I am Safer Because of eBay’s New Gun Policy
Aug 1, 2007 Uncategorized
Some years ago the Baltimore Sun decided that it would no longer take ads for guns or any item associated with guns. They decided that the sale of guns in newspapers was contributing to the gun violence in Baltimore and they were being proactive in doing their part to help. These many years later the number of people killed by guns in Baltimore is nearing record levels and there has been little reduction over the years since the Sun decided to be civic minded. They seem to have missed the part about criminals not obeying the law and somehow figured that people who commit street crime read the paper…
Now enter eBay. They have decided that they will not sell gun parts in order to make us safer:
Hello everyone…In mid-August, we will be updating our Firearms, Weapons and Knives Policy to place more restrictions around gun-related items. Once these changes take effect, we will prohibit listings of any firearm part that is required for the firing of a gun. This includes items like bullet tips, brass casings and shells, barrels, slides, cylinders, magazines, firing pins, trigger assemblies, etc. Please read the Firearms, Weapons and Knives Policy for more details on our current policy.
As you may know, eBay does not allow the listing of any items which are regulated by individual states or the federal government; however, there are still a large number of firearm-related parts that are legal and are widely available in retail stores. These items have also historically been allowed on eBay.
After learning that some items purchased on eBay may have been used in the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April 2007, we felt that revisiting our policies was not only necessary, but the right thing to do. After much consideration, the Trust & Safety policy team – along with our executive leaders at eBay Inc. – have made the decision to further restrict more of these items than federal and state regulations require.
This new update continues to encourage safety among our community members and brings our policies in the U.S. and Canada in closer alignment with our existing policies in other markets around the globe.
Sincerely,
Matt Halprin
Vice President, Trust & Safety
Matt Halprin is from Trust and Safety. I don’t trust him and he certainly can’t keep me safe. eBay has decided that since the mentally deranged kid at Virginia Tech might have used gun parts he bought on their site that they must put an end to the violence and make us safer. Would Matt and the rest of the safety patrol stop allowing cell phones to be sold if they found out some Muslim terrorist group was buying them to make bomb detonators? Will Matt and the safety squad stop selling deep fryers, hot dog machines, and any other item that cooks food in an unhealthy manner so as to save us from the plight of heart disease (which by the way kills more people than guns do).
I have to wonder what motivates a company to take such a stance. Perhaps it is their desire to help mankind but more likely they are either anti gun or got bad press over the VT issue, or both. In any event they are not very sincere about the safety and trust issue. Search eBay for porn, pot pipes, bongs, and vibrators. I realize that several of these items are not dangerous but some of them are and encourage breaking the law through drug use. It is difficult to believe the trust and safety guy when his site allows items that are not suitable for children to see (safety) or items that will allow, and even encourage, people to break the law (trust). eBay is concerned about its reputation because of VT so I hope some drug user does not get high using an eBay purchased bong or pot pipe and then watch some eBay purchased porno while using eBay purchased penis enlargement items and then sodomize someone with a vibrator. eBay would have to remove a lot of things after that.
So while eBay is removing the gun related items to make us safe, trust them to continue allowing truly questionable items. Just another reason I will never shop on eBay. I hope all gun owners will avoid it as well.
Big Dog Salute to BK
Sometimes unrelated trackbacks to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, The Random Yak, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam’s Blog, Right Truth, Shadowscope, Webloggin, Stuck On Stupid, Leaning Straight Up, Cao’s Blog, The Amboy Times, The Bullwinkle Blog, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, Allie Is Wired, Pirate’s Cove, Nuke’s news and views, The Pink Flamingo, Planck’s Constant, Wyvern Dreams, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, Gone Hollywood, and Public Eye, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
Tags: Commentary, Link Fest
Did the Gore Name Save the Kid from Jail?
Jul 31, 2007 Uncategorized
Rush Limbaugh became addicted to prescription pain killers and ran into trouble with the law. He went into treatment and was off the air for a little more than a month. When he came back he had to fight for a very long time against the judicial system that kept digging and digging. No one in the system told him that since he completed treatment that they would drop the charges.
Al Gore’s kid, Al III, was arrested for driving 100 mph and the police found marijuana and a bunch of different prescription drugs for which he had no prescription. He pleaded guilty today and if he completes his treatment they will stay the conviction and it could be dropped in 2009.
