Month: May 2008

Repeat after me: The SKS is not an assault rifle. Nor are they “high-powered”. Nor were they ever “banned”.

Philadelphia Daily News:

The mastermind of the Port Richmond bank robbery was Howard Cain, who was fatally shot by police Saturday while fleeing in a minivan minutes after he fired a once-banned high-powered Chinese assault rifle, killing Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, police say.

[…]

The trio hopped in a blue Jeep Liberty. Hearing flash information about the Jeep, Liczbinski chased the vehicle, which stopped twice before hitting a pole. Cain jumped out and fired the high-powered SKS assault rifle five times at the officer, hitting his left trunk and leaving him in a pool of blood, at Schiller and Almond streets, police said.

First, SKS’s were never banned.

And it wasn’t just China that made the rifles. The rifle was originally developed by the Soviets. They were also made by the East Germans, the Yugoslavians, the Albanians, the North Koreans, and the Vietnamese.

Nor are SKS’s with their 7.62 x 39mm ammunition “high-powered”. Federal Ammunition’s 7.62 x 39mm has around 1520 foot-pounds (ft·lb) of force when fired. A .308 Winchester/7.62 x 51 NATO (used in the M-14 among others) has around 2648 ft·lb (74.2% more) when fired. A 30-06 Springfield (used in the M1 Garand) has around 2820 ft·lb (85.5% more) when fired.

Nor are they “assault rifles”. The blog Rule .303 went through this junk after the Omaha mall shooting and stated the following:

The textbook definition of ‘assault rifle’ is a selective fire rifle chambered for an intermediate cartridge. ‘Selective fire’ means that it can fire full auto, like a machine gun. Bullets come out for as long as you hold down the trigger. The SKS is not selective fire. It is a semi-auto, meaning that you have to pull the trigger once for each shot. Therefore it is not an assault rifle. Just a rifle.

Four errors in seven words. New record?

Confirmed: Mildred Loving (of Loving v. Virginia) passes away at the age of 68.

The Free Lance–Star:

Mildred Loving hadn’t intended to be a trailblazer.

She simply wanted to live her life with the man she loved in a quiet part of Caroline County.

But Mildred was black, and her husband, Richard, was white. And in 1958, laws in Virginia forbade such a pairing.

Their arrest and prosecution for violating the state’s ban on interracial marriage would thrust the couple into the national spotlight, where they would ultimately change those laws for good.

Mildred Loving died Friday at the home in Central Point she fought so hard to return to. She was 68.

Read the whole story.

UPDATE: AP has a story:

In a rare interview with The Associated Press last June, Loving said she wasn’t trying to change history — she just wanted to get married.

UPDATE #2: AP has a longer story now:

Peggy Fortune said Loving, 68, died Friday at her home in rural Milford. She did not disclose the cause of death.

“I want (people) to remember her as being strong and brave yet humble — and believed in love,” Fortune told The Associated Press.

[…]

Her husband died in 1975. Shy and soft-spoken, Loving shunned publicity and in a rare interview with The Associated Press last June, insisted she never wanted to be a hero — just a bride.

“It wasn’t my doing,” Loving said. “It was God’s work.”

[…]

Richard Loving died in a car accident that also injured his wife. “They said I had to leave the state once, and I left with my wife,” he told the Star in 1965. “If necessary, I will leave Virginia again with my wife, but I am not going to divorce her.”

Mildred Loving (of Loving v. Virginia) passes away at the age of 68?

Note the question mark.

Obituary in The Free Lance–Star:

Mildred Loving, 68, of Central Point passed away Friday, May 2, 2008, at her residence. Arrangements are incomplete at Cedell Brooks Funeral Home, Port Royal.

I’m 99.9% that’s her based on this story last year:

Reporters no longer beat a path to the modest white house just over the Caroline County border — and that’s fine with its owner, a soft-spoken 67-year-old who never wanted the fame her marriage brought her.

Born Mildred Jeter, she’s known mostly by the name she took when she — a black woman living in segregated Virginia — dared break the rules by marrying a white man named Richard Loving.

Note the age.

RIP.

Caroline County news roundup

Bowling Green Town Council Election: The Free Lance–Star:

Eight candidates will vie for seven seats on the Bowling Green Town Council in Tuesday’s election.

Two current members, Susan Sili and T. Scott Haley are not running for re-election, but three new faces have joined the race.

Mayor David Storke is running for the seat again unopposed.

The full story has more along with candidate profiles.

