Meanwhile, in Opposite Land…
Thursday, Feb 9, 2023 - Posted by Isabel Miller
* The Guardian…
The Republican-led Missouri state house on Wednesday voted against banning minors from openly carrying firearms on public land without adult supervision.
The proposal to ban children from carrying guns without adult supervision in public failed by a 104-39 vote. Only one Republican voted in support.
A Democrat, Donna Baringer, said police in her district asked for the change to stop “14-year-olds walking down the middle of the street in the city of St Louis carrying AR-15s”.
“Now they have been emboldened, and they are walking around with them,” Baringer said. “Until they actually brandish them, and brandish them with intent, our police officers’ hands are handcuffed.”
I guess this is good news for the Chicago-area gun manufacturer making JR-15’s, which are child-sized rifles.
* The lure of Pappy Van Winkle is too much for mortal men to bear. Oregon Live…
Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission employees, including top-level managers and the agency’s longtime executive director, have for years set aside for their own use some of the most sought-after bourbons, diverting them from the public and running afoul of state ethics laws.
The blockbuster findings, detailed in an investigation obtained Wednesday by The Oregonian/OregonLive in response to a public records request, reveal a longstanding practice within the agency of reserving bottles of the popular bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle, for multiple employees, including the recently ousted executive director, Steve Marks, and his second-in-command, Will Higlin. […]
The scheme came to light last April when a departing agency employee documented his concern in an email to agency staff, saying the state warehouse supervisor set aside bottles of bourbon “and has them sent to stores so higher ups” can pick them up. The complaint prompted an internal investigation, which found the practice was common and included Marks. […]
The diverted booze was part of the state’s “safety stock,” Leslie said. Those essentially are bottles that serve as potential replacements for damaged liquor headed to liquor stores. She could not say how many bottles were held back at the request of agency employees.
The state of Oregon distributes liquor itself. The commission has received bonding authority to build a fancy new warehouse. Our state does not distribute liquor. Hence, Opposite Land.
* Texas Tribune…
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office is warning state agency and public university leaders this week that the use of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — policies that support groups who have been historically underrepresented or discriminated against — is illegal in hiring.
In a memo written Monday and obtained by The Texas Tribune, Abbott’s chief of staff Gardner Pate told agency leaders that using DEI policies violates federal and state employment laws, and hiring cannot be based on factors “other than merit.”
Pate said DEI initiatives illegally discriminate against certain demographic groups — though he did not specify which ones he was talking about. […]
The governor’s directive represents the latest effort by Republican leaders fighting back against policies and academic disciplines that Republicans nationwide have deemed “woke.” DEI, along with critical race theory, has become a target of conservatives who argue that white people are being unfairly treated or characterized in schools and workplaces.
* This story just boggles my brain. WCPO…
Nexstar’s television network NewsNation reported a correspondent was released from jail hours after his arrest during a press briefing on the trail derailment in East Palestine Wednesday.
NewsNation said journalist Evan Lambert was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing following a live report during Gov. Mike DeWine’s briefing.
Lambert was on air when DeWine started speaking and abruptly finished his report saying, “We’re actually being told right now that we need to stop broadcasting because this news conference is behind us and we’re in the command center, so as we all listen back there and I listen here, you’ll learn the latest.”
NewsNation later shared video of Lambert talking to local authorities, getting handcuffed and being taken into custody. The network said photographer Preston Swigart, who was with Lambert, said Lambert was asked to stop talking. Swigart told NewsNation “from their standpoint, he didn’t obey orders when he was told to stop talking.”
Video…
More video here.
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 1:58 pm:
Liquor…still quicker.
- Michelle Flaherty - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:04 pm:
If talking/doing TV standups during official events, legislative sessions, gov pressers, etc. was a crime, Andy Shaw, Dick Kay and Mike Flannery (among others) would be serving life in prison.
- H-W - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:07 pm:
Texas makes me grateful to have moved to Illinois, where working so as to diversify a place of employment is not illegal.
- rtov - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:09 pm:
I move for more opposite land posts, these are wild.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:09 pm:
===If talking/doing TV standups during official events, legislative sessions, gov pressers, etc. was a crime===
It can be irritating to others, but arrestable? Ridic. The authorities really need to stop taking themselves so seriously.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:09 pm:
If you want another reason to love our neighbors in Missouri, they have 885 known puppy mills. It’s basically a puppy mill with a state attached to it.
- Stuck in Celliniland - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:12 pm:
==If talking/doing TV standups during official events, legislative sessions, gov pressers, etc. was a crime, Andy Shaw, Dick Kay and Mike Flannery (among others) would be serving life in prison.==
Also, if blocking roads, overpasses, and bridges to broadcast live stories is a crime, nearly all the reporters at Channel 20 would be in prison too.
- Jack Sinatra - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:20 pm:
In the words of Willie Wonka, “candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker”. As someone who liked whisky and bourbon back when some of this stuff wasn’t even bought at the store, I still long for the Pappy, but this is ridiculous.
- Brock.friedman - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:22 pm:
The JR-15 is a .22 caliber rifle. It is not an AR15. It does not fire .233. It incorporates a unique saftey device so that the weapon can only fire when an adult operates a childproof mechanism.
But like I said, it’s a .22. It’s purpose is to teach riflemanship fundamentals to youth without the issues of weight or recoil that can cause users of larger rifles to develop bad habits from. It is patterned on the AR15 because that is the most common of all rifles sold in America and therefore it is reasonable that one would want to step up from .22 to .223. Your “traditional” deer/big game rifles fire 30-06 and 30-30. Those are heavy, high powered cartridges meant to hunt large prey and they weigh a lot and have a substantial recoil and are not adjustable to body size or many smaller shooters, females or the disabled. The AR15 is excellent for all of those.
