The Supreme Court has refused [pdf] to hear United States v. Masciandaro. That leaves Woollard v. Sheridan, which still has decent odds of making it to the calendar.

There's been some scuttlebutt that the Court would rather hear a "pure" case in which the petitioner isn't someone appealing a criminal conviction. Both the Heller and McDonald cases fit this bill, as they were brought by law-abiding citizens appealing unjust laws. In such cases, the Court can address a constitutional issue directly, without having other …

This is one of the most unique works of fiction I've read in awhile.  A summary doesn't do it justice, but I'd recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in science fiction or fantasy.

Spoilers ahead.  If you don't want the good bits given away, go read the book, then come back.

On second thought, that would make reading this article pointless.  Oh well.   Do what you want.  Free country and all.

A few minutes ago, things in my house wobbled and swayed for 30 seconds or so.

Wind?  No.

Strange.

As it turns out, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck Virginia, north of Richmond.  While the news reports it as being felt as far as North Carolina and Ohio, I can attest that we felt it down here on the Piedmont Plateau as well.

I'm telling you, allowing this to happen is yet another failure of this Congress and White House.

I was incorrect in a previous article, and I'd like to post a correction.  Steve Perry, the beloved singer from arena rock band Journey, is not running for the Republican Presidential nomination.  I regret the misunderstanding and assure the readership that swift punishment will be meted out.  There will be demerits.

As it turns out, the actual candidate is Rick Perry, shown here displaying some truly wretched muzzle and trigger discipline:

Way to set an example, Rick.

The Brady Campaign wasted no time putting the shot to good use, issuing a press release on the matter.

The Republican primary campaign has hardly begun and already it is being dominated by extremists. None as scary as Rick Perry who brazenly carries weapons — concealed and revealed. Even on the campaign trail!

Only an egotistical extremist would carry a loaded weapon into a crowd — encouraging others to do so.  Is this where America is headed? Is this the America you want for our nation’s children?

Heck, why not?  Let us not forget that Teddy Roosevelt was known to carry a pistol, and he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905. He also kept a gorgeous engraved FN 1900 on the nightstand in the White House.  Of course, handguns weren't banned in Washington DC in the early 20th Century.  A modern President might find himself running afoul of the law by keeping and carrying a gun there.

Tonight's Republican Presidential debate in Ames was, of course, little more than glossy dinner theater wrapped in the flannel shawl of politics. Heck, it was run by Fox News. Nevertheless, it gave us some clue as to the intentions and character of our possible nominees.  Some of it came as a surprise.

In short, Ron Paul rocked the house. We're talking Hendrix at Woodstock, folks. All the man needed was a bottle of Zippo fluid and a Fender Strat.

The most interesting dynamic was the running academic debate between him and Rick Santorum on constitutional limits. I disagree with Paul vehemently on his blanket hostility to the 14th Amendment, but I sure wouldn't have to debate it with the guy in person. Though he comes across as a little nervy, Paul is capable of delivering complex concepts in layman's terms, and doing so with real fire. The crowd responded to him, in approval and not, more vocally than they did for any of the other candidates.

Arizona Senator Lori Klein justified pointing a loaded gun at a reporter by claiming, "I just didn't have my hand on the trigger."  I wasn't aware that made it acceptable.  I'll have to run it past the folks I shoot with and see how they react.

Evidently, Ms. Klein bought the Ruger LCP to supplement her ".40 caliber revolver."  Though she mentions the usual politician backstory of childhood hunting trips with dad, she does not mention any contemporary training, nor does she seem to understand the gravity of carrying a pistol.

She is fond of …

~ "God that thing is ugly," Huyler said when they first saw it, riding across from the wreck of the Winter Storm in the tiny shuttle with the ship’s black-skinned, gray-suited avatar.   "And these people are supposed to be decadent aesthetes?"

~ "There is a theory that they are ashamed of their weaponry. As long as it looks inelegant, rough and disproportionate they can pretend that it is not really theirs, or not really a part of their civilization, or only temporarily so, because everything else they make is so subtly refined."

Look to Windward is (chronologically) the second novel of Iain M. Banks' Culture series.  In his mythology, the Culture is a post-scarcity society, facilitated by artificial intelligences and near-perfect manufacturing technologies.  The human lifespan averages four centuries, and the people want for nothing.  The political structure is a benign anarchy, with policy decisions made largely through direct (and instantaneous) democracy.

In short, the Culture is a liberal utopia.

For nearly 70 years the music business and the record business were one and the same.  If an act wanted to be successful, they'd need to sign with a major label at some point.  That meant a record contract.

Never mind that the contract meant signing away massive amounts of control (and potential revenue) to a corporation driven by fickle trends in exchange for promotion:  that was the only way to go.  The labels knew it.  Everyone knew it.  It was accepted wisdom.

Artists lived under a modern-day feudal relationship with the labels.  If one was commercially viable and could turn out a few decent songs, they had a chance at making it.  Of course, it was the record company who ultimately profited the most.  Artists could expect to get a decent percentage of the revenue from live performances (as long as the label promoted them well enough to fill seats), but the label received most of the profits from the actual records sold.

And selling records was the business of the labels.  There was a good markup on records, and later cassettes.  The physical artifact was of immense value to listeners, and as long as the label had a lock on the distribution of that, they had a guaranteed revenue stream.

Then, in the 1990's, the whole thing broke.

Howard Camping is predicting that the world will end on Saturday, May 21st.  Apparently, the End of Days will be preceded by an earthquake in the Pacific Rim at 6:00 PM.

So, true believers, feel free to get in touch with me.  I'll set up a dedicated PayPal account, and you can deposit all the money you won't be needing as of Sunday there.  I guarantee I can put it to better use than charlatans like Camping would.

Before we get all gunched up over silly numerological ramblings, let's remember Matthew 24:36:

But about that day or hour no one knows,

…

Just in time for the 11:00 news (but a bit early for the 2012 election), the President announced that Osama bin Laden has been killed.  Navy SEALs stormed a mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan early Sunday morning and bin Laden fell in the ensuing firefight.

It only took 10 years and two wars costing over $2 trillion.  While I'm glad he's out of the picture, I have few illusions that this is much more than a symbolic victory.

Abbottabad isn't some remote cave in the mountains.  It's a wealthy, metropolitan city with football stadiums situated near the Silk Road.  Bin …

First off, mixed news from Colt.  They're bringing back the New Frontier, but it appears they've "modernized" it a bit.

Maybe it's just a typo.  Still, I imagine a few folks out there are punching their monitors and spewing down the gun forums with the Fanboy Firehose of Indignation.

For April Fool's Day, I propose an advertisement promising a reintroduction of the All American.

A second source of vitriol comes in the form of yet another Chuck Schumer gun bill.  This one is called the "Fix Gun Checks Act …

Luna was a good friend for 17 years.  She'd been through a lot with me, but her health began to fail as of late.

Towards the end, she could scarcely walk, and I wasn't sure if she could recognize me.  It was time.