I've created a special feature for the print media and broadcasters ("Page Nine" regardless of where or when it runs), that covers stories afresh, not the way news rooms typically flavor things. It would help reduce the distrust so many news consumers feel and could be the most avidly followed item you carry -- if you carry it. It certainly is well received by my audience.
Here's a casual sample. It might make you say, "We'll NEVER run that!" but Page Nine is being built around ad revenues from clear-thinking mainstream businesses.
Alan Korwin, Author
Gun Laws of America
"The Uninvited Ombudsman"
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PAGE NINE
The Uninvited Ombudsman Report, No. 42
by Alan Korwin, Mar. 11, 2008
1- Ballistic Fingerprint Baloney
2- Sikhs Remain Armed
3- American Hunter Alert
4- CO2 Absorbing Crystals
5- Media Missile Mayhem
6- White House Follies
7- Bathroom Shooting Penalized
8- Papers Hide Mismanagement
9- "Superdelegate" Is Deceptive
10- Student Kills Jihadi
Guest Columnist Craig Cantoni:
"We have superb presidential candidates."
STARTERS:
The "news" covers all sorts of business acquisitions, but here's one they missed: Remington will acquire the Marlin line of firearms in a friendly takeover. A family-run business since 1924, with more credits than I can list, they made the favorite exhibition-shooting rifles for Annie Oakley.
The new 5th edition Concealed Handgun Manual is now available! Answers key questions for permit holders everywhere. https://www.gunlaws.com/persafe.htm
I have been honored with a seat at the D.C. v. Heller Second Amendment case at the U.S. Supreme Court on March 18, and will issue an eyewitness report soon afterwards. Look for my friend and Cartridge Family Band member Bob Blackmer on an overnight vigil for one of only 50 first-come-first-served seats available to the public. It's the Roe v. Wade of gun rights cases. Watch for us in the media circus expected on the courthouse steps. The decision is expected in June.
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1- Ballistic Fingerprint Baloney
The lamestream media told you:
Law enforcement authorities are developing "ballistics databases" and "bullet fingerprints" that will identify bullet casings and fired bullets, and match them to the guns that fired them. Despite the cost, the project is worthwhile to help stop crime and has the full support of law-enforcement officials.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
The National Academy of Sciences has released a report saying such tools are still in the dream stage, current technology would yield a data set so large that too many false matches would occur and make the results useless, and the idea that guns and shells have unique "fingerprints" that are actually useable, "has not yet been fully demonstrated scientifically."
The report goes on to praise ballistics as a crime-fighting tool, but notes that, with millions of guns sold annually, the logistics of any tracking system are monumental.
The Academy, "cautions that the statement commonly made by firearms examiners that 'matches' of ballistic evidence identify a particular source gun 'to the exclusion of all other firearms' should be avoided. There is currently no statistical justification for such a statement, and it is inconsistent with the element of subjectivity inherent in any firearms examiner's assessment of a match."
Reporters who have for years touted the value of ballistic "fingerprints" could not be reached for comment.
Sikh representatives will not meet with Pope Benedict XVI when he visits the U.S. in April, because the Secret Service won't allow them to wear a ceremonial dagger known as a kirpaan that their members are required to carry.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
To their distinct credit, Sikh emissaries will forgo a rare opportunity to meet with the leader of one billion Catholics, rather than submit to being disarmed by heavily armed federal agents.
The kirpaan "represents the Sikh commitment to resist oppression and injustice," and must only be carried "in a defensive posture and never to initiate confrontation," according to the World Sikh Council for the American region.
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3- American Hunter Alert
The lamestream media told you:
Nothing.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
A group calling itself American Hunters and Shooters is soliciting funds under the pretense of defending Second Amendment rights and hunters' interests.
In reality, the group has funded anti-gun lawsuits, gun bans, the Brady campaign, candidates such as John Kerry, Al Gore, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Ted Kennedy, and seeks "reasonable" gun control.
The underhanded deception goes as far as an amicus brief in the Heller case, superficially on the side of Heller and gun rights, which, if adopted, would undercut gun rights nationwide. The hubris of these people knows no bounds. Thanks to NRA-ILA for alerting me to the scam.
