DaddyBear's Den

Week With the Kids - Day 4

2012-02-02T19:30:00.000-05:00

A wise man once told me "The only easy day was yesterday." He didn't know how right he was.

The day started out OK. I got Girlie Bear off to school with no problems, and Boo and I had a few minutes to play with the light sabers before I took him to preschool. I expected today would go well. I was going to be working at one of our offices across town from where I normally work, but quite close to home. I expected to work there all day, be able to get Boo from school without having to break some or all of the state speed laws, then head home.

Those hopes were dashed when my cell phone rang at about noon. The world was falling in at the office, and I had to drop everything and rush over to hold it up. I arrived to find that one of my co-workers had already done most of the work, but since I was there, I stayed with the group working on the problem. When I mentioned to the manager in charge of our impromptu task force that I needed to leave to get Boo, he said he wanted someone from my work group to come down and sit with his group until they were done working. Of course, calling someone at their desk at 3 PM to drop everything and come down to work on something else didn't go very far. Eventually, I found one of my co-workers who was able to re-arrange his schedule for a few hours and take my place.

I had to rush to get Boo, but luckily I didn't kill anyone or cause major traffic pileups doing so. I had to get home to dial in, so dinner went from being pizza from our favorite pick-up only place to Little Caesars. Girlie Bear must have been salivating at the thought of her favorite pizza, because she looked like I'd just shot the dog when I got out of the car with those pizza boxes.

She got over it enough to eat her share of pepperoni and cheese, but not before commenting on the condition, ingredients, temperature, and consistency of the pizza. I had to remind her that there were still leftovers in the kitchen if she didn't like it.

Boo, on the other hand, ate like a lumberjack. Of course, all the carbs in the pizza quickly translated into a burst of energy that will be talked about by our grandchildren.

Irish Woman called to talk to us, and seemed very excited to be coming home tomorrow. Her flight should land at about dinner time, so I think I'll take everyone out for something on the way home from the airport.

While she was on the phone with Boo, she directed him to another "treasure" she'd hidden in the house. Monday night was a slinky, Tuesday night was a red light saber, Wednesday night was the flute from hell, and tonight was the most annoying thing on earth:

Mama, you are in so much trouble

That, ladies and gentlemen, is a talking Darth Vader mask. You'll notice his Lego Star Wars PJ's, red light saber, and now he's walking around telling me "I am your father" and "Now I am the master". Yep, I'm raising a nerd. I must do something just as nice for Irish Woman someday.

Tonight will be spent tidying up the house a bit, possibly reading a chapter or two from one of the books I'm reading, and then a few hours of blissful slumber before I start Day 5.

I'm almost there. I can do this.

30 Days of Twain - Day 1

2012-02-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

A crowded police docket is the surest of all signs that trade is brisk and money plenty.

My Take - Maybe it's not the trade the government wants to happen, but trade nonetheless.

Today's Earworm

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

Morning Campers!

Week with the Kids - Day 3

2012-02-01T20:11:00.001-05:00

Halfway there.

Had a good morning getting Boo off to school. He seems to enjoy using his toy lightsaber to get me moving a little faster in the morning. Kind of like an ASP baton for midgets.

I found I was out of ground coffee this morning, and had fall back on instant. I'll have to rectify that situation for the sake of humanity. I don't drink much coffee anymore, but when I do I want it to be good coffee. Life's too short to drink dishwater.

Dinner tonight was leftovers, which happens to be my favorite meal. Girlie Bear ate up, but Boo turned his nose up at the warmed-up hotdish I gave him, instead asking for "toast and cheese and chocolate pudding". I relented for the sake of domestic tranquility on the toast and cheese, but we don't keep chocolate pudding in the house, so I had to disappoint him. He wasn't very happy about that.

While I was fending off yet another assault from the young Jedi and his whirling baton of pain, he spied a 'present' Irish Woman had left for him in one of the end tables. Neatly wrapped in pretty tissue paper was a plastic flute. I'm not sure what I have done to deserve that, but efforts to remove the offending shrieking whistle from Boo's hands caused protests louder than the flute.

Tonight I'm going to do some housework, get fully caught up on laundry, and try to get some sleep. Irish Woman comes home Friday night, and I don't want the house to look any worse than it did when she left.

Tomorrow night I'm going to assume my secret identity of Indulgodad, able to order pizza at a single bound. That'll give me a little extra time to do last minute straightening up and might do something about the morale of the children.