Superintendent search: The Free Lance–Star:

Nine of Caroline County’s 26 applicants for superintendent are former or current school chiefs.

The candidates include four assistant superintendents, six central-office administrators, four principals or school administrators and three others.

Sixteen men and 10 women–10 of whom belong to racial minorities–applied for the position. Twelve of the candidates live outside Virginia.

Again, full story has more.

Watch as VRE and its 2% gas tax increase sneak in the back door.

Oh, look, there it goes.

I dun warn you all ’bout this already.

On December 10, 2007, The Free Lance–Star reported that Caroline County had received a $100,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation “to study building a passenger rail station in the Carmel Church area.”

In the story, a VRE spokesman said the following about Caroline County joining VRE: “It is a doable option”.

To join VRE, the County is required by the Code of Virginia to impose a 2% gas tax (§ 58.1-1720).

On February 18, 2008, I pointed out that the county had received $490,000 from a federal earmark for a “Commuter Rail Station at Carmel Church, VA”.

Well, this week, Rob Wittman released his earmark requests and lo and behold an additional earmark for $800,000 for a “Carmel Church Multimodal TOD Commuter Rail Project”.

UPDATE: Gary Wilson at the Department of Economic Development requested the $800,000 after “consultation with the Board of Supervisors” according to an email. Percy Ashcraft (the County Administrator) has yet to answer my e-mail (sent May 2nd, at 5:44 a.m.) asking if they are in the process of negotiating with VRE.

END UPDATE

Are any of use stupid enough to believe that the county is going to turn down $1,390,000? Those earmarks can only be used for what they’re specified for (hence the name “earmark”).

Right now, gas is costing $3.49 or so. $0.38 are federal and state tax. That makes the base price $3.11 ($3.49 – $0.38 = $3.11). The VRE gas tax would increase the cost of gas by $0.06 (3.11 * 0.02 (2%) = $0.0622). ON EVERY GALLON. An additional 6 cents of cost on every gallon of gasoline.

Cui bono? (Good for whom?)

According to the VRE’s 2006 Passenger Survey Results, there were only 49 people in Caroline County that rode VRE in 2006 (VRE [PDF]). That is less than two tenths of one percent (0.19%) of the population of Caroline County.

Did they request something like hand-held biometric units for the Sheriff’s Office like Spotsylvania County? No.

Did they request money to improve emergency radio communications like Stafford County? No.

Did they request money for equipment for police vehicles like Prince William County? No.

Did they request money to improve broadband service like the Eastern Shore, the Northern Neck, and the Middle Peninsula are going to get? No.

Instead of requesting money for something that would improve everyone in Caroline County, they want money for something that will help 0.19% of the population.

Meanwhile, everyone will be paying 6 cents (at $3.49 per gallon) more for every gallon of gas with the amount of tax increasing every time the price of gas goes up. This after they already raised real estate tax rates by $50/$100,000.

Hooray.

Addendum: What affect would this have on county services? Public safety organizations are not exempt from the tax.

In 2006, the Sheriff’s Office drove 1,006,997 miles in patrol. A 2008 Ford Crown Victoria gets a combined estimated 18 miles per gallon. That means the Sheriff’s Office purchased approximately 55,944 (1,006,997 / 18 = 55944.277 repeating) gallons in fuel. At current prices in gas, the new tax would increase the money they pay for fuel by $3,356. That’s just the increased cost the tax would have (i.e. it doesn’t include the cost of rising fuel prices [which would further increase the tax]).

Further, what affect would this have on fire and rescue equipment that gets even less miles per gallon?

End Addendum.

Contributor to Rob Wittman’s (R) campaign gets his organization awarded with $3,125,000 in earmark requests.

UPDATE: Total amount fixed in the title and body. Thanks D.J.

That would be Richard Pearce and Riverside Health System.

On August 29, 2007, Richard Pearce gave $500 to Rob Wittman’s House of Delegates reelection campaign despite not living in Wittman’s district (not that that is illegal or anything) (VPAP).

Missed this: On October 22, 2007, Richard Pearce gave $500 to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) (FEC). The majority of Wittman’s money ended up coming from the NRCC (FEC).

On December 14, 2007, Richard Pearce gave $2,000 (the maximum an individual contributor can give to a candidate is $2,300 [FEC]) to Wittman’s campaign for the special election to replace the late Jo Ann Davis (Contributions to Wittman’s campaign from the FEC).

Richard Pearce is the President/CEO of Riverside Health System (Riverside Health System).

