ought to, at the least, cause demands for some answers:
The three World Trade Center buildings were demolished by professionals, not by a motley crew of 19 Arabs under the direction of one Osama bin Laden who was dying if not already dead in the Middle East at the time (9/11/01). The real question is “Who are these professionals who demolished the buildings and who paid them?” It was an inside job, folks. Ya think Hillary or McCain will chase them down?
Considering his past associations, and their opinions of this country, this shouldn't be surprising. But I have to admit that it is, a bit.
And just to be an equal-opportunity offender, Sondra also found this:
The now-retired general counsel and chief of staff of the House Judiciary Committee, who supervised Hillary when she worked on the Watergate investigation, says Hillary’s history of lies and unethical behavior goes back farther – and goes much deeper – than anyone realizes.
Jerry Zeifman, a lifelong Democrat, supervised the work of 27-year-old Hillary Rodham on the committee. Hillary got a job working on the investigation at the behest of her former law professor, Burke Marshall, who was also Sen. Ted Kennedy’s chief counsel in the Chappaquiddick affair. When the investigation was over, Zeifman fired Hillary from the committee staff and refused to give her a letter of recommendation – one of only three people who earned that dubious distinction in Zeifman’s 17-year career.
That's powerful stuff, folks.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Speaking of things coming out the backside,
take a look at this piece of oral copulation for Obama that Insty found. Here's two samples:
When I have supported white people, it was because I thought them the best to do the job. If Obama were in any sense mediocre, he would be forgotten by now. He is, in fact, a remarkable human being, not perfect but humanly stunning, like King was and like Mandela is. He is the change America has been trying desperately and for centuries to hide, ignore, kill. The change it must have if we are to convince the rest of the world that we care about people other than our (white) selves.
***
I want a grown-up attitude to Cuba, for instance, a country and people I love. I want an end to the war immediately, and I want the soldiers to be encouraged to destroy their weapons and drive themselves out of Iraq. I want the Israeli government to be made accountable for its behaviour to the Palestinians, and I want the people of the US to cease acting as if they don't understand what is going on. But most of all I want someone with the confidence to talk to anyone, "enemy" or "friend", and this Obama has shown he can do.
Just amazing. I'll note, anytime someone puts 'enemy' or 'friend' in quotes in such a way, they've got rocks in their head.
When I have supported white people, it was because I thought them the best to do the job. If Obama were in any sense mediocre, he would be forgotten by now. He is, in fact, a remarkable human being, not perfect but humanly stunning, like King was and like Mandela is. He is the change America has been trying desperately and for centuries to hide, ignore, kill. The change it must have if we are to convince the rest of the world that we care about people other than our (white) selves.
***
I want a grown-up attitude to Cuba, for instance, a country and people I love. I want an end to the war immediately, and I want the soldiers to be encouraged to destroy their weapons and drive themselves out of Iraq. I want the Israeli government to be made accountable for its behaviour to the Palestinians, and I want the people of the US to cease acting as if they don't understand what is going on. But most of all I want someone with the confidence to talk to anyone, "enemy" or "friend", and this Obama has shown he can do.
Just amazing. I'll note, anytime someone puts 'enemy' or 'friend' in quotes in such a way, they've got rocks in their head.
Monday, March 31, 2008
At this point, if the doctor ever again says she want me to take this test,
the answer will be "Hell NO!" unless the words "or you'll die" are part of her request.
And then I might have to think about it.
How do I dislike this? Let me count the ways:
The meds taste bad at the start, and by the time they're gone it's bloody awful.
After each set the rumbles & uneasiness start.
Then you find yourself running for the tiled reading room at frequent intervals.
Upon arriving there, you find that everything you've had to eat for approximately the last two weeks begins exiting your body. In liquid form, and at a velocity that seems almost enough to provide thrust.
The only good thing about the meds is that after you start taking them, the fact that you've had nothing but some broth to eat today no longer captures your attention. Because your system is so busy bobbling around inside from whatever-the-hell it is you drank, that you aren't really worried about food.
And, by the way, 'clear liquids' my ass: no whiskey or beer allowed.
And then I might have to think about it.
How do I dislike this? Let me count the ways:
The meds taste bad at the start, and by the time they're gone it's bloody awful.
After each set the rumbles & uneasiness start.
Then you find yourself running for the tiled reading room at frequent intervals.
Upon arriving there, you find that everything you've had to eat for approximately the last two weeks begins exiting your body. In liquid form, and at a velocity that seems almost enough to provide thrust.
The only good thing about the meds is that after you start taking them, the fact that you've had nothing but some broth to eat today no longer captures your attention. Because your system is so busy bobbling around inside from whatever-the-hell it is you drank, that you aren't really worried about food.
And, by the way, 'clear liquids' my ass: no whiskey or beer allowed.
Once again, Ronnie Barrett shows where he stands
with no mincing of words:
Be aware there are more companies that will respect this position. If Hawaii or any state bans the sale of the .50-caliber rifle, we will immediately stop the sale and service of all Barrett products to that state’s government agencies. We will also welcome all small arms manufacturers to take the same action.
Damn, if I had the money, I'd buy one just to support the company.
Be aware there are more companies that will respect this position. If Hawaii or any state bans the sale of the .50-caliber rifle, we will immediately stop the sale and service of all Barrett products to that state’s government agencies. We will also welcome all small arms manufacturers to take the same action.
Damn, if I had the money, I'd buy one just to support the company.
Rustmeister points out one(among others) instance of attitude trouble,
and Xavier another.
Rusty first. He collected a bunch of wailing and whining from news weenies about a bill that would cause concealed-carry permit records to be sealed. To me, the prize of the collection is this:
This newspaper strongly believes that certain public records should be open, and that includes conceal-and-carry gun permits. If a citizen does not want anyone to know that he or she has such a permit from the state, that person should do without such a weapon.
That just flat amazes me. Don't want a violent ex, a stalker, an enemy finding you thanks to some grandstanding fool with the job title 'journlist' publishing your name and address(which did indeed happen in another state)? Then stay unarmed when you leave the house. So says the all-wise people at the Tennessean. Arrogant morons that they are.
And from Xavier, we find out about this clown:
Yet on a recent Friday evening, two years after the discovery, Maddox stood inside artist John Ricker's San Francisco studio, ready to smash the gun flat with a sledgehammer. "My uncle wanted to keep it in the family," said Maddox, a planner in the city's transportation agency, before he delivered the first blow. "But I knew about John and what he does with guns. ... I wanted it destroyed."
"If you have a gun, you have to envision who you're going to kill," Ricker said. "I want people to think about who they think it's OK to shoot, and where that puts them morally."
Oh yes, I'm sure Mr. Ricker is in a fine position to judge the moral standing of everyone else.
You know, at times it gets very hard to not use a lot of profanity to speak of some of these wankers.
Rusty first. He collected a bunch of wailing and whining from news weenies about a bill that would cause concealed-carry permit records to be sealed. To me, the prize of the collection is this:
This newspaper strongly believes that certain public records should be open, and that includes conceal-and-carry gun permits. If a citizen does not want anyone to know that he or she has such a permit from the state, that person should do without such a weapon.
That just flat amazes me. Don't want a violent ex, a stalker, an enemy finding you thanks to some grandstanding fool with the job title 'journlist' publishing your name and address(which did indeed happen in another state)? Then stay unarmed when you leave the house. So says the all-wise people at the Tennessean. Arrogant morons that they are.
And from Xavier, we find out about this clown:
Yet on a recent Friday evening, two years after the discovery, Maddox stood inside artist John Ricker's San Francisco studio, ready to smash the gun flat with a sledgehammer. "My uncle wanted to keep it in the family," said Maddox, a planner in the city's transportation agency, before he delivered the first blow. "But I knew about John and what he does with guns. ... I wanted it destroyed."
"If you have a gun, you have to envision who you're going to kill," Ricker said. "I want people to think about who they think it's OK to shoot, and where that puts them morally."
Oh yes, I'm sure Mr. Ricker is in a fine position to judge the moral standing of everyone else.
You know, at times it gets very hard to not use a lot of profanity to speak of some of these wankers.
Well, our wonderful legislature killed the campus concealed-carry bill
by the senate not allowing it to be heard.
Please note that the current version had a very restricted number of people who'd be allowed to carry:
The House today easily passed a weakened bill that would allow military veterans and trained law enforcement personnel to carry concealed weapons onto college campuses.
So being an adult who's passed all the background checks and so forth didn't count, ONLY vets and LE personnel would have been allowed to carry; and even that was too scary for the weenies who've been suffering the vapors ever since the bill was introduced.
Please note that the current version had a very restricted number of people who'd be allowed to carry:
The House today easily passed a weakened bill that would allow military veterans and trained law enforcement personnel to carry concealed weapons onto college campuses.
So being an adult who's passed all the background checks and so forth didn't count, ONLY vets and LE personnel would have been allowed to carry; and even that was too scary for the weenies who've been suffering the vapors ever since the bill was introduced.
A conversation at the post office
Standing at the counter shipping something off to son when New PO Worker has a question for older worker:
Her: If the tornado sirens sound, where do we go?
Me: This is Oklahoma, you go outside and look for it.
Nobody disagreed, by the way
Her: If the tornado sirens sound, where do we go?
Me: This is Oklahoma, you go outside and look for it.
Nobody disagreed, by the way
This is the end of March
Just to note the variety, the purple in the southwest is red-flag fire warning due to dry and high winds,
the yellow is tornado watch, orange is severe thunderstorm warning and the greens are flooding and flash-flood watch.
the yellow is tornado watch, orange is severe thunderstorm warning and the greens are flooding and flash-flood watch.
When I replied to the people calling me names
for daring to note some of the Obamessiah's connection, I told one of them that I hold him to be dangerous to this country based on his views. I should have noted that's his views when you actually find what they are.
During his first run for elected office, Barack Obama played a greater role than his aides now acknowledge in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion– positions that appear at odds with the more moderate image he’s projected during his presidential campaign.
The evidence comes from an amended version of an Illinois voter group’s detailed questionnaire, filed under his name during his 1996 bid for a state Senate seat.
Late last year, in response to a Politico story about Obama’s answers to the original questionnaire, his aides said he “never saw or approved” the questionnaire.
They asserted the responses were filled out by a campaign aide who “unintentionally mischaracterize(d) his position.”
But a Politico examination determined that Obama was actually interviewed about the issues on the questionnaire by the liberal Chicago non-profit group that issued it. And it found that Obama – the day after sitting for the interview – filed an amended version of the questionnaire, which appears to contain Obama’s own handwritten notes adding to one answer.
I dislike politicians in general, but some very much more than others. The ones I dislike the most are those who
Plan to make a lifetime career out of sitting in an elected position and
Lie to you about what they actually believe in order to get there.*
And Obama fits both these points. Very well. Just like Hillary Clinton. And- never mind, the list is too long. I'll also note this further along in the article:
“I always believed those to be his views,” she said, adding some members of the board argued Obama’s 1996 answers were “what he really believes in and he’s tailoring it now to make himself more palatable as a nationwide candidate.”
Translation: he's either lying about or denying some of what he actually believes so as to get into office, after which he'll go back to the positions he actually holds.
During his first run for elected office, Barack Obama played a greater role than his aides now acknowledge in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion– positions that appear at odds with the more moderate image he’s projected during his presidential campaign.
