Earth Hour

In honor of Earth Hour, I've got a bunch of lights on, the TV and computers running, and the air conditioning is on.

As an added bonus, I made plans with the neighbor tonight to cut down a big honeysuckle bush that sits on the property line using a chain saw with a two-stroke motor.  Nothing like that wonderful blue smoke.  This was after I mowed the lawn with my dirty old powermower, which according to my enviro-hippie barista, kills little baby birds every time the engine fires.

What are you all doing to make a difference?

Today's Earworm

For Saturday morning cartoons today, we watched "The Princess Bride".  Boo loved swashing some buckle.  And yes, I've sung this song to a girl, long ago and far away.

Service Comparison - Online Ammunition Dealers

With the cost of ammunition going up and Girlie Bear learning to shoot, I'm going through a lot more .22.  I decided to stock up, and while I was at it I thought I'd compare service between the online ammunition dealers.

I bought the common denominator between all of my .22's in what they liked to eat: Remington 36 grain Golden Bullet .22 Long Rifle.  This is basically like comparing boxes of flour or any other commodity, so I was able to find several different vendors who offered them.  I bought it in the 525 round packs, as that seemed to be the largest box you can buy from most dealers without having to buy thousands of rounds at a time.

I compared my purchases on cost, ease of purchase, and time to ship to my home.  I used no special discounts on the purchase prices, and I paid for the lowest cost shipping available from each dealer.

Cost:

Vendor	Cost	Shipping/Handling	Fees	Total Cost	Cost Per Round
Cabelas	$19.99	$5.25		$25.24	$0.05
Ammunition to Go	$18.95	$11.64		$30.59	$0.06
Midway USA	$21.99	$9.95	$3.00	$34.94	$0.07
BassPro Shop	$20.49	$5.00		$25.49	$0.05
Sportsman's Guide	$21.49	$8.49	$0.99	$30.97	$0.06
Lucky Gunner	$20.00	$13.09		$33.09	$0.06

Cabelas and BassPro were the least expensive at 5 cents per round, with Midway USA being the most expensive at 7 cents.  All of the others had the average price per round of 6 cents.  Bass Pro and Cabelas would have come in a little cheaper if I had gone to one of their stores to pick up my purchase, but the nearest Bass Pro is more than $5 worth of gas away, and there won't be a Cabelas near here for a few more months.  It should be noted that most of these vendors offered a discount for buying several of these packs together, usually 10, so you could get a cheaper cost per round if you bought from one vendor in larger quantities.

Ease of Purchase:

Overall, all of these vendors had a pretty good shopping experience.  I bought from all of them as a 'guest' account, so none of my stored information with them was used.  Bass Pro Shop and MidWay USA probably had the best purchase sites based on the fewest number of clicks to get from the "Shopping Cart" page to the "Order Confirmed" page.  Sportsman's Guide took the longest to purchase from, had the largest number of pages to get through to complete the order, and I had to click through several "Don't you want to join our club and save money?" pages.  However, the difference wasn't significant and wasn't frustrating enough to make me quit.  Please keep in mind that this portion of the evaluation was totally subjective and based upon my impressions as I was making the purchases.  Your mileage may vary.

Time to Ship:

Vendor	Date Ordered	Date Arrived	Elapsed Days
Cabelas	03/21/12	03/26/12	5
Ammunition to Go	03/21/12	03/26/12	5
Midway USA	03/21/12	03/23/12	2
BassPro Shop	03/21/12	03/30/12	9
Sportsman's Guide	03/21/12	03/27/12	6
Lucky Gunner	03/24/12	03/28/12	4

In the amount of time it took to get from "Order Complete" to "Putting the box in the foot locker", Midway USA was by far the fastest at two days.  I got the shipment notice from Midway USA the same day I ordered, as has been my experience in all of the purchases I've done with them in the past.  Dead last by several days was Bass Pro, who took 9 days to get the bullets to me.  This was probably due to them being on back order, a situation Bass Pro was polite enough to tell me about half an hour after I had finalized the purchase on their website. The average time from order to front door was 5 days.

Miscellaneous Thoughts:

Like I said, Bass Pro put my order on back order without telling me about it during purchase.  I probably wouldn't have included them in my comparison if they had told me that they didn't have that product in stock at the time of purchase, but since they finalized the order and then told me, they got put in with the rest of the pack.  Their time from order to delivery was 9 days, almost twice the average time of 5 days.

Lucky Gunner had the exact opposite problem.  When I was making the rest of the purchases on the 21st, they didn't have this particular .22 LR in stock, so didn't list it.  A few days later, they had it in, so I bought from them.  They got the bullets to me in less than the average time, so I'd put them up as a win.

Conclusions:

Honestly, with the exception of the out-of-stock situation with Bass Pro, all of the vendors excelled in some way, either in price, ease of purchase, or speed of shipping.  Bass Pro and Cabela's were the least expensive, while Lucky Gunner and Midway USA were the most expensive.  However Bass Pro took the longest to get me my merchandise, while the more expensive options of Lucky Gunner and Midway USA got them to me the fastest.  Cabelas appears to be the sweet spot in this comparison for excellent cost per round and average speed of shipment.

So which one would I recommend?  Well, it depends.  If you need the rounds fast, I'd say go with Midway USA or Lucky Gunner.  If cost, not speed, is your priority, then I'd suggest Cabela's or Bass Pro.  However, the other vendors, while not outstanding when compared to any of these choices, still got my purchase to me in a reasonable amount of time and at a reasonable cost.  I would definitely recommend looking at all of these vendors if you are considering purchasing ammunition in the near future.  The major difference in cost between all of them was due to shipping costs, so what was less expensive to ship for me might be more for you and vice versa, especially if you are buying in bulk.  

Disclaimer:  I received nothing to do this review, and all materials and services discussed in it were paid for by me.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 29

Occasionally he stumbled over the truth, but hastily picked himself up and hurried on as if nothing had happened. -- On Stanley Baldwin, as cited in Churchill by Himself (2008)

My Take - This can probably be said about all politicians, professional and amateur.

