they're supposed to be. And if you're stupid enough to do this, you deserve to receive toothmarks.
The gardener, Giovanni Rivera, was attacked in June by a German shepherd named Congo and four other dogs at a Princeton home where he did landscaping. Charges were filed against the family who owned the dogs, and Rivera received an insurance settlement of $250,000...
James [the owner of Congo] contends the men showed up early when the dogs were eating, and disregarded his calls for them to stay in their vehicle. He said Congo attacked Rivera after the panicked gardener grabbed his wife from behind and pulled her down, causing her to scream.
I read the article, and found these little nuggets:
Much of the public discussion has centered on Rivera's immigration status. Neither Riechelson, the James family, their lawyer, or the prosecutor said they know whether Rivera is here legally, nor do they care, saying that it wasn't relevant to the case. (bold mine)
Otis described some of the comments directed at Rivera as "very disturbing" and questioned whether public opinion would be different if the victim had been a child or a non-immigrant.
That thought was echoed by some Hispanic immigrants in Princeton.
"Maybe they would have killed the dog already," said Oscar, a Guatemalan immigrant who didn't want to give his full name because he's in the country illegally. "This country values Americans."
Why, yes, jackass, we DO value Americans. More than illegal aliens, most of us. Deal with it. As to the rest, gee, I wonder if, possibly being here illegally and- like many such- not being too good with English, maybe Mr. Rivera didn't understand when the homeowner said "Stay in the truck"? Hmmm, it is to ponder...
Years ago when Wife #1 and I bought our first house, we got a dog. Near as we could tell was half either Lab or Weimeraner and half (probably) Springer Spaniel. Solid black, long fur like a Springer, smart and very protective. One day we were working on lunch when the dog started barking. First it was "One of those people is here" barking, which meant meter reader. Then it changed to "YOU are not supposed to be here!" barking. Serious barking. Wife went out to see as I had my hands full and about five seconds after she went out I heard her say "Just read it and get out!"
And then the dog went nuts. This wasn't just warning barking anymore, it was "You're dead meat!" snarling. I hit the door at a run and discovered an interesting little tableau:
Wife holding dog by collar.
Meter reader holding a piece of 2x4 about two feet long, waving it at the dog.
Dog dragging wife forward.
I found out later this idiot, instead of reading the meter and walking out when the dog barked at him- like every other reader did- picked up the 2x4 and shook it at him. That violated Rule #1 of dog/meter reader etiquette, causing the 'get out' barking. And then, when wife grabbed the collar and told the idiot to finish up and leave, he actually took a step toward them and shook the board again. Dog took this to mean "Normal rules do not apply to this two-leg, he's threatening the alpha female!" and he went into full defend-the-pack mode.
This dog weighed about 40 pounds as I recall and, as I say, was dragging my 110lb. wife forward as he tried to reach the idiot. I tackled the dog, wrapped both arms around him and held on. After a few moments he stopped trying to get loose as he realized the boss didn't want him to chew up the intruder(I didn't want to add any more yelling to the situation), and alpha female was running the intruder out. With loud and abusive words.
Idiot left, wife went in to call the electric company, and I sat there telling the dog he'd done good protecting her, but it was time to calm down now. Which he did.
Bad thing about the aftermath was that forevermore he would not let anybody he didn't know in without challenge; idiot had broken all the rules and all meter readers were now considered suspect.
But nobody, nobody, ever tried to get into our yard without permission.
Oh, later found out they'd had several complaints about this idiot and he wound up being fired. Do not be a meter reader if you can't deal with dogs: they're supposed to protect their territory.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
I wonder if this stuff will stay in Obama's upfront message,
or if it'll disappear until after he's(he hopes) elected?
MANCHESTER, NH—Senator Barack Obama today will issue a “Call to Serve” and detail his commitment to making national service an important cause of his presidency in a major policy address at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
In his campaign, Obama has enlisted hundreds of thousands of Americans to join him in working for change that America can believe in. As President, Obama will increase opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve their country. In his remarks, Obama plans to discuss his personal experience in public service, as well as his plan to call on Americans from all walks of life to serve and to build an architecture that focuses their service toward achieving leading national goals.
Yes, Comrade Stalin, a wonderful idea! They will serve theparty- er, Motherland!country!
Among all the 'double the size of' and 'new agencies' and so on, there's this:
* Establish a goal of having middle and high-schoolers contribute at least 50 hours a week to community service, and reach that goal through national guidelines for service-learning and additional resources for schools to develop successful programs.
I don't give a rats ass if that's a misprint and it's actually '5' hours, this is the same kind of crap we heard at previous elections along the lines of "I will require students complete x hours of volunteer service or they don't get their diploma." That's not 'voluntary service' and this isn't 'community service', it's involuntary servitude. You socialist bastard.
Read the whole damn thing. Doesn't it sound like, with slight rewording, it could've come out of the Soviet Union? Or something you'd expect to hear from the PRC today?
No wonder he wants us all disarmed.
Word of this bullcrap found thanks to Our Lady of the Thong.
MANCHESTER, NH—Senator Barack Obama today will issue a “Call to Serve” and detail his commitment to making national service an important cause of his presidency in a major policy address at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa.
In his campaign, Obama has enlisted hundreds of thousands of Americans to join him in working for change that America can believe in. As President, Obama will increase opportunities for Americans of all ages to serve their country. In his remarks, Obama plans to discuss his personal experience in public service, as well as his plan to call on Americans from all walks of life to serve and to build an architecture that focuses their service toward achieving leading national goals.
Yes, Comrade Stalin, a wonderful idea! They will serve the
Among all the 'double the size of' and 'new agencies' and so on, there's this:
* Establish a goal of having middle and high-schoolers contribute at least 50 hours a week to community service, and reach that goal through national guidelines for service-learning and additional resources for schools to develop successful programs.
I don't give a rats ass if that's a misprint and it's actually '5' hours, this is the same kind of crap we heard at previous elections along the lines of "I will require students complete x hours of volunteer service or they don't get their diploma." That's not 'voluntary service' and this isn't 'community service', it's involuntary servitude. You socialist bastard.
Read the whole damn thing. Doesn't it sound like, with slight rewording, it could've come out of the Soviet Union? Or something you'd expect to hear from the PRC today?
No wonder he wants us all disarmed.
Word of this bullcrap found thanks to Our Lady of the Thong.
Range day, loads tested
Had a chance to hit the outdoor range today, partly just for fun and partly to try out those cast bullet loads I mentioned the other day.
With my standard DISCLAIMER: these loads work well for me in my firearms: they may not in some others. Use at your OWN PERIL, I'll pass on the loads.
#1 7.62x54r is Hotshot or Prvi Partisan brass I picked up at the range a while back(can't tell which), 150-grain RCBS flatnose gas-checked bullet and 16.0 grains of 2400 powder. Bullet seated up to the crimp groove and lightly crimped.
#2 Same brass, 110-grain Lyman spitzer gas-checked bullet, same powder charge.
This is the same load I dug up a couple of years(with the 150-grain bullet) ago for .30-06. With 7.62x54r being pretty close in case capacity, also being a strong bolt-action rifle and with this being a mild practice load, I tried it. Quite good results in both, and with both bullets in 7.62. I had to set the rear sight at the 400-meter mark on the M39- interestingly, same setting in yards on the 1903- to put it dead on at 50 yards. At 100, had to move the sights- on both- up to about 550. In the M39 this had the 150-grain bullets grouping right at the top edge of the 6" bull with a 6 o'clock hold, and this load gave groups averaging about 2". Which is pretty good for a .309" bullet going through a .310 bore. The 110-grain bullet hit a little higher but didn't group nearly as well. For practice out to 50 either would do nicely. Low recoil and good accuracy, what more could you ask for?
I also tried something out in .22. While back I mentioned I was going to get some match-grade ammo to try out in the Martini and see just what a difference it made; Sportsman's Warehouse carries some, the Eley Match EPS* to be specific, and I got a box last time I was there.
Eley has come up with a bullet design for their match stuff: flat nose with a flat-tip spike in the center. Undoubtedly some engineers and ballistics experts sweated coming up with and testing this design, it's what they use in their best match ammo, and the grade or two below.
I'll point out, as evidence that the 'grade or two below' probably consists of ammo that didn't meet the specs for the Ultimate, that the noses on the ammo were not real consistent: some had low, badly-defined spikes and slightly rounded corners on the point.
How'd it do? If I did my part, it gave 1.5 to 1.75" groups at 100 yards. Which ain't bad, except that Eley Sport and Federal Champion will do the same out of this rifle at MUCH less cost. The Match cost $12 for a box: Sport runs about $2 now and the Federal about $1.50. The Match may have been a touch more consistent, but not nearly enough to be worth the difference in price. Some day when I run across some of the Ultimate I may pick up a box of it to try, see if it gives enough of a better result to be worth keeping some around, but it's not something I'm going to go digging for. Not at $15/box
*All they had was the Match, and unless I'm sending an order to Midway or someplace so I can add a box on, I'm not ordering the stuff. Not just a box to try out.
With my standard DISCLAIMER: these loads work well for me in my firearms: they may not in some others. Use at your OWN PERIL, I'll pass on the loads.
#1 7.62x54r is Hotshot or Prvi Partisan brass I picked up at the range a while back(can't tell which), 150-grain RCBS flatnose gas-checked bullet and 16.0 grains of 2400 powder. Bullet seated up to the crimp groove and lightly crimped.
#2 Same brass, 110-grain Lyman spitzer gas-checked bullet, same powder charge.
This is the same load I dug up a couple of years(with the 150-grain bullet) ago for .30-06. With 7.62x54r being pretty close in case capacity, also being a strong bolt-action rifle and with this being a mild practice load, I tried it. Quite good results in both, and with both bullets in 7.62. I had to set the rear sight at the 400-meter mark on the M39- interestingly, same setting in yards on the 1903- to put it dead on at 50 yards. At 100, had to move the sights- on both- up to about 550. In the M39 this had the 150-grain bullets grouping right at the top edge of the 6" bull with a 6 o'clock hold, and this load gave groups averaging about 2". Which is pretty good for a .309" bullet going through a .310 bore. The 110-grain bullet hit a little higher but didn't group nearly as well. For practice out to 50 either would do nicely. Low recoil and good accuracy, what more could you ask for?
I also tried something out in .22. While back I mentioned I was going to get some match-grade ammo to try out in the Martini and see just what a difference it made; Sportsman's Warehouse carries some, the Eley Match EPS* to be specific, and I got a box last time I was there.
Eley has come up with a bullet design for their match stuff: flat nose with a flat-tip spike in the center. Undoubtedly some engineers and ballistics experts sweated coming up with and testing this design, it's what they use in their best match ammo, and the grade or two below.
I'll point out, as evidence that the 'grade or two below' probably consists of ammo that didn't meet the specs for the Ultimate, that the noses on the ammo were not real consistent: some had low, badly-defined spikes and slightly rounded corners on the point.
How'd it do? If I did my part, it gave 1.5 to 1.75" groups at 100 yards. Which ain't bad, except that Eley Sport and Federal Champion will do the same out of this rifle at MUCH less cost. The Match cost $12 for a box: Sport runs about $2 now and the Federal about $1.50. The Match may have been a touch more consistent, but not nearly enough to be worth the difference in price. Some day when I run across some of the Ultimate I may pick up a box of it to try, see if it gives enough of a better result to be worth keeping some around, but it's not something I'm going to go digging for. Not at $15/box
*All they had was the Match, and unless I'm sending an order to Midway or someplace so I can add a box on, I'm not ordering the stuff. Not just a box to try out.
There may always be an England,
but it ain't gonna be the same place.
whiskey-addled weird moments considered English(or Scots or Irish or whatever) a 'race'.
Just flat freakin' amazing.
A grandfather has been given a prison sentence for racial harassment after calling a Welsh woman "English".
Mick Forsythe used the term during an argument over a scratched car in his Welsh home town.
He called the vehicle's owner, Lorna Steele, an "English bitch".
She and her husband took great offence at the jibe and decided to take him to court.
The 55-year-old former lorry driver was found guilty of racially aggravated disorderly behaviour, and received a ten-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months.
You know, I've been known to make comments about the cursed sassenach and other such statements of endearment(especially when wearing a kilt), but I never, even in my mostJust flat freakin' amazing.
Said a while back, takes everyone from the drivers to the
dishwashers to the mechanics to the shooters to fight a war. And to quote McQ, Bravery isn’t just found in a firefight.
When he saw the tail fin of the RPG round, he yelled, "everybody get out!"
"I had never even seen an RPG before, but I figured anything with a rod and fins on it had to be a rocket of some kind."
Oh asked for volunteers to stay in the operating room and help him save Moss's life. Several soldiers raised their hands.
Go. Read.
When he saw the tail fin of the RPG round, he yelled, "everybody get out!"
"I had never even seen an RPG before, but I figured anything with a rod and fins on it had to be a rocket of some kind."
Oh asked for volunteers to stay in the operating room and help him save Moss's life. Several soldiers raised their hands.
Go. Read.
If I were Jewish
I'd buy a second menorah. One that used big candles. BIG ones. 'Why are peasants carrying torches in that house?' big. Friggin' idiots.
Totally unconnected- except for the fact that it concerns more friggin' idiots who, in this case, should be fired after being caned in the hallway outside the personnel office- are these clowns in our 'intelligence' community. After they were caned and thrown out the door there could be an announcement: "Your job is to provide information and, when asked for, estimates. NOT to decide what information the administration gets, NOT how to 'slant' it, NOT to use your position to push your own political views. We've got a lot more rattan sticks, people, don't make us use them."
Added: I just saw this and, since I'm on the subject of friggin' idiots, Mr. Stephen Smith has to enter the listing.
"And when you look at the internet business, what's dangerous about it is that people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses. I respect the journalism industry, and the fact of the matter is ...someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can. They are not trained. Not experts." Bold mine.
Ah, yes, the 'experts'. Mr. Smith, we've gotten tired of the 'expertise' of the clowns in your industy, which is a large reason why us bloggers say mean things about you. And try to correct the errors you 'experts' throw at us, and the slanted and edited information. And make fun of you, you friggin' idiot.
See how easy 'journalism' is?
