Bigtime.
In this case it's not the corruption, the child molesters, the pimps and so forth. Oh, no, the same assholes that sat on their hands during Rwanda, who're sitting on their hands in Darfur, who always whine to us for money and power, are having their newest gun-ban conference on July 4. On U.S. soil.
I'm sure most of you can already recite the many reasons why we should tell the U.N. to get its collective corrupt ass off of our soil, preferably yesterday. The nice gentleman at The Conservative Voice has this address for Kofi Annan:
The Honorable Kofi Annan
Secretary-General of the United Nations
UN Headquarters
First Avenue at 46th Street
New York, NY 10017
Although I would get a palsy and choke trying to write 'The Honorable' in front of his name. It couldn't hurt to write, though I doubt it'll do any good; Annan is one of the nanny-statists who thinks we just don't know what's really good for us. At The High Road, I also found this site which has an address for the chairman of the current gun-ban conference. I'm afraid he's probably in the same mindset as Annan. What might be better would be to write here:
The Honorable John Bolton
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
799 United Nations Plaza
New York, New York 10017
John Bolton is OUR ambassador to the U.N., and (happily) has shown little hesitation at telling them- in proper diplomatic language, of course- to kiss our collective ass. Couldn't hurt to remind him of what we think of these clowns coming onto OUR soil and trying to screw with OUR Constitution to suit them.
And it goes without saying, write your congresscritter.
And as a guy at High Road says, "Buy guns. Buy ammo. Train."
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Book Review
1491, by Charles C. Mann
The subtitle is 'New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus', which covers it. Lots of information I'd never seen before; some fairly newly discovered, some old but either ignored or covered over in the past.
Short version,
1. The populations of the various tribes and nations were a lot higher than previously accepted,
2. They messed with arranging the land a lot more than some thought possible and some(read 'enviroweenies') want to believe/admit,
3. They were a lot more advanced in some ways that previously known/accepted; in modifying territory to suit them, in textiles and pottery among others.
It covers too much to try and excerpt the whole thing, I'd leave too much out. I will cover some things, though. Such as:
1. The fact that Indian populations were hammered incredibly hard by diseases brought over by Europeans has been known; generally I don't think the full extent over all the Americas was realized. In some areas they're looking at death rates, from disease and follow-on problems, of as much as 90%. So high not just because of no acquired immunity by the people hit, but by a recently discovered immune system liability. Human Leukocyte Antigens are a big part of the immune system, allowing cells to 'recognize' an intruder and take action. Believed to be because they developed from a relatively restricted gene pool, Indians studied show a much lower number of types, no more than about 17 main classes compared to European populations having at least thirty-five main classes. So not only did they not have any previous immunity to the diseases, their systems were not as able to recognize and fight a new disease organism(no, this is not an in-depth analysis, I'm skimming it).
2. In the case of the Spanish in particular, one of the biggest problems was pigs. Their expeditions took them along not only on shipboard, but on land expeditions as walking meat supplies. And what's the species we still have lots of problems with because diseases often go from animal/bird, through this species, to us? Pigs. So while in the original situation a disease might have burned through the expedition and them been noninfectious when they came in contact with a new people, the pigs may still have been carrying it in infectious form. And some went wild, adding both a new species and new disease organisms to the environment.
As a side note, apparently zoonotic diseases were fairly rare in the Americas, the Indians having few domesticated animals. Mann brings up the scary thought, what if they had been more common in the Americas? The Indians would have had a somewhat better immune system, probably, and a much wider range of infectious diseases, which the Europeans would have been exposed to and taken back to Europe. What if some of those organisms had hit Europe like smallpox and such hit the Americas?
3. Much of what was written of as 'virgin forest' and such was no such thing; the various tribes and nations had been modifying the earth to suit them for thousands of years. By burning to clear land, by planting crops that suited them, by diverting streams and rivers and so on. To quote: "Planting their orchards for millenia, the first Amazonians slowly transformed large swaths of the river basin into something more pleasing to human beings... In Ka'apor-managed forests, according to Balee's plant inventories, almost half of the ecologically important species are those used by humans for food. In similar forests that have not recently been managed, the figure is only 20 percent. Balee cautiously estimated, in a widely cited article published in 1989, that at least 11.8 percent, about an eighth, of the non-flooded Amazon forest was "anthropogenic"- directly or indirectly created by humans.
Some researchers today regard this figure as conservative. "I basically think it's all human created" Clement told me. (page 305)
Lots of information, well worth reading. He also notes that the laws and attitudes of the tribes had a definate effect on the settlers, especially in North America, quoting many comments of admiration by our founders. And I'll throw in a couple of things he notes from, let's say, 'less impressed' sorts:
"The savage does not know what it is to obey," complained the French explorer Nicolas Perrot in the 1670's. Indians "think every one ought to be left to his own Opinion, without being thwarted," the Jesuit Louis Hennepin wrote twenty year later.
"There is nothing so difficult to control as the tribes of America," another Jesuit unhappily observed. "All the barbarians have the law of wild asses- they are born, live and die in a liberty without restrain; they do not know what is meant by bridle and bit."(page 334)
Ah, America; the natives have been pissing off the French from the very beginning.
The subtitle is 'New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus', which covers it. Lots of information I'd never seen before; some fairly newly discovered, some old but either ignored or covered over in the past.
Short version,
1. The populations of the various tribes and nations were a lot higher than previously accepted,
2. They messed with arranging the land a lot more than some thought possible and some(read 'enviroweenies') want to believe/admit,
3. They were a lot more advanced in some ways that previously known/accepted; in modifying territory to suit them, in textiles and pottery among others.
It covers too much to try and excerpt the whole thing, I'd leave too much out. I will cover some things, though. Such as:
1. The fact that Indian populations were hammered incredibly hard by diseases brought over by Europeans has been known; generally I don't think the full extent over all the Americas was realized. In some areas they're looking at death rates, from disease and follow-on problems, of as much as 90%. So high not just because of no acquired immunity by the people hit, but by a recently discovered immune system liability. Human Leukocyte Antigens are a big part of the immune system, allowing cells to 'recognize' an intruder and take action. Believed to be because they developed from a relatively restricted gene pool, Indians studied show a much lower number of types, no more than about 17 main classes compared to European populations having at least thirty-five main classes. So not only did they not have any previous immunity to the diseases, their systems were not as able to recognize and fight a new disease organism(no, this is not an in-depth analysis, I'm skimming it).
2. In the case of the Spanish in particular, one of the biggest problems was pigs. Their expeditions took them along not only on shipboard, but on land expeditions as walking meat supplies. And what's the species we still have lots of problems with because diseases often go from animal/bird, through this species, to us? Pigs. So while in the original situation a disease might have burned through the expedition and them been noninfectious when they came in contact with a new people, the pigs may still have been carrying it in infectious form. And some went wild, adding both a new species and new disease organisms to the environment.
As a side note, apparently zoonotic diseases were fairly rare in the Americas, the Indians having few domesticated animals. Mann brings up the scary thought, what if they had been more common in the Americas? The Indians would have had a somewhat better immune system, probably, and a much wider range of infectious diseases, which the Europeans would have been exposed to and taken back to Europe. What if some of those organisms had hit Europe like smallpox and such hit the Americas?
3. Much of what was written of as 'virgin forest' and such was no such thing; the various tribes and nations had been modifying the earth to suit them for thousands of years. By burning to clear land, by planting crops that suited them, by diverting streams and rivers and so on. To quote: "Planting their orchards for millenia, the first Amazonians slowly transformed large swaths of the river basin into something more pleasing to human beings... In Ka'apor-managed forests, according to Balee's plant inventories, almost half of the ecologically important species are those used by humans for food. In similar forests that have not recently been managed, the figure is only 20 percent. Balee cautiously estimated, in a widely cited article published in 1989, that at least 11.8 percent, about an eighth, of the non-flooded Amazon forest was "anthropogenic"- directly or indirectly created by humans.
Some researchers today regard this figure as conservative. "I basically think it's all human created" Clement told me. (page 305)
Lots of information, well worth reading. He also notes that the laws and attitudes of the tribes had a definate effect on the settlers, especially in North America, quoting many comments of admiration by our founders. And I'll throw in a couple of things he notes from, let's say, 'less impressed' sorts:
"The savage does not know what it is to obey," complained the French explorer Nicolas Perrot in the 1670's. Indians "think every one ought to be left to his own Opinion, without being thwarted," the Jesuit Louis Hennepin wrote twenty year later.
"There is nothing so difficult to control as the tribes of America," another Jesuit unhappily observed. "All the barbarians have the law of wild asses- they are born, live and die in a liberty without restrain; they do not know what is meant by bridle and bit."(page 334)
Ah, America; the natives have been pissing off the French from the very beginning.
This Just In: Food Police Screw It Up
As if that's a surprise
Over at Instapundit found this link to a story- at the New York Times of all places- stating "Well-Intentioned Food Police May Create Havoc With Childeren's Diets". Besides listing a lot of the crap thrown out at 'fact' and the results thereof, it takes note of the other crap coming in as part of this mess: "Like the policies put in place by school systems around the country, this one was driven by anxiety — about food quantity, quality and safety — and by the ever-increasing pressure for children to look a certain way and to weigh a certain amount."
She points out that there are kids allergic to dairy and other stuff, but it's only peanut butter that gets banned, and this:
"I fear there's something else at work — a fear borne out by a flier my fifth grader brought home saying that at the monthly pizza hot lunch, no child would be allowed to buy a second slice of pizza. The district says the new ruling is to avoid bad feelings caused by "inequities": if everyone can't have extra helpings, no one can."
So it's school as 'Equality Police', too, surprise surprise. And she notes the nanny-state BS of the BMI squirrels:
"A look at what's happening on the state level confirms this. In Arkansas, for instance, children's report cards now include their B.M.I., or body mass index, along with their grades. The governor, Mike Huckabee recently lost more than 100 pounds and is passionate about stopping the "obesity epidemic." Maryland is considering a similar standard.
Over at Instapundit found this link to a story- at the New York Times of all places- stating "Well-Intentioned Food Police May Create Havoc With Childeren's Diets". Besides listing a lot of the crap thrown out at 'fact' and the results thereof, it takes note of the other crap coming in as part of this mess: "Like the policies put in place by school systems around the country, this one was driven by anxiety — about food quantity, quality and safety — and by the ever-increasing pressure for children to look a certain way and to weigh a certain amount."
She points out that there are kids allergic to dairy and other stuff, but it's only peanut butter that gets banned, and this:
"I fear there's something else at work — a fear borne out by a flier my fifth grader brought home saying that at the monthly pizza hot lunch, no child would be allowed to buy a second slice of pizza. The district says the new ruling is to avoid bad feelings caused by "inequities": if everyone can't have extra helpings, no one can."
So it's school as 'Equality Police', too, surprise surprise. And she notes the nanny-state BS of the BMI squirrels:
"A look at what's happening on the state level confirms this. In Arkansas, for instance, children's report cards now include their B.M.I., or body mass index, along with their grades. The governor, Mike Huckabee recently lost more than 100 pounds and is passionate about stopping the "obesity epidemic." Maryland is considering a similar standard.
Never mind that B.M.I. is only a measure of height against weight and does not take into account muscle mass, body type or other factors. (Tom Cruise has a B.M.I. of 31, which puts him in the "obese" category.)"
You ought to read it, it's worth the time.Sunday, May 28, 2006
Peace weenies
were out in force the other day. Not much force, but some. Bunch of empty boots lined up along the curb and the signs you'd expect: End Bush's Illegal and Immoral War, America Deserves Better, etc., and of course the dove banner and a 'Honk for Peace' sign.
Makes we wish I had a BIG damn set of speakers to put in the back of the truck. Pull up next to them and play March of Cambreadth at roughly 747 takeoff volume.
You've never HEARD the March? What kind of commie are you? Go here, slide down to the Midsummer album and you can play it.
Makes we wish I had a BIG damn set of speakers to put in the back of the truck. Pull up next to them and play March of Cambreadth at roughly 747 takeoff volume.
You've never HEARD the March? What kind of commie are you? Go here, slide down to the Midsummer album and you can play it.
Lawrence of Arabia
The movie with Peter O'Toole as Lawrence. Borrowed it from the library a while back, and I was thinking about it earlier, one scene in particular. Lawrence and a group from Prince Feisal's tribe are going to attack a Turkish outpost and wind up invited to spend the night and dine with Auda abu Tayi.
They've just finished eating and are discussing what Lawrece's group are planning, and maneuvering to get Auda to help, Lawrence says that Auda serves the Turks, who pay him to leave them alone, because 'the servant takes money'. From there, as I recall, Auda is enraged. He jumps to his feet and, half-crouched with one fist clenched says "I am Auda abu Tayi!" Turns to his closest tribesmen, "Does Auda serve?" They all cry no and he turns to the rest of the men outside, yells "Does Auda abu Tayi serve?" and all cry no. Then he turns to Lawrence and says:
"I bear twenty-three great wounds on my body, all got in battle. Seventy-five men have I slain with my own hands, all in battle. I kill my enemies, burn their tents and scatter their flocks and herds. The Turks pay me a golden ransom every month and yet I am poor. For I am a river to my people", this last to great cheering from his tribe.
It's a beautiful scene, to my mind possibly the best in the movie. Auda is absolutely enraged at the idea that he might serve anyone short of God; he is the tribes' head, and to him there is no one above him but God.
If you've never seen the movie, you should.
They've just finished eating and are discussing what Lawrece's group are planning, and maneuvering to get Auda to help, Lawrence says that Auda serves the Turks, who pay him to leave them alone, because 'the servant takes money'. From there, as I recall, Auda is enraged. He jumps to his feet and, half-crouched with one fist clenched says "I am Auda abu Tayi!" Turns to his closest tribesmen, "Does Auda serve?" They all cry no and he turns to the rest of the men outside, yells "Does Auda abu Tayi serve?" and all cry no. Then he turns to Lawrence and says:
"I bear twenty-three great wounds on my body, all got in battle. Seventy-five men have I slain with my own hands, all in battle. I kill my enemies, burn their tents and scatter their flocks and herds. The Turks pay me a golden ransom every month and yet I am poor. For I am a river to my people", this last to great cheering from his tribe.
It's a beautiful scene, to my mind possibly the best in the movie. Auda is absolutely enraged at the idea that he might serve anyone short of God; he is the tribes' head, and to him there is no one above him but God.
If you've never seen the movie, you should.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Flea market report
Ok, Xavier has the pawn shop circuit, so on occasion I'll cover flea markets.
There's a big one over in Midwest city called Mary's Swap Meet, went over there this morning. Today was a good day, found
1. A pair of 30-round M1 Carbine magazines for a friend,
2. A WWII or just after side-opening .50 caliber ammo can and
3. A bucket of lead.
The magazines showed no rust, and if I'm not mistaken they were the version made for the M2 select-fire carbine. The ammo can was a prize; no visible rust, and the seal is in halfway decent condition. Most of these have some rust and the seals are completely dried out or missing. The bucket was full of mostly wheel weights, a few 3, 4 & 5oz sinkers and a big chunk that looks like was dumped out of a pot after it cooled with some wheel weight clips stuck in it. I'm guessing about fifty pounds total for $5. Very good. Except for carrying the heavy damn thing halfway across the market and out to the truck; I'm surprised the bucket didn't break or the bail pull out.
