Law enforcement officer: "Buy as many guns as you can afford"; Judge: Carry a gun

By GottaLaff

You may be acquainted with 42bkdodgr, my "72-year-old friend" who contributes Special Comments to TPC from time to time.

He sent me this message yesterday, and I had to share:

Yesterday at a Mens Club luncheon I attended as a guest, there was a law enforcement officer running for top law enforcement position in Vegas.

He told the group that he favored no gun registration requirement and that people should buy as many guns and ammo as they could afford, because the way the country was going, they made need them.

I was shocked and scared from what was said. This coming from a law enforcement official.

I'm scared, too, 42bkdodgr, although I am becoming less shocked, which is a commentary on the recent state of affairs in and of itself.

But I'm not just alarmed by that one story. That was bad enough. No, it gets worse. Today, when I opened my L.A. Times, I found this:

One judge's solution for citizens feeling less secure because of budget cuts in an Ohio county: Carry a gun.

He explained that anyone with a gun should be "law abiding".

Yes, I'm sure all those angry, extremist militia types and/or Tea Baggers, and/or anyone with a grudge against the government who is being egged on by the likes of Sarah Palin to "reload" will remember to be "law abiding".

Emotion has nothing to do with it.

Rage is so easily controlled, isn't it? Especially these days. Why, sure as shootin', these people are as trustworthy and reasonable and safety conscious as they can be with their lethal weapons.

Mackey [...] was expressing concerns with budget cuts that have trimmed the sheriff's department from 112 to 49 deputies in the county, which is Ohio's largest by land area.

Asked by WKYC how people should respond to the cuts and limited patrols, he said, "Arm themselves. Be very careful and just be vigilant because we're going to have to look after each other."

Feel safer now? That awesome posse mentality is so in vogue these days. I must remember to purchase Nordstrom's finest hottt studded leather holster to match the gleam of ready-aim-fire in my eyes.

Even if the judge did not intend to encourage vigilantism, IMHO he was being irresponsible. Guns are not the answer to budget cuts. His honor might have thought about the possible consequences of his words before he opened his influential judicial mouth.

American Fascism: Tea Party Speaker Wants Executions For Homosexuals + bonus Daily Show Video!

By GottaLaff

I'll give you an excerpt that should press enough buttons to get you to read the whole thing:

Of course [former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and current Alabama gubernatorial candidate – Roy] Moore ranted about homosexuals today in his speech. If you’re interested in what he said, you read a summary here. But, two takeaways from this.

1. That this man served at such a high level in our judicial system is shameful.
2. Why the fuck is Sarah Palin paling around with people that want to execute homosexuals and/or pull their children away from them? And, more importantly, why is her embrace of such hate being tolerated by the mainstream media – and by us.

There now, provoked? Good. Go read the rest.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Alabama Getaway
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

H/t: StopBeck

Democrats Overcome Filibuster of Circuit Court Nominee

By GottaLaff

Finally. Finally. Finally: [Note: Paddy posted about this earlier, so I'm providing mostly background]

Senate Democrats beat back a GOP filibuster of the nomination of David Hamilton to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, voting 70-29 to begin debate on the federal court appointee.

If you haven't been following this story, let me catch you up:

So far, only six of Obama's nominees to the lower federal courts have won approval. By comparison, President George W. Bush had 28 judges confirmed in his first year in office, even though Democrats held a narrow majority for much of the year. President Clinton put 27 new judges on the bench in his first year. [...]

But liberal activists have voiced growing irritation that Republicans are quietly using their minority power to block Senate votes on Obama's judicial nominees. They note that during the Bush administration, Republicans insisted the president's nominees deserved up-or-down votes. [...]

A veteran trial judge with the reputation of a moderate, Hamilton was the son and grandson of Methodist ministers in southern Indiana. The state's well-respected Republican Sen. Richard G. Lugar also said he "enthusiastically supported" the nomination.

But Hamilton ran into a buzz saw of criticism from conservative activists in Washington. They noted he had worked for the American Civil Liberties Union before becoming a judge in 1994. [...]

In June, Hamilton won approval on a party-line vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Since then, Republicans have refused to permit a floor vote on his confirmation. [...]

"This is a terrific first nominee, a brilliant young judge with bipartisan support in Indiana," said Douglas Kendall, president of the Constitutional Accountability Center. "In any normal world, he should be confirmed easily and unanimously."

That does it. An ACLU guy? That's positively unAmerican! Fighting for our rights and stuff? Making sure citizens get a fair shake? What could he have been thinking?

And come on, what kind of extremist does this:

And they pointed in particular to two of his judicial decisions as evidence he was a liberal activist. In one, Hamilton blocked the Indiana General Assembly from opening sessions with Christian prayers. In a second, he blocked a state law from taking effect that set a mandatory waiting period for women seeking abortions.

That wacko! Two whole cases, too! Crazy activist commie.

In the meantime, the court system is lacking judges. Democracy in action, right Rushpublics?

Grumpy Obstructionist Party.

Video- Chuck Todd on Ricci decision: "The majority actually...legislated from the bench"

Notice how Scarborough tries to delegitimize what Todd says by mocking him. Smarmy bastard. Via Media Matters.