KinderGuardians

Posing as Israeli counter-terrorist expert Col. Erran Morad, the terrorist terminator, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen managed to persuade a few lobbyists, as well as Republican politicians in their pocket, to endorse the arming of school children to counter school violence. Republican congressmen Dana Rohrabacher of California and former Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, are two of those duped.

"The NRA wants to arm the teachers," says Col. Morad. "This is crazy. We should be arming the children."

Morad said Israel has a similar program, and that his son was one of the first participants, "Mayhe rest in peace."

What you see above is the first ten minutes of Cohen's spoof, called "Who is America?"

Easton Gay Activist Earl Ball - "We Will Continue to Dance"

Earl Ball and Timothy Hare

Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, 29, killed 50 people and wounded another 53 at a gay nightclub in Orlando early Saturday in what is being called the worst mass shooting slaughter in the last 34 years. In a call to 911 shortly before the rampage, the gunman swore allegiance to the Islamic State. But if his intention was to strike fear into the hearts of the gay community, the would be terrorist failed.  "We will continue to dance," said Easton activist Earl Ball during a vigil attended by close to 70 people last night at Easton's Centre Square, as darkness began to fall.  "We're going to continue to dance and live our lives freely."

Ball and his husband, Timothy Hare, were supposed to visit New York City yesterday to celebrate Hare's birthday. They decided instead to organize a Centre Square remembrance.

We are shocked by this morning's mass murder at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Now we are all Orlandoians in our hearts. 

Let us join hands in the circle, sharing our heartfelt pulse of love to those that lost their lives and those grieving the loss of their loved ones.

Without speeches or microphones, we'll stand together in compassionate silence. Siimply put, there are no words.

Ball and Hare said they called for this vigil because they needed the community support, and they got it. Nobody minded being photographed together.  

"It's our 9-11," said Hare.

One gay young man, accompanied by his father, was until recently a resident of the Orlando area. He was a visitor at Pulse, the popular gay nightclub where the attack occurred.

He is still waiting to hear from some of his friends in the Orlando community. 

Mateen used an AR-15, which does look very much like the M-16 used by the US military, and has become the mass shooter's weapon of choice, according to The Washington Post. Ball and Hare used love, and bestowed kisses and hugs on their friends. Hare and Ball were gratified by the warm response from the Easton Community.

Across the street, watching the vigil from a safe distance with their arms crossed, were five Easton police officers. Their numbers grew to seven at one point.

I waved and said Hi, but there was no reaction. They were either unable to hear, in a bad mood, or were afraid that homosexuality might be contagious.

The City of Orlando is listing the victims by name, but only after family is notified.

+Charles J. Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia, calls the crime "horrific. ... As Christians, our duty is to pray for those whose lives were ended by the inexcusable cruelty of others and to ask God to pour his comforting grace upon all those who are in mourning."

(Updated: Originally published 6/12 at 2:50 pm, prior to the event.)

Mezzacappa Sues To Get Concealed Carry Permit

If any of you have been wondering why West Easton GOP Committee person-elect Tricia Mezzacappa likes to prance around with her gun in a holster, it's more than showing off. She has no choice. After her license to carry was revoked last year, and she apparently lost a court challenge, she filed a new application this year. But it's been denied. And of course, she has already sued.

On May 20, 2014, Acting Sheriff Chris Ziegler mailed her a notice (read it here) that her application had been DENIED for the following reason: "Not approved by the Northampton County Sheriff per Title 18 Pa. C. S. Sec. 6109(e)(1)(i)."

Translated, that means the Sheriff considers her "[a]n individual whose character and reputation is such that the individual would be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety."

In my words, she's batshit cRaZy.

Anyhoo, using Joshua Prince, an attorney who specializes in gun nuts, she has sued to demand that license. She wanted everything kept hush, hush under seal, but Judge Anthony Beltrami said No.

In her lawsuit, she's claiming denials of due process, state and federal equal protection and the state and federal right of gun nuts everywhere to blast bazookas and say, "That blowed up good. Real good."

She wants attorney fees, a gazillion dollars and an injunction, too.

This is an emergency, damn it!

After carefully considering Mezzacappa's complaint, Judge Beltrami has scheduled a hearing.

For December.

Gun Nut Tracker Disabled, Thanks to Gun Nuts

Android App Gun Geo Marker, designed to track unsafe gun owners, has been disabled. Here's the explanation.

The App was pilloried by a paranoid community of deluded gun rights activists in July 2013; deluded because the gun owning community in the United States shoots itself in the foot - and endangers all of our 2nd amendment rights - when it comes out against reasonable solutions to the gun violence epidemic. This includes Apps that might allow it to better allow gun owners regulate themselves, foment better safety practices, and prevent unnecessary gun deaths. But in short, the community instead decided that this App was a threat and spammed it up with useless info that effectively disabled it for sincere users. How many lives are being lost due to the congressional equivalent of this obstruction? Such as when the U.S. Senate rejected reasonable and constitutional universal background checks in April of 2013?

My problem with this app is that it would allow people to geo-locate dangerous gun owners anonymously. That's just irresponsible. But I'd support and contribute to an app that required the geo-locator to identify himself.

We certainly have a First Amendment, too.

The Wit and Wisdom of Chief Mark Kessler

With a black T-Shirt bearing a Confederate flag on one side and "Liberals Take it in the Ass" on the back (rear?), Gilberton police chief Mark Kessler has a few remarks about "libtards," as he so sensitively refers to Commies like John Kerry.