If there is anyone out there who thinks that this is normal treatment for a person with this kind of arrest and the fact of who his daddy is had nothing to do with it, I have some carbon offsets to sell you. Young Gore was driving very fast and was in possession of illegal drugs. I have been to court on a number of occasions and I have seen people who have been in similar situations (though I admit none were ever driving that fast) and I have not seen this kind of sentence. I have seen probation before judgment but it involved a hell of a lot more than getting treatment.
I hope this kid get the treatment he needs and straightens his life out (though I can understand his desire to be on drugs considering his dad) but I am not fooled into believing that this sentence is related to his connections and nothing more.
Anyone want to bet the Bush Girls would not get off with the same treatment for an identical crime?
Source:
My Way News
Tags: Commentary
NAACP Defends Vick-tim
Jul 30, 2007 Uncategorized
The NAACP is an organization whose time has come and long gone. They might have had grand ideals and might have been necessary when they were formed but they have morphed into a racist organization that is hell bent on advancing black issues by employing the same racist and discriminatory practices they are supposed to combat and that supposedly are in great abundance within the white community. The NAACP is very quick to condemn any white person accused of a crime (especially if it is against a black) but they go out of their way to defend black people who are accused of a crime. Such is the case with Michael Vick.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Commentary, Featured
Tobacco Goes Up in Smoke at Disney
Jul 25, 2007 Uncategorized
Disney has decided that none of its movies will feature people who smoke. Disney took the decision because it believes that children are influenced by those they see in movies and that smoking characters lead our youth to take up that nasty habit. Disney said that it would like some of its other studio labels. It might be difficult because those entities put out movies for older audiences but Disney said it is willing to fight that fight. This is where I am baffled.
I can understand Disney not having smoking in its films. They are usually suitable for entire families and feature wholesome or lighthearted themes. Except for a very few, their films are not violent (though when I saw Bambi as a wee tot I cried when the mother got killed) and they promote decent things. Miramax, on the other hand, has films that are not for everyone in the family. Some contain a lot of violence and other things that children should not see.
If smoking encourages children to smoke does not violence encourage them to be violent? If Disney is willing to fight to cut smoking from all studio labels should they not be fighting all those labels to remove violence from their films so as not to encourage our kids to be violent? While we are at it, should not Disney ensure that no one in the movies drinks alcohol so that children are not encouraged to drink?
I am not trying to be flippant or dismissive of their efforts but I would like to know how far they are willing to go to save the children on this planet. It is one thing for them to ban smoking in their products because they are generally good for kids to view but to impose this smoking ban on other studio labels without addressing the other issues makes no sense and makes them appear as disingenuous.
Of course it might be a moot point anyway because the rating folks are going to take smoking in a film into consideration when they rate the films.
Disney should worry about policing up its own Mickey Mouse operation and let the other studios take their own decisions.
Source:
FT.com
Tags: Commentary, General
Boxer Shot in London, Must Be a Lie
Jul 24, 2007 Uncategorized
I know there are many of you who think it is Senator Boxer but it is not. The boxer who was shot was a decent human being by the name of James Oyebola, and he is actually a former boxer who now serves as a bouncer at a club. James Oyebola had stopped by a wine bar to have a drink with the owner who happens to be a friend. Three men were smoking and the staff had asked them to quit (it is now against the law to smoke in public buildings). Oyebola asked the men to stop and told them it was against the law. As they were leaving one pulled a gun and shot him in the head. He is on life support in critical condition at a London hospital.
I am a bit skeptical about this whole story. Guns are banned in the UK so these men were not allowed to own one. Either this story is a lie or they decided to break the law and carry a gun which is not a stretch because they broke the law by smoking. If they carried a gun in violation of the law and if they obtained one even though they are banned then this is just one more example of how gun laws do not work.
Criminals will always get guns because they do not obey the law. People like this believe that the law does not apply to them. Contrary what the uninformed anti gun crowd says, gun bans cause an increase in crime. Places where people are allowed to own and carry guns are safer and have fewer crimes. The real tragedy is that gun bans permit us to be sitting ducks for those who choose to break the law.
The other injustice will be when they catch the guy. The UK does not have a death penalty. Two things that help bring down society, gun bans and a lack of the death penalty. Criminals have nothing to fear. Life in prison will always beat the death penalty. If they still used Drawn, hanged, and quartered there would be fewer crimes.
I pray this guy makes it but it does not look good.
Source:
This is London
Tags: Commentary