Oh, and Al Gore & friends

are so full of crap they should be stood in the fields to fertilize the crops.
A couple of days ago, a Gore spokeswoman ominously warned that they'd be working to block our event:

"We're making inquiries" to see whether the balloon launch violates any local ordinances, (Gore spokeswoman Kalee) Kreider said.

Sure enough, just a few hours before our event was scheduled to kick off, the Nashville Parks and Recreation Department has been in touch, claiming that the permit they approved doesn't allow us to launch our balloon from the city park where we're holding our event -- even though we told them repeatedly exactly what we planned to do.

Roy Wilson, the director of the Board of Parks and Recreation, has even reportedly told one of our staffers on the ground that Nashville police officers will be on hand and will physically restrain members of our crew if they attempt to launch the balloon. Glad to see that the police in Nashville have solved all the murders, rapes, assaults and robberies and can now concentrate on the real scourge facing the city: unpermitted hot-air balloon launches over Al Gore's estate.

With all the politically-correct, prevent-hurt-feelings,

don't upset anybody at any cost bullcrap going around, I remembered something I told my kids years ago:

Freedom of Speech has to include people you don't like and ideas you don't agree with: if it doesn't it's nothing more than a buzz phrase that makes you feel good when you use it.

General stuff

Barack Ignore-the-man-behind-the-curtain Obama is a liar. And corrupt. (Thanks to Rodger and Doug)

I think Sen. Dodd(Bastard/Who Cares) is, by correct definition, a fascist since he seems to think the State owns us and everything about us:
Hidden deep in Senator Christopher Dodd's 630-page Senate housing legislation is a sweeping provision that affects the privacy and operation of nearly all of America’s small businesses. The provision, which was added by the bill's managers without debate this week, would require the nation's payment systems to track, aggregate, and report information on nearly every electronic transaction to the federal government.
(also thanks to Rodger)

Is the Certificate of Birth for Barack I'll Change You Obama fake?

There's been a lot on talk radio the last few days about two SocialistsDemocrats calling for 'socializing/nationalizing'(translation: stealing) the oil companies. Not a surprise, Obama's people think it's a good idea. And if he had the balls to say so openly(outside of a friendly audience), I think he'd call for it, too. I'm thinking maybe, in some cases, we could skip the tar and feathers and go straight to the rope and lampposts. (also from Doug)

Althouse demonstrates the mind of the believer.
It's fine with me. I don't like the campaign finance scheme. And I like a practical politician who adjusts to changing circumstances. It's good news that he's not an ideologue. I don't think he's going to lose the people who fell in love with him as a vision of idealism. I think he's going to gain moderate people like me who want an effective, sensible leader.

Canada isn't just for fascist 'human rights' commissions anymore:
First, the father banned his 12-year-old daughter from going online after she posted photos of herself on a dating site. Then she allegedly had a row with her stepmother, so the father said his girl couldn't go on a school trip.

The girl took the matter to the court - and won what lawyers say was an unprecedented judgment.

Also from Sondra, moonbat roosting in tree. You know, there's a solution for that: it's known as a 'chainsaw'.

And last, stealing the Presidential Seal this way sucks. Arrogant little bastard, isn't he?

Oh, Mahmoud, I don't think you need to worry

about something like that:
Tehran, 19 June (AKI) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has told religious leaders that American forces wanted to kidnap him on his last trip to Iraq.

Ahmadinejad allegedly made the remark to religious leaders on Thursday during a meeting in the Shia holy city of Qom.

"The president spoke of a frustrated kidnap attempt by the Americans to then transfer him to the United States to later blackmail the Islamic republic to release him," an Islamic legal scholar told the Tabnak website.

You see, Mahmoud, there's two problems with this story:
1: If our guys wanted to kidnap you, you'd be sitting in a secure location wondering if your 12th Imam buddy was going to appear through a window and save you(he won't).
2: I doubt our guys have any interest in kidnapping you. Killing you, yes.

Dumbass.

Since there can never be too much Murtha whacking,

take a look here.

Since Obama & Co. seem to like Winnie the Pooh as their National Security

guy(various stuff on this here), I remembered this. Of course, this Poohwould probably send Obama and his 'security adviser' running for cover: just too nasty and practical, you know.

He's off

Dammit.

