Handguns vs. AK-47?

Italian liner repels pirates

The cruise ship's security forces fight off the six assailants with gunfire far off the Somalia coast.

Associated Press

April 27, 2009

Rome -- An Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people on board fended off a pirate attack far off Somalia when its private security forces exchanged fire with the bandits and drove them away.

The ship's commander told Italian state radio Sunday that six men in a small white speedboat approached the MSC Melody and opened fire "like crazy" Saturday night, but retreated after the Israeli security officers aboard the cruise ship returned fire with pistols.

"It felt like we were in war," the ship's captain, Cmdr. Ciro Pinto, said, adding that the pirates followed the ship for a bit before heading off.

None of the 1,000 passengers and 500 crew members were hurt, Melody owner MSC Cruises said in a statement issued by its German branch.

The attack occurred about 200 miles north of the Seychelles and about 500 miles east of Somalia, according to the anti-piracy flotilla headquarters of the Maritime Security Center Horn of Africa.

U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the 5th Fleet, said that after an attack last fall on a Saudi tanker more than 400 nautical miles off Somalia there had been "a definite shift in [the pirates'] tactical capabilities."

"It's not unheard of to have attacks off the coast of the Seychelles. We've even had some in the past month," he said. "But at the same time, it is a sign that they are moving farther and farther off the Somali coast."

International military forces have battled pirates, with U.S. Navy snipers killing three men who were holding an American merchant marine captain hostage.

But Saturday's exchange of fire was one of the first reported between pirates and a nonmilitary ship. Civilian ships have generally avoided arming crewmen or hiring armed security for reasons of safety, liability and compliance with the rules of the different countries where they dock.

It was not the first attack on a cruise liner, however. Late last year, pirates opened fire on a U.S.-operated ship carrying hundreds of tourists on a monthlong luxury cruise from Rome to Singapore, but the cruise liner outran the pirates. In early April a yacht that had just dropped off its tourist passengers was hijacked by Somali pirates near the Seychelles.

The Melody is on a 22-day cruise from Durban, South Africa, to Genoa, Italy.

 

Criminals expect you to be weak and give up.  If the Italians had bombarded these pirates with piss filled champagne bottles, it would probably had the same affect in driving them off.  Predators seek the weak; don't be weak (even if you can't carry a weapon.)

Idiocy is it's Own Motive.

 

Suspect held, but motive unclear in camera-van killing

by JJ Hensley - Apr. 21, 2009 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

It has come under attack from protesters, politicians and even a pickax-wielding resident, but sentiment against Arizona's photo-enforcement program had not turned to bloodshed until Sunday night.

Doug Georgianni, 51, of Cave Creek, was shot and killed while sitting in a van alongside the highway and monitoring cameras that snap photos of speeders.

Phoenix police arrested Thomas Patrick Destories, 68, on Monday in connection with the murder. Police said Destories was not photographed speeding, but they refused to speculate on any possible motives.

"Whether you agree or disagree with photo enforcement, what happened last night, folks, was an act of cold-blooded murder," state Department of Public Safety Director Roger Vanderpool said at a Monday news conference.

The shooting led both photo-enforcement providers in Arizona, Redflex and American Traffic Solutions, to suspend use of the mobile-enforcement vans until they can reassess their security procedures.

Investigators are still trying to piece together what happened Sunday night. They offered this version of events.

Georgianni, a four-month employee of Redflex, was in a photo-enforcement van parked on a dirt shoulder off the Loop 101 near Seventh Avenue shortly before 9 p.m., when an SUV slowly crept up alongside Georgianni's van, and someone inside opened fire.

A witness saw an older-model, two-toned SUV slowly pull away and exit the freeway.

Later, DPS Lt. Mark Remsey, who used to live in the neighborhood, thought the description of the SUV sounded familiar and drove through the area about 2:30 a.m. Monday. He saw the truck parked in front of a house.

"It kept going through my head that I recognized that unusual Suburban for some reason," he said.

Police watched the house until a man, later identified as Destories, moved the truck behind the house in "an obvious attempt" to hide the vehicle, Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Hill said.

Police arrested Destories as he left on his motorcycle a short time later.

Georgianni, a former golf pro in Prescott Valley and a graduate of Scottsdale's Chaparral High School and Arizona State University, leaves behind his wife, Jean, his parents, six siblings and a host of nieces and nephews.

