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Brazilians Reject Proposed Gun Ban

Brazilians soundly rejected a proposal to ban the sale of guns in a national referendum Sunday, striking down the bid to stem one of the world's highest firearm murder rates following a campaign that drew parallels to the U.S. gun control debate.

With more than 92 percent of the votes counted, 64 percent of Brazilians were opposed to the ban, while 36 percent backed it, said election officials, giving the 'no' position an insurmountable lead. The proposal would have prohibited the sale of firearms and ammunition except for police, the military, some security guards, gun collectors and sports shooters.

There are a number of interesting ramifications and issues associated with this - aside from the primary fact that the Brazilians were not willing to cede full responsibility for personal protection to an all too ineffectual governmental system.

Some Brazilians said they resented the referendum because they feel the government is ducking its responsibility to keep the peace. "It's immoral for the government to have this vote," said Pedro Ricardo, an army officer in Sao Paulo. "They're putting the responsibility on us, but ... the way to cut down on violence is to combat the drug trade and patrol our borders."

Hmmmm. Sounds sort of familiar doesn't it!? Enforce borders? What a concept!

About 39,000 people in Brazil are killed by guns each year, compared to about 30,000 people in the United States, although the U.S. population is about 100 million more than Brazil's, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hello? Come again? Does anybody know what the US Centers for Disease Control is doing collecting data on gun deaths in Brazil? One shudders to learn the answer.

I was a Cards fan as a boy, but I have to say that a Houston trip to the Fall Classic would be marvelous. Its official. Houston is in its first World Series. My opinions on baseball are my own...

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China and Russia Challenging Space Leadership of the United States

In yet another case of the United States Intelligence community?s failure to recognize the world around them has been revealed due to recent developments in space.

One day we may wake up and realize that with little warning China has launched a precursor un-crewed earth orbital rendezvous EOR lunar circumnavigation mission. To be promptly followed by a manned lunar circumnavigation. After that a lunar orbital mission is quite possible, because once the LM-5 booster becomes operational after 2010, the Shenzhou spacecraft has an already built in design for earth orbit and can also orbit the moon. It could with proper equipment also support a manned lunar landing mission either through EOR or through the introduction of a new booster beyond the capability of the LM-5 which they have only in the last few days hinted at as required after the next Five Year Plan.

THIS is why the Chief thinks the current NASA plan for a return to the moon by 2018, while moving in the right direction, could well prove to be too little, too late to maintain our leadership, and ceding the "high ground" could ultimately prove to be fatal.

What I wouldn't give for a damn fresh fig right now....

Recall the Rapid City Journal's article about the permanent campaign:John Thune's victory over Tom Daschle last November shook up the power structure of the U.S. Senate and ended the 26-year career of one of the nation's most prominent politicians. But...

I have held off on denouncing Harriet Miers and calling for her withdrawal, as so many conservative bloggers have been willing to do. The reason is simple. As Michael Ledeen says over at National Review, there is no award for...

With the exception of the Texas-CU game, my morning picks failed. USC 34, ND 31: Unbelievable. Leinart blunders his way into the endzone with 0:03 left in the game. My loathing of USC continues unabated. Texas 42, CU 17: The...

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