May 17, 2011

Democrats in Wisconsin feel free to make threats without bothering to hide their identity and it's not hard to guess why.

Instapundit writes:
WI Attorney General Releases 100 PAGES of Documented Threats Against Lawmakers During the Budget Negotiations. “A surprising number of even the most vile messages came from readily-identifiable senders.”

As Prof. Jacobson has asked in the past, “Why do these people, many of whom are professionals, feel no fear in expressing such death wishes in the open?” Because they don’t expect to face any consequences. And so far, most of them haven’t.
During the Wisconsin protests, there were 2 occasions when written threats were directed at Meade and me, and, in both cases, it took almost no time to identify the person making the threat. The first one said I "need[ed] to be shot in the head" (for making a video of city salt trucks circling the Capitol Square blowing horns in apparent support of the protesters). The second one described a campaign to harass Meade and me and drive us out of Madison, where we have no right to live. Even though we called the police in both cases, and the police duly took down a report, nothing seems to have happened to the culprits.

116 comments:

paul a'barge said...

DEMONcRATS.

What do you expect of them?

Sofa King said...

I don't think they were true threats, and as such they should not have force used against them by the state.

However, they should suffer social appropation and the disapproval of others sufficiently uncomfortable to discourage this. That they do not, and will not, face any real consequences legal OR social, is a little troubling.

edutcher said...

The thug mentality of the Democrats, and the Left in general, has always been there - Alpha's lame attempts at moral equivalence notwithstanding.

Because of their desperation (the Obama window is closing and the Roe Effect is already beginning to make itself felt) and the corruption of the media, it's just more in the open.

eiaftinfo said...

Ann, I have a question about these threats. If you, as a citizen feel it is a real, viable and mortal threat - do you have the right to act on it personally? Or would you or mead have to wait until one or the other were shot. Honestly, if my family was threatened the wan some of your legislators were threatened, I would respond directly and agressively.

Richard Dolan said...

"[N]othing seems to have happened to these culprits."

Well, what should have happened and why are they 'culprits'? There is a long line of cases holding that the Govt cannot ban or punish politically motivated speech unless it is directed at inciting imminent violence and has a likelihood of producing that result. I'm thinking of cases like Communist Party of Indiana v. Whitcomb, 414 U.S. 441, 448 (1974), Watts v. United States, 394 U.S. 705, 708 (1969), and Brandenberg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444, 447 (1969). The political motivation here seems clear enough; for better or worse, Meadehouse was perceived by the usual suspects as an actor in the WI drama; and there was nothing indicating that the vile blather by the vile blatherers was anything more than that.

It's true that the political culture has gotten pretty crude, but crudeness seems to be all that this is about.

Sal said...

I'm just glad the chiefs of the Capitol and Madison Police Departments were the best men for the job, and not some diversity hires who owe something to a political party.

Dylan said...

I thought for sure it would be a teacher, or surly reporter that ran Sonny n Cher outta Madtown. Not a dishwasher?

madAsHell said...

Get thee to a rifle range.

Learn how to operate a handgun.

Carry.

...or at least pack a knife. They make some really cool knives that open with one hand. My daughter carries such a knife.

traditionalguy said...

The concept of a govrnment of laws and not a government of men's dictates is disappearing and being replaced by a new socialist practice that 1) forbids everything, and 2) men issuing passes/waivers to their friends while enforcing legal restraints on the "law breakers". That is very much a legalistic religions method of governance. The Theocracy we claim to oppose is happening as the socialist administration of secular government hovers over us and we pretend not to see.

Marta said...

Wow, Ann. For a law professor, you have a lot of readers of questionable intelligence.

Two out of 5 commenters so far think the threats are okay as long as they weren't acted upon.

Obama's America...I'm beginning to think we've gotten what we deserve.

MadisonMan said...

I'm leery of having the Govt come down hard on essentially blowhards.

Pastafarian said...

I'd be very surprised if the police didn't go and talk to one or both of these people and let them know that they'd be under suspicion if anything bad happened to you.

They probably didn't have grounds to arrest anyone, but they should have tried to defuse the situation and head off some sort of nutcase assassination attempt.

Have you called them to see if something like this was done?

Anonymous said...

"...it's just more in the open."

Yes, the only good thing about having Obama front and center is that the mask of the left has been discarded in order to keep Obama afloat.

Biases and agenda that were perceived but hard to prove, are now laid bare for even the casual observer to see.

Thanks for that barry.

Purpleslog said...

Is the Police fail to act...is there a civil action that can be taken against those making the threat I am not a lawyer)?

garage mahal said...

The thug mentality of the Democrats, and the Left in general, has always been there

There were actually more threats made to Democrats than to Republicans. That part of course gets completely ignored, and you certainly wouldn't know this from reading this blog.

Kirby Olson said...