The evidence comes from an amended version of an Illinois voter group’s detailed questionnaire, filed under his name during his 1996 bid for a state Senate seat.
Late last year, in response to a Politico story about Obama’s answers to the original questionnaire, his aides said he “never saw or approved” the questionnaire.
They asserted the responses were filled out by a campaign aide who “unintentionally mischaracterize(d) his position.”
But a Politico examination determined that Obama was actually interviewed about the issues on the questionnaire by the liberal Chicago non-profit group that issued it. And it found that Obama – the day after sitting for the interview – filed an amended version of the questionnaire, which appears to contain Obama’s own handwritten notes adding to one answer.
I dislike politicians in general, but some very much more than others. The ones I dislike the most are those who
Plan to make a lifetime career out of sitting in an elected position and
Lie to you about what they actually believe in order to get there.*
And Obama fits both these points. Very well. Just like Hillary Clinton. And- never mind, the list is too long. I'll also note this further along in the article:
“I always believed those to be his views,” she said, adding some members of the board argued Obama’s 1996 answers were “what he really believes in and he’s tailoring it now to make himself more palatable as a nationwide candidate.”
Translation: he's either lying about or denying some of what he actually believes so as to get into office, after which he'll go back to the positions he actually holds.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Mr. Completely's current postal match
closes midnight tomorrow. Due to various things, I wasn't able to shoot it(made it to range, forgot the *!)#$& targets, etc.); those of you who did shoot, make sure you get your stuff in.
There are reasons they're sometimes called 'gun rags'
Usually it comes in reference to some review of a firearm that makes everything about it seem a bit of gunsmithing or design mastery, or something of the like. But this time I’m specifically referring to the editorial by Richard Venola in the April ’08 issue of Guns & Ammo which I saw a few days ago.
It is an introduction to their review of the Kimber SIS 1911 pistol, and it starts off with the author listing the military/special ops/mujaheddin units he’s served with/trained with, etc., and how he “…was never scared of the men I was with,” followed by “But the nice detectives of the LAPD’s SIS scared the hell out of me.” He’s paying big compliments to the unit, fine, no problem. It’s what’s at the start of the fourth paragraph that pissed me off:
In the U.S. military, entry into most elite units is simply based on the ability to run long distances. But the SIS is an elite force of judgement and maturity. Etc.
***
W.T.F.?
***
I have to admit, I don’t really have the proper words to state just how badly that pisses me off, maybe one of you folks out there can do it. Apparently, qualifying for Rangers or Force Recon or Special Forces or SEALs or whoever just means you can run. Real well. For a long ways. Or maybe one or two of those actually requires ‘judgement and maturity’ and so forth, and the others only require running ability to get in. At least according to this wanker.
I have to stop writing now, you all can take it from here.
It is an introduction to their review of the Kimber SIS 1911 pistol, and it starts off with the author listing the military/special ops/mujaheddin units he’s served with/trained with, etc., and how he “…was never scared of the men I was with,” followed by “But the nice detectives of the LAPD’s SIS scared the hell out of me.” He’s paying big compliments to the unit, fine, no problem. It’s what’s at the start of the fourth paragraph that pissed me off:
In the U.S. military, entry into most elite units is simply based on the ability to run long distances. But the SIS is an elite force of judgement and maturity. Etc.
***
W.T.F.?
***
I have to admit, I don’t really have the proper words to state just how badly that pisses me off, maybe one of you folks out there can do it. Apparently, qualifying for Rangers or Force Recon or Special Forces or SEALs or whoever just means you can run. Real well. For a long ways. Or maybe one or two of those actually requires ‘judgement and maturity’ and so forth, and the others only require running ability to get in. At least according to this wanker.
I have to stop writing now, you all can take it from here.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
A while back I took note of some of Obama's connections
with Bill Ayers, among others. Well, some of the worshippers just found it, it seems, and left comments, among them:
Guilt by association and innuendo. Real nice hit piece you've worked up here. Maybe the Clinton campaign would like to link to you from their campaign site.
and
And just who is "WE" that don't want Obama as president? - would that "WE" be Racists People?! - John McCain is Racist So my guess is you're going to vote for him. Or perhaps you feel obligated to vote for Hilary just because one of your "WE" is a woman. Or would the "WE" perhaps be prejudice people? -- you're fine working with blacks and having them as neighbors and talking to them, but as far as one becoming President, you can't stand the idea.
'Innuendo' my ass. The man has a long association with the terrorist and his supporters, from the information available a quite friendly relationship. Which shouldn't surprise us, considering his long association with a church that seems to have a definite hate of the U.S. I just love it that you consider taking note of facts to be a 'hit piece'. Bite me.
And to Anonymous, posting insults and defenses of terrorists:
Got news for you, Guido, calling somebody 'racist' isn't the club it used to be. Precisely because of bullshit like this from people like you. Could hardly give a rats' ass less what color Obama is, it's his stand on things and what he wants to do that makes him a disaster-in-waiting for this country. And the show he's put on since the beliefs of his church came out: he's lied and played lawyer with words just like Bill Clinton over that, and it tells us a lot about him.
Ayers is a terrorist who's made it quite plain over decades that he's happy to be one. The only reason he's sort-of downplaying it now is that he figures it'll help Obama if he does.
And if you think I carry any brief for either of the Clintons, you have great big rocks in your head. The fact seems to be that both the Clintons and Obama have no problem at all associating with and/or giving aid to people who hate this country, as long as they think it'll buy them votes or give them access to people with money and/or influence. You may not bite me, but you can kiss my ass.
Now, Dad's in town and there's a gun show, so I'm off.
Guilt by association and innuendo. Real nice hit piece you've worked up here. Maybe the Clinton campaign would like to link to you from their campaign site.
and
And just who is "WE" that don't want Obama as president? - would that "WE" be Racists People?! - John McCain is Racist So my guess is you're going to vote for him. Or perhaps you feel obligated to vote for Hilary just because one of your "WE" is a woman. Or would the "WE" perhaps be prejudice people? -- you're fine working with blacks and having them as neighbors and talking to them, but as far as one becoming President, you can't stand the idea.
'Innuendo' my ass. The man has a long association with the terrorist and his supporters, from the information available a quite friendly relationship. Which shouldn't surprise us, considering his long association with a church that seems to have a definite hate of the U.S. I just love it that you consider taking note of facts to be a 'hit piece'. Bite me.
And to Anonymous, posting insults and defenses of terrorists:
Got news for you, Guido, calling somebody 'racist' isn't the club it used to be. Precisely because of bullshit like this from people like you. Could hardly give a rats' ass less what color Obama is, it's his stand on things and what he wants to do that makes him a disaster-in-waiting for this country. And the show he's put on since the beliefs of his church came out: he's lied and played lawyer with words just like Bill Clinton over that, and it tells us a lot about him.
Ayers is a terrorist who's made it quite plain over decades that he's happy to be one. The only reason he's sort-of downplaying it now is that he figures it'll help Obama if he does.
And if you think I carry any brief for either of the Clintons, you have great big rocks in your head. The fact seems to be that both the Clintons and Obama have no problem at all associating with and/or giving aid to people who hate this country, as long as they think it'll buy them votes or give them access to people with money and/or influence. You may not bite me, but you can kiss my ass.
Now, Dad's in town and there's a gun show, so I'm off.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Clayton Cramer is running for office
That'll give a bunch of people heartburn. And they're the right people to have it, too.
Here's his blog post with a link to the campaign website.
Here's his blog post with a link to the campaign website.
It looks like State Senator Rice
is running by the Kaine method: say "I support your 2nd Amendment rights, despite what I've said/done in the past."
I actually got an answer to the e-mail I sent to his site a while back. Aside from the "I hope you'll vote for me" stuff, here's the response:
Thank you for your email inquiry about gun rights.
I believe that government has no business in your gun closet or in your bedroom. Just as I believe the 2nd Amendment guarantees the right of American citizens to bear arms, I also believe the Constitution assures Americans of the right to form civil unions and women of their right to choose abortion during the earliest stages of pregnancy.
What the-? First, this is they guy who "... stated he (1) supported the assaults weapon ban, (2) believed the sale of military semi-autos to civilians should be curtailed, (3) civilian semi-automatic firearms should be restricted, (4) supported the registration of all firearms, (5) supported registration of all handguns, and (6) all firearms owners should be licensed." But now the 'government has no business in your gun closet'? Gee, what could account for such a change? And do I trust it?
No.
Second, why throw in civil unions and abortion in answer to a straightforward question on the 2nd? I guess trying to say "I support these, so I support you, too." Except we damn well know that doesn't work.
I actually got an answer to the e-mail I sent to his site a while back. Aside from the "I hope you'll vote for me" stuff, here's the response:
Thank you for your email inquiry about gun rights.
I believe that government has no business in your gun closet or in your bedroom. Just as I believe the 2nd Amendment guarantees the right of American citizens to bear arms, I also believe the Constitution assures Americans of the right to form civil unions and women of their right to choose abortion during the earliest stages of pregnancy.
What the-? First, this is they guy who "... stated he (1) supported the assaults weapon ban, (2) believed the sale of military semi-autos to civilians should be curtailed, (3) civilian semi-automatic firearms should be restricted, (4) supported the registration of all firearms, (5) supported registration of all handguns, and (6) all firearms owners should be licensed." But now the 'government has no business in your gun closet'? Gee, what could account for such a change? And do I trust it?
No.
Second, why throw in civil unions and abortion in answer to a straightforward question on the 2nd? I guess trying to say "I support these, so I support you, too." Except we damn well know that doesn't work.
Range day
Partly for fun, partly to try out some loads. I wrote a while back about trying some cast bullets, sized to .309, in the M39 and getting surprisingly good results for bullets undersize for the bore. What I was trying with it was some bullets a bit more matched to the bore. But first, I tried some practice loads in .30-06 in the 1903A3.
I mentioned before the good things in general about light loads, but nowadays there's another: several years ago I banged up my shoulder in an accident(not motorcycle) and now there's only so many full-power loads it can take. Especially with the steel buttplate on the A3. So the load lets me shoot it a lot more with much less pain.
This load is the RCBS flat-nose gas-checked 150-grain bullet designed for .30-30, sized to .309". To put the shots at point of aim I had to set the rear sight to the 500 yard mark, which put it dead-on at 50 yards:
There's almost no recoil, and noise is low. Moved to 100 yards and got this with the first five rounds:
I moved the rear sight up one more click, which I think corresponds to 550, and that moved them up into the black:
The one that landed high & right I'm calling on myself.
Overall, for up to 100 yards this is a really nice practice load for this rifle, much better results than I really expected. Apparently that bullet and the 2-groove barrel really like each other.
On the 7.62x54, I picked up one of the Lee sizer setups for .311 to try out. This bullet, as cast, mikes at .310 very consistently, so I knew this wouldn't resize the bullet; but it would seat the gas check. So I ran 20 bullets through it and loaded them with the same load as before. 50 yards:
100 yards
Result, not really any improvement over the same bullet sized to .309. So, for better results with this I guess I'll have to get a mold for an appropriate bullet.
I mentioned before the good things in general about light loads, but nowadays there's another: several years ago I banged up my shoulder in an accident(not motorcycle) and now there's only so many full-power loads it can take. Especially with the steel buttplate on the A3. So the load lets me shoot it a lot more with much less pain.
