Kent State 1970: American Killing Field

John Filo took this photo - a Pulitzer Prize winner - of Mary Ann Vecchio screaming over the body of Kent State University student, Jeffrey Miller, murdered by National Guard troops during an anti-war protest on campus. The event we know as the Kent State University massacre became a landmark in American history. The date was May 4, 1970.

That day four unarmed students were killed and nine others injured by members of the Ohio National Guard. Years of conflict over the nation's role in the Vietnam War already had millions of Americans on edge. In seconds, 67 shots fired into a crowd of defenseless students marked the beginning of both the end of an already very unpopular war and a controversial president already well-known as "Tricky Dick" Nixon.

For three days prior to the massacre Kent State had been hit with violent demonstrations threatening both the campus and downtown commercial district. The Ohio National Guard had been on scene by the evening of May 2. From a city firehouse, Governor James Rhodes fueled the conflict by referring to the protesters as "brown shirts...the communist element... night riders... and the vigilantes." Days earlier President Richard Nixon referred to some campus protesters as "bums."

May 4 began with university officials attempting to ban a campus protest that had been planned days earlier. The result was a loose gathering of around 2000 persons met by guardsmen armed with tear gas and fixed bayonets. For reasons undetermined shots were fired into the unarmed crowd. The average distance of those killed was 345 feet from the guardsmen. The event incited a strike involving millions of students across the nation, forced the closing of hundreds of universities and colleges, and marked a turning point in national opinion among many who had supported American involvement in Vietnam, an ever escalating action that began in 1959.

On May 18, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, one of the nation's most popular bands, released the song, Ohio, as an expression of the anger and frustration as well as a call to action among young Americans over both the war and the murders.

A week after Kent State, police killed a student and a passerby at a demonstration at Jackson State College in Mississippi. An unquestionable sense of rebellion began to grip the nation. The Nixon administration was well aware of the situation and took steps to mitigate the danger and political erosion. One of those steps was the creation of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest- the Scranton Commission - in June 1970. The commission was tasked with reviewing the incident. After three months of work the commission concluded:

Even if the guardsmen faced danger, it was not a danger that called for lethal force. The 61 shots by 28 guardsmen certainly cannot be justified. Apparently, no order to fire was given, and there was inadequate fire control discipline on Blanket Hill. The Kent State tragedy must mark the last time that, as a matter of course, loaded rifles are issued to guardsmen confronting student demonstrators.

John Filo took this photo - a Pulitzer Prize winner - of Mary Ann Vecchio screaming over the body of Kent State University student, Jeffrey Miller, murdered by National Guard troops during an anti-war protest on campus. The event we know as the Kent State University massacre became a landmark in American history. The date was May 4, 1970.

That day four unarmed students were killed and nine others injured by members of the Ohio National Guard. Years of conflict over the nation's role in the Vietnam War already had millions of Americans on edge. In seconds, 67 shots fired into a crowd of defenseless students marked the beginning of both the end of an already very unpopular war and a controversial president already well-known as "Tricky Dick" Nixon.

For three days prior to the massacre Kent State had been hit with violent demonstrations threatening both the campus and downtown commercial district. The Ohio National Guard had been on scene by the evening of May 2. From a city firehouse, Governor James Rhodes fueled the conflict by referring to the protesters as "brown shirts...the communist element... night riders... and the vigilantes." Days earlier President Richard Nixon referred to some campus protesters as "bums."

May 4 began with university officials attempting to ban a campus protest that had been planned days earlier. The result was a loose gathering of around 2000 persons met by guardsmen armed with tear gas and fixed bayonets. For reasons undetermined shots were fired into the unarmed crowd. The average distance of those killed was 345 feet from the guardsmen. The event incited a strike involving millions of students across the nation, forced the closing of hundreds of universities and colleges, and marked a turning point in national opinion among many who had supported American involvement in Vietnam, an ever escalating action that began in 1959.

On May 18, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, one of the nation's most popular bands, released the song, Ohio, as an expression of the anger and frustration as well as a call to action among young Americans over both the war and the murders.

