Wow!

Government claims that using a machinegun to commit a crime is a sentencing enhancement, not a discrete crime. SCOTUS disagrees:

The typical mandatory minimum is 5 years, but if the weapon is a machine gun, then the minimum becomes 30 years. The Court, in a unanimous decision, held that the determination of whether the weapon is a mere pistol or a machine gun must be made by the jury where the standard is beyond a reasonable doubt.

Another case of the government criminalizing the tool, not the act.

Doesn't matter to me if you used a tire iron, baseball bat, knife, gun, bazooka or M198 to murder me, I'm still dead. That should be the standard ... not what you used.

h/t Sebastian

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How's that census going?

Mike V has some comments about the census:

They have been badgering me by phone ever since. Each time I tell them that I have answered the principal question the Constitution requires about how many folks live here and that they are not getting anything else from me.

What are they going to do? Send a cop to my door to kill me if I refuse?

Well, maybe.

I'm waiting for my turn under the gun.

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Of course ...

The federales really don't like it when a judge lets them know that they're full of it:

Federal prosecutors in Detroit are appealing a judge's order to release nine jailed members of a Michigan militia accused of plotting to overthrow the government.

The feds' case won't get any stronger unless the agent in charge of the surveillance for two years starts remembering even the most obvious details about what they've supposedly done.

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For immediate release!

I thought as much:

A federal judge has found that all nine members of the Hutaree accused of plotting a violent battle with government forces should be released from custody pending their trials.

Like David says, the government may be able to prove something. But if they were, you'd think the government would have no problem convincing a judge to hold the Hutaree without bond.

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Huh ...

Seems that the federal agent who was in charge of the case against the Hutaree militia can't really remember what they're supposed to have done:

An FBI agent who led the investigation of nine Michigan militia members charged with trying to launch war against the federal government couldn't recall many details of the two-year probe yesterday during questioning by defense lawyers.

You know, I can see not remembering something had the agent just, you know, passed by something. But she spent 2 years investigating this.

Two. Years.

The feds might, might be able to get the conspiracy charges to stick.

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Are you serious?

The federal government is truly a wasteful bully:

Federal agents are being tight-lipped about a 5 a.m. raid on a Pennsylvania milk farm, where law enforcement officers accompanied FDA inspectors to meet a single farmer trying to milk his cows.

This is the second time federal agents have come to visit Dan Allgyer. His crime?

Selling raw milk direct to consumers.

That would be consumers who want raw milk.

Did you catch that Allgyer is Amish? That's really brave, federal agent Joshua C Shafer. Make sure you get law enforcement to go along with you while you bully a pacifist, who you know won't fight back.

You. Fucking. Coward.

You know, there are some people who care not that you've got a shiny badge from the federal government.

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And the hits keep on comin' .....

Saw this on WND this morning ...... you should read it:

"Being innocent is simply not enough for the government," Denise Simon, a 50-year-old mother of six, wrote in a suicide note posted on a memorial Web site set up by her widower.

So the government waits until the husband is out of town the country, with only a 50 year-old woman and 10 year-old child at home, and then decide to raid a home.

You.Fucking.Cowards.

And no, they haven't been charged with anything ..... still under 'investigation', don't ya know.

The government needs to think very, very hard about how it's doing business.

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Brother Griggs has more

Part 2 of the Hutaree saga, by way of another FBI 'sting':

In broad outline, this is what most likely happened within Michigan's Hutaree militia during the past couple of years, a period during which -- as federal authorities now admit -- the group was infiltrated by both an undercover FBI agent and a "cooperating witness."

One of the FBI's plants, significantly, "posed as someone who could provide the group with custom-made explosives," observes the Detroit News.

RTWT.

It's just my opinion, but when a government informant provides information to perform one of the things that the group is indicted for, the whole government case should be thrown out.

Period.

You know, to teach the government that there are rules.

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This man gets it.

Can't remember where I got this (probably Sipsey St), but we all need to hear:

The first thing that must be understood is that while the murder of any human being is the most serious crime one can commit, it is not necessarily a crime to kill a police officer.

Defensive use of lethal force against criminal aggression is morally legitimate and legally protected, even -- no, make that "especially" -- when the aggressor is clothed in the habiliments of the state's punitive priesthood. This is not the view of some obscure, unsavory self-styled Christian militia group from Michigan. It is the long-established view of the United States Supreme Court as expressed more than a century ago in the ruling John Bad Elk v. The United States.

