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

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

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

Urban planning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The mind boggles, it really does.

Senator Dodd:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Canadian 'Human Rights Commission' decides review needed:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Oh Mr. Murtha, you miserable excuse for a

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

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

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

And speaking of (fG) Britain,

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

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

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

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

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

Tales of two dinosaurs,

one possible and one (unfortunately) still burning oxygen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I commemoration of this momentous day

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

How to clean your guns

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wasn't that easy?

Well, damn!

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

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

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

Two pieces of statist BS that have to be noted

First, the UN Human Rights Council(same kind of dirtbags as the Canadian version) wants the Brits to dump the monarchy:
The UN Human Rights Council said the UK must "consider holding a referendum on the desirability or otherwise of a written constitution, preferably republican".

The council has 29 members including Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Sri Lanka.

It was the Sri Lankan envoy who raised concerns over the British monarchy.

These clowns holding forth on 'human rights' is a frikkin' joke on its' own: for them to make these demands of Britain...

Syrian representatives accused the UK of discriminating against Muslims and Iran complained about the UK's record on tackling sexual discrimination.

Syria bitching about 'discrimination'? In a country where the problem is the islamist porkpokers are given so much latitude that it's disgusting? And IRAN? says the UK has problems with SEX DISCRIMINATION? Admittedly the UK doesn't hang homosexuals for existing, and doesn't hang 14-year-old girls for having 'bad attitudes', but for the mullahs to actually accuse the Brits of this is a symptom of absolute freakin' insanity. Or else they're counting on that 'muslim discrimination' to scare people into doing what Ahmadogcrap wants. As Theo says, The UN can go f**k themselves. We should pull out of it.


Next, we have the EUnuch reaction to the Irish telling them to piss off.
Governments across the EU pledged last night to carry on with the process of implementing the treaty - the successor to the abandoned constitution - despite the Irish vote.

But with the treaty requiring the ratification of all 27 member states, there was no clear idea how they could move forward.
Why, by ignoring the rules(kind of like some Democrats) and doing what they want anyway, of course.
In Brussels, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso insisted that the treaty was not dead.

"I believe that we should not rush to conclusions," he said. "I believe that the treaty is alive and we should now try to find a solution."

French president Nicolas Sarkozy and German chancellor Angela Merkel issued a joint statement regretting the outcome and saying they remained convinced that the treaty's reforms were still needed to make the EU more effective.
Here's a clue, oh savants of the EU: PEOPLE DON'T WANT THE EU MORE 'EFFECTIVE'. THEY WANT YOU OUT OF THEIR FACE.
The Brit government, of course, doesn't give a crap what the peasants think or want:
Mr Brown however, is preparing to defy British public opinion by pushing ahead with the treaty's ratification in parliament. Government legislation ratifying the text is due to get its third and final reading in the House of Lords on Wednesday.
Among the responses,
The French said no to it, the Dutch said no to it, then it was brought back and the only people who have been given a chance to pass judgment on it, the Irish, have now said no to it.

"The elites in Brussels have got to listen to people in Europe who do not want endless powers being passed from nation states to Brussels. They do not want these endless constitutions and treaties."
Your problem is this, sir: the elites in Brussels don't give a rats' ass what you think, or what 'people' think, because they have to 'save' the people from themselves. By giving them a treaty they don't want that'll allow the 'elites' to dominate their lives. It's for your own good, you see.

Ian Davidson, another Labour opponent of the document said: "It is enormously significant that the only people who have had the chance to vote on the treaty have rejected it by a substantial margin. Now is the time for a period of reflection."

However, European leaders were making plans to find a legal way around the Irish 'No' vote.

Nicholas Sarkozy, the French President, was working with EU leaders and diplomats to plan a special "legal arrangement" to bypass the referendum rejection.("Let's change the rules to get the result we want.")

In a joint statement with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the French leader insisted the treaty was "necessary" for the EU and would go ahead.

Mr Sarkozy assumes the rotating presidency of the EU next month, and at a summit in Brussels next week he and Mr Brown will insist that the ratification process continues unchanged.

British sources said that the summit is likely to conclude that the Irish vote is a problem for the Irish government, not the rest of the EU.

"The Irish government will have to go away and think about how to proceed, but the rest of us will keep going," said a Foreign Office source.
And so on. "You stupid peasants are causing a problem, so go away while your betters decide what to do." Over and over and over.

Maybe the people in some of these countries need to keep some of those milsurp arms and ammo and use them.

Just some general stuff

There was a book a few years ago, How the Irish Saved Civilization. Pretty good book. The Irish just voted the EU treaty the death penalty(though the bureaucrats and socialists keep saying "It's not dead yet!"), giving civilization another chance. Despite a lot of good people and good countries, things are so screwed up over there that the only country that actually voted on this(as in 'the people' voting) was Ireland. And there, even the people supporting it hadn't actually read the damn thing(Even Taoiseich (Prime Minister) Brian Cowen admitted that he had not read the Treaty, which is over 400 pages long and deliberately written to be obscure.) Word of warning: when someone deliberately writes something to hide what's in it, you don't want it(Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing explained: "Public opinion will be led to adopt, without knowing it, the proposals that we dare not present to them directly... All the earlier [EU Constitution] proposals will be in the new text [Lisbon Treaty], but will be hidden and disguised in some way.")

Sen. Dodd has always been a sanctimonious jackass, and here's further proof of what kind of slimy politician he really is:
What you will not find are any statements from Dodd disclosing those special loan deals he received on his Washington townhouse and Connecticut residence from Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo, which Conde Nast’s Portfolio exposed yesterday.

Also at Michelle Malkin, a note on how for a lot of people, it doesn't have a damn thing to do with Barack Worship Me Obama's skin color: it's what he is.

And I get the message, Tim Russert died. Can the media stop slobbering and moaning about it now, or are we going to be hearing about his sainthood for the next week?

Kevin notes that Tucson is seeing some pushback against the race warlord poverty pimp takeover of a school. About damn time.

