[Vision2020] Say What? (and more)

[Tom Hansen]

"If I had a town meeting and was still in Congress, I'd invite all the
Texans who have a concealed weapons license to my town meeting and I'd
advertise it. Because the person who wanted to come shoot me would have to
think once again about committing suicide walking into my town hall
meeting."

- Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/14/

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Perhaps they can all stop by and take advantage of Wal-Mart's . . .

"Saturday Nigh Special"
http://www.TomandRodna.com/WalMartSpecial.mp3

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Courtesy of today's (January 24, 2011) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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Two dead in Port Orchard Walmart shooting
2 deputies hurt; same-day Detroit shooting wounds 4

[org]Associated Press[/org]
January 24, 2011

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. - A shootout in front of a Walmart in Washington state
left two people dead and two sheriff's deputies wounded Sunday afternoon,
a sheriff's spokesman said.

One of the dead was a man who shot at deputies, said Scott Wilson of the
Kitsap County Sheriff's Office. The other victim was a young woman who
died after she was taken to a Tacoma hospital, he said.

The deputies' wounds did not appear life-threatening, Wilson said.

Details were sketchy Sunday evening, but the sheriff's office received a
call about a suspicious person at the store in Port Orchard, Wilson said.
The man ran and started shooting when three deputies tried to talk to him,
he said.

The deputies, including the two men who were wounded, returned fire,
Wilson said.

Witness Ray Bourge told KOMO-TV that he saw a man running through the
parking lot toward nearby woods, firing his gun back toward the store.

"Right behind him there was an officer chasing him, and he began to open
fire," Bourge said.

The officer was about 30 to 40 feet behind the suspect when he started
firing, Bourge said.

"Five or six shots were fired. ... I just went and took cover," he said.

Witness Victor Meyers told KOMO-TV that he heard the first shot, then six
more in rapid succession.

"I heard one shot, which I thought was a car backfiring, and then several
more reported back, which I knew to be gunfire," Meyers said.

He said he saw a female deputy running toward a victim on the ground
before he and other witnesses were hustled from the scene.

The man who ran from the deputies died of his wounds in the parking lot,
Wilson said.

"In the first five minutes, there was already 12 police cars there and
then ambulances came just as fast," witness Zach Mendiola told KING-TV.

Wilson said no other suspects were involved in the incident, which began
at about 3:45 p.m. He didn't know whether the woman and the man who were
killed knew each other. Those two haven't been identified and the
deputies' names haven't been released.

The store was immediately locked down. Customers in the store were being
allowed to leave after investigators questioned them, and the store closed
for the night, Wilson said.

The investigation "is real basic right now," he said, adding that officers
don't know why the man fled and began firing.

"The big question of why is unanswered now," he said.

The Washington state incident wasn't the only attack against deputies
Sunday. A gunman opened fire inside a Detroit police precinct, wounding
four officers including a commander before he was shot and killed by
police, authorities said. The gunman walked in through the precinct's
revolving door around 4:20 p.m. with a pistol grip shotgun and opened
fire, Sgt. Todd Eby, who was sitting at his desk in the precinct at the
time of the shooting, told the Detroit Free Press. He said officers shot
back at the gunman, killing him.

"Utter chaos and pandemonium took place," Police Chief Ralph Godbee said
at a news conference. "We have a number of officers who are shaken up."

Godbee said the gunman has been identified but it was "too early to
characterize" him while the investigation was ongoing.

The chief said along with the commander, two sergeants and an officer were
wounded, but none appeared to have life threatening injuries.

The commander, who was shot in the back, appeared to be the most seriously
wounded. Godbee said he underwent surgery Sunday evening and his prognosis
was "very good." A sergeant and an officer who each suffered graze gunshot
wounds to the head were both talking and alert, Godbee said.

A female sergeant also was treated and released after her bullet-resistant
vest deflected a bullet to the chest, Godbee said.

Police also did not immediately release the names of the wounded officers,
saying families had not been notified in all cases.

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Yep.  That's what we need.  More guns on the street.

Seeya round town, Moscow, and leave your Glocks at home (Moscow would love
you if you did).

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails."

- Unknown