A week after Kent State, police killed a student and a passerby at a demonstration at Jackson State College in Mississippi. An unquestionable sense of rebellion began to grip the nation. The Nixon administration was well aware of the situation and took steps to mitigate the danger and political erosion. One of those steps was the creation of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest- the Scranton Commission - in June 1970. The commission was tasked with reviewing the incident. After three months of work the commission concluded:

Even if the guardsmen faced danger, it was not a danger that called for lethal force. The 61 shots by 28 guardsmen certainly cannot be justified. Apparently, no order to fire was given, and there was inadequate fire control discipline on Blanket Hill. The Kent State tragedy must mark the last time that, as a matter of course, loaded rifles are issued to guardsmen confronting student demonstrators.

Location map, Scranton Commission report

Over time the event has been remembered in several way including the designation of the seventeen acre site as a National Historic Landmark in 2016. Kent State University also commemorates the event through its May 4 Visitor Center.

The Day Kent State University Became A Killing Field

John Filo took this photo - a Pulitzer Prize winner - of Mary Ann Vecchio screaming over the body of Kent State University student, Jeffrey Miller, murdered by National Guard troops during an anti-war protest on campus. The event we know as the Kent State University massacre became a landmark in American history. The date was May 4, 1970.

That day four unarmed students were killed and nine others injured by members of the Ohio National Guard. Years of conflict over the nation's role in the Vietnam War already had millions of Americans on edge. In seconds, 67 shots fired into a crowd of defenseless students marked the beginning of both the end of an already very unpopular war and a controversial president already well-known as "Tricky Dick" Nixon.

For three days prior to the massacre Kent State had been hit with violent demonstrations threatening both the campus and downtown commercial district. The Ohio National Guard had been on scene by the evening of May 2. From a city firehouse, Governor James Rhodes fueled the conflict by referring to the protesters as "brown shirts...the communist element... night riders... and the vigilantes." Days earlier President Richard Nixon referred to some campus protesters as "bums."

May 4 began with university officials attempting to ban a campus protest that had been planned days earlier. The result was a loose gathering of around 2000 persons met by guardsmen armed with tear gas and fixed bayonets. For reasons undetermined shots were fired into the unarmed crowd. The average distance of those killed was 345 feet from the guardsmen. The event incited a strike involving millions of students across the nation, forced the closing of hundreds of universities and colleges, and marked a turning point in national opinion among many who had supported American involvement in Vietnam, an ever escalating action that began in 1959.

On May 18, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, one of the nation's most popular bands, released the song, Ohio, as an expression of the anger and frustration as well as a call to action among young Americans over both the war and the murders.

A week after Kent State, police killed a student and a passerby at a demonstration at Jackson State College in Mississippi. An unquestionable sense of rebellion began to grip the nation. The Nixon administration was well aware of the situation and took steps to mitigate the danger and political erosion. One of those steps was the creation of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest- the Scranton Commission - in June 1970. The commission was tasked with reviewing the incident. After three months of work the commission concluded:

Even if the guardsmen faced danger, it was not a danger that called for lethal force. The 61 shots by 28 guardsmen certainly cannot be justified. Apparently, no order to fire was given, and there was inadequate fire control discipline on Blanket Hill. The Kent State tragedy must mark the last time that, as a matter of course, loaded rifles are issued to guardsmen confronting student demonstrators.

Location map, Scranton Commission report

Over time the event has been remembered in several way including the designation of the seventeen acre site as a National Historic Landmark in 2016. Kent State University also commemorates the event through its May 4 Visitor Center.

The Day Vietman Became Tricky Dick's War

John Filo took this photo - a Pulitzer Prize winner - of Mary Ann Vecchio screaming over the body of Kent State University student, Jeffrey Miller, murdered by National Guard troops during an anti-war protest on campus. The event we know as the Kent State University massacre became a landmark in American history. The date was May 4, 1970. 

That day four unarmed students were killed and nine others injured by members of the Ohio National Guard. Years of conflict over the nation's role in the Vietnam War already had millions of Americans on edge. In seconds, 67 shots fired into a crowd of defenseless students marked the beginning of both the end of an already very unpopular war and a controversial president already well-known as "Tricky Dick" Nixon.