Katherine Windels, who works in early childhood education, made such clear and substantive threats that they will be taken seriously. She threatened to personally kill not only the Republican lawmakers but their children and told them to make peace with God because she was about to strike. I think a threat has to have a sense of immediacy about it, not just, I really hate you and HOPE you will die.

That kind of speech is still protected by the first amendment.

But Windels' speech wasn't.

It's a strange line, but you ought to be able to express hatred and contempt. You just can't threaten to actually kill someone in the immediate future with a specific device or method.

Sal said...

If the police did their job, they would have followed up. The very least coming by to say: "We talked to such and such and ..."

Unless personal death threats are legal in Madison.

Pastafarian said...

madashell, knives are for tomatoes, not self-defense. That is truly a weapon of last resort; particularly for a woman.

If Althouse isn't already comfortable with a handgun, carrying one would probably just increase her stress levels. Just stay close to Meade, he looks like someone that can handle himself. (But I would get a nice little S&W revolver for your house.)

Sofa King said...

I'm leery of having the Govt come down hard on essentially blowhards.

Right, I'm a bit disappointed with the general tenor here.

Look, I hate leftists because they insist on having the government intrude into every facet of our lives. We built this society, this culture, not the government. We built that too. So we don't need the government to tell us right from wrong. We don't need the government to step in with its heavy hand to settle every petty squabble. We're not children. (Aside from the actual children, I mean.)

So even when directed against someone on the left, I am not going to support statism and abuse of authority. I do have some principles.

Scott M said...

Get thee to a rifle range.

Learn how to operate a handgun.

Carry.

...or at least pack a knife. They make some really cool knives that open with one hand. My daughter carries such a knife.


Ah, the wonderful police. As great as they may or may not be, they're only a mere 10 minutes away once something goes down.

Unknown said...

What we are seeing is the result of 40 years of social conditioning. They are just adorable protestors; you are The Man!

Pastafarian said...

Sofa King, would you be OK with the idea of the police at least knocking on the nuts' doors, and letting them know that there's a line they can't cross?

Anonymous said...

There were actually more threats made to Democrats than to Republicans. That part of course gets completely ignored, and you certainly wouldn't know this from reading this blog.

You know what else I'm sick of, besides leftists getting away with making threats openly? Garage just making shit up, that's what.

edutcher said...

MadisonMan said...

I'm leery of having the Govt come down hard on essentially blowhards.

Especially if they're Lefties?

A lot of women have died at the hands of "blowhards".

Pastafarian said...

madashell, knives are for tomatoes, not self-defense. That is truly a weapon of last resort; particularly for a woman.

I've known several women who packed a blade as a backup. The old Sykes-Fairburn commando dagger (double-edged, long enough blade to penetrate a coat) was recommended by an old cop to one specifically for that purpose (she also packed heat).

The Dude said...

The police are on the side of those making the threats. Plus, doing an investigation would require them to work. They are union employees - they are allergic to work.

traditionalguy said...

The police are the force allowed to dress up and carry guns and demand answers. Non-police are prohibited from doing those actions. Therefore we must get the expected police response when we are stalked and threatened. The social waiver granted Unions and socialists is no different than the waiver granted to the Muslim Brotherhood mobs in Cairo to beat, burn and kill Christians this last 2 weeks.

がんこもん said...

Amazing how the Left seems to have absolutely no shame in uttering statements that would be grounds for criminal proceedings if any conservative event hinted at similar things. Amazing. It's like there's some sort of bias in the media and many government agencies - like the police and DA's office. Couldn't possibly be due to the fact that these institutions contribute almost exclusively to left-wing politicians and causes, could it?

Triangle Man said...

Carry.


but not concealed in Wisconsin.

garage mahal said...

You know what else I'm sick of, besides leftists getting away with making threats openly? Garage just making shit up, that's what.

The 78 closed cases involve:

• 15 threats against Walker.

• 30 threats targeting Democratic senators.

• 12 threats against Republican senators and state representatives, including a one-line email sent to all 56 GOP Assembly members.

• 21 threats targeting Capitol protesters, police, the Tea Party, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Dane County Board Chairman Scott McDonell and others.

Link

You going to take that back now?

Pastafarian said...

ed, I'm trying to picture Althouse with a commando dagger, with hammer grip and triangle stance...Yeah, just not seeing it.

And Meade wouldn't need it. He'd just pull out that little Japanese bulb-planting knife. He'd probably put on gardening gloves, too.

But seriously: If the police never went to talk to these people, and the reason they did was because of their political solidarity with these nuts, then there's something very seriously wrong here. I'd try to find out whether they ever went to talk to them.

Cedarford said...

Sofa King said...
I don't think they were true threats, and as such they should not have force used against them by the state
====================
We can see how your excuse plays out in other examples:

When I called and said the only good nigger was a dead nigger, and Mr. Ibezi would be strung up by a rope, I did not know Mr. Ibezi had caller ID. Besides, I wasn't serious. Everyone knows there hasn't been an organized lynching in 80 years.

