Ink on Paper = Six months

The Christopher Handley case has been a big event in the comic book world. He was charged with possession of Japanese porn comics that had obscene depictions of children being abused. He ended up pleading guilty and was just handed down a 6 month sentence this Febuary. He will not be registered as a sex offender fortunately, but he will have 3 years of supervised release and 5 years of probation after his time is served. He will also have to court mandated mental health treatment during this time.

Six months in jail is a damn fucking long time to serve for ink on paper. Unlike true child pornography, obscene drawings do not involve an actual child being abused. The argument that it turns people in child molesters or pornographers does not hold water either. Its the same sort of argument used against guns, violent video games, movies, songs, and countless other things.

The actual ramifications of this are rather severe. If you download drawn anime style hentai images or someone in your household does, there's a good chance you have an drawn depiction of child abuse on your computer. Most folks into anime or manga will tell you that most of the heroines are usually around 14-16 years of age. These girls are often are found in hentai manga and often owned and sold here in the USA. There are millions of people in USA that have animated images in both hard copy and electronic form that could be considered obscene depictions of child abuse.

How old are the girls below? Which one if drawn having graphic tasteless sex would be an obscene depiction of child abuse?

Both images. Same girl, just different ages. Hinata here is 14 and 12 according to the manga.

If the girl is drawn and has big boobs its hard to prove an age, at the same time the reverse is true. A good example is the extremely popular character Konota Izumi.

At first glance any sort of sexual depiction of Konata here could be a drawn depiction of child abuse. However, in this US licensed show, Konata is 18 years old and in her last year of highschool. This is canon. The fact that she looks rather illegal is also a running joke in the anime, Lucky Star. However, she is old enough to be in pornography. There are many hentai doujinshi (or fan made comics) involving this very young looking lady. I do not know if this would stand your favor in court, however. It certainly wouldn't in Australia.

This is yet another law that has effectively renders millions as criminals. As monstrous as a comic depicting children being raped by animals is... I still absolutely cannot say that jail time is anything approaching justice. Because no one was harmed. Its ink on a page.

Charter Arms Revolver in new TSA finish!

This new stylish poo-brown camo Charter Arms .38 special will keep anyone from discovering any more TSA firearms in airport restrooms. In less seriousness, it looks perfect for smuggling into prison.

Kershaw Skyline

I first saw the Skyline at my local Walmart. After I got to handle it, I liked the feel enough to pick it up for around 30 dollars. This is a pretty good knife, not perfect though. The first big positive is that this is one sharp knife. NIB it was razor sharp. After 6 months of pretty regular use, I had a friend and scout leader sharpen it back to razor sharpness. The blade a relatively broad thin drop-point style. This is dangerous if you're not used to very sharp blades. Next on the list of good features is the flipper. It flicks the blade into position very readily and then combines with the cut in the handle to become an excellent finger guard. This feature along with the G10 scales make for a firm grip on the handle. The liner lock also works well and disengages properly. Blade deployment is smooth. The knife is also very light. All of these features make this a very solid choice for an EDC blade.

Already, the Skyline is well worth the 30 dollars. However, were Kershaw to make a new version of this, there are a number of things to improve this design. First and foremost is the pocketclip. The pocketclip is short, fat, and hard to clip onto your pants. It will cause premature wear on your pocket. Deployment of the knife only reinforces the clip's troublesome nature. Next is the lack of jimping. While a firm grip i s still possible, the jimping adds some control that I'd simply prefer on a knife this sharp. Lastly, the thumstuds are useless for opening or closing the blade. They are sharp on the fingers and totally useless. Kershaw should either remove them or make them useful.

Internet Slapfight!

Rob Russell, big man and violent liberal, has been talking smack about pro-gunners and then editing their blog posts to his site. Figures. Here's my newest post to be saved before possibly being edited on his site.

Your comments tell me different. Your 'big man' mentality is telling you to throw your weight around and make some terroristic threats. If you truly didn't care, you wouldn't bother slap fighting with trolls. Making violent threats against people on the internet only cheapens your position and possibly endangers it. You do live in a society where you should worry about what your common sense cannot overcome. What happens if your comments get forwarded to the cops, or your East Tennessee bosses? Or to news agencies if you bid for congress again? Will they just laugh it off because of "Those stupid conservative pro-gun nutjobs" or will the officer investigating be insulted by you taking about how much you like hitting conservative assholes.

