Newsflash! Treasury replaces founder of Democratic Party w/Black Female Republican Gun Owner!

So, Andy Jackson is out, or rather, off of the twenty dollar bill, to be replaced by Harriet Tubman.

Actually, Andy By God Jackson is moving to the reverse of the double sawbuck.

Apparently, the original plan was to replace Alexander Hamilton, but his place on the sawbuck was saved by a popular, successful musical I never heard of.

Doubt they'll use this picture...

New York Values!

Or: Some animals are more equal than others!

NYPD probe ensnares man offering to expedite gun permits - NY Daily News

A Brooklyn volunteer safety patrol member was charged Monday with bribing cops with $6,000 in cash and other goodies to expedite gun permit requests, and three officers were transferred out of the licensing unit as part of the far-reaching NYPD corruption probe.

Shaya (Alex) Lichtenstein, 44, was so cozy with cops in the License Division that he’d spent nearly every day inside the office in police headquarters since 2014, federal court papers say.

Mrs. Drang and I enjoy the TV show Castle, because Malcolm Reynolds is in it, after all, but I have to laugh every time Castle laments the fact that he can't get a gun permit...

The undercover then said he was nervous about getting involved in the scheme.

In response, Lichtenstein pulled out a calculator and estimated the officer could earn $900,000 if he helped with an estimated 150 permits.
...
He claimed all of his customers were eligible applicants and that he was merely asking the officers to speed up the process, the complaint shows.

But a review of his cases showed one applicant who was approved for gun permit in 2013 had a long criminal history, prosecutors said.

I know that a man named Jim March was bringing suit, or suits, in California because in the majority of the state, the way you got a carry permit was by making a large (four or five large, as it were...) donation to the county sheriff's reelection campaign.

Mr March's website does not seem to have been updated in over a decade, so I have no idea what his status is, although at least some counties are better about going shall-issue...)

This could get real festive: Sources: NYPD Corruption Probe Expands To Mayor’s Fundraising « CBS New York

See, the strongest argument against "may issue" (AKA "Local Option", AKA "Discretionary Licensing") is that whomever makes the decision gets to pick and choose, and even if that doesn't result in palms being greased to "expedite a friends request", it is inherently discriminatory. Which was part of Jim March's argument.

Patriot's Day, 2016

CONCORD HYMN
Ralph Waldo Emerson

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.

The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.

On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set to-day a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.

"What does it mean?!"

Spent a few days down in Seaside a few weeks ago. I decided to give the dashcam I got for Christmas a try for the drive down.

Rained pretty much all the way down, and just before the turn-off to head over the Columbia, this sight greeted us:

"What Does It Mean?!"
Photo copyright 2016 D.W.Drang and The Cluemeter

Looks like one of those ends in Brigid's Dad's backyard...

This is a screenshot from the dashcam video, the only editing was slight cropping (and the copyright notice.)

If you don't get the title of this post, go to YouTube and search for "double rainbow"...

"Mount Paektu is tall!"

In Korea, when two people say the same thing at the same time they say "Paektusan nop'ida!", Mount Paektu is tall!" Not sure why, but then, why do we say "Jinx!" or proclaim that the other guy owes you a coke?

Anyway. Mount Paektu is in north Korea, and is the tallest mountain on the peninsula. Kim Il Sung was allegedly born there, which makes it sacred to north Koreans, despite commies supposedly being atheists. (Then, there is that whole dynastic dictatorship thing...)

And despite being hundreds of miles from the nearest joint between two tectonic plates, with no apparent reason for there to be a volcano there, NatGeo now tells us that Sacred Volcano in North Korea May Be Waiting to Blow.

Apparently there is a "mushy mixture of liquid, gas, crystals, and rock" under what I always heard was a extinct volcano.

Because, you know, just what north Korea needs is a volcano going off in the backyard...

About those north Korean defectors...

This is as good a backgrounder/analysis as I've found: If Kim Jong-un can’t trust his own spies and assassins, who can he trust? (updates)

I could probably get more in-depth info with a couple of phone calls, but I wouldn't be able to post it...

Not surprising that the commies are squawking more over the mass defections of the staff of restaurants than they are over a Reconnaissance Bureau Colonel or embassy staff, they wouldn't want to admit to the latter.

That article ends with many links to further info, but here are some more:

• Defections Rock North Korea - The Daily Beast
• North Korea calls mass defection 'kidnapping'
• Before defecting, North Korean waitresses shopped for backpacks | Reuters
• North Korea Threatens South Korea Over 13 Defectors - The New York Times
• Defector TV: the North Korean escapees who sparked a craze | Television & radio | The Guardian

What's the big deal with north Korean restaurants? The commies need hard currency. They used to get it running Pachinko parlors in Japan, until the Yakuza moved in. (I leave it to you to decide what it says about an allegedly ruthless dictatorship's intelligence/assassination bureau when it gets run out of a business by the mob.)

Anyway, the government started opening restaurants in  supposedly supportive countries, staffed by allegedly loyal subjects, who discovered that life outside Chosun wasn't all that bad... in fact, it beats the hell out of the worker's paradise...