For three days prior to the massacre Kent State had been hit with violent demonstrations threatening both the campus and downtown commercial district. The Ohio National Guard had been on scene by the evening of May 2. From a city firehouse, Governor James Rhodes fueled the conflict by referring to the protesters as "brown shirts...the communist element... night riders... and the vigilantes."  Days earlier President Richard Nixon referred to some campus protesters as "bums."

May 4 began with university officials attempting to ban a campus protest that had been planned days earlier. The result was a loose gathering of around 2000 persons met by guardsmen armed with tear gas and fixed bayonets. For reasons undetermined shots were fired into the unarmed crowd. The average distance of those killed was 345 feet from the guardsmen. The event incited a strike involving millions of students across the nation, forced the closing of hundreds of universities and colleges, and marked a turning point in national opinion among many who had supported American involvement in Vietnam, an ever escalating action that began in 1959.

On May 18, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, one of the nation's most popular bands, released the song, Ohio, as an expression of the anger and frustration as well as a call to action among young Americans over both the war and the murders.

 

A week after Kent State, police killed a student and a passerby at a demonstration at Jackson State College in Mississippi. An unquestionable sense of rebellion began to grip the nation. The Nixon administration was well aware of the situation and took steps to mitigate the danger and political erosion. One of those steps was the creation of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest- the Scranton Commission - in June 1970. The commission was tasked with reviewing the incident. After three months of work the commission concluded:

Even if the guardsmen faced danger, it was not a danger that called for lethal force. The 61 shots by 28 guardsmen certainly cannot be justified. Apparently, no order to fire was given, and there was inadequate fire control discipline on Blanket Hill. The Kent State tragedy must mark the last time that, as a matter of course, loaded rifles are issued to guardsmen confronting student demonstrators.

Location map, Scranton Commission report

Over time the event has been remembered in severak way including the designation of the seventeen acre site as a National Historic Landmark in 2016.  Kent State University also commemorates the event through its May 4 Visitor Center.

  

Ten Seconds At Kent State That Changed A Nation Forever: May 4, 1970

Today is the 52nd anniversary (1970) of the Kent State University massacre in Ohio. On that day four unarmed students were killed and nine others injured by members of the Ohio National Guard. Years of conflict over the nation's role in the Vietnam War had millions of Americans on edge. On April 28 President Richard Nixon announced an expansion of the US ground war into Cambodiaa. In response to a massive wave of student protests Nixon fueled more anger by referring to some campus protesters as "bums." For three days prior to the massacre Kent State had been hit with violent demonstrations threatening both the campus and downtown commercial district. The Ohio National Guard had been on scene by the evening of May 2. From a city firehouse, Governor James Rhodes fueled the conflict by referring to the protesters as "brown shirts...the communist element... night riders... and the vigilantes."

On May 4, 67 shots fired into a crowd of defenseless students marked the beginning of the end not only of an already very unpopular war but also a controversial president well-known as "Tricky Dick."

That fateful day began with university officials attempting to ban a campus protest that had been planned days earlier. The result was a loose gathering of around 2000 persons met by guardsmen armed with tear gas and fixed bayonets. For reasons undetermined shots were fired into the unarmed crowd. The average distance of those killed was 345 feet from the guardsmen. The event incited a strike involving millions of students across the nation, forced the closing of hundreds of universities and colleges, and marked a turning point in national opinion among many who had supported American involvement in Vietnam, a escalating action that began in 1959.

A week after Kent State, police killed a student and a passerby at a demonstration at Jackson State College in Mississippi. An unquestionable sense of rebellion began to grip the nation. The Nixon administration was well aware of the situation and took steps to mitigate the danger and political erosion. One of those steps was the creation of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest- the Scranton Commission - in June 1970. The commission was tasked with reviewing the incident. After three months of work the commission concluded:

Even if the guardsmen faced danger, it was not a danger that called for lethal force. The 61 shots by 28 guardsmen certainly cannot be justified. Apparently, no order to fire was given, and there was inadequate fire control discipline on Blanket Hill. The Kent State tragedy must mark the last time that, as a matter of course, loaded rifles are issued to guardsmen confronting student demonstrators.