Kevin also notes the head of the Brady Ban All the Guns Group spreading bullcrap(no surprise), and an interesting note on media reaction to something:
In current news, Utah's Hill Air Force Base has apparently misplaced a crate of M-16 select-fire rifles (read: "machine guns"). Apparently since these are official government firearms, the Salt Lake Tribune notes that they are "small caliber rifles," though they are "worth up to $5,000 each on the street."
You know damn well that if some firearms store had had a case of AR15 rifles stolen, let alone 'misplaced', they'd have been screaming about the 'high-capacity assault weapons' getting out.

Rachel notes a judge with some interesting beliefs. Covered nicely by the pictures on the wall. He thinks the death penalty is mean, but has a picture of a torturer and murderer behind his desk: wonderful.
As an aside, yesterday saw something interesting: red sports car with, on one side of the trunk lid, a picture of Che' Dumbass, and on the other? A Sig sticker. These three just don't seem to go together...

And in (fG)Britain, you're not supposed to wear your hat in the pub: it makes you harder to spy on.

Yuck. I'm off to take care of some stuff.

Some general stuff, starting with The Holy One

The Obamessiah and His Worshippers:
A crack team of cybernauts will form a rapid response internet “war room” to track and respond aggressively to online rumours that Barack Obama is unpatriotic and a Muslim.” ... 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.
Etc. As Uncle says,

Next, if you shoot somebody with a paintball gun, while you're trespassing, don't be surprised if they think it's real and shoot back. You effing moron, the guy may lose his eye because of you, and you didn't get scratched: I do hope you wind up in jail for a long time.

As the man says, when you're a gun-ban group and ATF criticizes your report, you've really messed up.

The Brady Gun Ban Group is feeling the heat, California is getting even more retardedrepressive, and the Barack I-AM-the-law Obama 'ban the gun shops without actually banning them' plan.

Ok, post? Check. Hot, humid day? Check. Bike oil & filter changed? Check. Barack Michelle-is-a-saint Obama noted? Check.

'Night, all.

For a look at what ANY .50-caliber ban will lead to,

take a look:
On Thursday morning, June 12, the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee is scheduled to consider legislation that would ban the purchase, transfer, and inheritance of many popular hunting guns, historical American firearms, and large bore target firearms, based on alleged public safety concerns.(bold mine)
...
A2116 also bans hundreds of historical American firearms and replicas, including from the Civil War and Revolutionary War eras. A2116 is a slap in the face to collectors, historians, and the patriots who used these firearms to win the very freedoms this legislation now seeks to take away.

While there are some of the GFWs that really don't understand the difference between a Barrett and a 200-year-old musket, a good many of them do: they just want to ban as many firearms as possible, and this is, in their eyes, a good way to do it.

If you wanted one of the Pentagon lights,

Sportsman's Guide has them on clearance.

If McCain picks that nanny-state clown Bloomberg

as Veep, that's it: I will not vote for McCain. Period. Without Bloomberg, McCain is barely tolerable: with, forget it.

It's been pointed out, if you've got an actual conservative* running for House or Senate in your area, do what you can to get them elected: we're going to need them.


*As opposed to dirtbags who say they are, then as soon as their ass hits that chair start doing whatever the national party says.

Yeah, I think some Democrats DO want high oil prices

and the economy in trouble; and a lot that don't will go along with what Pelosi tells them to do because doing what their House leader says is far more important than, say, doing what the folks back home want. After all, the people who elected them can't help them onto a prestigious committee.

This brings new meaning to

whiny, cowardly jerk:
MR. VIGNA: Sorry. Mr. Chair, I don't have the flu but I don't feel in a serene state of mind to proceed with the file today. I don't feel very well. I feel dizzy, I feel anxiety, and I am not in a serene state of mind to proceed with this file today.

I have a lot of things worrying me right now and I don't want to elaborate, but my colleague said, Mr. Fine, there are some certain incidents that have occurred which I don't feel at liberty to elaborate right now, which have had an impact on my ability to proceed in a professional way on this file, at least for today, because I wouldn't be rendering the Commission a just service by proceeding in this condition.

I am not dying, Mr. Chair, I don't have the flu, but I am not mentally capable of proceeding under these circumstances.
...
MR. VIGNA: Mr. Chair, I will provide a medical certificate.

THE CHAIRPERSON: Please sit down, Mr. Vigna.

MR. VIGNA: I feel insulted by that comment.

THE CHAIRPERSON: Please sit down.

It's wonderful, isn't it? If Steyn had written this about the clown, he'd probably be suing/threatening to for 'hurtful parody' or something.

Ok, I just have to post this ref Obama supporters

I know, I was going to bed, but I had to click one more site and one more link and it led to this:
So, convince me guys. What is the rational argument for electing Obama? What empirical support can you point to, that shows he can do the job and is fit for it?

Is there anything inside that expensive suit but a con man?
Which leads, in the comments, to Reasoned Discourse^tm of a truly amazing level of stupidity. You really ought to take a look, it's hard to describe.

This weather + garage & shop + gutters =

yuck.

Not mine, this time. Not the first two, anyway. Friends needed help with their garage(and his shop) so I spent pretty much all day yesterday at that(no, I do NOT travel, go away). Carry everything out of the garage to the driveway, and there was a LOT of everything, scrub the floor to get rid of the oil spills and other crud, then move some of it back in. Same in the shop, though didn't get as much done there. And if I hadn't kept watch, she would've had the kids piling crap in the back of my truck when I wasn't looking, and I do not need any more crap in my garage or house either one, thank you kindly. Sunburned my face and neck, too.

Then today spent part of it weedeating, a little in the garden and a bunch cleaning out the drain gutters in the carport. Sparrows keep building nests in them, and I have to keep cleaning them out. I've got to figure a way to block every damn hole they'll fit into, and that included some pretty small holes. I had to use a hole saw to cut cleaning holes in several of the ends(two years ago), covered with some vinyl pieces screwed on with a little caulk in between: pull a cover, use a hook-ended stiff wire to fish out all the nests, etc., then flush it out and reseal. I'm thinking, after I'm sure all the little buggers are done nesting, get some hardware cloth and adhesive, cut pieces to fit and stick them over all the channels where they're getting in.