Totally unconnected- except for the fact that it concerns more friggin' idiots who, in this case, should be fired after being caned in the hallway outside the personnel office- are these clowns in our 'intelligence' community. After they were caned and thrown out the door there could be an announcement: "Your job is to provide information and, when asked for, estimates. NOT to decide what information the administration gets, NOT how to 'slant' it, NOT to use your position to push your own political views. We've got a lot more rattan sticks, people, don't make us use them."
Added: I just saw this and, since I'm on the subject of friggin' idiots, Mr. Stephen Smith has to enter the listing.
"And when you look at the internet business, what's dangerous about it is that people who are clearly unqualified get to disseminate their piece to the masses. I respect the journalism industry, and the fact of the matter is ...someone with no training should not be allowed to have any kind of format whatsoever to disseminate to the masses to the level which they can. They are not trained. Not experts." Bold mine.
Ah, yes, the 'experts'. Mr. Smith, we've gotten tired of the 'expertise' of the clowns in your industy, which is a large reason why us bloggers say mean things about you. And try to correct the errors you 'experts' throw at us, and the slanted and edited information. And make fun of you, you friggin' idiot.
See how easy 'journalism' is?
Monday, December 03, 2007
And in other news,
one of the dollar stores nearby has a shelf of carb & choke cleaner, 19oz. spray cans, for a buck.
Yes, I AM going back tomorrow.
Yes, I AM going back tomorrow.
It's the CAIR Mo-bear!
Mohammed Bear - Mohammed Bear fools all the other Bears (except Dhimmi Bear who is forced) into believing he is Holy. His followers go on to continually divide and harass the world while claiming to be victims. What a tricksey Bear he is!
Check out the other CAIR Bears!
Now, this is downright cool!
A dinosaur that was partly mummified instead of petrified:
Although the first dinosaur mummy was found a century ago, the newly described fossil is striking because it contains soft tissues from the original beast.
Although the first dinosaur mummy was found a century ago, the newly described fossil is striking because it contains soft tissues from the original beast.
The remains of the uncollapsed skin envelope of the tail, arm, and legs of the Hadrosaur were uncovered in a rocky tomb in North Dakota to reveal fossilised skin and tendons that, under the gaze of an advanced scanner, provide a unique and tantalising glimpse of the 3D innards of a dinosaur.
All kinds of interesting things out of this. The changes in how this thing looked sounds like something a Drake character said in Time Safari: that so much of what we 'know' about extinct species is based on guesswork that damn near all of it is subject to change the moment we find something that gives more hard information. For instance, now it's been decided that T-Rex was relatively slow and some argue he was mostly a scavenger; what if it turns out there was something about his structure that allowed him to run faster than we think from looking at the fossils?
Lots of interesting things to come in the future, I have no doubt.
And speaking of New Effin' York
and the law:
The latest interest in Judge Weinstein doesn’t stem from any of his Page 1-worthy rulings but the more arcane question of how some of his cases got assigned to the judge in the first place. At issue is how more than a dozen lawsuits brought against the tobacco industry — and several suits against firearm manufacturers — ended up before the judge.
By and large, these suits, about 20 in all, against the tobacco and firearm industries didn’t arrive on Judge Weinstein’s docket through a “spin of the wheel” — the random case assignment process by which suits are sent to judges. Instead, plaintiffs in the know have long used an administrative shortcut to maneuver lawsuits against the same set of defendants into the courtroom of their choice. Their choice is often Judge Weinstein.
In one of Dashiel Hammetts' books a character says something like "The law is a bunch of rules written by lawyers so they can argue about them in front of other lawyers called judges, with all of them getting paid each step of the way." You can argue about points of that, but we do have a big problem with lawyers writing/influencing the writing of laws for their own benefit, and screw the people. This is a good example: screw the proper legal procedure, we want a judge we know will rule our way, so let's game the system.
Lamppost, rope, lawyer...
This specific information I hadn't seen about Giuliani
and his 'sanctuary city' crap before. And this bastard wants to be President?
Let's see, military on the battlefield, ROP clowns rioting in France(again),
terrorists wanting to kill us all, and what does TSA do?
Brief background: On the tarmac, an honor guard had been formed by Port of Seattle Police, airport fire and rescue and military personnel as the soldier’s body was placed on the plane.
A police officer then took the escort soldiers up to security.
The TSA screener checked everyone’s ID, including the police officer, and then had the soldiers go through the metal detectors.
Their combat ribbons and medals set off the alarms.
So what does the TSA screener do?
He has the soldiers strip off their uniforms - in front of everyone - down to their tee shirts, pants and socks.
I swear, Barney Fife was FAR more a professional than these clowns. And if he overstepped, at least he had a boss who'd actually do something to correct the situation. But then, he wasn't a 'federalized professional'.France seems to have calmed down
for the moment, but apparently the actions of the 'disadvantaged youths' in this action were considered worse than those a while back. There are a couple of things in the article that just kind of jump out at you. For instance:
IN retrospect, it was not a good idea to have left his pistol at home. Called to the scene of a traffic accident in the Paris suburbs last Sunday, Jean-François Illy, a regional police chief, came face to face with a mob of immigrant youths armed with baseball bats, iron bars and shotguns.
Gee whiz, you think?!?
His bruised and bloodied face signalled a worrying new level of barbarity in the mainly Muslim banlieues, where organised gangs of rioters used guns against police in a two-day rampage of looting and burning last week.
Not far from where Illy was lying was a policeman who lost his right eye after being hit by pellets from a shotgun. Another policeman displayed a hole the size of a 10p coin in his shoulder where a bullet had passed through his body armour.
Altogether 130 policemen were injured, dozens by shotgun pellets and shells packed with nails that were fired from a homemade bazooka. It prompted talk of urban “guerrilla warfare” being waged on French streets against the forces of law and order.
A few paragraphs later:
“It felt like they were out to kill us,” said one of the officers in Villiers-le-Bel last week. “We knew that there were weapons in the suburbs, but they have never been turned against us like that. The kids were shooting at us at close range, loading and reloading their weapons. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Bold mine.
A couple of years ago there was a big article on the muslim-dominated areas around the major cities that noted one thing known to be going on: muslim gangs would steal luxury cars, smuggle them to eastern Europe and take payment partly in money, partly in weapons- from pistols to subguns to RPGs- and the weapons were then used to commit robberies. Considering that, and the general smuggling, they're really lucky the bigshots in the area decided it wasn't time to let the automatic weapons come out. Could be a number of things, could be they're worried about the government reaction with Sarkozy being President:
At the same time he argued that, far from reflecting difficult living conditions, the violence was a result of the “thugocracy” of the suburbs, where drug-trafficking criminals held sway.
“We shouldn’t try to excuse the inexcusable,” said the president in a television address to an anxious nation on Thursday, ridiculing the left’s vision of rioters as “victims of social injustice”. He pledged that those who fired at police would be tracked down, one by one, and tried on charges of attempted murder.
I'm really liking this guy. I just hope he can stay alive and kick the government into taking serious action before things blow completely up.
IN retrospect, it was not a good idea to have left his pistol at home. Called to the scene of a traffic accident in the Paris suburbs last Sunday, Jean-François Illy, a regional police chief, came face to face with a mob of immigrant youths armed with baseball bats, iron bars and shotguns.
Gee whiz, you think?!?
His bruised and bloodied face signalled a worrying new level of barbarity in the mainly Muslim banlieues, where organised gangs of rioters used guns against police in a two-day rampage of looting and burning last week.
Not far from where Illy was lying was a policeman who lost his right eye after being hit by pellets from a shotgun. Another policeman displayed a hole the size of a 10p coin in his shoulder where a bullet had passed through his body armour.
Altogether 130 policemen were injured, dozens by shotgun pellets and shells packed with nails that were fired from a homemade bazooka. It prompted talk of urban “guerrilla warfare” being waged on French streets against the forces of law and order.
A few paragraphs later:
“It felt like they were out to kill us,” said one of the officers in Villiers-le-Bel last week. “We knew that there were weapons in the suburbs, but they have never been turned against us like that. The kids were shooting at us at close range, loading and reloading their weapons. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Bold mine.
A couple of years ago there was a big article on the muslim-dominated areas around the major cities that noted one thing known to be going on: muslim gangs would steal luxury cars, smuggle them to eastern Europe and take payment partly in money, partly in weapons- from pistols to subguns to RPGs- and the weapons were then used to commit robberies. Considering that, and the general smuggling, they're really lucky the bigshots in the area decided it wasn't time to let the automatic weapons come out. Could be a number of things, could be they're worried about the government reaction with Sarkozy being President:
At the same time he argued that, far from reflecting difficult living conditions, the violence was a result of the “thugocracy” of the suburbs, where drug-trafficking criminals held sway.
“We shouldn’t try to excuse the inexcusable,” said the president in a television address to an anxious nation on Thursday, ridiculing the left’s vision of rioters as “victims of social injustice”. He pledged that those who fired at police would be tracked down, one by one, and tried on charges of attempted murder.
I'm really liking this guy. I just hope he can stay alive and kick the government into taking serious action before things blow completely up.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
I realize not much posted the last bit,
very little gun stuff and just some general posts otherwise. Combination of things.
Shift change came around, and while the sleep hours aren't that much different, I guess it's harder to deal with than it used to be(again, aging sucks). Weather has made it harder to get outside and do some things: not much bad weather, but my hands stiffen worse in cold weather than they used to, and I've gotten a bit concerned about using power tools and sharp tools at times like that.
So I haven't made much progress on the project 1911 since the last post, about the only thing has been starting to open up the mouth of the mag well a bit. Due to some things coming up, getting a barrel or other parts will have to wait a bit. I did put another 50 rounds through it, all feeding and going bang as they should.
One thing I was able to try: some cast bullet loads in 7.62x54r. A while back at the range I picked up almost a box worth of new brass, either Hotshot or Wolf Gold, that's reloadable. My M39 bore slugs at .310, so- not having a mold for .311 or .312 bullets, I took some of the .309 flat-nose gas-check bullets I originally started casting for .30-30 and loaded them up over a charge of 2400 powder. At 30 yards on the rifle side at H&H they gave about 1.25" groups off a moderately-steady rest; nice clean round holes with no sign of keyholing. So I'll reload these and try them at 50 & 100 yards next time I can get to the outdoor range.
One thing I'll add: RCBS dies for this cartridge come with two expander balls: one for .308 bullets and one for .311, so you can use the one that best fits the bore of your rifle. A very nice touch.
Shift change came around, and while the sleep hours aren't that much different, I guess it's harder to deal with than it used to be(again, aging sucks). Weather has made it harder to get outside and do some things: not much bad weather, but my hands stiffen worse in cold weather than they used to, and I've gotten a bit concerned about using power tools and sharp tools at times like that.
So I haven't made much progress on the project 1911 since the last post, about the only thing has been starting to open up the mouth of the mag well a bit. Due to some things coming up, getting a barrel or other parts will have to wait a bit. I did put another 50 rounds through it, all feeding and going bang as they should.
One thing I was able to try: some cast bullet loads in 7.62x54r. A while back at the range I picked up almost a box worth of new brass, either Hotshot or Wolf Gold, that's reloadable. My M39 bore slugs at .310, so- not having a mold for .311 or .312 bullets, I took some of the .309 flat-nose gas-check bullets I originally started casting for .30-30 and loaded them up over a charge of 2400 powder. At 30 yards on the rifle side at H&H they gave about 1.25" groups off a moderately-steady rest; nice clean round holes with no sign of keyholing. So I'll reload these and try them at 50 & 100 yards next time I can get to the outdoor range.
One thing I'll add: RCBS dies for this cartridge come with two expander balls: one for .308 bullets and one for .311, so you can use the one that best fits the bore of your rifle. A very nice touch.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
"Gee, which minority candidate do I owe my vote to?"
Saw this the other day, and the Grouchy One noted it. The more I think about it, it's like reading part of the script for a sitcom. A bad, very PC one.
Fliers posted across campus summed up the thrust of their conversation: "Should you vote for Barack Obama because of your race, or should you vote for Hillary Clinton because you are a woman?"
Apparently the concept of "What candidate of which party do I think would do the best job?" doesn't count.
Back when it was still funny, I used to sometimes watch Will and Grace, and they had an episode where they were trying to convince each other to vote for their candidate: Will because "He's -, -, and GAY!", Grace because "She's -, -, and a WOMAN!" In the end, they decided not to vote at all, until Jack walked in and mentioned he'd voted. They asked for who and he said "The black one". The two looked at each other, then him and chorused "There's a BLACK one?" and headed for the door.
That's pretty much what this crap is: "Screw competence, ideas and so forth, I have to vote for the candidate in MY minority/type/most PC class."
I just love these two bits:
Patricia Wilson-Smith, a 42-year-old information technology specialist who lives in Lawrenceville, contends that Obama would be the best leader because he reaches out to all Americans. She argues that Clinton is too divisive and too much of a Washington insider.
and
"The reason we've never been close to running that truly feasible black candidate is because we've never had one who was interested in governing the entire nation," she wrote, "and not just championing the cause of blacks."
"...reaches out to ALL Americans..." "...too much of a Washington insider." Let's see, we've got two socialist hoplophobes who want to run our lives... two pretty much lifetime politicians... One's trading on having been the President's wife and the other on being a one-term senator- who hasn't finished his first term- who spent some time growing up outside the U.S.... one's trading on being female, one's trading on being black...
Will you have smallpox or ebola with your dessert?
Fliers posted across campus summed up the thrust of their conversation: "Should you vote for Barack Obama because of your race, or should you vote for Hillary Clinton because you are a woman?"
Apparently the concept of "What candidate of which party do I think would do the best job?" doesn't count.
Back when it was still funny, I used to sometimes watch Will and Grace, and they had an episode where they were trying to convince each other to vote for their candidate: Will because "He's -, -, and GAY!", Grace because "She's -, -, and a WOMAN!" In the end, they decided not to vote at all, until Jack walked in and mentioned he'd voted. They asked for who and he said "The black one". The two looked at each other, then him and chorused "There's a BLACK one?" and headed for the door.
That's pretty much what this crap is: "Screw competence, ideas and so forth, I have to vote for the candidate in MY minority/type/most PC class."
I just love these two bits:
Patricia Wilson-Smith, a 42-year-old information technology specialist who lives in Lawrenceville, contends that Obama would be the best leader because he reaches out to all Americans. She argues that Clinton is too divisive and too much of a Washington insider.
and
"The reason we've never been close to running that truly feasible black candidate is because we've never had one who was interested in governing the entire nation," she wrote, "and not just championing the cause of blacks."