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4- CO2 Absorbing Crystals
The lamestream media told you:
Scientists at UCLA have announced creating a spongelike crystal that can absorb carbon dioxide, the human-produced gas the creates global warming. The crystals, "could capture CO2 from coal-fired power plants, factories and other industrial sources," according to a quote from a scientist in unidentified "wire service" reports.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
Who would manufacture and where the world would store billions of tons of spongelike crystals loaded with purportedly extinction-level dangerous CO2 was unreported. What could cause the crystals to release the stored CO2 was unreported, though UCLA claims the crystals are "chemically robust" and "stable." How much CO2 is generated in making the crystals was unknown at press time.
"Even the lightest crystals in the world, which are solids, are many times heavier than an equal amount of CO2, which is a gas," said a source close to the Uninvited Ombudsman. "However much CO2 you capture, you would therefore increase the amount of material you have to deal with," she said. The crystals include cobalt (4x heavier than carbon) and zinc (5x heavier).
"Maybe we could use the crystals to capture just part of the world's CO2, and reduce that dilemma," opined an unidentified reporter, "but it is a lot of cobalt and zinc to mine, just to throw away," he said.
For perspective, the world shipping industry generates 1.12 billion tons of CO2 yearly according to the BBC. That's only 3.5% of the human amount -- and the human amount is only one-half a percent of the global amount (the rest comes from oceans, decaying matter and volcanoes not subject to proposed carbon taxes).
The link between global CO2, of which 99.5% is produced without human help, and climate change (the new name for global whining), remains unclear. The effect on commodities markets of discarding billions of tons of cobalt and zinc, or if such a waste stream is sustainable, was unannounced by scientists, often considered some of the smartest people on the planet.
In other news, 500 accredited scientists, derided as a "cadre of critics" and "high-profile skeptics" by "wire service reports," met in New York in early March to report that the planet has been cooling for the past decade, and that recent climate changes are the result of natural causes. The news got tiny blurbs hidden in most major papers.
Meanwhile, all major presidential candidates are boasting of gigantic plans to attack global whining, believing it is a vote getter.
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5- Media Missile Mayhem
The lamestream media told you:
"U.S. missile takes out crippled satellite"
"Hit on orbiter probably destroyed toxic-fuel tank"
"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours," the Pentagon said.
This front page news coverage was brought to you in an unbylined article from the Associated Press.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
Obeying their government handlers, the AP defied even elementary logic and ran the headlines above, even though they flatly contradict each other. But they do make the missile launchers sound good.
Based on the quote in the third line, an accurate headline would read, "U.S. missile effect on satellite unknown," but this is not what the press release said, would require thought on the part of the "reporters," and would cast doubts on the military announcement, so it was avoided, following SOP.
"But the Pentagon did say those things, and we reported them accurately, so it's not an error," an unknown reporter was overheard saying, following SOP.
After smacking the reporter upside the head, the Uninvited Ombudsman told him what everybody already knows -- the Pentagon is a building and cannot speak.
The actual results of the anti-satellite missile test were learned the next day, but didn't improve the flawed reporting that preceded it. The Pentagon denied that the satellite shoot-down was a test of a satellite-shoot-down system, counting on the AP to report that claim, which they did.
Countries around the world though expressed doubts, but were brushed aside. "Those people complain about everything," the Pentagon was overheard saying. Whether America owning a workable satellite-shoot-down system is a good thing was unclear.
Countless critics who asked why a re-entry at 2,700 degrees capable of destroying the Space Shuttle wouldn't ignite and explode a single tank loaded with rocket fuel, went unanswered. "Whatsamatter you," said one critic, "don't you trust the government?"
A review of stories leading up to the shootdown showed an interesting progression of facts: Spy satellite not working since launch in 2006, satellite orbit erratic, satellite plunge to earth unlikely to hit anything since most of earth is water or uninhabited, satellite fuel tank may pose risk, satellite fuel does pose risk, military reluctant to attempt untested shootdown, military will attempt shootdown, military shoots down satellite with system that is not a satellite shootdown system.
Government sources later announced the destruction was successful, and released videos as confirmation. News credibility and circulation numbers continue to plummet.
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6- White House Follies
The lamestream media told you:
Hillary won this, Barack (Hussein) Obama won that, McCain won it all and now that the hard news portion is complete, yada yada blah blah fooey. Calling Hillary a "monster" gets you fired. Using Obama's middle name, "Hussein," gets you threats and rebuke.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
If you listen closely, "news" reports about the upcoming presidential election contain virtually no news. Instead, numerous random "experts," attractive, well dressed and sporting heavy makeup, express opinions on why something is so, what something "means" and what the future will hold. The entire first half of the formerly informative O'Reilly Factor has recently had little more than opinion spouting, for reasons that are unclear.
