we have this guy who wrote to Insty when he had the nerve to suggest some armed citizens might have been handy:
So you think that ordinary citizens armed with handguns would slow down a surprise attack by trained paramilitary forces armed with automatic weapons, grenades and who knows what else? I’m curious how you see that scenario playing out. Etc.
Well, I'll tell you what: I couldn't stop the whole bunch myself, but I could cause them problems, maybe take one or two out of the equation. And, being from OK, I'd have the knowledge that there's a fair chance someone else with a gun would be handy to help out. Kind of makes the job of the bad guys more difficult.
As other people point out.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Jeez, if this is accurate a lot of the police in Mumbai (updated)
need to be fired. Now.
But what angered Mr D'Souza almost as much were the masses of armed police hiding in the area who simply refused to shoot back. "There were armed policemen hiding all around the station but none of them did anything," he said. "At one point, I ran up to them and told them to use their weapons. I said, 'Shoot them, they're sitting ducks!' but they just didn't shoot back."
...
The militants returned inside the station and headed towards a rear exit towards Chowpatty Beach. Mr D'Souza added: "I told some policemen the gunmen had moved towards the rear of the station but they refused to follow them. What is the point if having policemen with guns if they refuse to use them? I only wish I had a gun rather than a camera."
Unarmed hotel staff putting their lives on the line to protect their guests, and armed cops refusing to, y'know, draw their sidearm and actually use it? That's friggin' disgusting.
Update: Neo-Neocon came up with this, which could indicate a combination of lack of training and political bullcrap being the cause.
But what angered Mr D'Souza almost as much were the masses of armed police hiding in the area who simply refused to shoot back. "There were armed policemen hiding all around the station but none of them did anything," he said. "At one point, I ran up to them and told them to use their weapons. I said, 'Shoot them, they're sitting ducks!' but they just didn't shoot back."
...
The militants returned inside the station and headed towards a rear exit towards Chowpatty Beach. Mr D'Souza added: "I told some policemen the gunmen had moved towards the rear of the station but they refused to follow them. What is the point if having policemen with guns if they refuse to use them? I only wish I had a gun rather than a camera."
Unarmed hotel staff putting their lives on the line to protect their guests, and armed cops refusing to, y'know, draw their sidearm and actually use it? That's friggin' disgusting.
Update: Neo-Neocon came up with this, which could indicate a combination of lack of training and political bullcrap being the cause.
'Professor of jouralism ethics'
Snork.
Wasserman asserts that the panel was assembled to the specifications of the president's most zealous supporters. However, Wassmeran skips a few steps in his accusation. He does not make out how Thornburgh and Boccardi fit the specifications of the president's most zealous supporters.
Wasserman then proceeds to argue the merits and make light of the faults of the story that ultimately led to Rather's departure from CBS:
Go read it. And discard any wonder as to how effed our media is and why, if this comes from a 'professor of journalism ethics'.
Wasserman asserts that the panel was assembled to the specifications of the president's most zealous supporters. However, Wassmeran skips a few steps in his accusation. He does not make out how Thornburgh and Boccardi fit the specifications of the president's most zealous supporters.
Wasserman then proceeds to argue the merits and make light of the faults of the story that ultimately led to Rather's departure from CBS:
Go read it. And discard any wonder as to how effed our media is and why, if this comes from a 'professor of journalism ethics'.
Speaking of idiot politicians,
this one's a prize:
I want to take this opportunity and use this non-event to signal a dangerous phenomenon in our society. We live in a time where everybody is free to publish whatever he or she wants on blogs at will without taking any responsibility. This exceeds mud-slinging. Together with you, other Parliament members and the government I find that it’s nearly impossible to defend yourself against this. Everyone of you is a potential victim. I would like to ask you to take a moment and think about this.
Translation: "That bitch told the truth about me, and if you don't do something about these peasants they might tell an uncomfortable truth about you, too!"
Screw you, Mr. Politician; instead of dealing with your own behavior you caused this woman to be fired. And by your actions caused yourself even more problems. Stop whining like a medieval lord who just found out the peasants are willing to burn his house down and act like a man with some sense of honor.
I want to take this opportunity and use this non-event to signal a dangerous phenomenon in our society. We live in a time where everybody is free to publish whatever he or she wants on blogs at will without taking any responsibility. This exceeds mud-slinging. Together with you, other Parliament members and the government I find that it’s nearly impossible to defend yourself against this. Everyone of you is a potential victim. I would like to ask you to take a moment and think about this.
Translation: "That bitch told the truth about me, and if you don't do something about these peasants they might tell an uncomfortable truth about you, too!"
Screw you, Mr. Politician; instead of dealing with your own behavior you caused this woman to be fired. And by your actions caused yourself even more problems. Stop whining like a medieval lord who just found out the peasants are willing to burn his house down and act like a man with some sense of honor.
On the subject of the Winter War,
let's not forget one of the more amazing pieces of work by an individual:
And that skinny farmer? Well, he picked up his iron-sighted Finnish copy of the Mosin-Nagant M28, sewed himself an oversuit of white bedsheets, and (with the occasional judicious application of a KP-31 submachine gun) proceeded to personally turf between 500 and 700 Soviet solders in front of Saint Peter's desk until 06MAR1940 when a Red counter-sniper got lucky and put Simo Häyhä out of the fight for the rest of the (all-too-brief) war.
And, if I remember right, he managed to pull himself back up, spot, and kill the Soviet who shot him.
Horribly outnumbered, pushed to near-exhaustion well before the end, the Finns still kicked the crap out of the attackers through the use of their brains and courage and skill.