"...reaches out to ALL Americans..." "...too much of a Washington insider." Let's see, we've got two socialist hoplophobes who want to run our lives... two pretty much lifetime politicians... One's trading on having been the President's wife and the other on being a one-term senator- who hasn't finished his first term- who spent some time growing up outside the U.S.... one's trading on being female, one's trading on being black...
Will you have smallpox or ebola with your dessert?
Friday, November 30, 2007
The next step after registration:
Inspections to make sure you have your guns 'properly' stored. And don't have too many. And don't have something not approved of.
searchinspect."
Further along it states "No force will be used in conducting the inspection." However, since it also states "...required..." earlier, you know what that means: "Let me in or I'll be back with a warrant and turn the house upside-down."
Let's see, that rope goes around thirteen times, and then...
The Chief Firearms Office is piloting an initiative that involves notifying older firearms owners, in Toronto, who own more than 10 firearms, including a restricted or prohibited firearm(s). These firearms owners will be required to have their firearms inspected by a firearms officer designated by the Chief Firearms Officer. Each owner has been provided a pamphlet from the Canadian Firearms Centre setting out the requirements for safe storage and display. The inspector will also be providing the firearms owners with information, from the Canadian Firearms Centre, on how to arrange for the handling of their firearms in the event of death or incapacity.
The Firearms Act provides for a firearms officer, designated in writing by the Chief Firearms Officer, the authority to conduct inspections in certain circumstances, including where the inspector believes on reasonable grounds that there is a firearms collection, a prohibited firearm or more than 10 firearms. Where the inspection involves a dwelling house, the Firearms Act requires the inspector provide reasonable notice and obtain the occupant’s consent. The Firearms Act also requires the owner or person in charge of a place to give the inspector reasonable assistance to enable him to carry out the inspection. (bold mine)
Further along it states "No force will be used in conducting the inspection." However, since it also states "...required..." earlier, you know what that means: "Let me in or I'll be back with a warrant and turn the house upside-down."
Let's see, that rope goes around thirteen times, and then...
I once mentioned people who need a custom jockstrap or a wheelbarrow
to carry their balls in. You really need to read this at Blackfive:
Later that same day, Herrera would walk through a minefield drawing deadly rounds away from their intended mark. He lost both his legs in the engagement, all the while keeping his M-1 Garand Rifle trained on the source stronghold thereby allowing his brothers-in-arms to flank and overrun the enemy position.
I'd say 'God rest his soul', but I think that's already taken care of.
Later that same day, Herrera would walk through a minefield drawing deadly rounds away from their intended mark. He lost both his legs in the engagement, all the while keeping his M-1 Garand Rifle trained on the source stronghold thereby allowing his brothers-in-arms to flank and overrun the enemy position.
I'd say 'God rest his soul', but I think that's already taken care of.
To hell with the rope and lamppost,
we need to move to napalm.
There's so much wrong with this I'm not even gonna start.
And crap like this is why I generally don't watch political debates. I'd thank the man at Random for pointing out the first and his opinion on the second, but the first has pissed me off so bad I don't know whether to thank him or be pissed because I was fairly mellow before reading it.
There's so much wrong with this I'm not even gonna start.
And crap like this is why I generally don't watch political debates. I'd thank the man at Random for pointing out the first and his opinion on the second, but the first has pissed me off so bad I don't know whether to thank him or be pissed because I was fairly mellow before reading it.
In case you haven't heard the latest on that British teacher,
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad."
In response to the demonstration, teacher Gillian Gibbons was moved from the women's prison near Khartoum to a secret location for her safety, her lawyer said.
As somebody said about the riots in France, "Muslims shooting, burning and calling for murder: this is a surprise?"
"One of the things my mum said today was that 'I don't want any resentment towards Muslim people,'" John Gibbons said, relaying part of a telephone conversation with her.
Too late, madam. Not all muslims, but definitely toward the BPM's that Tam referred to as 'Self-detonating neolithic goatherds'.
Take note of the wording here:
Several hundred protesters, not openly carrying weapons, marched from the square to Unity High School, about a mile away, where Gibbons worked. They chanted slogans outside the school, which is closed and under heavy security, then headed toward the nearby British Embassy. They were stopped by security forces two blocks away from the embassy.
'...not openly...', hmmm.
One good thing, a number of muslim groups in Britain are openly talking about what a pile of nonsense this charge and conviction was, which is a Good Thing. At least if they truly mean it. Which, from the wording, most of them to.
A: the lady is very damn lucky Sudan doesn't want to piss of Britain overmuch, otherwise she'd be bleeding from the lashes.
B: NOBODY who goes to a muslim country should expect anything resembling common sense in the west. Especially if they're in a place like Sudan.
A mess all the way around.
In response to the demonstration, teacher Gillian Gibbons was moved from the women's prison near Khartoum to a secret location for her safety, her lawyer said.
As somebody said about the riots in France, "Muslims shooting, burning and calling for murder: this is a surprise?"
"One of the things my mum said today was that 'I don't want any resentment towards Muslim people,'" John Gibbons said, relaying part of a telephone conversation with her.
Too late, madam. Not all muslims, but definitely toward the BPM's that Tam referred to as 'Self-detonating neolithic goatherds'.
Take note of the wording here:
Several hundred protesters, not openly carrying weapons, marched from the square to Unity High School, about a mile away, where Gibbons worked. They chanted slogans outside the school, which is closed and under heavy security, then headed toward the nearby British Embassy. They were stopped by security forces two blocks away from the embassy.
'...not openly...', hmmm.
One good thing, a number of muslim groups in Britain are openly talking about what a pile of nonsense this charge and conviction was, which is a Good Thing. At least if they truly mean it. Which, from the wording, most of them to.
A: the lady is very damn lucky Sudan doesn't want to piss of Britain overmuch, otherwise she'd be bleeding from the lashes.
B: NOBODY who goes to a muslim country should expect anything resembling common sense in the west. Especially if they're in a place like Sudan.
A mess all the way around.
Bill Cosby is getting more company
Walter Williams and some others have been saying it with him for some time, but- just maybe- having someone like this add to it will help.
Yeah, that sounds dumb, but an awful lot of people pay a lot more attention to sportswriters and broadcasters than they do someone like Williams or Sowell, so maybe reading/hearing this from Whitlock will add to the effect.
You're damn straight I blame hip hop for playing a role in the genocide of American black men. When your leading causes of death and dysfunction are murder, ignorance and incarceration, there's no reason to give a free pass to a culture that celebrates murder, ignorance and incarceration.
Of course there are other catalysts, but until we recapture the minds of black youth, convince them that it's not OK to "super man dat ho" and end any and every dispute by "cocking on your bitch," nothing will change.
Damn straight. Back a few years when I did have cable I stopped watching MTV- at all- for two reasons:
Outside of late night, they don't have music videos, just their little cultural-indoctrination shows,
And when they did show videos they tended to concentrate on rap, and the most nasty gangster-rap at that.
I have no desire to listen to that garbage. And I detest the effect it has on people. When I see a mid-20's black guy in the store- with his wife & kids- and he has his pants halfway down his ass, there's a problem. When you hear accounts of black kids telling other black kids that trying to actually study and get good grades is 'acting white', there's a damn problem.
Few years ago Cindy Margolis had a late-night tv show(so I have a weakness for pretty women in lingerie, shut up) and one show I caught was talking about "pimpin' ", which I'd never heard of. And one of the male idiots involved in this, when asked about it, said he "likes the pimpin' lifestyle", etc. I was standing there dumbfounded. Admittedly I don't think I've ever been on the 'leading edge' of social change, but still... Growing up, being called a pimp was one of the nastier things you could call a guy, but this clown and the girls around him were speaking downright glowingly of the 'pimp lifestyle'. Just flat amazing. And within a couple of years of that I heard of pimp and ho costumes for little kids for Halloween. Which convinced me(as if I'd really needed it) there were things my kids would never see as cool, or something to emulate. Which is why they got an explanation of where the pants-down-around-your-ass 'style' came from(which apparently led to a certain amount of hilarity when son told a friend "Hey, you want to look like someone's prison bitch, go ahead.")
Which spreads this mess out a bit, but the fact is that, while black kids get the worst of the effect sooner, it affects all our kids. Sooner or later, one way or another.
Yeah, that sounds dumb, but an awful lot of people pay a lot more attention to sportswriters and broadcasters than they do someone like Williams or Sowell, so maybe reading/hearing this from Whitlock will add to the effect.
You're damn straight I blame hip hop for playing a role in the genocide of American black men. When your leading causes of death and dysfunction are murder, ignorance and incarceration, there's no reason to give a free pass to a culture that celebrates murder, ignorance and incarceration.
Of course there are other catalysts, but until we recapture the minds of black youth, convince them that it's not OK to "super man dat ho" and end any and every dispute by "cocking on your bitch," nothing will change.
Damn straight. Back a few years when I did have cable I stopped watching MTV- at all- for two reasons:
Outside of late night, they don't have music videos, just their little cultural-indoctrination shows,
And when they did show videos they tended to concentrate on rap, and the most nasty gangster-rap at that.
I have no desire to listen to that garbage. And I detest the effect it has on people. When I see a mid-20's black guy in the store- with his wife & kids- and he has his pants halfway down his ass, there's a problem. When you hear accounts of black kids telling other black kids that trying to actually study and get good grades is 'acting white', there's a damn problem.
Few years ago Cindy Margolis had a late-night tv show(so I have a weakness for pretty women in lingerie, shut up) and one show I caught was talking about "pimpin' ", which I'd never heard of. And one of the male idiots involved in this, when asked about it, said he "likes the pimpin' lifestyle", etc. I was standing there dumbfounded. Admittedly I don't think I've ever been on the 'leading edge' of social change, but still... Growing up, being called a pimp was one of the nastier things you could call a guy, but this clown and the girls around him were speaking downright glowingly of the 'pimp lifestyle'. Just flat amazing. And within a couple of years of that I heard of pimp and ho costumes for little kids for Halloween. Which convinced me(as if I'd really needed it) there were things my kids would never see as cool, or something to emulate. Which is why they got an explanation of where the pants-down-around-your-ass 'style' came from(which apparently led to a certain amount of hilarity when son told a friend "Hey, you want to look like someone's prison bitch, go ahead.")
Which spreads this mess out a bit, but the fact is that, while black kids get the worst of the effect sooner, it affects all our kids. Sooner or later, one way or another.
Do you think Murtha may be feeling the heat
just a little bit?
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), one of the leading anti-war voices in the House Democratic Caucus, is back from a trip to Iraq and he now says the "surge is working." This could be a huge problem for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders, who are blocking approval of the full $200 billion being sought by President Bush for combat operations in Iraq in 2008.
Let's see, I think he's still trying to avoid dealing with his slanders and lies about the Marines at Haditha, has a LOOONG history of doing everything he can to help cause defeat in Iraq, and NOW he says this? If you put on your Karnak hat you might say "What is a dirtbag politician with lots of people back 'home' telling him he's history?" Or something like that.
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), one of the leading anti-war voices in the House Democratic Caucus, is back from a trip to Iraq and he now says the "surge is working." This could be a huge problem for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders, who are blocking approval of the full $200 billion being sought by President Bush for combat operations in Iraq in 2008.
Let's see, I think he's still trying to avoid dealing with his slanders and lies about the Marines at Haditha, has a LOOONG history of doing everything he can to help cause defeat in Iraq, and NOW he says this? If you put on your Karnak hat you might say "What is a dirtbag politician with lots of people back 'home' telling him he's history?" Or something like that.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Is anybody actually surprised that another UN 'peacekeeping' deployment
is facing 'humiliation'?
UNITED NATIONS — Facing its most ambitious peacekeeping deployment ever in Darfur, the United Nations soon might face "humiliation" — as the Sudanese government, rebel groups, troop- and equipment-contributing countries, the U.N.'s own peacekeeping department, and the General Assembly's budgetary organ blame each other for the force's failure, officials say.
UNITED NATIONS — Facing its most ambitious peacekeeping deployment ever in Darfur, the United Nations soon might face "humiliation" — as the Sudanese government, rebel groups, troop- and equipment-contributing countries, the U.N.'s own peacekeeping department, and the General Assembly's budgetary organ blame each other for the force's failure, officials say.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Once upon a time a commoner in England had to have
permission from his landlord to travel out of the county. Apparently, some people think that was a good idea.
The UK Government is not just interested in using global warming to raise new green taxes and to further hike fuel costs, but it is also contemplating allocating "personal carbon allowances." The way these work is that you will be granted a fixed amount of carbon to use each year. Each time you travel in a plane, buy petrol, go shopping or eat out would be recorded on a plastic card. The more frugal could sell spare carbon allowances to those who want to "indulge" themselves. But if you were to run out of your carbon allowance, you could be barred from flying or driving.
The government will thus be able to prevent its citizens from traveling both inside and outside the United Kingdom under the guise of managing carbon allowances.
Just bloody amazing. We've got problems with the governmental attitude on driving that 'driving is a Privilege', which I consider absolute bullshit: to say you have a right to travel but no right to personal transportation is nonsense. But none of the idiot politicians have tried to pull something like this on us. As yet. I'm sure Kennedy & Pelosi & Schumer & Clinton & Co. would just love to.
Fortunately, even they realize what would happen if they did: tar and feathers are so hard on the complexion.
The UK Government is not just interested in using global warming to raise new green taxes and to further hike fuel costs, but it is also contemplating allocating "personal carbon allowances." The way these work is that you will be granted a fixed amount of carbon to use each year. Each time you travel in a plane, buy petrol, go shopping or eat out would be recorded on a plastic card. The more frugal could sell spare carbon allowances to those who want to "indulge" themselves. But if you were to run out of your carbon allowance, you could be barred from flying or driving.
The government will thus be able to prevent its citizens from traveling both inside and outside the United Kingdom under the guise of managing carbon allowances.
Just bloody amazing. We've got problems with the governmental attitude on driving that 'driving is a Privilege', which I consider absolute bullshit: to say you have a right to travel but no right to personal transportation is nonsense. But none of the idiot politicians have tried to pull something like this on us. As yet. I'm sure Kennedy & Pelosi & Schumer & Clinton & Co. would just love to.
Fortunately, even they realize what would happen if they did: tar and feathers are so hard on the complexion.
I fail to understand how a teacher could not see
what might come of naming a stuffed animal 'Muhammad' in Sudan.
