Publix donating directly to Putnam (Whom I suspect he might be another Scott) was a dumb move advertising-wise. On the other hand, that much money seems to indicate that the Republican is considered the hands down favorite for the governorship of Florida. Publix does not make many dumb mistakes.

My position is that if you have a lot to lose, like 30% of your clientele and you are running a 3%-5% profit, you are better off not placing the name of the company up front and center where can be attacked for taking a position.

Politics is fleeting. What looks cool today is anathema  next year. If you are an artist, your risk of ending up in a Reality-TV show next to Gary Busey will increase for taking a political side.

Be smart, let others do the political fight and you be smart about contributions.

Via Borepatch.

I had written about the killing of Andrew Finch but the quick summary is this: Some online gamers got mad at another plater and contacted a third asshole who specialized in Swatting people for a fee. The “expert” made a fake 911 call to the wrong address and police ended up shooting Andrew Finch who not only had nothing to do with the online game, he was not even into games. The investigation ledt to the culprits, including one Tyler Raj Barriss (the “expert SWATter”) who basically said he did not feel remorse for his actions.

A Los Angeles man accused of making a hoax phone call that led to the death of an innocent man in Wichita, Kansas, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. 25-year-old Tyler Barriss was arrested in Los Angeles late last month, and authorities there extradited him to Kansas. He made his first appearance in a Kansas courtroom on Friday, court records show.
Authorities believe that Barriss made a hoax phone call that sent police to the home of an innocent man, Andrew Finch, on December 28. Finch opened the door with his hands up. But when he briefly lowered his hands toward his waistband, a police officer shot him, believing that Finch could be reaching for a gun.
The incident appears to have originated with an online feud over a $1.50 Call of Duty bet. One of the parties to that dispute reportedly approached online user SWAuTistic, who had a reputation for initiating “swatting” pranks against online gamers. SWAuTistic called the Wichita police, pretending to be a deranged man who had already shot his father and threatened to shoot other members of his family.

Suspect in deadly Kansas “swatting” hoax charged with manslaughter

Barris can face up to 11 years in prison, not enough in my opinion. At least it may serve as deterrent for future idiots to think twice about being whiny losers .

If you feel like reading the whole indictment, just follow the link.

A West Carrollton police officer’s accidental shooting of himself at a Franklin firing range is being attributed to his gun malfunctioning, authorities said.
The May 4 firing range accident occurred after a safety feature on the officer’s Glock failed, said West Carrollton Deputy Police Chief David Wessling.
“There’s a pin in the triggers of Glocks that keeps the safety in place, and the pin had actually worked itself out to the side of the gun to the point that it was sticking out far enough that when he stuck (the gun) in the holster, the pin caught the edge of the holster and pulled the trigger back,” Wessling said.
“That’s nothing that you would ever expect to happen,” he said.
The officer was wounded in the calf area and in the foot on his right side, Wessling said

Glock glitch: Local police officer’s accidental shooting blamed on gun

First time I heard of something like this. Not being a Glock Fanboi, I should probably be nodding at the possibility, but I know there is the distinct possibility of somebody screwing around with the trigger group because they read something in the internet.

If anybody has heard about a similar experience, let us know in the comments.

Hat Tip @greenmeanie01

10 to 16 Named Storms: That is over a plus/minus 50 % margin of error.

5 to 9 hurricanes, over 90% margin of error.

1 to 4 major hurricanes comes to 300% margin of error.

It is just a guessing game. The only thing for sure is that one storm will happen.

What we know is that chances for hurricanes become more prominent staring in June and die come November. How many is a guess and you only need to be prepared for the one that hits land. Praying that does not happen cost you nothing.

The families of two high school students who died in the tragic Parkland shooting earlier this year are pushing to sue the maker of the gun used in the massacre, accusing manufacturers of being in a “protected class.”

Florida school shooting victims’ parents move to sue gun maker, seller of firearm used in Parkland massacre.

I was going to rant once again on the stupidity that lawyers seem to keep repeating by convincing parents that they will go far with these lawsuits only to leave the hanging with the bills when they lose.

But I caught the name if the lawyer representing the parents: Julie Braman Kane. A quick check in the internet reveals she is a Personal Injury Lawyer located in Coral Gables (where all the Law Firms seem to congregate in Miami.  No Mos Eisley jokes, please) and working with a very successful firm, but also she was till last year the president of the American Association of Justice, formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America or in plain English the lawyers that unkind people would refer to as “ambulance chasers.” They are a lobby group opposed to tort reform and according to the WaPo “ a trial lawyers group that serves as one of the Democratic Party’s most influential political allies”

Having a penthouse in Alhambra Circle in Coral Gables is not a small monetary feat, having the name of the firm displayed in the building does not come cheap. These are heavy political and financial hitters that will not charge cheap and they are not going after McDonalds of Big Tobacco and they know it so…

Who is paying the bill?

Was it Officer Clinton, perchance?

Sorry, but it is good to let your juvenile humor out for a breather now and then.