Blogs Roundup

• Mama Bear has me smacking my forehead and wondering "Why didn't I think of that?"  Update - She has pictures of the finished product too!
• Bob Owens at Pajamas Media has a great rundown on an Appleseed event.  I need to get Girlie Bear and myself signed up for one of those.
• Roberta X gets my Irish up about the lack of good choices in presidential politics since about 1984.
• Peter owes me big time for all the hot coffee I snorted out through my nasal passages while reading his latest anecdote.
• NavyOne brings us a story about an American who gave his life so that an Afghan child could live.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  Where do we get such men?

Updates for posts I stumbled across after I hit "Publish"

• Whitecoat brings us a story that has some of the best visual pictures I've had in a long time.
•  Badass of the Week has a profile of someone I could see using as a model for my life. (Language Warning)

Today's Earworm

Due to the way our schedules work out, I'm normally the parent who gets Boo ready in the morning and takes him to school.  For whatever reason, I either listen to a mix of kids music or a mix of classical music on the iPod for our 15 minute drive. 

This morning, the classical mix brought us to the beginning to the choral part of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, which I have been told I incorrectly call "Ode to Joy".  The recording I have has a great German baritone doing the initial solo, and Boo got into it.

As we walked into the school, he was singing "Fweude!  Fweude!" as dramatically as he could.

I think I'm doing something right.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 28

Truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is.-- Speech in the House of Commons, May 17, 1916

My Take - The truth can be spun, colored, twisted, ignored, and lied about.  But if you dig deep enough, you will find it.

Quote of the Day

Honey, I forgot to duck. --Ronald Reagan

Recognition

I grew up among veterans, from World War I to Vietnam.  My father and all of the fathers of my friends served in Vietnam.  All of them were normal guys who had gone and done their duty then returned to pick up their lives and drive on.  Some Vietnam veterans weren't so lucky, and those who needed help or reported problems were out in the cold for way too long.

Thanks to Castle Argghhh!!!, I see that President Obama has proclaimed today to be Vietnam Veteran's Day. 

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your service.  Please enjoy your day and remember that our country appreciates what you did for us all.

This memorial has the Three Soldiers staring off at The Wall

This is the only time I've seen this memorial without flowers to the nurses on it
One of the nurses gazes over at the statue of the Three Soldiers, who she is watching over.

Dumbass of the Week Award

This week, we salute the guy from Pennsylvania who forgot to take the materials he uses in his hobby of blowing stuff up out of his bag before he tried to go through security at Philadelphia airport:

A 29-year-old-man was taken into police custody this morning at the Philadelphia airport after attempting to board a flight to San Francisco while carrying items that could have been assembled into an explosive device -- a vial with a fuse, a plastic bottle filled with explosive powder and three M-80 type fireworks.

This is one of the reasons that my range bags are my range bags and my airport bags are my airport bags and never the twain shall meet.  I go through airport security every day, and all it would take is for me to forget to take a magazine or a box of bullets out of my bag before throwing the laptop back in it for me to find myself in a world of pain.

Remember kids, take the explosives, guns, knives, bottles of water, and tubes of toothpaste out of your bag before going to see Uncle BadTouch, or you may end up on my blog as a bad example to others.

Simple Answer

France is struggling with what to do with the remains of the coward who murdered three children, their teacher, and three soldiers over the past few weeks.  This piece of filth was lucky enough to catch a piece of copper jacketed lead with his cranium during a standoff with police, so there won't be any trial where he gets to rant about how the cause of jihad is advanced by shooting young girls in the head while they're being held up for the camera.   Algeria, where this "person's" family comes from, has declined to take the body off of France's hands, so now the French government must find a way to dispose of it.

My answer to their conundrum is pretty simple:  Don't.

This murdering bastard doesn't deserve a proper burial.  Toulouse is a medieval city, so I suggest a medieval solution:

I'm sure that if you go to the main gate of the old city walls of Toulouse, you will find either hooks or places to put hooks in the wall.  From those hooks a cage can be hung with the earthly remains of this waste of good protein in it.  Then you walk away.  Let the world press take all the pictures they want, and let the crows have a feast.  It'll be messy for a few days, but after that, all you'll have is a cage full of bones for a few years that will act as a reminder that child murderers aren't handled with any kindness in Toulouse.  Place a guard of paratroopers from the local regiment to make sure no-one tries to retrieve the bodies before the birds have had their fill.  Something tells me you won't have much trouble getting volunteers.

French authorities are also holding this bastards ill-begotten brother.  My suggestion as to what to do with him if he's convicted is eerily similar, except we don't have to wait for the putz to get a 9mm aneurysm.

Sorry if this sounds a bit harsh, but after reading what this guy did, my humanity meter is reading a little low in reference to him and his ilk.

Update - The BBC is reporting that he's been buried in Toulouse.  Here's hoping they used good French porcelain for the urinal.

A Good Man

Like a lot of you, I was shocked to read OldNFO's post this morning reporting the death of Newbius.

I met Newbius a couple of years ago in the GunBlogger Conspiracy chatroom, and he was always kind and polite.  He was a font of information and advice when asked, but would not push his opinions on you.

I met him last year at the NRA Annual Meeting, and it was a pleasure to talk with him in meatspace.  He was as kind and nice sitting across a table as he was on a chat line, and the time I spent talking to him was a highlight of the weekend.

We lost a good man this week, and the world is diminished by his absence.  My family will be keeping him and his family in our prayers.

Thought for the Day

This morning, I let Boo watch Sesame Street while we got ready for work and school.  One of the puppet characters was asking people on the streets of New York asking people of they knew any words that started with the letter M.

My question:

Am I going to hell because in my mind I heard some big fat guy from Brooklyn say "Yeah, I got your M word right here: Your mother!".