Did a little forging this afternoon(very little as it turned out; a few light pieces only because my elbow didn't like hammering today) and after that got out the pot and started melting weights and casting them into ingots. I've got one of the Lee ingot molds that throws two 1lb and two 1/2lb ingots. When all was done,
27 1lb ingots and 26 1/2lb with one about 1/4 lb; total about 40 pounds. And I haven't started on the big chunk yet, I'll probably have to use the torch to melt it into the pot a section at a time; I'm guessing it's about 15-20 pounds.
That's not the most I ever found there; one day found 5-gallon bucket of assorted lead, worked out to about 75 pounds, a mix of wheel weights, battery cable ends and-prize of all- a bunch of stained-glass window channel, pure lead.
So today was indeed a good day there.
By the way, it's no damn fun carrying something like that with a bum foot. I was originally going to go to Muskogee today with friends, but begged off because of crap needed to do and having trouble walking. I know, going to the market wasn't the best idea. And I'm paying for it now.
There's a big one over in Midwest city called Mary's Swap Meet, went over there this morning. Today was a good day, found
1. A pair of 30-round M1 Carbine magazines for a friend,
2. A WWII or just after side-opening .50 caliber ammo can and
3. A bucket of lead.
The magazines showed no rust, and if I'm not mistaken they were the version made for the M2 select-fire carbine. The ammo can was a prize; no visible rust, and the seal is in halfway decent condition. Most of these have some rust and the seals are completely dried out or missing. The bucket was full of mostly wheel weights, a few 3, 4 & 5oz sinkers and a big chunk that looks like was dumped out of a pot after it cooled with some wheel weight clips stuck in it. I'm guessing about fifty pounds total for $5. Very good. Except for carrying the heavy damn thing halfway across the market and out to the truck; I'm surprised the bucket didn't break or the bail pull out.
Did a little forging this afternoon(very little as it turned out; a few light pieces only because my elbow didn't like hammering today) and after that got out the pot and started melting weights and casting them into ingots. I've got one of the Lee ingot molds that throws two 1lb and two 1/2lb ingots. When all was done,
27 1lb ingots and 26 1/2lb with one about 1/4 lb; total about 40 pounds. And I haven't started on the big chunk yet, I'll probably have to use the torch to melt it into the pot a section at a time; I'm guessing it's about 15-20 pounds.
That's not the most I ever found there; one day found 5-gallon bucket of assorted lead, worked out to about 75 pounds, a mix of wheel weights, battery cable ends and-prize of all- a bunch of stained-glass window channel, pure lead.
So today was indeed a good day there.
By the way, it's no damn fun carrying something like that with a bum foot. I was originally going to go to Muskogee today with friends, but begged off because of crap needed to do and having trouble walking. I know, going to the market wasn't the best idea. And I'm paying for it now.
Friday, May 26, 2006
I started to write on this this morning,
but by the time I finished beating out letters to congresscritters, I had to go to work. I was also too damn mad to do it then.
This being the abortion of a 'border security and immigration bill' that those smirking idiots in the Senate passed.
Now, not only do illegal aliens get a pass on various felony crimes that would put you or I in jail; not only does it give amnesty to illegals who've been here a while(and I don't care how much the assholes don't like the word, that's EXACTLY what it is); thanks to those two extra-sorry shits Dodd and Specter, we would have to 'consult' with the friggin' GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO before we could build a god-cursed FENCE on our OWN DAMN BORDER.
Screw politeness, screw nice, these bastards should be removed from office for acting against the interests of the United States and violating the oath they've taken- more than once.
God-DAMMIT I'm tired of this crap.
This being the abortion of a 'border security and immigration bill' that those smirking idiots in the Senate passed.
Now, not only do illegal aliens get a pass on various felony crimes that would put you or I in jail; not only does it give amnesty to illegals who've been here a while(and I don't care how much the assholes don't like the word, that's EXACTLY what it is); thanks to those two extra-sorry shits Dodd and Specter, we would have to 'consult' with the friggin' GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO before we could build a god-cursed FENCE on our OWN DAMN BORDER.
Screw politeness, screw nice, these bastards should be removed from office for acting against the interests of the United States and violating the oath they've taken- more than once.
God-DAMMIT I'm tired of this crap.
I just LOVE doing things like this
Decided to get some dies and some .284 Winchester brass to resize for 7.5 Swiss.
Check Midway and find several things I need.
Find the dies; there are several, but I've had good results from them in the past so I get the Lee set.
Order the brass while I'm at it.
They ship fast, so I got the stuff in today. Joy, joy, I can load!
Except...
Remember those dies? I forgot something: you need to run the .284 brass through a full-length resizing die like this set the first time because you need to both resize the neck and set the shoulders back just a touch. So now I have to 1. send the neck-sizing dies back and exchange for the full-length set(not a problem; Midway is very good on customer service) or b: keep the neck-sizer and order a full-length set, using the full-length die for new .284 brass and the neck-sizer thereafter.
I repeat: I just LOVE doing stuff like this.
Check Midway and find several things I need.
Find the dies; there are several, but I've had good results from them in the past so I get the Lee set.
Order the brass while I'm at it.
They ship fast, so I got the stuff in today. Joy, joy, I can load!
Except...
Remember those dies? I forgot something: you need to run the .284 brass through a full-length resizing die like this set the first time because you need to both resize the neck and set the shoulders back just a touch. So now I have to 1. send the neck-sizing dies back and exchange for the full-length set(not a problem; Midway is very good on customer service) or b: keep the neck-sizer and order a full-length set, using the full-length die for new .284 brass and the neck-sizer thereafter.
I repeat: I just LOVE doing stuff like this.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Buttpack carry
Or fannypack to use the more polite term. Especially in hot weather, it can be one of the best ways to carry a sidearm, but you've got to pick the right one.
'Right one' covers a lot of things. Size, color, and method of draw. Size, big enough to carry your piece and your wallet and/or phone and/or makeup(for the ladies, dammit, shut up) and keys or whatever. And you should use it for things other than your gun; that makes it a bag with stuff in it as opposed to a mostly empty bag that looks kind of heavy. Color because some styles, in the standard black, look like a gun-carrier; change it to yellow or brown or blue and it looks less like one.
Method of draw is what originally made me think seriously on this. I had a small pack I used for a couple of years; the main compartment fit a model 36 snubnose nicely, the smaller pocket carried my wallet & keys. But it was not a gun bag, just a small buttpack, so to get to the weapon you had to grab the zipper pull and pull it all the way across and then reach inside. This came forcefully to mind one evening when a friend and I were going into a bookstore. About halfway across the parking lot a guy started walking toward us. Specifically toward us, not past or near. Without really thinking about it I shifted my angle to put myself between him and my friend and scanned to see if there was anyone else(there wasn't) and, in the midst of this, realized that he was close enough that if he did attack, there was no damn way I could get to the piece before he reached us. Which kicked my mind into 'prepare for combat' mode, which means my body position shifted and I also thought about, if necessary, grabbing my knife(CRKT folder with the clip hooked over my pocket; unopened it stuck out just a touch beyond the outside of my fist, good to strike with). Turned out he was just a panhandler, but this is one of those 'maybe' situations. Maybe he was, and maybe he wasn't; maybe he had other plans but saw the change in my position/movements and changed his mind; who knows?
What I do know is I stopped carrying my piece in that bag, it was just too hard to get to it if you needed it fast. I found a new one. It's bigger(both good & bad), it's brown, it has a holster inside that's held in place with velcro, and the gun compartment has a zipper that runs almost all the way around with a pull tab on the outside on both left & right top corner; set it up for either left- or right-hand draw and you can grab the tab & pull to open it, exposing the grip for your draw. Much faster, and with a good bag of this design it doesn't stand out as a weapon carrier.
One of the things I like about it is that the holster can be set to hold the pistol right-side up or upside-down. May sound strange, but for my manner of carry I prefer the pistols upside-down in a bag like this. I don't like carrying it in front, it's uncomfortable and gets in the way when walking. With it in back, if the piece is right-side up I have to turn my hand palm-backward to draw, with the piece upside-down it's unzip/grab/draw without the twist.
Those are my thoughts on the matter, and how it works for me.
'Right one' covers a lot of things. Size, color, and method of draw. Size, big enough to carry your piece and your wallet and/or phone and/or makeup(for the ladies, dammit, shut up) and keys or whatever. And you should use it for things other than your gun; that makes it a bag with stuff in it as opposed to a mostly empty bag that looks kind of heavy. Color because some styles, in the standard black, look like a gun-carrier; change it to yellow or brown or blue and it looks less like one.
Method of draw is what originally made me think seriously on this. I had a small pack I used for a couple of years; the main compartment fit a model 36 snubnose nicely, the smaller pocket carried my wallet & keys. But it was not a gun bag, just a small buttpack, so to get to the weapon you had to grab the zipper pull and pull it all the way across and then reach inside. This came forcefully to mind one evening when a friend and I were going into a bookstore. About halfway across the parking lot a guy started walking toward us. Specifically toward us, not past or near. Without really thinking about it I shifted my angle to put myself between him and my friend and scanned to see if there was anyone else(there wasn't) and, in the midst of this, realized that he was close enough that if he did attack, there was no damn way I could get to the piece before he reached us. Which kicked my mind into 'prepare for combat' mode, which means my body position shifted and I also thought about, if necessary, grabbing my knife(CRKT folder with the clip hooked over my pocket; unopened it stuck out just a touch beyond the outside of my fist, good to strike with). Turned out he was just a panhandler, but this is one of those 'maybe' situations. Maybe he was, and maybe he wasn't; maybe he had other plans but saw the change in my position/movements and changed his mind; who knows?
What I do know is I stopped carrying my piece in that bag, it was just too hard to get to it if you needed it fast. I found a new one. It's bigger(both good & bad), it's brown, it has a holster inside that's held in place with velcro, and the gun compartment has a zipper that runs almost all the way around with a pull tab on the outside on both left & right top corner; set it up for either left- or right-hand draw and you can grab the tab & pull to open it, exposing the grip for your draw. Much faster, and with a good bag of this design it doesn't stand out as a weapon carrier.
One of the things I like about it is that the holster can be set to hold the pistol right-side up or upside-down. May sound strange, but for my manner of carry I prefer the pistols upside-down in a bag like this. I don't like carrying it in front, it's uncomfortable and gets in the way when walking. With it in back, if the piece is right-side up I have to turn my hand palm-backward to draw, with the piece upside-down it's unzip/grab/draw without the twist.
Those are my thoughts on the matter, and how it works for me.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Experiment: results to follow
One more reason I like gun shows
All the bits & pieces you can find. At the one last weekend there was a man with a table covered with a mix of crap and actual usable stuff. Scope bases, rings, parts thereof among others. Which gave me an idea.
I've been wanting to try putting a red-dot on an AK on a forward mount like the Ultimak. However, I didn't want to spend a hundred bucks on one before finding out a: if I like the setup and b: if the rifle would be accurate enough to make it worthwhile. I've fired this one before and had less than amazing results: at 100 yards it remided me more of a 'pattern' than a group(See, Gerry, it happens to me too! Damn grav anomolies). I couldn't be certain if it was that the rifle needed work/was hopeless, or the sights. That short sight radius with the very basic post & notch, with my eyes anymore, is not the greatest aid to accurate shooting.
On the table, among other things I picked up, was a beat-up old B-Square scope mount for some handgun. Too long, but it could be cut down in length, and messing with this would be easier than some of the other ideas I came up with. And, everything on the table was $1. Yes, that's right, one lonely dollar, so step right up! Lay down your money an- ahem- sorry 'bout that. So it and some rings & stuff went with me.
Finally got a chance to mess with it this evening. Cut to length, cleaned up the ends, had to spread it open a bit so it would fit onto the gas tube, and voila!
or however you spell it. Little closer view:
Seems pretty solid, and from just aiming & dry-firing I think I like it. It won't co-witness the iron sights, but that's not a big concern. If the light's good enough to use them, it has enough gap between the tube and the bottom of the base that I can squinch down to the usual position for this thing and see the irons. I should be able to take it to the range soon to sight in & try it out, so we'll see how well it works.
All the bits & pieces you can find. At the one last weekend there was a man with a table covered with a mix of crap and actual usable stuff. Scope bases, rings, parts thereof among others. Which gave me an idea.
I've been wanting to try putting a red-dot on an AK on a forward mount like the Ultimak. However, I didn't want to spend a hundred bucks on one before finding out a: if I like the setup and b: if the rifle would be accurate enough to make it worthwhile. I've fired this one before and had less than amazing results: at 100 yards it remided me more of a 'pattern' than a group(See, Gerry, it happens to me too! Damn grav anomolies). I couldn't be certain if it was that the rifle needed work/was hopeless, or the sights. That short sight radius with the very basic post & notch, with my eyes anymore, is not the greatest aid to accurate shooting.
On the table, among other things I picked up, was a beat-up old B-Square scope mount for some handgun. Too long, but it could be cut down in length, and messing with this would be easier than some of the other ideas I came up with. And, everything on the table was $1. Yes, that's right, one lonely dollar, so step right up! Lay down your money an- ahem- sorry 'bout that. So it and some rings & stuff went with me.
Finally got a chance to mess with it this evening. Cut to length, cleaned up the ends, had to spread it open a bit so it would fit onto the gas tube, and voila!
or however you spell it. Little closer view:
Seems pretty solid, and from just aiming & dry-firing I think I like it. It won't co-witness the iron sights, but that's not a big concern. If the light's good enough to use them, it has enough gap between the tube and the bottom of the base that I can squinch down to the usual position for this thing and see the irons. I should be able to take it to the range soon to sight in & try it out, so we'll see how well it works.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
This just in: Seattle plays Humpty-Dumpty
as in 'words mean what we say they do'. Ok, ok, people have noted this before, but this crap demands to be written about.
'Racism' is the believe that some race is inherently inferior/superior to others. What is the People's Republic of Seattle teaching now?
"Cultural Racism:
Those aspects of society that overtly and covertly attribute value and normality to white people and Whiteness, and devalue, stereotype, and label people of color as “other”, different, less than, or render them invisible. Examples of these norms include defining white skin tones as nude or flesh colored, having a future time orientation, emphasizing individualism as opposed to a more collective ideology, defining one form of English as standard, and identifying only Whites as great writers or composers."
Get all that? Only whites can be racist; teaching a kid to be a self-reliant individual is 'racist'; and they've added music in there, too! And what the HELL is 'having a future time orientation' and what does it have to do with 'racism', except in their addled little minds? Oh, and thinking that the English language shouldn't have 'different forms'(Ebonics, anyone?) is racist, too.
Jeez, nobody but a left-wing socialist racist could believe this crap.
Got the definition at Cam Edwards place
'Racism' is the believe that some race is inherently inferior/superior to others. What is the People's Republic of Seattle teaching now?
"Cultural Racism:
Those aspects of society that overtly and covertly attribute value and normality to white people and Whiteness, and devalue, stereotype, and label people of color as “other”, different, less than, or render them invisible. Examples of these norms include defining white skin tones as nude or flesh colored, having a future time orientation, emphasizing individualism as opposed to a more collective ideology, defining one form of English as standard, and identifying only Whites as great writers or composers."
