Congo: An African village’s armed self-defense story : “Their community leader called a town meeting, and told everyone to bring whatever weapons they owned. People showed up with rifles made before World War II, homemade shotguns, bows and poison arrows, knives, and even the wooden pestles that are used to pound yams into flour. Using these weapons, the villagers drove off two attacks by the rebels, saving themselves from torture and death. Perhaps best of all, not a single civilian was killed in the first repulsed attack. Compare that with the hundreds of people who the rebels had killed in the previous weeks when they attacked other villages. Hearing the news, hundreds of other villages have reportedly formed self defense groups.”


Another triumph for strict gun control laws: "A German pensioner went on a shooting rampage that left three people dead and a fourth seriously hurt before surrendering to armed commandos after a three-hour siege, authorities said on Wednesday. The gunman, named in media reports as 71-year-old Hans P, shot the four at a house in the small western town of Schwalmtal late on Tuesday, police in nearby Duesseldorf said in a statement. Police said they rushed to the house reportedly belonging to the man's daughter and her ex-husband after shots were heard about 4.30pm. They found two people outside, one dead and one seriously injured. Pictures showed the portly, grey-haired pensioner being taken to a police van by masked commandos with his hands behind his back. Authorities gave no indications on the possible motives but media reports said it was over the planned sale by auction of the house as part of his daughter's divorce settlement. The Bild daily reported that the pensioner was lurking - armed - inside the brick house when his daughter Barbara, 44, arrived with two surveyors and two lawyers to look around the property. When they entered, he opened fire, shooting dead two of the group, Bild said. Two others managed to escape despite being shot, but one later died, the paper said on its website. "I think it was meant to be me," 44-year-old Hubert K, the pensioner's former son-in-law, told rolling news channel NTV. "He didn't want me to get anything [from the sale of the house], from my property, which was mine." "He hated us because my dad split up with my mum," the man's grandson Christian, 18, told Bild."


The tyranny of the bigoted: "One of the greatest threats to the free exercise of civil rights is the promulgation of catch-all offenses such as ‘disorderly conduct.’ With no clear definition of what constitutes behavior that is ‘disorderly’, many in law enforcement use such laws as a way to control and punish citizens for otherwise legal and constitutionally protected behavior. … The Madison WI Police Dept appears to be one such agency. On August 8th, they received a call from a ‘concerned citizen’ who reported a ‘man walking … with a holstered gun on his hip.’ They found 28 year-old graduate student Travis Yates legally and peacefully wearing a properly holstered sidearm and cited him for disorderly conduct because ‘his actions disturbed other citizens.’ … Never mind the fact that this is EXACTLY the type of open carry that Attorney General Van Hollen stated was constitutionally protected and NOT grounds for a disorderly conduct charge.”


Anti-gun bigotry may be losing traction: “As the Obama health care program continues to descend from debate to debacle, increasing attention is being given to a handful of activists who have attended protest rallies openly carrying firearms, leaving some television reporters and commentators having to acknowledge there is nothing illegal about it. When I wrote about MSNBC’s Chris Matthews joining in the vitriolic attacks on gun owners here, and about anti-gun bigotry here, it brought the hoplophobes out of the proverbial woodwork. At least a few of these folks were not shy about displaying their prejudices, to the point of race baiting, which — thanks to an incident in Phoenix on Monday — has now left them with feet firmly inserted in mouths.”