Wednesday, August 20, 2008

David Olofson Update

From Dave and Pat Olofson:

Hello everyone.

Please feel free to pass this message to those who will care.

I would like to pass on an update on David, as I see it has been more than four weeks since the last.

He tells us he is doing fine, and we have been getting about one call a week, so it is good to hear from him. He is trying to help others when he is in the law library. I remind him not to let his guard down or become complacent, as I’m sure they will be looking for an opportunity to go after him for anything else they can. He says he is losing weight with all the free time, exercise and the great food they have.

All packages are now being received that we now know the proper methods of sending: Letters can be no more than 10 pages. I have started to print on both sides, that way we get twice the bang per stamp: 5 pages cost the standard .42/1oz.envelope. 10 pages cost .59/2oz.envelope, both being first class postage. I try and send him an average of 5 per week, and he looks forward to it every day. I challenge all of you to send him something once a week. Believe me it will not be too much.

Magazines and soft cover books are best/recommended shipping from a commercial book store. This method is preferred and quicker to get to him. You may have to look for a store to work with you as some will not ship if not purchased from them. And yes to buy new mags from a store so they can ship them would be expensive, but we might do a book that is on special. USPS has worked but it must be marked on the outside what it is: i.e. ‘soft covered magazines’ or soft covered books’, or it will be returned to you. I have sent books at book rate and it is very reasonable, as long as you box and wrap at home. If you purchase your box, bubble wrap & tape at the post office it will cost 3-4x more, I’ve tested it both ways and you do not want to do it at the post office if you don’t have to. Be reasonable on what you send him and please use common sense, as it will be reviewed and censored ‘appropriately’. I know he would like every gun and shooting mag out there, but they will only end up in the wrong hands. I know it shouldn’t make a difference, but it does. And nothing sexist or racist will not go thru to him and will again only end up in the wrong hands. Fishing he loves, computers he loves (which I am sure is driving him crazy), any sportsman/outdoors magazine and any good car mag would do the trick.

He has told me that the GOA fund has made its first payments from their Olofson fund toward his mortgage and auto. He sincerely thanks you all for your support and GOA’s efforts to help him and his family. Thank you, thank you and thank you. He worries daily about his family, but indicated that it was a tremendous relief for his wife when the payments went thru. Thank you, all of you and we hope your efforts and prayers continue, because YOU DO make a difference. If not YOU, then who?

The briefs will be submitted to the court of appeals next week. But as you may already know the govt has 30 days to respond, and then the defense gets another, I believe, 14 days to respond to them. David has had a chance to read over transcripts and information that his past attorneys would not give to him, gee I wonder why?? He now knows why! He says we will be surprised, and most probably outraged when these are made known. But what will this court do with it? I truly hope more than the last court. I’m sorry that I do not have more that I can tell you, but he is doing as his new defense is telling him, and as they have said, they do not want to tell the govt any more or sooner than they have to. If I were you I would check regularly on GOA, as I’m sure Larry Pratt will comment on it and/or post it after they are submitted, and rightly so.

Have you written your congressman, USAG, FBI or the President lately?? I just had a short visit with mine. See if yours is having their town meetings and make sure he knows where you stand, in addition be sure and ask him where he and congress stand!! I’ll send you a note in a couple of days on my encounter. He did not have to do any research on the issue, as I gave him copies of what he would need.

It is driving me crazy not being able to do anything, but I am going to work on that solution as well. I hope you will all join me in David’s continued support in righting this injustice. You have no idea out outraged we get and how much sleep we have lost, when even your own family members believe, and or thru their silence are saying ‘if the govt says he did something then he must have’, ….and we get, you know that uncontrollable urge you have to slap them along side the head to try and wake them up!!

Possibly you have already seen this. I have not. So I thought I would pass it along any way. (Ironic the timing of certain things isn’t it?) I just received this from my long distance cousin Punk, distant in miles but close to the heart:

[Click on this link for "I Don't Carry a Gun" by Syd at Front Sight Press]

After reading this I feel very sad that I could not carry a gun in the open for all of those reasons. This only adds to how I see how sorry our state of affairs are.

Once again thank you all for your support and we hope you will all continue to keep this in the spot light. As I read all the different blogs it surprises me even today how many people still do not get the significance of what this case has done to their 2nd amendment rights!