Sometime this week, Rob Wittman finally got around to posting his requested earmarks on his website and lo and behold the following (Appropriation Requests FY 2009):

Project Name: Riverside Hospital Emergency Preparedness

Requested By: Riverside Health System

Amount Requested: $1,050,000

[…]

Project Name: Riverside Health System, Patient Navigator Program

Requested By: Riverside Health System

Amount Requested: $575,000

[…]

Project Name: Riverside Radiosurgery Center Synergy Project

Requested By: Riverside Health System

Amount Requested: $1,500,000

That’s $3,125,000 in earmarks for the organization of a major contributor.

How convenient…

The only other hospital to receive funding was Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in the amount of $1,325,000. Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters isn’t even located in his district. It’s in Bobby Scott’s (D) 3rd Congressional District.

The right-wing liberal has more, by the way.

More to come kids.

Do you know that there are no gangs in Washington, D.C.?

Yeah, I was shocked too. The Washington Times:

When is a gang not a gang? When it’s based in the District.

D.C. officials insist on describing groups of young males as “crews,” rather than gangs, even when they are held responsible for violent acts such as the wave of killings in the city last weekend. But police officials in other cities say the distinction is counterproductive.

“The very first step in dealing with gangs is denial,” said Capt. Charles Bloom of the Philadelphia Police Department. “Then you get to the point that you can’t deny it any more.”

D.C. police, lawmakers and community activists say the groups are not gangs because their members are mostly teens who band together for personal protection. That, they say, distinguished them from conventional gangs, which are created for a criminal enterprise such as drug dealing.

Personal protection is one of the main reasons that people join gangs in the first place (American Street Gangs, p. 112).

Capt. Bloom said Philadelphia quit trying to make such distinctions two years ago. Although they once described such bands as “loose groups,” they now use the term “gang-related” for any group that engages in criminal violence.

Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier acknowledged this week that crews appear to be connected to some of the 10 homicides in the past two weeks — including four this past weekend. And they are connected to hundreds of shots fired and a dozen shootings late last year in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Northwest, officials say.

Orwell would be proud.

Lanier definitely needs to go at this point.

Or as the Fredericksburg PD et al. would put it: “That isn’t gang graffiti, it’s those damn taggers!”

H/t: Michelle Malkin

Someone needs to explain to RPV Chairman John Hager what a “gain” is.

Because it ain’t replacing one Republican with another. Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Republicans around the state are being asked to choose between change and continuity in a contest for the chairmanship of the Republican Party of Virginia.

GOP leaders say former Lt. Gov. John H. Hager — who has been chairman since July and wants to serve a full four-year term — appears to have the lead over Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick of Prince William County.

[…]

Frederick, 32, a lawmaker since 2004, said the party needs new leadership because it has lost five seats in the House of Delegates and four in the Virginia Senate while Hager has been chairman. He also said Hager has lagged in raising money for the party.

[…]

Hager said Frederick doesn’t mention some of the gains the GOP has made under his watch, including the special election victory of Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st. As for fundraising, Hager said the state party’s revenues doubled last year to $2 million.

Definition of “gain” according to Merriam-Webster:

1: resources or advantage acquired or increased : profit

So, how exactly is replacing the late Jo Ann Davis (Republican) with Wittman (Republican) a gain? Using this logic he gained 53 seats (the current number) in the House of Delegates and 19 seats (again, the current number) in the Senate of Virginia.

“He forgot Poland.”

Oh, and then there’s the hypocrisy. Continued from RT-D:

“He’s just questioned my integrity; he’s just a kid,” Hager said of Frederick.

Jason Gray of Colonial Heights, chairman of the 4th District GOP committee, said Hager “will carry the convention. He is running strong.”

He also criticized Frederick for running a negative campaign against Hager.

Really? Who went negative? Did Hager falsely accuse Frederick of suing the RPV?:

Hager then mentioned that Frederick got into a legal tussle with the party in 2004 over of a contract his company, GXS Strategies, had with the Virginia GOP for software.

“What can Jeff Frederick do?” Hager asked. “He has never been to a meeting or done anything for the party except sue it.”

Frederick, chief executive officer of GXS strategies, said neither he nor his company ever sued the state party. He said there was a issue related to a contract for software, but the matter was quickly resolved.

“We had a disagreement with the party but we settled it,” Frederick said.

Besides, isn’t Hager running his Chairman reelection campaign out of an office owned by a company that has gotten millions in dollars in no bid contracts?