Making death threats is against the law, but so is having a kilo of heroin. I think both should be only subject to social appropation and the disapproval of peers to discourage this.

Christopher in MA said...

"There were actually more threats made to Democrats than to Republicans," whines Garage, then produces his 30 Democrats and an unknown number of a further 21 threats as his excuse for waving the whole mess away.

Is that your excuse, now? "Sure, maybe there were threats, but WE got more than YOU did, so if anything happens to YOU - well, you deserve it, you Rethuglikkan asshole."

It amuses me every day to see just how much lower you and your fellow travelers can sink defending this nonsense, but even I have to retch at that sophistry. I'm calling off our $100 bet about Walker winning his reelection bid. Even if I were fortunate enough to win the money, there's not enough disinfectant in the world to wash your vile stink off of it.

Automatic_Wing said...

When liberals make death threats, they do so with the very best of intentions. It's all, like, to save humanity or the planet or something.

Pastafarian said...

From the article:

"The threats ranged from this message sent to some Democratic senators — “Take a gun to your head you union oned (sic) marxist piece of (expletive)!” — to a lengthy screed against Walker that begins “I DARE YOU WHITE CHRISTIAN FBI TRANSVESTITE SCUM TO ARREST ME.”"

You know, neither of those two "threats" even approach the threats made against Althouse. And yet these threats were apparently investigated. Maybe they just take threats against public officials more seriously than they do threats against private citizens.

Chuck66 said...

Just to remind everyone what the Democrats did, here is one of the emails:

From: XXXX
Sent: Wed 3/9/2011 9:18 PM
To: Sen.Kapanke; Sen.Darling; Sen.Cowles; Sen.Ellis; Sen.Fitzgerald; Sen.Galloway; Sen.Grothman; Sen.Harsdorf; Sen.Hopper; Sen.Kedzie; Sen.Lasee; Sen.Lazich; Sen.Leibham; Sen.Moulton; Sen.Olsen
Subject: Atten: Death threat!!!! Bomb!!!!

Please put your things in order because you will be killed and your familes
will also be killed due to your actions in the last 8 weeks. Please explain
to them that this is because if we get rid of you and your families then it
will save the rights of 300,000 people and also be able to close the deficit
that you have created. I hope you have a good time in hell. Read below for
more information on possible scenarios in which you will die.

WE want to make this perfectly clear. Because of your actions today and in
the past couple of weeks I and the group of people that are working with me
have decided that we’ve had enough. We feel that you and the people that
support the dictator have to die. We have tried many other ways of dealing
with your corruption but you have taken things too far and we will not stand
for it any longer. So, this is how it’s going to happen: I as well as many
others know where you and your family live, it’s a matter of public records.
We have all planned to assult you by arriving at your house and putting a
nice little bullet in your head. However, we decided that we wouldn’t leave
it there. We also have decided that this may not be enough to send the
message to you since you are so “high” on Koch and have decided that you are
now going to single handedly make this a dictatorship instead of a
demorcratic process. So we have also built several bombs that we have placed
in various locations around the areas in which we know that you frequent.
This includes, your house, your car, the state capitol, and well I won’t
tell you all of them because that’s just no fun. Since we know that you are
not smart enough to figure out why this is happening to you we have decided
to make it perfectly clear to you. If you and your goonies feel that it’s
necessary to strip the rights of 300,000 people and ruin their lives, making
them unable to feed, clothe, and provide the necessities to their families
and themselves then We Will “get rid of” (in which I mean kill) you. Please
understand that this does not include the heroic Rep. Senator that risked
everything to go aganist what you and your goonies wanted him to do. We feel
that it’s worth our lives to do this, because we would be saving the lives
of 300,000 people. Please make your peace with God as soon as possible and
say goodbye to your loved ones we will not wait any longer. YOU WILL DIE!!!!

garage mahal said...

I'm calling off our $100 bet about Walker winning his reelection bid.

Bullshit, the bet is still on, and I intend to collect.

Even if I were fortunate enough to win the money, there's not enough disinfectant in the world to wash your vile stink off of it.

You didn't by chance send any emails to Democrats in Wisc lately did you? Your prose sounds just like one of the email threats I just read.

Lincolntf said...

The Left is overflowing with violent-minded and unstable individuals, and they also control the mechanisms of deterrence (the media, police officials, etc.).It's a perfect storm for psychos and thugs. Wisconsin has served as an invaluable resource for those who wanted further confirmation of the hatred and ignorance that drives the Democrat party.

garage mahal said...

The Left is overflowing with violent-minded and unstable individuals,

And the Right, sadly in Wisc, even moreso.

G Joubert said...

What we are seeing is the result of 40 years of social conditioning. They are just adorable protestors...