'Dammit' for two reasons. The simpler, the only place to stop along the way to the airport for some breakfast was McDonalds. And how they managed to screw up an order for two people, made with THEIR OWN DAMN NUMBERS, I do not know. And we didn't have time to go back through the line that had formed behind us. Bastards.

The other, I wish I could go in his place. Seems like I should be over there, and he should be here with his wife getting their life going. But I can't.

And if I find out TSA gave him a hard time, I'll piss in their boots: they're likely dumb enough to believe it is raining outside.

On Reset Buttons, and a 'Holy CRAP!' moment

Went to Kevin's place for my regular dose of "There went THAT good mood" and found this link to Rustmeister who linked to Mad Rocket Scientist on the subject of reset buttons and disaster and what could/would happen.
(as an aside, screw California: it's not the only place with nasty fault lines. When the New Madrid fault turns loose again- hopefully a looong time from now- FEMA & Co. are going to be too busy to help most people)
I've known some people- good people, generally- who flat refuse to consider such things: it's just too disturbing to them so they just don't think about it. One friend just won't think about the possibility of terror attacks in this country, she just can't handle it. So they have no supplies for emergency use, and won't even make a list. And if/when something major does happen, they'll be in line for help from the nice, overworked gummint people because neither they nor their church or the people around them will have anything. And the people who did prepare are not going to hand out their stuff: they can't help the whole damn street, and if they give their stuff out they're screwed too. Shoot looters, yes: hand out their water and food, no.

And then, just to complete the evening, he linked to this, which led to this:
(my addition) Sponsored by the fast-food rejects with police powers

Urban planning

taken to Soviet-level gummint control:
Motorists living in Gordon Brown's futuristic green communities face fines for driving their cars out of town, under radical proposals being drawn up by ministers, The Times has learnt.

Residents of the largely pedestrianised eco-towns may also be expected to park their cars at the outskirts and walk or cycle to their homes, up to ten minutes away.

These are among possible ways being discussed with ministers to meet a government target to cut car use in eco-towns by half. Detailed planning proposals will be published next month, a senior Whitehall official said.

Hmmm, I wonder if they've got standards picked out for who gets to/has to live there?

The official emphasised that the rules would be adapted for more rural areas, where there was less public transport. “But outside Cambridge or near Stansted airport, for example, where there are strong transport links, you could be charged for driving out [of the eco-town],” the official said.

The proposals, which are also being discussed with developers, are part of a plan to cut carbon emissions within up to ten eco-towns to be built from 2013. They are also key to the Prime Minister's ambition to build three million new homes by 2020, 30 per cent of which will be affordable.

Catch that last bit? "30 per center of which will be affordable." Anyone else wonder just what that gets into?

A free minibus(i.e. "Paid for with your taxes but we'll call it 'free'") will tour round the high streets to shops, schools and GPs' surgeries and stop within five minutes' walk of every home. Residents will be able to consult in their homes an electronic board, which displays bus times and flashes an alert when one is approaching.
Cue electronic voice: "Hurry up, you slacker peasant, the bus is coming!"

Each town is expected to be carbon-neutral, but the Government has bowed to developers' concerns that the highest criteria (Level 6) for zero-carbon homes could add £30,000 to building costs. Caroline Flint, the Housing Minister, told The Times yesterday that, until 2016, the new homes could be built at the much lower Level 3, provided that this was balanced by other energy reducing measures. “We are in negotiations with developers and hope many of them will go further,” she said. Translation: Developer: "Are you fookin' crazy?!? That'll add 30k to the price, how many can afford that?" Flint: "Well, you can build at a lower level for the poor, but we HOPE(with threatening look) that you will do the higher level on at least some and eat the cost."

Other “eco-measures” include plans to install underground vacuum recycling, where residents have chutes for different types of waste, which is then automatically taken to a recyling centre on site. Solar panels and wind turbines will be used for power, as well as biomass boilers, fuelled by wood chips from the surrounding forests. Electric vehicles charged from shops and schools would also be encouraged.
Oh, God. Catch that 'biomass boilers'? THEYRE GOING TO CUT DOWN TREES AND BURN THEM. IN THE NAME OF REDUCING THE 'CARBON FOOTPRINT'.

The mind boggles, it really does.