A British teacher facing 40 lashes in Sudan over a school teddy bear named Muhammad will discover today whether she will be charged with blasphemy.
Gillian Gibbons, 54, is being questioned for a second day by police in Khartoum on suspicion of insulting Islam's prophet for allowing her seven-year-old pupils to give the toy the name of the prophet.
Sudan. You know, the place where they still practice slavery? Especially on blacks and 'non-believers'? Where they use sharia law? What the hell was she thinking?
A British teacher facing 40 lashes in Sudan over a school teddy bear named Muhammad will discover today whether she will be charged with blasphemy.
Gillian Gibbons, 54, is being questioned for a second day by police in Khartoum on suspicion of insulting Islam's prophet for allowing her seven-year-old pupils to give the toy the name of the prophet.
Sudan. You know, the place where they still practice slavery? Especially on blacks and 'non-believers'? Where they use sharia law? What the hell was she thinking?
Ok, Tam pointed to some fashion advice
over here, which caused me to look around and find this; among his other bits of wisdom:
4. Give you the remote control during the game.
This one is inherently stupid because it implies that all guys like to watch "the game." Since I'd rather be shot in the chest with projectile diarrhea than watch "the game," I'll assume the author meant something worthy of watching, such as Ren & Stimpy, in which case you need to put the bitch down if she touches your remote.
and
7. His hands always find yours.
This is one of those things women read and say "AWW HOW ROMANTIC." I have news for you: holding hands is stupid. Women don't know the first thing about being romantic. Only lesbians hold hands anyway; allow me to explain. The only time it's acceptable to hold hands with anyone is if you're at a peace vigil. Guys don't go to peace vigils, period. If you do, you have to surrender your balls and get a sex transplant because you're a bitch; in either case, you're a woman, and when two women hold hands it can only lead to one thing as far as I'm concerned.
Oh yes, there's more
4. Give you the remote control during the game.
This one is inherently stupid because it implies that all guys like to watch "the game." Since I'd rather be shot in the chest with projectile diarrhea than watch "the game," I'll assume the author meant something worthy of watching, such as Ren & Stimpy, in which case you need to put the bitch down if she touches your remote.
and
7. His hands always find yours.
This is one of those things women read and say "AWW HOW ROMANTIC." I have news for you: holding hands is stupid. Women don't know the first thing about being romantic. Only lesbians hold hands anyway; allow me to explain. The only time it's acceptable to hold hands with anyone is if you're at a peace vigil. Guys don't go to peace vigils, period. If you do, you have to surrender your balls and get a sex transplant because you're a bitch; in either case, you're a woman, and when two women hold hands it can only lead to one thing as far as I'm concerned.
Oh yes, there's more
And the "Rampaging youths" continue to rampage
Noted this the other day, found some followup here and here, among other places. Among other things to note:
Police investigators and several eyewitnesses corroborate the patrolmen’s version of the accident. The police car was going at a normal speed, no sirens, no hot pursuit. The mini-motorcycle came down a side street at high speed and made a left turn, crashing directly into the police car. The police remained on the scene for approximately twenty to thirty minutes until the fire department ambulance arrived.
...
Twenty-five policemen injured, dozens of cars burned, shops destroyed, individuals assaulted. Blind with rage, the rampaging mob found time to steal before smashing and burning. For the brother of Mushin, one of the victims, “it’s not violence, it’s an expression of rage.”
Please take special note of that: "...one of the victims,". 'Victims' means someone did it to them, they were wronged and therefore "We have a right to do this because(in chorus now) We're Victims!"
And take special note of this from a blogger in Paris:
The French Intifada never ended; it simply leveled off at a jaw-dropping 14 police officers injured per day (that's 2,500 annually) the last I saw it mentioned in any news source.
Fourteen officers injured PER DAY, EVERY DAY. Just amazing.
From the Pajama's Media report: Villiers le Bel is in the administrative district of Sarcelles / Garges-les-Gonesses about 20 km north of Paris. Not so long ago Sarcelles was the home sweet home of Jewish refugees from North Africa; today it is their nightmare. They endure constant attacks and harassment from the permanently enraged African-Arab-Muslim residents who live cheek by jowl with their still neat clean streets.
'Permanently enraged' do indeed seem to describe these people.
Gateway Pundit has this report, and some earlier ones you can scroll down to.
Sarkozy will have his hands full dealing with this mess. Let's hope he can actually do something about it.
Police investigators and several eyewitnesses corroborate the patrolmen’s version of the accident. The police car was going at a normal speed, no sirens, no hot pursuit. The mini-motorcycle came down a side street at high speed and made a left turn, crashing directly into the police car. The police remained on the scene for approximately twenty to thirty minutes until the fire department ambulance arrived.
...
Twenty-five policemen injured, dozens of cars burned, shops destroyed, individuals assaulted. Blind with rage, the rampaging mob found time to steal before smashing and burning. For the brother of Mushin, one of the victims, “it’s not violence, it’s an expression of rage.”
Please take special note of that: "...one of the victims,". 'Victims' means someone did it to them, they were wronged and therefore "We have a right to do this because(in chorus now) We're Victims!"
And take special note of this from a blogger in Paris:
The French Intifada never ended; it simply leveled off at a jaw-dropping 14 police officers injured per day (that's 2,500 annually) the last I saw it mentioned in any news source.
Fourteen officers injured PER DAY, EVERY DAY. Just amazing.
From the Pajama's Media report: Villiers le Bel is in the administrative district of Sarcelles / Garges-les-Gonesses about 20 km north of Paris. Not so long ago Sarcelles was the home sweet home of Jewish refugees from North Africa; today it is their nightmare. They endure constant attacks and harassment from the permanently enraged African-Arab-Muslim residents who live cheek by jowl with their still neat clean streets.
'Permanently enraged' do indeed seem to describe these people.
Gateway Pundit has this report, and some earlier ones you can scroll down to.
Sarkozy will have his hands full dealing with this mess. Let's hope he can actually do something about it.
I wonder if Obama is trying to pull a Clinton-style triangulation
with this. Gives the impression he's trying to
A: Make 'country people' happy by saying "I'll allow you to have guns", and appease 2nd Amendment voters by saying "See? I don't want to ban all guns!"
B: Make 'city people' happy by saying "You people don't need guns."
C: Make the ban-gun-ownership people happy by saying "I have to allow for some exceptions for people owning guns to keep the right-wing nuts happy."
You know he's full of crap, I know he's full of crap, and his supporters either know it and will accept it because "He's Obama!", or don't know he's full of crap, and will use this to say "See, he does NOT want to ban your guns, you disgusting hatemongers!"
All boils down to "He ain't our friend." No matter what word games he plays.
A: Make 'country people' happy by saying "I'll allow you to have guns", and appease 2nd Amendment voters by saying "See? I don't want to ban all guns!"
B: Make 'city people' happy by saying "You people don't need guns."
C: Make the ban-gun-ownership people happy by saying "I have to allow for some exceptions for people owning guns to keep the right-wing nuts happy."
You know he's full of crap, I know he's full of crap, and his supporters either know it and will accept it because "He's Obama!", or don't know he's full of crap, and will use this to say "See, he does NOT want to ban your guns, you disgusting hatemongers!"
All boils down to "He ain't our friend." No matter what word games he plays.
My contribution to Ammo Day this year
wasn't big, a 525-round box of Remington .22's. Due to circumstances, that was it. Wish I could count some stuff a month earlier(ran across a deal), but I'll respect the rules here.
Right now I'm looking at a house that definitely needs some neatening and rearranging. No, not just from cases of ammo(I wish), just the general stuff that gets spread around in the course of time. And since there's things I'd much rather do than the picking up & rearranging...
Right now I'm looking at a house that definitely needs some neatening and rearranging. No, not just from cases of ammo(I wish), just the general stuff that gets spread around in the course of time. And since there's things I'd much rather do than the picking up & rearranging...
Monday, November 26, 2007
Some followup on the Kathryn Johnston case in Atlanta
Found this at High Road:
On April 26, 2007 one of the police officers--Gregg Junnier--pleaded guilty in state court to manslaughter, violation of oath, criminal solicitation and making false statements. A second police officer--Jason Smith--also pleaded guilty
On November 27, 2006, newspapers reported that the FBI and Georgia state authorities were investigating the case. Atlanta's police chief Richard Pennington placed eight narcotics officers involved in the "no-knock" raid on paid leave. Chief Pennington professed to be puzzled by conflicting versions of the incident, promised to cooperate with the investigators, and "said his department was reviewing its use of 'no-knock' raids after the shootout. The warrants are common in narcotics cases when officers fear suspects may try to dispose of drugs or evidence in the time it takes authorities to gain access to the home.
Yesterday, November 21, 2007, Kathryn Johnston's family filed civil suit against the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Department, the police officers involved, and their supervisors. "The suit charges the corrupt practices of the Police Department led to violations of the U.S. Constitution and state law."
Two articles are here and here.
On April 26, 2007 one of the police officers--Gregg Junnier--pleaded guilty in state court to manslaughter, violation of oath, criminal solicitation and making false statements. A second police officer--Jason Smith--also pleaded guilty
On November 27, 2006, newspapers reported that the FBI and Georgia state authorities were investigating the case. Atlanta's police chief Richard Pennington placed eight narcotics officers involved in the "no-knock" raid on paid leave. Chief Pennington professed to be puzzled by conflicting versions of the incident, promised to cooperate with the investigators, and "said his department was reviewing its use of 'no-knock' raids after the shootout. The warrants are common in narcotics cases when officers fear suspects may try to dispose of drugs or evidence in the time it takes authorities to gain access to the home.
Yesterday, November 21, 2007, Kathryn Johnston's family filed civil suit against the City of Atlanta, the Atlanta Police Department, the police officers involved, and their supervisors. "The suit charges the corrupt practices of the Police Department led to violations of the U.S. Constitution and state law."
Two articles are here and here.
Why I don't want to vote for Giuliani or Romney,
let alone Clinton:
Fred:The Second Amendment does more than guarantee to all Americans an unalienable right to defend one’s self. William Blackstone, the 18th century English legal commentator whose works were well-read and relied on by the Framers of our Constitution, observed that the right to keep and bear firearms arises from “the natural right of resistance and self-preservation.” This view, reflected in the Second Amendment, promotes both self-defense and liberty. It is not surprising then that the generation that had thrown off the yoke of British tyranny less than a decade earlier included the Second Amendment in the Constitution and meant for it to enable the people to protect themselves and their liberties.
vs.
Rudy Giuliani’s version of the 2nd Amendment:
"A well-armed celebrity population being necessary for the well-being of a mayoral candidate’s campaign coffers (and for getting invited to all the cool parties), the right of the rich and famous to keep and bear arms in New York City shall not be infringed."
Mitt Romney’s version:
"The right of the people to own bolt-action hunting rifles and pump-action shotguns (provided they can afford to make it though the licensing procedure) shall not be infringed."
Hillary Clinton’s version:
[expunged by Presidential decree]
Thank you, Bruce
Fred:The Second Amendment does more than guarantee to all Americans an unalienable right to defend one’s self. William Blackstone, the 18th century English legal commentator whose works were well-read and relied on by the Framers of our Constitution, observed that the right to keep and bear firearms arises from “the natural right of resistance and self-preservation.” This view, reflected in the Second Amendment, promotes both self-defense and liberty. It is not surprising then that the generation that had thrown off the yoke of British tyranny less than a decade earlier included the Second Amendment in the Constitution and meant for it to enable the people to protect themselves and their liberties.
vs.
Rudy Giuliani’s version of the 2nd Amendment:
"A well-armed celebrity population being necessary for the well-being of a mayoral candidate’s campaign coffers (and for getting invited to all the cool parties), the right of the rich and famous to keep and bear arms in New York City shall not be infringed."
Mitt Romney’s version:
"The right of the people to own bolt-action hunting rifles and pump-action shotguns (provided they can afford to make it though the licensing procedure) shall not be infringed."
Hillary Clinton’s version:
[expunged by Presidential decree]
Thank you, Bruce
Let us remember just how good the UN is at
digging up the facts and making them public. Now why wouldn't you want them in charge of your life?
Continuing the theme of 'Saudi Arabia: The Enemy or
Simply Disgusting?'
"...now it seems her attorney will lose his law license for handling her defense too aggressively."
More here:
Lahem is accused by the prosecutor general of "belligerent behavior, talking to the media for the purpose of perturbing the judiciary, and hurting the country's image," according to an official letter he received Monday.
Since he started practicing law almost five years ago, Lahem has defended clients whom other lawyers refused, including a school administrator suspended for criticizing the religious establishment, a man convicted of promoting homosexuality for saying it was genetic, three political reformists seeking a constitutional monarchy, and the first Saudis suing the country's powerful religious police.
Lahem said that losing his license would be a blow to the country's budding human rights movement.
"If I am banned from practicing law, nobody will dare go up against the judiciary again," said Lahem, a slight man with a limp from a childhood accident. "If I win, it will open a new chapter for human rights in Saudi Arabia."
Ever notice how many muslim/predominantly muslim countries have laws that'll put you in prison for 'hurting the country's image'? Which can consist of saying "Your Honor, you are a poopy-head." Kind of sensitive, aren't they?
Except when it comes to ordering lashes for rape victims, of course.
"...now it seems her attorney will lose his law license for handling her defense too aggressively."
More here:
Lahem is accused by the prosecutor general of "belligerent behavior, talking to the media for the purpose of perturbing the judiciary, and hurting the country's image," according to an official letter he received Monday.
Since he started practicing law almost five years ago, Lahem has defended clients whom other lawyers refused, including a school administrator suspended for criticizing the religious establishment, a man convicted of promoting homosexuality for saying it was genetic, three political reformists seeking a constitutional monarchy, and the first Saudis suing the country's powerful religious police.
Lahem said that losing his license would be a blow to the country's budding human rights movement.
"If I am banned from practicing law, nobody will dare go up against the judiciary again," said Lahem, a slight man with a limp from a childhood accident. "If I win, it will open a new chapter for human rights in Saudi Arabia."
Ever notice how many muslim/predominantly muslim countries have laws that'll put you in prison for 'hurting the country's image'? Which can consist of saying "Your Honor, you are a poopy-head." Kind of sensitive, aren't they?
Except when it comes to ordering lashes for rape victims, of course.