That's it, or at least a big part of it. The left has been doing this raucous protest thingie for so long that the official view of them now is that they are just cute and fuzzy little citizen-activists earnestly expressing themselves, no matter how threatening their message may be. Now, let an identifiable Tea Party activest make a similar threat, and see what happens. Assuming Tea Party people are into making threats, a dubious assumption.

Scott M said...

You didn't by chance send any emails to Democrats in Wisc lately did you? Your prose sounds just like one of the email threats I just read.

Come now, garage. It's one thing to describe your vile stink. It's quite another to call for the removal of said stink with extreme prejudice.

Sofa King said...

Sofa King, would you be OK with the idea of the police at least knocking on the nuts' doors, and letting them know that there's a line they can't cross?


Yes, and not just the police, either. That's not a use of force.

Christopher said...

madashell, knives are for tomatoes, not self-defense. That is truly a weapon of last resort; particularly for a woman.

Knives are awesome-to-superior depending on the situation. If you're carrying a handgun you want at least seven yards between yourself and an attacker with a knife if you want even odds.

And that's with open carry.

Cedarford said...

MadisonMan said...
I'm leery of having the Govt come down hard on essentially blowhards.

==========
In certain communities with high rate of assault, domestic violence, murder, assault with a deadly weapon - black inner city, certain white trash neighborhoods - all that is in context of "blowhards" making threats against one another, constantly.

It creates an atmosphere of threat and intimidation. Threats escalate. People arm.

1. A worthless bitch 'ho slapped around a bit needs some threats against her life after a wuppin or two doesn't keep her in line. She arms herself against her 'blowhard' old man. Threatens him in turn. The situation is one bottle of vodka away from bloodshed.
2. Mustafa, told Del-Ron and Rashid have threatened to kill him on sight, thinks it best to buy a black market 9mm just for peace of mind..even if he thinks Del-Ron and Rashid are 90% likely to be blowhards.
3. Joe Willy Stevens hit on Bobby James Amo's old lady. Bobby James said he would break JOe Willy's head. Joe Willy said to a crowd that Bobby James trailer is going up some night in flames with him and his in it. Not needing no government people to back his manhood up, Bobby Amos waylays Joe Willy with a tire iron. Causing 890,000 dollars in brain trauma costs plus lifetime welfare payouts for Joe Willy's family. And taxpayers double-hit with 33,000 in lawyers fees and 38K a year incareration costs for Bobby Amo's incarceration.

Lincolntf said...

Wrong Garage. Not even a good try. There is no comparison. Only one side has spent months subverting the Constitution, harassing the opposition (and the electorate), issuing death threats and screaming bloody murder. The Left.

Christopher in MA said...

Despite your blather about "collecting" on our bet (maybe you could get our lovely blog hostess to represent you in small claims couty) I notice, Garage, that you still can't (or, more likely, won't) defend the silly excuse you're putting forward for ignoring the threats.

And, BTW, if the words "vile stink" count as a threat in your world . . .then don't bogart what you're smoking, dude, because it sounds like killer shit.

Christopher in MA said...

Whoops - small claims "court." My fingers must be thinking of Nancy Pelosi to type "couty."

Amy said...

It's one thing to discuss the validity of a threat to someone else, which is on a theoretical basis. it's another to have the threat made against YOU. I would definitely have a weapon (or several) at home for protection. And re concealed carry - most states do issue permits if it can be persuaded that there is a valid reason. I wonder if those emails/blog posts that contained the threats would be convincing enough to get a permit. If so, I might go ahead and get one, even if not using it currently, it would be good to have.

Pastafarian said...

Christopher -- and thus the addage "never bring a gun to a knife-fight." Oh, wait.

Lay off the Steven Seagal movies, dude. I'll need 7 yards for what, exactly? So that I don't have to shoot offhand or from the hip? So that I don't inflict powder burns on the target?

This silliness is off-topic.

Chip Ahoy said...

Garage,

Your link is titled 80 Threats Against Walker

You list 15 (closed) cases against Walker and so that is what you tally. What are you trying to do by conflating recorded threats with closed cases?

So no. No apology is in order. You're still a Party hack up to your neck in bullshit.

*back to ignoring Garage*

garage mahal said...

Wrong Garage. Not even a good try. There is no comparison. Only one side has spent months subverting the Constitution, harassing the opposition (and the electorate), issuing death threats and screaming bloody murder

Nobody was subverting the Constitution, in fact, Walker and WI GOP are the ones ignoring temporary restraining orders and court orders. It was Walker and his crew that contemplated sending "troublemakers" to the rallies, remember?

Carol_Herman said...

Maybe, it's a test of free speech?

Doesn't the mafia get a free ride on free speech, too? And, their offspring, da' unions.

America's been arguing about the right to work, sans having to pay off union henchmen, since Lochner got heard, way back in the last century.

As to Kloppenhoppen's chances of actually winning ... Since Glenn Reynolds provides links to Professor Jacobson. Those who've read his stuff realize that Kloppenhoppen's arguments don't hold water.