30 Days of Churchill - Day 27

An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile — hoping it will eat him last. -- In Reader's Digest (December 1954)

News Roundup

• From the "Don't #!$@ With Old Men" Department - An 81 year old man in Michigan defended his wife and himself when they were threatened by a man with a butcher knife who wanted their car.  Rather than meekly give in and hope they weren't hurt, he grabbed the hand that held the knife and proceeded to make things difficult for the carjacker.  The miscreant eventually gave up and ran away.  Just goes to show, you may not always be armed, but you are never defenseless so long as you are conscious and refuse to stop fighting.  Also, be mindful of fighting with old people.  They're close to seeing Jesus anyway, so they've got nothing to lose.
• From the "Adults Behaving Badly" Department - Two people are under arrest in two separate incidents of disrupting flights in two days.  In one case, a member of the flight crew had to be locked out of the flight deck and subdued by passengers after running through the aircraft yelling about bombs.  In the other, a woman was restrained after physically attacking members of the crew. Say it with me people - Don't scare Americans at 35,000 feet. They don't care what it takes to get back to the ground safely anymore.
• From the "Backing Down" Department - The mayor of Medora, North Dakota, has withdrawn plans to build a gallows in his town.  His plan was to hold mock hangings of himself in the scenic old-West town.  I think not building it might be a mistake. Nothing tells people from out of town to mind their manners like a set of well maintained gallows in the town square.
• From the "Bad Idea" Department - Scientists have shown that it is possible to use a metal detector to find hidden money.  Modern bills have magnetic ink on them, which sets off the detector.  They postulate that it might be possible to use more powerful detectors to find people who are carrying large amounts of cash.  For those who prefer to carry cash rather than use cards all the time, this means that about 15 minutes after a law enforcement agency gets the technology, Sumdood and his friends will have one to find people on the street who might be interested in making a donation to the local youth group's doughnuts and fruit juice fund.

Shout Out

To all of those people who told us a decade ago that efforts to increase domestic petroleum production and refining capacity wouldn't have any impact because it would take years for new oil fields and refineries to come on line, you all can bite my fuzzy butt.

!@#$!@ $4.10 a gallon this morning. Perkele.

Thought for the Day

Someday, I hope to be the man my son thinks I am.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 26

Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning. -- speech at Lord Mayor’s Luncheon, Mansion House, London, November 10, 1942


My Take - This.

Thoughts

I am:

• Responsible for my own actions and those of my children
• Responsible for the safety and security of myself and my family
• A responsible gun owner, shooter, hunter, and CCW carrier
• An American of Northern European descent
• A veteran of a peacetime army who had the opportunity to see parts of the world and things in those places that most people don't even know exist
• A citizen that reads, learns, discusses, and votes.

I am not:

• Responsible for the actions of any other adult or child that is not my own, no matter how similar they are to me and mine.
• A victim, nor am I afraid to convince someone who wants to see if I am willing to be one that there are sharp teeth in my friendly smile.
• A policeman.  I am not expected to try to stop someone from breaking the law if they are not causing bodily harm to me, my family, or my friends.
• Responsible for however many centuries of repression, aggression, discrimination, and ignorance that came before me.  I may share a complexion with the people who make life hard for other people just because of their skin tone, but that wasn't me.
• A ticking time bomb of anger and fear just waiting for a trigger event to set me off, all of which is caused by that amorphous term "the military".  People like that are rarer than Hollywood would make you believe, and my psychological issues are much older and deep rooted than anything that the Army did to me.
• Part of a reliable voting block, nor am I a party man.  You want my vote or support?  Convince me that your idea is better than that of the opposition.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 25

 Dictators ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry. -- "Armistice - or Peace?", published in The Evening Standard (11 November 1937)

My Take - November is coming, and I can feel my stomach growling.

News Roundup

• From the "Headdesk" Department - Belvedere Vodka is in Damage Control Condition Whiskey Tango Foxtrot after it briefly put an ad on its social media accounts that showed a man trying to restrain a woman who appeared to be trying to flee him.  The tag line of “Unlike some people… Belvedere always goes down smoothly" isn't exactly helping either.  Yeah, nothing like advertising that highlights the use of alcohol to get women to do things they don't really want to do.  What's next?  An advertisement for sleep aids that shows a woman in her jammies while a leering man stands over her bed?  "Rohypnol, for when 'no' means 'wait a few minutes'!".
  
• From the "Snakezilla" Department - Grand Central Station in New York City is displaying a life-size mock up of a 45 foot long snake. The animal lived in the area some 60 million years ago.  Due to my personal aversion to snakes, I'd have to say that if I were to see a 50 foot constrictor in the wild, I'd be breaking some or all of the laws of physics to get back to a radio to call in a nuclear air strike on my position just so I knew the snake got it too.  Of course, a snake that big would keep some of my favorite holster makers in business for quite some time.
• From the "Stupid Question" Department - A Pakistani man is facing arrest after he threw acid on his wife during an argument about household expenses.  I've seen a lot of instances in the news over the years of men in the Muslim world throwing acid on women who have displeased them in some way, and I have to ask: where are they getting all this acid?  It's not like you can just go down to the souk and get a bottle of acid, is it?
• From the "Journey to the Deep" Department - Movie director and amateur submarine designer James Cameron just returned from a three hour long dive to the bottom of the Marianas Trench.  His journey was meant to explore...... Well he gathered information about...... His data will be used to help ...... Well, he did it, and that's what counts, isn't it?
• From the "Why we can't have nice things" Department - The city of Colorado Springs has called off its annual Easter egg hunt because of the way that some parents acted at the event last year.  Apparently the parents were pushing their children to maximize their haul of hen fruit, which left some kids out in the cold after the spring ritual.  Rather than enforce rules that keep adults out of the egg gathering area, the entire event was called off.  Just goes to show that it only takes a couple jerks to ruin it for everyone.  In related news, several parents who were out of line last year were found zip tied to street signs with "Dickhead" tattooed on their foreheads and old Easter eggs crammed up their nostrils.  Police promise to be expeditious about finding the culprits.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 24

"When I warned [the French] that Britain would fight on alone, whatever they did, their Generals told their Prime Minister and his divided cabinet: 'In three weeks, England will have her neck wrung like a chicken.  Some chicken! Some neck! -- speech before Joint Session of the Canadian Parliament, Ottawa (December 30, 1941)

My Take - Britain fought a holding action in France after the French surrendered and left behind a trove of men and materielle on the beaches as they evacuated the BEF.  Anyone looking at the situation then would have thought that Britain would sue for peace.  Britain held out and defiantly dared Hitler to try to cross the English Channel.  When the United States entered the war, Britain was a pivotal part of preparation and planning for the liberation of Europe, and British soldiers, sailors, and airmen were a crucial part of the war and its aftermath.