There are AR15 conversions that allow for .22 to be used but they do not have the unique saftey device incorporated into the JR15.
- Gravitas - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:26 pm:
In “Superman” comics, “Opposite Land” is referred to by its proper name, “Bizarro World.”
- Amalia - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:35 pm:
Oh, Pappy. Just one of the items that has led many I person I know down the bourbon rabbit hole. People calling people to say a Jewel has some particular desired bottle in just makes me laugh.
- supplied_demand - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:39 pm:
Let’s not forget the nonsense going on in Mississippi, where the state legislature is trying to create a new unelected, state-run court system within majority-black Jackson.
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/08/ms-bill-creates-separate-unelected-court-system-within-jackson-district-decried-as-racist/69883227007/
- MisterJayEm - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:42 pm:
“The JR-15 is a .22 caliber rifle. It is not an AR15.”
Just ask Bobby Kennedy about the harmlessness of .22 caliber rou⎯ Oh wait.
You can’t.
– MrJM
- dr. jimmy - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:44 pm:
rich hit it on the head…the authorities need to stop taking themselves so seriously. this is a culture that requires new training. not everything is an existential threat that requires handcuffs and arrests. its just out of control.
- Baloneymous - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:51 pm:
Regarding the Oregon story, I wonder if those bourbons set aside for higher-up agency employees such as Pappy were truly for ‘personal use.’ If you are lucky enough to find Pappy on the shelf or enter a raffle to purchase the 15-, 20- or 23-year-old at retail for $150 - $300, you can easily sell them on the secondary market for $2,500 - $5,000. Once you’ve tried these bourbons and realize they’re very good but not worth thousands of dollars, the allure to sell them for ridiculous amounts of money is strong. And if employees were selling bottles, depending on the severity of their state’s ethics laws they should consider themselves lucky. If just one employee got 2 bottles a year for the last 5-6 years since secondary prices have skyrocketed, you’re talking about $20,000-$30,000 or more in profit.
- vern - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:52 pm:
This is a great roundup, Isabel, and I hope it becomes a recurring feature. There aren’t a lot of places to conveniently read state-level news from across the country, but knowing what other states are doing is extremely useful for governing.
I wonder how many other states have something along the lines if Capitol Fax - I know Jon Ralston in Nevada does similar work, but can’t think of any others off the top of my head.
- Lefty Lefty - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 2:58 pm:
What the heck is “merit” anyway? Badgering teachers for an A instead of a B so you’ve got a 3.7 GPA? Playing the violin? Having a work history with the “correct” people? Flat-out nepotism?
No shame.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 3:02 pm:
“The Republican-led Missouri state house on Wednesday voted against banning minors from openly carrying firearms on public land without adult supervision.”
But don’t teach about woke stuff in school like racism and LGBTQ+. That would be truly dangerous. /s
- Frumpy White Guy - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 3:05 pm:
That whole ordeal is chilling.
- Norseman - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 3:13 pm:
=== The JR-15 is a .22 caliber rifle. It is not an AR15. ===
God help us when this is the take from the story.
- Huh? - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 3:14 pm:
“minors from openly carrying firearms on public land”
How long until new born babies are issued a firearm? /s
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 3:16 pm:
===God help us when this is the take from the story. ===
Forget it, he’s on a mansplaining roll. Always trying to show how smart they are (even when there’s nothing to correct) and ignoring the actual issue at hand.
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 3:16 pm:
These same weapons makers would market kiddie throwing stars…because they choose money…over life.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 3:18 pm:
===How long until new born babies===
Spank their butts with the gun butt and then hand it over /s
- JS Mill - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 3:48 pm:
====God help us when this is the take from the story. ===
Forget it, he’s on a mansplaining roll. Always trying to show how smart they are (even when there’s nothing to correct) and ignoring the actual issue at hand.=
The funny part is he is actually wrong. The JR22 is built on an AR “platform”.
But Norseman, on the other hand, is spot on.
- ArchPundit - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 3:58 pm:
===If you want another reason to love our neighbors in Missouri, they have 885 known puppy mills. It’s basically a puppy mill with a state attached to it.
It stuns me how many of the dogs in shelters in Minnesota are from the South including Missouri.
Does the JR22 have clips? You are welcome for the torrent of mansplaining come our way now.
- Concerned Citizen - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 4:00 pm:
==The funny part is he is actually wrong. The JR22 is built on an AR “platform”.==
Actually the two are different, so Brock is correct. From the Wee1 website:
“The two rifles, which are very different in size, have no parts in common.
However, AR-platform accessories, such as sights, can be used on the JR-15 of course.”
- Demoralized - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 4:26 pm:
==Actually the two are different,==
smh. Still missed the point here I see. Child. Gun. Focus.
- Boone's is Back - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 4:26 pm:
lol, this is a great post title
- Soccermom - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 5:39 pm:
Just popping in to say that Ogden Nash was the originator of the “Candy is dandy” quote.
Here it is in its original form, with title
Reflections On Ice Breaking
Candy
Is dandy
But liquor
Is quicker
- Marine Life - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 7:07 pm:
In the longer video of the Ohio incident you can see the female cop readied her handcuffs early on. It will be interesting and important to line that up with the timeline and escalation claims put forth by the East Palatine police chief.
- 13th - Thursday, Feb 9, 23 @ 9:04 pm:
Pappy (or other to find bourbons) not that hard to find it just building a relationship with a store owner and you can get it. I usually get between 4-8 bottles of Pappy each year. It really taste good. I even got a E.H. Taylor Warehouse bottle of bourbon at a very good price