminophen, which can cause liver damage if taken at higher-than-recommended doses. The panel also urged the FDA to lower maximum doses for acetaminophen, best known as the branded drug Tylenol.

Yes they want to ban widely used drugs such as Vocdin because if it’s abused it can damage your liver. Well with that reasoning we have a whole list of things we need to start banning. If you abuse alcohol you can die, strangely enough from liver damage as well. The FDA better get a move on to ban alcohol because that worked so well in the past to prevent alcohol abuse.

Did you know that apple seeds contain cyanide…

http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/apples.asp

Of course it takes a massive number of seeds to ingest enough cyanide to kill you but still it could be abused. We need to ban apples in all forms.

Yes the FDA is playing nanny state again trying to save us from ourselves. I wish our government would spend their time worrying about things that are actually a problem instead of wasting their time banning things that people can die from if abused (which is pretty much everything that falls under the jurisdiction of the FDA).

Don’t Place Your Cameraman Downrange

Although I’m more late to posting this than any other gun blogger at least I’m posting it (yeah this was a failure to bring breaking news). The people at Tactical Response shot a video that showed a cameraman down range while students were shooting.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqboR6gjOi8&e]

This is such a bad idea I don’t know where to begin. Let’s face it you don’t put a man down range when people are shooting. This is just asking for trouble. All it would take is a slight miss and you’d have on injured or dead cameraman. And anybody could make such a slip up no matter who good they are.

Source: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009/06/17/highly-controversial-training-video/

But James Yeager posted a video response on YouTube as well. Here is the video…

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R3t0wuLDWQ&e]

Personally all he makes are excuses trying to justify a bad idea. The statement that really irks me is where he says nobody can be completely safe. I’ll give him the truth in that but there are easy and common sense things you can do to make something safe. For instance not placing somebody down range while people are actively shooting. This isn’t hard to do and it greatly increases safety. It’s akin to ensuring your gun is unloaded before you start cleaning it.

Seriously this guy is an idiot. When you fuck up don’t try to justify it just admit you’re only human and you made a mistake.

Source: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2009/06/19/james-yeager-responds-to-the-controversial-training-video/

North Korea Makes Threat it Can’t Keep

More shenanigans from North Korea…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8104709.stm

A hilarious quote from North Koreas state run news agency…

If the US and its followers infringe upon our republic’s sovereignty even a bit, our military and people will launch a one hundred- or one thousand-fold retaliation with merciless military strike

OK North Korea can’t even hit us with one fold how do they expect to strike us with one hundred or one thousand (they’re not even sure which) fold attack? Personally I’m not too scared.

North Korea is like a young dog. It’s going to bite and rip things apart but in the end all you have to do is give it a good smack with a news paper and it’ll settle down.

Some Anti-Gunners Crying over Open Carry

A rather whiny article I found thanks to Mark Vanderberg on Facebook. I only post this because I’m in the mood to shoot down some more illogical statements…

http://www.opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-starbucks-full-of-guns-the-insanity-of-open-carry

The usual thing will be happening here, I’m going to pull out choice quotations and then destroy them. Let the carnage begin…

The real world implications of the open carry crusade is chilling. Consider:

Ooooh a bullet point list, I love these. Heck I love these so much each point is getting it’s own block quote. Let us consider the implications of…

Sipping hot chocolate with your toddler at Starbucks while a fellow patron openly displays a gun at the table next to you;

What is the implication of this? Well I’d probably go over to the guy and strike up a conversation. Who knows what terrible manner of conversation could arise between two pro-gun nut cases. Why there could be talk about the type of gun he’s carrying, the type of gun I’m carrying, politics, coffee, Hell almost anything. I’m sure the baby would have fun getting complements from another person proclaiming how cute he/she is. The only crime that could happen here is paying more for the coffee then you do for some ammunition.

Attending a church service with your entire family knowing that the fellow parishioner sitting next to you has a handgun tucked in his belt; or

What implication could we have here? Conversation with a fellow pro-gunner after the service is certainly likely. If some crazy asshole broke in with intent to kill people at the service I’m sure he wouldn’t get very far since there would be at least two law abiding citizens with guns there. You know this also sounds like a good implication.

Boarding a crowded bus with your newborn child with upwards of 5 other passengers openly carrying weapons.

Once again conversations could be abound. Also I know my newborn child would be safe from any crazy drug addict who might board the bus and try to rob or kill us. Hell this sounds like the only bus I’d want to ride on.

