{"id":43375,"date":"2014-04-28T08:24:59","date_gmt":"2014-04-28T13:24:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=43375"},"modified":"2014-04-28T11:26:06","modified_gmt":"2014-04-28T16:26:06","slug":"the-bias-pageant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/?p=43375","title":{"rendered":"The Bias Pageant (Vote Early And Often!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The weekend saw not just one, but\u00a0two\u00a0<\/em>bits of epic anti-2nd-Amendment bias in the\u00a0Strib<\/em>. \u00a0And not in the columns, mind you – it was in the “news”.<\/p>\n

Contestant Number One: \u00a0Matt McKinney: \u00a0<\/strong>McKinney, whose coverage of the Darin Evanovich<\/a> shooting in 2011 we spent so much time assailing back in the day. \u00a0Last week, he wrote about the Byron Smith trial in Little Falls<\/a>. \u00a0Smith is accused of ambushing two youngsters who were breaking into his home. \u00a0Again. \u00a0The two -Haile Kifer, 18 and Nick Brady, 17 – were apparently not visiting Mr. Smith’s home for the first time.<\/p>\n

How many times?<\/p>\n

McKinney (with emphasis added):<\/p>\n

The Little Falls homeowner had suffered a few break-ins<\/strong> in his home and his adjacent property in the fall of 2012, but didn\u2019t go to the sheriff\u2019s office until after an Oct. 27 break-in, when a shotgun and rifle, as well as other items were stolen from his home.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“A few break-ins” may have been a half-dozen or more.<\/p>\n

How many break-ins is a person supposed to cheerfully endure?<\/p>\n

To be fair to McKinney, it\u00a0appears<\/em>\u00a0to this non-lawyer that Byron Smith broke one of the absolute rules of self-defense. \u00a0While he was not a willing participant, he had no “duty to retreat” in the home, and he may well have had a reasonable fear of being killed or maimed, the idea that he may have shot one or more of the burglars after they were down and no longer a threat may have been the one mistake he made.<\/p>\n

On the other hand? \u00a0The Strib ran the story on a Saturday. \u00a0When the jurors weren’t sequestered, and could read McKinney’s heart-rending elegies to the victims. \u00a0Er, burglars. \u00a0Why would they do that?<\/p>\n

And\u00a0the County is charging him with first-degree murder – as if he’d been specifically planning to kill the two.<\/p>\n

Why, it almost seems like the\u00a0Strib\u00a0<\/em>has a desired verdict.<\/p>\n

No – that’d be crazy talk.<\/p>\n

The Second Contestant: \u00a0Baird Helgeson<\/strong>: \u00a0 The\u00a0Strib’s\u00a0<\/em>Helgeson wrote last week about the Schoen-Latz bill to take guns away from domestic abusers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It’s not so much that the issue doesn’t warrant attention – domestic abuse is ugly and prone to violence. \u00a0Most people – even shooters – support some provisions to disarm people who are\u00a0legitimately\u00a0<\/em>suspected of domestic abuse, with due process.<\/p>\n

It’s the words “legitimate” and “due process” that are the clinkers. \u00a0Many – maybe most – domestic abuse charges brought during divorce proceedings are inflated or false, intended by angry spouses and sleazy divorce lawyers to try to skew the proceedings. \u00a0 The accused – usually men – are often treated as guilty until proven innocent. \u00a0And even a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction is sufficient to disarm someone for decades, maybe life.<\/p>\n

So most shooters agree – disarm the violent, but give people due process.<\/p>\n

The responsible anti-gunners and the Minnesota 2nd Amendment community have been negotiating over a current bill for a while now, trying to make sure everyone’s concerns get addressed.<\/p>\n

So look at the tone of Mr. Helgeson’s piece. \u00a0I’ll add emphasis for things like cheerleading and repeating Heather Martens’ chanting points under the guise of “news reporting”:<\/p>\n

Minnesota could be on the verge of breakthrough<\/strong> changes in some of its gun laws.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Breaking through…” against what?<\/p>\n

Until now, no restriction on gun ownership has been too small<\/strong> to draw the fierce opposition of gun rights groups and their supporters.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Small” to whom? \u00a0This blog spent a lot of time last year showing how big the “small” restrictions actually were. \u00a0That is, apparently, of no interest to Helgeson.<\/p>\n

Just a year ago, a proposal for broader background checks for firearms purchases was crushed<\/strong> at the Capitol despite attempts to weaken<\/strong> the bill enough to get it approved.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“Crushed” sounds so…bad. \u00a0How about “defeated”?<\/p>\n

This time, a rank-and-file police officer \u2014 who also happens to be a DFL House member from St. Paul Park \u2014 is leading the effort to take all firearms, including rifles, away from those who stalk or abuse their partners. His careful \u00adlegislative campaign<\/strong> is winning surprising support.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Notice how Helgeson is framing the issue? \u00a0Gun rights supporters are tyrants, “crushing” and “weakening” legislation from the plucky, reasonable underdogs of the DFL!<\/p>\n