"Everyone at Redflex is absolutely heartbroken at the loss of Doug Georgianni," said Jay Heiler, a Redflex spokesman.

Destories was booked into the Fourth Avenue Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder.

He has not received any tickets through the DPS photo-enforcement program, records and police say.

Doug Smith, a former employee at Destories' desert-tour business, said Destories had purchased a reflective license-plate cover for one of his cars and deemed it effective after the cameras snapped Destories but tickets never followed.

Public sentiment against photo enforcement started growing in September when the DPS began rolling out its program, which was to have 60 fixed cameras and 40 mobile units around the state. The agency had cameras operating at 36 fixed locations and in 42 mobile units before DPS administrators quit expanding the program in January.

State legislators are considering bills that could dismantle the program.

Rep. Sam Crump, R-Anthem, who has sponsored such legislation, released a statement on Monday calling for everyone to "reduce the war of words on this topic."

Authorities said Georgianni's death will not stop the program.

"Photo enforcement's not going away," DPS Lt. Jim Warriner said.

That has been the objective of photo enforcement's vocal opponents from the outset, said Jan Strauss, a former Mesa police chief who added that Sunday's shooting smacked of vigilantism.

"If you hate photo radar, and you want to have an impact, you shouldn't be doing anything like vigilantism," she said. "If you don't like it, go to the public forum. Start a public debate. Going out on your own, breaking the law doing destructive things isn't the answer."

Strauss was referring to Thomas Munroe Townsend.

Townsend, 26, took a pickax to a photo-enforcement camera near 59th Avenue and the Loop 101 late last year. He was sentenced to one year of probation and was issued a $3,500 fine but not before photo-enforcement critics came out in support of him.

"When you create an atmosphere where someone comes at a camera with a pickax, and people are talking about giving him a medal, logically it's going to continue to escalate, and it feeds the feeling that vigilante activity is appropriate or OK," said Josh Weiss, a spokesman with American Traffic Solutions, which is based in Scottsdale.

The vocal opposition that has emerged in Arizona, the first state in the country to employ a statewide photo-enforcement program, was not far from the minds of officials who tried to keep the memory of Georgianni at the forefront Monday.

"This is one of the most senseless murders that I've seen," Phoenix Police Chief Jack Harris said. "It feels like we lost one of our own police family in this senseless tragedy."

 

She did it right: if you have to shoot someone, don't waste time spouting drama.

Police: Wife shot husband in self-defense

Reported by: Keith Baker Email: kbaker@abcactionnews.com Contributor: Carly Timmons Last Update: 4/15 11:46 am

WINTER HAVEN, FL -- Police say a woman shot her husband multiple times after he threatened to kill family members. On Tuesday at about 4 a.m., Winter Haven police responded to the home of Troy and Dawn Christoff located at 1121 7th Street SW following a report of a shooting. Officers found 34-year-old Troy Christoff suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.  He had been shot with a 9mm handgun.  He was airlifted to Lakeland Regional Medical Center for treatment.  The shooter was identified as his wife, 35-year-old Dawn Christoff. Witness statements and further investigation showed that Troy Christoff intended to shoot several members of his family.  Before the shooting, he armed himself with a handgun and began to load the weapon, stating which member of his family each bullet was intended for. When the handgun was loaded he raised the weapon and pointed it at his wife, who had armed herself with another handgun. She fired multiple shots at her husband, striking him several times.         Troy Christoff was charged with five counts of Attempted First Degree Murder with a Firearm.  The shooting is considered as self defense.         Winter Haven Police detectives continue to actively investigate this case.  Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Steve Rusich at (863) 291-5304.   Anyone with information who wants to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Polk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-226-TIPS.

Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

 

Mason Co. Sheriff's Office: Criminals 'Expect A Lead Enema'

Posted: 4:45 pm PDT April 9, 2009Updated: 6:32 pm PDT April 9, 2009

MASON COUNTY, Wash. -- Mason County Commissioner Tim Sheldon said a budget crisis means the sheriff will have cut $382,000 from its budget which the sheriff said could mean up to five deputies yanked off the road.

The commissioner said he's confident Mason County residents can defend themselves from criminals if necessary.

"It's always open season on criminals in Mason County, and there is no bag limit," Sheldon said.

Sheriff's officials said they believe commissioners need to reconsider the cuts to the sheriff’s office and not condone vigilantes.