Halfway there.

A Prayer

2012-02-01T19:54:00.002-05:00

Dear Father,

Please forgive me for the evil thoughts and words I had for other drivers while going to and coming from work today. I truly do not wish they would all find out their mothers were the cheapest prostitutes in Bangladesh, nor to I hope their cars all spontaneously catch fire after impacting a dirty hog hauler.

Forgive me for the harsh thoughts I had for the woman in the grocery store who was complaining to the checkout lady about how inconvenient it is to use government supplied healthcare. I did not mean to upset her when I told her that if she didn't like Medicaid, she should consider getting a job or paying her own way, even though I meant every word.

Lord, please apologize for me to the ancient craftsman who first created the flute. I truly did not mean it when I wished he would spend eternity scrubbing the hairy testicles of Satan after Boo found the example of his craft that Irish Woman stashed for him to find while she was gone.

Heavenly Father, please make me more patient, kind, and forgiving of my brothers and sisters, ~~even~~ especially when they all seem to be making a hobby out of pissing me off.

In your name I pray,

Amen

What did I miss?

2012-02-01T09:47:00.003-05:00

OK, you rugged individualist Reaganistas, which of your favorite quotes did I miss?

Get the boat!

2012-02-01T08:54:00.002-05:00

Gotta go, gotta pack and start rowing. If I work hard and travel light, I can be in the Shetlands this time next year for a celebration of my noble ancestors.

Almost 1,000 costumed 'guizers' - dressed in winged helmets and sheepskins, descended on the island yesterday.

Their arrival was heralded by the Jarl Squad - who landed on the Shetland Isles in an impressive replica of a Viking longboat.

Anyone know where I can find plans to make a bass boat into a longship? If I start moving soon, I can row it across from Newfoundland this summer and be there in time for next year's festival.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 30

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead. Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you.

Week With The Kids - Day 2

2012-01-31T21:13:00.000-05:00

Today went well, but it was a lot more work than yesterday.

Got myself up a little early and got everything ready for Boo and Girlie Bear's day before getting read for work. Boo asked where Mommy was when he got up, but didn't have any trouble accepting "She's gone away for a couple of days, and she'll be back soon". We've prepped him, so this was more of a reminder than anything else.

Work was work, but I was a bit tired all day. I'm fighting off a head cold, and I didn't sleep well last night. Luckily, today was mostly project planning and clean-up from my work this past weekend.

Dinner was bolognese sauce I put in the crock pot before leaving for work over pasta and whole wheat Italian bread. Boo seemed to like it; he looked like an oompa loompa by the time he was done with his plate. Girlie Bear ate and had a lot of good things to say about school. She's working hard to keep the good grades she got last quarter.

The crisis of the broken pinball machine was averted when I figured out how to get it out of the error state, which gave me something with which to reward Boo. He just keeps feeding it quarters and trying to work the paddles. Luckily, I own the quarters and the game, so all it costs me is time and electricity.

I've gotten the dishes done, done some laundry, got everyone else in bed, and I'm not far behind them. Hopefully a little of Kentucky's finest in hot water with lemon and honey will help me get some rest.

No sign yet of open rebellion on the part of the kids, but I'm keeping my eye out for any disturbances in domestic tranquility.

Tomorrow will be easier. I've got everything laid out already, and dinner will be leftovers from the past few nights. Hopefully things continue to go smoothly.