Never listen to those who say you can't succeed.  In life, there will always be those who look at your efforts and your plans and tell you that it will come to ruin.  As much as you can, disregard them and keep plugging away.  It will usually be difficult, and it will rarely be fun, but with enough effort, talent, and luck, you will succeed.

An Open Letter

To the Honorable President Barack Obama of Illinois and Senator Charles Schumer of New York

Gentlemen,

I, along with you and the rest of the country, have been shocked by the incident in Florida in which a young man died after being shot by another man.  Depending on which side of the argument you listen to, the young man was either murdered in the streets or was shot because he caused another man to fear for his life.  The facts of what happened are still being investigated by the police and a grand jury in Florida is going to decide if charges should be filed against the shooter in this case. 

Both of you have made public statements calling for federal investigations of the incident and to use it as a bludgeon against your political and ideological foes.

Neither of you is from Florida.  Florida has two senators who are quite capable of looking into the incident on their own, as is the representative of the district in which the incident occurred, if, in fact, a federal investigation is warranted.  The local authorities, including police and prosecutors, are investigating what happened and are presenting their findings to a grand jury, who will hopefully look at the facts of the case dispassionately and either order that charges be filed or decide that the shooter was right with the law.

That is how the system is supposed to work.  Justice is supposed to be deliberate, thoughtful, thorough, and dispassionate.  Fast justice is bad justice.  Both of you are lawyers, so you should know better than to try to influence the process by making public statements such as the ones I have seen in the past few days from both of you.

No-one is saying that it's not a tragedy that a young man is dead.  Either because he didn't act right or because someone else made a mistake, his life is over and the life of his family has been shattered.  Our society has lost another son, regardless of the person that son was at the time of his death.  No matter if he was a good young man who was staying out of trouble or if he was a young man who had lost his way and was heading for trouble, we have lost the potential good he could have brought to us all. 

At the same time, we must remember that the man who shot him is a citizen who has rights.  He has the right to defend his life if he fears for it.  If a grand jury decides that he should be charged with a crime, he has the right to be tried by an impartial jury of his peers in a fair trial with good representation.  He has the right to not fear that the mob in the street will hunt him or his family down and extract vigilante justice.  If he broke the law, the process will discover that and deal with him according to the laws of the state of Florida and the Constitution.  If he did not, then all of this discussion is moot.

Please, for the sake of the Constitution you both swore to uphold and the system of justice that Constitution and the Constitution of the state of Florida provide, stop making inflammatory remarks in the public square in order to score political points.  Please use whatever influence you have with those who are whipping up hatred in our streets to get them to tone it down and let the system do its job.  If you have issues with laws such as the "Stand Your Ground" law that is being lambasted by politicians, demagogues, and the press right now, do it after the family of Mr. Martin has had time to grieve and for justice to be served either by trying Mr. Zimmermann or by clearing him of wrongdoing.  Making law in the heat of the moment will guarantee that bad law will be produced. 

You are both consummate politicians.  I ask you now to start being statesmen.

Respectfully yours,

Daddy J. Bear
Louisville, Kentucky
Citizen

Random thoughts

• Here's an album you don't want to see flash across your playlist:  "DaddyBear Sings The Klingon Love Songs Of His Youth".
• It was kind of depressing to realize that I've done something that sucks so often for so long that I now make it look easy and am expected to do it every time it needs doing.
• Not sure what Disney is making their DVD's out of so that they can charge what would have been a week's grocery budget for me a few years ago, but whatever it is, I've been told by CinC House that I'm willing to pay for it.
• When told he could get something from the gift shop at the zoo yesterday, Boo decided he wanted an orange miner's helmet with working light.  Not sure what that predicts for his future, but I know it means I need to lay on a new supply of AA batteries.
• Bill Cosby, followed by Rob Zombie, Mozart, Lewis Black, and The Doors. Not sure what my iPod thinks it's doing, but it's really harshing my calm.
• My ex-wife didn't seem to like it when I told our son that he may come from trash, but he is not trash.

Attention to Orders

Today is National Medal of Honor Day.   Remember, ordinary men and women have it within them to be something extraordinary, even if only for one moment in their life.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life and above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Sisler was the platoon leader/adviser to a Special United States/Vietnam exploitation force. While on patrol deep within enemy dominated territory, 1st Lt. Sisler's platoon was attacked from 3 sides by a company sized enemy force. 1st Lt. Sisler quickly rallied his men, deployed them to a better defensive position, called for air strikes, and moved among his men to encourage and direct their efforts. Learning that 2 men had been wounded and were unable to pull back to the perimeter, 1st Lt. Sisler charged from the position through intense enemy fire to assist them. He reached the men and began carrying 1 of them back to the perimeter, when he was taken under more intensive weapons fire by the enemy. Laying down his wounded comrade, he killed 3 onrushing enemy soldiers by firing his rifle and silenced the enemy machinegun with a grenade. As he returned the wounded man to the perimeter, the left flank of the position came under extremely heavy attack by the superior enemy force and several additional men of his platoon were quickly wounded. Realizing the need for instant action to prevent his position from being overrun, 1st Lt. Sisler picked up some grenades and charged single-handedly into the enemy onslaught, firing his weapon and throwing grenades. This singularly heroic action broke up the vicious assault and forced the enemy to begin withdrawing. Despite the continuing enemy fire, 1st Lt. Sisler was moving about the battlefield directing air strikes when he fell mortally wounded. His extraordinary leadership, infinite courage, and selfless concern for his men saved the lives of a number of his comrades. His actions reflect great credit upon himself and uphold the highest traditions of the military service.

 Note:  I used to teach at Sisler Hall at Fort Huachuca.  I first heard about 1LT Sisler by reading the memorial plaque there.