Senator Dodd:

Hypocritical dirtbag. And this mail sent to Insty just has to be noted:

Sen. Dodd Calls the CEO shopping for a mortgage doing what "millions of people do" and upon hearing he¹s a friend of Angelo thinks this is the same deal "Millions" will be able to "negotiate."

Then Kent "No Clue" Conrad also calls his buddy Angelo (whom he's never met) and having no idea that he's getting a better deal.

I'm puzzled. If Mr. Dodd and Conrad are really this stupid that they call the CEO of a national mortgage company looking for a loan and don't expect a special deal they're too dumb to be in congress. If on the other hand they think we're stupid enough to believe these lame excuses they out to be run out of town on a rail.

Finally the unanswered question is who gave these two clowns Angelo's phone number?

Sen. Dodd: "Come on, there's nothing here! Anyone can get that number!" Yeah.

Canadian 'Human Rights Commission' decides review needed:

will perform 'independent' review' itself.
OTTAWA - Amid mounting public and political controversy, the Canadian Human Rights Commission has launched an independent review of the way it deals with hate speech on the Internet.

Chief Commissioner Jennifer Lynch announced Tuesday she has asked Richard Moon, a leading constitutional expert at the University of Windsor, to conduct the study. His report, expected this October, will help shape the commission's position on whether Internet hate laws should be changed, she said.
...
Lynch played down the controversy stirred up by the Maclean's complaints or the ensuing parliamentary manoeuvres as triggers for the review.

"We've been working on this for a long time internally," she said, adding she identified it as an issue last summer, soon after taking over as chief commissioner.

That said, she conceded that the "velocity" of the public debate "took all of us by surprise. It's clear the public want to have the debate. Our job really is to animate and lead on the debate."

Lynch said she isn't "the least bit concerned" that the current law blurs the lines between hate speech and speech that is merely offensive.

Lots of bureaucratic "We have done nothing wrong", etc., "Oh no, the fact that people are calling us what we are(which isn't very nice and we may sue you for it) has NOTHING to do with our review of ourselves", etc.

This is just like a lot of the crap we've got down here, in that The Human Rights Act allows the commission to draft binding guidelines - similar to statutory regulations - that can set out the application of the act.

"We have learned how to work within our legislative mandate and modernize," she said.

"If it's possible to do so, it's more practical not to have legislative amendments, because that takes a long time to do." , which means "We'll make our own rules, so please get the politicians to stop trying to pass laws." Like ATF giving people letters saying "This is legal", then- after they've invested a lot of time and money on the basis of the letter- writing another letter saying "Nonono, that's not legal and you can't do it!" Which is bullcrap and needs to be dealt with here, too.

Short version, the Commission is feeling the heat and trying to get the spotlight off their actions and rules. Hopefully, it won't work and they'll get the 'review' they really need: being put out of business.

Oh Mr. Murtha, you miserable excuse for a

son of a whore, can you make a comment now?
Military Judge Colonel Steven Folsom, USMC, this morning dismissed all charges against Lt Colonel Jeffrey Chessani on the grounds of unlawful command influence. He blistered the prosecution’s case in an opinion he read from the bench that lasted an hour. The ruling was without prejudice. Colonel Folsom gave prosecutors 72 hours in which to notify him whether they would appeal.
...
In May 2008, Col Folsom ruled that he found evidence of unlawful command influence (UCI). Courts consider UCI the mortal enemy of military justice. The judge’s finding was based upon the evidence that Generals Mattis and Helland, who controlled the disposition of LtCol Chessani’s case, were impermissibly influenced by Marine lawyer Col John Ewers, one of the initial investigators of the Haditha. Col Ewers was permitted to attend at least and up to 25 closed-session meetings in which LtCol Chessani’s case was discussed.

As a result of that ruling, the burden shifted to prosecutors to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that (1) the facts alleged by the defense are untrue; (2) the facts alleged do not constitute unlawful command influence; or (3) the unlawful command influence will not affect the proceedings. In short, court decisions on unlawful command influence require the military judge to avoid even the “appearance of this evil” in his courtroom.
...
As I understand it, they can refile the charges, BUT. They face a SERIOUS "Can you prove?" questioning if they do. And having every word they say and every action they take gone over with a razor-edged stripping comb looking for anything improper.