Twice the Victim

A good friend of mine has been rightfully upset by a vicious gang attack on his brother this past week. His brother is only 16 and was walking through the park of a nearby town when a group of other teenage kids, headed by a 30-something man, jumped him and beat him bloody. Even once the brother was on the ground, they continued, the older man kicking him in the face.

After the attack, the police managed to get most of the attackers. Mr. 30something claims that the youth had pulled a blade on the large group and that they had acted out of 'fear' for their lives. This is typical and expected sort of lie, so it doesn't surprise me. What surprises me is how the authorities dealt with the victim.

The younger brother was to attended a required counseling session. During the course of the session he was asked how he felt about the attack and the people who attacked him. While he said he didn't wish anything particular bad on the younger participants, when asked about the 30 something year old man who lead the assault and kicked him in the face, the teen replied that he 'would like to kill him'.

Due to the threatening nature of his 'anger issues' my friend's brother has been sent to a juvenile facility for treatment. He refused the medication that would treat his 'unhealthy anger'. After repeated badgering for him to take the medication and kept there against his will, the teenager lost his temper and punched a wall in frustration. Two orderlies forced him down and sedated him. Sadly, the young man has seen that he cannot go home without compliance. He now takes the medication and goes along with their treatment for his 'anger problems'.

A youth is viciously assaulted in a public place, and he ends up imprisoned because he's angry towards his attackers? He's not the only one angry. His big brother is angry, his mother, his father, me, and most likely you! Lets seem them take the lot of us in.

Proof the Police Cannot Protect Us

One of the big core beliefs of the pro-2nd amendment crowd is that we cannot expect to be protected by the government 24/7 from threats inside our country. Our personal protection is our responsibility. With our privately held arms, we provide that basic physical protection of ourselves and families that, if able, all creatures have a divine right to.

However, many misguided folks believe in the Nanny State. The government's agents are singly responsible for our safety. Only the police and other government based agencies have the training, mentality, and oversight to keep arms and use them to protect the peasants from themselves. We naturally scoff at this idea and strive to prove them wrong. I have found a perfect example at Walmart.

Walmart is a massive corporation that can claim to be the biggest retailer in the world. There are thousands of stores, and millions of employees. I am one of them. It is also one of the biggest victims of crime in the world.

Everyday in my store, we lose hundreds of dollars to theft and vandalism. In fact, may days that number is up into the thousand plus range. The range of the items stolen is mind boggling and disturbing. Commonly stolen merchandise includes video games, electronics, condoms, medicines, diet pills, cosmetics, clothes, infant care equipment, knives, and ammunition( As if it isn't hard enough to find ammo. God damn them all to hell!) Teenage kids, old women, men in suits, skeezy looking black guys, it doesn't matter what you look like. Someone that looks like you steals from Walmart.

Even some of my co-workers steal. One often brought stacks of DVDs to his department and later threw the packaging away with his trash. Though he was finally caught, he was never charged for the full amount of his theft during a year of work there. Most likely over five thousand dollars.

Walmarts are open for 263.5 days of the year. Everyone one of those days each one of the thousands of stores experiences shrink. Consider how much is lost, to simple greed? How much is passed on to the consumer? Or how many folks could have been on full time with insurance rather than the palry part time hours?

Well, with such an epidimic of crime, naturally the government would be falling over itself trying to clean up the communities of these petty fucks? You know, the ones not paying sales tax on their purloned goods? Wrong. Investigation and prevention of shoplifting is taken care of Walmart's own private asset protection department. Walmart has to pay for its own private 'detective' force to trying to fight back. These folks install cameras, monitor them, and actually stalk the shoplifters until they exist the building with stolen merchandise. Then they can use what little power they have to detain thieves. Only then are the police called for.

If an all-powerful, evil company can't rely upon the state to protect their millions and millions of lost property, what chance does Sally SoccerMom, and Tiffany TofuGnasher have of some protection?

The Revolver vs the Semi-Automatic Handgun

I've had some good arguments about revolvers vs semi-autos. I usually carry a Smith 638 .38 special revolver. The plastic pistol patrol have made some serious derisive commits on that. I've had one fellow say that carrying a revolver for self-defense was like riding your skateboard to an office job. Doable, but no way a good idea. But is it that bad? Is a revolver such an abysmal defensive firearm? Is the semi-auto so leaps and bounds superior to the revolver?