Quote of the Day

"Selfish isn't keeping what you earn. It's demanding what you don't earn." - Andrew Wilkow

News Roundup

• From the "Quaffing for a Quid" Department - The government of Great Britain is proposing to set a minimum price for alcohol to discourage irresponsible drinking.  No longer will you be able to buy discounted drinks in the land of good beer and better whiskey.  When asked what they thought of the proposal, pub patrons in London said they couldn't comment because they were too pissed.
• From the "Mother of the Year" Department - A woman in Washington state was arrested recently when police found a needle full of heroin in her purse during a traffic stop.  The kicker is that the police took her child to the hospital when they noticed that the youngster was lethargic.  Turns out the kid was high on second hand smoke from the heroin the female genetic donor was smoking in the car with her child in the back seat.  You know, just when I thought I couldn't be shocked, I'm taught there is no depth to human stupidity.  That's a smorgasbord of moronitude there.  First, riding around with a needle full of heroin in your purse. Second, riding around with a guy with warrants.  Third, smoking heroin in the car with your child in the back seat.  It's a trifecta of stupid!  I hope for this kid's sake his mother never sees him again.
• From the "Rule Four" Department - A homeowner in Ohio got a bit of a surprise when a bullet came through the side of his house and landed in a bathroom sink.  It is believed that the bullet is a stray round from a shooting range that police were using that day which is about 1/2 mile away. Not exactly what I'd be expecting when I went to brush my teeth.  On the bright side, he now has a .40 sized hole in his wall for feeding cable.
• From the "Dead Man Walking" Department - A Saudi man announced to the world that he would be divorcing his wife over the PA system at a shopping mall.  No report yet on whether his body has  been found.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 23

We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle, nor the long-drawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will finish the job. -- BBC radio broadcast, February 9, 1941

My Take - So long as I can think, speak, and type, I will not be silent.  So long as I have the ability to tell right from wrong, I will strive to be right.

Crossing a line

I've always tried to not put inappropriate content on this little space.  I have refrained from putting up pictures of well put-together females and other blue topics.

But today I got a great picture of some really cute chicks, and I just had to share:

I love going to the country store.  I would have gotten a shot of some baby ducks too, but they were all sold out.

Today's Earworm

Interesting mash up.

Growl

Got "The Speech" from my doctor the other day about age, weight, blood pressure, exercise, and everything else in my life that isn't in conformity with the "Live Forever" agenda.  As if adding another five or six years to my lifespan is worth giving up rye whiskey and ten cent ceegars.

Breakfast this morning was plain oatmeal with dried blueberries, almonds, and some honey.  I washed it down with a cup of coffee.  Yum freaking yum.  Have I mentioned I don't care for sweet foods anymore?

I will begin a concerted effort to exercise this afternoon when I walk Boo through the zoo.  I will try to fit a dedicated workout into my busy schedule somewhere between cotillions and teas with the Queen.

I've grown very fond of bacon, eggs, potatoes, and all the other things that make eating more than a means to gain nutrition.  Now they will be something on the "Forbidden Pleasures" list.  The only thing she didn't rule out was the occasional drink, so I'll be able to have a beer or bourbon every so often while I chew my cud.

This is going to well and truly suck.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 22

Be the ordeal sharp or long, or both, we shall seek no terms, we shall tolerate no parlay; we may show mercy – we shall ask for none. -- BBC Broadcast, London, July 14, 1940

Today's Earworm

It's been one of those weeks.  This all sounds like a good idea.

That's A Good Idea

I'm no fan of Bank of America.  I used to do my banking with them, but left for my current bank about a decade ago when they started introducing new fees and jacking up existing ones.  I've also heard some less than stellar things about how they deal with troubled mortgages lately.

 But after reading this, my opinion of BofA is a bit higher.

Basically, they're trying to see if it's effective to rent foreclosed homes to the people who used to own them.  The renter gets out from under a bad mortgage, avoids possible homelessness, and stays in their community.  The bank gets at least some money out of a property for which they would normally get nothing and have to pay to do normal maintenance on, such as lawn maintenance, and may be able to sell the property at a profit later.  The community gets to keep families in homes that are still kept up and not cleaned out by thieves.

I hope this works out.  It's best if people can afford to own the home they live in, but renting it is better than the alternative.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 21

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few. -- Speech in the House of Commons, also known as "The Few"

My Take - I know it's a cliche, but our freedom and safety is guarded by a very thin line of humanity that faces outward from the communal fire.  We all are responsible for ourselves, but there those who take on responsibility for the entire tribe, even at the expense of their own safety.  Sometimes it's a group of very brave pilots that keep bombers from roaming freely over the night sky.  Sometimes it's a couple of police who go into a bad neighborhood every night trying to make sure that decent people don't become prey.  In any case, we all owe a lot to a very small minority in our society.

Thought for the Day

In life, there will be inconveniences, some major, most minor.  These will either kill you, or they won't.  If they will, then act like an adult and look death in the eye.  If not, then shut the !@#$! up and get through it so the rest of us can get on with our lives.

This message brought to you by DaddyBear, who's had one too many people come to him with minor crap that seems to be sapping their will to live.

Keeping Your Mouth Shut

By now, you've heard about the shooting in Florida that ended with one person dead and another having to live in the shadows while the press, the anti-gun rights crowd, and the usual gang of race baiters scream for his blood and the authorities decide whether or not to prosecute him.

I'm not going to speculate as to whether or not the shooter was justified.  I don't know enough about the circumstances or the self-defense laws in Florida to do that.

To hear one side tell it, the shooter in this case was a self-appointed vigilante who went out looking for trouble and the shootee was a choir boy who got in his way and was targeted because of the color of his skin.

To hear the other side of it, well, we don't hear much from the other side.  Pretty much all we hear that's not being trumpeted by those on the dead man's side is from the police, who are doing their best Joe Friday, "Just the facts, ma'am", closed-lipped routine, which they should be doing.  It's not their job to defend the shooter, and they shouldn't be making any comments while they're engaged in an investigation.  What has been said, including releases of police reports, leads me to lean towards the "he wasn't right, but he might not have been criminally wrong" side of the argument.  But like I said, I don't know enough to make a true judgement of the shooter's actions.

In the court of public opinion, which will be contaminating any prospective jury pool in the event that this blooms into criminal charges and a trial, the shooter is being crucified.  For the most part he, his family, and his attorney are keeping quiet, possibly waiting for all the facts to come out from the investigation before defending themselves in the press.

