Last Spring — in polls of Arizona residents — support hovered around 70%. Now, despite the hue-and-cry from liberal media and the White House, that number has shot up. From the AP:

The survey conducted on behalf of Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy found 81 percent of voters approved of requiring people to show documents indicating they’re in the country legally.

And, 68% support the part of the bill found most onerous by the left: The right of cops to question a person’s immigration status.

In addition, Arizona state government has received over $2 million dollars in donations to defend the new law.

So there’s this gun show in Illinois where folks bring old and new firearms and memorabilia to be appraised and possibly purchased by dealers — sort of like Antique Roadshow. One guy brought stuff he inherited from his father. That included a live, “red canister” grenade. Cops were brought in to dispose of that.

My favorite line of the story, though, concerned a woman who brought in a sawed-off shotgun left by her late husband. From the Rockford Register Star:

“She came in all confused and asked me what it was worth,” Forsthoefel said. “I told her 18 months.

Apparently that happens a lot at this show.

I watched the NBC Evening News last night and while they covered the mutant Lee’s hostage situation at the Discovery Channel building, they really downplayed his leftist, eco-terrorism ramblings, they made absolutely no mention of the fact that he claims he was inspired by Al -Save the Froggies- Gore. Yeah, yeah, yeah, “froggies” was Lee’s phrase but I think it suits Al Gore to a tee.

I’m sure they would have loved it if somehow there was a link between Lee and the Tea Party. I know that some on the left side of the blogosphere are trying to draw that link.

You know about all those legislative actions by several states stating that firearms made and sold in their respective states are exempt from federal gun laws? From the AP:

A federal magistrate is recommending dismissal of a lawsuit filed by eight states seeking freedom from federal gun laws.

[…]

The federal magistrate sided Wednesday with the U.S. Department of Justice and gun control advocates who say the courts have already decided that Congress can set standards on such items as guns through its power to regulate interstate commerce.

This isn’t an official ruling, merrily a recommendation by one “Magistrate” which will be considered during arguments by a federal court.

The arguments by the states — Alabama, Idaho, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming — in their suit, make the claim, of course, that if a firearm is manufactured in their state, sold in their state to a resident of their state, then the “interstate commerce” clause doesn’t come into play.

The federal government will naturally argue that growing a tomato in your personal garden for your personal consumption should be considered as “interstate commerce” and should be regulated to death by them.

A new vote yesterday (following a defeat the day before) will now strip the average law abiding citizen of yet another right. From Sign On San Diego:

The state Senate Tuesday night approved a ban on the public display of unloaded handguns in a defeat for the growing “open carry movement” and its powerful gun-rights allies.

After going down by one vote, last night the bill was passed 21-16 and now heads to the Governor’s desk where he (RINO that he is) is sure to sign it.

So now, unless you are one of the privileged few to be “granted” a concealed-carry permit, you are at the mercy of every thug and gang banger in the state — and there are a lot of them.

This is a total reversal of Monday’s vote.

Update: Hmmm, link is no longer good so I wonder if the story was a blunder by Sign On San Diego as everyone else is reporting that Monday’s vote stands and the measure is defeated.

I keep reading that more newspaper chains are going after bloggers.  To hell with it.  I’ll just start with a fresh database tomorrow.