And then the host countries stopped the transfer of the hard currency.

And then the staff pops up on TV in the Republic of Korea...

Check the date!

You know how all the Trumpites are losing their shit at this story?: Colorado Republicans cancel presidential vote at 2016 caucus - The Denver Post

Check the original publication date: Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015.

Nearly eight months ago.

Don't recall what the polling looked like back then, but not spending money on caucusing so late in the primary season that it normally wouldn't have an impact on results probably seemed like a good idea at the time.

(Washington's  caucuses are done, but our primary is in May.)

(Since they have not adjusted to the fact that I retired over 15 years ago, my "military ballot" is already in the mail arrived today.)

(Minor update to fix wording, to match actual meaning, and update per the daily mail...)

Earworm, Life Imitating Art Edition

Semi carrying 22.5 tons of bananas overturns in Skagit Co. | KIRO-TV

And here I thought this would only work on TV

Although it didn't do Gilligan any good...

Stranded sailors rescued from Pacific island after building 'help' sign on sand

Who thought that anyway?

Lately I've been perusing items on the website of Foreign Policy magazine. Sure, there's a lot of furriners and commies there, but think of it as my version of Tamara watching the Sunday morning talk shows. Living on the Left Coast as I do, especially now when I get home from work after midnight, pressure testing my cardio-vascular system watching the talking heads pontificate is i practical, to say the least.

So when I saw an article called Foreign Policy: Obama Was Not a Realist President, subtitled "If he had been, he might have avoided some of his biggest foreign-policy mistakes", my first thought was "No shit, Sherlock."

Realist? Abandoning Iraq, ditto Afghanistan, sucking up to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood and Putin, bowing to royalty all over the place, insulting long-standing allies and friends to play footsie with enemies...

Who the hell could think Obama is a realist, foreign policy or otherwise?

Well, it turns out paragraph four givs us a clue: The kind of guy who can write about Obama in these terms:

But first, what will Obama’s legacy likely be? My view, for what it’s worth, is that future historians will rate Obama highly. He will be remembered for being America’s first nonwhite president, of course, and for conducting his office with dignity, grace, and diligence. His administration was blissfully scandal-free, and he didn’t make a lot of hasty decisions that turned out badly. He was admirably thick-skinned and charitable toward most of his critics, despite the abuse and thinly veiled racism he faced from some of them. And no matter who wins in November, he is likely to look mighty good by comparison.

 "Dignity, grace, and diligence"? It is to laugh! (And of course, the item is replete with cheap shots at Republicans in Congress...)

My guess is that Stephen M. Walt's business cards read

Stephen M. Walt

Partisan Hack

Toady

Sycophancy A Specialty!

"We don't let reality effect our views!"

A Petition for Parliament

I'm guessing you need to be, you know, a Crown subject in the UK for your signature to be legit: Make self defence a legitimate reason to own a firearms licence - Petitions

In the meantime, SayUncle points us to this: Gun lobby stirs to life in Europe – POLITICO.

It'll totally work this time, now the right people are in charge!

Obama administration pushes banks to make home loans to people with weaker credit - The Washington Post


h/t Tam 

GOAL Post 2016-13

So, it's over... for now...

***

FROM: GOAL WA

TO: undisclosed-recipients:

SENT: Fri 4/1/2016 5:56 PM

SUBJECT: GOAL Post 2016-13

Legislative Update from Olympia 1 April 2016

• FINALLY – IT’S OVER
• GOVERNOR’S 27 VETOS OVERTURNED
• ALL GUN-RELATED BILLS SIGNED
• FUTURE GOAL COMMUNICATIONS

On Tuesday, 29 March, the legislature finally passed a supplemental budget, the governor signed it, and the clock ran out on the special legislative session.  Barring another call for a special session (not anticipated at this point, unless some crisis occurs calling for legislative involvement), they won’t be back in session until January 9, 2017.  

Also on Monday and Tuesday, the legislature overrode Governor Inslee’s tantrum veto of 27 bills (none of which were firearm-related).  

On Thursday, 31 March, the governor signed HBs 2410 and 2793 into law.  On Friday, 1 April (!) he signed HB 2908 and SB 6165.  Approximately 20 citizens attended the 2908 signing, appearing in a gaggle around the governor.  Laws take effect 90 days after they are signed by the governor.  

This wraps up publication of GOAL Post until the next session.  I’ll be publishing GOAL alerts and other information as the election approaches.  

BILL STATUS:

Bill #	Subject	Prime sponsor	Status	GOAL position on bill
SHB 2410	Felon gun registry	Hayes (R-10)	Signed by governor	SUPPORT
2SHB 2793	Suicide awareness and prevention	Orwall (D-33)	Signed by governor	SUPPORT
HB 2908	Use of force by peace officers	Ryu (D-32)	To governor	NEUTRAL
SB 6165	Clarifies possession of short barreled rifles	Takko (D-19)	To governor	SUPPORT

Key to abbreviations:  S. = Senate, H. = House, Jud = Judiciary, L&J = Law & Justice, W&M = Ways & Means