JNS Blog Desperately Trying To "Cut Through The Chaff," Find Out Background On Angela Carter, Age 34, Cook At South High School Accused Of Being "Straw Buyer" In A Felonious Gun Purchase, And Don't Get Me Going About That Little Daughter Who Might Lose An Eye, Meanwhile Censorship And Insanity Break Lose On North Vent Facebook Forum...

Stock photo, blog post by John Hoff

Why Can't We Have Stories Like This Every Day Between The Endless Ads For Weight Loss Products? 

The Minneapolis Star Tribune is all over the story of a fired Hennepin County guard and a school cook who were allegedly straw gun buyers and helped arm a gang, click here for STrib story. 

But the fact the STrib has the story isn't the END of the story. Feathers are being ruffled and kerfuffles are a-bloom all over, including quite a little controversy on the pages of the highly popular North Vent Facebook forum...

Tempest In A Virtual Teapot

I have it on stellar and sterling authority that a member of the forum posted a link to the STrib article, the same link I provided above, and this sparked such a discussion the thread was approaching the all time record for most comments. Family members of people involved in the charges were jumping in and saying all kinds of things, reportedly. 

But Angela Carter, 34, the school cook who is charged with being the straw buyer reportedly has a connection to somebody named "Williams" who participates in the North Vent Forum. (I've long said the moderators on that North Vent forum aren't nearly picky enough about who they let in, and sometimes it looks like North Talk a/k/a Nut Talk forum over there) 

Trying to keep these messy facts from being aired, this "William" asked a moderator to delete the discussion about Angela Carter, et al. 

So the moderator did, apparently assuming the originator of the discussion would be sympathetic and want the removal as well. But that was a complete misread of the situation. The originator of the discussion was STEAMED about the loss of all those comments and what could have been an all-time-record for discussion on the forum. So steamed, in fact, that a few emails were fired in the direction of this blogger's email.

Here's a few choice words from those emails:
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A drunk uncle with a shot niece and a sister who sells guns to gangs, THAT is more of a [V]ent story than any damn mattress or a 311 fine, for shipping pallets.

Censorship is the first step towards tyranny. IMO.

So sick of this messy city.

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(JNS blog makes sympathetic clucking sounds)

Go, Johnny, Go! (Especially Where North Vent Won't) 

Meanwhile, somebody else is texting my phone and saying "LOOK INTO ANGELA CARTER!" (The woman charged with being a straw buyer whose daughter may lose an eye from a shooting where glass flew around, see Strib article if you haven't already) The message I'm getting on my phone is "People are telling me to tell you to look into Angela Carter, John!" (Paraphrased)

Eww, What Is That Muddy Implement? A Bloody SHOVEL? 

Well, wouldn't I love to? Angela Carter is a common name, but if I take the word of the Star Tribune she's 34 years old, even then I don't see much of a criminal record on MNCIS. On the civil side of MNCIS, well, few middle names, no ages, nothing to tell one Angela Carter from another. I'm at a loss. I can't cut through the chaff. If there's interesting background, I need somebody to SPILL THEIR GUTS and not tell me to "dig it up." 

I don't dig things up. Ninety percent of the time, I publish interesting packages thrown over my virtual transom by hands in the night. No digging involved. My "product" isn't secret facts that need to be unearthed, but the guts to publish what needs to be said in the context of a white hot issue or concern of the day. 

You want somebody to DIG? Well, find somebody who doesn't have half a dozen stories all vying for publication, where the facts are already "dug up" and all that's required is some catchy writing. Get out of the 19th Century print media way of thinking, folks. Ninety percent of what I "dig up" is already on the internet, so if it's already published, how did I "dig it up?" You want a story published on JNS blog? You better chew it up and spit it in my mouth like I'm a baby bird, because I won't be wasting my time "digging" when perfectly good stories rot like fruit falling off low hanging branches.

End of blogger sermon. 

So if the family members who were all worked up on the North Vent forum want to come HERE and post their thoughts, the same sort of thoughts that were deleted from North Vent...

(Half smile, eye roll, shrugging "Meh" gesture) 

This Little Buyer Made His House Of Straw

In the meantime, I can't help but notice a new emphasis coming out of the District Attorney's office on prosecuting straw buyers. It's been a long time coming, but riddle me this: What were the GUN STORES and PAWN SHOPS doing when women with hard luck faces (but no real criminal records) came walking in with wads of cash and written lists of weapons they can't even pronounce? 

"I need a You-Zee..."

"Uzi, ma'am, like Ewww-zee."

"Yeah, one of those. And a couple Lew-jers..."

"Lugers, ma'am, Lew-GER."

"And can I get what's in that pretty red box?"

"Those are blanks, ma'am."

"If they're blank, can they be any kind of bullet I need?" 

(Long pause)

"Yes. Let me know if any other boxes of ammo look 'pretty' to you."

An Editorial Opinion, And I Do Have One 

JNS blog says: Don't tell me it's capitalism and the free market to sell guns to whoever can toddle up to the counter and fill out the forms. Buying a ticket on a plane is also capitalism and the free market, until somebody tries to crash the plane into a government building. That's when capitalism and the free market must give way to the common good and Homeland Security.

To the powers-that-be I say, "Don't just charge who's buying the guns. You tell us where they bought them, so that if charges aren't being brought THERE, at least we know where to assign some degree of MORAL blame."