Get all that? Only whites can be racist; teaching a kid to be a self-reliant individual is 'racist'; and they've added music in there, too! And what the HELL is 'having a future time orientation' and what does it have to do with 'racism', except in their addled little minds? Oh, and thinking that the English language shouldn't have 'different forms'(Ebonics, anyone?) is racist, too.
Jeez, nobody but a left-wing socialist racist could believe this crap.
Got the definition at Cam Edwards place
Monday, May 22, 2006
Idiot/craven/lying/etc. politicians, part, uh,
I've lost track.
In this particular case, Bloomberg, GFW mayor of New York 'effin City. Having just had his little "Let us get together and ban guns" conference, and having announced his 'sting' operation, over at Uncles' we find that
His bullshit 'sting' screwed up some actual criminal investigations, which may well- and SHOULD- get both him and his buttmonkeys in some real legal trouble(seems they may have actually violated the law as well as screwing up real LE investigations), and
so far, it appears that the shops may not have broken the law: ""It's the same scenario repeated many, many, many times," Farmer said. "Husbands buy guns for their wives, boyfriends buy for their girlfriends, fathers buy for their daughters."
and
"The woman filled out papers registering the sale and signed a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives declaration saying she was the buyer and buying for someone else, he said.
Men routinely advise women on what guns to buy, Mickalis said, adding "I think they were specifically sent here to create a lawsuit."
Gee, you think maybe?
So we've got people doing things for Bloomberg that were quite possibly violations of law and that appear to have been falsely reported to say the shops were breaking the law. So besides the possible criminal violations, would falsely accusing some store owner/personnel of breaking the law be something they could take him to civil court for? As is 'sue the city of NY's collective ass off?'
If the bastard did this to me, I'd damn sure be talking to a lawyer about it.
In this particular case, Bloomberg, GFW mayor of New York 'effin City. Having just had his little "Let us get together and ban guns" conference, and having announced his 'sting' operation, over at Uncles' we find that
His bullshit 'sting' screwed up some actual criminal investigations, which may well- and SHOULD- get both him and his buttmonkeys in some real legal trouble(seems they may have actually violated the law as well as screwing up real LE investigations), and
so far, it appears that the shops may not have broken the law: ""It's the same scenario repeated many, many, many times," Farmer said. "Husbands buy guns for their wives, boyfriends buy for their girlfriends, fathers buy for their daughters."
and
"The woman filled out papers registering the sale and signed a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives declaration saying she was the buyer and buying for someone else, he said.
Men routinely advise women on what guns to buy, Mickalis said, adding "I think they were specifically sent here to create a lawsuit."
Gee, you think maybe?
So we've got people doing things for Bloomberg that were quite possibly violations of law and that appear to have been falsely reported to say the shops were breaking the law. So besides the possible criminal violations, would falsely accusing some store owner/personnel of breaking the law be something they could take him to civil court for? As is 'sue the city of NY's collective ass off?'
If the bastard did this to me, I'd damn sure be talking to a lawyer about it.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
"Lines I'd like to hear"
Over at LawDog, including:
"Oh, my God, Mr. President, the Alien Overlords crashed a family reunion somewhere in Southwest Louisiana. Early reports indicate that the Conquerers of 10,000 Worlds made, and I quote: 'A damn fine jambalaya.' Unquote."
"Okay, so the house told us to GET OUT. Set off the napalm, darling."
"Instead of sneaking around a vampire infested house after dark, why don't we blow the place with dynamite at noon?"
And I'd like to add, "I am the great vampire- what is this 'magnesium' you speak of?"
"Oh, my God, Mr. President, the Alien Overlords crashed a family reunion somewhere in Southwest Louisiana. Early reports indicate that the Conquerers of 10,000 Worlds made, and I quote: 'A damn fine jambalaya.' Unquote."
"Okay, so the house told us to GET OUT. Set off the napalm, darling."
"Instead of sneaking around a vampire infested house after dark, why don't we blow the place with dynamite at noon?"
And I'd like to add, "I am the great vampire- what is this 'magnesium' you speak of?"
Ref the current idiocy in NO
Specifically the reelection of that incompetent guilty-of-manslaughter-through-negligence Nagin, I now officially say Screw New Orleans. Not in a good way.
Let's see, they bus people back to NO to vote, even though many of them had said they weren't moving back, etc., etc., from what I've heard LA politics in action. Pull the plug and drain that swamp.
Better yet, let it go BACK to swamp. A nice, productive, good-for-the-wildlife swamp with gators and water moccasins and so forth breeding again. And since those idiot levees- you know, the vitally-important ones they're building/repairing with ground up houses?- won't be needed anymore, some part of the Mississippi can go back to dumping silt where it belongs and building the Delta up.
About the ground-up houses: a while back I read a book called 'Rising Tide' by John Barry, about the monstrous floods along the Mississippi in 1927. There was a section talking about how levees were designed and built, and they were very careful to keep any wood- limbs, lumber scraps, whatever- out of the construction. They knew the stuff would rot and leave a weak spot in the levee, so fill brought in was inspected, including as it was added to the levee, to spot and remove anything of the type. And now these idiots are using ground-up houses, wood and sheetrock and metals(including all kinds of toxic-to-the-environment stuff) to build levees. I repeat, screw NO, let it go back to a nice, hunting & fishing-friendly swamp.
Also, for a different look at FEMA and their response, check out these comments at the LawDog, specifically the one from Thunder. I admit, I always expect things to get screwed up when some government agency is involved, but the some of the crap I heard about FEMA didn't make a whole lot of sense. Unless, of course, people wanted someone to blame(in particular, someone connected somehow with Bush). As I commented about Day Quayle, if you've got that many people looking for any/everything you do that can be used against you, Einstein will end up looking like an idiot and Mother Teresa like a runaway Nazi camp guard.
Enough of this crap. I had a nice day with my daughter, and I refuse to let a bunch of idiots in NO mess it up.
Let's see, they bus people back to NO to vote, even though many of them had said they weren't moving back, etc., etc., from what I've heard LA politics in action. Pull the plug and drain that swamp.
Better yet, let it go BACK to swamp. A nice, productive, good-for-the-wildlife swamp with gators and water moccasins and so forth breeding again. And since those idiot levees- you know, the vitally-important ones they're building/repairing with ground up houses?- won't be needed anymore, some part of the Mississippi can go back to dumping silt where it belongs and building the Delta up.
About the ground-up houses: a while back I read a book called 'Rising Tide' by John Barry, about the monstrous floods along the Mississippi in 1927. There was a section talking about how levees were designed and built, and they were very careful to keep any wood- limbs, lumber scraps, whatever- out of the construction. They knew the stuff would rot and leave a weak spot in the levee, so fill brought in was inspected, including as it was added to the levee, to spot and remove anything of the type. And now these idiots are using ground-up houses, wood and sheetrock and metals(including all kinds of toxic-to-the-environment stuff) to build levees. I repeat, screw NO, let it go back to a nice, hunting & fishing-friendly swamp.
Also, for a different look at FEMA and their response, check out these comments at the LawDog, specifically the one from Thunder. I admit, I always expect things to get screwed up when some government agency is involved, but the some of the crap I heard about FEMA didn't make a whole lot of sense. Unless, of course, people wanted someone to blame(in particular, someone connected somehow with Bush). As I commented about Day Quayle, if you've got that many people looking for any/everything you do that can be used against you, Einstein will end up looking like an idiot and Mother Teresa like a runaway Nazi camp guard.
Enough of this crap. I had a nice day with my daughter, and I refuse to let a bunch of idiots in NO mess it up.
Doesn't matter how old your kids are,
they can go through .22's like a beaver through soft wood.
I took 400 rounds along today, and my daughter went through most of it. She'd have gone through all of it if a: her hands hadn't tired out and b: I hadn't left the red-dot on the Trailside turned on and run the !**^%#! battery down. In the past, with daughter and son both along, we've gone through more than a brick along with some other stuff.
Speaking of which, I need to stick the spare in and get some replacements. Assuming I can find the spare.
It had been a while since she'd gone out to put some wear on her rifle, took her a bit to get the hang of it back. Pistol she's fired much more recently, started off pretty good there. So I need to get another brick for next time.
Ever hear some idiot newsreader tell-with Great Concern and Emphasis- how some guy must have had something bad in mind because he had an 'arsenal' of three guns and 'at least' 300 rounds of ammo? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I don't think I've got LESS THAN 4 or 500 for any firearm I own. I know I've got at least 2000 rounds of .22, because a: it comes in bricks(there's a name for a new blog, hmmmm) and b: you can go through so much of it. I just number the bricks and use them up in order.
Friend of mine was in Britain about two years ago, about the time some poor bastards were busted by the police with the aforementioned 'arsenal'. They hadn't done anything, but in New Socialist Nanny-State Britain it was assumed that there was no good reason- in the opinion of the assholes in charge- for anyone to have such a HUGE supply of arms & ammo. He said something about how stupid that was and the folks he was with asked- he having mentioned having a couple of Enfields- how much ammo he had? When they heard "About 400 rounds of .303" they were shocked; whatever would you do with such a stockpile? Apparently 'shoot it at the range and then get some more' just didn't make sense to them. Let's see, last big gunshow I got a case of 800-something rounds to feed the Mosin sniper and the M38, and a 440-round can of 8mm and the last 500-round pack of 9x18mm the dealer had. They'd have had kittens if they'd heard something like that.
Let's see, today I fired about 30 rounds of 7.5 Swiss, about the same of 8mm, about 40 of 7.62x54r, and a box of .380. Daughter went through most of 400 rounds of .22's(taking her time; nice, slow day at the range). Gee, I guess that makes us some of those 'People Who Should Be Watched' according to the bedwetters. Who can kiss my ass.
Let's see, a brick of .22... need to get some .284 brass and 7.5 dies... batteries, of course(find out where has best price)... Things to see, people to do, but at least the guns are already cleaned.
I took 400 rounds along today, and my daughter went through most of it. She'd have gone through all of it if a: her hands hadn't tired out and b: I hadn't left the red-dot on the Trailside turned on and run the !**^%#! battery down. In the past, with daughter and son both along, we've gone through more than a brick along with some other stuff.
Speaking of which, I need to stick the spare in and get some replacements. Assuming I can find the spare.
It had been a while since she'd gone out to put some wear on her rifle, took her a bit to get the hang of it back. Pistol she's fired much more recently, started off pretty good there. So I need to get another brick for next time.
Ever hear some idiot newsreader tell-with Great Concern and Emphasis- how some guy must have had something bad in mind because he had an 'arsenal' of three guns and 'at least' 300 rounds of ammo? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I don't think I've got LESS THAN 4 or 500 for any firearm I own. I know I've got at least 2000 rounds of .22, because a: it comes in bricks(there's a name for a new blog, hmmmm) and b: you can go through so much of it. I just number the bricks and use them up in order.
Friend of mine was in Britain about two years ago, about the time some poor bastards were busted by the police with the aforementioned 'arsenal'. They hadn't done anything, but in New Socialist Nanny-State Britain it was assumed that there was no good reason- in the opinion of the assholes in charge- for anyone to have such a HUGE supply of arms & ammo. He said something about how stupid that was and the folks he was with asked- he having mentioned having a couple of Enfields- how much ammo he had? When they heard "About 400 rounds of .303" they were shocked; whatever would you do with such a stockpile? Apparently 'shoot it at the range and then get some more' just didn't make sense to them. Let's see, last big gunshow I got a case of 800-something rounds to feed the Mosin sniper and the M38, and a 440-round can of 8mm and the last 500-round pack of 9x18mm the dealer had. They'd have had kittens if they'd heard something like that.
Let's see, today I fired about 30 rounds of 7.5 Swiss, about the same of 8mm, about 40 of 7.62x54r, and a box of .380. Daughter went through most of 400 rounds of .22's(taking her time; nice, slow day at the range). Gee, I guess that makes us some of those 'People Who Should Be Watched' according to the bedwetters. Who can kiss my ass.
Let's see, a brick of .22... need to get some .284 brass and 7.5 dies... batteries, of course(find out where has best price)... Things to see, people to do, but at least the guns are already cleaned.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Gun show!
This weekend. Going Saturday. Two neighbors want me to try to sell something for them. One's a Dutch Mannlicher carbine, the other's a H&R .22 revolver. The Mannlicher is mechanically great, but the bore's pretty rough. It may be like the Mauser Kim cleaned up, but I don't have the time to soak the bore. So I scrubbed it out as best I could for now. If nobody offers enough to satisfy the neighbor, I'll do that next week.
The H&R is beautiful. 7.5" barrel, .22lr and magnum cylinders, in the original box. I'm halfway tempted to see if I have enough free and buy it myself.
It turned hot here very quickly. As in from highs in the 70's to highs in the 90's in about three days. So I stuck the window unit in the bedroom for sleeping comfort. The house has central(first house I've ever had that did) and I love it, but when I can just use open windows and a fan I do; lots of times I'm in & out to the garage or yard enough it's easier on me. Thus the window unit for sleeping.
Night, all.
The H&R is beautiful. 7.5" barrel, .22lr and magnum cylinders, in the original box. I'm halfway tempted to see if I have enough free and buy it myself.
It turned hot here very quickly. As in from highs in the 70's to highs in the 90's in about three days. So I stuck the window unit in the bedroom for sleeping comfort. The house has central(first house I've ever had that did) and I love it, but when I can just use open windows and a fan I do; lots of times I'm in & out to the garage or yard enough it's easier on me. Thus the window unit for sleeping.
Night, all.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
To return for now to firearms,
a few days ago had a chance to go to the range for a little while, and tried the Trailside/red-dot combo in daylight.
This sight has 11 brightness settings. 11 gave a nice dot easily visible on a partly cloudy day. I'd wondered about that, because the sight on the borrowed .22 I wrote about was fairly dim turned all the way up.
I had some clay pigeons and one of my scope targets set up at 50 yards, and this made it easy to hit both if I did my part. The dot covered the 2" square on the paper completely, so just centered the dot on the paper. It covered the center 2-3" of the clays, making it easy to hit them. Seemed that with this gun/ammo/sight combo it's dead on at both 20 yards and 50.
I'm really liking this setup. I'm going to try to take my daughter out shooting this weekend, I'll see how she likes it.
Speaking of the Trailside, it came with their oversized pakkawood 'target' grips. Very nice, but the plastic on the basic version actually fit my hand better. I've done a bit of rasping and sanding on these, and they're much better now. More comfortable, and easier to hold on target.
Now to try a red-dot out on a rifle...
This sight has 11 brightness settings. 11 gave a nice dot easily visible on a partly cloudy day. I'd wondered about that, because the sight on the borrowed .22 I wrote about was fairly dim turned all the way up.
I had some clay pigeons and one of my scope targets set up at 50 yards, and this made it easy to hit both if I did my part. The dot covered the 2" square on the paper completely, so just centered the dot on the paper. It covered the center 2-3" of the clays, making it easy to hit them. Seemed that with this gun/ammo/sight combo it's dead on at both 20 yards and 50.
I'm really liking this setup. I'm going to try to take my daughter out shooting this weekend, I'll see how she likes it.
Speaking of the Trailside, it came with their oversized pakkawood 'target' grips. Very nice, but the plastic on the basic version actually fit my hand better. I've done a bit of rasping and sanding on these, and they're much better now. More comfortable, and easier to hold on target.