And that skinny farmer? Well, he picked up his iron-sighted Finnish copy of the Mosin-Nagant M28, sewed himself an oversuit of white bedsheets, and (with the occasional judicious application of a KP-31 submachine gun) proceeded to personally turf between 500 and 700 Soviet solders in front of Saint Peter's desk until 06MAR1940 when a Red counter-sniper got lucky and put Simo Häyhä out of the fight for the rest of the (all-too-brief) war.
And, if I remember right, he managed to pull himself back up, spot, and kill the Soviet who shot him.
Horribly outnumbered, pushed to near-exhaustion well before the end, the Finns still kicked the crap out of the attackers through the use of their brains and courage and skill.
A bit more on the Mumbai type attacks over here and in Europe
from Canada:
When "red-teaming" potential attacks inside Western Europe and North America, counter-terror officials have often refused to even contemplate attacks like this. Mumbai-type attacks are seen as too complicated to war-game in training exercises. Moreover, the idea of a hostage situation with a gang of gunmen in a high-rise has been seen as too "Hollywood" ( Die Hard, to be more specific) to be tackled seriously.
Too 'Hollywood'. How many people writing blogs have specifically written about, worried about, exactly this kind scenario? Apparently, we're smarter than some of the officials, because any similarities to a movie didn't keep people from thinking about it.
The simple fact is that there's not enough police in any city in the world to deal with a multi-point attack like this. Which means if the bad guys get through the screen and into the country, they're half-way there to a successful attack. And considering the lack of enthusiasm by a lot of amnesty-minded socialists in DC, getting into this country isn't going to be all that difficult. Especially with the drug gangs in Mexico quite happy to help anyone in, with whatever equipment they have, for the right price. And a lot of Mexican officials happy to look the other way so long as the terrorists only attack us lousy Americans.
As Lawdog put it a while back,
"But, LawDog, I'm a CCW, not a cop. I'm not going to be responding to bank robberies."
Given that terrorism isn't going away any time soon, I'd not bet the ranch on that, but that's a discussion for another time.
Any CCW should be practising for home invasions; those who own vehicles should be practising carjacking drills; if you work in an office, office shooter drills -- all these and more.
Up until fairly recent history, most people who carry or have something for self-defense in the home or car, were worried about armed robbers and rapists and carjackers; right now, you could find yourself in the front line of fighting a terrorist attack. Not a happy thought in any way, but we'd better be considering it.
When "red-teaming" potential attacks inside Western Europe and North America, counter-terror officials have often refused to even contemplate attacks like this. Mumbai-type attacks are seen as too complicated to war-game in training exercises. Moreover, the idea of a hostage situation with a gang of gunmen in a high-rise has been seen as too "Hollywood" ( Die Hard, to be more specific) to be tackled seriously.
Too 'Hollywood'. How many people writing blogs have specifically written about, worried about, exactly this kind scenario? Apparently, we're smarter than some of the officials, because any similarities to a movie didn't keep people from thinking about it.
The simple fact is that there's not enough police in any city in the world to deal with a multi-point attack like this. Which means if the bad guys get through the screen and into the country, they're half-way there to a successful attack. And considering the lack of enthusiasm by a lot of amnesty-minded socialists in DC, getting into this country isn't going to be all that difficult. Especially with the drug gangs in Mexico quite happy to help anyone in, with whatever equipment they have, for the right price. And a lot of Mexican officials happy to look the other way so long as the terrorists only attack us lousy Americans.
As Lawdog put it a while back,
"But, LawDog, I'm a CCW, not a cop. I'm not going to be responding to bank robberies."
Given that terrorism isn't going away any time soon, I'd not bet the ranch on that, but that's a discussion for another time.
Any CCW should be practising for home invasions; those who own vehicles should be practising carjacking drills; if you work in an office, office shooter drills -- all these and more.
Up until fairly recent history, most people who carry or have something for self-defense in the home or car, were worried about armed robbers and rapists and carjackers; right now, you could find yourself in the front line of fighting a terrorist attack. Not a happy thought in any way, but we'd better be considering it.
And now, on the subject of crooked politicians and their apologists,
we present Michael Barone:
I like Charlie Rangel, I think he's a decent person and a charming pol, and I'm inclined to cut him some slack because he served in the Korean War and survived some of the most horrific fighting that American men in arms have ever faced. I think it would be sad to see him lose the chairmanship of Ways and Means for sins which are more venial than mortal, just as I thought it was sad that his predecessor as chairman, Dan Rostenkowski, lost not only his chairmanship but also his seat in Congress and, for a while, his freedom for some small bits of chicanery that were dwarfed by his public policy achievements, notably in the enactment of the tax reform bill of 1986.
Yeah, that's how to do it. "He served honorably in the military, so what's some tax evasion and fraud and corruption now? Hey, I like him, he's charming; give him a break."
Bull-effing-shit, to put it bluntly. Having served in the military does not excuse corrupt/idiotic/criminal actions taken later. I don't give McCain a break on his actions as a politician; why the hell would I do so for Rangel? And Rostenkowski? Another corrupt dirtbag politician who should have had his 'small bits of chicanery' ignored because of his 'public policy achievements'.
You want to know why DC and a lot of states are so screwed up? Garbage like this: "We can ignore your theft/tax evasion/slander/etc., just be willing to make some suitable deals. And be charming, we can cover up your crimes." Mr. Barone, I DON'T CARE how 'charming' a politician is, I don't care about his actions in the past before he became a corrupt politician; honorable things done in the past do not excuse crimes committed since. Rangel has been writing tax laws that we have to follow while he was committing tax crimes(and God knows what else) and accusing other people of all kinds of crap; Rostenkowski was a standard-issue corrupt politician who managed to stay in place that long, and commit more crimes, because of people like you giving him a break.
