Just a quick bit of tech. If you're in Wordpress and you need to find every post that doesn't have a featured image set, here you go:

SELECT p.id `post_date` , `post_date` , `post_title` , `post_status` , `post_name` , `post_type` , `comment_count` FROM `wp_posts` pWHERE p.id NOT
ININ (
SELECT m.post_id AS `id`
FROM `wp_postmeta` mWHERE meta_key = '_wp_attached_file')AND p.post_type = 'post'AND post_date IS NOT NULL AND post_title <> 'Auto Draft'AND post_status = 'publish'AND 
post_date LIKE '2013%'

All part of the service.

Thanks, Heather

Heather Martens, resident gun-fearing, astroturf activist, agrees that the thug that died last week for pistol-whipping a lady and threatening a permit holder with a gun...deserved it.

Experts Discuss Conceal, Carry Laws: MyFoxTWINCITIES.com

Healthcare and Rights

From a discussion elsewhere:


Your interpretation of rights is off.  I have a right not be imprisoned, a negative right, unless the government can manage due process.   Natural rights are negative rights.  I have a right not to get shot, you don't have the right to expect me to stand there and let you shoot me.   Negative right require others to NOT do things like imprison me, shoot me, steal the product of my labor.  Positive "rights" require others to actively do things like provide health care, housing, or candy.

Up until the 80s, health care was much more affordable.  In the 70s, the whole process of having a baby cost $800, including a week-long hospital stay.  The widespread adoption of employer-sponsored health insurance, largely fueled by tax regulation and the growth of Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare-based medical assistance has driven the demand entirely out of proportion to the supply, or even the need for care.

The current travesty of regulations will only make it worse, since it's now basically impossible to open or expand a private hospital.

Outrageous health care costs are a side-effect(or possibly the main goal) of government intrusion into the medical system.

Ready for the Rapture?

Posted on Craigslist:

You don't need a big screen TV in heaven.   



The rapture is coming on Sunday.  If you are a believer, help me to help you!  



Let me buy your expensive earthly goods so you can get raptured in a designer suit.  You want to look your best when you meet your maker, don't you?



I am looking to buy big screen TVs(HD only), last-generation video game consoles and games, late-model cars and houses in good condition.



Don't let your possessions weigh you down when the Lord comes for you.



TWO DAY SPECIAL!

I will take everything off of your hands, allowing you to meet your maker with a clear mind for $100.  Yes, that's right, I will pay you $100 that you can use for a memorable "last night on earth".

Received:

You are absolutely out of your mind... Obviously a scam. To quote you, you don't need a big screen TV in heaven. So if this really is the end, why do you need all that stuff? You belong in a nut house.

Reply:

Ok, $125, but that's as high as I'll go.

Received:

ok?! And you want what from me?

Reply:

Anything you don't see a need for in heaven, of course.   We can meet at my mom's house, if that's ok with you?   That's where I'll need to store your big screen tv for a while, anyway.  Do you have a big screen tv?  If you don't, that's ok.   I can take care of your gerbil, too.

Minnesota Sheriff Endorsements by GOCRA-PAC

csReceived by email:


GOCRA-PAC (the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance Political Action Committee) is strongly endorsing the following candidates for sheriff in their respective counties:  

Matt Bostrom in Ramsey County

http://bostromforsheriff.com

With service in law enforcement over three decades, Commander Matt Bostrom of the St. Paul Police Department is now running for sheriff with support across the political spectrum.  Of particular interest to our members is "The Bostrom Pledge" --  Bostrom has pledged to audit the permit program, including the high fees and expenses, and to bring Ramsey County's high permit denial rate in line with the rest of the state.

Bostrom is running against Sheriff Bob Fletcher, who GOCRA-PAC has declined to endorse.

Mitch Scott in Dakota County

http://mitchscottforsheriff.org/

By reputation a solid, service-oriented street cop who has gone on to get both his BA and MA in administration, Mitch Scott, a sergeant in the Apple Valley Police Department, is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and the Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act.  His own pledge is a breath of fresh air in Dakota County, because, according to the figures that the Dakota County Sheriff's Office itself has provided to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Dakota County has amassed almost half a million dollars in excess carry permit application fees, which can, by law, be used only to administer their carry permit program.  Scott, like Bostrom, has promised to audit the books when he takes office.  

Scott is running against Sheriff Dave Bellows, who GOCRA-PAC has declined to endorse.

Derek Lee in Carver County

http://www.leeforsheriff.us/

A longtime supervisor and patrol officer in the Carver County Sheriff's Office, Derek Lee has received GOCRA-PAC's endorsement for Carver County Sheriff.  Like Bostrom and Scott, Lee has taken the pledge to handle his responsibilities, once he becomes sheriff, according to the law.

Joel Brott in Sherburne County

http://sheriffbrott.com/

Joel Brott became sheriff by appointment last year; he is the only appointed incumbent that GOCRA-PAC is endorsing this year.   

He is running against Bob Bushman, formerly of the Department of Public Safety during the Metro Gang Strike Force fiasco; GOCRA-PAC has declined to endorse Bushman.