Now to try a red-dot out on a rifle...
The 'free and universal' health care in Britain
apparently doesn't apply if you're offensive. Was over at Random Nuclear Strikes and found a link to this article:
"IT IS BAD enough that you can be refused medical treatment on the NHS for eating, drinking or smoking too much. Now it seems that you can be denied an operation for protesting too much in support of your religious or political beliefs.
This tells us that 1: British hospitals are staffed with a bunch of wusses with tender feelings, 2. Universal Health Care gives the government even more control over your health than you thought, 3: socialized medicine sucks.
Those are the basics, add more as they occur to you.
"IT IS BAD enough that you can be refused medical treatment on the NHS for eating, drinking or smoking too much. Now it seems that you can be denied an operation for protesting too much in support of your religious or political beliefs.
Edward Atkinson, a 75-year-old anti-abortion activist, was jailed recently for 28 days for sending photographs of aborted foetuses to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. That draconian sentence was not deemed punishment enough: the hospital has banned Mr Atkinson from receiving the hip replacement operation he was expecting."
No physical attack, no threats to blow up the place or shave some Noble Physicians' moustache without permission. Be offensive and go to jail AND be denied medical treatment.This tells us that 1: British hospitals are staffed with a bunch of wusses with tender feelings, 2. Universal Health Care gives the government even more control over your health than you thought, 3: socialized medicine sucks.
Those are the basics, add more as they occur to you.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
More on women
My experience with them, at least. The piece I posted a couple of days ago was written under the influence of booze and a certain amount of pissed-off, and I think it needs expanding on. No, I don't disavow a word of it; just expanding.
I don't hold #2 solely responsible for the mess; the way I put it to a friend was "I made one big mistake, I married her", which pretty much covers it. We went together for a little over two years before we married, and the warning signs were there, which is where my big mistake came in. She lied about having worked it out about #1 wife, and I let- or made- myself believe it.
Ever wanted something to work so bad that you didn't listen to that little voice in the back of your head? Not the one telling you to stay home and clean the guns, the other one. Said voice said to me the day before the wedding(and a time or two before) "This is not the best idea you ever had, and you shouldn't oughta do it", and I told it to shut up and ignored it. I really, really cared for her; I wanted her to have worked her jealousy out, I wanted it to work so bad I let her lie to me about it, I wanted it so badly I ignored my own knowledge of where this was liable to go. I never said I was all that smart.
And I ignored hints she'd thrown out before about my smithing and hunting. Mind you, being female she probably thought she was making blunt statements where all I heard was some vague mentions of the possibility of a problem somewhere down the line. This is where the 'do ALL women do this crap?' came in. I know all women don't; I've known of too many cases of it to think it's rare. In comments was brought up the saying "Men marry women hoping they never change; women marry men hoping they will", though in some cases it seems to be "planning" they will.
This whole mess led to me giving the kids a lecture that boils down to Don't expect someone to change from what they are. Barring something on the order of a religeous experience, it won't happen, and hoping it will is a path to big troubles.
Hell with it. I don't hold a grudge against Beth(#2), though occasionally a spark of pissed-off still flares up; I hope she's well. I just wish I had listened to the voice.
While back I ran across a site by a guy named John Ross, which has some real interesting columns. Some of which I wish I'd been able to read back when I was younger and single, the ones dealing with women, dating and marriage. I think he's got a lot of truth in them, which brings up a big problem for me so far as dating goes: I ain't gonna do it. Play the games.
Speaking of games, a while back there was a lady I dated who stopped answering the phone. I figured it was a case of not having the integrity or manners to say "I've changed my mind, I don't want to go out with you again". About three months after that a friend ran into a friend of the lady and asked what the hell happened; she said she didn't know, that the lady had been through a messy divorce and wasn't real stable(my word, can't remember exactly what he reported) about dating. Then about three months after that he ran into both of them, and the lady told him she'd lost her phone and didn't have my number anywhere else, and would he ask me to call her?
This was in town- he was here for a small fair and crashing at my house- so he decided to help things along and got the four of us together for a drink after the fair Saturday. It took her about half an hour to mention something along the lines of "I didn't want you to think I just stopped answering you", but really nothing beyond that. And implied she wouldn't mind me calling again. By the time it was over I was pretty sure this was a game; she didn't want to be the Bad Guy in this and it was her way of showing how really Caring and Nice she was.
Mind you, I'd liked her, and I almost called her four times. Twice I had picked up the phone and then put it down. If she'd actually given a crap about going out again she'd have been happier to see me, and would have said "Call me". Or so I think. In any case, it boils down to one reason I'm not doing too well on the dating front; I'm not going to play the damn games. Ross mentions a number of things to do to keep a woman off balance and interested, and looking back I can see how they'd work quite well. But I'm not going to do them. If I have to play games constantly to keep a woman interested, if I have to keep her off-balance to get her to go out again, Ain't Gonna Happen. All of which makes me wonder, how many women out there are demanding guys play these games, and spending nights alone because only the guys who care about screwing her and nothing else will play them? And bitching about how there are no good guys out there?
Yeah, I DO have a jaundiced view of this. Please prove me wrong.
I don't hold #2 solely responsible for the mess; the way I put it to a friend was "I made one big mistake, I married her", which pretty much covers it. We went together for a little over two years before we married, and the warning signs were there, which is where my big mistake came in. She lied about having worked it out about #1 wife, and I let- or made- myself believe it.
Ever wanted something to work so bad that you didn't listen to that little voice in the back of your head? Not the one telling you to stay home and clean the guns, the other one. Said voice said to me the day before the wedding(and a time or two before) "This is not the best idea you ever had, and you shouldn't oughta do it", and I told it to shut up and ignored it. I really, really cared for her; I wanted her to have worked her jealousy out, I wanted it to work so bad I let her lie to me about it, I wanted it so badly I ignored my own knowledge of where this was liable to go. I never said I was all that smart.
And I ignored hints she'd thrown out before about my smithing and hunting. Mind you, being female she probably thought she was making blunt statements where all I heard was some vague mentions of the possibility of a problem somewhere down the line. This is where the 'do ALL women do this crap?' came in. I know all women don't; I've known of too many cases of it to think it's rare. In comments was brought up the saying "Men marry women hoping they never change; women marry men hoping they will", though in some cases it seems to be "planning" they will.
This whole mess led to me giving the kids a lecture that boils down to Don't expect someone to change from what they are. Barring something on the order of a religeous experience, it won't happen, and hoping it will is a path to big troubles.
Hell with it. I don't hold a grudge against Beth(#2), though occasionally a spark of pissed-off still flares up; I hope she's well. I just wish I had listened to the voice.
While back I ran across a site by a guy named John Ross, which has some real interesting columns. Some of which I wish I'd been able to read back when I was younger and single, the ones dealing with women, dating and marriage. I think he's got a lot of truth in them, which brings up a big problem for me so far as dating goes: I ain't gonna do it. Play the games.
Speaking of games, a while back there was a lady I dated who stopped answering the phone. I figured it was a case of not having the integrity or manners to say "I've changed my mind, I don't want to go out with you again". About three months after that a friend ran into a friend of the lady and asked what the hell happened; she said she didn't know, that the lady had been through a messy divorce and wasn't real stable(my word, can't remember exactly what he reported) about dating. Then about three months after that he ran into both of them, and the lady told him she'd lost her phone and didn't have my number anywhere else, and would he ask me to call her?
This was in town- he was here for a small fair and crashing at my house- so he decided to help things along and got the four of us together for a drink after the fair Saturday. It took her about half an hour to mention something along the lines of "I didn't want you to think I just stopped answering you", but really nothing beyond that. And implied she wouldn't mind me calling again. By the time it was over I was pretty sure this was a game; she didn't want to be the Bad Guy in this and it was her way of showing how really Caring and Nice she was.
Mind you, I'd liked her, and I almost called her four times. Twice I had picked up the phone and then put it down. If she'd actually given a crap about going out again she'd have been happier to see me, and would have said "Call me". Or so I think. In any case, it boils down to one reason I'm not doing too well on the dating front; I'm not going to play the damn games. Ross mentions a number of things to do to keep a woman off balance and interested, and looking back I can see how they'd work quite well. But I'm not going to do them. If I have to play games constantly to keep a woman interested, if I have to keep her off-balance to get her to go out again, Ain't Gonna Happen. All of which makes me wonder, how many women out there are demanding guys play these games, and spending nights alone because only the guys who care about screwing her and nothing else will play them? And bitching about how there are no good guys out there?
Yeah, I DO have a jaundiced view of this. Please prove me wrong.
Taking the bad taste of 'Sen. McCain' out of my mouth,
I can look out at the garden. The tomatos have blossoms, as do the sweet peppers and squash; and there's one pepper about three inches long and several little squash. The roma tomatos aren't big enough yet, having been planted just two weeks ago, and the bell peppers just developed some buds. The habanero is about six inches tall, as I recall it won't really take off until it gets hotter. I need to plant a few more cloves of garlic to fill in the holes where some didn't come up.
I thought about expanding the garden a bit this year, but considering how little time I have to work on it decided not to. Ever bit into a tomato or pepper right off the plant? Beats hell out of hothouse stuff.
Last year I lost a lot of tomatos to birds, and some peppers to both squirrels and my idiot younger dog. I think I'll cut some poles and put netting over the tomatos; the birds did more damage to the them, and aside from fence and a .22 I can't do that much about the squirrels, the dog luckily seems to have learned that grazing in the garden gets her yelled at.
I thought about expanding the garden a bit this year, but considering how little time I have to work on it decided not to. Ever bit into a tomato or pepper right off the plant? Beats hell out of hothouse stuff.
Last year I lost a lot of tomatos to birds, and some peppers to both squirrels and my idiot younger dog. I think I'll cut some poles and put netting over the tomatos; the birds did more damage to the them, and aside from fence and a .22 I can't do that much about the squirrels, the dog luckily seems to have learned that grazing in the garden gets her yelled at.
Ref John McCain(Jackass/AZ)
Kevin has his opinion up, and I second it. He includes part of the oath McCain has taken more than once:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
This from the idiot who recently said "I would rather have a clean government than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I’d rather have the clean government." So if we didn't know before, we damn well know now what his word is worth.
I said it before: this man is as bad or worse than Al Gore in thinking that he deserves the Oval Office as his home address, that it's owed to him; and anyone with a mindset like that can be allowed nowhere near it. And I repeat, Arizona, get that recall petition started back up.
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."
This from the idiot who recently said "I would rather have a clean government than one where quote First Amendment rights are being respected, that has become corrupt. If I had my choice, I’d rather have the clean government." So if we didn't know before, we damn well know now what his word is worth.
I said it before: this man is as bad or worse than Al Gore in thinking that he deserves the Oval Office as his home address, that it's owed to him; and anyone with a mindset like that can be allowed nowhere near it. And I repeat, Arizona, get that recall petition started back up.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Flint
One of the things I make is flint & steel firekits. Whole kit is a steel striker, a good flake of flint, some charcloth to catch the spark and a tin to keep it in. No problem to make except for the flint. Which you don't make, you find. And you need good enough quality flint that it'll strike a spark from the steel without breaking.
Lots of places to find flint(depending on where you are), and you can order the stuff. Dixie Gun Works carries both a bag of good flakes and flint nodules so you can try your hand at knapping. But I'd always wanted to go out and find some nodules and knock off my own flakes. No luck so far.
Then at Medieval Fair a gentleman came by to get a couple of strikers; said he'd lost the ones he got last year. Talked for a bit and found that he's an archeologist(retired) who knaps flint as a hobby and as a teacher for students at OU. When I mentioned I was about out of flint he said he had some pieces I could have.
So the other day finally got time to go by his place and get some. And he threw in a short lesson on flint knapping, and a short lecture on where in the state I could find some if I had a chance to go looking for it.
I'd bought a nodule from Dixie once before and tried knocking off flakes with, let us say, not the best of results. With a good hammerstone and his demonstration, earlier today I took one of the chunks and knocked off a number of good, usable flakes(as opposed to my earlier success in turning a flint nodule into sharp-edged gravel).
I get time I want to mess with this some more; try making some knives and arrowheads. Good flint or obsidian is brittle, but a flake can be unbelievably sharp. We're talking 'feel a tug and notice blood' sharp. Matter of fact, I've read that eye surgeons are using scalpel blades cut and polished from obsidian; the edge is smoother and sharper than steel, it can actually cut cells without tearing the edge is so fine.
He bet me a striker that within three months I'd want more flint to work on, said it's addictive. I need to make him a couple.
Lots of places to find flint(depending on where you are), and you can order the stuff. Dixie Gun Works carries both a bag of good flakes and flint nodules so you can try your hand at knapping. But I'd always wanted to go out and find some nodules and knock off my own flakes. No luck so far.
Then at Medieval Fair a gentleman came by to get a couple of strikers; said he'd lost the ones he got last year. Talked for a bit and found that he's an archeologist(retired) who knaps flint as a hobby and as a teacher for students at OU. When I mentioned I was about out of flint he said he had some pieces I could have.
So the other day finally got time to go by his place and get some. And he threw in a short lesson on flint knapping, and a short lecture on where in the state I could find some if I had a chance to go looking for it.
I'd bought a nodule from Dixie once before and tried knocking off flakes with, let us say, not the best of results. With a good hammerstone and his demonstration, earlier today I took one of the chunks and knocked off a number of good, usable flakes(as opposed to my earlier success in turning a flint nodule into sharp-edged gravel).
I get time I want to mess with this some more; try making some knives and arrowheads. Good flint or obsidian is brittle, but a flake can be unbelievably sharp. We're talking 'feel a tug and notice blood' sharp. Matter of fact, I've read that eye surgeons are using scalpel blades cut and polished from obsidian; the edge is smoother and sharper than steel, it can actually cut cells without tearing the edge is so fine.
He bet me a striker that within three months I'd want more flint to work on, said it's addictive. I need to make him a couple.
Carnival of Cordite #59
At Gullyborg. Actually up the other day, but being the organized sort I am, I'm just getting this up now.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Remember I mentioned K31's might be running out?
I just looked at the AIM site and they're not there anymore. The K31's, I mean.
And I'll wonder, did I have anything to do with maybe speeding up the disappearance? I'll never know.
And yes, I have been drinking. Just a little. And now I'm going to bed.
And I'll wonder, did I have anything to do with maybe speeding up the disappearance? I'll never know.
And yes, I have been drinking. Just a little. And now I'm going to bed.
Conversing with Og got me thinking about some things,
and sitting here having had a drink(ok, three), I have a question for the ladies out there who might read this: do most women want to change a guy they like, or is it just some of them? I don't mean "Stop leaving your underwear in the living room" or "Will you please stop telling Denise "I've got a little list, they'll not be missed"? I have to work with her, you know!" I mean big stuff, things that are important to you.
Once, a long time ago, I wrote about my second marriage and how it went down the drain. Two biggest factors in it; 1. I got along with my ex on friendly terms and 2. I forge.
As to the first, we went round & round on this once before the marriage question came up. Didn't matter if she was pissed about it or not, the ex and I had two kids- who were little at the time- and I was going to try to stay on friendly terms with her if for no other reason than to ease things on the kids. Went over it again when I asked her to marry and she assured me that she could deal with it.