So what other quotes can be pulled from here? How about this one…

Unless this is the kind of world you want for you and your children, Americans’ need to pick up the phone to call state and federal lawmakers to voice outrage over the gun lobby’s extremist agenda.

Actually since this is exactly the type of world I’d want to live in I have contacted my congress critters, and told them to fight for my second amendment rights.

Oh and I love this one…

It’s ironic that today’s parents are hyper-vigilant about what their children eat, whom they hang out with and whether they have sunscreen on. Yet, in sharp contrast, there is remarkably little awareness or concern about the 280 million guns in civilian hands in our country—many of which are carried into countless public places each day where families frequent.

Maybe it’s because people aren’t concerned what law abiding citizens with guns will do. They are more concerned what criminals with guns will do. Furthermore they probably feel a bit safer knowing that there are people willing to defend themselves and others from criminals with guns. I know I do.

And finally…

After all, allowing a small group of armed gun owners — versus trained law enforcement officers — to make potentially life and death decisions about public safety in restaurants, churches, theaters and parks is a frightening prospect.

Sure I’ll bite, we can let the trained law enforcement officers make life and death decisions. After the many minutes it will take for them to arrive and many people have already been killed. Great idea, let’s let innocent people die because some people are afraid of something they’ve never used, guns.

Seriously I love these anti-gun arguments because they are so full of emotional B.S. but lack any real facts.

Your Tax Dollars at Work, PBS’s Anti-Gun Message

I found this one on the Gun Rights Radio Network forum and found it aggravating…

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/06122009/watch3.html

It’s a long anti-gun rant full of the usual fear, uncertainty, and disinformation (FUD). Let’s pull some choice quotes from the article shall we…

And I’m not making this up either: after that shooting at the Holocaust Museum a conservative organization immediately offered those of us on television a chance to interview the founder of the organization Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. His expertise, it is said, is in helping people understand why gun control doesn’t belong in a civilized society. Thanks, but no thanks. And no thanks to his counterparts among Christians and Muslims who use every violent shedding of blood to promote the worship of guns.

OK be honest Bill Moyers, this isn’t about religious organizations killing each other to promote the “worship” guns (seriously find me a religion that says to worship guns). This is about not wanting to hear the other side’s arguments because you know you can’t refute them. Emotional blubbering doesn’t stand up against facts. God forbid you did something crazy like talk and listen to somebody with an opposing viewpoint.

Guns don’t kill people, they say. People kill people. True. People kill people — with guns.

This is very true, I can’t refute it in any way. People kill people with guns. We also kill each other with knives, cars, bombs, household cleaners, scissors, pencils, electricity, water, and our bare hands. Why isn’t he asking for a ban on any of these items? It might be the stereotypical example but cars kill more people than guns and Ted Kennedy’s car has killed more people than all of my guns combined.

it’s 22 times more likely to shoot a member of their family than an intruder.

That statistic fits very nicely with the one that states you are most likely to get burglarized or molested by somebody in your family. Cripes, better not interact with any of your family members!

Thank you Mr. Moyer for another emotion filled and fact free argument. It’s so nice to read these because they are so easy to tear apart. It’s even more entertaining when you realize that he’s writing this while being paid with our tax money. Wait that isn’t entertaining at all that just makes him a total asshole.

Source: http://gunrightsradio.com/forums2/index.php/topic,1927.0.html

When Breaking into Somebody’s Home don’t Taunt the Owner

A rather humorous story when all is said and done…

http://www.myfoxmemphis.com/dpp/news/local/060109_Oakland_Man_Fatally_Shoots_Intruder

A man wakes up in the middle of the night to banging on his window. He goes to investigate and finds his neighbor breaking in using a rake. Of course the home owner tells his idiot neighbor to stop several times and eventually the neighbor responds with “What are you doing to do?”

Well he received his answer as the home owner put three rounds into him. The neighbor was reported to have stopped attempting to break in after that.

Proving Once Again the European Union is Anti-Business

It never seems to end with the European Union. They bring up a well deserved anti-trust case against Microsoft. It ends in a fine, which Microsoft pays. The European Union also requires Microsoft to rip out applications in it’s operating system so Microsoft does so releasing special European only versions of it’s operating system. For instance there is going to be an Internet Explorer free version of Windows 7. Well apparently that doesn’t go far enough for the largest socialist coalition on Earth…

http://www.osnews.com/story/21662/EC_To_Pursue_Antitrust_Despite_Microsoft_s_IE_Move

The European Union not only wants Microsoft to remove its own browser they also want Microsoft to include competitors’ browsers. I’m calling bullshit on this right here, right now. I dislike Microsoft as much as many others because of what they have done to the industry through their illegal practices. But why should they not be allowed to include their own web browser? And why in the fuck should they be required to include competitors’ products?

