So it appears that the Austin bombing suspect went out with a bang.

Courtesy of CNN: 

A suspect in a wave of bombings that terrorized Austin killed himself with an explosion inside his car as authorities closed in, police in Texas said, ending a manhunt but leaving investigators scrambling to determine whether any bombs remain and if he acted alone.

The 24-year-old man detonated the bomb early Wednesday on the side of Interstate 35 in Round Rock, north of Austin, as SWAT team members approached him, police said. 

Investigators believe he is responsible for the five explosions that killed two people and injured five others in Austin or south-central Texas since March 2, authorities said. They also warned a wary public not to let down their guard. 

"We don't know where this suspect has spent his last 24 hours, and therefore we still need to remain vigilant to ensure that no other packages or devices have been left throughout the community," Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said.

This was a 24 year old white guy who seemed to be targeting minorities.

And yet when asked about this Sarah Huckabee Sanders refused to identify the bombings as an act of terrorism, and Trump did not bother to mention them until the bomber was dead.

AUSTIN BOMBING SUSPECT IS DEAD. Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2018

I guess if the suspect is not a brown skinned or a Muslim, he does not qualify as a terrorist, nor do his attacks offer Trump the opportunity to call for a travel ban or a higher wall on the border of Mexico.

By the way Trump is right that the FBI did a great job on this case, and hopefully there is another investigation in which they will have equal success.

During the school massacre in Florida there was an armed sheriff's deputy on scene. He hid until the shooting stopped.

Courtesy of the New York Times:

The only armed sheriff’s deputy at a Florida high school where 17 people were killed took cover outside rather than charging into the building when the massacre began, the Broward County sheriff said on Thursday. The sheriff also acknowledged that his office received 23 calls related to the suspect going back a decade, including one last year that said he was collecting knives and guns, but may not have adequately followed up. 

The deputy, Scot Peterson, resigned on Thursday after being suspended without pay after Sheriff Scott Israel reviewed surveillance video. 

“He never went in,” Sheriff Israel said in a news conference. He said the video showed Deputy Peterson doing “nothing.” 

“There are no words,” said Sheriff Israel, who described himself as “devastated, sick to my stomach.” 

So roll that around in your mind a little, here was a trained law enforcement agent who panicked when the bullets started flying, and Donald Trump expects regular classroom teachers to walk into a hail of gunfire and kill an armed intruder?

By the way this is how a number of teachers responded to the idea of carrying weapons to school.

Guys, I’m a college professor.

I’ve also been shooting guns my entire life and own multiple guns now.

I don’t trust myself to be able to capably defend a classroom against a shooter, and I’m a good shot.

Why would we expect teachers everywhere to bear this responsibility?

— Josh Grubbs (@JoshuaGrubbsPhD) February 21, 2018

#CNNTownHall As a teacher, I’m letting you know I’m not carrying a gun to work. I’m not bringing guns around my children. I am not a police officer or in the army for a reason, I teach kids — I don’t go to war every day. My job is to educate children.

— skye l. (@skyelorenn) February 22, 2018

I’m a teacher. Don’t give me a gun. Give me the supplies I need, the salary I deserve, and the common-sense gun laws to protect my kids.

— Jocelyn ✡️ (@jocelyndorf) February 20, 2018

And your solution is to arm teachers??? Are you fucking insane?? I'm a teacher, I teach children. I've been in the army, I've made the choice to no longer be a soldier, but a teacher!

— Lucien (@LucienOldenb) February 22, 2018

This is idea is ridiculous and no serious person should even consider it as a solution to school shootings.

Mother Jones also took a look at the NRA's idea for "hardening our schools" and they are chilling.

Some of the ideas include putting up prison yard style fencing, getting rid of trees, getting rid of parking lots (Well that will be super convenient for parents and staff.), installing thicker, heavier doors, vastly reducing the number of windows, and for the windows they do keep, making sure they are made of “ballistic protective glass.”

This is not an environment in which to learn, this is an environment in which to serve time AFTER you have killed somebody with a gun.

It is where a school shooter ends up, not the children that he wanted to target.

