Happy birthday to the Marines.

Although my real-life experience is woefully short on Marines (clearly I've made a mistake somewhere in life) I truly, deeply believe that they are indeed *the* single finest and greatest force for good and peace in the world. My kids and I do indeed sleep soundly knowing that these rough men stand ready and I am grateful everyday that they have chosen to do so.

There has been progress

Although my impression is that the overwhelming majority of Americans still know nothing about the on-going fight for the protection of *every one's* free speech, there has been progress made in bringing the issue to the attention of  both federal level legislators and the media.  Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Rep. Ken Marchant   have both written letters to the DOJ asking for investigations into the "SWATing of several bloggers including a contributor to CNN.  Da Techguy's post CNN scooped again goes into more detail about ABC having broken the story on the networks and also gives a lot of links to help get completely caught up on the story.  Popehat has a very good post on what precisely "SLAPPing" and anti-SLAPP are as well as a link so anyone can find out whether their state has anti-SLAPP laws, and if so how good they are. Through the link I found that, although MO *does* have anti-SLAPP legislation, it seems to be only for the protection of *specifically* political speech, which makes it nearly useless against the type of abuse which is currently at issue.

Congratulations

To both Governor Walker and the people of Wisconsin.  I'm sure the last year has been very trying.  While there's no way the political left will accept The People's statement with grace ( in fact I could probably just have stopped at "statement") hopefully there will be at least some time to relax before they can regroup.

The judge told them what?!

While reading the link to Investors.com that Patterico provided in his post about the Walker/Kimberlin hearing, I was struck by something the author, David Hogberg, related.  He told how the judge had said something that appeared to me to mean that he, the judge, felt Walker and Kimberlin should fight out their differences.  When I started checking around yesterday to write this post Hogberg graciously e-mailed me his notes from the portion of the hearing that I was curious about.

Here is the relevant portion of his notes where the judge is discussing his view that it's too easy now to ruin some one's character without ever having met them, which he's under the mistaken impression is what Walker has been doing.

"Where I grew up in Brooklyn those things—when that stuff was pulled, it was dealt with quickly.  I’m not gonna talk about those ways.  In my community you wanted to date an Italian girl, you asked the permission of the Italian boys.  When someone did something unfair to your sister or girlfriend, you got your friends to take him for a ride.  And that stopped it.   You guys have got this new electronic stuff and you can just ruin somebody without doing anything.  But you (Walker) started it."

Now, I don't disagree that it's gotten much too easy to ruin someone by remote-control, after all that is what has happened to Walker. Someone he'd never met, who lived in a different state, decided to ruin him for helping a completely different person and has done a fair job of it to this point. That being said, what. the. heck. is a judge, even a retired one, doing suggesting extra-legal remedies that would absolutely result in further criminal charges if Walker were so mad as to attempt them against a convicted bomber and terrorist?!  I realize that this is probably more "pining for the good old days" than an actual suggestion, but it still seems to have been a terribly stupid thing to say.  I can only hope that the clear unfitness of this judge, leaving aside his complete ignorance of digital media, will make it easier for Walker to get his case reviewed as it is clear that justice was no where near to being served on Tuesday Morning.


This post at OpenMarket.org  gives a very thorough link-up of many of the blogs that have written about the hearing.

I don't know what to say Updated a couple of times

This is seriously a bad day for free speech as Aaron Walker is arrested over bogus accusations of having broken the harassment "peace order" that was granted to Convicted Domestic Terrorist and Perjurer Brett Kimberlin.  One possible bright spot is that Kimberlin appears to be unable to resist gloating and is helping prove that various social media accounts, that he claimed had nothing to do with him other than that they showed support for him, are indeed his or belong to those *very* closely allied to him.

Update: R.S. McCain has a report that Walker has been released.  He is still charged with having abridged the "peace order" but is on his own recognizance at this time.  My prayers are with him and his family that they remain safe and that justice be done in this case.