The only break these clowns and all their corrupt brethren deserve is the one they get when they fall off the rail and the tar and feathers don't cushion the fall. They can have a cast put on before they're thrown in a cell. And if you think they're such wonderful people, why don't you dig into your own pocket and pay their tax bills and fines? After all, they're so charming and did such good work, you shouldn't mind.
I like Charlie Rangel, I think he's a decent person and a charming pol, and I'm inclined to cut him some slack because he served in the Korean War and survived some of the most horrific fighting that American men in arms have ever faced. I think it would be sad to see him lose the chairmanship of Ways and Means for sins which are more venial than mortal, just as I thought it was sad that his predecessor as chairman, Dan Rostenkowski, lost not only his chairmanship but also his seat in Congress and, for a while, his freedom for some small bits of chicanery that were dwarfed by his public policy achievements, notably in the enactment of the tax reform bill of 1986.
Yeah, that's how to do it. "He served honorably in the military, so what's some tax evasion and fraud and corruption now? Hey, I like him, he's charming; give him a break."
Bull-effing-shit, to put it bluntly. Having served in the military does not excuse corrupt/idiotic/criminal actions taken later. I don't give McCain a break on his actions as a politician; why the hell would I do so for Rangel? And Rostenkowski? Another corrupt dirtbag politician who should have had his 'small bits of chicanery' ignored because of his 'public policy achievements'.
You want to know why DC and a lot of states are so screwed up? Garbage like this: "We can ignore your theft/tax evasion/slander/etc., just be willing to make some suitable deals. And be charming, we can cover up your crimes." Mr. Barone, I DON'T CARE how 'charming' a politician is, I don't care about his actions in the past before he became a corrupt politician; honorable things done in the past do not excuse crimes committed since. Rangel has been writing tax laws that we have to follow while he was committing tax crimes(and God knows what else) and accusing other people of all kinds of crap; Rostenkowski was a standard-issue corrupt politician who managed to stay in place that long, and commit more crimes, because of people like you giving him a break.
The only break these clowns and all their corrupt brethren deserve is the one they get when they fall off the rail and the tar and feathers don't cushion the fall. They can have a cast put on before they're thrown in a cell. And if you think they're such wonderful people, why don't you dig into your own pocket and pay their tax bills and fines? After all, they're so charming and did such good work, you shouldn't mind.
Looks like the current terrorist attack in India is over
with most of the bad guys dead. And far too many innocents and security people. As to the preparations, check this line:
Two of the hotel staffers have also been rescued and the security forces are now destroying ammunition in the hotel.
These dirtbags brought lots of stuff, they prepped for this.
In the midst of this, let us take note of, and honor, some non-official people who kept their heads and displayed great courage:
Among the workers there were some whose bravery and sense of duty led them to sacrifice their own lives, witnesses said.
Prashant Mangeshikar, a guest, said that a hotel worker, identified only as Mr Rajan, had put himself between one of the gunmen and Mr Mangeshikar, his wife and two daughters.
“The man in front of my wife shielded us,” Mr Mangeshikar said. “He was a maintenance section staff member. He took the bullets.”
Others of the hotel staff hid people, locked doors to keep the terrorists out, and- in the middle of this mess- provided food and drink to those people. God knows how many were saved by them; they should be honored for their work.
On the dirtbag side, Britain better get its collective head out of its backside and deal with this:
As many as seven of the terrorists may have British connections and some could be from Leeds and Bradford where London's July 7 bombers lived, one source said.
Two Britons were among eight gunmen being held, according to Mumbai's chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. At least nine others are reportedly dead.
India has a bad situation on its hands; but I think they can deal with it. As to the long-term fallout, we'll see; but I think they're going to be doing some serious rooting out for a while.
Two of the hotel staffers have also been rescued and the security forces are now destroying ammunition in the hotel.
These dirtbags brought lots of stuff, they prepped for this.
In the midst of this, let us take note of, and honor, some non-official people who kept their heads and displayed great courage:
Among the workers there were some whose bravery and sense of duty led them to sacrifice their own lives, witnesses said.
Prashant Mangeshikar, a guest, said that a hotel worker, identified only as Mr Rajan, had put himself between one of the gunmen and Mr Mangeshikar, his wife and two daughters.
“The man in front of my wife shielded us,” Mr Mangeshikar said. “He was a maintenance section staff member. He took the bullets.”
Others of the hotel staff hid people, locked doors to keep the terrorists out, and- in the middle of this mess- provided food and drink to those people. God knows how many were saved by them; they should be honored for their work.
On the dirtbag side, Britain better get its collective head out of its backside and deal with this:
As many as seven of the terrorists may have British connections and some could be from Leeds and Bradford where London's July 7 bombers lived, one source said.
Two Britons were among eight gunmen being held, according to Mumbai's chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. At least nine others are reportedly dead.
India has a bad situation on its hands; but I think they can deal with it. As to the long-term fallout, we'll see; but I think they're going to be doing some serious rooting out for a while.
Friday, November 28, 2008
And the question arises again:
What happens if/when a successful attack of this type happens here?
And remember, for these dirtbags every one of them being killed still counts as a success if they think we're terrified enough. Which all too many of the major media will help out on.
And remember, for these dirtbags every one of them being killed still counts as a success if they think we're terrified enough. Which all too many of the major media will help out on.