News Roundup

2012-01-31T13:58:00.001-05:00

From the "Not Her Job" Department - First Lady Michelle Obama announced yesterday that Family Medical Leave Act rules are being changed to make it easier for families to care for military patients and still keep their jobs. First, let me say that I think the changes are a good thing. But is it really the place of the president's spouse to take part in policy discussions and announcements about them? Mrs. Obama has made military families her special project, such as Laura Bush made reading, so I guess she has some reason for being present at the announcement. I'm not naive enough to believe that she has no pull with the president, but is it appropriate for an unelected, unconfirmed spouse to be the point person when things like this are done? I'm especially troubled because the Secretary of Labor was present when Mrs. Obama made the announcement. Isn't that the job for which we pay cabinet secretaries?
From the "What?!?!?!" Department - The mayor of Ciuidad Juarez, Mexico, has announced that due to safety concerns, he will henceforth authorize his police officers to take their weapons home when they are off duty. This absolutely blew my mind. Mexico in general, and Juarez in particular, has been in what any objective observer would call a state of revolution for several years, and now they're letting the cops take their weapons home to protect themselves and their families? Heck, even the hoplophobes in the United States don't believe that the police should be disarmed when they're not on duty. I seriously have to wonder what he's been thinking would happen if he let them arm themselves in the past couple of years. It's not like the situation could have gotten worse.
From the "They Do That" Department - A woman with more heart than brain in Boston has gone to animal rescue groups with 71 rats that are the descendants of a pair she bought to save them from being used as Purina Snake Chow. Apparently she'd never heard the term "breeds like rats".
From the "They Do That Too" Department - A woman in Wisconsin got a scare recently when she was bitten in the face by a python she had taken from its enclosure. The reptile latched on and refused to let go until its owner removed its fangs from the ladies face. Coincidentally, the group she was a part of was beginning discussion of "The Girl With the Python Cuban Tattoo". Who ever said that reading groups couldn't be exciting?
From the "Invasive Species" Department - Scientists are reporting that the number of mammals in the Florida Everglades is shrinking, and they blame the thriving Burmese Python population in the area. I believe that Florida has opened a snake hunting season, but it may take more than that to get a handle on this. Maybe if snake skin holsters, belts, jackets, and belts come into fashion, we can start to draw down their numbers. If we can find an extract in pythons that makes one body part or another grow, they'd be wiped out.
From the "Stanky" Department - Authorities in California are reporting that a bumper crop of skunks is coming to Sacramento in order to mate. Remember kids, if you disturb a skunk in the middle of mating, they can get a little testy, so a little discretion might be in order. Experts suggest that homeowners make sure that things that will draw amorous skunks to their property be cleared off. These can include little dinners for two, tiny bottles of champagne, and of course, Barry White music played on speakers in the yard.

Today's Earworm

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

This one has a lot I can relate to. Raised by an unrepentant hippie in the Country/Western heavy Dakotas.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 29

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

The defense policy of the United States is based on a simple premise: The United States does not start fights. We will never be an aggressor. We maintain our strength in order to deter and defend against aggression — to preserve freedom and peace.

My Take - Our defense policy ought to pretty much state "We're not afraid to come home covered in blood, so long as most of it's not ours.". Our defenses should be strong enough and our responses to provocation and attack ruthless enough that anyone who considers harming a hair on the head of any American does it knowing that the world is about to fall in on them.

Aw Crap!

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000-05:00

Looks like there won't be any pictures of Ma Deuce, Civil War cannon, and shopping at the best gun show I've ever been to this spring. Knob Creek has announced that due to flooding and damage to the bridge to the range, they are canceling their spring machine gun shoot.

We've been getting a lot of rain here in IndiUcky, and the creek gets over their bridge every so often. Basically, the Ohio River backs up into its tributaries when there's a lot of rain in the area, and KCR's bridge is only a couple of miles from where the creek empties into the river. Apparently this time their bridge got damaged badly enough that they don't want to plan on having it fixed by April. When they open back up, I'll go back out and get the straight skinny on what happened.

Hopefully they get this taken care of soon. I want to go out and see how that new '03 does and my Mosin is starting to feel unloved, and KCR is a small business. Taking weeks or months off with no business and having such a large event cancelled can't be good for their bottom line.

Thoughts?

2012-01-31T04:00:00.000-05:00

The 30 Days of Reagan are winding down. What do you all think? Keep doing blocks of quotes from notable people or let it go before it gets stale?

Week With the Kids - Day 1

2012-01-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

Today will probably be remembered as the easiest day.

I worked until late last night, and then worked for a couple of hours again in the wee hours of the morning. I got the kids off to school, went to a couple of appointments, and basically just puttered around the house for the rest of the day.

Dinner was chicken fajita quesadillas with a salad and fruit. Both kids ate heartily. Supplies look good for the rest of the week. Dinner tomorrow night will be spaghetti with sauce I've already made and thrown in the crock pot. I'll just put the crock in its cradle in the morning and make the pasta when I get home from work.

Girlie Bear has been a godsend. She's good at doing the big sister thing by making sure Boo doesn't hurt himself or anyone else while I cook or clean up. She's currently putting the finishing touches on homework before she heads off to bed.

Boo had a "very active and happy" day at school, and he nodded off at 7:30 or so. I put him to bed and he didn't protest at all. Before dinner, he continued to be both happy and active, and my living room looks like a bomb went off, but it's mostly just toys and such that I can pick up before going to bed.