Take, for instance, the claim that in Brookfield, and other conservative communities ... the bags holding the votes were closed properly. Okey dokey. Then, HOW COME the counts given on election night match the counting that's come out of these bags? Hmm?

Professor Jackobson posits that Kloppen-hopping ... Who is getting a good "kloppen," german word for "beating." That she will NEVER concede.

And, that's the game!

Kloppenhoppen won't even concede on August 1st. She'll just wait for some incompetent democrapic judge to hand her the "gavel and the rope." Hoping there's not enough screaming, following this, to bring the courthouse down.

Hey! They can apply one of Sandra Day O'Connor's "FORK TESTS" ... to see if this issue is "done yet." Or not.

And, you might notice, too, that no one is putting up statues of Sandra Day O'Connor, either.

But if they do. And, they place the statue high enough, little children can look under her robes to see if she carries a putz. Or not.

Games get played in politics all of the time.

Lawyers? Bad news for them when you pin prick the pricks, and what comes tumbling out is laughter. And, a lack of respect.

Ya just can't teach "respect" the way you can teach Tanney.

Pastafarian said...

(That was aimed at Christopher at 11:14, not Christopher in MA.)

Scott M said...

I'll need 7 yards for what, exactly?

21 feet. The average response time for an attack is 1.5 seconds. The average person will take 1.5 seconds to cross 21 feet.

Regardless, the first thing you do in such a situation is try to put distance or an object between the assaulter and you to increase that 1.5 as much as possible.

Scott M said...

Nobody was subverting the Constitution

Including the fleebaggers?

Kirby Olson said...

Political terrorism is perhaps most egregiously in the open as a tactic with The Reign of Terror during the French Rev.

Certainly what was done to Ann and Meade by the homeless vagrant should be described as terrorism.

Does the war on terror include a fight against Democrats' attempts to inflict terror on Republicans and centrists?

MadisonMan said...

Including the fleebaggers?

Including the fleebaggers.

Why is the provision for a super-majority for budget bills there if not to provide for such an "opportunity" for the minority party?

Calypso Facto said...

Not to give your argument any credence, garage, but the tally in the article you link is 30 threats to Democrats, 27 to Republicans, and 11 ongoing....so no claim of "more threats" is yet supportable. Moreover, it appears that if you count the number of individuals threatened you get a decidedly greater total for threats against Republicans (all the Senators, all the Representatives, and the Governor).

But I especially enjoyed learning that one of the "credible" threats, leading to arrest, came from a state-employed corrections worker, while at work, and yet the guy has apparently kept his job. One more good argument IN FAVOR of Walker's proposal to limit bargaining privileges.

Shanna said...

I'm leery of having the Govt come down hard on essentially blowhards.

I agree a bit on the general ones (I hate all X and wish they would die/I hope you have a heart attack), but some of the threats were quite specific and those should be investigated thoroughly, especially since they are threatening individuals who live in their community.

Scott M said...

Why is the provision for a super-majority for budget bills there if not to provide for such an "opportunity" for the minority party?

Without reading anything the framers of WI's constitution wrote, I'd say that's not what they were thinking, but rather to make sure the largest number of constituents were being represented before such legislation was fashioned. I doubt seriously that they were planning for an opportunity for the minority party to split the state and stay gone long enough various reasons, nefarious and not.

The Drill SGT said...

When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

Pastafarian said... Just stay close to Meade, he looks like someone that can handle himself. (But I would get a nice little S&W revolver for your house.)

I have grand pappy's 12 gauge pump at home. wife is a liberal new yorker who is afraid of guns so she won't let me have any shells.

however, if you are in the dark and you hear my 12 gauge pump racked back with that distinctive sounds, I doubt that anybody is going to ask if it is really loaded.

MayBee said...

British teen, Luke Angel, banned from United States for life for offensive e-mail to President Obama
BY MICHAEL SHERIDAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Monday, September 13, 2010
Drunk-dialing can get you in trouble with your girlfriend.

Drunk e-mailing the President of the United States, however, can get you banned from the country - permanently.

That's what apparently happened to Luke Angel, a British teen who sent a curse-laden message to the White House directed at President Obama.

"The individual had sent an email to the White House which was full of abusive and threatening language," a police spokesperson told the British newspaper, Bedfordshire On Sunday.

Officers visited Angel at his home in Silsoe, a town in Bedfordshire, England, during which time the teen admitted to sending the e-mail, although he couldn't remember what he wrote.

"I don't remember exactly what I wrote as I was drunk," he told The Sun. "But I think I called Barack Obama a pr---. It was silly - the sort of thing you do when you're a teenager and have had a few."

Scott M said...

however, if you are in the dark and you hear my 12 gauge pump racked back with that distinctive sounds, I doubt that anybody is going to ask if it is really loaded.

As the saying goes, "Everyone speaks shotgun fluently".