Regards,

Dave and Pat Olofson

[More on David Olofson from WarOnGuns]

We're the Only Ones Who Always Get Our Man Enough

A Kentucky sheriff drove 4,100 miles to California to pick up a fugitive, then realized when he got back he had the wrong guy.
These "Only Ones" stories are really a trip!

[Via Jeffersonian]

The Terror Loophole

From Illspirit:
I found an article on CNN about an armed airline pilot and a third-grader on the no-fly list, and threw it into a reverse only-ones/think-of-the-children vortex about the 'guns in the hands of terrorists' bit in the new DNC platform. http://www.illspirit.com/blog/63/the-terror-loophole

This got me thinking: What if a few gun bloggers started covering more of these no-fly list stories as a sort of catalog of "people Democrats think are terrorists" or some such? There's probably a bunch of people out there who have no idea about just what is meant by closing the "loophole," and assume it actually means real, convicted terrorists or something. But with the strong google-fu our side has, maybe we can move up in the search ranks so that more people might find just how easy it would be for them to face a lifetime ban?

Likewise, there's probably even some on our side who sort of realize this, but somehow think it couldn't happen to them. If the story about a five year old being on the list doesn't motivate them, I'm not sure what will...
I think in general it's a fine idea. I've used the government's "Homegrown Terrorists" label in the past, but perhaps something more descriptive of the no fly/no guns nexus would be appropriate to create.

Suggestions?

My only point of contention is limiting this to democrats. TSA maintains the list, and they are controlled by a republican administration that has done more to pave the way for intrusive domestic interference and control in the name of "homeland security" than anyone.

Tracking the Problem

Citizens' U.S. Border Crossings Tracked
Data From Checkpoints To Be Kept for 15 Years
Because we all know the trouble is with citizens who stop at checkpoints and produce IDs.

Obamunism

The Chef thought we'd find this humorous.


I do, but in an "I wish it wasn't true" kind of way.


Now we need to find one equally as defining for McCain.

We're the Only Ones With Gun Handling Skills Enough

Two off-duty female cops yelled, "We are the police!" - and then pistol-whipped a Bronx man in what authorities call a case of road rage.
What have we warned you about lifting a finger against New York "Only Ones"?

Do you know who you are f------ with? We are the police!"
What more anyone needs to know than that is beyond me.

[Via half a dozen of you]

We're the Only Ones Good Tippers Enough

A VETERAN city narcotics detective has been arrested for allegedly tipping off his confidential drug informants that they had become the targets of a federal investigation...
So take a tip from an "Only One" who does...

Bloggus Interruptus

Regularly scheduled posting is delayed and will resume this afternoon.

UPDATE: Back sooner than I thought, with time for a few quick posts, then out of here again for a few more hours...

Whom Society Rewards

Barr wrapped up her post with a final message to Jolie: "Now go back to making your movies about women who love to handle big guns that shoot hundreds of people to death." [More]
I've had my differences with Angelina Jolie's public statements before, but Roseanne Barr is quite simply a frothing leftist loon. Don't believe me? Spend one minute on her blog (Cynthia McKinney???). Sorry--I don't know a way to take your brain out and scrub it off after you do.

And while I don't generally appreciate Howard Stern's style of entertainment, I do think his observation on Roseanne-ex Tom Arnold is funny and right on.

It seems Roseanne accused Tom of all kinds of physical abuse during their tragic, doomed epic love...

Was it true?

Who knows what reality actually creeps into that squirming mind?

But it might explain that emcee gig...

And yeah, Tom--that was your only talent. Do you have a clue the contempt that arises when a nothing slug like you tells men like me you want the government to control our guns?

The deeper question: Why do we even know these people's names?

Better Drunk than Safe

University presidents from a wide range of U.S. colleges are calling for a debate over drinking laws, arguing that the legal drinking age should be lowered to 18.

But whenever anyone suggests allowing armed adult students on campus, these same college presidents point to irresponsible drinking as a reason why that's not a good idea...

This Day in History: August 20

I cannot say but I am curious to learn the reasons why men, who had subscribed, & bound themselves to each other, & their Country, to stand forth in defence of it, should lay down their arms the first moment they were called upon.