I wonder if Murtha's minions will have anything to say other than "The Rep. cannot comment while the trial is ongoing"? Of course, if the manmiserable bastard had any sense of honor or shame he'd have already apologized to these Marines for the damage he's done, both to their lives and careers, and to the war effort: but he's proven he has neither of those qualities, so I don't expect much. This mess not only caused immense damage to our efforts, it's pretty much destroyed the careers of these men, but Murtha, Pelosi and Reid & Co. don't give a crap about that.

And speaking of (fG) Britain,

that 'Ban guns = Peace and Light' idea ain't working out too well.

A true 'progressive'(i.e. commie without the cojones to admit it)

bitching and whining, is pointed out by Thud:
The sun now rises on the right and those of us on the other side are left despondent as we anticipate a prolonged winter of discontent. We, who believe in fairness, equality, human rights and universal justice, are of no consequence. The fever of failure consumes our hopes and there is no relief as we witness the collapse of the British Left and the ideals that defined post-war advancement in this country, turning an obstinately class-riven, imperial nation into a model of progressive politics.
That would be the 'progressive politics' that includes virtually banning self-defense, disarming honest citizens, trashing Britain, the 'fairness' of areas where non-muslims go at risk of life(and risk of jail if they talk about it), and a government that refuses to allow a vote on the Lisbon Treaty.
Local election results show the country lurching right, in some parts even embracing the BNP. Instead of condemning the scum, Britons are instructed to "understand" why these voters are "driven" to vote for neo-Nazis. We are simultaneously warned to show no such understanding of young Muslims who are seduced by hate-filled Imams. White resentment of "foreigners" is no more respectable than Muslim hatred of Westerners. Yet in our unequal world it is.
I don't think that whites, in general, resent 'foreigners' as a whole: they DO resent those who come to your country and expect everything to be changed to accommodate THEM, and they're right to resent that, you moron. And I'll point out that it's 'tolerance'(i.e. 'bending over and saying "Forgive us!" to those who want to destroy you) that's driven a bunch of people to consider the BNP.

And, just like the Democrats over here,
Almost more depressing is the sight of black and Asian Britons following the wind blowing the Tories to victory. Boris has recruited Afro Caribbean "leaders" who believe in physical chastisement and smart young Asians who deny the existence of racism and want an end to political correctness. The more old-fashioned Uncle Toms and their female equivalents are now expediently making themselves known to the Tories and right-wing think tanks.
"If you don't think correctly, as WE say you should, you're a race-traitor!" Etc.

If you've got the stomach, read the whole mess: it's a nice picture of the mindset of the 'progressive, socialist' clowns out there who want to surrender to the islamists, and who still think communism is a good idea, it's just that 'TRUE communism hasn't been tried yet/by the 'right' people/in the 'right' way'.

Tales of two dinosaurs,

one possible and one (unfortunately) still burning oxygen.

The possible is interesting:
The answer is that they believe that this single fragment of a beast which stalked the earth untold millions of years ago could hold the key which will unlock the secrets of the dinosaurs.

Extraordinarily, they contend that it could lead to a real life Jurassic Park, where dinosaurs are once again unleashed on the world by scientists.

For just like in the hit Steven Spielberg movie, these men and women are intent on cracking the genetic code of the dinosaurs and opening the possibility of bringing them back to life.
Very interesting. Though I could do without packs of sicklefeet running around, wonder what duckbill tastes like, fresh off the grill?

The dinosaur currently wasting oxygen is displaying his waste with comments like this:
Asked what he thinks of McCain, Vidal calls him a "disaster," then tells Deborah Solomon, "Who started this rumor that he was a war hero? Where does that come from, aside from himself? About his suffering in the prison war camp?"

Solomon replies: "Everyone knows he was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam." To which Vidal responds: "That’s what he tells us."

Why would you doubt him? Solomon wonders. "He’s a graduate of Annapolis," Vidal explains. "I know a lot of the Annapolis breed. Remember, I’m West Point, where I was born. My father went there."
Your father, I tend to think, should have worn a condom on a special night.
Asked how he felt when he heard about the passing earlier this year of his conservative nemesis, William F. Buckley, Vidal says, "I thought hell is bound to be a livelier place, as he joins forever those whom he served in life, applauding their prejudices and fanning their hatred."
Actually, 'dinosaur' is the wrong term for him, as they actually served a purpose other than causing annoyance to their fellow beings. I guess I'll have to stick with 'Effing leftist moron'.

