Outrageous Malfunction

Can you spend time in prison for a conviction that never existed? In New York, yes. The jury mistakenly told the judge Flores was convicted; documentation here.

A few weeks ago someone made a remark in conversation that was similar to this one: “Don’t you hate it when your friends succeed?” That remark has burrowed into my brain and gnawed at me. I guess my answer would be: “No; if I did, I would consider them enemies.” It seems strange that you would comfort and commiserate with your friends when something bad happens, only to feel crushing envy or jealousy when something good happens. If Joe or Tom or Paul or Lyle called tomorrow with news that they’d hit it big and were retiring forthwith, I’d be happy to know that someone close to me made it. Why should I begrudge someone else’s success?

Joe wonders what the Goose Creek guys were up to. It remains widely stated that the Murrah blast was ANFO, when in fact it was ANNM, a more powerful explosive. The Murrah bomb was also exploited the Munroe effect to enhance the power of the bomb; this confuses people who do the calculations for the blast radius of the explosive weight stated for the bomb and find it couldn’t have taken down the Murrah building. The Murrah bomb was highly directional in design, allowing greater effect on the target. At this point, I’ve been following the Goose Creek arrests closely as well; I’m unsure if the kitty litter angle is misdirection, a misstatement, a misunderstanding, or an accurate reflection of reality. A thesis which supports the “accurate reflection of reality” that doesn’t require the actors to be idiots (or patsies) is that they were planning on testing the security of the naval base, just not in the way they ended up doing so. A remote control boat closing on targets at the base would be a way to test the security posture of the base. If the boat burst into flames, perhaps it could have burned down a dock. The kitty litter also could have been to help put out any fires started when they tested whatever they were going to test with the potassium nitrate and Karo syrup.

I can’t seem to find the filings in this case, so I’m not sure how this is actually worded; here’s what the press is reporting:

“I think this is a case where justice needs to be tempered with mercy,” McCarthy said before he sentenced Jordan to 24 months of home detention, followed by probation when he will be required to give speeches on gun control.

Those will be anti-gun control speeches, right?

• pull battery and put back in
• press and hold two softkeys (the ones right above the “talk” and “hang up” buttons)
• press the power button (the red “hang up” button)
• When prompted, press 0
• You may be asked later to press OK to complete the reset; if so, do so.

Dealing with the new guy

If you aren’t aware, the NFATCA and the ATFE collaborated to produce the National Firearms Act Handbook. A PDF version is available; if you have any interest in NFA firearms, you should read the handbook.

From the cover of socialist magazine Good:

Interesting look at a couple counter-sniper positions. My guess is these guys are for show; I don’t think you could deploy the rifles from the position they hold without laying on the ledge.

Some time ago, David T Hardy sent a copy of In Search of the Second Amendment to me for review. I watched it right away, but I have been remiss in my duty of making a review public; this post is my effort at correcting this omission. Short review: if the history of the Constitution if of interest to you, this is worthwhile. I’m not sure of the value in terms of direct advocacy; most people won’t sit down and watch a nearly two hour movie on a topic that they disagree with. The true value lies in allowing you to make better arguments for your positions. If you’re pro-RKBA, you should pick up a copy and give it a spin. It’s well-researched; the interviews with lawyers offering interpretations of English law are insightful. Personally, I was entirely unaware of the English history of RKBA. Wikipedia offers an outline of the contents, if you’re on the fence about ordering it. A copy is well worth your money if you’re interested in the history of the Constitution, our rights as recognized by such, and the debate about interpretations in the time since it was ratified.