All all that up, and I think I overdid it. This getting old sucks: I just can't take as much in the way of heat as I used to. And yes, I'm drinking a lot. No, I do mean water.

I also made sure the (re)fix of the leaky fork seal on the bike took this time. I'd bought new seal and wiper, found directions to make sure I did it right, and it all came apart and went back together just fine. Except the new seal leaked. I rechecked everything, all had been done as directed, the seal didn't get nicked in installation, so I finally decided the seal had to be in upside-down. So take the damn thing apart again, pop the seal out, flip it over(yes, I had installed it as the directions said to), reassemble and fill, and shazam! No leak! Digging through things, it appears that the new seals are made a bit different from the originals- the bike is fifteen years old- and 'right side up' in the directions is wrong side up with the new ones.

If you've never messed with this, you have to- in the case of this design- loosed a bolt in the bottom of the slider(bottom section), then pop the seal at the top off(something of a pain), loosen the triple-clamp bolts, take the fork leg out, drain the oil, pry the wiper(keeps dirt away from the seal) off, remove a spring clip, remove that first bolt(if you don't loosen it before you do anything else, it takes a special tool to hold the stuff inside so you can get it out) and then you can pop to tube out of the slider. Which removes the seal and the tube bushing that keeps things straight. Then push the parts back in (big spring, fork tube, etc.), reseat the bushing, then the seal(preferably right-side-up), put in the spring clip, slide the wiper down into place, install that bottom bolt(which is a pain in the ass to tighten unless you're lucky or have that tool), put the leg back in the triple clamps, fill with oil, then put the top seal back on. You may notice that most steps of this are ripe with opportunity to get fork oil all over you. And you will. And this stuff is slippery, which means keep stuff handy to wipe it off or damn near everything will slip in your fingers.
Shut up, Fire, not that.

Anyway, the point of all this is that the first time I did this, years ago on another bike, I needed something to drive the bushing and seal into place. I got a piece of PVC pipe that would fit over the upper tube, made sure the ends were square, and it worked perfectly. Pushed things back into place with no canting or other badness. And a hell of a lot cheaper than the proper tool.

I'm going to make another try at the postal match before the month is out, but I'm going to try to make it to the outdoor range. Part of the trouble I had was the light at H&H, my eyes and iron sights and tiny targets didn't go well together. Another 'getting old sucks' point.

Enough, I need a shower and bed. 'Night, all.

Gee, an actor turns out to be a douchebag:

who'da thunk it?
Actor Rupert Everett has apologised for branding soldiers "wimps" and saying they were "always whining about the dangers of being killed".

"It's pathetic," the star of My Best Friend's Wedding had told the Sunday Telegraph. "The whole point of being in the Army is wanting to get killed."

But now he insists he did not mean to question the "bravery" of troops.

Oh no, obviously not. And, of course, we have the 'explanation' that what he said wasn't what he actually thinks:
"My flippant and irresponsible behaviour arises from a deep frustration at the fact that we seem to be continually making war, dreaming up new ones, instead of doing everything we can to avoid them."
Damn, here I thought this war started because a bunch of terrorists finally committed a big-enough atrocity to cause enough people to say "No more, dammit!" Effing moron.

Mr. Everett, you might take note of something Peter Capstick once wrote: that nobody set out to be munched by a lion or leopard, or stomped or gored by an elephant or Cape buffalo: that's simply one of the risks of hunting big game. In other words, you idiot, the risk of being killed is indeed part of the job, but 'wanting to get killed' is NOT the whole point; and people who do have that attitude they generally clear out as soon as possible, because they put the other troops in danger.

Is there a special bottled water for actors and musicians that uses drug-impregnated bottles or something?

Canada's trying to follow (formerly Great) Britain down the tubes,

as you know if you've been following the mess up there, with the 'Human Rights Commission' trying to shut up/shut down anyone they decide doesn't speak nicely enough. Well, Insty pointed to this piece of garbage that just came out:
Stop All "Disparaging Remarks About Gays and Homosexuals," as well as against the university professor and self-described "activis[t] for social justice issues" who filed a complaint against you: That's what the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission ordered Stephen Boisson and The Concerned Christian Coalition Inc. to do in Lund v. Boissoin.
Apparently, for someone to say 'homosexuality is sinful' would be a violation of this bullcrap, and screw your religious beliefs: they don't count.

If you've been reading this mess of mine for any length of time, you know my opinion: no protected groups, not churches, homosexuals, countries, religions, nationalities, etc. You have the right to say what you want about pretty much anybody(within the bounds of actual violations of law such a libel), and if I think you're a moron, I have the right to say so. Loudly. This kind of crap from a government agency, damn near unaccountable for their actions, scares the crap out of me. This leads to/is part of the actual fascism we're dealing with, and pushes us toward the garbage I noted a few days ago, Pakistan pushing the EUnuchs to revise the concept of 'freedom of speech' to exclude anything that makes muslims unhappy.

If you had any doubts as to what is considered 'free speech'

in a lot of moslem countries, and what the EUnuchs are going to bend over for next, Theo pointed to this:
Pakistan to ask EU to amend laws on freedom of expression

By Tahir Niaz

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will ask the European Union countries to amend laws regarding freedom of expression in order to prevent offensive incidents such as the printing of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and the production of an anti-Islam film by a Dutch legislator, sources in the Interior Ministry told Daily Times on Saturday.

Anyone doubt the EUnuchs will be wetting their pants they're in such a hurry to do it?

The delegation, headed by an additional secretary of the Interior Ministry, will meet the leaders of the EU countries in a bid to convince them that the recent attack on the Danish Embassy in Pakistan could be a reaction against the blasphemous campaign, sources said.
Hey, dumbass: we KNOW it was a 'reaction against the blasphemous campaign', but you left out the important part: 'a reaction by a bunch of bloody-handed closed-minded intolerant barbarians who think the whole world should bend over and spread 'em for any moslem who has a wild hair. About ANYTHING.'