All tuckered out

Irish Woman made it to Iowa with no issues, which is good. Last week the first group of her co-workers to go for this training had to return to Chicago after take off when the airplane cabin started filling with smoke. Luckily her trip has been boring so far. She has called a couple of times to talk to Boo, and he seems to be accepting Mommy being away. We'll see how he does in a couple of days.

Our one crisis so far has been that the pinball machine doesn't seem to want to work properly. When I turn it on, it goes into some weird error state. Irish Woman knows how to make it work, and I'll figure it out. We use pinball as a reward for good behavior, and I had to resort to letting Boo watch Star Wars after dinner instead. Note the light saber in the photo above.

So far, so good.

Product Review - 5.11 Professional Polo

2012-01-30T18:56:00.000-05:00

The good folks over at 5.11 Tactical asked me to do a review of some of their apparel, and since I wear polo shorts most of the day, they let me do a review of one of their Professional Polo's.

The shirt itself is a standard, but well built, short sleeved polo shirt, but with a few extras thrown in:

First, instead of having a breast pocket or no pocket at all, there is a double pen pocket on the left sleeve. It stood up to capped pens, metal mechanical pencils, and old fashioned wooden #2's with no stretching or ripping. The pocket is bisected so that pens can be carried without becoming tilted to one side or another. The pen pocket is deep enough that a pen can be entirely encased in it if necessary, but isn't so stiff at the opening that you can't get it out easily or have it clipped to the outside for quick access. It is a bit more difficult to get at your pen when you're wearing a jacket, but it's not too bad. You just look like a goober reaching up in the sleeve of your coat for a few moments.

Pen completely inside pocket

Another touch that 5.11 added was permanent stays in the collar to keep it from curling. I put this shirt through 10 cycles in the washer and dryer, and the stays didn't deform at all. The collar stays folded correctly and the corners do not curl at all.

Collar Stay after 10 cycles through the laundry

5.11 also advertises the shirt as not wrinkling, shrinking, or fading, and it meets that standard. After 10 cycles of warm water and hot dryer, the shirt stayed completely wrinkle free after being hung on a hanger, and had only minor creases after being stuffed in the bottom of a gym bag for a few hours. These minor wrinkles came out after a few minutes of wear. The shirt did not shrink at all, and I only noticed extremely minor fading at the top of the collar notch seam. Please note that I went over the shirt with a fine toothed comb looking for defects after use, and the fading I saw had to be looked for. Irish Woman did not notice it until I pointed it out, and I only noticed it after the first washing and it got no lighter or larger. It may have been excess dye in the material coming out at a point in the fabric that is held tight by the stitching.

The shirt has generous cuts at the bottom of the side seams to make it more comfortable to reach for a wallet or a something carried at the belt line.

The material used isn't the softest cotton I've ever worn, but it is very comfortable and wears well. It's also pretty rugged. It's not the shirt I would wear to go out and cut wood with the chainsaw, but I have snagged it on car doors, had computer equipment rub against it with sharp edges, and worn it while doing work around the house with no wear and tear. I didn't cut at it with a blade or a sharp rock, but that's not the kind of abuse it's designed to take.

I tested how well it took getting dirty in a few ways. It got splattered with tomato sauce, finger paint, greasy crud from the inside of an old computer, and motor oil. I washed it after each of these messes in warm water with standard laundry detergent, and it all came out with no staining or oil marks. That alone impressed me.

I wore the shirt to work, while out with the family, and around the house. It wore well, didn't bind up when I was reaching for things or wrestling with Boo, and was very comfortable to wear. This being winter, I wore it with an undershirt, and it was warm enough that I didn't need a sweater for quick trips to the car and such. The material is light enough that I expect it will breathe well in warmer weather.

5.11 Tactical's Polo Shirts for Men are priced between $34.99 and $49.99, which may seem a bit high for a polo shirt. However, the quality, comfort, and ruggedness of the shirt lead me to believe that it would last and be wearable in an office environment for much longer than the less expensive polo's I wear from department stores. They come in a myriad of colors, so you don't have to go to work looking like Tactical Tony in coyote brown if you don't want to.

So my take away on this shirt is that it's a good value, it's comfortable, and it will last as long as you care to wear it.

Disclaimer - 5.11 Tactical provided me with the material I tested for this review. I was given no other consideration for writing it, and I am offering to return the shirt now that the evaluation is over.