No human knows what the future will hold, but "news" organizations have been making predictions with no disclaimers, instead airing editorial comment and personally held opinions in places where the news is supposed to go.
Playing the game my then seven-year-old daughter invented with me, "You don't know that," the Uninvited Ombudsman finds he can say, "You don't know that," better than three times a minute during peak "news" hours. Try it, it's fun. Every time you hear something that can't possibly be known, talk to the TV or radio and say, "You don't know that!"
Missing from reporters' reports are any questions about candidate positions on gun rights (a mere ten percent of the Bill of Rights), justification of the proposed unfairness doctrine that would put federal bureaucrats in charge of content on talk radio (but not TV or newspapers), any possible constitutional authority for all the candidate promises (like redistributing taxpayer funds to groups that "need" it), legitimate delegated power to run the nation's medical system or operate any sort of insurance plan (a useful Ponzi scheme that collects massive amounts of money and gives a small portion to some people based on preset "rules," which has made insurers among the richest outfits on the planet)... I can't go on, it's beyond disgusting.
Stay tuned tonight to hear what Dick, Arianna, Ann, George, James and others, including many newbies, think. The Uninvited Ombudsman has not been invited to join them, but would jump at the chance, because it's so cool to be on TV.
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7- Bathroom Shooting Penalized
The lamestream media told you:
According to unnamed wire-service reports on 2/28/08, "A sheriff's deputy who accidentally fired his handgun in a courthouse restroom in Fargo, N.D., has been suspended for eight days without pay. Authorities said the deputy also will receive a written reprimand. Police said the deputy had hung the gun by its trigger guard, and the weapon caught on the hook and discharged into the ceiling when he went to retrieve it."
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
Unaware that such gun laws existed, gun-rights activists may begin pushing for eight-day unpaid suspensions and written reprimands when they fire their guns into courthouse ceilings.
"We certainly don't want deputies to get different penalties than the public, because we're all equal," an anonymous expert said. Whether the deputy's punishment may have been too harsh is unknown, though typically, firing a gun in a courthouse is a felony. Bringing a gun into a courthouse is a felony for people who aren't deputies in Fargo. Written reprimands for deputies, who are believed to be far better trained than common people, seemed an awfully stiff penalty to some observers.
The unfortunate officer must have become the butt of outrageous police humor in state locker rooms, for being such a crappy shooter and blowing a load into the bathroom ceiling. It is unknown if he will be eligible for trauma counseling, since the incident will probably dog the rest of his career. His name was not released, but may have been "John."
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8- Papers Hide Mismanagement
The lamestream media told you:
Like cities nationwide, "Drastic cuts to hit Phoenix city services" says a screaming page-one headline in Gannett's number two (after USA Today) newspaper, The Arizona Republic, on March 7. Emotional images show "victims" of the cuts, including seniors playing cards, a two-year-old in a pool and a library building.
The story however says, "Disastrous holiday sales will force Phoenix to slash more from its budget than planned... eating further into services provided by Police, Fire," and other city services. The lead says weak holiday sales are the problem.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
Following a discredited financial model that could bankrupt any ordinary business or family, cities continue to get into hot water by spending money they don't have, hoping their revenues will increase in the future. Setting budgets based on guesswork about future taxes is called "insanity" by some experts.
Complicit in the corrupt accounting methods, "news" media identify the problem as weak consumer sales, and warn of threats to two-year-olds who use taxpayer-funded swimming pools and government-run senior centers. The most egregious deception, experts say, is the near constant alarm that essential services will be cut for fire, police, 911 and emergency medical services.
By accusing consumers of spending too little the blame is placed on the public instead of on politicians and city planners where it belongs. No mention of the problem of spending money you don't have is included in the stories. That's why they're called, "stories."
Politicians, refusing to go on the record, privately admit that you eliminate new carpeting, painting, building expansions, entitlement giveaways and salary increases before cutting police and fire services. "Essential services are cut last if ever," said one high-ranking official on condition of anonymity. Reporters were apparently unable to obtain such information, instead threatening cuts to fire and police on page one.
In other news, the entire state approved a spending freeze, "as a way to move along sluggish negotiations on bridging the current-year budget gap." The state finds itself in the same mess for identical reasons plaguing cities -- they've planned to spend money they don't have.
"The action in the House and Senate came on party-line votes, with Republicans voting for it and Democrats denouncing it as a waste of time." The governor will likely veto the bill, with no mention of where the non-existent money might come from.
