The Self Defense Plan

Caleb has a good, well-rounded plan. I really need to discuss this with my wife again.

• Option 1: we both run away like little girls and call 911 from a safe place.

This is my favorite option.  “You always win the fight that never happens”.  But what if running away isn’t an option?  What if there are multiple attackers and one of them is blocking your retreat?

• Option 2: Disable the guy that’s blocking our retreat, then run away like little girls and call 911 from a safe place.

Any time the situation turns to violence, we’ve reached “undesireable options”.  However, sometimes violence is inescapable, so it’s best to have a plan on when and how you plan on resorting to force.  Of course, sometimes you can’t retreat at all, which leaves us to option 3.

• Option 3: My wife runs, I buy time.

Your bias is showing.

http://wcco.com/crime/shooting.minneapolis.minnesota.2.1444465.html

The offensive text from my newsreader:

Police said a robbery sparked Wednesday's murder in Minneapolis, but it wasn't the robbers who did the killing.

...

Police said three men went to a home near Irving and Plymouth Avenues on Wednesday night to get money they thought was owed to one of them.

Travis Koehn, 25, and Curtis Harrell, 19, and Orlando Nunn went in the house and in the basement where the intended robbery victim and his friend were hanging out.

The men started fighting, and Nunn pulled a gun out and pointed it at the victim and ordered both men to get down on the ground and get their money out.

Police said at some point Nunn got too close to the victim with the gun and the victim grabbed the gun, struggled for a bit, then shot and killed Nunn.

...

At this time, the robbery victim does not face any charges for killing Nunn.

That's a happy ending, even if the reporter seems sad that the intended victim isn't charged with murder.

Quote of the Day

When people tell me that they have no need for a firearm, I don't argue with them. I simply ask them if they'd thought about how quickly that can change. It may be that when you left for work, you had no need for a firearm. That you had correctly assessed that the odds of your having to deal with a violent encounter were trivial. Still...

You may well get home and find one of your wife's college friends on the couch, hiding from an abusive husband. Are you going to be able to obtain, and to learn how to effectively and safely use, a firearm, before said abusive husband starts breaking in your door five hours later?

-jdege

Go away, Sparkles

Sarah awoke to find Edward staring at her creepily from the foot of her bed

“Uh, what? What the hell are you doing here?” she said, bewildered.

“I was just watching you sleep. Isn’t that dark and brooding and romantic?” Edward brooded darkly.

“No. That’s just creepy.” Sarah turned on her Stanley 3-in-1 Tripod with Mini-Tripod Keychain, which she always kept at her bedside. “Aren’t you that weird emo kid from the woods? Holy crap, are you sparkling?”

-Woot

I will too

I looked down at little Nuggey, his damp eyelashes long and dark batting at me, his tiny bottom cradled in my hand, his soft, chubby legs thrown over my arm, his body entirely dependent on mine as I held him in my lap, and I could see the future. Nuggey, a grown boy, sporting a football jersey and facial hair, walked out of the bathroom. It was going to happen, and soon. And while I knew there would be joys with that time in my life, when our young children are teenagers and beyond, it struck me like a ton of bricks.

When that time comes, I'm gonna miss this.

-MckMama

The Adventures of Jesse the Wonderpoodle

This morning, it was brought to my attention that the Adventures of Jesse the Wonderpoodleis no long on the first when you search for "Jesse the Wonderpoodle".

That means thousands of people(maybe dozens) are missing out.  That needs to be corrected.

Without further ado, I bring you The Adventures of Jesse the Wonderpoodle:

Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13

Reason #36546513

To carry, every day, every where. 

A gunman armed with an assault rifle stormed a power company this morning in north St. Louis, shooting at least three people. At least one shooting victim is presumed dead. Some employees at the business ran to the rooftop to escape the gunfire. At least one man barricaded himself in a maintenance room.

Now tell me, why would anyone want to carry a gun at work? Oh yeah, now I remember!  It's because you can't predict evil.

Why do I want this?

http://log.emonk.net/post/319917350

News Roundup

Illinois: Sheriff, family face charges in murder-for-hire plot http://thesouthern.com/news/local/article_a627cb2e-f823-11de-8367-001cc4c002e0.html

Imprisoned Gallatin County Sheriff Raymond Martin, his wife and adult son are facing charges of solicitation of murder for hire.

***

Arizona: An advocate for immigrant and civil rights has started using text messages to warn residents about crime sweeps by a high-profile Arizona sheriff.  http://newsmax.com/SciTech/US-Ariz-Crime-Sweeps/2010/01/04/id/345252 

An advocate for immigrant and civil rights has started using text messages to warn residents about crime sweeps by a high-profile Arizona sheriff.
Lydia Guzman, director of the nonprofit immigrant advocacy group Respect/Respeto, is the trunk of a sophisticated texting tree designed to alert thousands of people within minutes to the details of the sweeps, which critics contend are an excuse to round up illegal immigrants.
Guzman said the messages are part of an effort to protect Latinos and others from becoming victims of racial profiling by sheriff's deputies. Deputies have been accused of stopping Hispanics, including citizens and legal immigrants, for minor traffic violations to check their immigration status.
"Everyone is responsible for sending it out to their own networks, and that is how it spreads like wildfire," Guzman said of the text messages.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has repeatedly said his deputies do not engage in racial profiling, and he publicizes the details of his crime sweeps ahead of time. He said he suspects the real goal of the text messages is to help illegal immigrants avoid arrest.

***

Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia police officer implicated in the shooting of a 21-year-old during a block party in Port Richmond the weekend before Thanksgiving is being suspended and will likely lose his job. http://www.kyw1060.com/Phila--Cop-to-Lose-Job-Over-Fatal-Shooting/6033124

Boston: Police investigate report of officer posting photo of dead body on Facebook http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20100105police_investigate_report_of_officer_posting_photo_of_dead_body_on_facebook/srvc=home&position=recent

Florida: A Tampa police officer shot and wounded a man after he tried to pass counterfeit cash, according to a TPD statement. http://www.abcactionnews.com/content/news/local/story/Fleeing-suspect-shot-by-Tampa-officer/YMLw6rsnlEul4ysnJasUew.cspx

 Texas: Is the Collin County District Attorney building his own SWAT Team? http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2010/jan/04/collin-county-district-attorney-building-his-own-s/