Once more, a couple of idiots are killed in an accident
and Paris starts smoking.
Fires are raging in the banlieue tonight. Two boys aged 15 and 16 riding on a mini-motorcycle (prohibited on the road) hit a police car this afternoon in Villiers-le-Bel. The boys, who weren’t wearing helmets, were killed. Hundreds of enraged men and boys are tearing up the neighborhood.
Let's see, two teenagers, check. Illegal for street use, check. No helmets, check. Crash and are killed, check. Adherents of the Religion of Submission rioting and burning, check. And it couldn't possibly be the fault of the kids, check:
Interviewed by Le Parisien, the uncle of Moushin Souhhali, one of the victims, says he understands the rage; it’s terrible to lose a 15 year-old boy. His body, claims the uncle, was dumped at the fire station with no respect. The police who, in his opinion, caused the accident were nowhere to be seen. He heard they were speeding. His nephew was a good boy, not a delinquent.
It's usually terrible when some dumbass kid dies for being a dumbass: it's worse when it's used as an excuse to riot and burn. The last time, two tried to hide in a power substation when running from police, got into the equipment and were electrocuted(fault of the cops, of course). This account doesn't say if the cops were chasing the kids or if this was a straightforward accident, and it doesn't really matter. Because these clowns were going to use any incident as an excuse for the next riot. "...claims the uncle..." "...in his opinion..." "He heard..." And the inevitable "...was a good boy, not a delinquent."
Uncle, maybe someone there said it, but there's nothing in the articles I've seen calling him one. And it doesn't matter. He did the kind of thing that regularly gets teenagers all over the world killed. It doesn't necessarily make him a delinquent, it just means that he was one of those for whom doing something dumb came with the death penalty. Unless there's something nasty that nobody is talking about, for you to 'understand the rage' and excuse the rioting based on that is disgusting. You're either unhinged with grief, or using this as an excuse for illegal acts. One is regrettable; the other is cold and disgusting.
Fires are raging in the banlieue tonight. Two boys aged 15 and 16 riding on a mini-motorcycle (prohibited on the road) hit a police car this afternoon in Villiers-le-Bel. The boys, who weren’t wearing helmets, were killed. Hundreds of enraged men and boys are tearing up the neighborhood.
Let's see, two teenagers, check. Illegal for street use, check. No helmets, check. Crash and are killed, check. Adherents of the Religion of Submission rioting and burning, check. And it couldn't possibly be the fault of the kids, check:
Interviewed by Le Parisien, the uncle of Moushin Souhhali, one of the victims, says he understands the rage; it’s terrible to lose a 15 year-old boy. His body, claims the uncle, was dumped at the fire station with no respect. The police who, in his opinion, caused the accident were nowhere to be seen. He heard they were speeding. His nephew was a good boy, not a delinquent.
It's usually terrible when some dumbass kid dies for being a dumbass: it's worse when it's used as an excuse to riot and burn. The last time, two tried to hide in a power substation when running from police, got into the equipment and were electrocuted(fault of the cops, of course). This account doesn't say if the cops were chasing the kids or if this was a straightforward accident, and it doesn't really matter. Because these clowns were going to use any incident as an excuse for the next riot. "...claims the uncle..." "...in his opinion..." "He heard..." And the inevitable "...was a good boy, not a delinquent."
Uncle, maybe someone there said it, but there's nothing in the articles I've seen calling him one. And it doesn't matter. He did the kind of thing that regularly gets teenagers all over the world killed. It doesn't necessarily make him a delinquent, it just means that he was one of those for whom doing something dumb came with the death penalty. Unless there's something nasty that nobody is talking about, for you to 'understand the rage' and excuse the rioting based on that is disgusting. You're either unhinged with grief, or using this as an excuse for illegal acts. One is regrettable; the other is cold and disgusting.
And on the subject of the Archbishop calling us the problem,
one of his little 'examples' was "It is one thing to take over a territory and then pour energy and resources into administering it and normalising it. Rightly or wrongly, that's what the British Empire did - in India, for example." Has he ever actually read anything about that time? It hasn't been a specific area of study for me, but I do recall a few things.
For instance, for some years after the British moved in, the Brit army in the area was the armed forces of John Company, the British East India Company. And their concern wasn't 'administering and normalizing it', it was ensuring things stayed calm so the Company could make money. Lots of it. I'm sure some weenie will jump up and say "We're in Iraq to make money for Halliburton!", etc. Horsecrap. We could have had Iraqi oil, and a lot else, simply by making deals with Saddam, without all the expense and trouble of using the military.
There's a lot more. My level of respect for Williams has never been what you would call 'high'; now it's pretty mucn nonexistent.
Added: just ran across this from Victor Davis Hanson on the subject.
For instance, for some years after the British moved in, the Brit army in the area was the armed forces of John Company, the British East India Company. And their concern wasn't 'administering and normalizing it', it was ensuring things stayed calm so the Company could make money. Lots of it. I'm sure some weenie will jump up and say "We're in Iraq to make money for Halliburton!", etc. Horsecrap. We could have had Iraqi oil, and a lot else, simply by making deals with Saddam, without all the expense and trouble of using the military.
There's a lot more. My level of respect for Williams has never been what you would call 'high'; now it's pretty mucn nonexistent.
Added: just ran across this from Victor Davis Hanson on the subject.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Reason #whatever not to vote for Romney
Last week he was on Glenn Beck's show, and one of the questions was about that horrible 'health care' scheme he signed just before leaving office. He went on & on about it being 'a proper free-market solution' to health-care problems. Bullshit. As evidenced by this note at Wizbang:
This program was touted as the way to save money for everybody (well, except for those greedy doctors and insurance companies), and was to be a model for a national plan.
Well, guess what? It turns out to be costing a lot more than the backers predicted -- about $150 million more. (To mention that this is precisely what the detractors predicted is, of course, utterly irrelevant and borderline seditious in the Free People's Democratic Republic of Massachusetts.)
So, what's the Globe's solution? Any of you not saying "raise taxes!," stay after class for detention.
And so forth. They also take note of another murder turned loose for 'good behavior' and subsequently murdering again. In a state where, if you have a gun for protection from such life forms but don't have proper state permission, you go to jail. As Bruce put it when he lived in that state, "Live Free orDieHere" seems to be the state motto.
This program was touted as the way to save money for everybody (well, except for those greedy doctors and insurance companies), and was to be a model for a national plan.
Well, guess what? It turns out to be costing a lot more than the backers predicted -- about $150 million more. (To mention that this is precisely what the detractors predicted is, of course, utterly irrelevant and borderline seditious in the Free People's Democratic Republic of Massachusetts.)
So, what's the Globe's solution? Any of you not saying "raise taxes!," stay after class for detention.
And so forth. They also take note of another murder turned loose for 'good behavior' and subsequently murdering again. In a state where, if you have a gun for protection from such life forms but don't have proper state permission, you go to jail. As Bruce put it when he lived in that state, "Live Free or
May I invite the Archbishop of Canterbury
to kiss my ass?
THE Archbishop of Canterbury has said that the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday.
Rowan Williams claimed that America’s attempt to intervene overseas by “clearing the decks” with a “quick burst of violent action” had led to “the worst of all worlds”.
In a wide-ranging interview with a British Muslim magazine, the Anglican leader linked criticism of the United States to one of his most pessimistic declarations about the state of western civilisation.
I'd suggest you read the whole thing, just to get the full flavor of his disdain for us. I will note a couple of things:
He urged it to launch a “generous and intelligent programme of aid directed to the societies that have been ravaged; a check on the economic exploitation of defeated territories; a demilitarisation of their presence”.
Well, let's see, you mean like helping the Afghans and Iraqis rebuild their nations, after stomping the people who were dominating and murdering them, you pompous twit? And what 'economic exploitation'? If we were 'exploiting' the Iraqis, we'd be shipping their oil over here at about $45/barrel. And it is our aim to 'demilitarize' them of our armed presence as soon as possible. So, I repeat, kiss my ass.
And of COURSE we're worse by far than those slightly troublesome moslem countries:
In the interview in Emel, a Muslim lifestyle magazine, Williams makes only mild criticisms of the Islamic world. He said the Muslim world must acknowledge that its “political solutions were not the most impressive”.
He commends the Muslim practice of praying five times a day, which he says allows the remembrance of God to be “built in deeply in their daily rhythm”. I guess by their 'daily rhythm" he means things like this:
A woman in Saudi Arabia sentenced to six months in jail and 200 lashes despite being gang raped has confessed to adultery, the justice ministry said as it tried to fend off mounting criticism. So very Godlike of them, isn't it?
Arrogant, pompous, accomodationist fool.
THE Archbishop of Canterbury has said that the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday.
Rowan Williams claimed that America’s attempt to intervene overseas by “clearing the decks” with a “quick burst of violent action” had led to “the worst of all worlds”.
In a wide-ranging interview with a British Muslim magazine, the Anglican leader linked criticism of the United States to one of his most pessimistic declarations about the state of western civilisation.
I'd suggest you read the whole thing, just to get the full flavor of his disdain for us. I will note a couple of things:
He urged it to launch a “generous and intelligent programme of aid directed to the societies that have been ravaged; a check on the economic exploitation of defeated territories; a demilitarisation of their presence”.
Well, let's see, you mean like helping the Afghans and Iraqis rebuild their nations, after stomping the people who were dominating and murdering them, you pompous twit? And what 'economic exploitation'? If we were 'exploiting' the Iraqis, we'd be shipping their oil over here at about $45/barrel. And it is our aim to 'demilitarize' them of our armed presence as soon as possible. So, I repeat, kiss my ass.
And of COURSE we're worse by far than those slightly troublesome moslem countries:
In the interview in Emel, a Muslim lifestyle magazine, Williams makes only mild criticisms of the Islamic world. He said the Muslim world must acknowledge that its “political solutions were not the most impressive”.
He commends the Muslim practice of praying five times a day, which he says allows the remembrance of God to be “built in deeply in their daily rhythm”. I guess by their 'daily rhythm" he means things like this:
A woman in Saudi Arabia sentenced to six months in jail and 200 lashes despite being gang raped has confessed to adultery, the justice ministry said as it tried to fend off mounting criticism. So very Godlike of them, isn't it?
Arrogant, pompous, accomodationist fool.
Waking up with a throat that feels
half like you've been gargling abrasive is bad enough: then I started looking at some of the news.
NPR is _____. You fill in the blank.
Edelstein knew some people hated the exploitative display of Iraqi corpses at the film's end, noting that De Palma thinks rubbing Americans' faces with the collateral damage will get us out of Iraq: "I think most Americans are immune to those techniques, but I respect his impulse. 'Redacted' is a crude piece of work but it's the kind of outright agitprop that rarely makes it to the big screen."
And they LIKE it.
Britain(I know, recurring theme), formerly Great Britain, where a revolver in the pocket was simply a tool kept handy*, may be well and truly screwed:
GUN laws should be tightened and BB guns banned from shops, says a Greenock sheriff.
The demand came as a 16-year-old Port Glasgow youth pleaded guilty to having a plastic gun and pellets as ammunition in the street.
Please not he hadn't done anything, he just had it. Can't allow that, you know.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said from 1 October anyone selling air weapons had to be a registered firearms dealer. The age to purchase such items also raised to 18.
She added that Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill had written to the UK secretary of state for justice about Scotland getting powers to legislate on firearms.
Which will probably involve banning anything that somebody might decide could be seen as a weapon by someone. I've rarely been so happy that various of my ancestors got the hell out when they did and came here.
I do have to note that some good things are going on, aside from the troops, ours and Iraqi, kicking the ass off AQI and JAM. For instance, Pimple Bloomberg of NYFC had his imperial demand booted: the courts just denied Bloomberg's motion to dismiss and ordered him to sit for a deposition. ("What do you MEAN I can't say whatever I want about somebody and violate the law? What's thw world coming to?" Hopefully you having your ass sued off, and preferably prosecuted.)
And we have the words of Mark Steyn on the coming election:
You want an anti-war Republican? A pro-abortion Republican? An anti-gun Republican? A pro-illegal immigration Republican? You got 'em! Short of drafting Fidel Castro and Mullah Omar, it's hard to see how the tent could get much bigger. As the new GOP bumper sticker says, "Celebrate Diversity."
Over on the Democratic side, meanwhile, they've got a woman, a black, a Hispanic, a preening metrosexual with an angled nape – and they all think exactly the same.
Overall, I'm still leaning way over toward Fred Thompson.
In Philadelphia, someone slaps the editorial writers on the idiocy of their stands. Using their own words to do it.
And Mr. & Mrs. Kim have safely made the beachhead for their invasion. So things kind of balance out.
Added: Aw, crap, there's just no damned excuse for this:
An 82-year-old hero from World War II died in Glasgow, Scotland because of rules prohibiting dispatchers from notifying an ambulance crew that was 500-yards away. The Daily Record reports former British soldier Ernie Rutkiewicz choked to death as his daughter frantically begged for help.
An ambulance crew was on meal break nearby, but government rules prohibit them from being disturbed and in fact they do not even show up as available on the dispatchers' computers. So it took 22 minutes for help to arrive and by then it was too late.
And I just ran across this Steyn article, which includes this:
But that doesn't entirely explain it, does it? Earlier this year, Channel 4 in London broadcast a documentary called Undercover Mosque in which various imams up and down the land were caught on tape urging men to beat their wives and toss homosexuals off cliffs. Viewers reported some of the statements to the local constabulary. The West Midlands police then decided to investigate not the fire-breathing clerics but the TV producers. As the coppers saw it, insofar as any "hate crime" had been perpetrated, it lay not in the urgings and injunctions of the imams but in a TV production so culturally insensitive as to reveal the imams' views to the general public. As The Spectator's James Forsyth put it, "The reaction of West Midlands police revealed a mindset that views the exposure of a problem as more of a problem than the problem itself."
and
Professor Rosner, Daniel Silva's fictional murder victim, would have understood. At the scene of his ritual slaughter there are no protesters, just piles of tulips and the banner "ONE AMSTERDAM, ONE PEOPLE" — one mass delusion. It's not just that you'll get your throat cut. But that you'll get it cut and they'll still string the same sappy happy-face multiculti banner over the crime scene.