Jeff Sessions talks about the "Anglo American heritage of law enforcement." Wait, what?

Courtesy of The Hill: 

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday talked about the "Anglo-American heritage of law enforcement" when speaking to law enforcement officials. 

Speaking to the National Sheriffs' Association, Sessions said he wanted to "thank every sheriff in America." 

"Since our founding, the independently elected sheriff has been the people's protector, who keeps law enforcement close to and accountable to people through the elected process," he said, according to CNN. 

"The office of sheriff is a critical part of the Anglo-American heritage of law enforcement," he said. 

Sessions added that "we must never erode this historic office."

According to CNN that Anglo American part was not included in the written version of the speech.

That was just Jeffrey Beauregard Sessions letting his racist flag fly.

No wonder Sessions is so adamantly against legalizing marijuana. After all how can he lock up all of the "darkies" if he can't simply bust them for carrying around a blunt or two?

Perhaps somebody should clue Beauregard in to the honorable tradition of African American law enforcement in this country.

Or are those facts his tiny racist mind simply cannot absorb? 

Top DEA official to quit, cites Donald Trump's lack of respect for the law.

Courtesy of MSN: 

The acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration will resign at the end of the week, according to law enforcement officials, who said he had become convinced that President Trump had little respect for the law. 

The official, Chuck Rosenberg, who twice served as chief of staff to the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey and remains a close confidant, had grown disillusioned with Mr. Trump. The president fired Mr. Comey in May, and then in July told law enforcement officers “please don’t be too nice” when handling crime suspects. 

Mr. Rosenberg forcefully rejected Mr. Trump’s comment, sending an email to all D.E.A. employees at the time to tell them that they should not mistreat suspects.

“We must earn and keep the public trust and continue to hold ourselves to the very highest standards,” Mr. Rosenberg wrote in the internal email. “Ours is an honorable profession and, so, we will always act honorably.”

I actually don't see how any government official with any ethics can continue to work under Donald Trump. 

I know that some probably see themselves as a necessary bulwark to resist the corruption that is spreading throughout the federal government, but I think they will ultimately find themselves corrupted as well or fired for not being team players.

Donald Trump did not get elected to drain any swamp. That was him projecting the fact that he was planning to install a swamp of his own design.

I would be surprised if by the end of this first four years, assuming he makes it that long, that the number of indicted Trump Administration officials will rival the number indicted, convicted, or subjected to a criminal investigation during the Reagan Administration.

That number by the way was 138.

One bright spot in yesterday's election, Joe Arpaio is no longer the sheriff of Maricopa County.

Courtesy of ABC 15:

Maricopa County has a new sheriff in town. 

Democrat Paul Penzone beat long-standing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio Tuesday in a campaign that featured plenty of attacks on both sides. 

Arpaio, who has been sheriff since 1993, is still in the midst of criminal contempt charges for continuing to profile Latino drivers after a federal judge barred him from doing so.

In no way does this make up for a Trump victory, but at least it's something.

So at least this one county in Arizona is now a little less racist, while the rest of the country is pulling out their best white sheets and cutting little eye holes in them.

This maybe the very first time I have ever even considered moving to Arizona.

Going undercover with "Mexican hunting" militia members. Update!

"Destroyer," "Sandstone," and "Iceman" are just some of the nicknames these guys give themselves.

A bunch of oversized kids playing war on American soil.

I don't know what bothers me more, that they are openly racist and longing for a confrontation with minorities, or that they seem to be embraced by the actual law enforcement in the area.

Here is the entire Mother Jones article.

It is a little long, but quite informative, and seriously unsettling.

Update: On the subject of militias it looks like the Bundy boys have been found not guilty. 

Well that certainly sends an unfortunate message to these groups.

Texas shooter who wounded nine people was killed by police while wearing a Nazi uniform. Try not to draw any conclusions.

Nathan DeSai

Courtesy of Click 2 Houston:

The lawyer who carried out Monday morning's shooting that wounded nine people was wearing what appeared to be Nazi paraphernalia, two law enforcement sources told Channel 2 Investigates' Robert Arnold.