This load is the RCBS flat-nose gas-checked 150-grain bullet designed for .30-30, sized to .309". To put the shots at point of aim I had to set the rear sight to the 500 yard mark, which put it dead-on at 50 yards:
There's almost no recoil, and noise is low. Moved to 100 yards and got this with the first five rounds:
I moved the rear sight up one more click, which I think corresponds to 550, and that moved them up into the black:
The one that landed high & right I'm calling on myself.Overall, for up to 100 yards this is a really nice practice load for this rifle, much better results than I really expected. Apparently that bullet and the 2-groove barrel really like each other.
On the 7.62x54, I picked up one of the Lee sizer setups for .311 to try out. This bullet, as cast, mikes at .310 very consistently, so I knew this wouldn't resize the bullet; but it would seat the gas check. So I ran 20 bullets through it and loaded them with the same load as before. 50 yards:
100 yards
Result, not really any improvement over the same bullet sized to .309. So, for better results with this I guess I'll have to get a mold for an appropriate bullet.
And we're supposed to believe they didn't know
why?
WASHINGTON -- Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
...
At the time, the Bush administration was trying to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Iraq.
The lawmakers are not named in the indictment but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. None was charged and Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators "have no information whatsoever" any of them knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.
...
"Obviously we didn't know it at the time," McDermott spokesman Michael DeCesare said Wednesday. "The trip was to see the plight of the Iraqi children. That's the only reason we went."
Um=hmmm. Yeah. Considering what these clowns have been caught at before, and the news the other day about that dirtbag congressman helping terrorists attack the government of Colombia, is there any actual reason we should believe them?
Also, ref the stuff that turned up the other day, anyone want to bet that Sen. Kennedy & Family & Assoc. didn't at least know of it?
Found by Sondra. Who is currently on my list 'cause she didn't note my birthday like she does for some people.
WASHINGTON -- Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency secretly financed a trip to Iraq for three U.S. lawmakers during the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
...At the time, the Bush administration was trying to persuade Congress to authorize military action against Iraq.
The lawmakers are not named in the indictment but the dates correspond to a trip by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California. None was charged and Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said investigators "have no information whatsoever" any of them knew the trip was underwritten by Saddam.
...
"Obviously we didn't know it at the time," McDermott spokesman Michael DeCesare said Wednesday. "The trip was to see the plight of the Iraqi children. That's the only reason we went."
Um=hmmm. Yeah. Considering what these clowns have been caught at before, and the news the other day about that dirtbag congressman helping terrorists attack the government of Colombia, is there any actual reason we should believe them?
Also, ref the stuff that turned up the other day, anyone want to bet that Sen. Kennedy & Family & Assoc. didn't at least know of it?
Found by Sondra. Who is currently on my list 'cause she didn't note my birthday like she does for some people.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
They just won't learn
that it's not the object, it's the action:
Mr Hogan-Howe warned that it was “simply wrong” for judges to turn a blind eye to the legal requirement and that “very heavy sentences” were essential for deterring teenagers from carrying weapons.
He said: “The big issue for me is getting the guns out of society. There will always be gangs and criminals but today it is the fact that they carry guns which makes them truly intimidating. If we can get the guns out of their hands then we will make our society safer.
“The message the criminal justice system sends out about the serious consequences that flow from possessing a firearm is an important part of deterring people from carrying guns.”
You're on an island, with handguns already banned, etc. Stop worrying about the object, WORRY ABOUT WHAT THE CRIMINALS DO.
But it's so much easier to blame an object, isn't it?
Mr Hogan-Howe warned that it was “simply wrong” for judges to turn a blind eye to the legal requirement and that “very heavy sentences” were essential for deterring teenagers from carrying weapons.
He said: “The big issue for me is getting the guns out of society. There will always be gangs and criminals but today it is the fact that they carry guns which makes them truly intimidating. If we can get the guns out of their hands then we will make our society safer.
“The message the criminal justice system sends out about the serious consequences that flow from possessing a firearm is an important part of deterring people from carrying guns.”
You're on an island, with handguns already banned, etc. Stop worrying about the object, WORRY ABOUT WHAT THE CRIMINALS DO.
But it's so much easier to blame an object, isn't it?
Ok, if we can't get a rope
we at least need the tar and feathers. There is flat no excuse for this garbage:
A military strike three weeks ago killed Raúl Reyes, No. 2 in command of the FARC, Colombia's most notorious terrorist group. The Reyes hard drive reveals an ardent effort to do business directly with the FARC by Congressman James McGovern (D., Mass.), a leading opponent of the free-trade deal. Mr. McGovern has been working with an American go-between, who has been offering the rebels help in undermining Colombia's elected and popular government.(bold mine)
Mr. McGovern's press office says the Congressman is merely working at the behest of families whose relatives are held as FARC kidnap hostages. However, his go-between's letters reveal more than routine intervention. The intervenor with the FARC is James C. Jones, who the Congressman's office says is a "development expert and a former consultant to the United Nations." Accounts of Mr. Jones's exchanges with the FARC appeared in Colombia's Semana magazine on March 15. This Mr. Jones should not be confused with the former Congressman and ambassador to Mexico of the same name from Oklahoma.
A military strike three weeks ago killed Raúl Reyes, No. 2 in command of the FARC, Colombia's most notorious terrorist group. The Reyes hard drive reveals an ardent effort to do business directly with the FARC by Congressman James McGovern (D., Mass.), a leading opponent of the free-trade deal. Mr. McGovern has been working with an American go-between, who has been offering the rebels help in undermining Colombia's elected and popular government.(bold mine)
Mr. McGovern's press office says the Congressman is merely working at the behest of families whose relatives are held as FARC kidnap hostages. However, his go-between's letters reveal more than routine intervention. The intervenor with the FARC is James C. Jones, who the Congressman's office says is a "development expert and a former consultant to the United Nations." Accounts of Mr. Jones's exchanges with the FARC appeared in Colombia's Semana magazine on March 15. This Mr. Jones should not be confused with the former Congressman and ambassador to Mexico of the same name from Oklahoma.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Bodily violations and used books
Not at the same time, of course.
The violations occurring due to my going to the doctor today(which I dislike) for a physical(which I hate): a needle in the arm to draw blood- not a big deal- and a finger stuck into a part of me that doesn't like that(damn right that's a big deal. To me, anyway*).
So far the general consensus is that I do not have a fatal case of the galloping whatevers, but due to my recent birthday the doc informed me that I really should have a colonoscopy. Which I am looking forward to with such anticipation that I may leave town. What makes it worse is that I was informed that
A: they do sedate you for it, and
B: thus it is not considered a good idea to drive yourself.
Which means I have to ask someone for a ride there & back, and I hate asking anybody to do that. Aside from the general, it means they'll have to sit around for a couple of hours.
Which reflection made me think of books, which reminded me that I need to replace my set of The General, which I sent to the son in Iraq as reading material. So I looked at Amazon and DAMN! They don't have most of the series new, and some of the used carry descriptions like '22 used and new from $9.95'. For a damn paperback. So it'll take a while longer. Last time I checked the used bookstores around here, and one big one in Fort Worth, they didn't have any of them, and Barnes & Noble and Borders don't seem to have them, either. Drake's one of my favorite authors, and some of his stuff you just cannot count on finding used- if anybody turns loose of one it's to give it to someone- and finding them new can be spotty. Dammit.
*As I told a girlfriend one time, "If I ask you to bend over, at least there's going to be some pleasure involved for both of us; but that is just downright uncomfortable."
The violations occurring due to my going to the doctor today(which I dislike) for a physical(which I hate): a needle in the arm to draw blood- not a big deal- and a finger stuck into a part of me that doesn't like that(damn right that's a big deal. To me, anyway*).
So far the general consensus is that I do not have a fatal case of the galloping whatevers, but due to my recent birthday the doc informed me that I really should have a colonoscopy. Which I am looking forward to with such anticipation that I may leave town. What makes it worse is that I was informed that
A: they do sedate you for it, and
B: thus it is not considered a good idea to drive yourself.
Which means I have to ask someone for a ride there & back, and I hate asking anybody to do that. Aside from the general, it means they'll have to sit around for a couple of hours.
Which reflection made me think of books, which reminded me that I need to replace my set of The General, which I sent to the son in Iraq as reading material. So I looked at Amazon and DAMN! They don't have most of the series new, and some of the used carry descriptions like '22 used and new from $9.95'. For a damn paperback. So it'll take a while longer. Last time I checked the used bookstores around here, and one big one in Fort Worth, they didn't have any of them, and Barnes & Noble and Borders don't seem to have them, either. Drake's one of my favorite authors, and some of his stuff you just cannot count on finding used- if anybody turns loose of one it's to give it to someone- and finding them new can be spotty. Dammit.
*As I told a girlfriend one time, "If I ask you to bend over, at least there's going to be some pleasure involved for both of us; but that is just downright uncomfortable."
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Now home after an Easter visit with family,
I went to Theo's place and- among other things- found more reasons it's painful to read about Britain nowadays.
When Garry Varley assaulted and threatened to kill the landlord of his local pub, two policemen heard him do it.
When Garry Varley assaulted and threatened to kill the landlord of his local pub, two policemen heard him do it.
And yet it took the force five months to charge him – and hours after he was given bail, he returned to the pub to fulfil his promise.
Varley stabbed Steven Galsworthy to death and then walked back to the same police station he had been released from hours earlier.
Then we have
Crime is rising faster in the countryside than in towns and cities, official figures show.
Since Labour came to power, the 13 counties classified as "rural" have seen the sharpest increases in violent offending and criminal damage.
Violent crime rose by 119 per cent in country areas between 1998/99 and 2006/07 - compared with a national increase of 108 per cent.
...
Offences of violence in Gloucestershire and North Wales have more than trebled - increasing by 235 per cent and 207 per cent respectively.
In Cambridgeshire, the number of drug offences has risen by 80 per cent - almost double the national increase.
The total number of recorded crimes in Dyfed-Powys has shot up by 22.5 per cent, almost four times the national increase of 6.2 per cent.
As to why?
A total of 550 police stations have closed their doors for good over the past decade. Of those which have survived the cull, only one in eight is open round the clock.
And in a truly idiotic piece of work,
Gordon Brown was facing a growing Labour revolt last night over the Government's "pathetic" treatment of Gurkha veterans.
More than a dozen Labour MPs are calling for an end to the "arbitrary" rule which bars retired Gurkhas from taking British citizenship if they left service before 1997.
...
"Every member of the public I speak to understands the service Gurkhas have given this country. To make the right to stay based on such an arbitrary date is just so pathetic that it makes me very angry indeed."
She pointed to the fact that around 2,000 immigrants every day are given National Insurance numbers, which allow them to live and work in the UK.
Yet experts believe only 7,000 more Gurkha veterans would settle in Britain if the laws change.
Yeesh.
Let's see, fix the problems by
A: putting criminals in jail and keeping them there; make sure people know that IT WILL HAPPEN.
B: Let people both own arms and use them in self-defense; it'll make a world of difference.
C: Someone has put their ass on the line for the country? THEY CAN COME IN. Period.
And how likely do you think it that any of those things'll be done?
Friday, March 21, 2008
If I'd ever had any thoughts about moving to California,
this crap is just one more nail in the already-buried coffin of that idea.