I commemoration of this momentous day

which is actually a week late(deal with it), I'm posting an early piece on

How to clean your guns

First, you require a dirty gun. You should not drop one in the garden or the vacuum cleaner bag; you need one dirty from shooting; not only is this the proper way to get your gun dirty, it's a lot more fun. And noisy.

Now you need cleaning supplies. Oil and/or bore cleaner, cleaning patches, a cleaning rod, the jag to hold your patches, and a large flat space to lay things out on. This surface should not be one that is easily stained or damaged, or should be one you can hide. If you're married, you already know why(if you're not, you'll find out one day)

First, make sure the firearm to be cleaned is unloaded, with no cartridge left in the chamber. Not doing this could be noisy, and lead to more damage-cover problems.

Second, take it apart enough to clean it. There are two levels of this:
Field-stripping means taking it apart just enough to clean things off.
Detail-stripping means taking the whole damn thing apart; barrel, screws, stock, springs and all. This method is much more fun, allowing you to clean everything and giving much more opportunity to lose things and practice your language skills. Especially if you've lost the directions to put it back together.

For most needs, field-strip the thing and lay the parts out in order.
Remove the cat from the table.
Wet a patch with your chosen cleaning agent and wipe things off, setting them down in order. Put a patch on your cleaning rod, wet it down, and run it through the bore. Repeat, and set aside.

About this time you'll find that either a: the cat has returned to the table, or b: you're out of patches. Take a moment to either throw the beast off or dig out some more patches. You don't have more? Find that old t-shirt and start cutting. By the time you finish this, you're thirsty, so you have to wash your hands and get a drink. Do wash first; gun oil/cleaner does not help the taste of any drink known to man. And put the bottle down, you can have that after you're done.

Return. If you detail-stripped the piece, you'll likely find that either the cat came back to visit and is batting things around, or you bumped the table and things rolled around. This is your first opportunity to practice your language skills. Which, if you have kids, may also get you a lecture you really don't need right now.

Take a rag and wipe all the parts off, hopefully taking off all the fouling. Then wipe them down again with a clean patch & oil. Push a couple of clean patches through the bore, hopefully wiping all the crud out of the bore. If not, run a couple more wet patches through and wipe out again.

You should also have a couple of spare rags handy, or a roll of paper towels. This is to wipe up the spill when you knock the bottle over. You will do this either when a: you reach for it, or b: when the !*(@)#*&^^@ cat jumps back up on the table. If yours is a really fiendish beast, it WILL jump up where reaching for it will cause you to knock the damn bottle over.

Wipe up spill, and mutter language lesson, then run clean patches through bore. Unless you're shooting really crappy ammo or have let it get really nasty, this should do it.

Wipe all excess oil off all parts, and reassemble. And you're done!

Unless, of course, you detail-stripped it. Then you get to look for all the parts that have rolled/fallen somewhere, and try to find your directions(which you then get to try to open up without getting oily fingerprints all over it, causing further display of verbal skill). After finding all necessary parts/materials, then you get to put it all back together.

And now, flush with success, you get to put the firearm away, head back to the sink to wash your hands off- followed by washing out the sink so you don't receive a language lesson.

There are variations on this basic routine. Usually involving parts not being found, falling over the cat/dog, and sometimes ending with screamed imprecations at the pet, the parts involved, and possibly the ancestry of whoever designed the damn thing in the first place.

Now is the time to retire to a chair with a bottle of suitable drink.

Wasn't that easy?

Well, damn!

                     Irons In The Fire                  
                 (s10hammerstrokes)                  

                 -- Site Summary ---                 
       Visits

         Total ...................... 201,001        
         Average per Day ................ 242        
         Average Visit Length .......... 1:45        
         This Week .................... 1,695        

       Page Views

         Total ...................... 264,133        
         Average per Day ................ 318        
         Average per Visit .............. 1.3        
         This Week .................... 2,228        


So last Monday or so I hit 200,000.  And I realize that I've been doing this for just
over four years.

I started this mess for two reasons:
A place to bitch about things
A place to pass on some of the knowledge I'd picked up about forging.

There are limits to how much I can pass on, but I've tried.  However, as some have
discovered to their dismay, there's practically no end to the bitching I can do here
and I think I'll continue.  Bits of knowledge of metal and hammering and firearms,
and my pesonal views on things(whether anyone likes that part or not).