Update II: Apparently the charge in Walker's arrest was "2nd degree assault" which commenters at both Ace of Spades HQ and (I think) Jawa Report said was very unusual as it typically results in a fine.  What seems even stranger is that the supposed assault is the one caught on courthouse security footage from (months?) ago and the courts own footage shows that no such thing happened.  I'm still keeping Walker and his family in prayer as justice is far from being served at this point.

Update III: Well, according to this post by Patterico my information was correct the first time.  Apparently the deputy arresting Aaron Walker was under the impression that it was due to the dismissed assault charges but was incorrect.  Patterico also links to a post at Investors .com which seems to agree that this is a case of suppression of speech.

Memorial Day

My deepest thanks for those who gave their lives, both in history and today, to keep myself and my children free to live our lives.  I also want to thank the families of those who never came back as their sacrifice is great and can never be repaid.

Sorry Aaron and Stacy, I'm too scared

When the creators of Southpark were embroiled in the "Mohamad picture" kerfluffle and getting death threats, the writers/artists at The Simpsons had one of their intros be Bart writing something like "Sorry Southpark, we'd support you but we're scared." That's where I am right now.

I spent this week intending to write today about how Brett Kimberlin, the convicted "Speedway Bomber" was using the nations criminal and civil courts as a club in his efforts to keep  any, not just conservative,  journalists or bloggers from mentioning that he is indeed convicted of setting a number of bombs in the town of Speedway, IN as well as committing perjury.  But now that I've come to it, I realize that as a single parent who wants to get involved in local politics I'm not sure what is safe to say. Since I don't want Kimberlin or his associates stalking and harassing myself, family, or friends in the way that anonymous calls start "just happening" to be made to bosses, landlords etc. of those such as attorney Aaron Walker, ADA Patrick Frey, and blogger R.S. McCain who have dug into his past and his funding by the likes of George Soros, Theresa Heinz-Kerry and Barbara Streisand, I don't want to say anything that might bring their notice.

And you know what?  That is just plain wrong in a nation with free speech.  The whole point of the free speech part of the 1st amendment was to ensure that factual speech about the connections between a convicted domestic terrorist and the big name donors of a political party be protected.  The whole point of having a government at all is to protect those who are law-abiding from those who are not. When did that change? And why have we the people allowed it to continue?

Congratulations

To Space-X for successfully launching their new rocket this morning.  I'm thrilled to see private industry continuing the push into space.

Alternate timeline article

Local Man in Critical Condition after Beating




A neighborhood watch captain is in the hospital and fighting
for his life tonight with a fractured skull and other injuries. He was found beaten Sunday night shortly after
he reported a suspicious man in a gray hoodie wandering through the
neighborhood. George Zimmerman, the
neighborhood watch captain is in the hospital and fighting for his life tonight
with a fractured skull and other injuries.
Police were responding to his report of a suspicious person when
neighbors reported a man screaming for help to 911. Witnesses said Zimmerman was on the ground
and screaming for help and then suddenly stopped yelling. The assailant fled the scene before police
arrived.

Zimmerman, age 27, is the local neighborhood watch captain
for the Retreat at Twin
Lakes. His wife ________, said he was a devoted
family man and involved in the community.
He tutored several youths in Orlando
last year, and was an activist convinced the local police to bring charges in
the beating of Sherman Ware, a black homeless man. __________, the son of a Sanford police officer was convicted of
assaulting Sherman Ware on December 4, 2010.

Neighbors report that there has been a rash of burglaries in
the neighborhood in the last year, including a home invasion. Mrs. Zimmerman stated her husband was
returning from shopping at the Target store when he spotted a suspicious person
and contacted the police. “I do not
understand why he did not take his handgun with him on Sunday night. He almost always carries it after he was
advised to by the police after we had trouble with a vicious dog.” Mr. Zimmerman has a valid Florida CCW permit,
but he was not carrying his handgun Sunday night.