Introduced by State Assembly Member Kevin De Leon (D-45), Assembly Bill 2062 puts ammunition sales in the crosshairs. AB2062 would require that law-abiding gun owners obtain a permit to buy handgun ammunition and would impose severe restrictions on the private transfers of handgun ammunition. Applicants for a “permit-to-purchase” would be required to submit to a background check, pay a $35 fee, and wait as long as 30 days to receive the permit.
Granola country, times four.
Introduced by State Assembly Member Kevin De Leon (D-45), Assembly Bill 2062 puts ammunition sales in the crosshairs. AB2062 would require that law-abiding gun owners obtain a permit to buy handgun ammunition and would impose severe restrictions on the private transfers of handgun ammunition. Applicants for a “permit-to-purchase” would be required to submit to a background check, pay a $35 fee, and wait as long as 30 days to receive the permit.
Granola country, times four.
Ok, one more thing referring to Heller
Let us not forget just where a good many gun ownership restrictions got started
Everybody else has been talking about Heller,
so I'm just going to note two things. The first is in Kevin's slapdown of the GFWs and their whining and lies. He notes a truly idiotic statement by the DC Chief of Police:
I think the reasonable standard of the handgun laws in the District, which are not completely a ban, because there is licensed handguns in the District of Columbia for law enforcement, retired law enforcement, federal law enforcement, security agencies, so it's not a complete ban on handguns,...
No, indeed. It's just a ban for anyone who is not an "only one." It's a ban for anyone who doesn't draw a government paycheck. And Anthony Heller, who is a security guard, and who carries a firearm to protect judges is not allowed to have that same firearm at home to protect himself. He's not "only one" enough. But he was the "only one" enough to have standing in the suit against the City.
And the second, found at Uncle's:
I think the reasonable standard of the handgun laws in the District, which are not completely a ban, because there is licensed handguns in the District of Columbia for law enforcement, retired law enforcement, federal law enforcement, security agencies, so it's not a complete ban on handguns,...
No, indeed. It's just a ban for anyone who is not an "only one." It's a ban for anyone who doesn't draw a government paycheck. And Anthony Heller, who is a security guard, and who carries a firearm to protect judges is not allowed to have that same firearm at home to protect himself. He's not "only one" enough. But he was the "only one" enough to have standing in the suit against the City.
And the second, found at Uncle's:
At that point, a reporter interjected: “the Mayor (DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty) says the handgun ban and his initiatives have significantly lowered violent crime in the District. How do you answer that, Mr. Heller?”
The initial answer certainly wasn’t expected – Dick Heller laughed. Ruefully.
Pointing at the Mayor who was making his way across the plaza, surrounded by at least six DC police officers, Heller said, “the Mayor doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
“He doesn’t walk on the street like an average citizen. Look at him; he travels with an army of police officers as bodyguards – to keep him safe. But he says that I don’t have the right to be a force of one to protect myself. Does he look like he thinks the streets are safe?”
There was no follow-up question.
Jed Clampett did a bit more shooting
Found through Rodger:
In the next 30 days the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) will release a new report giving an accurate resource assessment of the Bakken Oil Formation that covers North Dakota and portions of South Dakota and Montana. With new horizontal drilling technology it is believed that from 175 to 500 billion barrels of recoverable oil are held in this 200,000 square mile reserve that was initially discovered in 1951. The USGS did an initial study back in 1999 that estimated 400 billion recoverable barrels were present but with prices bottoming out at $10 a barrel back then the report was dismissed because of the higher cost of horizontal drilling techniques that would be needed, estimated at $20-$40 a barrel.
Now, the first Sierra Club weenie or left-wing politician who gets in the way should be tarred & feathered. Rail optional.
In the next 30 days the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey) will release a new report giving an accurate resource assessment of the Bakken Oil Formation that covers North Dakota and portions of South Dakota and Montana. With new horizontal drilling technology it is believed that from 175 to 500 billion barrels of recoverable oil are held in this 200,000 square mile reserve that was initially discovered in 1951. The USGS did an initial study back in 1999 that estimated 400 billion recoverable barrels were present but with prices bottoming out at $10 a barrel back then the report was dismissed because of the higher cost of horizontal drilling techniques that would be needed, estimated at $20-$40 a barrel.
Now, the first Sierra Club weenie or left-wing politician who gets in the way should be tarred & feathered. Rail optional.
State Senator Andrew Rice:
The GFW candidate!
This is the guy who wants to take the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Jim Inhofe. I wrote about him once before, noting his fundraising friends. A couple of days ago I decided to find out his stand on the Heller case and the 2nd Amendment in general, so I looked up his website and sent an e-mail asking. That was about five days ago, no response. Which to me indicates either
A: since I'm not in the district in question they won't bother with a reply or
B: they figure anyone asking such a question probably won't support him, so they won't reply.
So I went to the McCarville Report and searched for his name, and found this:
The ORA* cites responses Rice gave to a questionnaire he completed when a candidate for the State Senate: "In the survey he stated he (1) supported the assaults weapon ban, (2) believed the sale of military semi-autos to civilians should be curtailed, (3) civilian semi-automatic firearms should be restricted, (4) supported the registration of all firearms, (5) supported registration of all handguns, and (6) all firearms owners should be licensed."
So, on top of his associates, he's a GFW of the first water. How truly joyous.
Additional: damn, I scanned through all the posts McCarville has on this and ran across this:
The allegation comes from "Rusty," the administrator of the blog http://www.okdemocrat.com/, who writes, "Calvin (Rees, co-administrator of a second blog for Democrats, http://www.demookie.com/) and I often do not get along well. But Calvin and I generally agree on veteran’s issues. It was Calvin who told me about how Andrew Rice and Keith Smith took money raised for veteran’s families and deposited it in a gay endorsed PAC. Calvin has told his story to other veterans in front of me. Members of the newly formed Democrat Veteran group have been told the truth by Calvin about this issue. I have not released everything I know about this. It is even worse than a good Democrat could expect. It is far better than a good Republican could hope for."
A second poster, "Sally," says she confronted Rice about the allegation: "I asked Andrew about this terrible story and he walked away from me. His silence is deafing. I feel his political career is ruined by his own actions."
If THIS crap is indeed true, then the bastard ought to be stomped on by his own party, let alone anyone else.
And he's a Mikey Moore fan, too. Big surprise.
*Oklahoma Rifle Association
This is the guy who wants to take the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Jim Inhofe. I wrote about him once before, noting his fundraising friends. A couple of days ago I decided to find out his stand on the Heller case and the 2nd Amendment in general, so I looked up his website and sent an e-mail asking. That was about five days ago, no response. Which to me indicates either
A: since I'm not in the district in question they won't bother with a reply or
B: they figure anyone asking such a question probably won't support him, so they won't reply.
So I went to the McCarville Report and searched for his name, and found this:
The ORA* cites responses Rice gave to a questionnaire he completed when a candidate for the State Senate: "In the survey he stated he (1) supported the assaults weapon ban, (2) believed the sale of military semi-autos to civilians should be curtailed, (3) civilian semi-automatic firearms should be restricted, (4) supported the registration of all firearms, (5) supported registration of all handguns, and (6) all firearms owners should be licensed."
So, on top of his associates, he's a GFW of the first water. How truly joyous.
Additional: damn, I scanned through all the posts McCarville has on this and ran across this:
The allegation comes from "Rusty," the administrator of the blog http://www.okdemocrat.com/, who writes, "Calvin (Rees, co-administrator of a second blog for Democrats, http://www.demookie.com/) and I often do not get along well. But Calvin and I generally agree on veteran’s issues. It was Calvin who told me about how Andrew Rice and Keith Smith took money raised for veteran’s families and deposited it in a gay endorsed PAC. Calvin has told his story to other veterans in front of me. Members of the newly formed Democrat Veteran group have been told the truth by Calvin about this issue. I have not released everything I know about this. It is even worse than a good Democrat could expect. It is far better than a good Republican could hope for."
A second poster, "Sally," says she confronted Rice about the allegation: "I asked Andrew about this terrible story and he walked away from me. His silence is deafing. I feel his political career is ruined by his own actions."
If THIS crap is indeed true, then the bastard ought to be stomped on by his own party, let alone anyone else.
And he's a Mikey Moore fan, too. Big surprise.
*Oklahoma Rifle Association
Thursday, March 20, 2008
RIP - A quiet activist
Whenever any of the liberal Jews in the community asked him how he could take such a position, he merely said, "One day you will need people like him, and you will forget that you once thought he was worse than a criminal."
Go take a look.
Thanks to the Geek for directions to this.
Go take a look.
Thanks to the Geek for directions to this.
Another needless use of a SWAT team,
and another needless death, and another life needlessly ruined.
I said it before, I'll say it again: I am so damn sick of reading of cases like this.
Kim puts the position of a lot of people very well:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if anyone tries to break down my door and invade my home, he’d better be prepared for a shit-storm of Biblical proportions, because I will unload it on him. And that goes for cops, robbers, ex-husbands, ATF, FBI, whoever. I have nothing illegal in my house: no drugs, drug paraphernalia, unregistered NFA guns, espionage materials, nada.
End of sentence, end of statement.
I've seen a lot of downright vicious comments on some sites noting incidents like this, ranging from "You idiots have no idea what cops face" to "I hope you die because a cop wouldn't save you" bullcrap. My answer: There is NO EXCUSE for using a tactical team for serving arrest/search warrants on non-violent possible offenders. Period. If you have no evidence- 'evidence' does NOT include words from an informant alone- that the person/people are armed or otherwise dangerous, you do not need a SWAT team kicking in doors. And running around in masks, etc.
I said it before, I'll say it again: I am so damn sick of reading of cases like this.
Kim puts the position of a lot of people very well:
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if anyone tries to break down my door and invade my home, he’d better be prepared for a shit-storm of Biblical proportions, because I will unload it on him. And that goes for cops, robbers, ex-husbands, ATF, FBI, whoever. I have nothing illegal in my house: no drugs, drug paraphernalia, unregistered NFA guns, espionage materials, nada.
End of sentence, end of statement.
I've seen a lot of downright vicious comments on some sites noting incidents like this, ranging from "You idiots have no idea what cops face" to "I hope you die because a cop wouldn't save you" bullcrap. My answer: There is NO EXCUSE for using a tactical team for serving arrest/search warrants on non-violent possible offenders. Period. If you have no evidence- 'evidence' does NOT include words from an informant alone- that the person/people are armed or otherwise dangerous, you do not need a SWAT team kicking in doors. And running around in masks, etc.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Well, they didn't stay long
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The Englishman has a quote
from a really scary piece of work:
"...the authors conclude that an authoritarian form of government is necessary, but this will be governance by experts and not by those who seek power. There are in existence highly successful authoritarian structures--for example, in medicine and in corporate empires--that are capable of implementing urgent decisions impossible under liberal democracy. Society is verging on a philosophical choice between "liberty" or "life." But there is a third way between democracy and authoritarianism that the authors leave for the final chapter. Having brought the reader to the realization that in order to halt or even slow the disastrous process of climate change we must choose between liberal democracy and a form of authoritarian government by experts, the authors offer up a radical reform of democracy that would entail the painful choice of curtailing our worldwide reliance on growth economies, along with various legal and fiscal reforms. Unpalatable as this choice may be, they argue for the adoption of this fundamental reform of democracy over the journey to authoritarianism.