The narrative is served!<\/p>\n

He has a powerful partner \u2014 Republican Rep. Tony Cornish, a retired police officer and the Legislature\u2019s most outspoken advocate of gun rights. He \u00adregularly carries a handgun into the \u00adCapitol<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Presumably as “the Darth Vader March” plays in the background. \u00a0 That plucky Dan Schoen!<\/p>\n

The bill, which has run a gantlet of House committees<\/strong>, faces its most serious test Monday, when the full House is scheduled to vote on final passage.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now, if I were a reporter exercising my personal biases, I’d say the bill “slithered through a series of House committees where members, weary of defending bad gun bills from well-informed citizens, gave it a solid working-over”.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0good\u00a0<\/em>bills “run gauntlets”.<\/p>\n

Here’s the interesting part – and perhaps the part the Minnesota anti-civil-rights lobby would prefer Helgeson not have written:<\/p>\n

The proposal would put Minnesota at the leading edge<\/strong> of a larger national movement that, after meeting with defeat on more ambitious proposals, is aiming at narrow niche victories<\/strong> in areas with broad public \u00adsupport, such as preventing domestic homicides.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Leading the way to “Victory” against the big bad shooters!<\/p>\n

That is, of course, Michael Bloomberg’s current strategery – to kill the Second Amendment with a million cuts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I wonder if Helgeson would be so excited about laws that tossed biased “journalists” out of the trade? \u00a0Probably not – he (and I) would likely turn into civil libertarian absolutists.<\/p>\n

Narrative alert!<\/p>\n

The bipartisan nature of the measure has drawn the attention of DFL Gov. Mark Dayton, a devoted gun owner<\/strong> who has been leery of tightening Minnesotans\u2019 right to own firearms.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The left trots that out whenever Dayton needs to appear “moderate”.\u00a0 He’s a “devoted gun owner<\/a>” – but not one of the icky bad ones!<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not perfect, but it\u2019s getting there,\u201d said Rob Doar, a lobbyist for the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance, which has dropped its objection to Schoen\u2019s bill. \u201cWe agree with making sure the guns get out of the house,\u201d so long as there is ample due process.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is some question as to how accurately Helgeson related Doar’s quotes. \u00a0I’ll be talking with Rob about this soon enough.<\/p>\n

Studies show that half of all domestic abuse homicides in Minnesota over the past three years involved a firearm.<\/p>\n

\u201cI absolutely believe without a doubt that lives will be saved by this,\u201d said St. Paul City Attorney Sara Grewing, whose office handles about 1,000 domestic violence cases a year.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

All likely true. \u00a0But they’re significant for what they set up:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gun culture of this country is so disturbing<\/strong>,\u201d said Marree Seitz, whose daughter Carolyn was shot and killed by her husband several days after filing for divorce in 1996. \u201cSo much of the domestic abuse is so flammable, where the littlest thing can set the person off,\u201d she said. \u201cThe accessibility of the weapons makes it such a natural thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It’s as if Helgeson thinks he’s writing a buddy movie – the unlikely good\/liberal cop bad\/conservative cop taking unlikely sides against “the gun culture”, personified by all those unwashed gun maniacs that swarm the Capitol “crushing” and “weakening” their precious gun laws.<\/p>\n

And yet they try soooo hard!<\/p>\n

Legislators were still working on the proposal late in the week, ensuring that gun advocates could approve the changes<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

The measure puts opponents in the difficult and politically dicey position of defending gun ownership rights for domestic abusers and stalkers<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Right! \u00a0And in case any of you missed it, Baird Helgeson was there to say it’s so!<\/p>\n

The measure has strong support from Mayors Against Illegal Guns, the country\u2019s largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not to be confused with “gun control group”. \u00a0Good heavens, no.<\/p>\n

The group was founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has poured millions of dollars of his personal fortune<\/strong> into the cause<\/strong>.<\/span>Just this month, Bloomberg pledged an additional $50 million to try to match the NRA\u2019s formidable membership base, lobbying force and campaign organization<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That’s good ol’ Bloomie; just another plucky billionaire underdog, fighting against those millions of regular middle-American nuts!<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly, we ran into a buzz saw last year,\u201d said Paymar, who runs a nonprofit organization aimed at reducing domestic abuse. \u201cThe environment was toxic<\/strong> at the time.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Regular citizens turning out and making their opinions crystal clear = “toxic”.<\/p>\n

Good to know.<\/p>\n

Now It’s Time To Vote!<\/strong>: \u00a0Who wins the first ever “Strib Bias Pageant?”<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Who Wins This Week’s Strib Bias Pageant?<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n
<\/td>\n
\u00a0\u00a0<\/center><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
pollcode.com free polls<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/form>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Results will be announced tomorrow. Vote early and often!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The weekend saw not just one, but\u00a0two\u00a0bits of epic anti-2nd-Amendment bias in the\u00a0Strib. \u00a0And not in the columns, mind you – it was in the “news”. Contestant Number One: \u00a0Matt McKinney: \u00a0McKinney, whose coverage of the Darin Evanovich shooting in 2011 we spent so much time assailing back in the day. \u00a0Last week, he wrote […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[269,130,263,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grass-roots","category-tc-media-bias","category-narrative-for-sale","category-victim-disarmament"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43375"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43405,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43375\/revisions\/43405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.shotinthedark.info\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}