Interim Houston police Chief Martha Montalvo said officers who went to the scene were able to quickly locate the gunman in the 4400 block of Law Street. She said the shooter immediately began firing at the officers and they returned fire. 

The gunman was found dead shortly after, she said. 

"It’s my understanding that he was neutralized by police," Montalvo said. 

Law enforcement sources said the shooter was wearing what appeared to be an antique German uniform with swastikas on it.

Now from a follow up report by this same news outlet we do know a little more.

For one this Mr. DeSai was formerly a successful lawyer who started his own practice and had trouble keeping it afloat.

He owned several guns and according to his father they were purchased to protect him from his own clients.

And of course the easiest one to predict, is that he was a nice guy and nobody had any idea he was capable of anything like this.

Now as you know I am a liberal blogger and this story is like a gift to me.

While the Republicans, including Sarah Palin, are attempting to blame all terrorism on Muslims, and Donald Trump is drawing the alt Right, white supremacists, and Nazis out of the woodwork like the Pied Piper, here we have a non-Muslim guy randomly shooting people while dressed as a Nazi.

However I am not going to use this to make a political point, or rub it in the face of those like Sarah Palin who think that all terrorists must be Muslims.

No, I am simply going to point out that it does not really matter what this man's reasons were for doing this terrible thing, which fortunately did not cost anybody their life.

This time.

Whether he was mentally ill, religiously motivated, emotionally distraught, or high on drugs, it just does not matter.

What matters is that we live in a country where the instruments to carry out these attacks are almost as commonplace as a cell phone, or a microwave oven, or television set.

We think of guns as just another tool.

But they are not.

They are instruments of death. And that is their sole purpose.

And no I would not suggest that we take everybody's guns away.

But I would suggest that to own one a citizen of this country must pass a comprehensive background check, take several hours of instruction, and register the weapon with the FBI.

I would also like to see all future guns manufactured with fingerprint activated safety mechanisms, or some other safety device, installed so that only the owner can fire the weapon.

I do not care what the 2nd Amendment says, owning a gun is not a right it is a responsibility, and it needs to be recognized as such.

Good news folks, Dakota Meyer is becoming a vigilante.

So have either of you seen any of these human traffickers? Hello?

Courtesy of the Daily Caller:  

Medal of Honor recipient Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer announced Thursday that he’s becoming the official spokesman for the International Harbor Foundation, a non-profit group of special forces vets dedicated to busting human traffickers. 

In 2015, a group of special forces veterans came together to create International Harbor Foundation to track down human traffickers in the U.S. and abroad, but also to engage in advocacy efforts, connect victims with recovery resources and work to make sure trafficking is pulled out from the roots. 

Meyer’s decision to join up with IHF coincides with the organization’s fundraising drive, which launches on August 29 and has the goal of bringing in $50,000 in 50 days. Donations are routed into day-to-day operations and, more importantly, rescue missions and intel operations. 

“As a new father and veteran, this cause is especially important to me,” Meyer said in a statement. “These Special Forces veterans and I fought for freedom, under direct orders, around the Globe. Now that we can choose our own missions, we want to liberate the thousands of enslaved persons in our own neighborhoods and help the survivors reclaim their lives.” 

So currently it appears that this group is focused more on fundraising than actually launching any operations. So I am sure that Dakota recent experience with grifting will come in handy.

Look all snark aside I think that the problem of human trafficking is something that all of use should take seriously and I would hope that this group is going to position itself as more of a resource for law enforcement rather than a vigilante mob going off half cocked to play Batman in camouflage fatigues.

However if Dakota is serious about this I think I might have some idea of where he might start.

After all there is some evidence that he might know a little something about it.

Just a reminder that the FBI warned us way back in 2006 that white supremacist groups were infiltrating law enforcement.

Courtesy of The Grio: 

Because of intensifying civil strife over the recent killings of unarmed black men and boys, many Americans are wondering, “What’s wrong with our police?” Remarkably, one of the most compelling but unexplored explanations may rest with a FBI warning of October 2006, which reported that “White supremacist infiltration of law enforcement” represented a significant national threat. 

