Nothing says Freedom quite like using human shields

None dare call them terrorists. They’re just lovable red-blooded patriots who like to point guns at people to bring about political change — but they’re not terrorists! Just ask the patriots out in armed force to back up Cliven Bundy over the weekend:

TPM — The Blaze, the conservative news site affiliated with Glenn Beck, flagged the comments made Monday by Richard Mack, identified as a former Arizona sheriff who had joined more than 1,000 other protesters alongside Cliven Bundy, who has been feuding with BLM over his use of federal land to graze his cattle.
“We were actually strategizing to put all the women up at the front,” Mack said in a Fox News clip pulled by The Blaze. “If they are going to start shooting, it’s going to be women that are going to be televised all across the world getting shot by these rogue federal officers.”

That sounds … familiar.

Wiki — After World War II, it was claimed by German SS general Gottlob Berger that there was a plan, proposed by the Luftwaffe and approved by Adolf Hitler, to set up special POW camps for captured airmen of the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces in large German cities, to act as human shields against their bombing raids.

One of the most famous uses of human shields occurred in Iraq in 1990, following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait that precipitated the Gulf War of 1990-1991. Saddam Hussein’s government detained hundreds of citizens of Western countries who were in Iraq for use as human shields in an attempt to deter nations from participating in military operations against the country. A number of these hostages were filmed meeting Hussein, and kept with him to deter any targeted attacks, whilst others were held in or near military and industrial targets.

According to various accounts—including that of the American ambassador to the U.N., the Taliban used women and children from their own population as human shields against coalition forces in 2006, and 2007, and when the British attacked during August 2008 during the war in Afghanistan

If only there had been more guns and less gay in Boston …

I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they had an AR-15 with a hi-capacity magazine? #2A
— @NateBell4AR via web

It begins. Because everyone knows shooting at an explosion fixes everything ::Eyeroll::  An actual relevant, valid question might be more along the lines of how did these guys manage to assemble such a vast deadly arsenal and would background checks or other restrictions have made that more difficult? Meanwhile Tony Perkins also has a theory …

RW Watch — If Congress wants to stop these tragedies, then it has to address the government’s own hostility to the institution of the family and organizations that can address the real problem: the human heart.

As I’ve said before, America doesn’t need gun control, it needs self-control. And a Congress that actively discourages it–through abortion, family breakdown, sexual liberalism, or religious hostility–is only compounding the problem

The brothers grim in Boston

The two men sought by the FBI in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing led police on a wild shooting, robbing, bomb-throwng chase through downtown Boston and Watertown last night beginning around 11PM local time. After a fierce firefight with police one suspect is dead, at least one police officer seriously wounded, and last I saw one suspect remains at large. Another police officer died from multiple gunshot wounds received in what is believed to be the initial confrontation with the two suspects earlier. So who are these guys? [Read more…]

Letter to President tests positive for ricin

White House spokesman Jay Carney revealed that a letter addressed to President Obama tested positive for ricin. It’s a nasty substance:

USA Today — The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a letter containing a “suspicious substance” that was addressed to President Obama, the agency confirmed on Wednesday, and at least three U.S. senators also reported receiving suspicious mail. FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said the letter to Obama tested positive for the substance ricin. The letter was sent to Obama on Tuesday, and was intercepted at the White House mail screening facility, according to Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary.

Ricin is toxic at the microgram level because it disrupts the ability of RNA to maintain and repair cells. It acts like a low abundance protein, actually it is a low abundance protein, just a deadly one rather than a helpful version. Other letters have also tested postive, one sent to Sen Shelby (R-AL). If those results are confirmed, this is not a partisan effort. It remains to be seen if these letters have anything to do with the Boston bombing.

Explosions in Boston updated w/video: graphic content

 

Twitter hashtag #Boston; FBI Tipline is 1-800-CALL-FBI prompt #3

The festive atmosphere of the Boston Marathon has turned into a grisly murder scene this evening after shrapnel ripped through hundreds of excited onlookers and joyous partipants, killing at least three people. The toll stands at 2 3 confirmed dead with 23 at least 113 injured from two timed bombs that went off seconds apart at the packed finish line, presumably as intended, and a third that was intentionally detonated by a police bomb squad (Yet another bomb has been reported at the JFK library in Boston). The only silver lining is there were significant medical assets at the attack site, so many victims lives’ were saved from what would otherwise have been fatal injuries. It is widely reported emergency responders treated victims on the scene who suffered partial or full traumatic amputations. The injured now being treated at local area hospitals span the gamut, from a two year-old with head trauma to several elderly victims with injuries ‘threatening life and limb’.

I checked with a couple of friends who live in Boston and work downtown, one said he heard it across 20 blocks. Tax day, Patriot Day, Boston, and JFK; all consistent with targets hit by terrorists looking to maxmimize casualties and therefore news coverage. FWIW I am seeing speculation from demo experts saying the smoke shown in video suggests black powder or some other flaggelany and not explosive C4 or TNT. Nevertheless these bombs were designed and carefully placed to kill and maim, no question about it.

A number of groups may try and take credit for this, be true to your skeptical roots folks. Also bear in mind that in the past — the Centennial Olympic bombing comes to mind — the early and strongly suspected person, a local police officer named Richard Jewell, turned out to have nothing to do with the attack[s], Jewell was in fact a hero on that scene in 1996. The actual perp was a right-wing anti-abortion terroist who remained at large for years afterward.