Ah, the GFW mindset in full flower
And coming, not surprisingly, from Chicago. In the comments on this article:
Mayor Daley is quite often wrong about a great many things and he's probably wrong to spend taxpayer money fighting a losing court battle, but he's not wrong about handgun laws.
Then why is he wrong for fighting a losing court battle?
It's perfectly reasonable for a local law to say, "You can't kill each other. You don't need a handgun."
Two different things there, guy. Which you just don't seem to understand.
What is so outrageous about a ban on handguns?
Nothing, if you don't mind trashing parts of the Constitution because they offend you. And don't mind preventing honest people from having the most effective means of self-defense.
The posters here (as well as Steve Chapman) obviously believe otherwise, but I say you're wrong.
Good citizens don't "carry" and the Supreme Court decision in the DC case was a poor reading of the 2nd amendment -- which is intended to protect militia, not individual vigilantes.
Oh, it's so nice to have you universally decide what a good citizen does. And I just love you deciding that anyone who wants to carry for self-defense is a 'vigilante'. You see, the term came from some people who literally took the law into their own hands because their local LE and government were corrupt and/or unwilling to enforce the law impartially; your deciding that desiring the most effective means of self-defense- one of the most basic human rights- means you 'take the law into your own hands' betrays either ignorance, or a truly corrupted viewpoint. As the Supremes noted, the 2nd Amendment is based in a pre-existing right of individuals, not something granted by the government; and not something granted only to minions of said government.
It's disingenuous to call the ban worthless because the murder rate is high. Do you NRA members out there really believe the local murder rate will go down once the ban is lifted and handguns become cheaper and easier to come by?
Do you actually believe this has anything to do with the price of firearms? Then you ARE deluded; and I don't think the dirtbags and gangbangers are paying the same price honest citizens do to legally buy something. And, considering what the murder and other crime rates are in your 'handguns are banned paradise', do you actually think they'd get worse if honest citizens are armed?
Shoot each other if you must. I don't want or need a gun. But I may need some Kevlar.
You don't want a gun? Fine, no problem. It's your unilateral decision that nobody should be allowed to have one that pisses me off.
And let us note the repeated "Why do you need a gun?" and "You people just want to shoot someone" attitude, repeated by GFWs all over. Seems like their attitude is that you have to have an approved(by them and their favored politicians) reason to own something; and, again, the apparent belief that the only reason someone would want a firearm is a desire to kill.
Two things here, guy. On the second, I don't want to kill anybody; I don't know anyone who does. We do like having this means of self-defense available to us and to other honest people; we don't like the viewpoint of people like you that the means of self-defense should be limited to empty hands. Or would you be open-minded enough to allow us peasants to have pepper spray or tear gas?
And, guy, there's only one proper answer in a free society to your question: None Of Your Damned Business. As long as I'm not violating the law in my use of what I own, it's nobodys damn busines what I own; not yours not the governments, nobody.
Mayor Daley is quite often wrong about a great many things and he's probably wrong to spend taxpayer money fighting a losing court battle, but he's not wrong about handgun laws.
Then why is he wrong for fighting a losing court battle?
It's perfectly reasonable for a local law to say, "You can't kill each other. You don't need a handgun."
Two different things there, guy. Which you just don't seem to understand.
What is so outrageous about a ban on handguns?
Nothing, if you don't mind trashing parts of the Constitution because they offend you. And don't mind preventing honest people from having the most effective means of self-defense.
The posters here (as well as Steve Chapman) obviously believe otherwise, but I say you're wrong.
Good citizens don't "carry" and the Supreme Court decision in the DC case was a poor reading of the 2nd amendment -- which is intended to protect militia, not individual vigilantes.
Oh, it's so nice to have you universally decide what a good citizen does. And I just love you deciding that anyone who wants to carry for self-defense is a 'vigilante'. You see, the term came from some people who literally took the law into their own hands because their local LE and government were corrupt and/or unwilling to enforce the law impartially; your deciding that desiring the most effective means of self-defense- one of the most basic human rights- means you 'take the law into your own hands' betrays either ignorance, or a truly corrupted viewpoint. As the Supremes noted, the 2nd Amendment is based in a pre-existing right of individuals, not something granted by the government; and not something granted only to minions of said government.
It's disingenuous to call the ban worthless because the murder rate is high. Do you NRA members out there really believe the local murder rate will go down once the ban is lifted and handguns become cheaper and easier to come by?
Do you actually believe this has anything to do with the price of firearms? Then you ARE deluded; and I don't think the dirtbags and gangbangers are paying the same price honest citizens do to legally buy something. And, considering what the murder and other crime rates are in your 'handguns are banned paradise', do you actually think they'd get worse if honest citizens are armed?
Shoot each other if you must. I don't want or need a gun. But I may need some Kevlar.
You don't want a gun? Fine, no problem. It's your unilateral decision that nobody should be allowed to have one that pisses me off.
And let us note the repeated "Why do you need a gun?" and "You people just want to shoot someone" attitude, repeated by GFWs all over. Seems like their attitude is that you have to have an approved(by them and their favored politicians) reason to own something; and, again, the apparent belief that the only reason someone would want a firearm is a desire to kill.
Two things here, guy. On the second, I don't want to kill anybody; I don't know anyone who does. We do like having this means of self-defense available to us and to other honest people; we don't like the viewpoint of people like you that the means of self-defense should be limited to empty hands. Or would you be open-minded enough to allow us peasants to have pepper spray or tear gas?