Calypso Facto said...

I agree with Scott, Madman, that in 1847 the Constitutional authors were more likely concerned with ensuring representation during snowstorms than providing a clever loophole for abdicating dissenters.

Kirk Parker said...

Pastafarian,

"(But I would get a nice little S&W revolver for your house.) "

No, NO, NO! Can we stop with the bad advice already? (And haven't we been over this before here?)

She should go to a range with a large selection of rental handguns, along with a competent instructor/mentor, try out plenty of handguns (and get some beginning familarity with the whole subject along the way), and then get something that suits her. It's just a likely to be a Glock or an XD or an M&P as it is a "nice little revolver".

Kirk Parker said...

eiaftinfo,

Assuming WI law is similar to WA (most states are), you aren't justified in using force unless there's an immanent threat against you. So no matter how vile or vivid the threat was that you received via email, you're not justified in going in search of the sender and committing violence against them.

The threats are, of course, potentially a police matter.

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

The supermajority requirement is there to prevent shenanigans by the majority. Unfortunately in this case, it enabled shenanigans by the minority. It's not easy to write a good law that can't be twisted to bad ends when legislators have more greed than principle.

Scott M said...

It's just a likely to be a Glock or an XD or an M&P as it is a "nice little revolver".

Good advise. The G26 is particularly compact, well-designed weapons. The entire Glock line is, for that matter. You may spend more than you would for, say, a Taurus, but you're getting a superior product that won't fail you if you take care of it.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Except for some construction union members, most Dems and most liberals are physical cowards.

Kirk Parker said...

Drill SGT,

"wife is a liberal new yorker who is afraid of guns so she won't let me have any shells. [emphasis added]"

Dude...

Toad Trend said...

@Drill Sgt

"...wife is a liberal new yorker who is afraid of guns so she won't let me have any shells."

Double dude!!!

While I sympathize, some might say the bigger problem here is the fear of guns - indicative of a certain immaturity, according to certain psychologists.

I employ the multiple-shotgun (500 Mossberg) strategy. One in the bedroom (upstairs), one in my office closet (downstairs) and one in the basement. None are loaded, but shells are hidden discreetly nearby.

Trooper York said...

I think you need to get a dog. A big ass dog. I know that Meade would love to stop renting dogs when you on vacation.

That should help with the home protection. A big ass German Shepard with a bad attitude will be a real diferance maker. Just sayn.

Trooper York said...

Plus a dog will break you out of your funk. You will have to schedule around another beings needs and it will take you out of yourself. Plus Meade will take care of it. He promises. He will walk it and train it and pick up after it. RH Hardin will help train it and everything.

Com'on. You need a dog. Please. Pretty Please.

Aridog said...

Regarding the suggestion you get a "Glock" ....most of whose models should have the letters "AD" in their model numbers.

Say hey, but they do make good washing machines, or so I'm told ....

Trooper York said...

Think how easy it will be to get photo's of a dog urinating when you have a dog.

You can even get a gay dog if that will fit in better in Madison. Titus will help you pick him out. He would be the one licking other dogs balls. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Kirk Parker said...

Please. There was NO "suggestion" that Althouse get a Glock, just a comment on the statistical likelihood of that suiting the average first-time handgunner as opposed to a pink LadySmith.

You guys are completely missing my point if you think I meant to substitute a different specific firearm in place of the revolver.

WV: proniard. Someone devoted to simulated video assaults on hotel maids, rather than real-life assults. "DSK is certianly no proniard."

Lincolntf said...

How very courteous. Minimiizing, and even enabling, death threats against one's hostess. If Emily Post were here, she'd be pissing fire.

Aridog said...

Kirk Parker ... point taken.

Actually, I'm in more agreement with Trooper York's suggestion about a serious minded German Shepherd. There are one or two good Schutzhund clubs near Madison to help with the training.

Then again, I am a bit biased ...

Scott M said...

Then again, I am a bit biased ...

Color me deeply jealous. I grew up with 'em, but the wife didn't and put her foot down and counted to three (dammit, she counted to three) about long-haired animals as indoor pets. As I would never keep a dog as an outside pet, we're at an impasse.

Kirk Parker said...

Aridog,

Thanks.

And I agree about the dog, not so much as a substitute but as a supplement. There's a lot of synergy between being suitably armed, and having an intelligent alarm/bodyguard on the premises.

Trooper York said...

Wow Aridog. Those are some beautiful pooches.

Trooper York said...

I always wanted a German Shepard. Those were the dogs everyone had in the sixties. They were so protective of the kids who owned them. They are some great doggies.

DADvocate said...

If you're going to get a personal protection pistol, the Smith & Wesson Governor revolver looks interesting. You can mix .45 Colt, .45 ACP and 410 shotgun shells. With the shotgun shells, you wouldn't have to be that good of a shot.