"Libtards, you take it in the ass, and I don't give a fuck what you say, so youse can all go fuck yourselves. Period."

In the ass, I would assume.

Gilberton is nestled between Frackville and Shenandoah in Schuylkill County, within a stone's throw from where my parents grew up. According to the 2010 census, its population is 769.

There's only one black person, although he could be a white dude covered with coal dust.

For just $25, you can become a member of his Constitutional Security Force, fighting against anti-American organizations like the Southern Povery Law Center. You also get a certificate suitable for framing, access to firearms training, two CSF bumper stickers and a 10% discount on 30 round C-product Aluminum AR/M16 magazines.

Who could pass up a deal like that?

Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta' go take it up the ass.

Blue Grillhouse a Mezzacappa-Free Zone

Other than political fundraisers, I've only ever been to the Blue once. I nearly had a heart attack the one time I was there. It was not the food, which is great, but the prices. $7 for a garden salad? $7 for a frickin' baked potato? That's a lot for a spud. So I impress the ladies by taking them to Wendy's, for the 99 menu. Who doesn't love a Frosty?  But I'm about to make a return to the Blue, and intend to become a regular. You see, the Blue has become a Mezzacappa-free zone, making it a little slice of heaven on earth.

How did this happen?

Mezzacappa tried to make reservations there for her birthday, but had a fit when she was told show won't be able to prance up and down the place with her pea-shooter in a holster. So now, she wants everyone to stay away, and has threatened to start a monthly protest.

While she brays about her statutory right to open carry, she ignores the constitutional right of private business owners to do what they think will make their businesses safe for their employees and customers. In addition, they have the right to create their own ambiance. That need not be dictated by Tricia Gregacappa.

Her license to carry a concealed firearm has been revoked, and she has no right to transport a gun, loaded or unloaded, in a vehicle. So how the Hell would she get the gun there without breaking the law?

Maybe by broomstick.

NorCo Officials Scramble To Protect Staff From Gun Violence

When Tricia Mezzacappa, the Sally Starr of the Lehigh Valley, pranced into the elections office with her six-shooter earlier this week, she did succeed in scaring the staff. But she may also have unwittingly done them a favor. Since that incident, County officials have taken seteps to ensure that an incident like that is never repeated.

Under state law, firearms are banned inside inside a "court facility," which does included the "offices of court clerks." Does that include an elections office? Since that office is one of the historic row offices and has traditionally been located at the courthouse, I'd say it does. But reasonable people can argue just as convincingly that it does not. Because of this uncertainty, some Council members began to consider adoption of an ordinance that would ban weapons at all County-owned property.

Preliminary research reveals that Northampton County enacted exactly this kind of ordinance in 1988, and amended it in 2007. Under this law, no one can enter upon County-owned property with a firearm.

But what about the Centralized Human Services building? The County will lease, not own that property, for at least the next five years. So it appears that the ordinance needs an amendment to include leased property.

This is where state law gets in the way. It expressly prohibits any gun regulation by municipal government. But this is not gun regulation. The County is regulating the use of its own property.

ET: Deputy Whistleblower Exposed a Flaw

In an excellent editorial today, The Express Times comes to the defense of Deputy Darin Steward, whose leak revealed that Northampton County is not checking listed references on right-to-carry applications.

Steward leaked Northampton County Council candidate Tricia Mezzacappa's LTCF application to West Easton Borough Council President Kelly Gross. He and Gross are long-time friends. Last November, Mezzacappa was convicted of disorderly conduct after a boro hall tirade that included death threats aimed at Gross. The office is now locked and under video surveillance.

On her concealed-carry application, Mezzacappa listed two people as references that she knew would pan her. One is Attorney Richard Orloski, who is representing me in a defamation action against Mezzacappa. The other is Executive John Stoffa, who has been an object of derision to Mezzacappa.

The Express Times makes this plea for Steward:

If Morganelli believes Steward must face criminal sanctions, that’s his call. There may be more to the story than has been reported publicly. But there also appears to be an element of whistleblowing by Steward here, and that should count for something. He should have gone through other channels to report the problems with reference checks — to his immediate superior, for starters. But his action, legal or not, has exposed a flaw in the investigating of gun-permit applicants, and that should be ringing loudly for attention in Harrisburg and all other county seats, not just in Easton.

I understand that it's important not to be seen as playing favorites. But a felony? Ruining this man's career? Isn't the civil process adequate?

The county's seal does include the word "mercy."

Americans Overwhelmingly Support Gun Background Checks

65%. In view of the recent tragedies in Colorado and Connecticut, I'm surprised it's not even higher. But locally, one gun rights attorney claims Sheriffs have no authority to check references on a state-supplied form.

Under Pennsylvania law, the Sheriff shall conduct the following investigations when reviewing a LTCF application:

(1) investigate the applicant's record of criminal conviction;
(2) investigate whether or not the applicant is under indictment for or has ever been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment exceeding one year;
(3) investigate whether the applicant's character and reputation are such that the applicant will not be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety;
(4) investigate whether the applicant would be precluded from receiving a license under subsection (e)(1) or section 6105(h) (relating to persons not to possess, use, manufacture, control, sell or transfer firearms); and
(5) conduct a criminal background, juvenile delinquency and mental health check following the procedures set forth in section 6111 (relating to sale or transfer of firearms), receive a unique approval number for that inquiry and record the date and number on the application.

Preventing a Sheriff from checking references makes it impossible to determine whether an applicant presents a danger to public safety.