And, lest anyone should think that this is a "Have pity on us poor muzzies, for we cannot take criticism or humor aimed at us" thing only:
They said that the delegation would also tell the EU that if such acts against Islam are not controlled, more attacks on the EU diplomatic missions abroad could not be ruled out.
Ah, yes, the 'Religeon of PeaceSubmission: "Do what we say or we will riot and burn and murder. And call you bad names, which makes you crap your pants and do what we want." Absolute flat blackmail by a bunch of barbarians who want the whole world under their domination.

And the worst of it is all the idiots in Europe(and over here, see liberal wankers and the Canadian Human Rights Commission) who'll slobber all over the muzzies ass as they kiss it. I think a shot from Theo has a much better response:

No, this is NOT a personal chili story

I just thought some of you sick people might like it


I went grocery shopping recently while not being altogether sure that course of action was a wise one. You see, the previous evening I had prepared and consumed a massive quanity of of my patented " You are definately going to sh!t youself " chilli. Tasty stuff, a little bit hot to the point of being painful, which comes with a written guarantee from me that if you can eat the next day, both your a$$ cheeks will fall off.

Heres the thing. I had awakened that morning, and after two cups of coffee(and all of you know what that means at our age) nothing happened. No {"Johnson Movement #2) Despite habanera peppers swimming their way through my intestinal tract, I appeared to be unable to create the usual morning symphony referred to be by my neighbors as thunder and lightening.

Knowing that a time of reckoning had yet to come, yet not sure when. I bravely set off for the market: a local Wal-Mart grocery store that I often haunt in search of tasty tidbits.

Upon entering the store at first, all seemed normal. I selected a cart and began pushing it around dropping tidbits in for purchase. It wasn't until I was at the opposite end of the store from the restrooms, that the pain hit me. Oh, don't look at me like you don't know what I'm talking about. I'm referring to that "Uh oh, gotta go" pain that always seems to hit us at the wrong time. The thing is, this pain was different. The habaneras in the chili from the night before were staging a revolt. In a mad rush for freedom, they bullied their way through the small intestines. Forcing their way into the large intestines. Before I could take one step in the direction of the restrooms, which would bring sweet relief, it happened.

The peppers fired a warning shot. There I stood, alone in the spice and baking aisle, suddenly enveloped in a noxious cloud, the likes of which has never been recorded. I was afraid to move for fear that more of this vile odor might escape me. Slowly, oh but slowing, the pressure seemed to leave the lower part of my body, and I began to move up the aisle and out of it, just as an elderly woman turned into it.

I don't know what made me do, but I stopped to see what her reaction would be to the malodorous effuviuw that refused to dissipate. As she walked into it, unsuspecting. Have you ever been torn into directions emotionally? Here's what I mean, and I am sure some of you at least will be able to relate.

I could have warned that poor woman, but didn't. I simply watched as she walked into an invisible, and apparrentley indestructible, wall of odor so terrible that all she could do before gathering her senses and running, was to stand there, blinking and waving her arms about her head, as though trying to ward off angry bees.This of course, made me feel terrible, but then made me laugh. Mistake.

Here's the thing. When you laugh, it's hard to keep things "clamped down", if you know what I mean. With each new guffaw, an explosive issue burst forth from my nether region. Some were so loud and echoing, that I was later told a few folks in the other aisles had ducked, fearing someone was robbing the store and firing off a shotgun.

Suddenly things were no longer funny. IT was coming, and I raced off through the the store towards the restrooms, laying down a cloud the whole way, praying that I'd make it before the grand mal assplosion took place.

Luck was on my side. Just in the nick of time, I got to the john and began the process. "Oh My God", floating above the toilet seat because my ass is burning so bad, purging. One poor fellow walked in while I was in the middle of what is known as "Shock & Awe". He made a gagging sound and disgustedly said, "Sonofabitch", and quickly left.

Once finished, I left the restroom, reacquired my partially filled cart intending to carry on with my shopping, when a store clerk approached me and said, "Sir. you might want to step outside for a few minutes. It appears some prankster set off a stink bomb in the store. The manager is going to run the vent fans on high for a minute or two, which ought to take care of the problem."

That of course set me off again, causing residual gases to escape me. The employee took one sniff, jumped back pulling his shirt up to cover his nose and pointing to ME in, an accusing manner, "IT'S YOU"! then ran off returning moments later with the manager. I was unceremoniously escorted off the premises and asked none to kindly not to return.

Home again, without having shopped, I realized there was nothing to eat but leftover chili. So I consumed two more bowls. The next day, I went to shop at Albertson's. I can't say anymore about that, because we are in court over the whole matter. Bastards claim they're going to repaint the store.

Just because they're good reading

I'll point you first to Five Feet of Fury, who has a fine rant on 'Oh, woe is me!' muslims. And points us to this piece by P.J O'Rourke on politically-correct bullcrap screwing up a museum.

The wind is sweeping down the plain like

God turned on the sandblaster. Again. Even for Oklahoma, these last few days have been kind of nasty.

How nasty? I was mowing the other day and stepped on a pine cone. There are no pine trees visible on this street. So there is no telling how far it blew from. Likewise the mimosa branch in the front yard, though I think it only had to move a block or so.

Normally I prefer shooting outside when I can, but days like this are a pain for rifles. Especially small bore rifles and teeny little targets like the current postal match. Which I've been thinking about.

Shooting offhand at small targets. I like shooting offhand(just not usually at targets that small): it’s good practice, I enjoy it, and it’s good for focus. You have to synchronize breathing, hold, trigger pull with your body motion. And unless you have the most perfect muscle control ever known, your body WILL be moving.

That means that, far more than off some kind of rest, part of hitting means timing your shot to when the sights move onto the aiming point. Couple of years ago some show, I think on PBS, was talking about how using computers and motion studies have changed sports: that by finding slight ‘flaws’ or wasted motions in some athletes’ form, they’ve caused running and swimming times to go down, javelin throws to go further and so forth. One segment was with a guy on the Olympic Shooting Team. They placed a bunch of monitors for heart and breathing on him(can’t remember if wired for EKG), and a laser on the rifle, and studied how his body functions and shooting interacted. The found that in the last moments before he fired, his heart rate slowed down a bit, allowing him more of a window in which to shoot between beats, and went back to normal after the shot. Every time. You could see the laser shifting on the target, then during that window it steadied. He’d developed enough control of his heart rate to make that change at the critical point.