"...the authors conclude that an authoritarian form of government is necessary, but this will be governance by experts and not by those who seek power. There are in existence highly successful authoritarian structures--for example, in medicine and in corporate empires--that are capable of implementing urgent decisions impossible under liberal democracy. Society is verging on a philosophical choice between "liberty" or "life." But there is a third way between democracy and authoritarianism that the authors leave for the final chapter. Having brought the reader to the realization that in order to halt or even slow the disastrous process of climate change we must choose between liberal democracy and a form of authoritarian government by experts, the authors offer up a radical reform of democracy that would entail the painful choice of curtailing our worldwide reliance on growth economies, along with various legal and fiscal reforms. Unpalatable as this choice may be, they argue for the adoption of this fundamental reform of democracy over the journey to authoritarianism.
I do believe a fed has ticked off JPFO
just like he did Dave Codrea:
We at Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO) have recently become aware -- through what amounts to a rather circuitous and highly sinister threat from you, Mr. Meyer -- of a relatively new federal law that calls itself "The Court Security Improvement Act of 2007".
This perfect example of typical police state legislation -- which you pressured Ryan Horsley, a defendant in a recent BATFE case, into sending us -- says that whoever knowingly makes restricted personal information available about a "covered official", or a member of his or her immediate family, supposedly "with the intent to threaten, intimidate, or incite the commission of a crime of violence" against him, her, or it will be fined, imprisoned for no more than 5 years, or both.
And they're not happy about it.
And yet its agents strive to retain their anonymity and avoid responsibility for their acts. This reminds us of yet another morally questionable practice of many federal, state, and local police agencies: since when did American cops start wearing masks? Isn't it the badguys who wear masks, Mr. Meyer? Aren't they properly anxious to conceal their identities to avoid responsibility for their criminal acts?
Could government's masks be revealing something about government?
There is no room, Mr. Meyer, for secret police in an open society. No gun-toting government employee should ever be allowed to appear in public in civilian clothing, but should be required instead to wear a distinctive uniform on the job, complete with his or her name and badge number in six-inch reflective letters on the back and in three-inch letters on the chest. It should be a felony for any "law enforcement officer" to conceal his or her face, even with protective headgear.
We at Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (JPFO) have recently become aware -- through what amounts to a rather circuitous and highly sinister threat from you, Mr. Meyer -- of a relatively new federal law that calls itself "The Court Security Improvement Act of 2007".
This perfect example of typical police state legislation -- which you pressured Ryan Horsley, a defendant in a recent BATFE case, into sending us -- says that whoever knowingly makes restricted personal information available about a "covered official", or a member of his or her immediate family, supposedly "with the intent to threaten, intimidate, or incite the commission of a crime of violence" against him, her, or it will be fined, imprisoned for no more than 5 years, or both.
And they're not happy about it.
And yet its agents strive to retain their anonymity and avoid responsibility for their acts. This reminds us of yet another morally questionable practice of many federal, state, and local police agencies: since when did American cops start wearing masks? Isn't it the badguys who wear masks, Mr. Meyer? Aren't they properly anxious to conceal their identities to avoid responsibility for their criminal acts?
Could government's masks be revealing something about government?
There is no room, Mr. Meyer, for secret police in an open society. No gun-toting government employee should ever be allowed to appear in public in civilian clothing, but should be required instead to wear a distinctive uniform on the job, complete with his or her name and badge number in six-inch reflective letters on the back and in three-inch letters on the chest. It should be a felony for any "law enforcement officer" to conceal his or her face, even with protective headgear.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Magazines, tweaking of
The good things about a detachable magazine are that you can carry spares already loaded to speed things up, and- depending on firearm- have them in different sizes. Bad thing is you can drop them or otherwise ding the feed lips which means either a bit of careful work with suitable pliers to repair them or, in bad cases, you toss it and buy a replacement.
Except when you're talking about an old or uncommon firearm. In which case there may be no replacement to find(at least at reasonable cost), or the replacement doesn't work. Which is the case here.
A while back I wrote about a High Standard Sport King .22 pistol. Marvelous thing, which came with the original magazine. The owner discovered two things:
Magazines are expensive, and
ALL the replacements he found and tried, did not work. Oh, they fit in perfectly, but the lips were different from the original. The cartridges were not releasing from the mag properly, which caused the bullet to enter the chamber while the case was still at a downward angle, which caused the slide to whack into it and bend the bullet a touch. Not good at all. So since he couldn't find an original, he took a replacement he'd bought and set to work.
The original mag has a 'tab' formed into each side that both guides the cartridge and causes it to 'snap' up as the cartridge is pushed forward, lining it up with the chamber. The replacement had straight lips, no tab. So he used a dremel and cutoff wheel to cut two tabs and shape them as close to the originals as he could. So far, so good.
Original on the left. Now came the tricky part: shaping the tabs. Which, he found, also included some careful shaving on the outside, as the replacement mag had an overlap along that section which made them way too thick & stiff. He finally, after a LOT of work and a number of ruined cartridges, got it right.
He's now put about a hundred rounds through it, and the only hitch is that sometimes the first round will try to jam when you chamber it; all the rest in that load cycle flawlessly.
Says it was worth every bit of it to have a working spare mag.
Except when you're talking about an old or uncommon firearm. In which case there may be no replacement to find(at least at reasonable cost), or the replacement doesn't work. Which is the case here.
A while back I wrote about a High Standard Sport King .22 pistol. Marvelous thing, which came with the original magazine. The owner discovered two things:
Magazines are expensive, and
ALL the replacements he found and tried, did not work. Oh, they fit in perfectly, but the lips were different from the original. The cartridges were not releasing from the mag properly, which caused the bullet to enter the chamber while the case was still at a downward angle, which caused the slide to whack into it and bend the bullet a touch. Not good at all. So since he couldn't find an original, he took a replacement he'd bought and set to work.
The original mag has a 'tab' formed into each side that both guides the cartridge and causes it to 'snap' up as the cartridge is pushed forward, lining it up with the chamber. The replacement had straight lips, no tab. So he used a dremel and cutoff wheel to cut two tabs and shape them as close to the originals as he could. So far, so good.
Original on the left. Now came the tricky part: shaping the tabs. Which, he found, also included some careful shaving on the outside, as the replacement mag had an overlap along that section which made them way too thick & stiff. He finally, after a LOT of work and a number of ruined cartridges, got it right.He's now put about a hundred rounds through it, and the only hitch is that sometimes the first round will try to jam when you chamber it; all the rest in that load cycle flawlessly.
Says it was worth every bit of it to have a working spare mag.
You may well have heard of the upset over Rep. Sally Kern
griping about the homosexual agenda, etc. Today there was a protest by various groups/people at the state capitol basically demanding she meet with them and apologize or resign. Only reason I'm saying anything about this is the leader of one of the groups said, near as I can recall, "I believe in the First Amendment, but not in hateful(or hurtful) speech"*. Which really, truly pisses me off. You, you effing liar, do NOT believe in free speech: you believe in freedom for speech which meets your standards. Screw you.
It will not surprise you to hear that he also then demanded that the Legislature immediately pass a 'comprehensive hate-crimes law to protect all Oklahomans'. Which is also bullshit. I think somewhere in the early history of this blog I once stated my opinion on this, but I'll cover it here to be sure:
I think hate crime laws are a very bad idea for two reasons. First, you presume to give someone extra punishment based on what you think, or believe, was in his mind at the time. Second, you're basically setting up some groups as 'protected species', which is a PROFOUNDLY bad idea("You struck Subject A, and that's bad, but you then struck Subject B, and that is worse!" "Why?" "Because Subject B is a ' ', and it's worse for you to assault him than it is the other guy.")
I also note that the head of one group said they were going to request a meeting with Rep. Kern, but didn't go to her office to do it: the did it in a group in front of the Capitol where they could have lots of cameras and reporters around.
Screw it. I've got guns to clean.
Forgot to mention, found Plumb Bob Blog yesterday on a link from Day by Day, he has some thoughts on the matter here.
*This is 'as best I recall' because I heard this stuff on radio news today, but after looking around a bit I couldn't find an article with the quotes, and I ran out of time. Did I mention guns to clean? Lots more fun that digging for this.
It will not surprise you to hear that he also then demanded that the Legislature immediately pass a 'comprehensive hate-crimes law to protect all Oklahomans'. Which is also bullshit. I think somewhere in the early history of this blog I once stated my opinion on this, but I'll cover it here to be sure:
I think hate crime laws are a very bad idea for two reasons. First, you presume to give someone extra punishment based on what you think, or believe, was in his mind at the time. Second, you're basically setting up some groups as 'protected species', which is a PROFOUNDLY bad idea("You struck Subject A, and that's bad, but you then struck Subject B, and that is worse!" "Why?" "Because Subject B is a ' ', and it's worse for you to assault him than it is the other guy.")
I also note that the head of one group said they were going to request a meeting with Rep. Kern, but didn't go to her office to do it: the did it in a group in front of the Capitol where they could have lots of cameras and reporters around.
Screw it. I've got guns to clean.
Forgot to mention, found Plumb Bob Blog yesterday on a link from Day by Day, he has some thoughts on the matter here.
*This is 'as best I recall' because I heard this stuff on radio news today, but after looking around a bit I couldn't find an article with the quotes, and I ran out of time. Did I mention guns to clean? Lots more fun that digging for this.
Monday, March 17, 2008
And in the corner of the Nanny State,
we have, first, Gary Pugh, director of forensic sciences at Scotland Yard and the new DNA spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers who says Primary school children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life, according to Britain's most senior police forensics expert.
...
A recent report from the think-tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) called for children to be targeted between the ages of five and 12 with cognitive behavioural therapy, parenting programmes and intensive support. Prevention should start young, it said, because prolific offenders typically began offending between the ages of 10 and 13. Julia Margo, author of the report, entitled 'Make me a Criminal', said: 'You can carry out a risk factor analysis where you look at the characteristics of an individual child aged five to seven and identify risk factors that make it more likely that they would become an offender.' However, she said that placing young children on a database risked stigmatising them by identifying them in a 'negative' way.
Anybody want to bet that the same kind of thing that 'experts' say calls for kids to be drugged with Ritalin will also do as 'causing suspicion the child will become a criminal'? Or however they'll word it. Also note this:
'The number of unsolved crimes says we are not sampling enough of the right people,' Pugh told The Observer. However, he said the notion of universal sampling - everyone being forced to give their genetic samples to the database - is currently prohibited by cost and logistics.
So 'cost and logistics' is the only reason seen by those in favor of not forcing everyone in the damned country to give a DNA sample. Just bloody wonderful.
Second, Los Angeles PD actually has a 'Wrong Doors Unit' to repair damage done when they break into the wrong house. Like the guy at Reason said, I don't know whether it's good they're dealing with at least this aspect of it, or bad that it happens so damn often that they need a 'unit' for it. Also, I'm curious: he says that last year he did eight doors, but later on it says "Quite often, Jenkins said, wrong doors can get busted down in the early morning hours as armed officers clad in riot gear conduct raids." I don't know about you, but eight times doesn't quite match up with 'quite often', to me.
What the welfare state has done to Sweden. It's bad.
More later
...