The bottom line every modern operating system includes a web browser. Apple’s Mac OS includes Safari, Ubuntu includes Firefox, Android includes it’s own WebKit based browser, Heck Debian even includes Ice Weasel which is just Firefox with a different name. If no browser was included most people wouldn’t know what to do with their computer. Unlike those of us in the “tech savvy” world most people have no idea how to get a web browser without first having a web browser. If you removed Internet Explorer from Windows what do you think most people would do? Probably call their computer manufacturer’s tech support and as “What the fuck guys?”

As making Microsoft remove the browser is idiotic. But making them include their competition’s products is insane. Yes Microsoft are a convicted monopoly, yes they did illegal practices to get to where they are today, but making them include the competition’s products is about as anti-business as you get. Most people who want to use a different browser just get one. For instance the first thing I do on a new installation of Windows after applying the system updates is download a copy of Firefox, Chrome, or Safari (depending on the day).

The problem with including other companies’ products is that Microsoft has no control over them. Currently when a security hole is found in Internet Explorer (you know just about every day) Microsoft figures out the problem and usually fixes it. They can do this because it’s their product and they have control over it. Now let’s say Firefox is included in Windows. Microsoft has no control over any problems that may occur and would be at Mozilla’s mercy when it came to providing a fix. Granted Mozilla is good about providing fixes but if they stop for some reason that leave Microsoft in a shitty position. Not to mention Microsoft has no way of knowing if their competitors’ products won’t interfere with other software in Windows.

Also who is to say any of Microsoft’s competitors won’t provide a special version of their production to include into Windows which they will refuse to support? I doubt this would happen but if they did it would make Microsoft look bad not them browser’s creator. Not having control over your own product is not only difficult but dangerous.

Finally how will we determine which browsers will be included? There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of browser out there. Does Microsoft have to include them all? If so that’s probably a few more gigabytes of size that will need to be installed with the operating system. Do only browsers with at least 10% market share get included? Well that would only leave Mozilla. Of course that would be unfair to Chrome, Safari, etc. How do you get clueless users to determine what browser will be best for them? Most people use Internet Explorer because it’s there and as far as they are concerned it is the Internet. Many of these people would have no idea what to do when asked what web browser to install.

Honestly this is just another reason why I hate the European Union. It was a bad idea when it started and it’s only getting worse as it ages.

Looks Like Swine Flu will Kill Us All

Apparently the World Health Organization has declared Swine Flu a pandemic. Prepare to die…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8094655.stm

I can’t get over how this swine flu scare refused to die. It hasn’t been nearly as bad as most flu mutations during regular flu seasons yet it’s being hyped up even now. Does the W.H.O. have some kind of need to make money by scaring people? W.H.O. knows.

But alas I’m The Doctor.

Doctor who?

Precisely.

Man Twitters He’s Out of Town, House is Robbed

From John C. Dvorak’s blog a perfect example of saying too much on Twitter…

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-10260183-83.html

A man sent Twitter notifications about being out of town. Of course this is a stupid idea for the reason that follows. After this information appeared on Twitter somebody robbed his house.

Point to the wise ladies and gentlemen, don’t let people know you’re out of town unless they need to know. It’s just asking for somebody to break in and take your stuff.

Source: http://www.dvorak.org/blog/2009/06/10/man-tweets-im-out-of-town-house-gets-immediately-robbed/

Navy Forbidden to Wield Swords, Rail Guns OK

This is just a day of stories symbolizing stupidity in it’s purest sense. The Graduates from the Naval Academy won’t be allowed to use their ceremonial swords…

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/21/inside-the-beltway-97423759/

Graduating midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis are being told in writing to leave at home or in their vehicles all “ceremonial swords” and anything else “that might be considered a weapon or a threat by screeners” for Friday’s outdoor commencement ceremonies…

So let me get this straight they can’t be trusted with their ceremonial swords or anything other item that could be considered a weapon. Yet they can be trusted with fucking rail guns…

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/navy_railgun_test_080129w/

Talk about a crock of shit. If you’re training this men and women for war then by God they should be trusted with weapons at all times.