Several key events preceded the report. A federal court found that members of a Los Angeles sheriffs department formed a Neo Nazi gang and habitually terrorized the black community. Later, the Chicago police department fired Jon Burge, a detective with reputed ties to the Ku Klux Klan, after discovering he tortured over 100 black male suspects. Thereafter, the Mayor of Cleveland discovered that many of the city police locker rooms were infested with “White Power” graffiti. Years later, a Texas sheriff department discovered that two of its deputies were recruiters for the Klan. 

In near prophetic fashion, after the FBI’s warning, white supremacy extremism in the U.S. increased, exponentially. From 2008 to 2014, the number of white supremacist groups, reportedly, grew from 149 to nearly a thousand, with no apparent abatement in their infiltration of law enforcement. 

This year, alone, at least seven San Francisco law enforcement officers were suspended after an investigation revealed they exchanged numerous “White Power” communications laden with remarks about “lynching African-Americans and burning crosses.” Three reputed Klan members that served as correction officers were arrested for conspiring to murder a black inmate. At least four Fort Lauderdale police officers were fired after an investigation found that the officers fantasized about killing black suspects. 

The United States doesn’t publicly track white supremacists, so the full range of their objectives remains murky. Although black and Jewish-Americans are believed to be the foremost targets of white supremacists, recent attacks in Nevada, Wisconsin, Arizona, Kansas and North Carolina, demonstrate that other non-whites, and religious and social minorities, are also vulnerable. Perhaps more alarmingly, in the last several years alone, white supremacists have reportedly murdered law enforcement officers in Arkansas, Nevada and Wisconsin.

That Grio article is over a year old, and the original FBI report was from 2006, but I get the uneasy feeling that right now the information shared in both is more timely than ever. 

My second uneasy feeling is that things are about to get much worse.

Nevada Assemblywoman defends right to point her firearm at law enforcement officials if they point their gun at her. WTF?

Courtesy of Think Progress:  

Nevada Assemblywoman Michele Fiore (R), who is currently seeking her party’s nomination for an open U.S. House seat, said last week that she believes the right to self defense includes the right to aim your gun anyone who aims a gun at you, even if they are a law enforcement officer. 

“I would never ever point my firearm at anyone, including an officer of the law, unless they pointed their firearm at me,” Fiore explained. But, the assemblywoman continued, “once you point your firearm at me, I’m sorry, then it becomes self-defense. Whether you’re a stranger, a bad guy, or an officer, and you point your gun at me and you’re gonna shoot me and I have to decide whether it’s my life or your life, I choose my life.”

You know I don't think this idiot understands how law enforcement works.

Actually believe it or not Fiore was the person who tried to convince Cliven Bundy and his band of inbred misfits to avoid getting into a firefight with the FBI.

However now it appears that she is all done with being rational and is instead channeling her inner Annie Oakley.

Gee another unhinged politician living in Nevada, how completely unsurprising. 

Five sheriff's deputies disciplined for failing to arrest man who struck protester at Donald Trump rally.

Image courtesy of Radar Online.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Five sheriff's deputies were disciplined Wednesday for failing to immediately arrest a man who elbowed a protester in the face at a Donald Trump rally last week in North Carolina. 

Three Cumberland County Sheriff's deputies were demoted and suspended for five days without pay and two more deputies were suspended for three days without pay in connection with the incident following a week-long internal investigation, the sheriff's office announced Wednesday. 

"The actions of the deputies and their failures to act in situations such as that which occurred during the Trump rally at the Crown Coliseum have never been and will not ever be tolerated under the policies of this office," Cumberland County Sheriff Earl Butler said in a press release, adding that his office regrets "that any of the circumstances at the Trump rally occurred." 

Sgt. Sean Swain, the county sheriff's office's public information officer, said the five officers were present for McGraw's alleged assault. 

"Those five officers saw or the sheriff felt they reasonably should have seen what took place and failed to take action," Swain told CNN on Wednesday.

Of course this does nothing to solve the actual problem, which is that Trump is inciting his supporters to target brown skinned people for violence. Though I guess it might send a message for other law enforcement agencies to not get caught up in the racist vibe and actually do their jobs.