A recent report from the think-tank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) called for children to be targeted between the ages of five and 12 with cognitive behavioural therapy, parenting programmes and intensive support. Prevention should start young, it said, because prolific offenders typically began offending between the ages of 10 and 13. Julia Margo, author of the report, entitled 'Make me a Criminal', said: 'You can carry out a risk factor analysis where you look at the characteristics of an individual child aged five to seven and identify risk factors that make it more likely that they would become an offender.' However, she said that placing young children on a database risked stigmatising them by identifying them in a 'negative' way.
Anybody want to bet that the same kind of thing that 'experts' say calls for kids to be drugged with Ritalin will also do as 'causing suspicion the child will become a criminal'? Or however they'll word it. Also note this:
'The number of unsolved crimes says we are not sampling enough of the right people,' Pugh told The Observer. However, he said the notion of universal sampling - everyone being forced to give their genetic samples to the database - is currently prohibited by cost and logistics.
So 'cost and logistics' is the only reason seen by those in favor of not forcing everyone in the damned country to give a DNA sample. Just bloody wonderful.
Second, Los Angeles PD actually has a 'Wrong Doors Unit' to repair damage done when they break into the wrong house. Like the guy at Reason said, I don't know whether it's good they're dealing with at least this aspect of it, or bad that it happens so damn often that they need a 'unit' for it. Also, I'm curious: he says that last year he did eight doors, but later on it says "Quite often, Jenkins said, wrong doors can get busted down in the early morning hours as armed officers clad in riot gear conduct raids." I don't know about you, but eight times doesn't quite match up with 'quite often', to me.
What the welfare state has done to Sweden. It's bad.
More later
Sunday, March 16, 2008
I do believe they have a slight training problem
over there.
The number of armed police officers accidentally shooting themselves – and other colleagues – has soared in the past five years.
Now, nearly half of all injuries caused by police shootings are the result of officers blasting themselves or a colleague, often during bungled training and demonstrations. (bold mine)
Which, of course, the GFWs are using to say "SEE! NOBODY is safe with guns around!"
Three of the NDs noted are:
• A diplomatic protection officer in Central London shot himself in the leg getting into a car in September 2007.
• A firearms officer from West Mercia Police shot himself in the leg and foot in January 2006 after his gun became caught in his clothing.
• An airport security officer from the Met shot the top of his thumb off when he put it in front of his MP5 sub-machine gun during training in 2005.
As to the third, I realize there's not a specific rule about "Keep your fingers out of the way of the muzzle(that's the hole in the loud end)", but damn...
Thanks to Sondra for pointing to this
The number of armed police officers accidentally shooting themselves – and other colleagues – has soared in the past five years.
Now, nearly half of all injuries caused by police shootings are the result of officers blasting themselves or a colleague, often during bungled training and demonstrations. (bold mine)
Which, of course, the GFWs are using to say "SEE! NOBODY is safe with guns around!"
Three of the NDs noted are:
• A diplomatic protection officer in Central London shot himself in the leg getting into a car in September 2007.
• A firearms officer from West Mercia Police shot himself in the leg and foot in January 2006 after his gun became caught in his clothing.
• An airport security officer from the Met shot the top of his thumb off when he put it in front of his MP5 sub-machine gun during training in 2005.
As to the third, I realize there's not a specific rule about "Keep your fingers out of the way of the muzzle(that's the hole in the loud end)", but damn...
Thanks to Sondra for pointing to this
The Freedom Microchip! (fixed)
Designed to be implanted in the foreheads of America's enemies by any Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman or General Citizen of the U.S.!
When implanted, allows the subject to immediately speak to/commune with Allah!
Comes in an exciting variety of dosages!
Possible side effects include:
Implantee may or may not get to choose size.
May contain precious metals
May or may not be painless.
Bleeding and swelling will occur at injection site.
It is suggested implantee be operating heavy equipment in close proximity to co-workers at time of implant.
Yeah, yeah, that'll teach me to blog when sick.
When implanted, allows the subject to immediately speak to/commune with Allah!
Comes in an exciting variety of dosages!
Possible side effects include:
Implantee may or may not get to choose size.
May contain precious metals
May or may not be painless.
Bleeding and swelling will occur at injection site.
It is suggested implantee be operating heavy equipment in close proximity to co-workers at time of implant.
Yeah, yeah, that'll teach me to blog when sick.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Steve is having qualms about shooting cute varmints
like prairie dogs. I never had a chance to go after any myself, but in the farming/ranching area where we lived for some years when I was a kid, the ranchers especially loved having someone come in and thin them out. There were occasional cows and horses with injuries from the holes, and they could flat strip an area to bare dirt.
I've mentioned my great-uncle Ray before, he's the one who went to Europe in WWII(the other, George, was in the Pacific). Ray loved hunting, and the land, and the animals, and when he shot something it was either for food or to protect his crop or buildings. The one thing I ever heard of that he actually disliked(four-legged, that is) was armadillos.
Not for carrying leprosy or other diseases, because of their digging. If you've never seen it, you'd be amazed the size of the holes they can dig. Fast. They'll also dig up newly planted trees to eat the roots(my grandfather hated them, too), and do other damage. What really set Ray against them, though, was the holes. Twice he hit holes he couldn't see in the hay or wheat and damn near had the tractor roll over on him, so he shot them every chance he got. In particular, right after the hay was baled he'd go out at night with a scoped .22 rifle and a spotlight, cruise through the fields slowly in his jeep and pop them.
I only went out with him once(only opportunity), and discovered an oddity about the things. We rolled up on one and it presented a nice stationary target. You'd think an animal would take notice of a jeep with three people in it and a bright light shining on it, but nooooo, it just sat there, digging. So I laid the crosshairs right behind the should and pressed. Bang. And it didn't move.
I mean, at all. I didn't even see a twitch. So it hit it again. And it twitched, but didn't move. At this point I was wondering if that damn scaly skin had some bullet-resistant qualities, and hit him a third time.
THAT time he moved. He jumped, spun around in a circle and took off running. Right at the jeep. Ran past notfour feet away, got about six feet past and rolled over, legs in the air twitching. I walked over and put in a finishing shot to make sure, and- since Dad had asked after the first two if I'd missed- looked at the left side. There was a nice group about an inch across, in the right place to put the shots right through the heart/lung area. I reported this amazing fact and Ray said he'd seen that before, that sometimes they just didn't seem to notice a lethal hit. Or two. In this case Remington hollowpoints.
He kept up his war on the beasts up until health wouldn't let him go after them anymore. Wish I'd been able to go down more and help him out with them.
I've mentioned my great-uncle Ray before, he's the one who went to Europe in WWII(the other, George, was in the Pacific). Ray loved hunting, and the land, and the animals, and when he shot something it was either for food or to protect his crop or buildings. The one thing I ever heard of that he actually disliked(four-legged, that is) was armadillos.
Not for carrying leprosy or other diseases, because of their digging. If you've never seen it, you'd be amazed the size of the holes they can dig. Fast. They'll also dig up newly planted trees to eat the roots(my grandfather hated them, too), and do other damage. What really set Ray against them, though, was the holes. Twice he hit holes he couldn't see in the hay or wheat and damn near had the tractor roll over on him, so he shot them every chance he got. In particular, right after the hay was baled he'd go out at night with a scoped .22 rifle and a spotlight, cruise through the fields slowly in his jeep and pop them.
I only went out with him once(only opportunity), and discovered an oddity about the things. We rolled up on one and it presented a nice stationary target. You'd think an animal would take notice of a jeep with three people in it and a bright light shining on it, but nooooo, it just sat there, digging. So I laid the crosshairs right behind the should and pressed. Bang. And it didn't move.
I mean, at all. I didn't even see a twitch. So it hit it again. And it twitched, but didn't move. At this point I was wondering if that damn scaly skin had some bullet-resistant qualities, and hit him a third time.
THAT time he moved. He jumped, spun around in a circle and took off running. Right at the jeep. Ran past notfour feet away, got about six feet past and rolled over, legs in the air twitching. I walked over and put in a finishing shot to make sure, and- since Dad had asked after the first two if I'd missed- looked at the left side. There was a nice group about an inch across, in the right place to put the shots right through the heart/lung area. I reported this amazing fact and Ray said he'd seen that before, that sometimes they just didn't seem to notice a lethal hit. Or two. In this case Remington hollowpoints.
He kept up his war on the beasts up until health wouldn't let him go after them anymore. Wish I'd been able to go down more and help him out with them.
Speaking of flashlights,
I did NOT need to see this today. Surefire G2 with an LED: 80 lumens output for 12 hours. Son has one of the standard G2 lights, I need to find if they sell the LED lamp assembly to put in the old light: if so, he'll love it. Same batteries but 12 times the runtime, damn.
Also, heard from him the other day. It's now hitting 90's in his area for highs. In March. Yuck.
Also, heard from him the other day. It's now hitting 90's in his area for highs. In March. Yuck.
Prosecutorial bad stuff going on?
Why, would they do that? From past knowledge, oh HELL yes.
Which brings up the rumblings that Tom Kirkendall is reporting on concerning the Enron trial. This is part of a pattern of possible misconduct Tom has been discussing for sometime. Part of the problem is that Enron prosecutors gave Skilling's lawyers only a composite summary of what Andy Fastow told the FBI. The prosecutors said that was ok because the interviews contained no exculpatory information. Yet Fastow's trial testimony was full of the sort of inconsistences that cast doubt on his credibility (see, e.g., this post). Was this stuff in the FBI reports?
Well, it seems not:
And, as the guy says, "...I'm still waiting for this to capture the attention of the press, which had been so rivited on Fastow's testimony at the trial." Of course, at the trial they got to cheer on hanging a Big Corporate Guy, whereas if they take note of this they'll have to at least talk about hanging the prosecutors for breaking the law so as to go after the BCG.
Which brings up the rumblings that Tom Kirkendall is reporting on concerning the Enron trial. This is part of a pattern of possible misconduct Tom has been discussing for sometime. Part of the problem is that Enron prosecutors gave Skilling's lawyers only a composite summary of what Andy Fastow told the FBI. The prosecutors said that was ok because the interviews contained no exculpatory information. Yet Fastow's trial testimony was full of the sort of inconsistences that cast doubt on his credibility (see, e.g., this post). Was this stuff in the FBI reports?
Well, it seems not:
Just freakin' wonderful, isn't it?The brief reveals suppression of exculpatory evidence by the Enron Task Force of a massive scale. The entire brief is devastating to the Task Force's prosecution of Skilling and the late Enron chairman, Ken Lay. * * *
The implications of this brief reach far beyond the Skilling appeal. For example, the already-reeling prosecution of the four Merrill Lynch bankers in the Enron-related Nigerian Barge case would appear to be over -- the prosecution in that case not only withheld exculpatory evidence, but put on incriminating testimony from former Enron treasurer Ben Glisan that directly contradicted the exculpatory evidence that Fastow provided to Task Force prosecutors during his interviews. Other Enron-related criminal cases -- as well as plea bargains -- could well be affected.
And, as the guy says, "...I'm still waiting for this to capture the attention of the press, which had been so rivited on Fastow's testimony at the trial." Of course, at the trial they got to cheer on hanging a Big Corporate Guy, whereas if they take note of this they'll have to at least talk about hanging the prosecutors for breaking the law so as to go after the BCG.