Quote of the Day

2012-01-30T13:56:00.004-05:00

I’m so hetero, it hurts. I love a good set of breasts and a firm butt like nobody’s business. I also love guns almost as much. Technically more since I can touch someone else’s guns without the Mrs. stabbing me in the neck with a set of poultry shears.

Robb Allen, who may have just proven logically that guns are better than breasts because you can touch guns without someone screaming at you.

Unbelting

2012-01-30T10:52:00.002-05:00

Before

After

Guess what I did while drinking my coffee this morning? By the way, when you try to take 60 year old ammunition out of its cloth belt, make sure you have good callouses on your thumbs, your hands are absolutely dry, and don't make any plans.

By the way, if anyone has an M1919 and needs a couple extra ammo belts, drop me a line. I don't have any use for them. The bullets, on the other hand, will be put to good use.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 28

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

My fellow Americans, I'm pleased to tell you today that I've signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.

My Take - Never miss a chance to make your adversaries worry that you just might be a little insane. It keeps them guessing and makes you unpredictable.

Plan for the Week

2012-01-30T01:37:00.000-05:00

Irish Woman will be flying away on the big silver bird to the wilds of Iowa for training tomorrow morning. Based on the amount of preparation and admonishing she's done today, I think she's expecting to come home to "Lord of the Flies", with me playing the part of the pig with a head on a stick.

I've got a fully stocked larder, a set of menus listed out for what I'm going to cook, all the laundry is done, and the house looks better than it has in a long time.

Not saying this is going to be a piece of cake, but I think I can handle this. The kids have to sleep sometime, don't they?

Yeah, I know, pride goeth before the fall.

Watch this space for updates on how I handle single parenthood for five days.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 27

2012-01-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Liberals fought poverty and poverty won.

News Roundup

2012-01-28T22:22:00.000-05:00

From the "That Explains A Lot" Department - Fran Drescher, an actress who has 'entertained' us for almost 20 years and whose voice has been shown to cause seizures in primates, claims that she was abducted by aliens when she was a teenager. She also claims that her ex-husband was abducted early in his life, and that explains why they sought each other out. Actually, I'm inclined to believe her story. There is no way that her voice and laugh come from anything but advanced alien programs to drive us to shove screwdrivers in our ears until they come out sticky. Also, you'd have to be under the influence of an alien mind probe to want to be around her for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Here's hoping the little green men come back to see how their "catch and release" subject has been doing and take her back to their planet for further study.
From the "Make a Bigger One" Department - The Air Force is working with weapons designers and manufacturers to improve its latest model of bunker buster bombs. Reports are that even though it's one heck of a good penetrator and bomb, it would have issues destroying Iran's most deeply buried facilities. My guess is that the Pentagon wants a "one shot, one kill" solution for each facility it would hit in the event of war. My solution is a little simpler than making a better penetrator. First, you use the best penetrator you have. Then you use another, and another, and another. Then, you make the surface around the target uninhabitable for a few decades. It's called "over servicing the target". Someone in what used to be Strategic Air Command might be able to dig up old war plans that the current leadership in Washington could use as a template. If we care enough to bomb the bejeezus out of someone buried in a hole, we ought to at least do it in a way we know will work. Maybe you can't get the guys at the bottom of the hole, but you can for sure make it so they can't come out of it before they run out of air and food.
From the "Loose Lips Sink Ships" Department - Secretary of Defense Penetta is publicly wringing his hands about the fate of a Pakistani doctor who is accused of aiding the CIA in pinpointing the location of Osama bin Laden so that Navy SEALs could pay him a courtesy call. Apparently Pakistan is trying the good doctor for treason, which will probably end up with him taking a short drop with a sudden stop. That's strange. Penetta, Obama, Biden, Clinton, Pelosi, and the rest of the usual gang of idiots weren't worried about the fate of our servicemembers, intelligence agents, and information sources in the days after bin Laden was introduced to the business end of American ordnance. Now that there's no publicity to be gained by not only admitting that we did it and giving a blow by blow "No kidding, there I was" timeline and script for the raid, but also possibly giving Hollywood a quick look at the action shots of the raid and how it was planned, everyone's worried about what might happen to someone who may or may not have helped us. How about Penetta hangs whoever told the press about the fact that the good doctor was at all involved up by their thumbs, and then I'll believe that he's serious in his worry. Until then, I'm a little cynical about it.
From the "Some Animals Are More Equal" Department - A state legislator in Colorado is coming under fire for reportedly being let off the hook for a DUI because she mentioned to police at the scene that she was in the legislature. Colorado law prevents the arrest of legislators travelling to and from state business, probably so that members of the loyal opposition aren't thrown in jail to keep them away from their jobs. She is claiming that she did not get let go with a traffic ticket and a cab ride home because she's a state Senator. If that is how Colorado handles all DUI's, I'll buy that. If not, then she's got some 'splaining to do and there's a law in Colorado that needs amending.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 26

2012-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them — this morning, as they prepared for their journey, and waved good-bye, and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."