On 2, she really liked the admiration and respect I had for my smithing, the blades in particular. One weekend she went with me to Texas to a Celtic Heritage festival and really enjoyed it, with the one exception being her mention of the fact that I smelled of coal smoke at the end of the day. I replied that that was what showers and washing machines were for and nothing else was said(no, I did not pick up the subtle female signs that she was pissed about it).
After the wedding(not immediately, but within a month) two things happened. First, she started getting really jumpy- sometimes nasty- about me talking to my ex about the kids. Second, she made it clear that although she hadn't really said so before, I really needed to get rid of the forge as the noise and smell didn't fit into the neighborhood I now lived in.
You can guess how this crap went. Especially after one somewhat memorable occasion when she informed me that the solution to needing to talk to my ex about the kids was to take her to court, get custody of the kids and not allow her visitation: "Then you won't ever need to speak to her!"
Can you imagine telling a judge that the mother should lose custody- and no visitation- because your new wife doesn't like her? My first thought was that any jurist with three working brain cells would say "Bailiff? Kick that man three times around the courtroom and throw him out of here for bringing such idiocy in here", and I'd agree with him. Second thought, can you imagine putting two kids through a shitstorm like that?
And the other, she KNEW that I planned on smithing for years to come. Not on a daily basis(had never had that) but when time & weather allowed. And now she made it plain that I needed to give it up.
Note: I really am clueless about some things. One evening she was bitching about my ex and, noting that one thing they did share was stubborn, I commented that one of the things that made this difficult was that in some ways they were much alike. Yes, I should have thought about that before saying that. No, I didn't realize how it would go over. Oh yeah, that really brought out joy in the evening.
The fact that I write about my second ex covers what happened in the end(those two things weren't the only factors, but they were big ones). And no dating since has gone on long enough for the 'changing you' factor to come out if it would have.
Well, ladies?
Once, a long time ago, I wrote about my second marriage and how it went down the drain. Two biggest factors in it; 1. I got along with my ex on friendly terms and 2. I forge.
As to the first, we went round & round on this once before the marriage question came up. Didn't matter if she was pissed about it or not, the ex and I had two kids- who were little at the time- and I was going to try to stay on friendly terms with her if for no other reason than to ease things on the kids. Went over it again when I asked her to marry and she assured me that she could deal with it.
On 2, she really liked the admiration and respect I had for my smithing, the blades in particular. One weekend she went with me to Texas to a Celtic Heritage festival and really enjoyed it, with the one exception being her mention of the fact that I smelled of coal smoke at the end of the day. I replied that that was what showers and washing machines were for and nothing else was said(no, I did not pick up the subtle female signs that she was pissed about it).
After the wedding(not immediately, but within a month) two things happened. First, she started getting really jumpy- sometimes nasty- about me talking to my ex about the kids. Second, she made it clear that although she hadn't really said so before, I really needed to get rid of the forge as the noise and smell didn't fit into the neighborhood I now lived in.
You can guess how this crap went. Especially after one somewhat memorable occasion when she informed me that the solution to needing to talk to my ex about the kids was to take her to court, get custody of the kids and not allow her visitation: "Then you won't ever need to speak to her!"
Can you imagine telling a judge that the mother should lose custody- and no visitation- because your new wife doesn't like her? My first thought was that any jurist with three working brain cells would say "Bailiff? Kick that man three times around the courtroom and throw him out of here for bringing such idiocy in here", and I'd agree with him. Second thought, can you imagine putting two kids through a shitstorm like that?
And the other, she KNEW that I planned on smithing for years to come. Not on a daily basis(had never had that) but when time & weather allowed. And now she made it plain that I needed to give it up.
Note: I really am clueless about some things. One evening she was bitching about my ex and, noting that one thing they did share was stubborn, I commented that one of the things that made this difficult was that in some ways they were much alike. Yes, I should have thought about that before saying that. No, I didn't realize how it would go over. Oh yeah, that really brought out joy in the evening.
The fact that I write about my second ex covers what happened in the end(those two things weren't the only factors, but they were big ones). And no dating since has gone on long enough for the 'changing you' factor to come out if it would have.
Well, ladies?
Saturday, May 13, 2006
The 'Big, New' NSA story
I've been reading and listening to various people saying sometimes very stupid things about this over the last few days. For what it's worth, here's what I think:
I am in no way comfortable with the government snooping into anything in my life. I don't like having to get government approval to buy a firearm or carry, I don't like that banks have to report certain types of transactions to the feds, I don't like various agencies having the power to screw you over that they do, etc. Overall I tend to agree with Reagans' comment that the most terrifying words you can hear are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". Overdramatizing a bit, but sometimes not by much. Sometimes not at all.
I do understand that there are reasons for some of it(sometimes idiot reasons that aren't near good enough). And sometimes the reasons are good. This is one of those cases. From what I gather, this is not some spook or clerk listening to you tell your girlfriend what you have in mind for the weekend; they're looking for calls to and from certain places and numbers and if something matches up, doing the legal stuff to look further into it.
Am I real comfortable with it? Hell no! I am NEVER real comfortable with such things, the potential for abuse is too real and constant. I've mentioned having worked with some LE databases in the past; these things are necessary and do a lot of good, but the damn things are abused constantly by people who don't think/don't care/figure "I am the Law, and I can do what I want". Same thing with programs like this. Will there be abuses? Almost certainly. The key there becomes what happens when someone's caught abusing it. Will it be like the bullshit BATFE has been caught at multiple times, where they basically walk away from it(sometimes with praise from various idiot politicians), or will the hammer come down on them the way it should?
That's to be seen. Or, considering NSA, not seen but hoped for. I understand that we are in the First Terrorist War, and things have to be done. I do NOT give a blanket exemption to law on that basis; I do understand, as I said, that things have to be done.
Yesterday I clicked onto some lefty blog I hadn't seen before, and the writer expressed the opinion that the only reasons he could see that there was not widespread outrage among all people was that a: they hadn't heard the facts about this story, b: don't understand this story, or c: don't care about their rights being trampled. Not even registering was the possibility that d:, they heard about it, understand it, care very much about their rights, and understand this is looking for the enemy, not your grocery list/girlfriends bra size or whatever. With few exceptions NOBODY likes the government snooping around(I think the people who say things like "If you're not doing anything wrong, you shouldn't mind your car/home/records being searched" are fools); lots of people DO understand that we're in a fight for our national/cultural survival here, and this is one of the tools the fighting is done with.
I'm out of time, but that about covers it anyway.
I am in no way comfortable with the government snooping into anything in my life. I don't like having to get government approval to buy a firearm or carry, I don't like that banks have to report certain types of transactions to the feds, I don't like various agencies having the power to screw you over that they do, etc. Overall I tend to agree with Reagans' comment that the most terrifying words you can hear are "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". Overdramatizing a bit, but sometimes not by much. Sometimes not at all.
I do understand that there are reasons for some of it(sometimes idiot reasons that aren't near good enough). And sometimes the reasons are good. This is one of those cases. From what I gather, this is not some spook or clerk listening to you tell your girlfriend what you have in mind for the weekend; they're looking for calls to and from certain places and numbers and if something matches up, doing the legal stuff to look further into it.
Am I real comfortable with it? Hell no! I am NEVER real comfortable with such things, the potential for abuse is too real and constant. I've mentioned having worked with some LE databases in the past; these things are necessary and do a lot of good, but the damn things are abused constantly by people who don't think/don't care/figure "I am the Law, and I can do what I want". Same thing with programs like this. Will there be abuses? Almost certainly. The key there becomes what happens when someone's caught abusing it. Will it be like the bullshit BATFE has been caught at multiple times, where they basically walk away from it(sometimes with praise from various idiot politicians), or will the hammer come down on them the way it should?
That's to be seen. Or, considering NSA, not seen but hoped for. I understand that we are in the First Terrorist War, and things have to be done. I do NOT give a blanket exemption to law on that basis; I do understand, as I said, that things have to be done.
Yesterday I clicked onto some lefty blog I hadn't seen before, and the writer expressed the opinion that the only reasons he could see that there was not widespread outrage among all people was that a: they hadn't heard the facts about this story, b: don't understand this story, or c: don't care about their rights being trampled. Not even registering was the possibility that d:, they heard about it, understand it, care very much about their rights, and understand this is looking for the enemy, not your grocery list/girlfriends bra size or whatever. With few exceptions NOBODY likes the government snooping around(I think the people who say things like "If you're not doing anything wrong, you shouldn't mind your car/home/records being searched" are fools); lots of people DO understand that we're in a fight for our national/cultural survival here, and this is one of the tools the fighting is done with.
I'm out of time, but that about covers it anyway.
Friday, May 12, 2006
More on Britain circling the drain
Found this over at Alphecca, and it's bad enough on its own. But be sure to check out the comments for worse, including:
"Freedom of speech no longer exists. I cannot for example, legally praise the American or irish or Itallian wars of indepenance (i'd be supporting terrorism), I cannot stand up at a political meeting and say "that is untrue" as I would be protesting without permission."
"Freedom of speech no longer exists. I cannot for example, legally praise the American or irish or Itallian wars of indepenance (i'd be supporting terrorism), I cannot stand up at a political meeting and say "that is untrue" as I would be protesting without permission."
Further good news; food this time
(urp...'scuse me) Having found myself starving after a: getting off work b: mowing & edging c: finding it was now 8 p.m., I decided to try an Indian restaurant that opened not too long ago at 50th & May here. Wasn't(belch) bad at all, which is why I'm sitting here stuffed.
This brought back one of the reasons I'd have a hell of a time going on a no-carbs diet: naan. It's a flatbread, and I love it. God, I could make a meal out of a bunch of it and some butter. Or cheese.
Lamb curry and chicken something hot enough to make you sweat, good flavor, lots of other good stuff but that's what I ('scuse me again) had the most of. Soon as I can remember the name(mmmmm, good reason to swing by later) I'll add it to this.
This brought back one of the reasons I'd have a hell of a time going on a no-carbs diet: naan. It's a flatbread, and I love it. God, I could make a meal out of a bunch of it and some butter. Or cheese.
Lamb curry and chicken something hot enough to make you sweat, good flavor, lots of other good stuff but that's what I ('scuse me again) had the most of. Soon as I can remember the name(mmmmm, good reason to swing by later) I'll add it to this.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Aaron strikes back!
The jihadi weenies have hit him again, so to keep them entertained, he created this!
Mwahahahahahahahaha!
Mwahahahahahahahaha!
The red-dot strikes!
Or something like that. Over the last while I've taken notice of the shooting Mr. Completely does with red-dot sights, and wondered if they might be worth trying. However, being cheap conservative with money, never got around to it.
Last time I was at the range, there was a man there with two Beretta Neo pistols with new red-dots he was sighting in. I asked how he liked them and he handed me a couple of loaded magazines, pointed to one and said "Try it". Don't you just love gunny people? So I put two mags through, and it was great. And I've got the Trailside which has a 3/8" dovetail on the barrel... So, remembering Mr. having mentioned some inexpensive sights at Sportsmans Guide I checked them out and bought this one. It's a Barska 25mm, 11 brightness settings, comes with rings and a battery for fifteen bucks. Of course the rings that come with it are for a standard Weaver-type rail so I needed rings, so off to Midway and browse around. Yes! 30mm rings for a .22 receiver for a good price! 'Course while I was there I remembered something else I needed to check on, and one other thing(report later)... So rings were on the way. And it being from Midway, three days later they arrived. So the sight was mounted on the pistol:
Took it to the range tonight to sight in & try it out. It has click adjustments for windage & elevation like a scope, and just took a little shoot & adjust to center it, after which I tried it at ranges from about ten yards to 20.
And it's nice. Very quick to line up, doesn't add much weight and unlike iron sights the dot doesn't get fuzzy when my eyes get tired. I put a little over a hundred rounds through, and shot very well with it. I didn't run the target out to 25 yards because the targets I was using have a 2" bull, and at 20 the dot completely covered it. At ten you could place the dot in the center of the bull and squeeze off, at 20 hide the bull with the dot and fire.
Ok, I'm a believer. Now I want to get a forward mount rigged for a rifle and try it out on that; if it's as handy as this is- and I believe it will be- I'll be a very happy gunny.
Last time I was at the range, there was a man there with two Beretta Neo pistols with new red-dots he was sighting in. I asked how he liked them and he handed me a couple of loaded magazines, pointed to one and said "Try it". Don't you just love gunny people? So I put two mags through, and it was great. And I've got the Trailside which has a 3/8" dovetail on the barrel... So, remembering Mr. having mentioned some inexpensive sights at Sportsmans Guide I checked them out and bought this one. It's a Barska 25mm, 11 brightness settings, comes with rings and a battery for fifteen bucks. Of course the rings that come with it are for a standard Weaver-type rail so I needed rings, so off to Midway and browse around. Yes! 30mm rings for a .22 receiver for a good price! 'Course while I was there I remembered something else I needed to check on, and one other thing(report later)... So rings were on the way. And it being from Midway, three days later they arrived. So the sight was mounted on the pistol:
Took it to the range tonight to sight in & try it out. It has click adjustments for windage & elevation like a scope, and just took a little shoot & adjust to center it, after which I tried it at ranges from about ten yards to 20.
And it's nice. Very quick to line up, doesn't add much weight and unlike iron sights the dot doesn't get fuzzy when my eyes get tired. I put a little over a hundred rounds through, and shot very well with it. I didn't run the target out to 25 yards because the targets I was using have a 2" bull, and at 20 the dot completely covered it. At ten you could place the dot in the center of the bull and squeeze off, at 20 hide the bull with the dot and fire.
Ok, I'm a believer. Now I want to get a forward mount rigged for a rifle and try it out on that; if it's as handy as this is- and I believe it will be- I'll be a very happy gunny.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Wonderful! Another good reason to buy a gun!
Looked over at Mr. Completely and found this: Blogger-Buy-A-Gun-Anniversary.
Although my anniversary is months away... but what if I can't find The Thing then?...("Remember the budget, Luke")... how about?...
Dammit, like I needed this.
Although my anniversary is months away... but what if I can't find The Thing then?...("Remember the budget, Luke")... how about?...
Dammit, like I needed this.
Update on earlier post on the murdering dirtbags
the lefties and socialists want to win. Found a link to it at Michelle Malkin, here's the actual update at The Jawa Report.
"A gruesome beheading video delivered to the Sunday Times purporting to be of slain journalist Atwar Bahjat is a hoax. On Sunday, May 7th, the Times reported that they had received a low-quality video of Atwar Bahjat being slowly beheaded. That video is now being circulated on the internet as the "Atwar Bahjat" beheading video. The Jawa Report can reveal that the Times and Halal Jabar, the author of the article, are victims of a hoax. The video actually shows the gruesome murder of a Nepalese man by the Army of Ansar al-Sunna in Iraq from August of 2004. The man was one of 12 victims executed by the terrorist organization--the other 11 were shot"
"The Army of Ansar al-Sunna has murdered dozens of civilians in Iraq. The organization is an offshoot of the Army of Ansar al-Islam--a Kurdish Islamist organization. The group routinely murders those suspected of collaborating with the U.S. and Iraqi governments. Before the group murders their hostages they accuse them of 'apostasy', a crime punishable by death under Islamic law. They therefore justify their murders as 'executions' for 'crimes' committed against Islam."