And, guy, there's only one proper answer in a free society to your question: None Of Your Damned Business. As long as I'm not violating the law in my use of what I own, it's nobodys damn busines what I own; not yours not the governments, nobody.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
H-S Precision did indeed print an endorsement from Lon Horiuchi
in their catalog. Just frikkin' amazing.
In that case the other day of "We've ambushed the Marines;
crap, we're screwed!" by the bad guys, Ace notes a new award: the Legolas Award for Most Orcs Killed.
And I wonder, of those who got away? How many wounded?
And I wonder, of those who got away? How many wounded?
Just some general stuff
Here's an idea for the auto industry and unions. And as he says, any politician who votes for bailing them out should, if every again use the words 'corporate welfare', be immediately tarred and feathered and thrown out of office(which should happen to a lot of them anyway).
William Ayers is a murdering terrorist dirtbag. And anyone who tries to deny what he's done and/or make excuses for his actions is a douche.
That the feds felt such need to inject themselves into this 'cyberbullying' case is disgusting. Can you say 'trolling for headlines and power'? I knew you could. I'll further note, they don't mention what kind of 'bullying' the jerk is facing in school; considering the current climate, someone saying "You did a disgusting thing and I don't want to talk to you" would probably be considered bullying.
If you're not aware of some of the more idiotic/demented/bloodthirsty followers of the Religion of Peace attacking people in India, you're even more out of the loop than I often am. I think the reaction of the Indian government is likely to be, ah, let's say 'energetic'.
The Brits also have problems with LE who A: don't actually investigate before they go charging into people's homes and B: can't tell marijuana from things like, oh, tomatoes:
Mrs Matheson’s 47-year-old son Gus, a former driver, was looking out of the window when he spotted police cars screeching to a halt .
He said: ‘I wondered what on earth was going on. I opened the door and they more or less barged past, saying that I was growing cannabis on the windowsills.
‘I started laughing because I knew they were tomato plants but it wasn’t so funny when they frisked me and then started tearing the house apart.’
No, it wouldn't be. And, with what seems to be a standard leavetaking,
He added: ‘Despite leaving with their tails between their legs, the police didn’t even apologise.’
Hey, at least they didn't shoot the dogs this time.
The dumbass fascist-type homosexual activists demonstrate their tolerance for people who disagree with them.
The outbreak of attacks on the Mormon church since the passage of Proposition 8 has been chilling: envelopes full of suspicious white powder were sent to church headquarters in Salt Lake City; protesters showed up en masse to intimidate Mormon small-business owners who supported the measure; a website was created to identify and shame members of the church who backed it; activists are targeting the relatives of prominent Mormons who gave money to pass it, as well as other Mormons who are only tangentially associated with the cause; some have even called for a boycott of the entire state of Utah.
I wonder how the jerks involved in this will like being prosecuted under the 'hate crimes' laws they're so fond of pushing?
What was that line about "Whiskey is God's way of keeping the Irish from ruling the world'?
And ending with another case of 'Politicians who should be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail':
“Who really cares about it being unconstitutional?” said Councilwoman Tonya Payne, a supporter. “This is what’s right to do, and if this means that we have to go out and have a court battle, then that’s fine … We have plenty of dead bodies coming up in our streets every single day, and that is unacceptable.”
The only good thing about crap like this is it clearly displays whose word is not worth the air used to speak it.
William Ayers is a murdering terrorist dirtbag. And anyone who tries to deny what he's done and/or make excuses for his actions is a douche.
That the feds felt such need to inject themselves into this 'cyberbullying' case is disgusting. Can you say 'trolling for headlines and power'? I knew you could. I'll further note, they don't mention what kind of 'bullying' the jerk is facing in school; considering the current climate, someone saying "You did a disgusting thing and I don't want to talk to you" would probably be considered bullying.
If you're not aware of some of the more idiotic/demented/bloodthirsty followers of the Religion of Peace attacking people in India, you're even more out of the loop than I often am. I think the reaction of the Indian government is likely to be, ah, let's say 'energetic'.
The Brits also have problems with LE who A: don't actually investigate before they go charging into people's homes and B: can't tell marijuana from things like, oh, tomatoes:
Mrs Matheson’s 47-year-old son Gus, a former driver, was looking out of the window when he spotted police cars screeching to a halt .
He said: ‘I wondered what on earth was going on. I opened the door and they more or less barged past, saying that I was growing cannabis on the windowsills.
‘I started laughing because I knew they were tomato plants but it wasn’t so funny when they frisked me and then started tearing the house apart.’
No, it wouldn't be. And, with what seems to be a standard leavetaking,
He added: ‘Despite leaving with their tails between their legs, the police didn’t even apologise.’
Hey, at least they didn't shoot the dogs this time.
The dumbass fascist-type homosexual activists demonstrate their tolerance for people who disagree with them.
The outbreak of attacks on the Mormon church since the passage of Proposition 8 has been chilling: envelopes full of suspicious white powder were sent to church headquarters in Salt Lake City; protesters showed up en masse to intimidate Mormon small-business owners who supported the measure; a website was created to identify and shame members of the church who backed it; activists are targeting the relatives of prominent Mormons who gave money to pass it, as well as other Mormons who are only tangentially associated with the cause; some have even called for a boycott of the entire state of Utah.
I wonder how the jerks involved in this will like being prosecuted under the 'hate crimes' laws they're so fond of pushing?
What was that line about "Whiskey is God's way of keeping the Irish from ruling the world'?