If you’ve never looked at this, take a rifle(unloaded), take aim and pay attention to what happens as your heart beats. Everybody knows about breathing, but it can be surprising how much your heartbeat affects things; it’s more noticeable with a scope, but shows with iron sights, too.

Lots of people do develop the ability to alter their heart rate, but if you’re not one you can develop your timing, aligning the sights and squeezing off between beats. Like a lot of shooting skills, you can work on this with dry-firing practice(having, of course, checked the arm at least twice to make damn sure the chamber is empty or has only a snap cap. If you want the weight of a loaded magazine, use training dummies or snap caps and make DAMN SURE no live cartridges were slipped in by Murphy, the sneaky bastard) For that matter, a BB or pellet gun works very well for this, too.

The Revolutionary War Veterans Association has a forum in their Project Appleseed site that has a very good primer on riflery. Basic sight alignment, breathing, and finding your 'natural point of aim'. Their links on attaching and using the Model 1907 sling are gone, but you can see this here and here at the Fulton Armory site. I've become a firm believer in using the sling whenever you can; oddly, with some rifles I can actually get better groups at a bench with the sling that with a set of sandbags.

As a side note, after you sight in off a solid benchrest take a few shots with the kind of rest you'd use in the field, or with the sling: you might be surprised. Some rifles have a very different point of impact from a rest on bags than with a sling or field rest. I was shooting my Model 94 Winchester and found that the difference at 100 yards was a good 3" vertically. Same size groups, but with a very different center.

It's like any other strip:

Sometimes it's so-so, but a lot of times...

Day by day

I guess DC is following the lead of (fomerly)Great Britain (updated)

in matters. From Britain we've got this in relation to 'knife crime':
London's new mayor, Boris Johnson, has also vowed to crack down on knife crime. His proposals include airport-style metal-detecting arches at train and subway stations. London police recently began an aggressive new program to search anyone they wish for knives without having to justify their suspicions beforehand. (bold mine)
and DC is doing this:
"In certain areas, we need to go beyond the normal methods of policing," Fenty (D) said at a news conference announcing the action. "We're going to go into an area and completely shut it down to prevent shootings and the sale of drugs."

The checkpoint will stop vehicles approaching the 1400 block of Montello Avenue NE, a section of the Trinidad neighborhood that has been plagued with homicides and other violence. Police will search cars if they suspect the presence of guns or drugs, and will arrest people who do not cooperate, under a charge of failure to obey a police officer, officials said.
They're not going to stop pedestrians, apparently because it's cars that are part of the problem:
The program is aimed at the city's most troubled areas. The 5th Police District, which includes Trinidad, has had 22 killings this year, one more than all of last year. Since April 1, the Trinidad neighborhood has had seven homicides, 16 robberies and 20 assaults with dangerous weapons, according to police data. In many cases in Trinidad and across the city, gunshots are fired from passing cars, victims are found in cars or cars are used to make fast getaways.

I will refrain from the obvious rant about 'assault vehicles in public hands.

I will take note of this further into the story:
One of Lanier's plans, the Safe Homes initiative, has yet to get off the ground because of a community backlash. The plan, announced by Lanier and Fenty at a news conference in March, called for police to go door-to-door in crime-ridden areas and ask residents whether they could go inside and search for guns. Residents and some council members voiced concerns that homeowners would feel intimidated by police. Lanier backed off, but said she plans to move forward soon by having residents call police to set up appointments.

'Having residents call police to set up appointments' to have their home searched? Hell, they could wave down a passing cop and ask them to search if they wanted.

Damn, what a mess.

Update: Lawdog has some words to say to the officials in DC here: go read it all.

I don't refer to him as the Obamessiah*

for nothing.
To them I say, all right, you want to know what it is? The appeal, the pull, the ethereal and magical thing that seems to enthrall millions of people from all over the world, that keeps opening up and firing into new channels of the culture normally completely unaffected by politics?
...
Dismiss it all you like, but I've heard from far too many enormously smart, wise, spiritually attuned people who've been intuitively blown away by Obama's presence - not speeches, not policies, but sheer presence - to say it's just a clever marketing ploy, a slick gambit carefully orchestrated by hotshot campaign organizers who, once Obama gets into office, will suddenly turn from perky optimists to vile soul-sucking lobbyist whores, with Obama as their suddenly evil, cackling overlord.

Here's where it gets gooey(HERE it goes 'gooey'?!?). Many spiritually advanced people I know (not coweringly religious, mind you, but deeply spiritual) identify Obama as a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being who has the ability to lead us not merely to new foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot, but who can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet, of relating and connecting and engaging with this bizarre earthly experiment. These kinds of people actually help us evolve. They are philosophers and peacemakers of a very high order, and they speak not just to reason or emotion, but to the soul.
And ending with:
Please. I'm also certainly not saying he's perfect, that his presidency will be free of compromise, or slimy insiders, or great heaps of politics-as-usual. While Obama's certainly an entire universe away from George W. Bush in terms of quality, integrity, intelligence and overall inspirational energy, well, so is your dog. Hell, it isn't hard to stand far above and beyond the worst president in American history.

But there simply is no denying that extra kick. As one reader put it to me, in a way, it's not even about Obama, per se. There's a vast amount of positive energy swirling about that's been held back by the armies of BushCo darkness, and this energy has now found a conduit, a lightning rod, is now effortlessly self-organizing around Obama's candidacy. People and emotions and ideas of high and positive vibration are automatically drawn to him. It's exactly like how Bush was a magnet for the low vibrational energies of fear and war and oppression and aggression, but, you know, completely reversed. And different. And far, far better.

So the connections to terrorists, the connections to corrupt people, the position changing, the America-hating Whitey-hating church, being a socialist without the balls or integrity to say so, all that doesn't actually matter, because He is a Higher Being! And you can't hold a Higher Being to the same pissy standards as plain humans.