The lady in question appears to have been shot by the terrorists, and for some reason the dirtbags used a copy of this hostage murder to say they had cut her head off on film.
I have a question: does any of this make what the murderers did any less repulsive?
I didn't think so.
"A gruesome beheading video delivered to the Sunday Times purporting to be of slain journalist Atwar Bahjat is a hoax. On Sunday, May 7th, the Times reported that they had received a low-quality video of Atwar Bahjat being slowly beheaded. That video is now being circulated on the internet as the "Atwar Bahjat" beheading video. The Jawa Report can reveal that the Times and Halal Jabar, the author of the article, are victims of a hoax. The video actually shows the gruesome murder of a Nepalese man by the Army of Ansar al-Sunna in Iraq from August of 2004. The man was one of 12 victims executed by the terrorist organization--the other 11 were shot"
"The Army of Ansar al-Sunna has murdered dozens of civilians in Iraq. The organization is an offshoot of the Army of Ansar al-Islam--a Kurdish Islamist organization. The group routinely murders those suspected of collaborating with the U.S. and Iraqi governments. Before the group murders their hostages they accuse them of 'apostasy', a crime punishable by death under Islamic law. They therefore justify their murders as 'executions' for 'crimes' committed against Islam."
The lady in question appears to have been shot by the terrorists, and for some reason the dirtbags used a copy of this hostage murder to say they had cut her head off on film.
I have a question: does any of this make what the murderers did any less repulsive?
I didn't think so.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Just to spoil your good mood
Assuming you have one. JPFO sent me a link to this transcript of a radio interview with Len Savage, a guy who's been going 'round & 'round with BATFE. Interesting reading.
One quote to whet your appetite:
Len: We now have some things documented that I would like to share with you. #1 We now know, and it is in writing, that the ATF is above the law. We have always asserted that they acted that way, but now they assert that they are. On April 4th an assistant director wrote me a piece of correspondence and specifically stated that the employees of the ATF are statutorily exempted from having to follow the NFA or GCA.
Check it out
One quote to whet your appetite:
Len: We now have some things documented that I would like to share with you. #1 We now know, and it is in writing, that the ATF is above the law. We have always asserted that they acted that way, but now they assert that they are. On April 4th an assistant director wrote me a piece of correspondence and specifically stated that the employees of the ATF are statutorily exempted from having to follow the NFA or GCA.
Check it out
This is why we have to stomp these shits NOW
Go to Mudville Gazette and read this. The account of the torture and murder of a woman- by slowly cutting her head off- by the semi-human assholes that the moonbats and socialists and leftists want to win.
And if the combined assholes have their way, these BPMs will be doing this in Europe, and in Britain, and finally here.
Do the letters 'FFC' mean anything to you, you shits?
And if the combined assholes have their way, these BPMs will be doing this in Europe, and in Britain, and finally here.
Do the letters 'FFC' mean anything to you, you shits?
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Why the term 'ivory-tower intellectual' is an insult
Over at Wizbang there's a post on a symposium held at Swarthmore College, 'symposium' being a place where intellectuals superior to all others(they'll tell you so) gather to decide just how the world should be run by either themselves or someone they select. Here's the quote that inspired my title:
"At the conclusion of the first session, after a rousing discussion focused on promoting hardcore redistribution of wealth in the world, Mr. Barber opined:
"At the conclusion of the first session, after a rousing discussion focused on promoting hardcore redistribution of wealth in the world, Mr. Barber opined:
The last point I want to make for now has to do with the nature of the discussion we've been having and what might be the political viability of the debates that we so-called "public intellectuals"engage in. When I try to imagine an African-American, unemployed guy from Detroit or Arkansas, an out of work (what did Howard Dean call him?) confederate guy with a shotgun in his pick-up truck, sitting here and listening to us talk, I realize that a number of the things we say in good faith and with impressive intellectual clarity and historical perspective are nevertheless politically unviable as ways of talking about the world. We haven't yet found a language that takes the vitally important, moral, philosophical and historical points we're making here and translates them into a language that ordinary Americans will understand."
I'll let that speak for itself, straight from the world of overeducated fools.Saturday, May 06, 2006
Touching back on the 'Commies for Illegals' day,
mASS BACKWARDS has a note on just what the nation of Mexico required from an American living in Mexico to get a work visa:
"During that six months our Mexican and US Attorneys were working to secure a permanent work visa called a FM3. It was in addition to my US passport that I had to show each time I entered and left the country. Barbara's was the same except hers did not permit her to work.
To apply for the FM3 I needed to submit the following notarized originals (not copies) of my:
1. Birth certificates for Barbara and me.
2. Marriage certificate.
3. High school transcripts and proof of graduation.
4. College transcripts for every college I attended and proof of graduation.
5. Two letters of recommendation from supervisors I had worked for at least one year.
6. A letter from The St. Louis Chief of Police indicating I had no arrest record in the US and no outstanding warrants and was "a citizen in good standing."
7. Finally; I had to write a letter about myself that clearly stated why there was no Mexican citizen with my skills and why my skills were important to Mexico. We called it our "I am the greatest person on earth" letter. It was fun to write. All of the above were in English that had to be translated into Spanish and be certified as legal translations and our signatures notarized. It produced a folder about 1.5 inches thick with English on the left side and Spanish on the right."
But Fox & Co. are demanding that Mexicans be allowed to enter the U.S. and work at will with no restrictions.
I repeat, Fox & Co. can kiss my ass. And if our government doesn't get real serious about stopping this crap, then all of them- R's and D's both- need to be kicked the hell out of those offices and replaced with someone who will.
"During that six months our Mexican and US Attorneys were working to secure a permanent work visa called a FM3. It was in addition to my US passport that I had to show each time I entered and left the country. Barbara's was the same except hers did not permit her to work.
To apply for the FM3 I needed to submit the following notarized originals (not copies) of my:
1. Birth certificates for Barbara and me.
2. Marriage certificate.
3. High school transcripts and proof of graduation.
4. College transcripts for every college I attended and proof of graduation.
5. Two letters of recommendation from supervisors I had worked for at least one year.
6. A letter from The St. Louis Chief of Police indicating I had no arrest record in the US and no outstanding warrants and was "a citizen in good standing."
7. Finally; I had to write a letter about myself that clearly stated why there was no Mexican citizen with my skills and why my skills were important to Mexico. We called it our "I am the greatest person on earth" letter. It was fun to write. All of the above were in English that had to be translated into Spanish and be certified as legal translations and our signatures notarized. It produced a folder about 1.5 inches thick with English on the left side and Spanish on the right."
But Fox & Co. are demanding that Mexicans be allowed to enter the U.S. and work at will with no restrictions.
I repeat, Fox & Co. can kiss my ass. And if our government doesn't get real serious about stopping this crap, then all of them- R's and D's both- need to be kicked the hell out of those offices and replaced with someone who will.
This is one of those "I heard it at the shop" things
Went into a local store (Outdoor Outfitters if you must know; nice place and nice people) and, having discovered they carry the Hornady TAP 12guage I wanted, wound up in the conversation with a gentleman looking at a pistol. He was looking for something for in the home and had little handgun experience, and was looking at a- to put it bluntly- POS semi-auto in .380 because it was inexpensive cheap. Talk went round about different pistols and I finally asked if he'd considered a good revolver? Talk turned to the good points of one and the counter guy pulled out a S&W hammerless .38 Special. Which the guy really liked. He was still looking around and didn't buy today, but I think he had a better perspective on what to look for.
During the course of all this the salesman mentioned what they'd been hearing about a "certain female politician" who, if winning the White House, had a New Brady Bill planned(he didn't say where the info came from and I didn't ask). Included in the plans were:
Any firearm with a muzzle velocity of more than 2200fps restricted to law enforcement & military only.
Any firearm with a magazine capacity of more than six rounds, LE and military only, handgun AND rifle.
If you wanted to keep your firearms at home you would have to have a government-approved(i.e. expensive and heavy) safe properly installed and inspected; and if this passed you can bet there'd be a note that the authorities could enter your home any time to 'inspect' your home for 'safe storage and compliance'.
If you couldn't afford/didn't want the above, you could only store your arms at a licensed gun club.
That's what they'd been hearing from people. I assume that also included in this would be some federal licensing scheme for gun owners(expensive and difficult as possible) and federal restrictions on concealed carry. Unless, of course, you're like Schumer and Feinstein and Boxer and company and are more important than common citazens and need a special permit to carry and keep at your home without the safe, etc.
I tend to believe it; it sounds like the kind of crap Clinton & Co. would like to ram down our throats. It also brings us something I was thinking about after this, which connects to the 'what is your trigger?' question. Lots of people have planned to have some no-paperwork firearms and ammo hidden away for dire emergency. I only have one problem with that outside of natural disaster/terrorist attack scenarios; if you're doing is so you'll still have a gun after a government ban? If you have a firearm or two hidden away but you're not able to shoot it or let anyone else know about it because the minions of government will show up with a SWAT team, then we're screwed. Not just gun owners, everybody. If it hits that point of control & intrusiveness, then the 4th Amendment as well as the 2nd and probably the 1st- at minimum- will have been trashed, and EVERYBODY is screwed. And we're into the real serious "Not is it too soon to shoot the bastards, but too late?" question.
And it will get very, very messy and nasty.
During the course of all this the salesman mentioned what they'd been hearing about a "certain female politician" who, if winning the White House, had a New Brady Bill planned(he didn't say where the info came from and I didn't ask). Included in the plans were:
Any firearm with a muzzle velocity of more than 2200fps restricted to law enforcement & military only.
Any firearm with a magazine capacity of more than six rounds, LE and military only, handgun AND rifle.
If you wanted to keep your firearms at home you would have to have a government-approved(i.e. expensive and heavy) safe properly installed and inspected; and if this passed you can bet there'd be a note that the authorities could enter your home any time to 'inspect' your home for 'safe storage and compliance'.
If you couldn't afford/didn't want the above, you could only store your arms at a licensed gun club.
That's what they'd been hearing from people. I assume that also included in this would be some federal licensing scheme for gun owners(expensive and difficult as possible) and federal restrictions on concealed carry. Unless, of course, you're like Schumer and Feinstein and Boxer and company and are more important than common citazens and need a special permit to carry and keep at your home without the safe, etc.
I tend to believe it; it sounds like the kind of crap Clinton & Co. would like to ram down our throats. It also brings us something I was thinking about after this, which connects to the 'what is your trigger?' question. Lots of people have planned to have some no-paperwork firearms and ammo hidden away for dire emergency. I only have one problem with that outside of natural disaster/terrorist attack scenarios; if you're doing is so you'll still have a gun after a government ban? If you have a firearm or two hidden away but you're not able to shoot it or let anyone else know about it because the minions of government will show up with a SWAT team, then we're screwed. Not just gun owners, everybody. If it hits that point of control & intrusiveness, then the 4th Amendment as well as the 2nd and probably the 1st- at minimum- will have been trashed, and EVERYBODY is screwed. And we're into the real serious "Not is it too soon to shoot the bastards, but too late?" question.
And it will get very, very messy and nasty.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
And some good news on 'Stand Your Ground'
This bill has been passed by the state Senate and is on the Governors' desk.
Had you heard about the miners trapped in Tasmania?
Tim Blair has been following this. Apparently when an earthquake caused a cave-in, these two were somewhat protected by a cage. They've drilled a hole to get food and water to them(and Ipods for entertainment) and they now have a boring machine cutting a rescue tunnel.
Deep-hole mining; that's a job I don't know if I could do, even without the threat of earthquakes.
Deep-hole mining; that's a job I don't know if I could do, even without the threat of earthquakes.
A friend sent me this,
and now I've seen it various places(curses, they beat me to it!)
As the friend said, "Look at his hat!"
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
May 3rd, seven years later
May 3, 1999, we had a bloody awful tornado outbreak. If I remember right there were seventy-some tornados in Oklahoma that day & evening with several big ones. The one that got the most attention, and still does, is the one that started near Chickasha in southwest OK, came northeast and just about wiped a couple of towns, turned east just south of Oklahoma City, went through Moore, then northeast again through(mainly) Midwest City, continued through a town called Stroud and finally broke up and went away.
One of the things that made it famous was it was the first time the National Weather Service stormchasers were able to get their doppler radar trucks(two of them) in position to get windspeed readings on a F5 tornado. Official reading 319mph. Of course they said there's a seven mph error factor, so it could have been as low as 312 or as high as 326. In any case, it was bad.
My family and acquaintances came through ok. Couple of people I know at work lived in the Midwest City area and took home damage; I and the ex and kids live in the northwest side and it missed us completely. I'd been at the forge most of the day, and in the afternoon I finally stepped back, stretched, got a drink and for the first time that day actually looked at the sky and felt the air. And decided I should put the fire out and turn on something to check the weather. Cut the fire off, put what I could away- some stuff had to cool off- washed up, turned on the tv and got a drink. I came out of the kitchen about ten seconds before the broadcast showed the monster touching down. Wasn't that big at first, but it grew. And grew. I called the kids to make sure they were ready just in case, and watched it progress. One of the things that made this much less lethal than it could have been was the fact that both on the ground and in the air the NWS and at least three tv stations and a radio station or two had chasers following the thing from the time it touched ground almost until it disappeared.
So people could listen to and watch the progress, and head for their holes or in the case of drivers get the hell out of the way. It was heading for southwest OKC when I called a friend who lived down there to make sure she was aware; she was, and getting her closet ready to hide in. Now, a regular closet wasn't going to mean a damn thing to this beast, but seeing as she was already worked up I didn't say that. I did tell her that I didn't think it'd hit her area; big funnels often make a right turn at some point, and I thought it might(my crystal ball was working that day). It skirted about 1.5-2 miles south of her- too damn close, she later told me in as close to profanity as I ever heard her get- and headed for Moore. Note: one of my forecasting aids was the dogs. They were scared to death of severe storms, and either hid or, if you were outside, stuck to your legs and wouldn't move away, but today they were in the middle of the yard playing.
So we watched it move along, video from ground and air both(one news chopper had been following it so long they had to land and refuel) as it got bigger. To give you an idea, at its' widest on the ground it was right at one mile across; on doppler radar the circulation in the storm creating it was six miles across. And the choppers followed it as it went through the cities like a vacuum through a dirt spill on the floor. Block after block of houses became clean foundation slabs surrounded by rubble, and right in the middle of this I got a phone call that I at first thought was a guy from work. Went like this:
"Are you ok?"
me "Yeah, I'm fine"
pause. " I think I got the wrong number. Where are you?"
"I'm northwest OKC"
"What's it doing there?"
"Little wind, little rain, that's about it."
"Well, I'm in Midwest City in the storm cellar with eight neighbors and three dogs, and it sounds like hell outside."
We talked a minute, then he said he had to call the one he'd intended to and hung up.
So it stomped and tore its' way through and left the metro area. Further out, a couple of guys from a radio station were in a hurry to get home; a wind gust blew them into the drainage ditch along the turnpike and both saved their lives and gave them a ringside seat as the thing destroyed the Stroud mall. And then it went away.
We lost some people, only a few; wasn't that long ago there would have been hundreds from a beast like this. Lots of property damage and lots of property destroyed. Bear safe company dealer had a picture he used for quite a while of a foundation swept clean except for the safe standing there; the owner had bolted it down properly and it hadn't budged. But most everything else in the path just went away.
