Nice to be wanted dead…

…and that someone can get a T-shirt saying so. I wonder how long my Left-wing colleagues would take to demand that I and other Republicans publicly denounce such behavior were it in reverese? Not long, I’d bet. Something tells me it’s going to be a long, whining 4 years.

Marine taped shooting “insurgent” will not be court-martialed

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A Marine corporal who was videotaped shooting an apparently injured and unarmed Iraqi in a Fallujah mosque last year will not face court-martial, the Marine Corps announced Wednesday. A review of the evidence showed the Marine’s actions in the shooting were “consistent with the established rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict,” Maj. Gen. Richard F. Natonski (search), commanding general of the 1st Marine Division (search), said in a statement.

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This story was covered very extensively last November due to the corporal’s actions being taped and disseminated by Kevin Sites, a freelance reporter operating with Coalition troops in Fallujah. I am glad to see that the corporal’s actions were found to be reasonable given the state of war and the previous actions of enemy forces there.

Hat Tip: Little Green Footballs.

Florida signs “Castle Law”, Anti-2nd Amendment forces start spinning

Governor Bush of Florida has signed the newly-passed “Castle Law” in Florida. Some of you are going to be surprised that this is a new law and hasn’t been the way things already were, I know, but bear with me. The new law does 3 things:

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One: It establishes, in law, the presumption that a criminal who forcibly enters or intrudes into your home or occupied vehicle is there to cause death or great bodily harm, therefore a person may use any manner of force, including deadly force, against that person. Two: It removes the “duty to retreat” if you are attacked in any place you have a right to be. You no longer have to turn your back on a criminal and try to run when attacked. Instead, you may stand your ground and fight back, meeting force with force, including deadly force, if you reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm to yourself or others. Three: It provides that persons using force authorized by law shall not be prosecuted for using such force.

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Even better, in my opinion, it also prohibits criminals and their families from suing victims for injuring or killing the criminals who have attacked them.

So, what we had prior to this was a situation where, if you were attacked in your own home by a person who had broken into a window to gain access, you would have been legally required to turn and run from the premises if that were at all a possibility. Of course, to know that for certain, you need to turn your back on the invader and attempt to outrun him. No guarantees that you could, of course, and he might either chase you down or simply nail you in the back with whatever weapon he’s carrying. If you had your legally registered handgun in your hand yet had an open door behind you, you were legally liable if you popped this crook instead of vacate your home. The fact that your 4-year-old daughter was asleep somewhere else in the house was immaterial. You still couldn’t respond with force enough to repel the attacker.

No so any longer. Now if a criminal forces his way into your home, he’s the one taking his life in his hands. Which is as it should be. And no one should be able to profit via the legal system for the illegal actions of someone hurt because that person attacked another individual. I can only hope that this kind of common sense law will spread to the other States in the Union.

Back in the saddle

OK, we’re back from our little road trip and are now firmly ensconsed in a stable broadband environment. (Man, are we dial-up wussies, or what?) A lot has happened over the past several days so I’m going to get right to it. Thanks for your patience!