And ending with another case of 'Politicians who should be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail':
“Who really cares about it being unconstitutional?” said Councilwoman Tonya Payne, a supporter. “This is what’s right to do, and if this means that we have to go out and have a court battle, then that’s fine … We have plenty of dead bodies coming up in our streets every single day, and that is unacceptable.”
The only good thing about crap like this is it clearly displays whose word is not worth the air used to speak it.
Happy Thanksgiving
While not talking with family and friends and either stuffing yourself or recovering from, Xerox has a site where you can send a card to a troop.
Enjoy your family, and give a thought to those at the sharp end.
Enjoy your family, and give a thought to those at the sharp end.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Oh, it's been such a FUN day...
Start with about an hour and a half of sleep. Get up, go to work. Get off, help someone with a flat, take care of a couple of things and then get to the doctors office for the appointment. You're shown to an exam room after only a few minutes, great, right?
It would be. If you hadn't been left there, apparently forgotten, for damn near an hour after the time of the appointment. Which would have been longer, except that at that point you said the hell with it and left. It took about 30 minutes to get home, and right after you walk in the phone rings. "Mr. Firehand?"
"Yes."
"This is Doctor Jerkwad's office, are you all right?"
"Except for being left in the exam room for an hour, yes."
Pause.
"Ah, Doctor Jerkwad just checked your room and you weren't there."
"Yeah, and nobody noticed me leaving, either, did they?"
Another pause.
"I'm sorry for your wait-"
"Yeah. Thanks." Click.
I've got a couple of letters to write tomorrow.
It would be. If you hadn't been left there, apparently forgotten, for damn near an hour after the time of the appointment. Which would have been longer, except that at that point you said the hell with it and left. It took about 30 minutes to get home, and right after you walk in the phone rings. "Mr. Firehand?"
"Yes."
"This is Doctor Jerkwad's office, are you all right?"
"Except for being left in the exam room for an hour, yes."
Pause.
"Ah, Doctor Jerkwad just checked your room and you weren't there."
"Yeah, and nobody noticed me leaving, either, did they?"
Another pause.
"I'm sorry for your wait-"
"Yeah. Thanks." Click.
I've got a couple of letters to write tomorrow.
No matter how drunk and stupid, I think words like these
would get your attention:
By-the-by, your wife's loving father has tried to post your bail. Four times. Apropos of nothing, if I were you, I'd meditate on the fact that the weather in Outer Mongolia is absolutely splendid this time of year.
I'm just saying, is all.
By-the-by, your wife's loving father has tried to post your bail. Four times. Apropos of nothing, if I were you, I'd meditate on the fact that the weather in Outer Mongolia is absolutely splendid this time of year.
I'm just saying, is all.
"What? Insecticide? No, no, we'll allow nets."
This rant is going to upset a friend, but I’m too ticked off not to blow off some heat.
Just saw a commercial from the United Methodist something. “Malaria is a bad problem.” No argument. “Malaria harms millions in Africa.” Without question. “Bednets are the answer.” What?
Oh, yeah, the whole thing is for a setup ‘Nothing But Nets’. Never mind that nets only work when you’re in the bed, and don’t have holes or get disarranged. Never mind a little DDT will run the bugs off or kill them for months. And never mind that, used properly, it doesn’t bother people or animals, and is far more affordable; oh, no, using DDT might make Mama Gaia tear up or something. And who wants the locals to actually buy something and do it themselves? I mean, don’t they know we’re supposed to save them and take care of them?
Kind of hard to describe just how pissed I was by the time that commercial finished.
Dammit.
Just saw a commercial from the United Methodist something. “Malaria is a bad problem.” No argument. “Malaria harms millions in Africa.” Without question. “Bednets are the answer.” What?
Oh, yeah, the whole thing is for a setup ‘Nothing But Nets’. Never mind that nets only work when you’re in the bed, and don’t have holes or get disarranged. Never mind a little DDT will run the bugs off or kill them for months. And never mind that, used properly, it doesn’t bother people or animals, and is far more affordable; oh, no, using DDT might make Mama Gaia tear up or something. And who wants the locals to actually buy something and do it themselves? I mean, don’t they know we’re supposed to save them and take care of them?
Kind of hard to describe just how pissed I was by the time that commercial finished.
Dammit.
Due to circumstances beyond my control,
since I want to keep paying the bills, I find myself semi-conscious at 0237 in the morning. So, I'll take note of a few things:
Larry Correia's description of the current firearms market:
I found 5 DPMS AP4s yesterday and picked them up from a local cop shop. I brought them into the shop around 3:00, put them on the bound book, and the last one was sold by 6:00. In that same timeframe I sold 2 Sig 556s, a Colt sporter, an Olympic plinker, 2 WASRs, a Golani, an AK made out of railroad ties and plywood by a Pakistani over a campfire from the Khyber Pass, an Airsoft gun, and traded 2 chickens and a bag of rice for a goat. It was a very busy afternoon.
and
Some folks still make me laugh. I love the guys who call and ask how long it will take to get a DPMS AR10 custom with cryo barrel chambered in .267 Huffalump Magnum. They get offened when I tell them that I have no earthly idea. Why, yes sir, I’m sure DPMS is just cranking those out in a time when people are selling their organs and children to get a shot at a rusty Kel-Tec SU16 that’s missing its bolt carrier.
Ok, that's bad.
Bill Whittle got sent to Sexual Harassment Training. And writes about the idiocy involved. When someone else gets to say "It doesn't matter what you actually said or did, or what you intended, I'm upset so you're GUILTY!"...