And everybody came out. People looking for neighbors, people for miles around coming to help. People loaded injured in their trucks and took them to the nearest hospital, often on four flat tires from all the metal and glass in the streets. Very little in the way of looting reported, probably because the scum that would think of it realized that if they got caught the least they could expect was a royal ass-kicking.
About two weeks after I had to drive through the area on NE 10th street, and what it looked a lot like was some pictures I've seen of an area after either a major bombing attack or an artillery barrage that walked through; they damn sure couldn't have done any more damage.
Every time I think about this I remember that phone call.
Oh, and there's a severe thunderstorm watch area over most of western OK. It's that time of year.
One of the things that made it famous was it was the first time the National Weather Service stormchasers were able to get their doppler radar trucks(two of them) in position to get windspeed readings on a F5 tornado. Official reading 319mph. Of course they said there's a seven mph error factor, so it could have been as low as 312 or as high as 326. In any case, it was bad.
My family and acquaintances came through ok. Couple of people I know at work lived in the Midwest City area and took home damage; I and the ex and kids live in the northwest side and it missed us completely. I'd been at the forge most of the day, and in the afternoon I finally stepped back, stretched, got a drink and for the first time that day actually looked at the sky and felt the air. And decided I should put the fire out and turn on something to check the weather. Cut the fire off, put what I could away- some stuff had to cool off- washed up, turned on the tv and got a drink. I came out of the kitchen about ten seconds before the broadcast showed the monster touching down. Wasn't that big at first, but it grew. And grew. I called the kids to make sure they were ready just in case, and watched it progress. One of the things that made this much less lethal than it could have been was the fact that both on the ground and in the air the NWS and at least three tv stations and a radio station or two had chasers following the thing from the time it touched ground almost until it disappeared.
So people could listen to and watch the progress, and head for their holes or in the case of drivers get the hell out of the way. It was heading for southwest OKC when I called a friend who lived down there to make sure she was aware; she was, and getting her closet ready to hide in. Now, a regular closet wasn't going to mean a damn thing to this beast, but seeing as she was already worked up I didn't say that. I did tell her that I didn't think it'd hit her area; big funnels often make a right turn at some point, and I thought it might(my crystal ball was working that day). It skirted about 1.5-2 miles south of her- too damn close, she later told me in as close to profanity as I ever heard her get- and headed for Moore. Note: one of my forecasting aids was the dogs. They were scared to death of severe storms, and either hid or, if you were outside, stuck to your legs and wouldn't move away, but today they were in the middle of the yard playing.
So we watched it move along, video from ground and air both(one news chopper had been following it so long they had to land and refuel) as it got bigger. To give you an idea, at its' widest on the ground it was right at one mile across; on doppler radar the circulation in the storm creating it was six miles across. And the choppers followed it as it went through the cities like a vacuum through a dirt spill on the floor. Block after block of houses became clean foundation slabs surrounded by rubble, and right in the middle of this I got a phone call that I at first thought was a guy from work. Went like this:
"Are you ok?"
me "Yeah, I'm fine"
pause. " I think I got the wrong number. Where are you?"
"I'm northwest OKC"
"What's it doing there?"
"Little wind, little rain, that's about it."
"Well, I'm in Midwest City in the storm cellar with eight neighbors and three dogs, and it sounds like hell outside."
We talked a minute, then he said he had to call the one he'd intended to and hung up.
So it stomped and tore its' way through and left the metro area. Further out, a couple of guys from a radio station were in a hurry to get home; a wind gust blew them into the drainage ditch along the turnpike and both saved their lives and gave them a ringside seat as the thing destroyed the Stroud mall. And then it went away.
We lost some people, only a few; wasn't that long ago there would have been hundreds from a beast like this. Lots of property damage and lots of property destroyed. Bear safe company dealer had a picture he used for quite a while of a foundation swept clean except for the safe standing there; the owner had bolted it down properly and it hadn't budged. But most everything else in the path just went away.
And everybody came out. People looking for neighbors, people for miles around coming to help. People loaded injured in their trucks and took them to the nearest hospital, often on four flat tires from all the metal and glass in the streets. Very little in the way of looting reported, probably because the scum that would think of it realized that if they got caught the least they could expect was a royal ass-kicking.
About two weeks after I had to drive through the area on NE 10th street, and what it looked a lot like was some pictures I've seen of an area after either a major bombing attack or an artillery barrage that walked through; they damn sure couldn't have done any more damage.
Every time I think about this I remember that phone call.
Oh, and there's a severe thunderstorm watch area over most of western OK. It's that time of year.
And while I have a moment, before I leave my soapbox,
behold the bullshit ongoing in the Duke 'rape' case. I put it that way because at this point there is not one solid piece of evidence that I've heard of that proves these guys did it. Note: if they DID in fact rape her, they need to be hung up by the short & curlies for a while. For a start. However...
The 'They're accused, they're guilty!" crap has gone on far too long. Between feminist nutcases and the 'blacks are always victims' groups, it seems we should dispense with those little extras like 'innocent until proven guilty' and 'fair trial' and just get around to hanging them.
God, what a load of crap.
The 'They're accused, they're guilty!" crap has gone on far too long. Between feminist nutcases and the 'blacks are always victims' groups, it seems we should dispense with those little extras like 'innocent until proven guilty' and 'fair trial' and just get around to hanging them.
God, what a load of crap.
Darfur
has been a bloody mess for quite a while now. The 'official' notice of the ongoing genocide and general rapes, murders and slavery have been noted for what, three years now? Various people and groups have been screaming about it for that whole time, and basically all that's happened are words. LOTS of words. And, of course, the U.N. is right in the middle of it throwing words and hints of disappointment and so forth.
But now, it is a Cause! It has been Noticed! For George Clooney and Barak Obama have taken notice! And they're speaking out and urging Action! Right Now!
Which does bring up the question "Where have you been for the last couple of years or so, jackass?
Oh yeah, protesting Bushy McChimplerburton and his Evil War, yeah!
I've been sick of these clowns for a long, long time and they just seem to like making the nausea worse. There've been a number of articles in various papers and whatever talking about it, and urging 'action'. Usually unspecified 'action' but it needs to be done now! Oh, and who's at fault? Why, Bushy McChimplerburton, of course! Never mind that even most of these jerks admit he's actually tried to do more than anyone else in a national leadership, HE HASN'T DONE ENOUGH! 'Course, if he found a couple of divisions of infantry with nothing else to do and dropped them into the place with orders to clean it up, whatever it takes, these same jerks would be calling him a racist and a murderer, etc., for acting without(among other things) 'international agreement'. Which is code for "The UN should be in charge!", which would mean nothing would be done except the spending of lots of money and the exhalation of lots of greenhouse gases from many bloviating officials and politicians.
One of the various things that really pissed me off about the mess in Kosovo was a cartoon in some paper(from Europe somewhere, mind you) showing some guy reading the paper; the headlines were about the reported mass murders, etc., and this guy is saying "This is terrible! When are the Americans going to do something?" The God-cursed European powers wouldn't do squat, the U.N. blue helmets were basically acting as speed bumps for the idiots on both sides, but WE are supposed to take care of it. All under the wise guidance and control of the U.N. and European leaders, of course.
It's been mentioned before, but you know what would really set these people off? Arms. Get a boatload of small arms and ammunition and some people to train and send it to the people being murdered and raped and enslaved. Give them the arms and knowledge to protect themselves. The ANSWER commies and the 'peace activists' and the U.N. and all the usual politicians here would scream like a raped ape and give birth to masses of kittens. But something would get done. And the people being trampled would be doing it for themselves. Which is actually what would scare the above-noted usual suspects the most.
There is no easy answer for this, and the crap level is in large part due to the inaction of the U.N., etc., so far. Much better and easier to talk and talk and talk over piles of bodies and lines of people in chains than to actually do something, right?
But now, it is a Cause! It has been Noticed! For George Clooney and Barak Obama have taken notice! And they're speaking out and urging Action! Right Now!
Which does bring up the question "Where have you been for the last couple of years or so, jackass?
Oh yeah, protesting Bushy McChimplerburton and his Evil War, yeah!
I've been sick of these clowns for a long, long time and they just seem to like making the nausea worse. There've been a number of articles in various papers and whatever talking about it, and urging 'action'. Usually unspecified 'action' but it needs to be done now! Oh, and who's at fault? Why, Bushy McChimplerburton, of course! Never mind that even most of these jerks admit he's actually tried to do more than anyone else in a national leadership, HE HASN'T DONE ENOUGH! 'Course, if he found a couple of divisions of infantry with nothing else to do and dropped them into the place with orders to clean it up, whatever it takes, these same jerks would be calling him a racist and a murderer, etc., for acting without(among other things) 'international agreement'. Which is code for "The UN should be in charge!", which would mean nothing would be done except the spending of lots of money and the exhalation of lots of greenhouse gases from many bloviating officials and politicians.
One of the various things that really pissed me off about the mess in Kosovo was a cartoon in some paper(from Europe somewhere, mind you) showing some guy reading the paper; the headlines were about the reported mass murders, etc., and this guy is saying "This is terrible! When are the Americans going to do something?" The God-cursed European powers wouldn't do squat, the U.N. blue helmets were basically acting as speed bumps for the idiots on both sides, but WE are supposed to take care of it. All under the wise guidance and control of the U.N. and European leaders, of course.
It's been mentioned before, but you know what would really set these people off? Arms. Get a boatload of small arms and ammunition and some people to train and send it to the people being murdered and raped and enslaved. Give them the arms and knowledge to protect themselves. The ANSWER commies and the 'peace activists' and the U.N. and all the usual politicians here would scream like a raped ape and give birth to masses of kittens. But something would get done. And the people being trampled would be doing it for themselves. Which is actually what would scare the above-noted usual suspects the most.
There is no easy answer for this, and the crap level is in large part due to the inaction of the U.N., etc., so far. Much better and easier to talk and talk and talk over piles of bodies and lines of people in chains than to actually do something, right?
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
What's my trigger point?
Over at The High Road there've been a couple of posts over the last while asking "What is the point/what is the act that sets you off?", as in at what point would you tell the government rep that shows up at your door to go to hell?
I'm thinking about that because it hit me at the range yesterday. I was putting away the .30-30. It's an old Model 94, with damaged bluing on the right front and bottom front of the receiver. My parents gave it to me when I was 14. In the years since I've fired something on the order of a richeous buttload of ammo through it. I once tried out one of the side-mount scope setups, I fiddled with things to the irritation of my dad("It works fine now!") but it's always been mine. After all that, now it sits with the original rear sight removed and a filler block taking up the dovetail, a Williams aperture sight on the receiver and the front bead replaced with a post. When putting the post on, I tapped on the bead base and the whole sight came off; it seems there was a touch of solder at the very front and the very back and nothing in between, God knows why it didn't pop off while shooting at some point. So clean and tin and drag the torch in the house and resolder it... My son fired it a lot, starting when he was so light he had to put the rear beanbag between the butt and his shoulder, and had to move it back so he could reach far enough ahead to cycle the action all the way.
And it hit me as I looked at it; if someone came for it, I'd fight. Politician or some poor bastard in uniform, I'd fight. If the clowns in D.C. or the state capitol and their minions decided that peasants like me could not be trusted with such a thing and came to take it, that's it. The anger that washed over me at the thought was fearsome. There's a big difference between theoretical discussion of something and something grabbing you by the guts and saying "THIS IS IT".
This is not the only thing that would by the line for me; it's the thing that, in most recent history, has brought home to me that there is a line that cannot be crossed without violence. That is a fearsome thought; it makes hormones flow and emotions spike. And it should. It's like the rage I felt against the murdering shits that attacked us on 9/11 and have been murdering people around the world before and since. It's the fury at being told by some slimy politician- all too often grown up in wealth and privilege and never having had their hands dirty in work- that you don't know what's best for you, and "us smart people, those deserving of authority, will take care of the thinking for you. It's looking at what happened to some kid and thinking "If someone touched my kid that way, their only two choices would be prison or grave", and meaning every damn word.
This is a nation of laws, and yet we keep seeing politicians being and using people who think the laws don't apply to them; who think that the Constitution is something to be stretched and cut and folded and chopped to fit what they've decided is appropriate for the current world("After all, can't let that outmoded thinking get in the way of progressive ideas, now can we?"). I truly believe that the reason some people want the citazen disarmed is not because of crime concerns, it's because they fear trying to push some of their crap through if people have an actual way to draw a line and say "No. Step over this line and the Restoration War starts."
It's not a pleasant line of thought, and putting some of this down scares me a bit. Hell, it scares me a lot. But it's something that has to be looked at and dealt with.
And trying not to think about it won't work.
I'm thinking about that because it hit me at the range yesterday. I was putting away the .30-30. It's an old Model 94, with damaged bluing on the right front and bottom front of the receiver. My parents gave it to me when I was 14. In the years since I've fired something on the order of a richeous buttload of ammo through it. I once tried out one of the side-mount scope setups, I fiddled with things to the irritation of my dad("It works fine now!") but it's always been mine. After all that, now it sits with the original rear sight removed and a filler block taking up the dovetail, a Williams aperture sight on the receiver and the front bead replaced with a post. When putting the post on, I tapped on the bead base and the whole sight came off; it seems there was a touch of solder at the very front and the very back and nothing in between, God knows why it didn't pop off while shooting at some point. So clean and tin and drag the torch in the house and resolder it... My son fired it a lot, starting when he was so light he had to put the rear beanbag between the butt and his shoulder, and had to move it back so he could reach far enough ahead to cycle the action all the way.
And it hit me as I looked at it; if someone came for it, I'd fight. Politician or some poor bastard in uniform, I'd fight. If the clowns in D.C. or the state capitol and their minions decided that peasants like me could not be trusted with such a thing and came to take it, that's it. The anger that washed over me at the thought was fearsome. There's a big difference between theoretical discussion of something and something grabbing you by the guts and saying "THIS IS IT".
This is not the only thing that would by the line for me; it's the thing that, in most recent history, has brought home to me that there is a line that cannot be crossed without violence. That is a fearsome thought; it makes hormones flow and emotions spike. And it should. It's like the rage I felt against the murdering shits that attacked us on 9/11 and have been murdering people around the world before and since. It's the fury at being told by some slimy politician- all too often grown up in wealth and privilege and never having had their hands dirty in work- that you don't know what's best for you, and "us smart people, those deserving of authority, will take care of the thinking for you. It's looking at what happened to some kid and thinking "If someone touched my kid that way, their only two choices would be prison or grave", and meaning every damn word.
This is a nation of laws, and yet we keep seeing politicians being and using people who think the laws don't apply to them; who think that the Constitution is something to be stretched and cut and folded and chopped to fit what they've decided is appropriate for the current world("After all, can't let that outmoded thinking get in the way of progressive ideas, now can we?"). I truly believe that the reason some people want the citazen disarmed is not because of crime concerns, it's because they fear trying to push some of their crap through if people have an actual way to draw a line and say "No. Step over this line and the Restoration War starts."
It's not a pleasant line of thought, and putting some of this down scares me a bit. Hell, it scares me a lot. But it's something that has to be looked at and dealt with.
And trying not to think about it won't work.