*One of the money quotes from the article:
We are so self-congratulatory about our officially disarmed society, and so dismissive of colonial rednecks, that we have forgotten that within living memory British citizens could buy any gun – rifle, pistol, or machinegun – without any licence. When Dr Watson walked the streets of London with a revolver in his pocket, he was a perfectly ordinary Victorian or Edwardian. Charlotte Brontë recalled that her curate father fastened his watch and pocketed his pistol every morning when he got dressed; Beatrix Potter remarked on a Yorkshire country hotel where only one of the eight or nine guests was not carrying a revolver; in 1909, policemen in Tottenham borrowed at least four pistols from passers-by (and were joined by other armed citizens) when they set off in pursuit of two anarchists unwise enough to attempt an armed robbery. We now are shocked that so many ordinary people should have been carrying guns in the street; the Edwardians were shocked rather by the idea of an armed robbery.
NPR is _____. You fill in the blank.
Edelstein knew some people hated the exploitative display of Iraqi corpses at the film's end, noting that De Palma thinks rubbing Americans' faces with the collateral damage will get us out of Iraq: "I think most Americans are immune to those techniques, but I respect his impulse. 'Redacted' is a crude piece of work but it's the kind of outright agitprop that rarely makes it to the big screen."
And they LIKE it.
Britain(I know, recurring theme), formerly Great Britain, where a revolver in the pocket was simply a tool kept handy*, may be well and truly screwed:
GUN laws should be tightened and BB guns banned from shops, says a Greenock sheriff.
The demand came as a 16-year-old Port Glasgow youth pleaded guilty to having a plastic gun and pellets as ammunition in the street.
Please not he hadn't done anything, he just had it. Can't allow that, you know.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said from 1 October anyone selling air weapons had to be a registered firearms dealer. The age to purchase such items also raised to 18.
She added that Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill had written to the UK secretary of state for justice about Scotland getting powers to legislate on firearms.
Which will probably involve banning anything that somebody might decide could be seen as a weapon by someone. I've rarely been so happy that various of my ancestors got the hell out when they did and came here.
I do have to note that some good things are going on, aside from the troops, ours and Iraqi, kicking the ass off AQI and JAM. For instance, Pimple Bloomberg of NYFC had his imperial demand booted: the courts just denied Bloomberg's motion to dismiss and ordered him to sit for a deposition. ("What do you MEAN I can't say whatever I want about somebody and violate the law? What's thw world coming to?" Hopefully you having your ass sued off, and preferably prosecuted.)
And we have the words of Mark Steyn on the coming election:
You want an anti-war Republican? A pro-abortion Republican? An anti-gun Republican? A pro-illegal immigration Republican? You got 'em! Short of drafting Fidel Castro and Mullah Omar, it's hard to see how the tent could get much bigger. As the new GOP bumper sticker says, "Celebrate Diversity."
Over on the Democratic side, meanwhile, they've got a woman, a black, a Hispanic, a preening metrosexual with an angled nape – and they all think exactly the same.
Overall, I'm still leaning way over toward Fred Thompson.
In Philadelphia, someone slaps the editorial writers on the idiocy of their stands. Using their own words to do it.
And Mr. & Mrs. Kim have safely made the beachhead for their invasion. So things kind of balance out.
Added: Aw, crap, there's just no damned excuse for this:
An 82-year-old hero from World War II died in Glasgow, Scotland because of rules prohibiting dispatchers from notifying an ambulance crew that was 500-yards away. The Daily Record reports former British soldier Ernie Rutkiewicz choked to death as his daughter frantically begged for help.
An ambulance crew was on meal break nearby, but government rules prohibit them from being disturbed and in fact they do not even show up as available on the dispatchers' computers. So it took 22 minutes for help to arrive and by then it was too late.
And I just ran across this Steyn article, which includes this:
But that doesn't entirely explain it, does it? Earlier this year, Channel 4 in London broadcast a documentary called Undercover Mosque in which various imams up and down the land were caught on tape urging men to beat their wives and toss homosexuals off cliffs. Viewers reported some of the statements to the local constabulary. The West Midlands police then decided to investigate not the fire-breathing clerics but the TV producers. As the coppers saw it, insofar as any "hate crime" had been perpetrated, it lay not in the urgings and injunctions of the imams but in a TV production so culturally insensitive as to reveal the imams' views to the general public. As The Spectator's James Forsyth put it, "The reaction of West Midlands police revealed a mindset that views the exposure of a problem as more of a problem than the problem itself."
and
Professor Rosner, Daniel Silva's fictional murder victim, would have understood. At the scene of his ritual slaughter there are no protesters, just piles of tulips and the banner "ONE AMSTERDAM, ONE PEOPLE" — one mass delusion. It's not just that you'll get your throat cut. But that you'll get it cut and they'll still string the same sappy happy-face multiculti banner over the crime scene.
*One of the money quotes from the article:
We are so self-congratulatory about our officially disarmed society, and so dismissive of colonial rednecks, that we have forgotten that within living memory British citizens could buy any gun – rifle, pistol, or machinegun – without any licence. When Dr Watson walked the streets of London with a revolver in his pocket, he was a perfectly ordinary Victorian or Edwardian. Charlotte Brontë recalled that her curate father fastened his watch and pocketed his pistol every morning when he got dressed; Beatrix Potter remarked on a Yorkshire country hotel where only one of the eight or nine guests was not carrying a revolver; in 1909, policemen in Tottenham borrowed at least four pistols from passers-by (and were joined by other armed citizens) when they set off in pursuit of two anarchists unwise enough to attempt an armed robbery. We now are shocked that so many ordinary people should have been carrying guns in the street; the Edwardians were shocked rather by the idea of an armed robbery.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
I have to take note of two things before bed
First, any 'religeon' in which large numbers of people consider killing their own children to be a wonderful act is a diseased culture for which I have little hope. Whether these idiots believe it or not, murdering your own child as part of a political assassination attempt does NOT make it any better. You sorry degenerates.
Second, this is what you get with PC government commissions and 'hate crime' laws:
"And, he says, when he had a conversation with a Commission employee, mediator Bob Fagan, about the specifics of the allegation, he was astonished at what he heard.
"'I told him that it seemed to be an abuse of the Human Rights Act for someone to try and use it as an instrument of censorship. And when I said that, on the phone, there was a pause and then he said, in a somewhat astonished tone: "But the Human Rights Act is about censorship." Then it was my turn to be silent on my end, because I found that breath-taking. For the Human Rights Commission's own mediator to acknowledge that censorship was the purpose of their Act."
'Human Rights Commission' my ass.
Second, this is what you get with PC government commissions and 'hate crime' laws:
"And, he says, when he had a conversation with a Commission employee, mediator Bob Fagan, about the specifics of the allegation, he was astonished at what he heard.
"'I told him that it seemed to be an abuse of the Human Rights Act for someone to try and use it as an instrument of censorship. And when I said that, on the phone, there was a pause and then he said, in a somewhat astonished tone: "But the Human Rights Act is about censorship." Then it was my turn to be silent on my end, because I found that breath-taking. For the Human Rights Commission's own mediator to acknowledge that censorship was the purpose of their Act."
'Human Rights Commission' my ass.
I WAS in a good mood,
until Sondra pointed to this piece of idiocy:
The unpleasant scenes broke out at Leatherhead Leisure Centre in Surrey when the wounded veterans, who are at Headley Court Military Hospital, had to use the 25-metre public pool because the hydro-pool at the defence rehabilitation centre is not big enough for swimming.
The servicemen were about to begin their weekly swimming therapy in closed-off lanes when they were verbally abused by the swimmers.
One woman in her 30s was said to be infuriated by the lane closures saying the soldiers did not deserve to be there when she had paid.
It's about as infuriating a piece of bullshit as you will read.
And the proper response to the bitch mentioned above- besides a swift kick in her fat ass- would be "Madam, they HAVE paid; far, far more than you'd ever have the guts to risk."
The unpleasant scenes broke out at Leatherhead Leisure Centre in Surrey when the wounded veterans, who are at Headley Court Military Hospital, had to use the 25-metre public pool because the hydro-pool at the defence rehabilitation centre is not big enough for swimming.
The servicemen were about to begin their weekly swimming therapy in closed-off lanes when they were verbally abused by the swimmers.
One woman in her 30s was said to be infuriated by the lane closures saying the soldiers did not deserve to be there when she had paid.
It's about as infuriating a piece of bullshit as you will read.
And the proper response to the bitch mentioned above- besides a swift kick in her fat ass- would be "Madam, they HAVE paid; far, far more than you'd ever have the guts to risk."
The aftermath
includes feeling stuffed, tired and entirely unwilling to consider that I have to go back to work in a day.
I spent Thanksgiving at my parents', and my daughter came along. It was nice. And as a good ending, shortly before I had to leave my son called from Iraq. Summarized,
It's cold now. 'Cold' being defined as lows in the 40's. Compared to what they were a month ago...
Lots of turkey & other proper edibles for Thanksgiving.
New vehicles, MRAPs(various links here), coming in.
They've got some really neat equipment on the vehicles for A: indicating direction of incoming small arms fire and B: preventing remotely-triggered IEDs from detonating.
And so far, the only thing he's had to fire at anyone is a paintball gun. Apparently, when delinquent types throw rocks or vehicles won't move out of the way, that's what they use to adjust attitudes. Or get their attention. Or whatever.
Overall, so far he reminds me of something David Drake wrote about his time in Vietnam: so far as he knew he didn't kill anybody, nobody shot at him and he wasn't seriously injured. I certainly hope it continues so.
Times like this, I realize how lucky I am in some things. Both parents are still kicking(read some of Og's posts about missing his father, it'll make you appreciate yours), kids are ok, I know one is and so far as I know the other ex is getting along, and none of my body parts have either refused to function or fallen off.
Son greatly appreciates the good thoughts so many of you have given. He's planning on sending some pictures back soon, I'll post some when they arrive.
It was a good Thanksgiving.
I spent Thanksgiving at my parents', and my daughter came along. It was nice. And as a good ending, shortly before I had to leave my son called from Iraq. Summarized,
It's cold now. 'Cold' being defined as lows in the 40's. Compared to what they were a month ago...
Lots of turkey & other proper edibles for Thanksgiving.
New vehicles, MRAPs(various links here), coming in.
They've got some really neat equipment on the vehicles for A: indicating direction of incoming small arms fire and B: preventing remotely-triggered IEDs from detonating.
And so far, the only thing he's had to fire at anyone is a paintball gun. Apparently, when delinquent types throw rocks or vehicles won't move out of the way, that's what they use to adjust attitudes. Or get their attention. Or whatever.
Overall, so far he reminds me of something David Drake wrote about his time in Vietnam: so far as he knew he didn't kill anybody, nobody shot at him and he wasn't seriously injured. I certainly hope it continues so.
Times like this, I realize how lucky I am in some things. Both parents are still kicking(read some of Og's posts about missing his father, it'll make you appreciate yours), kids are ok, I know one is and so far as I know the other ex is getting along, and none of my body parts have either refused to function or fallen off.
Son greatly appreciates the good thoughts so many of you have given. He's planning on sending some pictures back soon, I'll post some when they arrive.
It was a good Thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
First off, Happy Thanksgiving
to all who read my little yelling on this soapbox.
Second, I want to take note of some things. Have to do it now, because I'm about to go visit family andstuff myself, the parents have been cookingspend a day or so relaxing. And I'm liable to forget where some of this was.
First off, the lies, damn lies and statistics are picking up since SCOTUS decided to decide. Nobody is surprised.
Second, as a lot of us have thought for some time, an awful lot of these 'fearless attackers of fascism'(i.e., churches, western governments, etc.) are a bunch of friggin' cowards:
“I’ve censored myself,” Perry said at a discussion on art and politics organised by the Art Fund. “The reason I haven’t gone all out attacking Islamism in my art is because I feel real fear that someone will slit my throat.”
Uh huh. As someone said, "If you really believed Bush, or the Brit government, was kidnapping anyone who criticized them, and you were actually in fear for your life, you wouldn't be on the street calling them names. You'd be like the protesters in Soviet Russia, fearing any knock in the night or stranger on the street." But where these 'fearless artists' actually DO see a threat, they roll over and offer their belly. "Nice dhimmi, keep behaving and you get to live."
And last, I hadn't heard this about our attorney general:
Carpenter started the TABOR petition drive in 2005, assisted by Jacob and Johnson in an effort that ultimately produced more than 300,000 signatures, nearly a third more than was required to put the issue before voters. But even in a deeply red state like Oklahoma, Big Government has backers — mainly teachers and labor unions — and they persuaded a state court to throw the petition out because nonresidents allegedly helped solicit signatures. The trio now faces up to 10 years in prison if they are convicted on Edmondson’s charges. All three pleaded not guilty and claim they were advised by state officials on how to comply with the law in all respects during the petition drive.
What makes this even more disgusting is this:
State Rep. Mike Reynolds said today that Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who recently admitted receiving illegal campaign contributions, has yet to correct all the “mistakes” his campaign finance reports show.
“Several months ago I questioned whether Attorney General Edmondson truly cared about Ethics laws in Oklahoma. I don’t know if he asked the State Auditor to help him clean up his errors, but it appears that he has many additional mistakes that have not been corrected,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City.
Just friggin' wonderful.
And with that, I'm gone. I'd suggest you follow my lead. And stop eating short of the point at which you'd need a dolly and assistant to move.
Second, I want to take note of some things. Have to do it now, because I'm about to go visit family and
First off, the lies, damn lies and statistics are picking up since SCOTUS decided to decide. Nobody is surprised.
Second, as a lot of us have thought for some time, an awful lot of these 'fearless attackers of fascism'(i.e., churches, western governments, etc.) are a bunch of friggin' cowards:
“I’ve censored myself,” Perry said at a discussion on art and politics organised by the Art Fund. “The reason I haven’t gone all out attacking Islamism in my art is because I feel real fear that someone will slit my throat.”
Uh huh. As someone said, "If you really believed Bush, or the Brit government, was kidnapping anyone who criticized them, and you were actually in fear for your life, you wouldn't be on the street calling them names. You'd be like the protesters in Soviet Russia, fearing any knock in the night or stranger on the street." But where these 'fearless artists' actually DO see a threat, they roll over and offer their belly. "Nice dhimmi, keep behaving and you get to live."
