I am an expert witness, because I say I am

    And I said ' Gentlemen...and I use that word loosely...

    I will testify for you

    I'm a gun for hire, I'm a saint, I'm a liar

    Because there are no facts, no truth,

    Just data to be manipulated

    I can get you any result you like

    What's it worth to ya?

    Because there is no wrong, there is no right

    And I sleep very well at night

    No shame, no solution

    No remorse, no retribution

    Just people selling t-shirts

    Just opportunity to participate in this

    Pathetic little circus

    And winning, winning, winning.

    It was a pretty big year for predators

    The marketplace was on a roll

    And the land of opportunity

    Spawned a whole new breed of men without souls

    This year notoriety got all confused with fame

    And the devil is downhearted

    Because there's nothing left for him to claim.

    He said, ' It's just like home

    It's so low-down, I can't stand it

    I guess my work around here has all been done

    And the fruit is rotten

    The serpent's eyes shine

    As he wraps around the vine

    In the Garden of Allah..."

                - Partial Lyrics from the song

                  "The Garden of Allah", by

                  Don Henley ( 1995)

"...Yee-haw!..."

                -Email announcement attributed

                 to Ben Weston, attorney for

                 convicted murderer-rapist

                 Michael Morales, upon learning that

                 the invalidation of lethal injection in

                 California would stop Morales'

                 execution last Tuesday

To All,

     Sometimes it just seems that the more things change, the more things stay the same:

The Last Resort:

     A troika of staff reporters for the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday on the aborted execution of Michael Morales.

     Stacy Finz, Bob Egelko, and Kevin Fagan wrote about how U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel continued to issue new and additional requirements designed to prevent a "painful execution" of Morales. These changing requirements ultimately made it impossible to carry out Morales' scheduled execution at San Quentin prison.

     Morales' legal team, including the hapless Ken Starr of Whitewater fame, had made the argument that the method of lethal injection used by California and 36 other states may result in such sufficient pain to the condemned so that it could violate constitutional prohibitions on cruel and unusual punishment.

     Terri Winchell, Morales' 17 year-old victim, was unavailable for comment on what effect Judge Fogel's ruling will have on Justice in The Fool's Golden State.

     Fagan et al also reported on the position of various members of the medical profession who decided that their adherence to the Hippocritic Oath prohibited them from administering any dosage of sodium pentothal that could aid in a lawful carrying out of a death sentence (What else can one call it when medicos are able to carry out euthanasia in Oregon, administer coup de grace to invalids left behind in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, and carry out dilation and extraction procedures on 8 month old fetuses barely a stroll down the hall from 7 month-old "preemies" in Newborn Intensive Care Units across the Fruited Plain?).

     Terri Winchell, the girl who Morales remorselessly bludgeoned, raped, and stabbed some 25 years ago, was unavailable for comment on what appears to be the latest conundrum in medical "ethics".

     And lastly, Fagan et al report that the state was unwilling to ask those prison staffers (nurses or medical technicians) licensed to administer drugs intravenously when the two anesthesiologists succumbed to peer-induced political correctness (It now looks like that AG Bill Lockyer has bungled more lost opportunities than even Bode Miller has at Torino, given that it was his staff that did not fully vette the anesthesiologists on what was expected of them. It is truly a shame that radio hosts John and Ken, of KFI-640 radio fame, could not connect the dots in time for their live interview of "Mr. Bill" on their afternoon program.).

     Terri Winchell, a girl who Morales left for dead in a Lodi vineyard, was unavailable for comment on how the future candidate for State Treasurer is handling the fallout in the media.

     In the aftermath of the Morales debacle, Californians in general, and firearms owners specifically, are confronted with the reality that the legal system is less likely to deter violent criminals as it proves unable to carry out the punishments approved by the voters.       

     It is thus left to those with the legal franchise of gun ownership to avail themselves of that last resort afforded to them through the Second Amendment. Until that time time in which the legal classes get real over those of a more antisocial bent, deterrence of violent criminals will only be had by an increased and armed vigilance of the willing. Preparedness may not necessarily be next to Godliness, but at least it is more likely to scare the criminal classes off of their game plan than any feeble-minded judge or institutionally incapable prosecutors.

Links at:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=
/c/a/2006/02/22/MNGSUHCJFB1.DTL

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/feb/06022201.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=
/c/a/2006/02/22/MNGSUHCJF91.DTL

The Sound of One-Hand-Clapping:

     Herbert Sample reported at the Sacramento Bee yesterday about what appears to be the "handicapping" of the chances of San Francisco's Proposition H of surviving court challenges by the NRA and other firearms rights groups.

      Proposition H is the ordinance that was passed by San Francisco voters which bans handgun ownership by residents of good 'Ole Baghdad-By-The-Bay. The while the ordinance itself does not apply to nonresidents ("...D'Oh!!!..."), it nonetheless seems to fall afoul of the principles of preemption found in California state law.

     What is more, it seems that fewer and fewer supporters can be found for this latest forlorn attempt to increase workplace safety for criminals.

     Only the brain-trust at the Legal Community Against Violence can be found to have filed an amicus brief with the court in support of Proposition H.

     Old friends, such as Josh Sugarman of the Violence Policy Center, chose not to participate in the Prop H case due to "...a lack of resources...". The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Brady Campaign have likewise turned up AWOL in this latest attempt at unilateral personal disarmament. And while supportive of the concept in general, everyone's "favorite" statistician, Franklin Zimring, seems to believe that there would need to be a change in California state law before a Prop H could be enacted locally.

     Even Mayor Gavin Newsome, no one's Red Stater by far, has already pronounced Prop H in violation of the state's pre-emption.

     Still, given recent rulings by the courts over other issues, today's hearing on Prop H is not necessarily a "done deal" in favor of the Second Amendment. But rest assured that as long as there are NRA members in the Fool's Golden State, there will be organized opposition making full use of the "Payne Principle" on each and every politician who is luckless enough to come out against the individual right to keep and bear arms. Stay tuned.

Link at:

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story
/14217627p-15043615c.html

The .45 Caliber Solution:

     WAFB in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is reporting on a shooting from last Monday where a CCW permit holder came to the aid of a police officer being jumped by a man with a past criminal record.

     It seems that when Sheriff's Officer tried to ticket one George Temple for crossing through a funeral procession, Mr. Temple jumped the officer and began to assault him physically.

     A passerby, one Perry Stevens, witnessed the officer's predicament and secured his permitted .45 handgun from his automobile (Given that Mr. Stevens had left his handgun in his car while going into an Auto Zone store, one wonders what the nation-wide car parts company's policy is on CCW holders entering their stores while availing themselves of their permit privileges.).

     After re-approaching the assault in progress, and ordering Mr. Temple to halt his attack, Mr. Stevens reportedly fired 4 rounds into Temple's torso (Officer Harrison had apparently already fired one additional round into Temple by this time.). Upon Temple's failure to stop attacking Officer Harrison, Stevens reportedly ended this "Cops" moment by firing a fifth round into Mr. Temple's head.

     Result- one bad guy at room temperature.

     It is hard to say what would have happened to Officer Harrison had Mr. Stevens not had his permitted handgun available. Temple could have wrestled the officer's gun away, possibly costing Officer Harrison his life. Suffice it to say that any assailant that needs five rounds from a .45 to put him down may not be the kind of bad guy, not to mention motorist, that needs to be wandering the streets. Hopefully the kudos that Mr. Stevens deserves are forthcoming from a Sheriff's department that, up until now, seems to be more than a bit stingy with. Stay tuned.

Link at:

http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4527526

Respectfully,