New Orleans is officially the Stupid AND Corrupt City
Today we find that "Mayor Ray Nagin unveiled a new evacuation strategy for New Orleans on Tuesday that relies more on buses and trains and eliminates the Superdome and Convention Center as shelters."
You know, kind of like the plan they had BEFORE Katrina? The one that this corrupt, sorry clown threw out BEFORE the hurricane hit? The trains the mayors office TURNED DOWN the use of? The places the OLD plan said shouldn't be used as shelters? Etc.?
Several things here: That this clown was reelected; that the election pitted two faces of the same corroded coin; that the media seems to be letting him get by with this 'new strategy' crap; put all of it together, and I don't give a crap anymore how much of history is tied up in that damned city. If, after a disaster of this level, with the corruption and incompetence shown, they can't clean house by voting the bastards out, then to hell with the place. Not one more bleepin' dime of our tax money do I want to see wasted down there. Oh, and who's he facing in the runoff? "First, however, Nagin faces an election runoff. His challenger, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, the son of former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, got 29 percent to Nagin's 38 percent in the April election." Gee, 'Landrieu', where have I heard that name before? Oh, yeah, his sister Mary.
God help the state of Louisiana.
You know, kind of like the plan they had BEFORE Katrina? The one that this corrupt, sorry clown threw out BEFORE the hurricane hit? The trains the mayors office TURNED DOWN the use of? The places the OLD plan said shouldn't be used as shelters? Etc.?
Several things here: That this clown was reelected; that the election pitted two faces of the same corroded coin; that the media seems to be letting him get by with this 'new strategy' crap; put all of it together, and I don't give a crap anymore how much of history is tied up in that damned city. If, after a disaster of this level, with the corruption and incompetence shown, they can't clean house by voting the bastards out, then to hell with the place. Not one more bleepin' dime of our tax money do I want to see wasted down there. Oh, and who's he facing in the runoff? "First, however, Nagin faces an election runoff. His challenger, Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, the son of former New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu, got 29 percent to Nagin's 38 percent in the April election." Gee, 'Landrieu', where have I heard that name before? Oh, yeah, his sister Mary.
God help the state of Louisiana.
Ref Commie Day for Illegal Aliens
Didn't go find any local marches or search out any of the weenies; went to the range, then took care of stuff around the house. According to local news, there were a number of mexican restaurants closed so their employees could go march.
Did hear an idiot with MechA on Sean Hannitys' show, basically saying the U.S. screwed up the northern & southern American continents, that's why people try to come here and it's OUR responsibility to make everything right; we are(of course) a RACIST NATION, etc., etc., and our borders should be open to ANYONE who wants to come here. Friggin' idiot.
Michelle Malkin has a collection of reports here, here, here; and notes idiocy by the NY state government here. Isn't it interesting that the media somehow doesn't 'report' on the anti-American and commie-loving actions of these clowns?
Enough to piss off the Good Humor man.
Did hear an idiot with MechA on Sean Hannitys' show, basically saying the U.S. screwed up the northern & southern American continents, that's why people try to come here and it's OUR responsibility to make everything right; we are(of course) a RACIST NATION, etc., etc., and our borders should be open to ANYONE who wants to come here. Friggin' idiot.
Michelle Malkin has a collection of reports here, here, here; and notes idiocy by the NY state government here. Isn't it interesting that the media somehow doesn't 'report' on the anti-American and commie-loving actions of these clowns?
Enough to piss off the Good Humor man.
Monday, May 01, 2006
It's almost too bad the Germans didn't invade Switzerland;
There'd have been a hell of a lot less of them after the attempt
Range report, K31
To an extent you could sum it up by the above statement
First, let us sing the praises of range day! The sky was clear, the temperature cool, the wind light and the birds were singing. Including a mockingbird sitting on the range house tv antenna not ten yards from my position, who kept singing throughout. And there I was, with a sixty-some-odd year old military rifle in fine condition which, thanks to the Framers, I have the noted right to own. It's good.
Ahem. First a couple of notes. I was using the Swiss surplus ammo with, I believe, 174-grain FMJ bullets. Second, remember I said the front sight was set in a diagonal dovetail?
So windage means, instead of moving the sight left or right, you drift it forward or back. Why this method I don't know, but it works well. The muzzle crown is deeply recessed:
well-protected from getting dinged in the field. And it has an unusual trigger:
What you see is the trigger, the sear is the vertical bar and the horizontal link at the top both holds things in place and provides the pivot for the sear, and the coil spring provides the tension for the works. You pull the trigger, the trigger pivots on its pin at the bottom of the sear as the sear pivots on the pin with the link, which pivots around the pin at the back which is part of the receiver; the sear slides down to the first stage stop, then a little more pressure pulls it down through the second stage. Sounds odd, but it works very well.
I say again, very well. First, to see if the sights were roughly on, set up a target at 50 yards and fired three:
Ok, no complaints there, and no need for the second target I'd stapled up. So over to the 100 yard line.
First three at 100:
Ok, fire four more:
For me, with iron sights, that ain't bad a'tall. They grouped a bit to the left, so drifted the sight back(back means 'left' on this, remember), fired a couple, tapped it back just a touch more, and everything from then on was nicely centered.
I fired a little over thirty rounds, and very much wished this range allowed setting clay pigeons up on the backstop; this rifle would be a wonder at busting them. Last four I fired from a sitting position, elbows resting on knees:
The circled holes are the ones fired, the one real high and real low are from something else(no, I won't talk about it right now). The one out of the bull was a called flyer, sight drifted a touch just as I fired. If that's not good enough for you, shut up. For me, from a little-practiced position with a new rifle and iron sights? I'm pretty damn happy.
So, 1. good sights, easy to see
2. very good trigger; first stage long takeup, second breaks clean at about 3 or 3.5 pounds
3. I'd call it mild recoil, no worse than a .30-30 in a Winchester carbine
4. it looks a bit awkward, but it handles very well. I put my right thumb along the top of the grip behind the cocking piece, angle & thickness is such that I could not comfortably wrap it around
5. very good accuracy.
6. forgot to add earlier; Og, yes, it is as slick an action as you've heard. Doesn't show as well in just sitting and cycling it. But fire a shot and it's just pull-push and the next shot is ready. Very quick, very smooth.
If you wanted to scope one of these, there's one problem for a standard mount: it ejects like a Winchester lever gun, straight up and back, so a scope has to be offset to the side. Personally, I think I'd rather go with one of the 'scout' mounts that fit into the rear sight base. Stick a long-eye-relief scope in that and you're good to go. I think that would be a very good setup with this rifle.
Overall, Kim's right; if you don't have one of these, you should try to get one. I could wish the surplus ammo was not as expensive, but there are commercial loads out there with reloadable brass for decent prices, so if you planned to shoot a lot the stuff for reloading is available. This rifle, which(as previously mentioned) came from AIM Surplus, is well worth the money. There are a number of dealers with them, and no, I'm not listing all of them; buy a copy of Shotgun News and check it out. Or fire up the search engine of your choice and check around.
And now, I've got firearms to clean and a stock to prepare for refinishing. Or at least to take down and get ready for refinishing.
Range report, K31
To an extent you could sum it up by the above statement
First, let us sing the praises of range day! The sky was clear, the temperature cool, the wind light and the birds were singing. Including a mockingbird sitting on the range house tv antenna not ten yards from my position, who kept singing throughout. And there I was, with a sixty-some-odd year old military rifle in fine condition which, thanks to the Framers, I have the noted right to own. It's good.
Ahem. First a couple of notes. I was using the Swiss surplus ammo with, I believe, 174-grain FMJ bullets. Second, remember I said the front sight was set in a diagonal dovetail?
So windage means, instead of moving the sight left or right, you drift it forward or back. Why this method I don't know, but it works well. The muzzle crown is deeply recessed:
well-protected from getting dinged in the field. And it has an unusual trigger:
What you see is the trigger, the sear is the vertical bar and the horizontal link at the top both holds things in place and provides the pivot for the sear, and the coil spring provides the tension for the works. You pull the trigger, the trigger pivots on its pin at the bottom of the sear as the sear pivots on the pin with the link, which pivots around the pin at the back which is part of the receiver; the sear slides down to the first stage stop, then a little more pressure pulls it down through the second stage. Sounds odd, but it works very well.
I say again, very well. First, to see if the sights were roughly on, set up a target at 50 yards and fired three:
Ok, no complaints there, and no need for the second target I'd stapled up. So over to the 100 yard line.
First three at 100:
Ok, fire four more:
For me, with iron sights, that ain't bad a'tall. They grouped a bit to the left, so drifted the sight back(back means 'left' on this, remember), fired a couple, tapped it back just a touch more, and everything from then on was nicely centered.
I fired a little over thirty rounds, and very much wished this range allowed setting clay pigeons up on the backstop; this rifle would be a wonder at busting them. Last four I fired from a sitting position, elbows resting on knees:
The circled holes are the ones fired, the one real high and real low are from something else(no, I won't talk about it right now). The one out of the bull was a called flyer, sight drifted a touch just as I fired. If that's not good enough for you, shut up. For me, from a little-practiced position with a new rifle and iron sights? I'm pretty damn happy.
So, 1. good sights, easy to see
2. very good trigger; first stage long takeup, second breaks clean at about 3 or 3.5 pounds
3. I'd call it mild recoil, no worse than a .30-30 in a Winchester carbine
4. it looks a bit awkward, but it handles very well. I put my right thumb along the top of the grip behind the cocking piece, angle & thickness is such that I could not comfortably wrap it around
5. very good accuracy.
6. forgot to add earlier; Og, yes, it is as slick an action as you've heard. Doesn't show as well in just sitting and cycling it. But fire a shot and it's just pull-push and the next shot is ready. Very quick, very smooth.
If you wanted to scope one of these, there's one problem for a standard mount: it ejects like a Winchester lever gun, straight up and back, so a scope has to be offset to the side. Personally, I think I'd rather go with one of the 'scout' mounts that fit into the rear sight base. Stick a long-eye-relief scope in that and you're good to go. I think that would be a very good setup with this rifle.
Overall, Kim's right; if you don't have one of these, you should try to get one. I could wish the surplus ammo was not as expensive, but there are commercial loads out there with reloadable brass for decent prices, so if you planned to shoot a lot the stuff for reloading is available. This rifle, which(as previously mentioned) came from AIM Surplus, is well worth the money. There are a number of dealers with them, and no, I'm not listing all of them; buy a copy of Shotgun News and check it out. Or fire up the search engine of your choice and check around.
And now, I've got firearms to clean and a stock to prepare for refinishing. Or at least to take down and get ready for refinishing.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
My will
Was watching some show on some terrible disease with the wife the other night and I told her "If anything ever happens to me, I don't want to be kept alive like a vegetable, with some machine and a bottle keeping me alive. That ever happens, I want you to pull the plug."
So she got up, unplugged the tv and threw out my beer, the bitch
So she got up, unplugged the tv and threw out my beer, the bitch
Well, well, a variety of news
Found this over at High Road:
"On April 20, Governor Brad Henry (D) signed House Bill 2696, sponsored by Representative Trebor Worthen (R-87). This important legislation will eliminate any threat of restrictions being imposed on lawful uses of firearms or ammunition during a state of emergency. HB 2696 passed the House overwhelmingly with a vote of 94-1, and unanimously in the Senate with a vote of 46-0.
On April 25, HB 2615, the “Stand Your Ground Law,” passed the Senate with a vote of 39-5, and will now go back to the House for concurrence. HB 2615, sponsored by Representative Kevin Calvey (R-94), recognizes that the citizens of Oklahoma have the right to expect absolute safety in a place that he or she has a right to be.
So that's one down and one to go. I found out that my state Rep voted against 2615, and I have sent a note asking him why, we'll see if I get an answer.
Checked my rain guage this morning, and total from the time the rains started to then was a touch over two inches. That's the most rain we've had since late last October if I remember right. It won't get us up to norms, but it'll make a hell of a difference in lake and pond levels, and with the greenup this'll kickstart, should cut the wildfire risk for a while.
Thanks to Tex at Whacking Day, we have a wonderful illustration of something besides cartoons that annoys the hell out of islamist fascists:
And you jerks want to either kill someone like this or stick her in a burkha? You've got problems, boy.
Hadn't looked there in a while, but at IMAO they had an excerpt from Tony Snows' first press conference:
Also for the jihadi types, from Cowboy Blob:
I wonder if they're jihadis from New Orleans? They're living out of a trunk like the dickhead who cheated friends of mine out of money.
Oh well. I've got ammo loaded and targets packed, and I get to hit the range tomorrow to shake out the K31 among other things. Later, folks.
"On April 20, Governor Brad Henry (D) signed House Bill 2696, sponsored by Representative Trebor Worthen (R-87). This important legislation will eliminate any threat of restrictions being imposed on lawful uses of firearms or ammunition during a state of emergency. HB 2696 passed the House overwhelmingly with a vote of 94-1, and unanimously in the Senate with a vote of 46-0.
On April 25, HB 2615, the “Stand Your Ground Law,” passed the Senate with a vote of 39-5, and will now go back to the House for concurrence. HB 2615, sponsored by Representative Kevin Calvey (R-94), recognizes that the citizens of Oklahoma have the right to expect absolute safety in a place that he or she has a right to be.
So that's one down and one to go. I found out that my state Rep voted against 2615, and I have sent a note asking him why, we'll see if I get an answer.
Checked my rain guage this morning, and total from the time the rains started to then was a touch over two inches. That's the most rain we've had since late last October if I remember right. It won't get us up to norms, but it'll make a hell of a difference in lake and pond levels, and with the greenup this'll kickstart, should cut the wildfire risk for a while.
Thanks to Tex at Whacking Day, we have a wonderful illustration of something besides cartoons that annoys the hell out of islamist fascists:
And you jerks want to either kill someone like this or stick her in a burkha? You've got problems, boy.
Hadn't looked there in a while, but at IMAO they had an excerpt from Tony Snows' first press conference:
"First off," Tony stated, "I'm already a hundred times the journalist of all you hacks added together, so, instead of answering your moronic queries, I'm just going to state everything you need to know and you'll jot it all down and report that. Are we clear?" "Mr. Snow, we need--" a reporter started to say, but then screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. "Now, one thing you need to know," Tony said, "is that I can now shock you through your press passes. This wasn't my idea; it was done by Homeland Security. Now, on to politics. While there are many troubles in Iraq, it's going much better than you shills report. Progress is being made daily. With Iran, many options are being looked at, but nothing has been decided on. Finally, the Democrats are all morons and you waste time reporting on anything they do or say. I think that covers everything." "What about how Karl Rove will be--" A horde of screaming demons crashed through the ceiling, grabbed the reporter, and flew off. "It should be mentioned," Tony said, "that questions about Karl Rove will cause screeching demons to come after you. That's out of my hands." "And there are also reports that secret police are taking away anyone who questions the White House," a reporter stated. "What is your reaction?" Some men in black ran into the room, grabbed the reporter, and dragged her away. "Next question," Tony said in a bored voice
Also for the jihadi types, from Cowboy Blob:
I wonder if they're jihadis from New Orleans? They're living out of a trunk like the dickhead who cheated friends of mine out of money.
Oh well. I've got ammo loaded and targets packed, and I get to hit the range tomorrow to shake out the K31 among other things. Later, folks.
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