Rich Stanek of Hennepin County

http://stanekforsheriff.com

Running essentially unopposed for his second term of Sheriff, Stanek was the first sheriff during this election year to receive GOCRA-PAC's endorsement.  To quote John Caile, Chairman of GOCRA-PAC, "endorsing Rich was an easy, easy call -- he's done a terrific job as sheriff, and the fact that he has no opponent on the ballot shouldn't -- and hasn't -- prevented our enthusiastic endorsement."

But What If I Don’t Live in Dakota, Ramsey, Carver, Hennepin or Sherburne?

You don’t live in all five of these counties, and you may not live in even one of these . . . but you do have friends and family who do.  Please share this email with them, and with your friends all over the state.

These candidates are the good guys; when they take office, they’re going to make us proud we supported them.  Support these sheriff candidates, and the other candidates that GOCRA-PAC is also endorsing -- and watch for our next email, on Friday.  

Remember:  Bostrom, Scott, Lee, Brott, and Stanek on election day.

For more information visit http://www.mngopac.org.

I Want Your Money

McDonald v Chicago, Part II - My Opinion

Here are my impressions of the decision.

First: Held: The judgment is reversed, and the case is remanded.

This is a win. The 2nd Amendment now officially applies to cities and states. However, the devil--and the nuances--are in the details. The local gun-panic group says the decision allows for gun control, but that email came out less than 20 minutes after the 214 page opinion was released. That leads me to believe that, as always, they are full of shit.

According to Alito's majority opinion, incorporation happened under the Due Process Clause, which, according to someone smart than I, "allows the Courts maximum flexibility in the future (since DP has no basis, it has no limits -- it's all just "make it up as we go" judicial legislation)."

Update:  Not only have I been too busy to read the entire opinion, but many, many others have beat me to it.

Wally out.

McDonald v Chicago

The short version:  We won!
From SCotUSBlog:

The opinion concludes that the 14th Amendment does incorporate the Second Amendment right recognized in Heller to keep and bear arms in self defense

5-4

Stevens dissents for himself. Breyer dissents, joined by Ginsburg and Sotomayor.

The majority seems divided, presumably on the precise standard

The majority Justices do not support all parts of the Alito opinion, but all five agree that the 2d Amendment applies to state and local government.

Alito, in the part of the opinion joined by three Justices, concludes that the 2d Amendment is incorporated through the Due Process Clause.

Thomas thinks the Amendment is incorporated, but not under Due Process. He appears to base incorporation on Privileges or Immunities.

The difference between the majority and Justice Thomas doesn't affect the fact that the Second Amendment now applies to state and local regulation.

http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-1521.pdf

It should be noted that, in the guns case, the Court says explicitly in Alito's opinion that it would not reconsider the Slaughterhouse cases, which almost completely deprive the Privileges or Immunities Clause of any constitutional meaning.

The opinion leaves the fate of the Chicago gun ordinance in the hands of the 7th Circuit on remand.

The scope of the Chicago gun ordinance in question in McDonald is very similar to that of the DC gun law struck down in DC v. Heller in 2008. Therefore its fate is probably already determined by applying Heller's reasoning to it.

Let the hand-wringing commence!

Be Prepared or Be Me

We had some nasty storms roll through over the weekend. There was a lot of tornado-ish activity, 70 mile-an-hour gusts of wind, hail, and an electrical blackout. For almost 24 hours, we were living in the stone age, with nothing but smartphones for internet, and high-lumen flashlights being used to see. With no cartoons for the girls, we were forced to read them bed-time stories, while my son and his friends were forced to use their imaginations to entertain themselves.

Every time we called, the electric company added 12 hours to their estimated repair time. Amazingly, they came in 7 hours ahead of schedule, if you don't count the first two revisions.

By Saturday afternoon, we were out shopping for things we should have already had ready.

For years, we had discussed buying a generator. For some reason, it never became a priority. We have a large freezer and refrigerator full of food. With no electricity, a generator was suddenly prioritized. All of the places near us were sold out of budget-priced generators when we decided it was better to drop $400 on that than to lose $600 worth of food. We did find one, eventually, but it would have been better to take it out of the garage than have to shop for it when we needed it. Naturally, 10 minutes after we got it home, the power came on. Do yourself a favor: if you own a home and have a small corner available for storage, start shopping for a generator. Pick one up on sale instead of waiting until you have no real choice.

We have a ton of batteries. It's one of the things we stock up on when they are on sale. Unfortunately, our broadest-beam flashlight takes a 6-volt battery, and we don't keep a spare. By the end of the night, it was getting pretty yellow and dim. Another night would have killed it completely. This wasn't a widespread blackout, so there was no shortage of batteries, but it would have been nice to have the spare already at home. Check your emergency supplies and make sure you have replacement batteries that fit everything you need.

The one thing that would have improved the night most is a good lantern. We had our 5, plus two of my son's friends all trying to play board games by flashlight. A lantern could have been set on the entertainment center and lit most of the room.

For everything we were without due to the blackout, the one thing I truly missed was the air conditioner. When the storm died, so did the wind. Completely. Opening all of the windows didn't help at all. Other than that, it was nice to have everyone forced to interact. Nobody was whining about being bored and we were all having fun.

I want to schedule a pseudo-blackout more often.


Cross-posted here.

Dumpiphany