(I mean in this case they actually manhandled and arrested the guy who got hit.)

The sheriff in this case actually considered charging Trump with inciting a riot, but he didn't probably because he realized it would incite another riot.

And as Donald Trump's influence increases it is that very fear which protect him from all sorts of legal challenges.

After all nobody tried to arrest Hitler after his arrest for the Beer Hall Putsch because by then he was much too powerful.

The not yet arrested Oregon protesters are upset that the FBI is blocking their cell phones and internet access.

LaVoy Finicum, martyr or moron?

Courtesy of OPB: 

OPB spoke with the remaining occupiers inside the refuge Sunday by cellphone. They say federal authorities have locked down their ability to make or receive calls. 

David Fry, one of the four remaining militants, said the FBI made it so the occupiers can’t make outgoing calls on their cellphones. Fry said he can receive incoming calls, but that the other three in the refuge appear unable to receive calls on their cellphones. The militants also said they’ve lost access to the internet.

Wait, no phone calls and no access to internet porn?

The feds are playing hardball now.

On the other hand none of these yahoos have been arrested or shot dead by the side of the road, so you know there's that.

Speaking of being shot by the side of the road, as expected the death of  LaVoy Finicum at the hands of law enforcement encouraged some sympathizers to form something called a "rolling protest" on Saturday.

It also inspired a truly horrible tribute song called, I kid you not, the Ballad of LaVoy Finicum (Cowboy's Stand for Freedom).

Let me say once again that if this had been a group of brown skinned Muslims taking over this building that the bodies would already be piled up to the sky and there would be no tribute songs or rolling protests to mark their passing. 

Militia members, which include the sons of Cliven Bundy, have taken over a Federal building in Oregon. Oh this is going to be bad.

Posted by Ammon Bundy on Thursday, December 31, 2015

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

A protest in support of Oregon ranchers facing jail time for arson was followed by an occupation of a building at a national wildlife refuge led by members of a family previously involved in a showdown with the federal government. 

Ammon Bundy — the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a standoff with the government over grazing rights — told The Oregonian on Saturday that he and two of his brothers were among a group of dozens of people occupying the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. 

Ammon Bundy posted a video on his Facebook page asking for militia members to come help him. He said "this is not a time to stand down. It's a time to stand up and come to Harney County," where Burns is located. Below the video is this statement: "(asterisk)(asterisk)ALL PATRIOTS ITS TIME TO STAND UP NOT STAND DOWN!!! WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! COME PREPARED." 

In an interview with reporters late Saturday night that was posted on Facebook, Bundy said he and others are occupying the building because "the people have been abused long enough."

Yes it is just terrible that the government is trampling all over those arsonist's human rights. 

The 2001 fire was set by Dwight Hammond and his son on government land to cover up the fact that they had illegally poached deer. The fire consumed 139 acres of public land and damn near killed a witness to the blaze.

When the Hammonds were put on trial they were able to convince a jury that the five year minimum sentence was too long and instead received a much lower one, from a jury pool consisting of locals who all know and admire the Hammond family.

Upon appeal the Ninth Circuit Court upheld the minimum mandatory requirements and the Hammonds were retried and sentenced to those mandatory five years.

Apparently THAT is the federal overreach that has now inspired the Bundy boys and local militia members to forcibly take a federal building and engage in a standoff with law enforcement.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if this were being done by Muslims they would all be dead already, right?

American sheriffs are banding together with advice for citizens to arm themselves in preparation for terrorism. Well this is troubling.

Courtesy of CNN:

In Brevard County, Florida -- less than an hour's drive from Disney World -- Sheriff Wayne Ivey was one of the first to post a video on Facebook. In it, his message was clear: "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun." 

Though he repeatedly cautioned against vigilante justice, Ivey made sure gun owners knew he wanted them to "proactively engage anyone who threatens harm through terrorism or mass killings." 

Ivey is confident that responsible gun owners with concealed weapons permits will partner with them in stopping an active shooter before police arrive on the scene, he told CNN. 

