Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott spent some his campaign war chest on web ads targeting gun owners in New York, encouraging them to move to Texas. It probably would have been more productive to talk to Remington about moving its manufacturing plant and its employees from Ilion, New York (where the company started more than 200 years ago) to Texas.

The Journal News took down its online map of gun permit holders, stating that the map violated the spirit – if not the letter – of a new law that allows people to opt out of public identification of their permit holding status.

A recount cost the Republicans a New York State Senate seat, increasing the Democrat majority to 33–30. Oddly, Republicans still control the Senate because they “have formed a ruling coalition with five breakaway Democrats and a sixth who sits with Republicans.” (via Election Law Center)

News that the TSA is removing its Rapiscan X-ray scanners from airports started a debate on the National Review web site that Mark Steyn ended thusly: “Nobody will ever need to hijack an American plane ever again. A generation or two hence, the last al-Qaeda member will die of old age in a Yemeni old folks’ home, but cowed, compliant Americans will still be shuffling shoeless through ever more decrepit airports waiting for the obergropinfuhrer to determine whether the pumpkin mix in their Thanksgiving pie is sufficiently soft to be confiscated as an illegal liquid.”

Republicans in the House of Representatives decided on a strategy for handling the debt ceiling increase – they’re going to pass a bill that increases the debt ceiling enough to pay for three months of the federal government’s overspending, then demand that the House and Senate pass a budget that cuts spending before they’ll increase the debt ceiling again. The bill will also withhold Senators’ pay if they fail to pass a budget; the Senate hasn’t passed a budget in nearly four years.

A think tank at West Point, the Combating Terrorism Center, issued a report entitled, “Challengers from the Sidelines: Understanding America’s Violent Far-Right.” It characterizes Tea Party conservatives as anti-federalists, lumps them in with white supremacists, and labels the whole lot violent.

Legislators in Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Louisiana are all working to reduce if not eliminate their state income tax, so naturally Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is working to increase his state’s income tax rate. He also wants to increase the gas tax, registration fees, and turnpike tolls, eliminate 45 personal tax deductions, and decrease the sales tax.

A state appellate court upheld Wisconsin’s collective bargaining reform law, handing another victory to Governor Scott Walker.

Surprising no one, former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin was indicted on 21 corruption charges, including wire fraud, bribery, and money laundering. I’ve noticed that news outlets often fail to note that Nagin is a Democrat. Maybe it goes without saying.

The battle for control of Alaska’s GOP won’t be settled until February 1, when the new chairman, Russ Millette, is scheduled to take office.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to set aside 1.7 million acres in Colorado and Utah for the sage grouse, which amounts to 386 acres for each bird believed to be alive.

A Texan died of a heart attack during the Algerian military’s assault on the natural gas plant that was seized by al Qaeda affiliate Katibat Moulathamine. There’s an unknown number of Americans still held hostage.

A Mexican national named Gustavo Cruz-Lozano claims it was he who shot and killed Border Patrol agent Brian Terry.

A Tibetan named Tsering Phuntsok self-immolated in Ngaba province.