Citizen Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch hangs his head as he and his son, James, testify before a British Parliament committee. "This is the most humbling day of my life," he said as the hearing began.

Under his breath, I imagine he said, "I can't believe we got caught!"

Don't Mess with Toys For Tots

Click the picture to make bigger. The last paragraph, tells the whole story.

Shooting Kills Would-be Burglar

A 19-year-old man was fatally shot as he tried to burglarize a home Monday, in Kearns, Utah. Kyle Stuart Poulton, died at the scene, said Unified Police Department Lt. Don Hutson. The owner of the house saw a man trying to go through a sliding glass door about 3 a.m., Hutson said. The homeowner fired a pistol once at the man through the glass, Hutson said. The intruder ran away.

When officers arrived, they found Poulton’s body next to the road. Poulton had one bullet wound to the chest. “All the evidence is consistent with what [the homeowner] presented,” Hutson said.

Officers on Monday evening arrested Poulson's suspected accomplice. The 18-year-old admitted he rang the house's doorbell with Poulson about 1½ hours before the burglary and returned with Poulson to break in. The man said he was trying to get in through another window when he heard the gunshot and fled. The man did not say why he and Poulson were trying to open two separate windows or why they targeted that house.

The homeowner had answered the doorbell about 1:30 a.m. but found no one there. The homeowner was investigating strange noises when he found the man at the glass door. He had opened a sliding screen door and was trying to open the glass door.
[source + picture credit]

The neighbors support him - and one mentioned she, "can't imagine being put in that position."

I can.

And given the story, and all the grizzly details of the Death Penalty in Connecticut yesterday
= I say good shot, homeowner, but you missed the other perp.

Death Penalty

If i ever need to defend my stance for the death penalty, I shall direct you to the story that ended yesterday.

[Read More]... if you dare.

Guns Save Lives

A Chevron gas station manager reported shot a violent armed robber in self defense.

Around 9:20 PM, a robber entered the Chevron gas station in Cocoa, Florida. He pointed a handgun at the manager while demanding money. The manager reportedly grabbed his own gun from below the counter and fired in self defense. He hit the criminal and caused him to flee to the parking lot. He collapsed. Police arrived and found their 'suspect' laying the parking lot. He had gunshot wounds to the abdomen. The suspect was then airlifted to a hospital for emergency surgery, where he was listed in critical but stable condition. The would-be-predator survived to fight another day, and the cost to taxpayers to pay his medical expenses for being shot, his prosecution expenses, his defense expenses, his incarceration expenses and emotional trauma, no doubt. If the attendant had spent a little more time in the firing range, maybe all these expenses could have been avoided?

Neither the gas station manager nor any other innocent people were harmed. Speaking about this self defense shooting, Police Spokesperson Officer Barbara Matthews reported stated, "He absolutely had the right to defend himself.

Unarmed individuals can suffer a terrible fate when a criminal robs them, even if they fully cooperate with the criminal’s demands. The same is true for those who try to run from the robber.

On the other hand, fighting back can be quite effective in reducing the risk of injury to the victim. Here's a story of an armed barber who shot an armed criminal who threatened him and his son, saving both their lives. Here's another story of armed pet shop clerk shot an armed robber who threatened a fellow employee’s life, as well as his own life, preventing them both from being stabbed. I've got another story of an armed pizza delivery man defended himself against 3 armed robbers, and walked away unharmed! This armed citizen stopped a bank robber, while this armed Israeli citizen stopped a terrorist. This motel clerk was also able to stop an armed robber and ensure that neither her, a fellow employee, or a nearby mother and baby were harmed. Even outside the context of armed robbery, self defense has been shown to be the best course of action.

An armed society is a safe society,

States back to Territories?

Is California the next Michigan?

“I looked as hard as I could at how states could declare bankruptcy,” said Michael Genest, director of the California Department of Finance who is stepping down at the end of the year. “I literally looked at the federal constitution to see if there was a way for states to return to territory status.” said Michael Genest, director of the California Department of Finance.

Hey, Mike, why don't you just give the whole damn thing back to Mexico and save a couple steps?

"We're facing a cliff in 2011 when stimulus dollars run out," said Mitchell Bean, director of the Michigan House Fiscal Agency. "There is not an end in sight, even in recovery."

According to the Wall Street Journal, there were no bankruptcy options for the States, and the legislature chose to cut back sharply on education and health care to fill the gap. Mr. Genest already predicts the 2011 shortfall will outpace the projected $7 billion gap. It is a smaller deficit than this year's gap, but the choices will be more difficult because so many cuts have already been made.

Mr. Genest estimated that, eventually, 40% of the state's budget would go to the state Medicaid program, 40% to education, 10% to debt service and 6% to retiree medical services and pension—leaving little left for anything else, such as the state's corrections system. Read crime wave about to be unleashed.

Mr. Bean described a similarly depressing scenario for Michigan, which could end the recession with 25% fewer jobs than in June 2000 and a total of one million job losses. Michigan's unemployment rate in September was 15.3%.

So in other words, get ready for Bail-Out Two: State Side Hubbaloo.

Killed Bill

John Hopskins student kills intruder - with samurai sword

A Johns Hopkins University student armed with a samurai sword killed a man who broke into the garage of his off-campus residence early Tuesday.

According to preliminary reports, a resident called police about a suspicious person. An off-duty officer responded about 1:20 a.m. to the area with university security. They heard shouts and screams from a neighboring house and found the suspected burglar suffering from a nearly severed hand and lacerations to his upper body, he said.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. Thud.