"We want you to be prepared to defend yourself, to protect you and your family," he said.

As it turns out Sheriff Ivey is not alone in promoting the "good guy with a gun" propaganda.

Ivey's video has been viewed by more than 4 million people -- among them, Marion County Sheriff Chris Blair, whose jurisdiction is about 100 miles northwest of Ivey's. He, too, decided to post an online video with a similar message: "If you are certified to carry a gun, I would like to encourage you to do so." 

In Arizona, the controversial top cop of Maricopa County, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, was even more direct. 

"My goal of utilizing 250,000 citizens with concealed weapons is to stop the carnage, stop the killing before cops arrive," he said. (Well of course Arpiaio was for this idea. He's a crazy person.)

Two sheriffs from neighboring counties in New York, not far from the Big Apple, echoed those sentiments with statements posted on social media. 

"The police cannot be everywhere. The Second Amendment and the laws of New York state give citizens the tools to defend themselves and their families from harm until law enforcement can arrive on the scene," wrote one of the sheriffs, Michael Schiff of Sullivan County.

Yes more guns in the community, what a great idea for reducing gun deaths. 

As we saw from that Daily Show segment with Jordan Klepper just having a gun on your person does not make you Dirty Harry.

You know I would like to know how much the NRA donates to the campaigns for these sheriffs.

Because something about all of this seems suspicious.

David Sweat, the second escaped fugitive, has been wounded and taken into custody.

Courtesy of the New York Daily News:

Escaped inmate David Sweat has been shot and is in custody, a source told the Daily News Sunday. 

The fugitive's capture, which could not be immediately confirmed by authorities, signaled a possible end to the 23-day manhunt. 

The source said that Sweat was seriously wounded but still alive. The news came as an autopsy on Clinton Correctional Facility escapee Richard Matt revealed he was shot in the head three times by a U.S. Customs agent, authorities announced Sunday.

As I am sure all of you know Sweat's partner, Richard W. Matt, was killed a few days ago by the authorities, so the good news for this guy at least is that he is going to live long enough to find himself back behind bars.

Just like his partner Sweat was also in prison for murder, so once again it is good news that both of these men are no longer free to commit more crimes, or perhaps take more lives.

In other news, escaped criminal Richard W. Matt has been located and killed by law enforcement. Well that's one.

Courtesy of the New York Times:

Richard W. Matt, one of the convicted murderers who staged an elaborate escape from New York’s largest prison nearly three weeks ago, was shot and killed on Friday by federal agents, two people with knowledge of the situation said. 

There was a report of a second episode of gunfire as law enforcement officers pursued David Sweat, the other inmate, according to the two people. Mr. Sweat’s fate was unclear. 

The shots were reported as law enforcement officers zeroed in on an area of remote terrain in Franklin County, near where investigators discovered evidence in two hunting cabins that indicated the missing inmates had been there. 

It marked a violent turn in a sprawling manhunt that began in Dannemora, N.Y., a village near the Canadian border, and soon spread to large swaths of the state after Mr. Sweat and Mr. Matt engineered a daring breakout from Clinton Correctional Facility.

You know usually I hope that law enforcement takes criminals alive, but fuck this guy, he is too damn dangerous to be out here with the rest of us and if he died in the attempt to capture him so be it.

Just in case you think I am exaggerating how dangerous this guy is check out the Wikipedia page on him: 

On December 3, 1997, Richard Matt attacked his 72 year old boss, William Rickerson, in his North Tonawanda home. After attacking him, and stopping to eat pepperoni and drink wine, Matt put Rickerson in his trunk and drove to New York. Matt was convinced Rickerson had large sums of money in his possession and demanded to know its location. At one point, Matt grasped the duct tape around Rickerson's hands and pulled it back, breaking his boss' fingers. Later, Matt snapped Rickerson's neck with his bare hands. He then dismembered the body and fled to Mexico to avoid capture.

Yeah like I said, fuck this guy. 

American police have killed more people just in March than British police have since 1900.

Courtesy of Alternet:  

A total of 111 people were killed by police in the United States in March of 2015. Since 1900, in the entire United Kingdom, 52 people have been killed by police.Yeah. 