Police are requesting anyone with information contact the
Sanford Police Department.


This text was written by a commenter at Ace of Spades who agreed to have it further publicized but asked to remain anonymous.  He said the impetus for writing this came from the fact that he'd been considering getting a concealed carry permit shortly before the Martin/Zimmerman debacle and this was part of his trying to decide whether or not to continue the process.


      I think it's important to realize that, as sad as the death of a young man is, once Martin attacked Zimmerman (and *all* physical evidence points to that being the case) someone was at least going to the hospital and, given the amount of damage already done to Zimmerman, it probably would have been the husband and father who tutored under-privileged children.  How would that be *less* sad?

I'm Famous!

Okay, no I'm not. But I did get a mention at Legal Insurrection (as part of a group) due to my Twitter addiction. I was one of the several people who re-tweeted LI's news that there were no neo-nazis in Sanford, FL and the blog owner was kind enough to thank us by name for helping the truth be known.

I Swore This Day Would Never Come...

but I was wrong. I have entered that den of horrors called Twitter. My tweetnick is Polliwogette since I'm Polliwog and a Moronette ( and Polliwog was already taken).
I generally just re-tweet things from other conservatives, but occasionally snark on my own behalf as well.

Farewell to a true Paladin

Andrew Breitbart's death hit me a lot harder than I expected given that I'd never met him and in fact knew little about his personal life until his passing. Learning that he was only in his early 40's with four children about the same age mine were when John died was an extra shock beyond the general loss of such a courageous voice for conservativism who had seemed so unstoppable just weeks ago.

In a desire to do my hobbity bit to carry on his work and given that I "don't get out much" to put it mildly, and those I do interact with mostly agree, I hit upon making a blond human male character for the MMORPG that I play and naming him Breitandrew (yes that's pretty small stuff but it's what I had).

The next question was what sort of character Breitbart would have been. Was he a warrior? The term "happy warrior" was used frequently that day and was certainly accurate but didn't seem to quite fit. Was he a rogue? Okay, well yes, in terms of personality there seemed to be a good bit of roguishness but as a conservative voice there was certainly never any hiding or sneaking in what he did(although I admire his dexterity with laying traps for the media to run into) so that wouldn't work. A cleric? He seemed to have given many people wise advice over the years but binding up the wounded wasn't really part of what he did. Sorcerer? Wizard? No, although apparently Greg Gutfeld's wife called him a wizard, it was not sheer mental brilliance that affected so many people who'd never met him. I seriously considered an artificier, which is a new DDO class combining sniping attacks, magic, and an iron defender pet( that I would have called Ace in homage to the HQ) but it just didn't seem the right fit either.

Then it came to me. A fighter with a great deal of charisma, and I thinks it's pretty clear Breitbart had charisma to spare, is a paladin. His role is to both fight the monsters, zombies and kobolds seeming very appropriate in this case, directly by going toe-to-toe with the biggest guy in the room and, just as importantly, to strengthen and give courage to those who are with him, which Breitbart certainly did as well. As a paladin advances in levels it becomes impossible to force him to flee even if he's frightened and he extends this ability to the entire party. He also has the "smite evil" ability which deals a strong blow to a foe, making it possible for others to finish it off. I believe that both of these traits were much in evidence in Breitbart's life and many were better for having come in contact with him, even virtually and at third hand as in my case.

He Will be Sorely Missed

Best
Reporter
Ever.
Indefatigable
Torch
Bearer.
A
Rare
Talent.


Stolen from LincolnTF commentor at AoSHQ and Althouse.

Parade

I'm so thrilled to see that AoSHQ is reporting that the St Louis welcome/ thanks parade for our returning veterans had about 100,000 attendees.

If I were a better person I would have been there with my children as well. Unfortunately, I'm terrified of driving in actual St Louis city limits and, as Son had a prior commitment, I let me talk myself out of going.

I'm particularly happy that the response was so good since there was snow on the ground and somewhat slippery roads this morning.