I wonder if this guy had a thrill running up his leg as he wrote this?


*I didn't create it, but I don't remember where I first saw it to give proper credit.
Found this article through Insty.

D-Day, and current connections

Son is off to his wife, and I don't expect to see or hear from him for as long as he can stay there. Which is as it should be. And he did bring something back for me:
My whole series of The General, especially good since I couldn't replace any but the first until they're reprinted. Obviously, well-used while over there, which is what books are for.

This is the second time I've noted this day since he signed up, and before that- especially since 9/11- I've thought about it a lot. To be in those small boats, storming a beach with one of the best trained and equipped armies in the world on the high ground waiting for you... I can't really imagine. A lot of those boats probably needed a serious flushing out after, but they went in and fought their way through.

I've mentioned a great-uncle who was in 3rd Army. After he died a few months ago we found out some things, only then because he basically never talked about it to family. 8th Infantry Division, and he never mentioned the two Bronze Stars. At this point I don't know if he was in on that day or went in later, I've got to dig up some background so I can find out. One more young guy who really didn't want to be there, but there was a nasty job that needed doing, so... He was there all the way from France to the end in Germany, and came back. An awful lot didn't.

Ever hear a song by Trace Adkins, Arlington? If you haven't, look it up
I never thought that this was where I'd settle down,
I thought I'd die an old man back in my hometown.
They gave me this plot of land, me and some other men,
for a job well done.
There's a big white house sits on a hill just up the road,
the man inside, he cried the day they brought me home.
They folded up a flag, and told my mom and dad,
We're proud of your son.

And I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property,
I'm on sacred ground and I'm in the best of company.
And I'm thankful for those thankful for the things I done,
I can rest in peace,
I'm one of the chosen ones,
I made it to Arlington.

First Marine to actually be tried in the Haditha incident (updated)

acquitted on all counts.

Unknown if that sorry bastard Murtha or Barack Whatchoosayin' Obama have any comments.

Update
I just had to take note of a couple of points:
Of the two cases remaining, only Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich faces charges directly related to the killings. The most serious charges he faces are nine counts of involuntary manslaughter. Curiously, his case has been postponed indefinitely, and was not expected to resume until after both of his military defense attorneys had retired, weakening his defense in a complex case. Late-breaking information from Bruce Kessler of The Democracy Project, who has been covering the Haditha cases in detail, states that Lt. Col. Colby Vokey will delay his retirement again to stay with Wuterich’s defense.
and
The third case, against commanding officer Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, is said to be tainted by “unlawful command influence” in charging Chessani according to the judge presiding over the case, suggesting that Chessani is a political scapegoat for higher-ranking officers seeking to appease anti-war politicians. His trial is expected to commence June 17.
I'm not in on the super-secret stuff in this: I do know that if anyone thinks there are not brass who'd do these things, they're fools. And the ones pushing this, and their minions carrying it out, are disgusting.

I made a try at the current postal match today

Let's put it this way: Sebastian says Don’t worry if your score is low. Silhouette is a difficult discipline, and scores aren’t supposed to be high unless you’re an expert shooter and have been doing silhouette for 20 years. Well, that's mighty comforting to hear. Especially since with iron sights I was shooting at little blurry black blobs at 20 yards.

No, this was not my best shooting. No, it wasn't helped that the target holders run out on cables, which means that no matter how long you wait, targets this size never stop moving. There's always just a tiny bit of shifting around, which may be good practice but doesn't help when you're shooting at LBBB's for score.

Later on I'll try to shoot again with different rifles, maybe a pistol. Scores couldn't get much worse, so not much to lose trying.

Damn, I don't pay attention for a couple of days

and all kinds of stuff turns up.

Kevin notes that the race warlord poverty pimps have taken over some schools.
It's the end of the school year and Raza Studies students at Tucson High Magnet School are presenting research findings to their principal.

Their PowerPoint presentation is critical of policies toward English learners; some concerns hinge on whether students are funneled to vocational tracks, and some focus on inferior equipment.

Then comes an exploration of classroom décor, with photos of classroom items students consider culturally insensitive.

First up is a baseball poster, which they say should be soccer or rugby to validate other cultures. Next up flashes the Pledge of Allegiance and a patriotic poster featuring the Statue of Liberty, the American flag and an eagle.

"Most of the kids are from a different country, and this is showing them that this is the country that's the greatest and yours doesn't matter," a student maintains.
Read the whole thing. After putting breakables out of reach.

I thought we were reasonable proof against this kind of crap in this part of the country: I should have known better:
Citty, speaking at a news conference by a coalition of social services, clergy and community groups opposed to gang violence, said he believes in a citizen's right to carry firearms but that too many guns are reaching the hands of gang members. He said gang members and their victims are getting younger and younger.

"There has to be some tighter rules and regulations on the sale of firearms and the registration of those firearms," Citty said.(bold mine)
Just freakin' wonderful. Further notes on this here and here(scroll to June 3).

Kevin also notes this article on math instruction. And just what condition it's in.

I was digging through Og's stuff(hadn't been there for a bit) and came across some scriptures on the Book of Hay-Nes

And further proof of Volk's statement 'TSA: Fast food rejects with police powers'

If the son ever again comes back on leave talking about

'working on his truck', I think I'll take some leave. Somewhere else. After two days of work, various scrapes and cuts and assorted frustrations, I'm worn out.

But it's all done now, and he'll soon be off to see the wife. Who's probably wishing he'd left the damn truck as was instead of putting on the fancies. Ah, well, he'll be there soon.

I wrote once that I go through those moments where the two images are overlaid: in this case, the troop back from the war zone and the kid working on his ride. Kind of odd to think of both at once, but there they are. Let me add 'the married troop' to the first.

I've got a carport and that's about the only thing that made some of this work doable for me, as I don't handle heat as well as I once did, and it turned hot and windy. Kind of weather that dries you out.

So I've got some news and stuff to catch up on, back later.

Blogging will be light

Son arrived last night; he's home on leave for a bit. So until he gets some things taken care of here and heads to see the wife, I'll have little to say.

I'll try to make up for it later, I promise.