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9- "Superdelegate" Is Deceptive
The lamestream media told you:
Despite the number of delegates Democrat candidates might obtain through primary elections, superdelgates at the nominating convention could tip the scales either way. Democrats are afraid this could lead to a candidate with the most popular votes or the most delegates losing to the candidate with the most powerful political machine.
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
"Superdelegate" is a media buzzword designed to disguise the nature of this abnormal candidate selection process. A so-called superdelegate is really just a political activist who manages to obtain a seat at the convention without being elected by anyone.
The media is correct that these political partisans could swing the results. Why the Democrat party -- or any party -- would want to let a tiny number of influence peddlers select candidates in this manner is hard to justify, though it does allow a sufficiently ruthless candidate with a powerful enough machine to win where defeat would otherwise occur.
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10- Student Kills Jihadi
The lamestream media told you:
A "gunman" entered a rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem and opened fire on a nighttime study session, killing eight and wounding nine, according to Aron Heller and Stephen Gutkin, writing for the Associated Press. It was the first major "militant" attack in the city in more than four years. A police spokesman said "at least six empty bullet clips were found on the floor." Condoleeza Rice called it, "an act of terror and depravity." In Gaza, "thousands of Palestinians took the streets to celebrate."
The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:
An armed student in Jerusalem stopped an Islamic jihadi on a killing spree by shooting him twice in the head, according to the Jerusalem Post. Initial U.S. reports made no mention of how the attack was halted, hiding the fact that students are an effective deterrent to crime. Later reports indicated, falsely, that "security forces" stopped the attacker. None of the reports identified the murderer as a radical Muslim, calling him an "attacker" and a "gunman." The word "Islam" did not appear.
In a situation now all too familiar, an armed citizen put a stop to a murderous rampage, and the "news" media covered up what actually happened. Typically, this is done to avoid encouraging "copy-cat" behavior, according to news-media experts. Israelis began arming their teachers and students to prevent such attacks, with enormous success. Police officials arrived in time to count the empty shell casings and magazines.
Following several heinous school shootings here, American school administrators are debating the value of armed teachers and students, as part of a foot-dragging exercise designed to deny citizens their civil rights, enable criminals on school campuses, and toe a politically correct line that endangers the public. "If students had guns, they might fire and miss an attacker, and that could do harm," one school official said.
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Obama, Clinton and McCain are superb candidates
By Special Guest Columnist Craig J. Cantoni
The presidential race is now down to three superb candidates. Why are they superb? Because, in their own way, they are willing to give Americans what they want. And down deep, most Americans want the same thing.
You might think that Americans want different things, because they differ on Iraq, abortion, public expression of religion, illegal immigration, gun ownership, taxes and global warming. You're right, of course. That's why there are some differences between the three finalists on these issues.
But on the most important issue, Americans want the same thing.
What do they want?
Regardless of party, they want the president (and the rest of government) to use government power for far more than the protection of life, liberty and property. They want government power used to remake the world into their narcissistic image, to tell others how to live their lives, and to infringe on the rights of others, especially on the right to keep the fruits of their labor. In other words, they want to use coercion against others, not realizing that others will retaliate by using coercion against them.
In this very important sense, the nation is no longer a constitutional republic based on individual rights and liberty. The Progressive Era, the New Deal, the Great Society, and the neoconservative movement have transformed the U.S. to a nation where political might makes right. The individual is now at the mercy of the will of the plurality, or the collective, or marauding special-interest groups -- all of whom are backed by the rule of law, which in turn is backed by armed government agents.
Barack Obama wonders why we all can't get along. Well, it's because politicians like him want to do things for some people by doing things to other people. And generally, the people he wants to do things to are the good people in society -- the people who defer gratification, invest in their future, lead virtuous lives, sacrifice for their children, and help their neighbors without being coerced to do so by the government.
Coercion has become so accepted that the word "coercion" is not mentioned at all in Congress, in the establishment media, in K-12 schools, in universities, or in any other centers of influence. Instead, people speak euphemistically about the common good, volunteerism, social justice, equal opportunity, fairness, income equality, and other platitudes du jour. Of course, history shows that the greater the rhetoric about the collective, the greater the coercion against the individual.
President Bush says he believes in "compassionate conservatism," but he really believes in coerced compassion. Sen. Clinton says "It takes a village," but she really believes in coercively taking the village's output for her political uses. Sen. Obama says that he wants to put hundreds of thousands of Americans to work in government job corps, but he doesn't say that millions of other Americans will be coerced to pick up the tab for something that is economic and social folly. McCain says that he wants to stop money in politics, but he has used coercion to limit political speech.