Those numbers are real. A total of 111 people were killed by police in the United States in March of 2015. Since 1900, in the entire United Kingdom, 52 people have been killed by police. 

Don't bother adjusting for population differences, or poverty, or mental illness, or anything else. The sheer fact that American police kill TWICE as many people per month as police have killed in the modern history of the United Kingdom is sick, preposterous, and alarming.

I would not actually lay the blame for this so much on a barbaric American police force, as I would that they are firearm carrying public servants in a country where virtually EVERYBODY has access to an arsenal of deadly weaponry.

A police officer in England responding to a robbery or domestic violence call can have some assurance he will not have to face a barrage of bullets, but an American cop knows full well that at any time he might come face to face with an armed assailant and is constantly on high alert with his hand on his gun.

That is the price we pay for our precious 2nd Amendment.

A fantasy of personal defense.

A reality of unnecessary death. 

After three children are killed by guns in four days in one Texas county, Sheriff pleads with residents to help prevent anymore from happening.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

A rash of tragic child shootings in Texas over the weekend has led local law enforcement to appeal for gun safety. 

"I beg of you, help us to keep from having to respond to tragedy that can be prevented," Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia said at a news conference Monday, after deputies responded to the third fatal accidental shooting involving children in four days. 

"I don't want another family to even have to fathom going through this terrible experience," he added. 

All three shootings occurred within Harris County, within the greater Houston metropolitan area. In response to the tragedies, the Sheriff's Office and Harris County Constable Ron Hickman reminded the public that their offices distribute free gun locks. 

"If we can prevent one person from being killed or hurt from firearm accidents through the distribution of these free gun locks, then we have met our challenge," Hickman said in a statement Monday.

This is indefensible that so many children are killed due to the irresponsibility of the adults that are supposed to be keeping them safe. And ironically with the weapons that were undoubtedly purchased to increase their families safety.

Of these three none were older than six years old. The youngest only three.

How hard is it really to keep guns out of the hands of small children?

Florida sheriff sells "In Dog We Trust" rug for almost $10,000. Proving once again that if you have faith in the dog, good things will come your way.

Courtesy of CNN:  

A Florida sheriff's office has turned a $500 mistake into a $9,650 windfall for charity. 

The Pinellas County Sheriff's office ordered a new rug, which turned up last week with a typo. The large green rug with the black and yellow Pinellas County Sheriff's Office logo included the phrase "In Dog We Trust" within one of its crests. 

It was supposed to read "In God We Trust." The Sheriff's Office said rug manufacturer, American Floor Mats, would replace it. 

That could have been the end of the story except Sheriff Bob Gualtieri had an idea. 

He decided to auction off the unique item -- the "doggone rug," as he called it -- and donate the proceeds to a local rescue.

Ultimately the rug sold for  $9,650.00 and now that money will go to care for animals in a shelter.

It just goes to show that all things are possible with dog.

Seriously I think we have the makings of a new religion here. And I certainly like it better than the ones we have now.

New rug in Florida Sheriff's office accidentally printed with words "In Dog We Trust." I like it.

Courtesy of Mashable: 

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office in Florida has gone to the dogs. Well, at least its rugs have. 

Department spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda said Wednesday that a new, $500 rug at the sheriff's administration building said "In Dog We Trust" instead of "In God We Trust." 

The forest green rug with the sheriff's yellow badge was in the entrance area for a couple of months when the error was discovered Wednesday by a deputy. 

Apparently this is being claimed on a manufacturer's error and the Sheriff's office is receiving a new one, with the correct wording, to replace it.

Personally I think that the wording is fine just the way it is.

After all who would you rather trust, your faithful canine companion, or a deity who is well known for ignoring prayers, causing pestilence and disease, and occasionally losing his temper and annihilating thousands, if not millions, of people?

Sure the dog might pee on your carpet, but has he ever caused a tidal wave to devastate Malaysia?

Besides the rug sat in the entry way for months not bothering anybody until somebody hired a deputy that could read. Stupid literate deputy!