I've just got to take note of this post on Obama
that Insty pointed to, The Obama I know. It comes awful close to the kind of thing Ace(I believe) calls a tongue bath: He is wise, He is tolerant, He loves all, He appeals to all and so on. Including this bit:
In short, Obama's approach is insistently charitable. He assumes decency and good faith on the part of those who disagree with him. And he wants to hear what they have to say. Both in substance and in tone, Obama questions the conventional political distinctions between "the left" and "the right." To the extent that he is attracting support from Republicans and independents, it is largely for this reason.
Kind of interesting to contrast this with his 20-year attendance on a white-hating, America-hating pastor, isn't it?
In short, Obama's approach is insistently charitable. He assumes decency and good faith on the part of those who disagree with him. And he wants to hear what they have to say. Both in substance and in tone, Obama questions the conventional political distinctions between "the left" and "the right." To the extent that he is attracting support from Republicans and independents, it is largely for this reason.
Kind of interesting to contrast this with his 20-year attendance on a white-hating, America-hating pastor, isn't it?
Obama is, from the sound of it, playing word games
in the finest tradition of Clinton to try to both 'distance' or 'disconnect' himself from his idiot pastor's comments without actually saying bad things about him. You know, like maybe "My pastor has been saying some stupid things, blaming America for all ills in the world not caused by Israel. And I say flatly I disagree with those things, and I'm ashamed my pastor has said them." Which the media and Democrats would be demanding as the bare minimum(before boiling him in oil) for any Republican or conservative who was found to have been listening to this crap for years.
Q: What about this particular statement?
A: Obviously, I disagree with that. Here is what happens when you just cherry-pick statements from a guy who had a 40-year career as a pastor. There are times when people say things that are just wrong. But I think it's important to judge me on what I've said in the past and what I believe.
'Cherry-picking' my ass: the man has been saying these things for years, with Obama & Family sitting in the pews. And since he's attended regularly for a couple of decades, there's no damned way he could not be familiar with this garbage his spiritual leader has been spouting. And as for the people claiming "This is no big deal" and "This is distracting from important matters", I think Ace covers it nicely:
Excuse me, and I don't mean this to be offensive to any of you fine gentlemen in the least, but when you smoked so much tainted rock as to fall into a crack-and-Comet coma and awoke with light to moderate mental retardation and also strange bruises resembling alien sex-probes all over your body for which you can simply not account, did a strange man in black walk into your hospital room and beat you back to stupid with a moron-bat and/or brain-fuck you with the crazy-stick?
This man wants to be the President of the United States; commander of the entire Armed Forces and all, and you people don't think these attitudes matter? If you actually mean that, then the phrase 'useful idiots' definitely has a new group to cover.
As a side point, over at Classical Values he thinks the timing of this coming out, and the way it's being played, may well be bad for McCain in the long run, and quite possibly the Clintons have a hand in it.
If you want to check this out in more depth(recommended), go to Powerline and scroll down, they've got a bunch of posts on this. So does Ace. Right now I seem to be fighting one of the current forms of plague running around(probably invented by the CIA) so you'll have to run through them for yourself.
Q: What about this particular statement?
A: Obviously, I disagree with that. Here is what happens when you just cherry-pick statements from a guy who had a 40-year career as a pastor. There are times when people say things that are just wrong. But I think it's important to judge me on what I've said in the past and what I believe.
'Cherry-picking' my ass: the man has been saying these things for years, with Obama & Family sitting in the pews. And since he's attended regularly for a couple of decades, there's no damned way he could not be familiar with this garbage his spiritual leader has been spouting. And as for the people claiming "This is no big deal" and "This is distracting from important matters", I think Ace covers it nicely:
Excuse me, and I don't mean this to be offensive to any of you fine gentlemen in the least, but when you smoked so much tainted rock as to fall into a crack-and-Comet coma and awoke with light to moderate mental retardation and also strange bruises resembling alien sex-probes all over your body for which you can simply not account, did a strange man in black walk into your hospital room and beat you back to stupid with a moron-bat and/or brain-fuck you with the crazy-stick?
This man wants to be the President of the United States; commander of the entire Armed Forces and all, and you people don't think these attitudes matter? If you actually mean that, then the phrase 'useful idiots' definitely has a new group to cover.
As a side point, over at Classical Values he thinks the timing of this coming out, and the way it's being played, may well be bad for McCain in the long run, and quite possibly the Clintons have a hand in it.
If you want to check this out in more depth(recommended), go to Powerline and scroll down, they've got a bunch of posts on this. So does Ace. Right now I seem to be fighting one of the current forms of plague running around(probably invented by the CIA) so you'll have to run through them for yourself.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Ref the post about David Codrea being threatened,
my post and link here. Well, War on Guns noted this interesting post:
Well, the hits to the blog spiked yesterday and I found three (3) very curious hits in relation to yesterdays post about David Codrea being threatened. The three hits are direct links without referrer links.
Go take a look at it, see what you think.
Well, the hits to the blog spiked yesterday and I found three (3) very curious hits in relation to yesterdays post about David Codrea being threatened. The three hits are direct links without referrer links.
Go take a look at it, see what you think.
Is there a time that Lautenberg has NOT been an anti-Constitutional
sonofabitch?
The Lautenberg-King measure specifically:
• Provides the Attorney General with discretionary authority to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearm or explosives license or permit when a background check reveals that the purchaser is a known or suspected terrorist and the Attorney General reasonably believes that the person may use a firearm or explosives in connection with terrorism;
Translation: Whomever he/she feels like denying.
• Includes due process safeguards that afford an affected person an opportunity to challenge a denial by the Attorney General; and
Translation: As long as they choose to fund said "safeguard".
Etc. I thought McCain should have been thrown out of office for violating his oath in crafting McCain/Feingold; what could the proper punishment be for this piece of walking crap?
A flagrum, maybe? The Romans only used it on slaves who'd been really naughty and such, but if this clown isn't being- at the very least- extremely naughty...
The Lautenberg-King measure specifically:
• Provides the Attorney General with discretionary authority to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of a firearm or explosives license or permit when a background check reveals that the purchaser is a known or suspected terrorist and the Attorney General reasonably believes that the person may use a firearm or explosives in connection with terrorism;
Translation: Whomever he/she feels like denying.
• Includes due process safeguards that afford an affected person an opportunity to challenge a denial by the Attorney General; and
Translation: As long as they choose to fund said "safeguard".
Etc. I thought McCain should have been thrown out of office for violating his oath in crafting McCain/Feingold; what could the proper punishment be for this piece of walking crap?
A flagrum, maybe? The Romans only used it on slaves who'd been really naughty and such, but if this clown isn't being- at the very least- extremely naughty...
Gee, why would we have thought that nice Saddam
would have contacts with those religious nuts?
Mike- and a bunch of others, like Ace(here, here, here) have taken note of this. And the way the various media weenies are trying to spin it:
I had meant to post on this earlier. I am tired of the Clintonian claims about "no direct operational connection," which sounds an awful lot like "no sexual relations." Well, what does "sexual relations" mean? And what does "direct, operational link" mean? The very language itself screams there was in fact a link by denying only a specific, and quite unifying link and, by implication, allowing for links short of the "direct, operational" variety.
Mike- and a bunch of others, like Ace(here, here, here) have taken note of this. And the way the various media weenies are trying to spin it:
I had meant to post on this earlier. I am tired of the Clintonian claims about "no direct operational connection," which sounds an awful lot like "no sexual relations." Well, what does "sexual relations" mean? And what does "direct, operational link" mean? The very language itself screams there was in fact a link by denying only a specific, and quite unifying link and, by implication, allowing for links short of the "direct, operational" variety.
What with St. Patrick's Day coming up,
I thought I'd note these Fun Facts About Ireland:
* Ireland was founded in 432 AD by a group of masochists who actually ENJOYED leading bleak lives of hopeless despair. Many of their descendants would later emigrate to Chicago and become Cubs fans.
* Ireland was founded in 432 AD by a group of masochists who actually ENJOYED leading bleak lives of hopeless despair. Many of their descendants would later emigrate to Chicago and become Cubs fans.
* In 1998 Danny O'Malley of Dublin created the first internet search engine to specialize in Irish-related information: Alcohoogle.
* Currently, every search term entered returns the Guinness home page.
* To prevent illegal immigration into the country, Irish Border Patrol members guard the country's beaches by hurling empty whiskey bottles at swimmers.
* The Irish possess the most unstoppable Special Forces in the world, which are capable of successfully invading any nation with at least one distillery.
* According to noted zoologist Jonathan Swift, the Irish - unlike rattlesnakes - really DO taste like chicken.
* Ireland has long been famous for the irritable temperament of its inhabitants. It used to be called Angerland, until St. Patrick realized that "ire" was a much more sophisticated-sounding word.
Go check out the rest of them.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
A general roundup
I did have something to write, but the current version of plague seems to be attacking, and I'm tired. So roundup it is.
You may have heard about the 800 dogs in a trailer, but if not...
Or the woman who sat on the toilet. For two frikkin' years.
Remember that note a couple of days ago about Chicago? It's the gift that keeps on giving. And it only took till the second paragraph to get to parties, but in an interesting order:
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, a Republican, was the latest high-profile critic to call for Mr. Kilpatrick's resignation, telling a Detroit radio station today that the mayor, a Democrat, is a liar who lost the public trust in using the race card at a Tuesday night State of the City speech.
A couple of comments on the soon-to-be-ex-Governor Spitter's hooker:
If I were not attached to Bitter, and I had the chance, I’d hit it like the fist of a wrathful god.
and
I don’t think she’s ugly, I just don’t think she justifies $5k.
For that price, she better have a dirtier mind than I do.
The nanny state taken to another idiotic level:
Fire extinguishers are being banned from blocks of flats – after they were branded a health and safety risk. The canisters could be dangerous if people use them without training, risk assessors said. And they could encourage people to stay and tackle a blaze rather than flee.
And if Obama doesn't at least lean toward his pastors' beliefs, why would he keep going to that church? And have his kids baptized there?
And of COURSE there wouldn't be any pressure in the 'encouragement', would there?
And another case of 'only ones' BS.
You may have heard about the 800 dogs in a trailer, but if not...
Or the woman who sat on the toilet. For two frikkin' years.
Remember that note a couple of days ago about Chicago? It's the gift that keeps on giving. And it only took till the second paragraph to get to parties, but in an interesting order:
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, a Republican, was the latest high-profile critic to call for Mr. Kilpatrick's resignation, telling a Detroit radio station today that the mayor, a Democrat, is a liar who lost the public trust in using the race card at a Tuesday night State of the City speech.
A couple of comments on the soon-to-be-ex-Governor Spitter's hooker:
If I were not attached to Bitter, and I had the chance, I’d hit it like the fist of a wrathful god.
and
I don’t think she’s ugly, I just don’t think she justifies $5k.
For that price, she better have a dirtier mind than I do.
The nanny state taken to another idiotic level:
Fire extinguishers are being banned from blocks of flats – after they were branded a health and safety risk. The canisters could be dangerous if people use them without training, risk assessors said. And they could encourage people to stay and tackle a blaze rather than flee.
And if Obama doesn't at least lean toward his pastors' beliefs, why would he keep going to that church? And have his kids baptized there?
And of COURSE there wouldn't be any pressure in the 'encouragement', would there?
And another case of 'only ones' BS.
Maybe it's because of some of the clowns heading to the Dem convention?