Today's Earworm

2012-01-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Firearms Owners Freedom Act - A Modest Proposal

2012-01-27T13:35:00.001-05:00

A Bill

To restore constitutionally protected firearms rights to lawful firearms owners and other purposes

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as `Firearms Owners Freedom Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:

(1) The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees and protects an individual right to keep and bear arms for all citizens of the United States.

(2). The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, Section 1, guarantees and protects equal treatment under the law for all citizens of the United States.

(3). Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution grants the power to regulate interstate commerce and collect taxes to the Federal government.

(4). The National Firearms Act of 1934 and the codes and regulations enacted to fulfill it currently contain an unreasonable restriction on firearms accessories that suppress the noise of the firearm discharging.

(5). The Gun Control Act of 1968 and the codes and regulations enacted to fulfill it contain unreasonable restrictions on the lawful and constitutional interstate commerce of firearms.

(6). Several states, territories, and the District of Columbia impose onerous restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms by requiring a license to own a firearm but still receive funds paid as excise taxes by citizens when purchasing firearms and ammunition.

SEC. 3. SAFETY EQUIPMENT TO REDUCE NOISE OF FIREARMS

United States Code Title 25, Chapter 53 shall be amended to remove any reference to silencers or suppressors. Existing licensed suppressors shall no longer require licensing to own. All future sales of suppressors shall be done in the same manner as other firearms, with no need for additional licensing nor taxation.

SEC. 4. INTERSTATE COMMERCE IN FIREARMS

United States Code, Title 18, Chapter 44, Section 922 shall be amended to remove language that restricts the interstate commerce of firearms, ammunition, and firearms accessories by anyone other than restricted persons. The requirement that interstate commerce in firearms, ammunition, and firearms accessories require a Federal Firearms License shall be dropped.

SEC 5. USE OF MONEY FROM FIREARMS EXCISE TAXES IN RESTRICTIVE JURISDICTIONS

United States Code, Title 16, Chapter 5b, Section 669 shall be amended to include the following paragraph:

No funds collected as excise taxes on the manufacture or sales of firearms, ammunition, or firearms accessories shall be dispersed to states, territories, or districts that require a license in any form to keep and bear arms. The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of the Treasury shall jointly determine on a quarterly basis which, if any, of the states, territories, or districts of the United States shall have their share of excise taxes withheld. Any withheld funds shall be held by the government of the United States until such time as the effected state, territory, or district shall drop such firearms licensing requirements.

Y'all, that's just 477 words that would restore a lot of our gun rights. There would be some proforma stuff added to the top and bottom, and I'm sure it would be cut up, thoroughly blended, and have amendments added to it before it got out of Congress, but if the core survived, I'd be a much happier gun owner.

First, Congress declares publicly and no uncertain terms that the legislative branch agrees with the judicial branch that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms.

Next, it removes the part of NFA '34 that makes putting a muffler on the end of your gun barrel something that requires paperwork, months of waiting, and a yearly tax.

Then it makes it possible again to buy and sell firearms across state lines. That does two things: First, you can buy a handgun while you're in another state and not have to go through the hassle of finding an FFL on both end of the transaction to ship it home. Next, if city or state makes it difficult to have a gun by making it exceedingly difficult to be an FFL, you can cross state lines to buy a gun.

Finally, while not telling states that they have to drop licensing requirements to own a gun, which would violate the 10th Amendment to the Constitution, the act tells those states that as long as they require a license to exercise a right, they won't be getting the money from the excise taxes on firearms and ammunition. Want the money from firearms owners to pay for your parks and such? Then treat firearms owners as first class citizens and adults.

What do y'all think?

Happy Birthday WAM!

2012-01-27T12:32:00.001-05:00

No, not that horrid act by George Michael and the other guy. I'm talking about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born on this date in 1756. His music has inspired and entertained people since he was BooBoo's age.