When I took my concealed carry class, and in discussions with self-defense instructors, I've been told that after a shooting shut the heck up.  Cooperate with police through an attorney, stay out of the press, and let the process take care of itself.

This case makes me wonder if that's the best thing we can do in the unfortunate event that we have to use force to defend ourselves.  Yes, anything you say will be used against you, either by the authorities, civil litigants, or reporters who just don't like your looks.  But leaving that particular battlefield undefended means that even when the actual facts are reported and you are legally exhonerated, most people, including lawyers, demagogues, and reporters, will have made up their minds and the shooter is hosed.  Maybe the shooter will win, but it will be a Pyrrhic victory if they have to bankrupt themselves to repair the damage done when talking heads, race baiting politicians, and anti-rights extremists trash you on cable news.

No-one wants to speak ill of the dead, but if you're being painted as a cold blooded thug of a killer when the facts of the matter are quite different, do you owe it to yourself to point out the reasons you felt it necessary to use deadly force, including truthfully claiming that the person you shot did things that made you fear for your life and listing them in detail?  Is it right to refute claims by the other side that the person you shot was an innocent lamb who was gunned down in cold blood?  Would you be justified in having your attorney go to the press with any statements you made to the police if they contradict what is being said about you in the press?

What do you all think?  Would a shooter be better served by having someone stand up in the public glare and openly refute attacks against them?  Or is it better to just let the garbage flow around you while you patiently wait for the process to work itself out?

News Roundup

• From the "Reptiles Over Nuptials" Department - A woman in England has put off her wedding so that she can afford chemotherapy for her lizard.  You know, if I'd suggested putting off our wedding so that I could pay for chemo for my cat, we'd have still needed the chapel, but the priest would have needed another section of the Book of Common Prayer.  Irish Woman would still have thrown a party, but the invitations would have had "reception" crossed out with "wake" written in in jagged red permanent marker.
• From the "Criminal J. Mastermind" Department - A copper thief in North Carolina broke into a jail and stole copper out of an air conditioning unit.  Police are investigating.  Three things occur to me here.  First, you've either got to be really desperate or really reckless to break into a jail to steal.  Second, the guards at this particular jail must be having a really bad week right about now.  And third, if they catch this guy, he better hope he's not sent to this particular jail.  Would you want to be locked in a jail with guards you just embarrassed and criminals you just made sit in the heat with no air conditioning?
• From the "Steve McQueen is Weeping" Department - American car manufacturers have announced plans to rollout cars with three cylinder engines in the next couple of years.   They promise to give just as good a performance as the four cylinder hot rods we're driving now, with much better gas mileage.  Because we all know that these overpowered four cylinder death machines are killing baby rabbits and drinking high test gasoline by the barrel.  The term that comes to mind is "blood from a turnip".  One good thing about driving a minivan is that there is no way I will ever have one of these things under my hood.  Heck, I'd need two of them in order to get that behemoth of mine up to the speed where I can use cruise control.
• From the "Chutzpah" Department - The FBI is charging an official in Michigan with embezzlement.  It seems that the gentleman may have misappropriated almost a quarter of a million dollars and used government funds to acquire a Jaguar and a Mercedes.  My guess is no-one would have complained if he had bought a Ford or GM car. 

Quote of the Day

I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it. --Edith Sitwell

I may put this on on my business cards.


H/T to The Quotations Page

Today's Earworm

30 Days of Churchill - Day 20

Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time. -- Speech in the House of Commons (1947-11-11)

My Take - The founders didn't say "In order to form a perfect union", they said "In order to form a more perfect union".  Our system of government is flawed, and has been since day one.  The same can be said of all of the liberal democracies.  The difference between tyranny and our form of democracy is that we are willing to admit that we're not perfect and are willing to find ways to improve without compromising our founding principles.  No, I don't believe that the Constitution is a 'living document', but I do believe that if something about the way we're doing business needs to change, then we have to have the intestinal fortitude to either find a way to change and still stay within Constitutional restraints or change the Constitution through the method described in the document so that we can continue to improve.

News Roundup

• From the "An Apology" Department - The government of Pakistan has demanded an unconditional apology from the United States before they will re-open the routes though their mountain paradise.  I'm game:  Dear Pakistan, I wholeheartedly apologize for the fact that my government did not provide more support to Great Britain in the late 1940's.  Had we done so, our British cousins might have been able to keep your third world craphole as a colony, and you all might have had adult leadership for the past 60 years or so, and then we wouldn't be having this little problem. Now release our supply convoys before we show you what happens when we intentionally drop ordnance on someone.
• From the "Internship Opportunity" Department - The government of Wales has decided to cancel a badger cull to stem the spread of disease in favor of inoculating the little darlings.  Any guesses on the difference in cost between the two plans?  Also, what lucky son of a gun gets to convince Mr. Badger to trade a needle stick for a GI Joe bandaid and a sugar free lollipop?
• From the "Bad Move" Department - A Texas woman is under arrest after stabbing a man during an argument.  Apparently, she decided she had cooked enough meals for him and started throwing things out into the yard during the ensuing argument.  The man then threatened to cut off her pony tail if she didn't stop, after which she cut the phone line and stabbed him in the hand.  Gentlemen, this guy made a lot of blunders here.  First of all, when she says she's tired of cooking, don't argue; put on an apron and get to work.  Second, when she starts throwing things into the yard, don't threaten to cut off her hair, go out and clean up the mess.  And last, when she grabs a knife and cuts the phone line, it's time to try for a new personal best in the "front door to car door" sprint.

Play Stupid Games

Win Stupid Prizes

I'm not a basketball fan, at least not on TV.  Basketball is lumped in with baseball for me in that I love to go to games, but find it exceedingly boring to watch on TV.

So I missed this the other day:

When freshman point guard Angel Rodriguez stepped to the free throw line in the first half, some members of the band began to chant, "Where's your green card?" Rodriguez is a Puerto Rico native. 

Since they acted like trolls and embarrassed their university, I'm not surprised to learn that several of these cretins have lost their band scholarships and have been forced to sit in the "you said a bad thing" class.