Location map, Scranton Commission report

In 2016, Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, designated the seventeen acre site a National Historic Landmark.

The Kent State Massacre At 50

Today is the 50th anniversary (1970) of the Kent State University massacre in Ohio. On that day four unarmed students were killed and nine others injured by members of the Ohio National Guard. Years of conflict over the nation's role in the Vietnam War had millions of Americans on edge. Days before the event President Richard Nixon referred to some campus protesters as "bums." In seconds, 67 shots fired into a crowd of defenseless students marked the beginning of both the end of an already very unpopular war and a controversial president already well-known as "Tricky Dick" Nixon.

For three days prior to the massacre Kent State had been hit with violent demonstrations threatening both the campus and downtown commercial district. The Ohio National Guard had been on scene by the evening of May 2. From a city firehouse, Governor James Rhodes fueled the conflict by referring to the protesters as "brown shirts...the communist element... night riders... and the vigilantes."

May 4 began with university officials attempting to ban a campus protest that had been planned days earlier. The result was a loose gathering of around 2000 persons met by guardsmen armed with tear gas and fixed bayonets. For reasons undetermined shots were fired into the unarmed crowd. The  average distance of those killed was 345 feet from the guardsmen. The event incited a strike involving millions of students across the nation, forced the closing of hundreds of universities and colleges, and marked a turning point in national opinion among many who had supported American involvement in Vietnam, a escalating action that began in 1959.

A week after Kent State, police killed a student and a passerby at a demonstration at Jackson State College in Mississippi. An unquestionable sense of rebellion began to grip the nation. The Nixon administration was well aware of the situation and took steps to mitigate the danger and political erosion. One of those steps was the creation of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest- the Scranton Commission - in June 1970. The commission was tasked with reviewing the incident. After three months of work the commission concluded:

Even if the guardsmen faced danger, it was not a danger that called for lethal force. The 61 shots by 28 guardsmen certainly cannot be justified. Apparently, no order to fire was given, and there was inadequate fire control discipline on Blanket Hill. The Kent State tragedy must mark the last time that, as a matter of course, loaded rifles are issued to guardsmen confronting student demonstrators.

Location map, Scranton Commission report

In 2016,  Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, designated the seventeen acre site a National Historic Landmark. 

Kent State Shooting Remembered

Today is the 48th anniversary (1970) of the Kent State University massacre in Ohio. On that day four unarmed students were killed and nine others injured by members of the Ohio National Guard. Years of conflict over the nation's role in the Vietnam War had millions of Americans on edge. Days before the event President Richard Nixon referred to some campus protesters as "bums." In seconds, 67 shots fired into a crowd of defenseless students marked a turning point in national opinion and the beginning of the end of an already very unpopular war.

For three days prior to the massacre Kent State had been hit with violent demonstrations threatening both the campus and downtown commercial district. The Ohio National Guard had been on scene by the evening of May 2. From a city firehouse, Governor James Rhodes fueled the conflict by referring to the protesters as "brown shirts...the communist element... night riders... and the vigilantes."

May 4 began with university officials attempting to ban a campus protest that had been planned days earlier. The result was a loose gathering of around 2000 persons met by guardsmen armed with tear gas and fixed bayonets.  For reasons undetermined 67 shots were fired into a crowd of defenseless students, the average distance of those killed being 345 feet away. The event incited a strike involving millions of students, forced the closing of hundreds of universities and colleges across the nation, and marked a turning point in national opinion and the beginning of the end of an already very unpopular war.

A week after Kent State, police killed a student and a passerby at a demonstration at Jackson State College in Mississippi. An unquestionable sense of rebellion began to grip the nation. The Nixon administration was well aware of the situation and took steps to mitigate the danger and political erosion. One of those steps was the creation of the President's Commission on Campus Unrest- the Scranton Commission - in June 1970. The commission was tasked with reviewing the incident. After three months of work the commission concluded:

Even if the guardsmen faced danger, it was not a danger that called for lethal force. The 61 shots by 28 guardsmen certainly cannot be justified. Apparently, no order to fire was given, and there was inadequate fire control discipline on Blanket Hill. The Kent State tragedy must mark the last time that, as a matter of course, loaded rifles are issued to guardsmen confronting student demonstrators.