I do concede that the double action revolver has some serious short comings. Capacity and reloading speed are the big one. Next, is the long heavy double action trigger of classic defensive revolver. The DA trigger can be difficult to master vs a lighter single action or DA-Only semi-auto trigger. However, this issue can be taken care of through proper practice and building good skills in training.

As for the question of how a revolver fares against a semi-auto? For the sake of argument lets say we have two guys. One has a S&W model 10 .38 special and the other has a Glock 17 9x19mm. Both guns are in excellent working condition, loaded, and both users know the guns well, and can shoot them well. What happens in the face off?

Semi-auto guys remember this: You have no advantage for six shots. The revolver is just as good as your Glock until it runs dry. There is no inherient disadvantage to revolver's design and no advantage to yours until that moment. It may be easy to say, "Well, he'll need to reload before I will, I win." However, a lot can happen in 6 shots. At the average distance of a self-defense situation, can you say for certain, you aren't hit and hurt before those 6 rounds have been spent?

Revolver guys remember this: You are on equal footing with the semi-auto for only 6 shots. Make them count before the Glock takes the advantage.

In the long run, the semi-auto will win. This is why they are the choice for military and police. However, in a defensive role, its no better than a revolver for the first 6 shots. Which are the shots in a magazine that count the most?

Been Shooting Today

Hit the range for some good ol revolver practice. In combination of heat and fired rounds my cylinder got really hot, making reloads kinda like a game of hot potato. I put 100rds of .38 special +P into some steel plates at about 25 feet. Didn't do too well actually. Single action is easy, but double action isn't. Even then, my front ramp is really hard to see against the gray steel plates. Going to add some of the paint I used on my Makarov's front sight to my GP-100. might be a bit different being a serrated ramp type. I need much more practice, too. I wish .38 special was cheaper.

Night Shoot!

I recently participated in a night-time IDPA match at my gunclub. It was fighting by flashlight. I have made some important observations on this.

1. Night fighting is hard. Train moar.
2. You need to practice with your EDC flashlight. Firing with and reloading mags with.
   
3. Your EDC flashlight needs to be easy to use.
4. Your EDC flashlight must not easily be switched to different light modes. IE I need a new light!
   

Undefendable?

As a collector and avid reader of comics and manga, I am more than a bit concerned with a recent case involving comic collector Chris Handley. The man was charged and ended up pleading guilty to "possession of obscene visual representation of the sexual abuse of children" a felony under the PROTECT act. The medium was Japanese comic books. He may very well spend a goodly amount of the next decade in prison.

Its hard to defend such vile comics, but I can't say that lines on paper are worth a felony conviction. Unlike child pornography, obscene visual depictions do not involve an actual child being harmed or exploited in any way. However, many state that it causes or enables such crime.

In one discussion, my opinion that a graphic drawn depiction of a minor being abused was a victimless crime was countered by "horseshit". "it's victimless right up to the point where some unstable person decides he wants to go try this out on an eight year old". one worthy blogger said.

That sort of logic... Under that logic I would have to burn many of my books, too. My comics would fall into the same category. Movies? I don't think my action films are going to survive it. My first person shooter games are absolutely forfit. Angry german music? Gone. Cable television will need to be cancelled.

Why?

Think about all the crimes mentioned, depicted or described in these media sources. Guess what? Some unstable person could decide they want to try any one or number of these on someone else. Just let them watch Law & Order: SVU. After a good TNT marathon, you'll have more ideas for deviant crimes than you can shake a stick at. As an added bonus, POLICE BRUTALITY.

I'm ashamed that a pro-gun individual would use this argument. How many times we been told that we are nothing more than criminals that are waiting to commit a crime with our terrible evil guns?

It is not cool to defend some freak's comic about little girls getting fucked by farm animals. I shouldn't have to! Folks should just know not to make shit like that. However, I cannot say that its morally worse than a comic about kids getting slowly fed in woodchipper. Its all gross shit! But it is one of those slippery slope things. What's next? We gotta stand with even the bad stuff sometimes, to make sure the good is protected.

For some further reading here's a post by Neil Gaiman on defending 'icky speech'. There's an excellent Southpark that makes some interesting points about obscenity and weapons. "Good Times with Weapons."