The student told police that he heard a commotion in the house and went downstairs armed with a samurai sword, Guglielmi said. He saw the side door to the garage had been pried open and found a man inside, who lunged at the student.

Detectives were still interviewing the student and his three roommates. Burglars had already stolen two laptops and a Sony PlayStation from the student's home.

The suspected burglar had prior convictions for breaking and entering and had just been released from Baltimore County.

No Guns? No Problems For Would Be Murderer

School Attacker Had 10 Pipe Bombs, Sword, Chainsaw

In San Mateo, CA a teenager armed with a sword and chainsaw and eight pipe bombs strapped to his person was arrested after attacking the High School. On Monday two explosions erupted San Mateo’s Hillsdale High School and more than 1,200 students and teachers were forced to evacuate, authorities said.

Police received several calls from Hillsdale High School beginning at 8:07 a.m. reporting that there was possibly a person with a gun on campus. [There was NO gun]

A short time later, police received more calls. There was an explosion inside the school, and the teen had entered the campus with the chainsaw, a two-foot-long sword and 10 homemade pipe bombs attached to a tactical vest he was wearing.

He exploded two of the pipe bombs in an empty hallway near the library and the smoke activated a fire alarm. The power went out as well.

Two teachers heard the explosions, ran into the hallway and confronted the teen, who then fled.

A third teacher caught up with the teen and tackled him and another teacher arrived a moment later and helped hold the suspect down until police arrived and arrested him.

Police Lt. Mike Brunicardi called the actions by Gilbert and the teachers "simply heroic."

"All the while that the teachers and principal are confronting this kid, holding him down and tackling him, he's got eight live pipe bombs attached to his person," San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer said.

No one was hurt in the explosion and, despite the initial report, no gun was found, Manheimer said.

The 17-year-old suspect was last a student at Hillsdale more than a year ago, Manheimer said. The motive for his actions this morning remain unclear but police believe he acted alone.

San Mateo County Assistant District Attorney Karen Guidotti said her office is deciding whether to charge the teen as an adult.
The damage caused by the pipe bombs has not yet been assessed but Manheimer said she believes it was minor.

On the front end of this story, I was thinking that gun control doesn't work. Crazy unstable villains with intent to harm, kill, and blow up High Schools will find a way to accomplish their goals. They'll get creative. Crazy will find a way. A chainsaw, a sword, and pipe bombs? He WAS able to explode three of those home made bombs.

I was just pondering the other side here though. As it stands, no one died. They were even able to make an arrest.

The fact there wasn't a firearm involved... does that support the gun control advocate's argument? However, I also wonder if the teachers knew that he had those pipe bombs on his person? Did he try to wield his sword or the chainsaw before he was tackled? Was he the one who cut the power? Lot of unanswered questions in the article - but the bigger question is, would this have been a worse outcome with the use of firearms?

Cassidy Lockett Saves Her Family

An Idaho mom used her .22 caliber handgun to scare away two criminals who escaped from prison while they tried to break into her home.

Cassidy Lockett, of Cottonwood, Idaho was at home with her young children when she noticed two men trying to break in. She hid the children behind a couch, and grabbed her .22 caliber pistol. By then, one of the home invading criminals was half way in to her home through a window. She pointed the pistol at the criminal, and told him to leave. That home invader, and another who was trying to break in through the front door, both fled. The sheriff's department later determined that these two home invaders were Richard Nieves and Ben Westley Perez, who were escaped criminals. The sheriff's department then presented Cassidy with a certificate of achievement for her courage.

What an amazing story. A woman, with her kids, watching Max and Ruby (I don't know that, I'm just injecting it into the story...) minding their own. When out of no where, a crashing window and there's a pair of fugitives almost in her house! What would the story have been if she hadn't been armed? Could Cassidy have fended off one man? How about two? What would have happened to the kids?

Luckily for the Lockett children, their mom was prepared for the unlikely but actual attack by wanted criminals - She truly deserves the commendation from the local sheriff, and an appearance on Oprah.

Hug your kids.

28?

So some 33 year old dude was arrested after inhaling 28 cans of whipped cream at a Wal-Mart in Florida, it was reported.

Dude was observed by a loss prevention officer picking up, opening and sniffing the seven-ounce cans of whip cream, according to the arrest report.

Each can contained nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, and when inhaled will "induce a condition of intoxication." He was arrested for inhalation of harmful substance.

Katie Tammen / Florida Freedom Newspapers

No Bail for Taylor's 'Suspected' Killer

A Miami judge denied bail Friday for one of the suspects in the slaying of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor.

Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy noted that 20-year-old Jason Scott Mitchell and three other suspects allegedly hatched their plot in the Fort Myers area and drove across the state intending to burglarize Taylor’s Miami-area home.

Here's the rest of the story - including the suspect's mother wearing a T-Shirt that said "Mama's Baby." I'm sure Sean's family has the same feelings.

Meet Inmate #28301-016

I. Lewis Libby has been processed and you can now follow him with the handy government "Inmate Locator." Where is the man that lied to prosecutors to hide a traitor that outed a CIA agent? Right now he is "NOT IN BOP CUSTODY." I hope they find him soon so that I can follow this criminal's whereabouts.

I am also hoping for a Scooter-cam that will broadcast from his cell 24 hours a day. Maybe a Courtyard-cam for his hour outside every day. This administration is way into spying and I think we should all try it out with Scooter. It will be fun and then we won't mind our lack of rights as much.

We have 5-7 weeks to get this together. Let's put our tax dollars to work!!