Location map from the Scranton Commission Report

In 2016 the seventeen acre site of the massacre was designated a National Historic Landmark by Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

Kent State - 45 Years Later

Today is the 45th anniversary of the Kent State University massacre in Ohio. On that day four unarmed students were killed and nine others injured by members of the Ohio National Guard. Years of conflict over the nation's role in the Vietnam War had Americans on edge.  Days before the event President Richard Nixon referred to some campus protesters as "bums." In seconds, 67 shots fired into a crowd of defenseless students marked a turning point in national opinion and the beginning of the end of an already very unpopular war.

Location map from the Scranton Commission r

In the days following the killing strikes involving more than 4 million students took place on almost 900 campuses across the nation. And barely a week after Kent State, police killed a student and a passerby at a demonstration at Jackson State College in Mississippi. An unquestionable sense of rebellion began to grip the nation. The Nixon administration was well aware of the situation and took steps to mitigate the danger and political erosion. One of those steps was the creation of  the President's Commission on Campus Unrest- the Scranton Commission - in June 1970. The commission was tasked with reviewing the incident.  After three months of work the commission concluded:

Even if the guardsmen faced danger, it was not a danger that called for lethal force. The 61 shots by 28 guardsmen certainly cannot be justified. Apparently, no order to fire was given, and there was inadequate fire control discipline on Blanket Hill. The Kent State tragedy must mark the last time that, as a matter of course, loaded rifles are issued to guardsmen confronting student demonstrators.

I have a feeling it is going to be a very long, hot summer of protest this year. Although the nature of the protests has changed, the right to protest remains intact. Let us hope that the lessons learned in 1970 will be uppermost in mind when the National Guard walks the streets to both insure our constitutional rights and also protect people and property from harm. Such an outcome would be a fitting memorial to the Kent State and Jackson State victims.

More Calls For Change In America's War On Drugs

Official poster from the 1942 film

The federal government of the United States spent over $15,000,000,000 on the "War on Drugs" in 2010. The modern war has cost hundreds of billions of dollars over three decades, incarcerated millions of non-violent drug offenders, and killed thousands of innocent victims. It is a huge price to pay for a few tactical successes and an elusive victory on a national scale if one can be identified at all. In the past decade, there has been a growing chorus calling for a reevaluation of this costly and futile policy. Earlier this month, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie became the latest high profile individual to declare this well-intentioned program a failure.

National Review Online's Rich Lowery provides coverage and commentary here. Thanks to CSPAN3, a video of Christie's remarks can be viewed here beginning at 26:15 in the program.

Obama Guts Clinton's Landmark Welfare Reform of 1996

Yesterday evening, National Review Online reported on an astonishing story that most readers will never hear if they get their news solely from the usual suspects of - take your choice - the MSM, Jurassic media, or Obamedia. What happened?

This afternoon, President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released an official policy directive undermining the welfare reform law of 1996. The new policy guts the federal work requirements that have been the foundation of that law — one of the most successful domestic policy reforms in the 20th century.

Welfare reform replaced the old Aid to Families with Dependent Children with a new program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The underlying concept of welfare reform was that able-bodied adults should be required to work or prepare for work as a condition of receiving welfare aid.

The welfare reform law was very successful. In the four decades prior to welfare reform, the welfare caseload never experienced a significant decline. But, in the four years after welfare reform, the caseload dropped by nearly half. Employment surged and child poverty among blacks and single mothers plummeted to historic lows. What was the catalyst for these improvements? Rigorous new federal work requirements contained in TANF.

The fundamental transformation of the United States into a model European socialist failure continues unabated. The full article has links to the backstory and the policy itself.  Read it here.

Obamacare Mandate As Tax and Spin

Reprogramming Session      A Clockwork Orange (1971)

The White House is working overtime to dispel the legal reality that the Obamacare mandate is a tax. It it were to be sold successfully to the American public as a fee or penalty, the mandate would be  unconstitutional. Power Line's John Hinderaker has the story here.

And here is a take on the debate by The Washington Post's Fact Checker.