Is this harsh? Yes, but it's true. John Bad Elk had it particularly rough, and defended himself from a corrupt cop.

Oh, the Hutaree trial will be most interesting.

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Census

Did my duty today ....... answered question 1.

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Playing by the rules

David Codrea has an Examiner column that deals with this travesty:



RTWT ...... please.

And if we're going to make shit up as we go, how about this. If I see a Democrat who voted for the health care payment fuck-up bill coming around me, I'm going to deem him to have made an attempt on my life, and pass appropriate judgement upon him.

But I'll just be making it up as I go.

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What.The.Fuck.

I'm going to have to make some phone calls:

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) intends to purchase twenty-seven (27) REMINGTON BRAND MODEL 870 POLICE 12/14P MOD GRWC XS4 KXCS SF. RAMAC #24587 GAUGE: 12 BARREL: 14" - PARKERIZED CHOKE: MODIFIED SIGHTS: GHOST RING REAR WILSON COMBAT; FRONT - XS CONTOUR BEAD SIGHT STOCK: KNOXX REDUCE RECOIL ADJUSTABLE STOCK FORE-END: SPEEDFEED SPORT-SOLID - 14" LOP are designated as the only shotguns authorized for ED based on compatibility with ED existing shotgun inventory, certified armor and combat training and protocol, maintenance, and parts.

And I need to calm down before I do!

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Good for them

This family is suing the authorities ....... they need to turn the screws as tightly as possible:



h/t WND

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This seems a bit much

NH woman and her husband get 35 years for not wanting to pay taxes.

Yes, everyone has to pay taxes ..... I believe that there's information out there that would make that assertion debatable. I'm sure that the government will always claim that you do.

Plotting to kill federal agents? I don't see it. Promising to fight back if federal agents attempt to arrest? Sounds like good strategy to me.

And the explosives? You know, when I was growing up, 6th grade chemistry sets were worthless if you couldn't make a little something that would go boom. As long as they didn't misuse explosives, as far as I'm concerned let 'em have explosives ...... big deal.

But I guess that's just me ........ I'm all for liberty, but not so much the government.

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I hope you win, Peter.

Peter Schiff, investment mogul, author, and financial advisor to Ron Paul has thrown his hat into the political ring for Chris Dodd's senate seat. Here's a litle video:



It would do everyone well to look up his videos on Youtube to see how accurate his economic predictions have been (and how bad the gub'mints efforts have failed).

It's also interesting to note that he fired his initial batch of campaign advisors after they wanted to alter his libertarian message.

Many might wonder how much good an economist can do in Washington. I would submit that one you get the finances in Washington back to the way the founder's intended, the rest falls into place.

But that's just me .....

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What's the world coming to? Updated!

I heard this on the news last night (amazing, since I rarely watch the news), and was impressed that this body was found on the 12th.

Authorities are trying to determine if there was foul play (seems pretty obvious) and whether this was fomented by some kind of anti-government sentiment.

I have my own theory ........

Now, keep in mind that the murder (as I'll refer to it as) is repulsive, and I don't think there is any legitimate reason to do this.

But the best I can tell (my google-fu is broken), there were two undercover videos of ACORN that had been released as of the 12th. Videos that have ACORN in a tizzy, and describe repulsive behavior, if not illegal behavior.

I also know that census workers have been making GPS notations of citizens' houses as they've canvased for the census.

I also know that the long questionaire sent out by the census bureau has questions that have nothing to do with the reason for the census, questions that many citizens believe that the government has no business knowing.

I also know that ACORN has been as involved with the census as they're allowed to be.

Could it be that this gentleman was a census worker who was also a member of ACORN and someone decided that he had had enough?

Mike V has more ..... much more!

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Good

And it's about time.

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The formerly 'Great' Britain

David has another great post up about a British gent who has some troubles in England.

I've been to Philip Luty's site, and it's very informative.

Too bad this is how all governments get ..... eventually.

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Spreading the word.

David Codrea penned another stellar Gun Rights Examiner article and linked it at his blog, War on Guns, and asked for help spreading the word.

Consider it spread .......... explore all the posts within, including all of the related articles.

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Taxes=Theft?

LIbertarians are basically about the use of force, and how government (or anyone else) shouldn't use force unless provoked by force. Some say that taxes are voluntary, but don't pay them for long enough, and the feds will show you how voluntary they are. So that begs he question: When the government taxes me to pay for something for someone else, have I not been robbed by proxy?

This lady seems to think so ....



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