And last, I hadn't heard this about our attorney general:
Carpenter started the TABOR petition drive in 2005, assisted by Jacob and Johnson in an effort that ultimately produced more than 300,000 signatures, nearly a third more than was required to put the issue before voters. But even in a deeply red state like Oklahoma, Big Government has backers — mainly teachers and labor unions — and they persuaded a state court to throw the petition out because nonresidents allegedly helped solicit signatures. The trio now faces up to 10 years in prison if they are convicted on Edmondson’s charges. All three pleaded not guilty and claim they were advised by state officials on how to comply with the law in all respects during the petition drive.
What makes this even more disgusting is this:
State Rep. Mike Reynolds said today that Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who recently admitted receiving illegal campaign contributions, has yet to correct all the “mistakes” his campaign finance reports show.
“Several months ago I questioned whether Attorney General Edmondson truly cared about Ethics laws in Oklahoma. I don’t know if he asked the State Auditor to help him clean up his errors, but it appears that he has many additional mistakes that have not been corrected,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City.
Just friggin' wonderful.
And with that, I'm gone. I'd suggest you follow my lead. And stop eating short of the point at which you'd need a dolly and assistant to move.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The Saudis are not only not our friends,
their government is a running sore on the ass of mankind.
This headline brought to you thanks to Keith. I'd heard something about this yesterday, and in a comment he provided the link.
An unnamed Saudi 19-year old woman -- let us call her Fatima -- has been sentenced to 200 lashes, after being gang-raped 14 times by a group of seven Sunni men in the town of Qatif. Not merely did they repeatedly rape her, but they also raped the male friend they found her with.
Her attackers received sentences of between 10 months and five years. The man she was found with in the car -- we'll call him Abdul-- was sentenced to 90 lashes.
Why were Abdul and Fatima, both of them rape victims, sentenced to anything? Because they were alone in a car, and it is a criminal offence in Saudi Arabia for unrelated men and women to be in one another's company.
So criminal, indeed, that even after being repeatedly raped, the two offenders were considered worthy of further punishment: 90 lashes each, which was increased to 200 lashes for Fatima after she had the temerity to appeal and to speak to the Saudi press about the horror which had befallen her.
There are simply no words to describe the foulness of a government- and people- who consider such a thing to be 'proper'.
Crap like this is one more reason I hope fervently that various energy alternatives advance/are discovered in the near future. Despite a couple of comments in the past, I'm all for such. Nuclear to generate electricity, for instance. At the least, drill in our own territory for all the oil we have available and build/expand refineries to take care of it. Unpleasant fact is we NEED oil for some time to come, and the less of it we need from other places the better off we are. But when the advances come, it will give me a great deal of satisfaction to see the oil ticks once again become the lords of the world's biggest litterbox.
This headline brought to you thanks to Keith. I'd heard something about this yesterday, and in a comment he provided the link.
An unnamed Saudi 19-year old woman -- let us call her Fatima -- has been sentenced to 200 lashes, after being gang-raped 14 times by a group of seven Sunni men in the town of Qatif. Not merely did they repeatedly rape her, but they also raped the male friend they found her with.
Her attackers received sentences of between 10 months and five years. The man she was found with in the car -- we'll call him Abdul-- was sentenced to 90 lashes.
Why were Abdul and Fatima, both of them rape victims, sentenced to anything? Because they were alone in a car, and it is a criminal offence in Saudi Arabia for unrelated men and women to be in one another's company.
So criminal, indeed, that even after being repeatedly raped, the two offenders were considered worthy of further punishment: 90 lashes each, which was increased to 200 lashes for Fatima after she had the temerity to appeal and to speak to the Saudi press about the horror which had befallen her.
There are simply no words to describe the foulness of a government- and people- who consider such a thing to be 'proper'.
Crap like this is one more reason I hope fervently that various energy alternatives advance/are discovered in the near future. Despite a couple of comments in the past, I'm all for such. Nuclear to generate electricity, for instance. At the least, drill in our own territory for all the oil we have available and build/expand refineries to take care of it. Unpleasant fact is we NEED oil for some time to come, and the less of it we need from other places the better off we are. But when the advances come, it will give me a great deal of satisfaction to see the oil ticks once again become the lords of the world's biggest litterbox.
So the Supremes decided to take the case
and lots and lots of commentary is running around. Hit Instapundit and just scroll down a ways, lots of links. Legal commentary, lots at Volokh, again just scroll down. Check around the innernets and you'll see doom & gloom, excitement, hysteria and 'what if'.
I'm half-surprised. The arguments that they'd refuse to review were pretty good; the perils to both sides if they accepted gone over by all. I guess it hit the point they didn't think they could keep ignoring it.
If I had to guess, I'd tend to agree with Bill Quick:
My first take (I have to admit I’m shaking in my boots at the negative possibilities here, given that I thought the SCOTUS would dodge this one) is that the Court will find an individual right, but do so in such a way that almost no gun control laws currently in place are much disturbed, although pestholes like Chicago and San Francisco may be encouraged to permit their citizens to defend themselves once again. The whole issue of incorporation will be much discussed beyond the court as well, I expect.
But I have been wrong before.
One reason I don't expect them to say "Right of the states, all you peasants stop bothering us"? Some of them are arrogant statists, but I don't think anyone on the court is actually stupid; if they thought they got bad press for bringing 'international law' into Constitutional discussions before, they've got to know what would happen here. Etc.
We'll see.
I'm half-surprised. The arguments that they'd refuse to review were pretty good; the perils to both sides if they accepted gone over by all. I guess it hit the point they didn't think they could keep ignoring it.
If I had to guess, I'd tend to agree with Bill Quick:
My first take (I have to admit I’m shaking in my boots at the negative possibilities here, given that I thought the SCOTUS would dodge this one) is that the Court will find an individual right, but do so in such a way that almost no gun control laws currently in place are much disturbed, although pestholes like Chicago and San Francisco may be encouraged to permit their citizens to defend themselves once again. The whole issue of incorporation will be much discussed beyond the court as well, I expect.
But I have been wrong before.
One reason I don't expect them to say "Right of the states, all you peasants stop bothering us"? Some of them are arrogant statists, but I don't think anyone on the court is actually stupid; if they thought they got bad press for bringing 'international law' into Constitutional discussions before, they've got to know what would happen here. Etc.
We'll see.
Monday, November 19, 2007
In more ways than one, Pelosi is on
the other side.
It's been less than a week since New York's Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Eliot Spitzer had to climb down from their support of driver's licenses for illegal aliens. Now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has moved to kill an amendment that would protect employers from federal lawsuits for requiring their workers to speak English. Among the employers targeted by such lawsuits: the Salvation Army.
Just freakin' wonderful.
It's been less than a week since New York's Sen. Hillary Clinton and Gov. Eliot Spitzer had to climb down from their support of driver's licenses for illegal aliens. Now House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has moved to kill an amendment that would protect employers from federal lawsuits for requiring their workers to speak English. Among the employers targeted by such lawsuits: the Salvation Army.
Just freakin' wonderful.
Once a kidnapping terrorist,
always one
THE kidnappers of five British hostages seized in Baghdad last May have said they could be held for years if demands for the release of an Iranian-backed militia leader are not met.
THE kidnappers of five British hostages seized in Baghdad last May have said they could be held for years if demands for the release of an Iranian-backed militia leader are not met.
The warning came as the first detailed information emerged about the plight of the hostages, who enter their 174th day in captivity today.
The people in blue helmets and their political masters
are not your friend.
For months now, Ugandan army troops have been garrisoned in the northeast part of the country under orders to disarm the local populace—pastoral, cattle-herding tribes known as the Karamojong. The army is attempting, and failing, to quash an uprising which was caused by a prior attempt to disarm the same tribes.
But in its effort to "disarm," the Ugandan army, supported by tanks and helicopter gunships, is burning down villages, sexually torturing men, raping women, and plundering what few possessions the tribespeople own. Tens of thousands of victims have been turned into refugees. Human rights scholar Ben Knighton has used the term “ethnocide” to describe the army's campaign.
And what has the UN to do with this?
This time, the pretext for the "disarmament" of the Karamojong is United Nations gun control. The Ugandan military is trying to round up every last firearm in Karamoja, supposedly for the Karamojong's own good.
The procedure is euphemistically called “forcible disarmament.” It works something like this: The misnamed Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) will torture and rape Karamajong, after which some Karamojong might then disclose the location of some hidden guns. Or the army will burn down a village, after which it might find some guns in the ash left behind.
But the UN wouldn't stand for such abuses, would it? Oh, yes, they would:
Last summer, the Ugandan army's atrocities led the United Nations Development Programme to cut off its disarmament aid to Uganda. But the outrage didn't last long. This year, the aid was restored. Although the United Nations does not fund the Ugandan army, the UN does provide a public relations sanction for the disarmament. In November, Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated: “The actions of the UPDF do not comply with international human rights law and domestic law.” But, she also stipulated, “the decision of the Government to undertake renewed efforts to eradicate illegal weapons in Karamoja is essential….” Never mind that the disarmament campaign also eradicates people.
I have a question for you: do you really think the UN would have any more objection than this if the same thing were happening here? After all, we have more guns than the poor bastards being tortured and raped and murdered in Uganda. And the UN has already been trying to force ourbeing turned into serfsdisarmament.
I think the UN would speak some platitude just like the above and excuse anything, because our being disarmed feeds into their desires for control.
Any argument?
For months now, Ugandan army troops have been garrisoned in the northeast part of the country under orders to disarm the local populace—pastoral, cattle-herding tribes known as the Karamojong. The army is attempting, and failing, to quash an uprising which was caused by a prior attempt to disarm the same tribes.
But in its effort to "disarm," the Ugandan army, supported by tanks and helicopter gunships, is burning down villages, sexually torturing men, raping women, and plundering what few possessions the tribespeople own. Tens of thousands of victims have been turned into refugees. Human rights scholar Ben Knighton has used the term “ethnocide” to describe the army's campaign.
And what has the UN to do with this?
This time, the pretext for the "disarmament" of the Karamojong is United Nations gun control. The Ugandan military is trying to round up every last firearm in Karamoja, supposedly for the Karamojong's own good.
The procedure is euphemistically called “forcible disarmament.” It works something like this: The misnamed Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) will torture and rape Karamajong, after which some Karamojong might then disclose the location of some hidden guns. Or the army will burn down a village, after which it might find some guns in the ash left behind.
But the UN wouldn't stand for such abuses, would it? Oh, yes, they would:
Last summer, the Ugandan army's atrocities led the United Nations Development Programme to cut off its disarmament aid to Uganda. But the outrage didn't last long. This year, the aid was restored. Although the United Nations does not fund the Ugandan army, the UN does provide a public relations sanction for the disarmament. In November, Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated: “The actions of the UPDF do not comply with international human rights law and domestic law.” But, she also stipulated, “the decision of the Government to undertake renewed efforts to eradicate illegal weapons in Karamoja is essential….” Never mind that the disarmament campaign also eradicates people.
I have a question for you: do you really think the UN would have any more objection than this if the same thing were happening here? After all, we have more guns than the poor bastards being tortured and raped and murdered in Uganda. And the UN has already been trying to force our
I think the UN would speak some platitude just like the above and excuse anything, because our being disarmed feeds into their desires for control.
Any argument?
Further thoughts on the "legal lynching" and the childhood friends
I've been thinking about the case of goblin-whacking I posted on here, and the idiotic reaction to it. The excusing, the blaming of the one attacked instead of telling the attacker "You're a dirtbag, and you deserve jail."
I reminded me of something, so I dug around in John Ross' site and found this post of his. He was talking to a man about the opposition in much of the black community to the idea of 'shall-issue' concealed carry permits. Considering how people in that community tended to be more often the victims of crimes and would in many cases be the people with more need of the freedom to carry for self-defense, why would they oppose it so strongly?
"When discussing this matter, people inevitably bring up Missouri's 1999 ballot referendum on Right-To-Carry, which was narrowly defeated (with a dismal 30% voter turnout, I might add.) The fact is that the measure passed in almost every county in the state. The defeat came from the fact that two very large urban precincts in St. Louis and Kansas City were over 90% opposed. At the time, I thought this was vote fraud (and to be honest, I still think that was a factor).
A black businessman (who was one of the handful of St. Louis city residents who voted for the referendum) and I were discussing the recent passage of RTC. I brought up the referendum results, and said I could not understand why blacks had been so uniformly against the measure. The proposal was a "shall issue" one, where if you satisfied the requirements (training, fingerprints, no criminal record, no mental illness, etc.) you couldn't be denied the permit just because the sheriff didn't like the idea of people besides the police having guns. The businessman stared at me.
"I thought you were good at math," he said. I allowed as to how I felt that I was. "Then you must never have taken Statistics and Probability." I told him I had done this also, and that it had been one of the most rewarding math classes I had ever taken (and incidentally was taught by Amherst's professor Denton, who is black.) "Then you must be cowed enough by political correctness to never think of applying statistics and probability to anything involving race." Finally I admitted that this last accusation might be true.
"Then I am going to ask you two true-or-false questions. One: Do blacks in the city of St. Louis have large extended families?" I answered in the affirmative. "Two: Is it true that in St. Louis, over 40% of the black males between the ages of 17 and 25 have criminal records?" I told him that was also true, unfortunately.
"So here is the important question: What are the chances of a black person of voting age in St. Louis having at least one relative with a criminal record? Assume we define 'relative' broadly, to include the young men who father the children of our female relatives, whether married to them or not." He sat there waiting for my answer.
"Are we talking fathers, stepfathers, uncles, brothers, stepbrothers, male cousins, sons, stepsons, nephews, mothers' boyfriends, aunts' boyfriends, sisters' boyfriends, daughters' boyfriends, stepdaughters' boyfriends, female cousins' boyfriends, nieces' boyfriends, as well as anyone actually married to a female relative?" I asked. He nodded. "Then I'd say there's nearly 100% probability that at least one relative would have a criminal record." He smiled at me like a teacher who has just gotten the right answer from one of his slower students.
"So," I said, "I'm to believe that the black sentiment in St. Louis was "I wish young Tyrone would stop robbing people, but I don�t want one of the people he robs to shoot him dead." Is that it?" I asked.
"You've got it exactly," he told me.
"But why? I mean, honestly, if some guy was married to my cousin and mugged people for a living, I'd figure he was making his own choices and could damn well take the chance of being blasted. I wouldn't vote away my rights to help his sorry ass."
"What if it wasn't just your one cousin's husband, but 40% of all your male relatives between the ages of 18 and 25? What if that was, oh, I don�t know, a dozen people?" Suddenly I didn't know what to say.