The American Catholic Church Defends Religious Freedom

On June 21, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops launched Fortnight For Freedom, a national campaign for religious liberty. It is in response to the "very narrow governmental definition of what constitutes a church" as found in the Health and Human Services mandate better known as Obamacare.

There are 68 million Roman Catholics in the United States, making the campaign a large social and political issue on a scale we have never seen before. If you are a Catholic and attended Mass yesterday, you very likely heard a message about the Fortnight for Freedom. If you did not, or attended another church, you heard nothing. And don't expect ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and other members of traditional media to pay attention to the story. Fortnight For Freedom doesn't fit their plan - you know the rest of the story - still, it is of national importance and worthy of your attention.

Regardless, later this week the Supreme Court renders a decision on Obamacare. The outcome may diffuse much of the argument contained within Fortnight For Freedom. We'll also witness the Obama administration's response. In the coming weeks and months of debate on this issue, citizens will have an opportunity to gather landmark information, see the Constitution in action, and make informed decisions about their future. We must not squander this opportunity. Our constitutional republic - and the liberty it preserves - cannot stand without an informed electorate.

Fast And Furious: What Did Obama Know, When Did He Know It?

Watergate Complex and adjacent Kennedy Center

 The Obama administration's Fast and Furious gun running program will go down in history as an object lesson in how not to manage potentially controversial policies and programs. For over two years, Fast and Furious has been a smoking but reasonably dormant story for the nation's traditional media. After all, in their eyes we're experiencing the most transparent administration in history. Today, they can no longer ignore a story that brought a contempt of Congress citation to Attorney General Holder's desk. Today, they can no longer ignore a contempt citation that suddenly forced President Obama to exercise executive privilege over thousands of Fast and Furious documents. Last week's Holder problem is this week's Obama problem. Last week search for transparency is this week's search for a cover up. Had Obama invoked executive privilege two years ago, the investigation of Fast and Furious would likely be a small footnote in the history books. Now it's taking on the hallmarks of Watergate.

And all of this is spilling across the media just 120 days before the November election. With virtually no positives to bolster his campaign and a Supreme Court decision coming next week that could demolish his health care overhaul, a Watergate is the last thing Obama needs.

Unfortunately, this story simply reinforces the amateur, if not reckless, management Americans have endured under this administration. It's like a horrendous big-budget Hollywood flop: bad plot, bad direction, bad acting, cheap CGI, overcooked score, sloppy cinematography, poor editing, and a bad end.

For more interpretation of Fast and Furious:

Hiding Behind Executive Privilege, National Review Online 

The Politics of Fast and Furious, Power Line

Those Fast and Furious Documents Must Be Dynamite, Power Line

The Fast and Furious Scandal is turning into Watergate, The Telegraph, H/T Drudge

More Duke Justice From The Mob?

The Trayvon Martin story in Florida is taking on some characteristics of the Duke lacrosse case in North Carolina in 2006. Once more, the rule of law appears to be displaced by the American race hate industry and a lengthy investigation. Our current political situation has the potential to make the Martin case far more volatile as it develops in the long, hot summer of a pivotal election year.

Information emerging today does not fit the desired narrative of the hate groups. Instapundit's Scott Johnson has the details. 

We are a republic where legal process determines guilt or innocence. We need to let that process unfold. The mob process never leads to peace and justice.

Whatever It Is, I'm Against It

Who among us does not want a better world? That's the easy question. Things become more complicated when the community tries to decide how to achieve that good life. For some, the decision rests on controlling the "evils" around us. The control takes many forms. OTR is especially fond of H.L. Mencken's assessment of the Puritan effort at achieving a religious utopia. He described it as a society based on "the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, was happy." Well, one man's trash is another man's pleasure. That brings us to a review of Christopher Snowden's new book, The Art of Suppression: Pleasure, Panic and Prohibition Since 1800. Here's a link to the review via Instapundit. It has been updated to include a post about Mayor Michael Bloomberg's new crusade against liquor stores in New York City.

Bloomberg's effort gives us an opportunity to recommend Prohibition, the superb new (2011) three-part documentary by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. This production has all the magic we've come to expect from the Burns organization and some surprises most of us never heard in history class - if there ever was a history class.

