Free Republic

A 63-year-old former engineer may not fit the typical image of a dark-clad assassin with deadly weapons who can disappear into a cloud of smoke. But Jinichi Kawakami is reputedly Japan's last ninja. As the 21st head of the Ban clan, a line of ninjas that can trace its history back some 500 years, Kawakami is considered by some to be the last living guardian of Japan's secret spies.

"Four people flagged down officers late Saturday night, claiming they had been jumped and stabbed. It turns out the three men and one woman were actually the attackers who picked on the wrong guy."

SALT LAKE CITY -- Owning and carrying a knife is the right of every American citizen and Utahn, says an Ogden lawmaker. That is why Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden, is sponsoring House Bill 271, which prohibits counties and cities from creating ordinances regulating the use of knives. HB 271 was passed unanimously Thursday by the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Standing Committee and now goes before the Senate floor for further consideration. Wilcox said some of his constituents who are sportsmen came to him about concerns they had after learning some municipalities in neighboring states had banned certain types...

Knife crime has overtaken terrorism as the No 1 priority for the Metropolitan Police, one of Britain’s most senior officers said yesterday. Deputy Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson announced the form-ation of a special knife-crime unit to address the recent spate of fatal stabbings in London as he admitted that moves to stop teenagers carrying weapons were not working. The unit, featuring specialist officers from across the capital, will target known gang members and their associates who may be carrying or supplying knives. It will also conduct random searches. Sir Paul’s announcement came after a 16-year-old boy became the eighteenth teenager...