'Promise', not threat, dammit.

Got a number of things to take note of

First, the new postal match is up at Snowflakes in Hell, including a link to the targets. I'm going to make this one, dammit. Last one, I finally got to the range, took care of a couple of other things and then, to the detriment of the bugs flying around that were incinerated by some of the language used, discovered I'd left the damn targets at home.

Second, Ahab takes note of a Brady astroturf blog, and a post twisting words from the Bible to say "This means we should all give up guns." Which post disappeared: I wonder how many people had something to say to them about this bullcrap?

Rob Allen takes note of a friggin' moron who thinks it might have been better(or at least as good) to subdue a murderer by tackling him instead of shooting him:
Query: Had this good samaritan tackled the shooter, would he be less of a hero? Had he struck the shooter over the head with a beer bottle, would he be less of a hero? There are plenty of other examples, but the point is the same.
This reminds me of a friend who thinks guns are most 'unnecessary' for self-defense: she keeps a bokken next to the bed, and has it planned how she'll whack anyone who breaks in; first knee, then head. I think she's a fool on this: first, you have to let the bad guy get within your reach, which means if he's got a weapon you're in his reach. Second, you're planning on those two strokes both hitting and having the effect you desire. I figure on Murphy stepping in, which means A: I'm not letting some clown who breaks into my home get in reach of me if I can prevent it and B: I'm not counting on a couple of whacks with a stick(which could get tangled in/blocked by something) stopping the attacker; to borrow from a couple of commenters, I'll invoke Rule .357 or Rule 12-gauge, whichever is most available/appropriate.

Somebody pointed to a good article by Thomas Sowell on The Bullet Counters. And somebody else pointed to a post on the bullcrap idea of microstamping.

That's it. I've got to go do something constructive. Like get ready for work.

Why I've loved Fritz Leiber from the first story I read

"The seven black priests-" Fafhrd muttered.

"The six," the Mouser corrected. "We killed one of them last night."

"Well, the six then," Fafhrd conceded. "The seem angry with us."

"As why shouldn't they be?" the Mouser demanded. "We stole their idol's only eye. Such an act annoys priests tremendously."

"It seemed to have more eyes than that one," Fafhrd asserted thoughtfully, "if only it had opened them."

"Thank Aarth it didn't!" the Mouser hissed. "And'ware that dart!"

Fafhrd hit the dirt- or rather the rock- instantly, and the black dart skirred on the ice ahead.

"I think they're unreasonably angry," Fafhrd asserted, scrambling to his feet.

"Priests always are," the Mouser said philosophically, with a sidewise shudder at the dart's black-crusted point.

from The Seven Black Priests, in the book Swords Against Death

The Dhimmi Carter Threat Level Advisory System

Found here, thanks to Theo

Child 'Welfare' workers:

"I do not think that word means what you think it does."

ELDORADO, Texas (CNN) — An 18-year-old who gave birth in state custody after she was incorrectly seized in a raid on a polygamist sect ranch says the state kept her in foster care in an effort to seize her baby. [...]

The state apparently agreed that Jessop was not a minor. A caseworker signed a statement saying Jessop gave her age as 18. Her birth certificate says so, along with a “bishop’s list” collected as evidence from the sect’s records.

There was also no denying she was weeks away from giving birth to her second child. And that, she believes, is why she wound up in foster care.

There's a number of other cases listed there. Oklahoma has the Department of Human Services, which has a Child Welfare Division. Which has had a number of cases of
Charging into a home and grabbing kids based on a 'tip' that either turned out to be false, or was phoned in by someone with a grudge, and
NOT doing anything about a case despite many calls reporting abuse, until the kid winds up in the hospital or dead. After either of which there are usually whines and demands for more money 'so we can have enough people to deal with these things'.

Of course, we also have morons like Joe Biden(Plagiarist/Who cares where he's from) coming up with crap like this:

“Biden’s latest domestic violence bill is the National Domestic Violence Volunteer Attorney Network Act, which amends Biden’s Violence Against Women Act to create an extensive network of volunteer attorneys to help abused women. The attorneys would provide free legal help in forging divorce or separation agreements and in winning child custody…

[...]

The bill will enlist 100,000 volunteer attorneys to help purportedly abused women win custody of their children from their alleged abusers.

[...]

The National Organization for Women has a campaign in support of the bill, and the bill is also supported by the American Bar Association and the Family Violence Prevention Fund. The bill can be seen here. Biden’s pitch for the bill from his defunct presidential campaign can be seen here.

Gee, lawyers and activist groups pushing a bill that's specifically to help one gender; whatever could possibly go wrong with that?

Tar, feathers, rail.

The other day saw another blip of Bill Clinton

bitching about Hillary winning the 'popular vote', and it caused a flashback to 2000. Remember all the Clinton & Gore people yelling "Ignore that Electoral College crap, Gore won the Popular Vote!"

And then there was a speech excerpt from HC on the whole 'we won the Popular Vote and your votes were not counted in 2000' line while telling people from Florida they got screwed.

Anyone doubt that, if she got into the Oval Office, one of the things she'd be trying to do would be a way to get rid of that troublesome Electoral College?

There are times when it should be without penalty to tell a cop

to go to hell.
He checked the tax disc and tyres on his Vauxhall Corsa but when he noticed the flag of St George on the parcel shelf he told Mr Smith to take it down.

Mr Smith, who works for G Plan Upholsterers on Hampton Park West, said: "He saw the flag and said it was racist towards immigrants and if I refused to take it down I would get a £30 fine.

"I laughed because I thought he was joking, but then I realised he was serious so I had to take it down straight away. I thought it was silly - it's my country and I want to show my support for my country."

Problem with that, Mr. Smith, is you live in a country where your lords have decided that you're not allowed to show support for your country. Because that's not Politically Correct and Sensitive.

Damn, what a bullcrap mess.

A nice, polite "Why I can't vote for you"

to Obama.

Ruger LCP: had a chance to shoot one

If you haven't seen/heard of them, here's a picture:

Looks a lot like the Kel-Tec P3AT, but there are, I'm told, enough differences to keep Ruger from facing any legal problems(there's a review with all the measurements here). Very thin, very light, it's definitely a pocket pistol in .380.