"We're just not a community of vigilantism, and no responsible politician is going to encourage vigilantism," said Dean Byrd of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheldon said he's just warning criminals that people in Mason County have guns and know how to use them.

"You might expect a lead enema. I'm telling you, people in Mason County are fed up with crime. They know how to protect themselves," Sheldon said.

Residents don’t want to see any cuts to the sheriff’s office but said they are prepared to defend themselves if it comes to that.

"It's not a question of if you are going to have to but when you are going to have to," said Mason County resident Ron Adams.

Sheldon is also a state senator. Despite his comments, he said he does not want people to take the law into their own hands.

Copyright 2009 by KIROTV.com. All rights reserved.

Sweet!

North Korea launches rocket, defying world pressure

 

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea fired a rocket over Japan on Sunday, defying Washington, Tokyo and others who suspect the launch was cover for a test of its long-range missile technology. President Barack Obama said the move threatens the security of nations "near and far."

Liftoff took place at 11:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) from the coastal Musudan-ri launch pad in northeastern North Korea, the South Korean and U.S. governments said. The multistage rocket hurtled toward the Pacific, reaching Japanese airspace within seven minutes, but no debris appeared to hit its territory, officials in Tokyo said.

Four hours after the launch, North Korea declared it a success. An experimental communications satellite reached outer space in just over nine minutes and is orbiting Earth, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said from Pyongyang.

"The satellite is transmitting the melodies of the immortal revolutionary paeans 'Song of Gen. Kim Il Sung' and 'Song of Gen. Kim Jong Il' as well as measurement data back to Earth," it said, referring to the country's late founder and his son, its current leader.

But the U.S. military said "no object entered orbit." North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command officials said in a statement that the first stage of the rocket fell into the waters between Korea and Japan, while the two other stages, and its payload, landed in the Pacific Ocean.

 

Thank God we have the UN.  Maybe Hillary and B'rack will sign off on the much feared "STRONGLY WORDED MEMO!!!!!"  I feel safer now.  But I live in Arizona and not Japan or Hawaii......

Gunmen Kills Three Pittsburgh Police Officers

PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) ―

A man opened fire on officers during a domestic disturbance call Saturday morning, killing three of them, a police official said. Friends said 23 year-old Richard Poplawski feared the Obama administration was poised to ban guns. Three officers were killed.

Police planned to release more details at a 3 p.m. news conference Saturday. Poplawski was arrested after a several-hour standoff. One witness reported hearing hundreds of shots. The shootings occurred just two weeks after four police officers were fatally shot March 21 in Oakland, Calif., in the deadliest day for U.S. law enforcement since Sept. 11, 2001.

Poplawski's friends at the scene described him as a young man who thought the Obama administration would ban guns. One friend, Edward Perkovic, said Poplawski feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon." Another longtime friend, Aaron Vire, said he feared that President Obama was going to take away his rights, though he said he "wasn't violently against Obama." Perkovic, a 22-year-old who said he was Poplawski's best friend, said he got a call at work from him in which he said, "Eddie, I am going to die today. ... Tell your family I love them and I love you." Perkovic said: "I heard gunshots and he hung up. ... He sounded like he was in pain, like he got shot." Vire, 23, said Poplawski once had an Internet talk show but that it wasn't successful. Vire said his friend had an AK-47 rifle and several powerful handguns, including a .357 Magnum.

Another friend, Joe DiMarco, said Poplawski had been laid off from his job at a glass factory earlier this year. DiMarco said he didn't know the name of the company, but knew Poplawski had been upset about losing his job. The officers were called to the home in the Stanton Heights neighborhood at about 7 a.m.Tom Moffitt, 51, a city firefighter who lives two blocks away, said he heard about the shooting on his scanner and came to the scene, where he heard "hundreds, just hundreds of shots. And not just once - several times." Rob Gift, 45, who lives a block away, said he heard rapid gunfire as he was letting his dog out. He said the neighborhood of well-kept single-family houses and manicured lawns is home to many police officers, firefighters, paramedics and other city workers. "It's just a very quiet neighborhood," Gift said.

I also fear an attempt to ban guns by the current President. But I'm not going to kill people. Why is the focus on his gun ban fear? It seems the root cause of this whole situation is that he was a tightly wound, crazy mother fucker with more than one screw loose. If he didn't have guns, what would he have used? A car? A plane? Propane and gasoline?