On As Goes Wisconsin, So Goes Hell
@Meade Sorry you're upset you didn't make the cut Meade.
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On Red State Gun Culture Kills Cops
@deepomega That is certainly solace to the family of the dead police officer.
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On Red State Gun Culture Kills Cops
Wait until the results come in for Indiana's new "stand your ground against police" law!
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On Remembering Harry Crews
Death is an awesome way to become a good person. Great piece. Gives me hope.
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On America's Unchecked Gun Culture Killed Trayvon Martin
@cherrispryte Who's denying that? While it's clear Zimmerman had his biases, the depth of his racist is really an unknown that's been exploded by all involved. For example, it's now common knowledge that Zimmerman told the 911 dispatcher that the guy was black. And he did, but only after being asked by the dispatcher what race he was. And even then he said, "he looks black." Does that exonerate Zimemrman of his racism? Of course not. But it is a detail nobody seems to care to get right. There is only one almost sure thing in this case so far, if Zimmerman didn't have a gun, he almost certainly would have been more cautious and waited for police.
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On America's Unchecked Gun Culture Killed Trayvon Martin
@deepomega And why would the police increasingly define homicide as justifiable? On a whim? Or because there was a cultural push to define shootings that way? I mentioned Goetz earlier. By today's definition, his would be a nearly cut and dried case of justifiable homicide (in Florida anyway).
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On America's Unchecked Gun Culture Killed Trayvon Martin
When a Democratic Florida politician claimed "deaths due to self-defense have jumped over 250 percent" since the state passed its stand your ground law, PolitiFact Florida put him in his place, its Turth-O-Meter™ claiming his was only "half true" as it was only 200 percent, "short of Smith’s claim."
http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2012/mar/26/christopher-l-smith/sen-chris-smith-claimed-deaths-due-self-defense-fl/
The bottom line is that if Zimmerman didn't have that gun (and the full backing of a culture that was encouraging him to use it) he would have just made his racist profile call to 911 and waited in the car, Martin would have been stopped for no reason (like a million other black kids walking down the street) and then released. Instead, he's dead, in part because he was black but fully because a man had a gun and a culture that told him to use it.
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On America's Unchecked Gun Culture Killed Trayvon Martin
@shostakobitch Wildly speculative but from what I understand that Kel-Tec is notorious for easy magazine drop and misfeed. So, if one were speculating, a struggle involving the gun MIGHT have resulted in either of these which would result in chambered round fired and yet empty. Again, purely speculating .
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On America's Unchecked Gun Culture Killed Trayvon Martin
@deepomega "There isn't an 'increasing gun culture'..." Really? Really? When people are arguing for the legitimacy of owning 50 cal rifles and high capacity magazines and going to political rallies openly carrying weapons and numerous reality shows are now on about guns--there isn't an increase in gun culture? Really?
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On Two Important New Ebooks: Alex Pareene on Romney--and Kitty Glitter Strikes Again
Just like a Minnesotan to deny Wisconsin it's place as the John Birch HQ.