Looking at the Democrats record in the South during the 50s and 60s and with the unions, threats of physical violence and death are pretty standard. The only difference is any non-liberal is the acceptable target now.

Freder Frederson said...

We can see how your excuse plays out in other examples:

Do I have to remind you asshole, that you threatened to have me lynched on this very blog (along with several other commenters who said I should be executed for treason)? Of course, Ms. Althouse, didn't say a thing about it. Apparently her understanding of the first amendment extends only as far as objecting to people wishing bad things on her, not people she doesn't like.

Kirk Parker said...

DADvocate,

More bad ideas! Sorry, at typical (aka "justifiable use of force") distances, you do have to aim even if you're using shotshells.

Aridog said...

Trooper York ... yes, they do make great companions, if you treat them as companions and train them in Obedience, etc., otherwise. That said, they're not generally "huggy" dogs toward strangers or infrequent visitors once grown and aloof.

However, they are work, make that Work. They demand a fair chunk of your time. Beyond that ... Scott M's wife (she who counts to three) has a point about long haired pets ... they do blow coat now and then and shed daily anyway.

Scott M said...

Rhetoric on a blog is one thing, Freder, however vile. It's quite another to receive things at your house or under the door of your office, wouldn't you admit?

Scott M said...

they do blow coat now and then and shed daily anyway.

Yeah...that's the main reason I've not put up much of a fight on it. The damned hair does tend to get to be a daily chore. Besides, we've still got one in diapers and one in pull-ups at night (kids, not dogs...lol). We always said there's no way we would housebreak a dog while we're housebreaking kids.

Maybe a chimp...

Bruce Hayden said...

Garage brought something up, inadvertently. It seems highly probable that far more death threats have been mane than have been cleared. What percentage though have been filed? Cleared?

Then, you may also have the question of whether the cops have been equally zealous about investigating threats to those in the middle and on the right.

Keep in mind that the police seem to have shown more sympathy to those on the left during the WI protests. After all, they are even more highly unionized than the teachers tend to be, etc

So, Garage's figures could just indicate a bias as to whose threats get investigated first.

hombre said...

garage aka Peewee Herman: "The Left is overflowing with violent-minded and unstable individuals"

And the Right, sadly in Wisc, even moreso.


"I know you are, but what am I."

Right, Peewee?

garage mahal said...

Right, Peewee?

No. It seems everyone was missing the threats to Democrats, which were more in number.

AaronS said...

Maybe you could get the attention of the authorities if you called it bullying.

DADvocate said...

...at typical (aka "justifiable use of force") distances, you do have to aim even if you're using shotshells.

I assume everyone knows that, but that's probably a bad assumption as many seem to have no clue about guns. According to my CCW instructor, who is also a chief of police in Ohio, the justifiable use of force distance is about 20 feet if the attacker has knife or other weapon that doesn't shoot a projectile.

As you stated earlier, some decent instruction is highly recommended.

Milwaukee said...

Don't forget that Bush received many threats which were blown off, and the littlest thing against the new guy will bring the authorities a-calling.

The Teenage-Mutant Ninja Turtles used to warn viewers that they were professionals, don't try this at home. Well, I guess the lunatic left are professionals. If those perceived as right wing make a threat, expect action.

So Professor, if somebody has threatened you with violence and even death, and they approach you in a menacing fashion, do you get to preemptively defend yourself? Do you have to wait for them to strike you? And Meade, does he have to watch and wait?

There is a book out, I've only read the reviews, but it is on my reading list: Your Gun is Hot, the Perp is Not. It is about how many self-defense cases are lost because of what panicked people have said to the 911 operator. Just say something like "there has been an incident and we need the police and an ambulance".

Milwaukee said...

Didn't Sheriff Dumbkoff discourage people from prosecuting Loughner? Yes. The good Sheriff protected Loughner's family because the mom was a county employee. Too bad for his victims, the Sheriff wasn't interested in protecting you.

caplight said...

Why should we take it seriously? They are just people in a college town blowing off political steam. It is a free speech issue and besides it is only the Right Wing that is violent. When is the last time you heard of an academic being violent let alone lethal? I mean except for the professor at University of Alabama Huntsville who killed three colleagues, or Virginia Tech or ...

Toad Trend said...

@garage

"No. It seems everyone was missing the threats to Democrats, which were more in number."

'It seems everyone'? Straw man alert.

More in number? More illusions.

Copperfield would be proud.

JAL said...

@ madAsHell
They make some really cool knives that open with one hand. My daughter carries such a knife.

Maybe someone else mentioned it, but you do know the Feds have or have been working hard to outlaw these, don't you?

garage mahal said...

More in number? More illusions.

These numbers come from Walker's office. I cited a link.

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

Yes, garage: you cited numbers from a subset (closed cases) and asserted the proportion there to be true of the set in general.

That's not a lie, it's merely shoddy reasoning. It's also an easy mistake to make if you read with a bias.