This one was recently bought and got a good shakedown. It was fired with a mix of ammo: some Speer Gold Dots, some Winchester Ranger, some Wolf Gold(all hollowpoints), some Monarch* ball and some American Eagle ball. There was one hitch, and that was in the first mag of the Winchester, the second round failed to feed: slingshotting the slide popped it in and everything after that went through without a hitch, total between 150-200 rounds.

The trigger was quite smooth, much like a well-tuned double-action revolver. I've fired a Kel-Tec, and this felt a bit different, a bit more comfortable to shoot, though it shared one thing: if you hold it like you would a 1911 or something bigger, your trigger finger runs into your thumb as you pull. The 'sights' are a very low bump in front and a small notch in back, and unless you put some paint or something on the front the thing disappears in dim light.

Accuracy was quite good for a pistol of this size/type. It was no problem keeping tight groups at ten feet, and at ten yards I could keep a magazine in a little larger than fist-size group in the upper chest of a silhouette. It ain't a bullseye pistol, folks, so this is very acceptable accuracy.

Overall, I liked it, and wouldn't mind having one. Especially this time of year, when concealing a compact 1911 can be a bit of a problem. Or as a backup gun any time of year.

*Monarch was the least-expensive brass case .380 I could find, and shot very well. It also seems to have the same headstamp as the Wolf Gold.

'Ask the Rabbi':

something I'd forgotten about.

I was just thinking about the post on the Polish snipers

here, I wonder what rifles they use? Dragunov or some variant, or bolt rifles?

I have one more thing to ask tonight:

don't you think it's past time for the hot tar and feathers and rail?

In case the previous post didn't tell you,

I'm back from visiting folks. Today, as I have to work tomorrow. So let's see a bit of what I missed the last couple of days...

CSI: Jersey doesn't quite make the grade, it would appear:
‘Jim, I have now checked with Lenny,’ said the email. ‘The bone was sent to the UK to be dated. There is no scientific dispute regarding the fact that it is human.’

But as The Mail on Sunday revealed last week, the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, one of the world’s top bone-dating laboratories, had been telling Mr Harper for
weeks it was not bone.

Further in Britain, things are still going to hell on a greased brass incline. First in loss of respect for life, and loss of understanding of one fact:
Lack of respect for life,
A teenage actor in the new Harry Potter film was stabbed to death in the street early yesterday in a row over a mobile phone.

Robert Knox, 18, who plays a trainee wizard in the movie, died trying to protect his 17-year-old brother Jamie from a frenzied knife attack outside a bar at around 1am.
and lost understanding of an important fact,
Robert’s 16-year-old cousin Vicky May said: ‘Rob had a great acting career ahead of him. He wasn’t violent, he wasn’t in any gang.

This wasn’t about gangs, this was about stupid people carrying knives.’
Doesn't say anything about it, but wouldn't surprise me if the dirtbag is in a gang but what I'm after is the second: it's not 'stupid people carrying knives', it's evil people who don't care about the lives of others.

And while things like this are going on, we have the authorities wanting to cut down a tree, seeing a similar threat to discarded used-by-junkies need.es in the needles of the tree:
‘Every effort is made in this day and age to prevent children playing with discarded syringe needles,’ a report stated.

‘Every effort must be made to prevent children coming into contact with these potentially, equally sharp needles.’
Attaboy, just ignore the bullcrap you in some cases cause in peoples' lives, and threaten the tree. Real efficient, you people are.

Jeez.

Let's see, tornadoes and severe storms... Damn, in Mexico and South America looks like nine volcanoes erupting, and one up in the Aleutian Islands. That's something I still want to see someday, an erupting volcano. Just not from "We're all gonna die!" range as a pyroclastic flow comes down the slope.

And they're not really news, but Theo takes note of a new target stand(Only Available in Communist and Other Dictatorships), and an old story Barack "Don't talk about me!" Obama should pay attention to:
Hillary Clinton goes to a primary school in New York to talk about the world. After her talk she offers a question time.
One little boy puts up his hand. The Senator asks him what his name is?

'Kenneth.'

'And what is your question, Kenneth?'

'I have three questions:
First - Whatever happened to the medical health care plan you were paid to develop during your husband's eight years in the office as President?
Second - Why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office?
Third - Whatever happened to all those things you took when you left the White House?'

Just then the bell rings for recess. Hillary Clinton informs the kids that they will continue after recess. When they resume, Hillary says,
'Okay, where were we? Oh, that's right, question time. Who has a
question?'

A different little boy puts his hand up. Hillary points to him and asks him what his name is.
'Larry.'

'And what is your question, Larry?'

'I have five questions:
First - Whatever happened to the medical health care plan you were paid to develop during your husband's eight years in the office as President?
Second - Why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office?
Third - Whatever happened to all those things you took when you left the White House?
Fourth - Why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early?
Fifth - What happened to Kenneth?'

This just in: Soviet apologists still thin-skinned,

humorless jerks. Sort of like Barack Whoosis Obama.
Party leaders accused the actors Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett yesterday of promoting crude, anti-Soviet propaganda in their new film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. They have urged Russian moviegoers to boycott the film and told Ford, 65, not to visit the country.
Boo-frikkin'-ho, commies, suck it up. You lost.

And you really were a bunch of bloody-handed tyrants. Your own archives take note of it.

The party’s central committee called Steven Spielberg’s film an attempt to “slander Soviet Communists” and poison the young against them. It called Ford and Blanchett “capitalist puppets”.

“Our moviegoers are teenagers who are unaware of what happened in 1957,” said Sergei Malinkovich, the chief of the St Petersburg Communist Party chief. “They will go to the cinema and will be sure that in 1957 we made trouble for the United States and almost started a nuclear war. It’s rubbish.”
Translation: "It's garbage, I tell you! Just because we tried to conquer the world and murdered millions and left a legacy that still has Russia screwed up, don't think we'll put up with you making us look bad!"

Hell, I'm going to have to create a new category, just for crap like this.