The Geek speaks on the "You're backordered for HOW LONG?!?" situation:
But this isn't about hunting guns, and everyone with a functional neural net knows it. The racks that were empty used to be filled with fighting rifles, and Americans have, in the last week, literally purchased every functional fighting rifle they can get their hands on, completely depleting the sales pipeline.
You can attribute the behavior to either "hoarding" or "gearing up", but I don't think it matters.
What I do think is very important is that this has actually happened: humpteen zillion arms have been transfered to private hands and scattered all over the nation, with no realistic hope of ever tracing or getting them back. More will follow, as fast as they can be manufactured.I also think that it's very important that this fact can not escaped government notice. It can't possibly escape notice; NICS keeps getting swamped.
Yeah, that do kind of send a message, do it not?
As to that last, it's something that's happened before(as Geek notes; read his whole post), but I hadn't specifically thought of it lately. I should have. An awful lot of people have basically said "Screw you" to the Minions of Government, and those Minions with three working brain cells have to be considering "Even if only a few percent of them actually mean 'I will not surrender my arms, come and get them'... we're in trouble." I have no doubt there are some True Believers In Thepeasants, er, masses, ah,Citizens Doing What They're Told who'll consider this horribly arrogant of those mere people, and a few of them would probably consider sending in some LE personnel to get shot up to be a suitable way of stirring things up('making the most of a disaster', as it were); most of them, and the non-morons in LE should keep the idiots reined in.
Yes, I actually do think there are some people at the state and federal level who'd think that way; considering what some of these clowns have done in the past, why wouldn't I?
Ok, if this is accurate and correct, this is flat idiotic choice of an endorser. Endorsement? Whichever, dumb, dumb, dumb.
And to close, from Theo:
A Frenchman's comments on American troops:
And combat ? If you have seen Rambo you have seen it all - always coming to the rescue when one of our teams gets in trouble, and always in the shortest delay. That is one of their tricks : they switch from T-shirt and sandals to combat ready in three minutes. Arriving in contact with the ennemy, the way they fight is simple and disconcerting : they just charge ! They disembark and assault in stride, they bomb first and ask questions later - which cuts any pussyfooting short.
and
Five Reasons Computers Are Female....
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
2. Even your smallest mistakes are immediately committed to memory for future reference.
3. The native language used to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.
4. The message “Bad command or filename” is about as informative as “If you don’t know why I’m mad at you, then I’m certainly not going to tell you.”
5. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your salary on accessories for it.
Larry Correia's description of the current firearms market:
I found 5 DPMS AP4s yesterday and picked them up from a local cop shop. I brought them into the shop around 3:00, put them on the bound book, and the last one was sold by 6:00. In that same timeframe I sold 2 Sig 556s, a Colt sporter, an Olympic plinker, 2 WASRs, a Golani, an AK made out of railroad ties and plywood by a Pakistani over a campfire from the Khyber Pass, an Airsoft gun, and traded 2 chickens and a bag of rice for a goat. It was a very busy afternoon.
and
Some folks still make me laugh. I love the guys who call and ask how long it will take to get a DPMS AR10 custom with cryo barrel chambered in .267 Huffalump Magnum. They get offened when I tell them that I have no earthly idea. Why, yes sir, I’m sure DPMS is just cranking those out in a time when people are selling their organs and children to get a shot at a rusty Kel-Tec SU16 that’s missing its bolt carrier.
Ok, that's bad.
Bill Whittle got sent to Sexual Harassment Training. And writes about the idiocy involved. When someone else gets to say "It doesn't matter what you actually said or did, or what you intended, I'm upset so you're GUILTY!"...
The Geek speaks on the "You're backordered for HOW LONG?!?" situation:
But this isn't about hunting guns, and everyone with a functional neural net knows it. The racks that were empty used to be filled with fighting rifles, and Americans have, in the last week, literally purchased every functional fighting rifle they can get their hands on, completely depleting the sales pipeline.
You can attribute the behavior to either "hoarding" or "gearing up", but I don't think it matters.
What I do think is very important is that this has actually happened: humpteen zillion arms have been transfered to private hands and scattered all over the nation, with no realistic hope of ever tracing or getting them back. More will follow, as fast as they can be manufactured.I also think that it's very important that this fact can not escaped government notice. It can't possibly escape notice; NICS keeps getting swamped.
Yeah, that do kind of send a message, do it not?
As to that last, it's something that's happened before(as Geek notes; read his whole post), but I hadn't specifically thought of it lately. I should have. An awful lot of people have basically said "Screw you" to the Minions of Government, and those Minions with three working brain cells have to be considering "Even if only a few percent of them actually mean 'I will not surrender my arms, come and get them'... we're in trouble." I have no doubt there are some True Believers In The
Yes, I actually do think there are some people at the state and federal level who'd think that way; considering what some of these clowns have done in the past, why wouldn't I?
Ok, if this is accurate and correct, this is flat idiotic choice of an endorser. Endorsement? Whichever, dumb, dumb, dumb.
And to close, from Theo:
A Frenchman's comments on American troops:
And combat ? If you have seen Rambo you have seen it all - always coming to the rescue when one of our teams gets in trouble, and always in the shortest delay. That is one of their tricks : they switch from T-shirt and sandals to combat ready in three minutes. Arriving in contact with the ennemy, the way they fight is simple and disconcerting : they just charge ! They disembark and assault in stride, they bomb first and ask questions later - which cuts any pussyfooting short.
and
Five Reasons Computers Are Female....
1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
2. Even your smallest mistakes are immediately committed to memory for future reference.
3. The native language used to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.
4. The message “Bad command or filename” is about as informative as “If you don’t know why I’m mad at you, then I’m certainly not going to tell you.”
5. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your salary on accessories for it.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Range day, load tryout
One of the cartridges I mess with is the .38 Smith & Wesson, the ancestor of the .38 Special. It's a shorter case, with a larger diameter. The heaviest load for it was used by the British as their original load in the Mk IV Webley as the .380/200, and it was also used by some police departments here: it's a 200-grain roundnose bullet at about 650 feet per second. I've heard it had a pretty good record as a fight-stopper, but have no accounts to list. The Brits wound up, due to the Geneva Convention having a problem with non-jacketed bullets, going to a 176-grain jacketed bullet(long taper with a small round nose), and from what I've read it lost much of the effectiveness with this load. In any case...
There are a lot of old revolvers out there, S&W and Colt and Webley and Iver Johnson and others, chambered for this cartridge. Some, like the Webley and Enfield and IJ, are top-break designs and some of those should be approached with caution: some of those designs are stronger than others, and some may not have aged well, especially if they'd seen much use. The Webley/Enfield, for instance, has a pretty strong lockup involving good amounts of steel interlocking, while some have a spring-latch that's not as strong. So if you're going to shoot one of them, check it out carefully before you take it to the range.
Reasons for handloading this are primarily
Expense. Factory ammo for this seems to be limited to a 145-grain roundnose, and fairly expensive.
Accuracy. The factory stuff tends to be loaded down due to the company not knowing if it'll be put in a vault-strong S&W or Webley or a worn-out old Iver Johnson or some Spanish copy, so they keep pressures low. Which usually leads to ammo that hits above or below point of aim, sometimes drastically so.
I originally wanted to duplicate the .380/200 load for a Enfield revolver so it would hit where I was aiming; factory stuff hit low. Lyman makes a mold for a 200-grain roundnose .38 bullet, and some digging around found some load information. I use the bullet as-cast, lubed with Lee Liquid Alox, and wound up using Unique powder; the load hits right at 650fps and hits dead-on point of aim at ten yards. Good load, and I think it would work as a defense load( I don't know if the bullet would stay straight and maybe overpenetrate, or yaw after impact and spin). But I also wanted a practice load with a lighter bullet for target-punching. So I tried these:
The left is a 148-grain wadcutter, the right a 162-grain semi-wadcutter. Both from .38 molds, used as-cast with Liquid Alox. They're seated out to keep the overall length and depth in the case as my measurements indicate proper; like I said, it's a short case. Both use Unique. I tried them both out today, but no targets to show; did not have a solid rest and some of the lights in the range were out, so pretty targets will have to wait a while. However, both seemed to shoot to point of aim, both cut nice, sharp holes and had light recoil. The wadcutter seemed to group a bit tighter, but without a rest that's not something I'd swear to.
So two good possibilities for target loads, which means I'll have to load some more for testing(work, work, work, to quote Wash).
If you get hold of one of these revolvers, new brass is available, bullet molds in .38 are easy to find and someone, I've read, does sell ready-to-load bullets for the cartridge(yes, I am too lazy to dig it up right now). Just make sure the pistol is in good condition, and don't push the limits.
There are a lot of old revolvers out there, S&W and Colt and Webley and Iver Johnson and others, chambered for this cartridge. Some, like the Webley and Enfield and IJ, are top-break designs and some of those should be approached with caution: some of those designs are stronger than others, and some may not have aged well, especially if they'd seen much use. The Webley/Enfield, for instance, has a pretty strong lockup involving good amounts of steel interlocking, while some have a spring-latch that's not as strong. So if you're going to shoot one of them, check it out carefully before you take it to the range.
Reasons for handloading this are primarily
Expense. Factory ammo for this seems to be limited to a 145-grain roundnose, and fairly expensive.
Accuracy. The factory stuff tends to be loaded down due to the company not knowing if it'll be put in a vault-strong S&W or Webley or a worn-out old Iver Johnson or some Spanish copy, so they keep pressures low. Which usually leads to ammo that hits above or below point of aim, sometimes drastically so.
I originally wanted to duplicate the .380/200 load for a Enfield revolver so it would hit where I was aiming; factory stuff hit low. Lyman makes a mold for a 200-grain roundnose .38 bullet, and some digging around found some load information. I use the bullet as-cast, lubed with Lee Liquid Alox, and wound up using Unique powder; the load hits right at 650fps and hits dead-on point of aim at ten yards. Good load, and I think it would work as a defense load( I don't know if the bullet would stay straight and maybe overpenetrate, or yaw after impact and spin). But I also wanted a practice load with a lighter bullet for target-punching. So I tried these:
The left is a 148-grain wadcutter, the right a 162-grain semi-wadcutter. Both from .38 molds, used as-cast with Liquid Alox. They're seated out to keep the overall length and depth in the case as my measurements indicate proper; like I said, it's a short case. Both use Unique. I tried them both out today, but no targets to show; did not have a solid rest and some of the lights in the range were out, so pretty targets will have to wait a while. However, both seemed to shoot to point of aim, both cut nice, sharp holes and had light recoil. The wadcutter seemed to group a bit tighter, but without a rest that's not something I'd swear to. So two good possibilities for target loads, which means I'll have to load some more for testing(work, work, work, to quote Wash).
If you get hold of one of these revolvers, new brass is available, bullet molds in .38 are easy to find and someone, I've read, does sell ready-to-load bullets for the cartridge(yes, I am too lazy to dig it up right now). Just make sure the pistol is in good condition, and don't push the limits.
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