Methadras said...

garage mahal said...

The thug mentality of the Democrats, and the Left in general, has always been there

There were actually more threats made to Democrats than to Republicans. That part of course gets completely ignored, and you certainly wouldn't know this from reading this blog.


Typical shameless prick that you are, you completely ignore the fact that threats made to anyone will go unpunished because of how you leftards operate. Fuck you and your smug morally equivalent arrogance.

garage mahal said...

Typical shameless prick that you are, you completely ignore the fact that threats made to anyone will go unpunished because of how you leftards operate. Fuck you and your smug morally equivalent arrogance.

LOL. You've been writing emails to Wisc too, Angry Baby?

hombre said...

No. It seems everyone was missing the threats to Democrats, which were more in number.

After excluding those not unheard of situations where Democrats threaten themselves, or fabricate threats, or those "threats" to hold Dem legislators legally accountable for dereliction of duty, or the normal projection by lefties, I'm guessing those numbers would be insignificant.

However, garage, I'm sure everyone is receptive to any real proof you have to offer. For example, you wrote: "...including a one-line email sent to all 56 GOP Assembly members." (10:47)

Legally, if threatening, those emails constituted 56 threats.

garage mahal said...

However, garage, I'm sure everyone is receptive to any real proof you have to offer

Since you didn't believe my first link,Here, this came from Walker's office. Any more questions?

Fen said...

Bullshit link, Garage. First two don't back you up. Not wasting more time because you have a rep for not argueing in good faith.

There were actually more threats made to Democrats than to Republicans. That part of course gets completely ignored --

Because even the MSM knows its bullshit.

There are some things even a whore won't do, Garage.

garage mahal said...

Bullshit link, Garage. First two don't back you up. Not wasting more time because you have a rep for not argueing in good faith.

You didn't ready anything, you're just sticking your fingers in your ears singing " I can't hear you I can't hear you".

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

garage mahal said...

You didn't ready anything, you're just sticking your fingers in your ears singing " I can't hear you I can't hear you".

Sort of like how you've repeatedly ignored people who point out that you're drawing conclusions from a subset that may not be true of the full set.

garage mahal said...

I cited the total amount of threats that we have information on, per Walker's DOJ, of Dem vs Repub. For instance, Sen Erpenbach received just one less threat than Walker did. There are only 11 investigations ongoing.

Martin L. Shoemaker said...

And then you asserted a "fact" which cannot be known without knowing what is in the full set. When this has been pointed out, you have ignored it and repeated the assertion.

Since you now admit to knowing your statement was false, I retract the benefit of the doubt I extended earlier. You are lying.

dbp said...

GM: "There were actually more threats made to Democrats than to Republicans."

Just one threat was sent to 56 GOP assembly members. I count this as a threat to each of the 56 people threatened.

roesch-voltaire said...

Chip I suggest that you read Garage's link a bit more closely before you close him off and you will discover his original statement pointing out that there were more threats against Dems and the protestors is accurately reported. A few on both the left and the right continue to reflect the worst of our sick culture.

Crimso said...

When someone threatens to kill you, it is best to take them at their word. You may not be considered to have legal justification for removing the threat, but realistically you would. At least I would. If someone that I could identify clearly threatened my life and/or the lives of my family and the cops blew it off, the individual in question would be neutralized. KGB-style. Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6, but better still to simply neutralize the threat in a manner that doesn't arouse suspicion in the first place. Again, the KGB provides examples.

dbp said...

RV,

As has been ably pointed out, GM's claim is not backed up by the information at the link.

Even his idiosyncratic way of counting the 78 closed cases does not magically cause the 11 open and unknown ones to vanish from the total of actual threats. Indeed the 11 open ones are most likely open because they are the most serious ones.

I did not major in math, but where I come from 11 > 3.

Joanna said...

Just one threat was sent to 56 GOP assembly members. I count this as a threat to each of the 56 people threatened.

Yep. I mean, if I sent $1 to everyone on my street, would I have spent $1 or $100? Or, more to the point, I don't care how many D vs R threats were written, I care how many were received .

Kirk Parker said...

Crimso,

I actually find it strangely reassuring to contemplate your advice, and then realize that Althouse most certainly is not practiced in KGB methods of disappearing people.

Brian Brown said...

garage mahal said...



Since you didn't believe my first link,Here, this came from Walker's office. Any more questions?


Um, yeah. Why are you such a dishonest hack?

Crimso said...

Oh I'm not practiced in methods of disappearing people. I'm a biochemist who's spent a number of years thinking very hard about new and clever ways to kill cells. The KGB likes things like ricin and exotic isotopes. Medical examiners can find those things. If the cause of death is truly unique, they won't know what to look for.

Of course, the detectives would know I had a reason to want that person dead, so they'd likely catch me one way or another, even if the method was never quite specifically pinned down (I'd probably crack real fast under questioning).