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Like ValueJet/AirTran, some people seem to think that a name change will change people’s perception.

NEW YORK — Start spreading the news—the notorious set of chompers otherwise known as a pit bull is being renamed the New Yorkie in an effort to improve its image.

While already banned in parts of Colorado, Florida and Connecticut, the dog is just misunderstood, animal lovers contend. But a bloody history of aggression and attacks has branded the dog dangerous and deadly to some.

In the city where a reputation can make or break you, the dogs are getting a fresh moniker.

Ed Boks, director of New York City Animal Care and Control (search), told the New York Post he came up with the idea to change the breed’s name after moving from Phoenix, Ariz., to New York City and realizing that the dogs’ reputation was as erroneous as that of Big Apple citizens, who he said are “some of the most generous an open-hearted people I’ve ever met.”

I know that the media can distort things out of recognition (if you own a gun you understand), but I would tend to be pretty wary of a Pit Bull, regardless of what you call it.  Unless they’re planning to do something to get people to treat the dogs right, the breed will continue to be a problem regardless of what you call it.

Did you know that the Jack Russell Terrier is now known as the Parson Russell Terrier?  I was looking for something else and came across this on the AKC site.  I suppose this is how my brain gets cluttered with so much useless crap…

When I took my sister and her kids to the airport for their return flight recently we made sure to leave plenty of time to deal with the “vaunted” TSA security measures.  Since they had gone to Level Orange (cue Orange Alert sirens…) they were performing vehicle “searches” at the airport entrance.  It’s no secret that I’m no fan of the TSA or any of the silly nonsense they put people through.  But if you’re going to become a police state, at least be serious about it.  The searches they were conducting seemed to be mostly peering into car windows and asking to look in truck toolboxes.  When I got the the front of the line they asked to look in the back of my truck (the Avalanche has an enclosed bed with a cover).  They never bothered to notice the TopBoxes (the side boxes on the rear quarterpanels).

If I’d wanted to smuggle something into the airport, they’d have never had a chance of finding it.  And don’t get me started on the TSA Einsteins who were watching a football game in the baggage claim area the week before when I was there to meet their incoming flight.

During the holidays I took my sister and her kids to the Ft. Worth Zoo.  I was dismayed to find a sign with 30.06 wording (although it wasn’t compliant with the statute) posted at the entrance.  I have come to expect this sort of thing from this kind of institution, given the type of people who run them.  However, recent changes in Texas law make it illegal for a city to post a 30.06 sign on city-owned property.  Given that the sign was only visible once you’d given your ticket and entered the zoo, it caused me a brief moment of consternation until I remembered that the zoo is owned by the city of Ft. Worth (or so I thought; more on this below).

This has been bugging me, so I called the zoo this morning to discuss the matter.  I started with someone in security and got transferred four times until I spoke to someone who had the answers.  The biggest confusion came from a simple question: “Does the city of Ft. Worth own the zoo?”  The short answer is that while the city owns the land and the buildings, the zoo association leases it from the city and (according to their lawyer’s legal opinion) has the authority to post a 30.06 sign.  This seems like an annoying loophole in the new law, but I suppose as a private entity holding claim to the land that the association is within its rights. 

Given that they appear to have the right to post against concealed carry, I pointed out to this gentleman that it would serve everyone’s interest if they’d post the sign at the ticket booth so we’d have a chance to avoid violating their wishes.  As it was, the sign was only visible after you’d entered the zoo, putting you in violation.  Further, the sign did not comply with the statute, which requires a specific message in both English and Spanish in 1-inch high letters.  According to him, there was such a sign, but I never saw one.  These signs are hard to miss, because they have to be huge to accomodate the required wording (which was done on purpose; sort of a scarlet letter approach to identify GFWs at a distance).

Interestingly enough, the person I spoke to told me that he also carried.  I told him that I tended to avoid giving my money to organizations that don’t want me there.  I felt sorry for him as he tried to justify the ban on CHLs from the zoo with something lame about all the schoolkids who come through (i.e. he tried to say it’s not that they don’t want me there, just that they don’t want the guns).  Unfortunately, any argument against concealed carry that uses this approach just boils down to that they don’t trust your judgement.  Whatever.  Barring a legal challenge to their opinion (which I am leaning towards agreement with), I won’t be going back.

The gun show link in the left navigation bar has been updated for 2004.  Most of the show dates are given, although one promoter does not yet give dates past June on their site.  The list of shows is just for the DFW area.

For gun shows in other parts of the country, you may wish to consult Shotgun News or the NRA (although both sources seem to miss most of the shows in the DFW area).

I took a nice relaxing vacation from work and blogging.  I had family in town for part of the time and spent the other part laying about doing next to nothing.  Actually, I had little to say, so I suspect that time on the weblog would have been wasted (and boring to those few of you who are still around). 

Anyhow, more to come…

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I recently acquired a scanner.  I’ve been running it quietly in the background while working.  It’s been really interesting to listen to what goes on during the day.  I’ve programmed it for the Northeast Tarrant County Trunked Radio System (Bedford, Euless, Colleyville, and Keller).  There have been two auto-pedestrian accidents just today and I heard calls for an overdose both yesterday and today.  I’m also picking up stuff from Ft. Worth (and even Arlington), but I haven’t programmed their trunk system in so I’m not getting their talk groups (i.e. I can’t tell which group is broadcasting).

One thing that I’ve confirmed is that cops always give their location and the license plate number when making a traffic stop.  I’ve always wondered at the idiots who run or who try to assault the cops.  Unless the car is stolen, the dispatcher already knows who the car belongs to, making it likely they know who was involved.  And with the dispatcher already knowing the make/model/license of the vehicle, escaping is pretty difficult.  I’m reminded of a great quote from Homicide (the book, not the TV show): Crime makes you stupid.

I’ve been suffering from short-timer syndrome for the past couple of days as my vacation has been edging closer.  At 3:30pm today I’m done until 12/31 (I ran out of vacation days or I’d have stayed off until 1/5).

I’ve got tickets to see Return of the King at 5:35 this evening.  I’m just hoping that my bladder holds out for the full 3 hours and 30 minutes.

* Thank Goodness It’s Friday Before Vacation

If all that stuff we did in the 80’s can be considered culture, that is.  Anyhow, via Jay Solo I took this quiz on 80’s song lyrics.  I missed a few, but I probably knew too many for my own good.