"You don't feel that way," I said finally.
"I�m an Uncle Tom. I've recently come to realize that I now have very few black friends."
Seems to fit in nicely with the crap the other day. Here we're not talking about some deceased/imprisoned criminal's family protesting "He's a good boy, he just made some mistakes, he hung around with some bad people" or "She's not a bad girl, she was pushed into doing this." Here we've got the whole damn grievance industry coming out in full cry. "Racism! They shot those boys because they were black! They just wanted to buy some grass!" and so on. It's like there's a standard script: "The victims(ALWAYS the 'victims') were black/latino/whatever, so they CANNOT BE AT FAULT! Therefore the one who shot/whatever them is the criminal. No matter what." So we have, in this case, three men broke into a home at 4 A.M., beat people severely, and when they get shot, THEY become the 'victims'. The survivor is a 'victim of racism'. Never mind what they did- and let's not be fooled here, chances of this being the first time they did something like this are just about zero-, never mind the one they beat who'll need care for the rest of his life, the deceased goblins and the survivor are the 'victims'.
I've been reading a book called When She Was Bad, Violent omen and the Myth of Innocence by Patricia Pearson. A big part of the book is on the fact that in domestic violence it's been built up that women are ALWAYS the victim. Doesn't matter what happened, doesn't matter that the husband/boyfriend pushed her or hit her because she was swinging at him- sometimes with a knife or heavy object- because HE is the one with the 'power', so she is ALWAYS the victim. Which means if he calls the police for help, chances are he'll wind up in jail. Hell, it's in law in some places that if the police show up on a domestic violence call, they have to arrest him. Even if he's the one bleeding. Scholars have censored their own work to prevent it being shown that women are aggressors as often as men, that the men in the relationship are often the victims, because it doesn't fit the social picture they want to reinforce.
...A 1978 survey conducted by the Kentucky Commission on Violence Against Women uncovered that 38 percent of the assaults in the state were committed by women, but that finding wasn't included when the survey was released. (The information was discovered some years later by scholars.) In Detroit, a tally of emergency medical admissions due to to domestic violence was widely reported by activists as evidence of injuries to women. No one told the media that 38 percent of the admissions were men. In Canada, the federal government allotted $250,000 to a research project on comparative rates of violence in dating relationships. The lead researcher, Carleton University sociologist Walter DeKeseredy, released his data on women, generating a wave of violence agains women headlines and conveying the impression that Canadian college campuses were bastions of violent misogyny. DeKeseredy didn't mention in his report that he had collected evidence of dating violence against men....
and so on.
You read much of this, there's a remarkable similarity between minority groups and womens groups in making excuses for why they cannot be the bad guys. "Because of past racism/because of the patriarchy, they have no power" and so on. There's always a reason why someone cannot/should not be held responsible for, or even capable of doing bad things.
A lot of people more qualified than I have pointed this nonsense out before. If you claim 'victimhood' as a mantle that protects you from being held responsible for what you do, you have renounced any claim to being an intelligent, capable being and basically said "You can't hold me to the same standards you do others: I'm special." And then you bitch and whine when people don't look on you the same as they do others who don't claim victimhood as an excuse for whatever the current problem is. Much like the 'Jena Six' garbage, if someone is a member of your group it's considered a given that they couldn't have actually done wrong, they must have been the 'victim'. Never mind evidence, never mind a group beating an individual unconscious, that group was black so THEY are the 'victims'.
Hell, look at a lot of media reporting. If someone gets shot breaking into a home or attacking someone, attempting a rape, whatever, if the goblin is a member of a minority group there's a very good chance the reporting will be that they were the 'victim' of a shooting. The fact that they were shot by the actual victim, the one they were attacking, is glossed over. They get a twofer here: deflect blame from the criminal and condemn guns and people who own them.
Solution? More people like Bill Cosby saying "Knock off the crap, tell your kids to pull their pants up and stay in school. And stop letting them feed on the image of gangsters as someone to be like." They'd better have very thick skins like him, too, because they'll get the full ration of crap the RWPPs & Co. threw at him.
I reminded me of something, so I dug around in John Ross' site and found this post of his. He was talking to a man about the opposition in much of the black community to the idea of 'shall-issue' concealed carry permits. Considering how people in that community tended to be more often the victims of crimes and would in many cases be the people with more need of the freedom to carry for self-defense, why would they oppose it so strongly?
"When discussing this matter, people inevitably bring up Missouri's 1999 ballot referendum on Right-To-Carry, which was narrowly defeated (with a dismal 30% voter turnout, I might add.) The fact is that the measure passed in almost every county in the state. The defeat came from the fact that two very large urban precincts in St. Louis and Kansas City were over 90% opposed. At the time, I thought this was vote fraud (and to be honest, I still think that was a factor).
A black businessman (who was one of the handful of St. Louis city residents who voted for the referendum) and I were discussing the recent passage of RTC. I brought up the referendum results, and said I could not understand why blacks had been so uniformly against the measure. The proposal was a "shall issue" one, where if you satisfied the requirements (training, fingerprints, no criminal record, no mental illness, etc.) you couldn't be denied the permit just because the sheriff didn't like the idea of people besides the police having guns. The businessman stared at me.
"I thought you were good at math," he said. I allowed as to how I felt that I was. "Then you must never have taken Statistics and Probability." I told him I had done this also, and that it had been one of the most rewarding math classes I had ever taken (and incidentally was taught by Amherst's professor Denton, who is black.) "Then you must be cowed enough by political correctness to never think of applying statistics and probability to anything involving race." Finally I admitted that this last accusation might be true.
"Then I am going to ask you two true-or-false questions. One: Do blacks in the city of St. Louis have large extended families?" I answered in the affirmative. "Two: Is it true that in St. Louis, over 40% of the black males between the ages of 17 and 25 have criminal records?" I told him that was also true, unfortunately.
"So here is the important question: What are the chances of a black person of voting age in St. Louis having at least one relative with a criminal record? Assume we define 'relative' broadly, to include the young men who father the children of our female relatives, whether married to them or not." He sat there waiting for my answer.
"Are we talking fathers, stepfathers, uncles, brothers, stepbrothers, male cousins, sons, stepsons, nephews, mothers' boyfriends, aunts' boyfriends, sisters' boyfriends, daughters' boyfriends, stepdaughters' boyfriends, female cousins' boyfriends, nieces' boyfriends, as well as anyone actually married to a female relative?" I asked. He nodded. "Then I'd say there's nearly 100% probability that at least one relative would have a criminal record." He smiled at me like a teacher who has just gotten the right answer from one of his slower students.
"So," I said, "I'm to believe that the black sentiment in St. Louis was "I wish young Tyrone would stop robbing people, but I don�t want one of the people he robs to shoot him dead." Is that it?" I asked.
"You've got it exactly," he told me.
"But why? I mean, honestly, if some guy was married to my cousin and mugged people for a living, I'd figure he was making his own choices and could damn well take the chance of being blasted. I wouldn't vote away my rights to help his sorry ass."
"What if it wasn't just your one cousin's husband, but 40% of all your male relatives between the ages of 18 and 25? What if that was, oh, I don�t know, a dozen people?" Suddenly I didn't know what to say.
"You don't feel that way," I said finally.
"I�m an Uncle Tom. I've recently come to realize that I now have very few black friends."
Seems to fit in nicely with the crap the other day. Here we're not talking about some deceased/imprisoned criminal's family protesting "He's a good boy, he just made some mistakes, he hung around with some bad people" or "She's not a bad girl, she was pushed into doing this." Here we've got the whole damn grievance industry coming out in full cry. "Racism! They shot those boys because they were black! They just wanted to buy some grass!" and so on. It's like there's a standard script: "The victims(ALWAYS the 'victims') were black/latino/whatever, so they CANNOT BE AT FAULT! Therefore the one who shot/whatever them is the criminal. No matter what." So we have, in this case, three men broke into a home at 4 A.M., beat people severely, and when they get shot, THEY become the 'victims'. The survivor is a 'victim of racism'. Never mind what they did- and let's not be fooled here, chances of this being the first time they did something like this are just about zero-, never mind the one they beat who'll need care for the rest of his life, the deceased goblins and the survivor are the 'victims'.
I've been reading a book called When She Was Bad, Violent omen and the Myth of Innocence by Patricia Pearson. A big part of the book is on the fact that in domestic violence it's been built up that women are ALWAYS the victim. Doesn't matter what happened, doesn't matter that the husband/boyfriend pushed her or hit her because she was swinging at him- sometimes with a knife or heavy object- because HE is the one with the 'power', so she is ALWAYS the victim. Which means if he calls the police for help, chances are he'll wind up in jail. Hell, it's in law in some places that if the police show up on a domestic violence call, they have to arrest him. Even if he's the one bleeding. Scholars have censored their own work to prevent it being shown that women are aggressors as often as men, that the men in the relationship are often the victims, because it doesn't fit the social picture they want to reinforce.
...A 1978 survey conducted by the Kentucky Commission on Violence Against Women uncovered that 38 percent of the assaults in the state were committed by women, but that finding wasn't included when the survey was released. (The information was discovered some years later by scholars.) In Detroit, a tally of emergency medical admissions due to to domestic violence was widely reported by activists as evidence of injuries to women. No one told the media that 38 percent of the admissions were men. In Canada, the federal government allotted $250,000 to a research project on comparative rates of violence in dating relationships. The lead researcher, Carleton University sociologist Walter DeKeseredy, released his data on women, generating a wave of violence agains women headlines and conveying the impression that Canadian college campuses were bastions of violent misogyny. DeKeseredy didn't mention in his report that he had collected evidence of dating violence against men....
and so on.
You read much of this, there's a remarkable similarity between minority groups and womens groups in making excuses for why they cannot be the bad guys. "Because of past racism/because of the patriarchy, they have no power" and so on. There's always a reason why someone cannot/should not be held responsible for, or even capable of doing bad things.
A lot of people more qualified than I have pointed this nonsense out before. If you claim 'victimhood' as a mantle that protects you from being held responsible for what you do, you have renounced any claim to being an intelligent, capable being and basically said "You can't hold me to the same standards you do others: I'm special." And then you bitch and whine when people don't look on you the same as they do others who don't claim victimhood as an excuse for whatever the current problem is. Much like the 'Jena Six' garbage, if someone is a member of your group it's considered a given that they couldn't have actually done wrong, they must have been the 'victim'. Never mind evidence, never mind a group beating an individual unconscious, that group was black so THEY are the 'victims'.
Hell, look at a lot of media reporting. If someone gets shot breaking into a home or attacking someone, attempting a rape, whatever, if the goblin is a member of a minority group there's a very good chance the reporting will be that they were the 'victim' of a shooting. The fact that they were shot by the actual victim, the one they were attacking, is glossed over. They get a twofer here: deflect blame from the criminal and condemn guns and people who own them.
Solution? More people like Bill Cosby saying "Knock off the crap, tell your kids to pull their pants up and stay in school. And stop letting them feed on the image of gangsters as someone to be like." They'd better have very thick skins like him, too, because they'll get the full ration of crap the RWPPs & Co. threw at him.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
So Boston has decided to follow the English pattern:
"Constitution? WE don't see a problem here."
Saw this at Instapundit, and then saw that MArooned had already taken note of it.
In the next two weeks, Boston police officers who are assigned to schools will begin going to homes where they believe teenagers might have guns. The officers will travel in groups of three, dress in plainclothes to avoid attracting negative attention, and ask the teenager's parent or legal guardian for permission to search. If the parents say no, police said, the officers will leave.(bold mine)
Oh, of COURSE they will. They'd NEVER think of pressuring the parents to let them in. Would they?
"Ma'am, you know if you don't let us look and something happens, you might be seen as responsible?"
"Is there some reason you don't want us to come in?"
Hell yes, they will. If not at first, soon.
I guess Boston liked Clinton's idea: that if you lived in public housing the authorities ought to be able to search for drugs or guns anytime, day or night, with no warrant. So they're working up to it slowly.
You know, this kind of crap pretty much clinches it: if somebody offered me a job in MA at big pay, I'd say "Hell no!" Having your rights and life trashed by a bunch of socialist politicians and their minions cannot be compensated for by money.
Saw this at Instapundit, and then saw that MArooned had already taken note of it.
In the next two weeks, Boston police officers who are assigned to schools will begin going to homes where they believe teenagers might have guns. The officers will travel in groups of three, dress in plainclothes to avoid attracting negative attention, and ask the teenager's parent or legal guardian for permission to search. If the parents say no, police said, the officers will leave.(bold mine)
Oh, of COURSE they will. They'd NEVER think of pressuring the parents to let them in. Would they?
"Ma'am, you know if you don't let us look and something happens, you might be seen as responsible?"
"Is there some reason you don't want us to come in?"
Hell yes, they will. If not at first, soon.
I guess Boston liked Clinton's idea: that if you lived in public housing the authorities ought to be able to search for drugs or guns anytime, day or night, with no warrant. So they're working up to it slowly.
You know, this kind of crap pretty much clinches it: if somebody offered me a job in MA at big pay, I'd say "Hell no!" Having your rights and life trashed by a bunch of socialist politicians and their minions cannot be compensated for by money.
Range day, project pistol tryout
Did indeed make it out today, and put about 65 rounds through it. The polishing on the feed ramp worked, it digested 185-grain Gold Dots, both factory and handload, without a burp. The only problem in shooting was one failure to go into battery, and that was with a 200-grain flatnose load. I don't blame the pistol, I blame the magazine: this was the original, which is rather, ah, 'well-used' would be a polite term. Somehow the body has spread out a touch, you have to push harder to seat it and pull it all the way out of the mag well. Using a couple of Metalform 7-round mags for all the other shooting, no malfunctions at all.
I did notice one thing: if you didn't have the grip safety depressed ALL the way, you could feel the trigger bow dragging on it a touch at times. Why I didn't notice it before, I don't know. Did a small amount of file work and polishing on it, and that seems to be gone.
Overall, it worked as well as I could have hoped for. I am going to flare the bottom of the mag well a bit, and do a full trigger job. This being the first time I'd worked on the fire control group of one of these, when I followed the 'Poor Man's Trigger Job' instructions I went very lightly; it did indeed smooth things out and lighten them a bit, but now I need to hit it again and all the way, should make a big difference.
I just realized I forgot to take a picture of it before breaking it down, and right now it's on the table in pieces. I promise I'll remember in the near future.
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