For once, I'm not going to shriek about political correctness run amok.  These aren't students who are being penalized for expressing views that are looked down upon by their faculty.  These schmucks decided to act like, well, schmucks on national TV while representing their school and being paid to do it.  So having their inability to control themselves and act right in public should come back to bite them on the tuckus. To me, they were being paid to sit in the stands, play some annoying songs, and show the colors for the school.  Instead they acted like trash and now they're being reminded that trash doesn't get to sit in the stands and toot a horn for pay.

I hope they enjoy washing dishes to make up the difference in their educational/beer budgets.  Maybe they'll learn a little humility and how to act.

Quote of the Day

I don't have pet peeves.  I have major psychotic !@#! hatreds.  And I'll tell you this:  It makes the world a lot easier to sort out.  -- George Carlin 

Testify, brother, testify!

30 Days of Churchill - Day 19

To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war. -- Remarks at a White House luncheon (June 26, 1954)

My Take - I tend to agree, but only so long as jawing isn't used as a cover to have more time to do the things that are causing the necessity for war.  Serbia, Iraq, Korea, and Iran, I'm looking at you.

Thought for the Day

When asking the pharmacist for advice, it is usually considered out of bounds to ask the pharmacist to look at the thing on your back so that she can recommend what you put on it.

And no, the pharmacy doesn't sell brain bleach for the image that flashed through my mind of what Quasimodo might have on her back that caused that interaction.

News Roundup

• From the "No Justice" Department - Researchers are reporting that some women experience sexual arousal and possibly even orgasm while exercising.  This is so unfair.  When I'm working out, I feel pain, strain, sweat, and fatigue.  In other words, it's the absolute opposite of sexual for me.  I work out because it's good for me, not because it's enjoyable.  Of course, this might explain why the young lady who teaches the aerobics class at the Y is so perky and cheerful.
• From the "Mark of the Geek" Department - Nokia is patenting technology that would allow users of their phones to use a special magnetic tattoo to sense when their phones are ringing or when a new message arrives.  Of course, this would only be useful for as long as it takes for the next big thing to come along, so eventually it'll be a "Grandma, what's that on your wrist?" object, to go with the tattoo of a snake and a rose on the lower back.  I think I'll pass and stay with that tried and true technology known as "ringing" or "buzzing" and if those fail, I have a backup called "voicemail".  Seems to work OK without having to go under the needle.
•  From the "Mal Hombre" Department - A six year old girl here in Louisville was rescued the other night when her 10 year old brother ran back into a burning house to get her.  Both were burned, but are out of the hospital and doing OK.  The young girl was able to answer a few questions, but the boy seems to have been limited a simple statement.  Any further talk with him was interrupted by the sound of big brass objects ringing together when he walked.
• From the "No Soup For You!" Department - The city of New York has decreed that donated food can no longer be accepted at homeless shelters run by the city.  Their concern seems to be that the food fed to the less fortunate may not meet the stringent nutritional guidelines of the Bloomberg administration if it includes food that isn't provided by the city.  Donated food from religious groups or restaurants can't be assessed for salt, fiber, and fat content, so it is not to be given to those who cannot provide for themselves.  So I guess it's better for the poor to eat the food that's given to them by the government than that which is given by other citizens.
• From the "Alrighty Then!" Department - A man in Iowa was arrested recently.  At the time, he was naked and claimed that he had been forced to hold a nuclear bomb at his home.  People, alcohol is a gift from heaven, but let this be a warning about what can happen when you over-imbibe.  Sometimes all you get are embarrassing pictures of you in front of the porcelain altar, sometimes you end up with an arrest record with the words "public nudity" and "nuclear weapon" in it.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 18

What is the use of living, if it be not to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone? -- Speech at Kinnaird Hall, Dundee, Scotland ("Unemployment"), October 10, 1908

My Take - We are here to provide for the next generation, both that they may survive to replace us and so that they have a good life when we are gone.  I refuse to believe the "first generation to not do better than their parents" crap.  I am doing better than my parents did, and I will be damned if my children will settle for a lesser life than I have led.  I can't control what happens to them in regards to material wealth, but I can raise my sons and daughters to be better people than I am.

I'm raising a nerd

It's unseasonably warm here in IndiUcky, so we decided to have dinner in the back yard tonight as a picnic.  Boo enjoyed being able to play outside a little later than usual, and of course, he brought along the lightsaber Irish Woman bought him when she went on the road last month.

Here is the budding padwan, complete with his trusty sidearm:

Keeping the back yard safe for picnics and sand boxes

 And of course, no time with Boo would be complete without being told to hush so that he could talk.

Hush Dad.  I can't hear you over how awesome I am anyway.

He spent the evening trying to bat the lazy bumblebees that were buzzing around the blossoms on the cherry and peach trees with the lightsaber, but thankfully, he never connected.  He's currently tucked safely in bed with his sword, Hasenpfeffer the Rabbit, and a book.

Update - Upon closer examination of these pictures, it appears that we never wash the young man's face.  Fear not, for that is just the residue from a grape popsicle he enjoyed after dinner.

Today's Earworm

This little story about proposed aircraft design put this in my head for some reason.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 17

We are waiting for the long-promised invasion. So are the fishes. -- Radio broadcast, London, October 21, 1940

My Take - A little smack talking, every so often, is a good thing.

Blogs Roundup

• What he said
• Laura has a new sidekick.  Very shiny!
• Mamma-Bear (No relation) is bringing the cute with KFC on the hoof.
• I wonder if he had an armorer for the frickin' laser beams?
• Uncle Jimbo tells the hard, hard truth.  I always had a hard time convincing people I worked with in the Army that our job was to make it possible for other people to put warheads on foreheads, not keep paper, printer toner, and shredder companies in business.
• LabRat shows us a very neat way to train L&D specialists that should also be used to train young men and women.  Kind of a scared celibate, I mean straight program.

Overheard in the Living Room

Me:  Sweetheart, how bad is the sunburn on my neck?
Irish Woman:  Ouch.  Somewhere between medium and medium-rare.  And does your head hurt too?
Me:  A bit.  How bad is it?
Irish Woman:  It's not that bad.  You just look like a Viking that got a bit too close to the volcano, that's all.