Politicians embrace coercion because the American people embrace coercion. Farmers embrace it to obtain subsidies that raise the price of groceries for everyone else. The elderly embrace it to get free medicine at the expense of future generations. Spendthrifts embrace it to take the savings of the frugal through the tax code. Cities embrace it to take private property for the benefit of developers. Preservationists embrace it to tell homeowners what color they can paint their homes. Anti-smoking zealots embrace it to tell owners of bars and restaurants what they can do on their private property. Arts aficionados embrace it to have their cultural interests subsidized. Sports fans embrace it to have non-fans build their sports palaces. College students embrace it to get cheaper tuition at the expense of those who don't go to college. The stupid and greedy embrace it to be bailed out of their bad mortgages by those who are smart and financially conservative.
Examples of the use of coercion in our supposed free country could run for hundreds of pages.
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain indeed have what it takes to be the president of the United States. For that matter, so does Vladimir Putin.
An author and columnist, Mr. Cantoni can be reached at ccan2@aol.com.
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Thanks for reading!
Alan Korwin
The Uninvited Ombudsman
Alan Korwin
Bloomfield Press
"We publish the gun laws."
4848 E. Cactus, #505-440 <-- NEW STREET ADDRESS
Scottsdale, AZ 85254 <-- NEW STREET ADDRESS
602-996-4020 Phone
602-494-0679 Fax
1-800-707-4020 Orders
https://www.gunlaws.com
alan@gunlaws.com
Call, write, fax or click for free full-color catalog
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you're reading this in English, thank a veteran.
"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing
because he could do only a little."
--Edmund Burke
================================
Comments help keep me going. Alan.
================================
Alan, Great stuff as usual. I killed my subscription to the Republic years ago because I got tired of reading the same old cr*p from so called journalists that just quoted other sources or repeated the party line without doing any real investigation into the facts. --Terry Abbott, President, Rio Salado Sportsman's Club
Yo, Alan: Ref. the waterboarding thing: "After three grillings by Congress, including humiliation by Senators Kennedy..." I don't suppose anybody pondered the extreme irony in Kennedy's concern over the unpleasant aspects involving, uh, ya know...WATER! -- To paraphrase a bumper sticker, "Teddy Kennedy's drowned more people than waterboarding has." Sheesh. --BT
Great articles. I enjoyed reading them.
Dear Alan,
There was a time when the President of the US was accessible. Maybe the last one was Truman who used to walk around DC and (I understand) would stop and talk to people... Unfortunately, those days are passed. I disagree with Mr. Cantoni's thesis that the followers are just as important as the leader. --J.C.
Alan, you crack me up! Always entertaining, and spot on at that! Not to brag, but I got you on the global whining test - 10 out of 10. --Jim M.
I have a friend that sends me your e-mail. I have enjoyed the reading and the common sense aproach. I'd really like to get on your e-mail list. Thank you, Donald C.
Hello Alan, I was one of your participant's 2/18/08 on the chat room of the Az Daily Star. From what I see and read about you and your work, you are a breathe of fresh air. KEEP IT UP. Especially regarding the media. They are more concerned about getting their faces on camera and making news, rather than just reporting. I really, really resent it. Anyway, I am glad to have found out about you. I will be getting the book Gun laws for travelers for my trips and be informed, not surprised. Regards, Jack R.
Thanks for the Page nine updates I enjoy reading them and foreward them to friends in CA.
Alan, you are doing a great job, thanks.
Bob T.
J: Would you ever sponsor or incite some people to civil disobediance (regarding gun rights, age limits, more)?
A: You run the protest, I'll write the review. Do you have it in you?
J: So I gues that could be translated into, "You'll get no help from me."
A: No, it means you pull your weight and I'll pull mine. Many people write and think I should implement their ideas. The world is turned by people like you, if you act.
J: [no reply].
WE MOVED on JAN. 1, 2007!!
Alan Korwin
Bloomfield Press
"We publish the gun laws."
4848 E. Cactus, #505-440 <-- NEW STREET ADDRESS
Scottsdale, AZ 85254 <-- NEW STREET ADDRESS
602-996-4020 Phone
602-494-0679 Fax
1-800-707-4020 Orders
https://www.gunlaws.com
alan@gunlaws.com
Call, write, fax or click for free full-color catalog
If you can read this, thank a teacher.
If you're reading this in English, thank a veteran.
"No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little." --Edmund Burke
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