Colorado Springs, CO ~ Applications for concealed-weapon permits have skyrocketed in Colorado, with the increase fueled by everything from heavily publicized mass shootings to routine renewals, according to the state's sheriffs.
...
He said he is not concerned about the growing number of legally armed people in the county. In fact, he said he believes law-abiding citizens make the region safer by getting the permits. "Actually, I wish it was a higher number, because I know from experience that offenders in the jail system tell me they avoid crimes against people because they know there is a very high concealed-carry rate," Maketa said.
...
He said he is not concerned about the growing number of legally armed people in the county. In fact, he said he believes law-abiding citizens make the region safer by getting the permits. "Actually, I wish it was a higher number, because I know from experience that offenders in the jail system tell me they avoid crimes against people because they know there is a very high concealed-carry rate," Maketa said.
It's nice to find there are some judges
who don't have their head up their backside:
“There is no doubt that the jury would find for the defendant,” Judge James Welker wrote in his memorandum decision. “In fact, it is likely that the jury would prefer the option of throwing the plaintiff down the steps of the courthouse.”
Oh hell, we need more like this guy.
“There is no doubt that the jury would find for the defendant,” Judge James Welker wrote in his memorandum decision. “In fact, it is likely that the jury would prefer the option of throwing the plaintiff down the steps of the courthouse.”
Oh hell, we need more like this guy.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
A troop getting the recognition she deserves
Like a Silver Star.
CAMP SALERNO, Afghanistan (AP) — A 19-year-old medic from Texas will become the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest medal for valor.
Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province in April 2007, the military said.
After the explosion, which wounded five soldiers in her unit, Brown ran through insurgent gunfire and used her body to shield wounded comrades as mortars fell less than 100 yards away, the military said.
Well done, Specialist. And again, if we ever meet, I'll buy the drinks.
Tang, gluing of
I've been trying to get a couple of things done for Medieval Fair(April 4, 5, 6) and remembered to take a picture of this. 'This' being one of the most basic ways of setting a blade tang into a hilt. In this case the blade is about 4", the tang about 2.5". For a bigger blade I'd use a longer tang, for one this size this works quite well.
First you have to cut a slot or drill a hole in the material of the grip(I know, I know, I got in a hurry and forgot, I'll shoot my method on this next chance I get). Ideally it'll be just a touch wider and thicker than the tang: not a 'drive in' fit, because you want to leave space for the glue. In this case, epoxy.
The thing about epoxy is that as it cures it won't shrink or enlarge much, if any(depends on brand, your mileage may vary), so you can do something to increase the strength of the bond. Namely, notch the corners of the tang.
In this case, small notches. And after doing this, you hit the sides with some rough sandpaper to clean and roughen the surface, the better for the glue to grab onto. Then you mix up the stuff, and dribble enough into the hole so that, when the tang is fully seated a little is squeezed out. Then you set the piece aside. Epoxy is very good(when mixed & used properly) about giving a very strong chemical bond between materials, and what the notches do is this: the epoxy fills in the notches and as it cures stays there. Now, even if you don't get a good chemical bond for some reason, you get a very strong mechanical bond. As long as the stuff grabs onto the handle material, even if it doesn't 'grab' the steel it'll be locked into the notches, keeping the tang from pulling out.
Note: as long as the surfaces are prepped(cleaned and roughened) properly, I've never had this stuff not hold. The one problem I had was with horn scales glued and pinned to the sides of a full tang: I sanded the surfaces meeting the tang too smooth, and even the epoxy couldn't grab onto them.
First you have to cut a slot or drill a hole in the material of the grip(I know, I know, I got in a hurry and forgot, I'll shoot my method on this next chance I get). Ideally it'll be just a touch wider and thicker than the tang: not a 'drive in' fit, because you want to leave space for the glue. In this case, epoxy.
The thing about epoxy is that as it cures it won't shrink or enlarge much, if any(depends on brand, your mileage may vary), so you can do something to increase the strength of the bond. Namely, notch the corners of the tang.
In this case, small notches. And after doing this, you hit the sides with some rough sandpaper to clean and roughen the surface, the better for the glue to grab onto. Then you mix up the stuff, and dribble enough into the hole so that, when the tang is fully seated a little is squeezed out. Then you set the piece aside. Epoxy is very good(when mixed & used properly) about giving a very strong chemical bond between materials, and what the notches do is this: the epoxy fills in the notches and as it cures stays there. Now, even if you don't get a good chemical bond for some reason, you get a very strong mechanical bond. As long as the stuff grabs onto the handle material, even if it doesn't 'grab' the steel it'll be locked into the notches, keeping the tang from pulling out.
Note: as long as the surfaces are prepped(cleaned and roughened) properly, I've never had this stuff not hold. The one problem I had was with horn scales glued and pinned to the sides of a full tang: I sanded the surfaces meeting the tang too smooth, and even the epoxy couldn't grab onto them.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Over at Uncle's place, he pointed to
this. You really need to read it.
Your message has been received loud and clear--along with your warning that you will not hesitate to come down and arrest anyone you suspect of violating this law. Before I give you my reply, I want to make it clear that my response is mine alone. Any retaliation is mine to face, and taking it out on the man who passed your message along at your direction will not be something you can now do outside of a brightly focused light.
...
I've also speculated that comments that may be perceived as threatening are invariably posted anonymously, and that trolls doing it could very well be agents provocateur attempting to bring discredit or worse to my site. Heck, they might even work for the DoJ--it's not like you guys don't hang out here at all hours.
But you apparently need to establish a plausible cover story. Let's see--the same mighty BATFU that sends armed invaders smashing into people's homes and businesses is just scared out of their jackboots over what's being said about them on... blogs, so they need to enlist a protector, that would be you, against "Homegrown terrorists". That would be people like me?
I've generally had a good opinion of the U.S. Marshall's Service; crap like this is cutting away at that.
Your message has been received loud and clear--along with your warning that you will not hesitate to come down and arrest anyone you suspect of violating this law. Before I give you my reply, I want to make it clear that my response is mine alone. Any retaliation is mine to face, and taking it out on the man who passed your message along at your direction will not be something you can now do outside of a brightly focused light.
...
I've also speculated that comments that may be perceived as threatening are invariably posted anonymously, and that trolls doing it could very well be agents provocateur attempting to bring discredit or worse to my site. Heck, they might even work for the DoJ--it's not like you guys don't hang out here at all hours.
But you apparently need to establish a plausible cover story. Let's see--the same mighty BATFU that sends armed invaders smashing into people's homes and businesses is just scared out of their jackboots over what's being said about them on... blogs, so they need to enlist a protector, that would be you, against "Homegrown terrorists". That would be people like me?
I've generally had a good opinion of the U.S. Marshall's Service; crap like this is cutting away at that.
In case you're interested in the Spitter situation
beyond "The arrogant bastard is getting some of what he deserves", here's a few things:
Ace has an interesting bit from a somewhat-famous madam:
"It's so easy not to not get caught," reformed Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss tells Radar, adding that she provided service to many a well known politician her day. "I saw many famous people—more famous than Eliot Spitzer—and you know what, you pay people right, you treat them right, you don't have a problem." The devil, she says, was in Spitzer's particular freak, which left the gals who are alleged to have serviced him describing the governor as "difficult," with demands that involved "things that, like, you might not think were safe."
and, as a side issue, some happenings in Detroit that do not make either the mayor or family or the police department look good:
When the mayor's wife, Carlita Kilpatrick, unexpectedly arrived at the mansion, she saw her husband and the strippers, according to the officer who reported about the party, Harold Nelthrope.
Nelthrope, who was not at the alleged event but learned about it the following day, "further stated that a fight ensued between Ms. Kilpatrick and a dancer and that the dancer received injuries requiring medical attention." Nelthrope does not say who told him about the alleged events.
The dancer -- believed to be Greene -- was taken to a hospital, " ... and the Executive Protection Unit confiscated all activity log sheets (from the police precinct that responded)," Nelthrope said.
And yet more from ace on Spitter here.
And Kim linked to this piece, which includes the following:
Given Spitzer's unfathomable stupidity -- and in light of the fact that he is now the victim of the kinds of overreaching police state tactics that he himself has endlessly championed and utilized -- this can only be regarded as an instance of an especially objectionable, arrogant, overweening, power-mad, vicious son of a bitch himself getting exactly what he has been delightedly happy to dish out to others.
Besides his general "I sit at Gods' right hand and giveordersadvice" attitude, he is also, as I recall, very big on the 'disarm the peasants!' bandwagon. Which makes it even more fun. Though what this is doing to his family is horrendous to think on.
Ace has an interesting bit from a somewhat-famous madam:
"It's so easy not to not get caught," reformed Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss tells Radar, adding that she provided service to many a well known politician her day. "I saw many famous people—more famous than Eliot Spitzer—and you know what, you pay people right, you treat them right, you don't have a problem." The devil, she says, was in Spitzer's particular freak, which left the gals who are alleged to have serviced him describing the governor as "difficult," with demands that involved "things that, like, you might not think were safe."
and, as a side issue, some happenings in Detroit that do not make either the mayor or family or the police department look good:
When the mayor's wife, Carlita Kilpatrick, unexpectedly arrived at the mansion, she saw her husband and the strippers, according to the officer who reported about the party, Harold Nelthrope.
Nelthrope, who was not at the alleged event but learned about it the following day, "further stated that a fight ensued between Ms. Kilpatrick and a dancer and that the dancer received injuries requiring medical attention." Nelthrope does not say who told him about the alleged events.
The dancer -- believed to be Greene -- was taken to a hospital, " ... and the Executive Protection Unit confiscated all activity log sheets (from the police precinct that responded)," Nelthrope said.
And yet more from ace on Spitter here.
And Kim linked to this piece, which includes the following:
Given Spitzer's unfathomable stupidity -- and in light of the fact that he is now the victim of the kinds of overreaching police state tactics that he himself has endlessly championed and utilized -- this can only be regarded as an instance of an especially objectionable, arrogant, overweening, power-mad, vicious son of a bitch himself getting exactly what he has been delightedly happy to dish out to others.
Besides his general "I sit at Gods' right hand and give
Monday, March 10, 2008
I've been thinking about the statement Gov. Spitter made,
and something about it bothers me. And no, generally I wouldn't have noticed this until, say tomorrow, but if you turned ANY news on you heard about it.
Here's the part that bothers me:
"I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good, and doing what is best for the state of New York."
To me, that seems to be saying "I do not believe individuals really count: it is the Party and the Program that counts."
Thoughts?
Here's the part that bothers me:
"I do not believe that politics in the long run is about individuals. It is about ideas, the public good, and doing what is best for the state of New York."
To me, that seems to be saying "I do not believe individuals really count: it is the Party and the Program that counts."
Thoughts?
You must respect the judge!
Even when they're a bigoted jerk.
In denying the Royal High School student delayed entry into the Marine Corps, Children's Court Commissioner Marilyn Mackel reportedly told Sage and a recruiter that she didn't approve of the Iraq war, didn't trust recruiters and didn't support the military.
Gee, and I thought judges were supposed to just go by the law.
Found at Insty
In denying the Royal High School student delayed entry into the Marine Corps, Children's Court Commissioner Marilyn Mackel reportedly told Sage and a recruiter that she didn't approve of the Iraq war, didn't trust recruiters and didn't support the military.
Gee, and I thought judges were supposed to just go by the law.
Found at Insty
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