Mental note - Next time, just look in the mirror.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 16

The salvation of the common people of every race and of every land from war or servitude must be established on solid foundations and must be guarded by the readiness of all men and women to die rather than submit to tyranny. -- Speech at Zurich University (September 19, 1946)

Today's Earworm

Somehow, this seemed appropriate after today's activities.

Thoughts On The Day

• Someday, I will move somewhere where there is nothing but soft loamy soil down a few feet.  It seems everywhere I've ever had to dig a hole I run into clay, and it's getting quite tiresome to have to spend more time getting the dirt off the shovel than it did getting it on. 
• Digging out a low hill side to set garden beds is a wonderful workout.  The five pounds of muddy clay on each of my shoes alone made for a great leg regimin.
• The new garden boxes are constructed, placed, set, and staked into the ground.  Now to fill them with dirt.
• BooBoo quote of the day:  "Daddy, you're a mess."  At the time, you couldn't tell that my pants were green, and my white tee shirt looked like it had been through a cement mixer at a terra cotta plant.  The boy seems to have a gift for understatement.
• You know you've done a good days work when the shower water running off of you is orange for the first three or four minutes.
• This year we really tried to plan our outside work in that sweet spot between freezing cold and boiling hot.  However, the weather isn't cooperating.  It was 80+ degrees out with humidity today.  In March.  I'm beginning to think I'm a weather jinx.
• It's amazing how good a hot meal, a Guinness, and some aspirin can make you feel.

30 Days of Churchill - Day 15

Some people did not like this ceremonious style. But after all when you have to kill a man it costs nothing to be polite. -- The Second World War, Volume III : The Grand Alliance (1950)

My Take - I've always said it's a sign of good upbringing when someone is polite and friendly to someone they have no reason to be polite and friendly with.  Especially if you have to do something unpleasant to them.  I guess that's why I don't approve of police who aren't professional.  The guy's already going to jail or getting a ticket.  If they're not being jerks themselves, why act like a jerk?

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

I'm a quarter Irish, with my Irish ancestor getting to North America during the Civil War.  Irish Woman is a pedigree, with her earliest ancestor getting here a bit earlier, and her family on both sides settled in Kentucky.  Imagine that, Irish families settling where they have pretty girls, fast horses, and strong whiskey.  I know, it's just a coincidence.  They really came here for the climate.

Saint Patrick's Day is the anniversary of our first date.  I tried to take her out to dinner, but we ended up over at her brother's house for a cook-out and NCAA basketball.  Now that's a great way to start a first date:  "Hey, how about we go over to my brother's place?  I'd like for them to meet you."  Luckily, it turned out OK, and we're still boyfriend and girlfriend 11 years later.  Someday she might even make an honest man out of me.

I surprised Irish Woman on the night of our wedding by telling her we were going to Ireland for our honeymoon.  We went the following May, and had a wonderful time.  Ireland is a beautiful place, with the nicest people I've ever met.  It's definitely on our list of places we'd go if living here became a bad option.

So say your prayers, drown the shamrock, and remember that there are fair, green places left in this drab world.

Glendalaugh

Seacoast south of Dublin

Glendalaugh

Glendalaugh

Bray, County Wicklow

I almost died backing up the car so she could get this shot
Somewhere between Tipperary and Limerick

Pepperpot Castle, Powerscourt

Waterfall near Powerscourt, County Wicklow

And before you ask, yes, Irish Woman got all of these shots herself.  It's just that pretty there.

I disagree

The Food Network UK has published results from a survey that finds that a majority of British men prefer their mothers cooking to that of their wives.

I could not disagree more. 

I love to cook, and I love to eat good food.  If you've met me in the real world, you know that I'm not exactly anorexic.  My wife is an excellent cook.  Granted, most of what she cooks is going to put me into an early grave, but I'll go happy.  Everything from soup to dessert is outstanding. I can think of only one or two things she makes that aren't absolutely delicious, and even those are pretty good.

My mother, on the other hand, was one of the worst cooks I ever met.  On the infrequent times she would mistakenly wander into the kitchen, the food she produced was bland and textureless.  Luckily for me and the rest of the family, her lack of interest in cooking after my siblings and I got old enough to do the cooking kept us from having to choke down shoe-leather pork roasts, spaghetti in tomato sauce with no spices save salt and pepper, and hamburgers cooked until they were uniformly gray and tasteless.  Ketchup was considered spicy, herbs were what she smoked, and baked goods were usually dense enough to bend light.  Ethnic food was Doritos or a once-a-year trip to the local 'Chinese' restaurant, run by a nice Norwegian couple who didn't seem to have a source for ginger or garlic.

I wasn't much of a cook when I left to go into the world, I'll admit it.  I learned to cook by making what my mother wanted to eat, so my meals were pretty much the same as hers.  I did, however, like the food other kids' moms cooked, so I at least knew something better was out there just waiting for me.  I realized how bad a cook my mother was, and how bad a cook I had become, when I couldn't get over how good the food at Basic Training was.  At the same time, the guys in my unit were having to gag down the food because to them, it was horrible.  To me, it was manna from heaven.  Since then, I have tried to learn to eat and cook as many different things as I can.

I honestly can't understand where she got it.  My Nana, her mother, was an outstanding cook in the 1950's casserole vein. Honestly, I would have crawled over broken glass for her baked beans and black bread*, which was the recipe she learned from her Nana in Boston during the Great Depression.  My Grandma, her mother-in-law, cooked straight out of Scandinavia and Germany, and every meal at Grandma's was a feast no matter how simple the fare. It's not like my mother couldn't have learned to cook from at least two excellent examples.

So guys, if your mom can cook, give her a hug and say thanks.  And if your wife needs to learn some things, learn them yourself and cook for her.  She'll learn by seeing what you like to cook and eat.  Just don't be stupid and do the "Well, mom used to do this..." thing.  I have a standing reservation at the doghouse, and there won't be any room at the inn for you.

*To this day, my favorite breakfast is baked beans, black bread, sausages, and fried eggs, served with a side of cholesterol and blood pressure medicine.  Nana used to make that with the leftovers.