Mencken (r) celebrates the end of Prohibition

This post would not be complete without a vision of OTR's moral crusade utopia. Now that he's on the other side of 65 years, only two vices drive him to disgust. First is the the use of tobacco in public. It is the equivalent of experiencing copious cubic feet of flatulence at your favorite restaurant. The passer doesn't mind because he enjoys smelling his own essence.  And second is the mobile subwoofer, a device almost always preferred by narcissists who have no taste in music. Whenever he encounters the mobile subwoofer, OTR wishes to summon the "Graboids" and "Shai-Hulud" to terminate the operator.  Such extreme prejudice, on the other hand, is a poor moral choice for such vices. OTR should be content to let nature take its course, summoning the gas passer to an early demise and the "boom-boom" narcissist to quick and early deafness.

Photo: H.L. Mencken Collection, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore

Gun Regulation In The People's Republic Of Maryland

Glenn Reynolds (Instapundit) linked to a scary Washington Post story today regarding a most revealing right to concealed carry lawsuit filed in Maryland. In 2002, Raymond E. Woollard and his family were enjoying Christmas Eve on their farm in Baltimore County when an intruder broke into the home. With the help of his shotgun and his son, the owner subdued, then held the dirtbag for OVER AN HOUR waiting for the police to arrive. As a result, the owner received a concealed carry permit to protect himself and his family from future break-ins or threats. Last year, the Maryland State Police withdraw the permit saying that the threat had passed because he hadn't been attacked again. The police essentially put a de facto limitation on criminal threats to the Woollard family.

Frankly, this is a rather stunning assumption on the part of the Maryland State Police. Reynolds had little comment on this story, so here is the Post link.

A $613,000,000 Judgment Calls For Massive Tort Reform

A well-respected California health care provider may soon vanish overnight.

This paragraph says it all:

Here we had a company that was going about its business, and by all accounts has a good reputation in its industry yet found itself with a multi-million dollar award levied against it because of some trial lawyers that went ambulance chasing to float a class action lawsuit. And now thousands of people’s healthcare and livelihood is in jeopardy.

There were no complaints from patients about the care they received in these California nursing homes. Then the lawyers found a regulation violation. The verdict could displace 32,000 nursing home patients and put several thousand people out of work.

Warner Todd Huston has the story at Gateway Pundit.

Friday Afternoon White House News Dump

Just when the weekend is on our collective mind, the White House announces another controversial decision. This one brings five Guantanamo detainees/terrorists, including a 9/11 mastermind, to New York City for trial in a civilian court. Here is the story as reported by The Washington Post.

She Turned Me Into A Newt [Gingrich]

A few weeks ago, Eric Holder saw nothing wrong with Black Panthers using billy clubs to intimidate voters. Today, he thinks intimidating terrorists with cigars is a crime. Holder is the one who should be answering tough questions under oath.

Read the rest of it here.



Let the unhinged cheer. This show trial could destroy the Democratic Party as we know it - not a bad idea.

Colorado Democratic Headquarters Vandalized By One Of Their Own

We don't know if the vandals responsible for $11,000 in broken windows at the CDP headquarters were upset with their party's direction or simply involved in a setup to blame Republicans. Either way, Maurice Schwenkler, a suspect captured by Denver police definitely has connections to the left through work he performed in November 2008 for the Colorado Citizens Coalition. The 527 committee has ties to the Democratic Party.

A party spokeswoman originally blamed the damage on deranged right wing tea partyers opposed to Obama's health care proposal.

We're seeing more and more shenanigans these days, all contrived to project blame on innocent people and organizations. Some of this activity reflects the tactics and "rules for radicals" I have written about in several posts this year. I'm not saying those rules encourage lawlessness, but they do create an environment in which the rule of law can be threatened.

Decriminalizing Most Illegal Drugs: Another Take

The late, great soul of the U.S. conservative movement, William F. Buckley, Jr., began advocating for the legalization of most drugs in the late 1990s. He recognized that our "war on drugs" was a massive strategic failure from many perspectives ranging from public health to government intrusion. Outside the Beltway has an interesting take on legalization and one of its immediate effects, increasing life expectancy, as well as its impact on the concept of nationalized health care.