So raise a glass and give an ear to one of my favorite composers.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 25

2012-01-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's true hard work never killed anyone, but I figure, why take the chance?

My Take - Sounds like a good plan for the weekend to me!

New Car Line

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

Recently the People's Collective Automotive Fabrik announced a new car line: The "Pendejo". The line will include several models:

Pendejo Rapido - This model consists of the frame and body from a 1980's muscle car, bolted-on extra fins and a spoiler, extremely stiff suspension and steering, a huge V16 mid-body engine, a cosmetic blower in the hood, and one heck of a stereo to drown out the road and engine noise. It will also include an "auto-stick" transmission so you can pretend you're driving a standard transmission, even though you may never do anything but put it in park, reverse, and drive. It will be marketed at people who saw "Cannonball Run" and "Fast and Furious" one too many times. It will allow the driver to leave 15 feet of tire marks at intersections both stopping and starting, whip in and out of traffic, and cut off school buses. This car screams "Live fast, die young!".
Pendejo Verde HTS - This model is a plug-in, electric, low emissions, recyclable, sustainable commuter car with a range of about 15 miles. The car is composed of two ~~recombinant~~ recumbent bicycles welded to three ironing boards, with the trickle charger from a 1978 Winnebago connected to a bank of lithium batteries. The body is made up of synthetic materials made out of recycled two-liter pop bottles and aluminum parts made from sintered ground-up Schlitz malt liquor cans. This sporty two seater is furnished with airliner chairs taken out of old DC-8's, with a small cargo area big enough to carry not just one, but two loaves of organic, whole-grain, shade grown, high fiber, low carb, artisanal focaccia. HTS stands for "Hipster Transport System" and that is the target market for this little beauty. Sure, any collision in this deathtrap at over 2 miles an hour will leave the occupants looking like underdone lasagna, but who wants to live forever? As an added bonus, when the lithium batteries go critical after an accident, the carcasses of the occupants will become totally organic ash that will fertilize the byways of America for generations to come.
Pendejo Grande - This is the largest of the models in this line. It will be marketed to middle-aged parents who want the convenience of a station wagon or minivan, but don't want to be seen in one. The vehicle is the body and frame of a 1990's vintage minivan, with the suspension jacked up about a foot and a half, big knobby tires, bolted on extended wheel wells and headlight frames, deer stalker lights on the front of the cab, a hitch capable of towing a 155mm cannon, and a diesel engine salvaged from a garbage truck, but without the muffler. American Moms and Dads will be able to pick up the kids from school, go to the grocery store, and haul all the groceries, soccer gear, Cub Scout equipment, and a load of mulch for the front yard confident that no-one will mistake them for someone who grew up and had kids. This beast will come in coyote brown, OD green, and matte-black. Accessories will include luggage containers that bolt to the included rooftop cargo rack that double as sails in high winds.

Remember this name: Pendejo - The car that matches your personality!

Today's Earworm

2012-01-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

News Roundup

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000-05:00

From the "Spelling Under the Influence" Department - In a recent interview, Pat Sajak admitted that he and Vanna White used to drink, sometimes to excess, during dinner breaks while taping episodes of their game show "Wheel of Fortune". That's fair. Usually I have to be drunk to watch the show, so who am I to judge if they thought they needed to be drunk to make it. But usually when I'm drinking and things start spinning, it's not a good thing.
From the "Victim Selection Process Failure" Department - A teenager in Florida is in jail for burglary after he broke into the home of a police officer. Around here, a lot of officers bring their cruisers home, and if that's also true in this case, then Mr. Einstein here had all the warning he needed. The report says that the officer restrained the suspect, so I guess he's lucky he's not listed as a victim of gun violence.
From the "Spotting a Trend" Department - Following the example of American gun manufacturers, LEGO has begun marketing its block sets to girls. The toy giant will include sets with pastel colored blocks and kits that make beauty parlors. I take the same stance on pink LEGO's as I do on pink guns: If that's what it takes for you to buy and enjoy a product, have at it. But almost every woman I know shoots evil black guns just as well as they do the pink ones, and the girls I know who play with LEGO's tend to make the same thing as their male counterparts: houses and guns.
From the "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise" Department - Officials at the United Nations called the police recently when a fake diplomatic pouch containing two bags of cocaine were found. Of course, the U.N. is disavowing any knowledge of the Peruvian marching powder. I mean, it's not like the U.N. would have a narcotics trafficker mixed in amongst the dictators, potentates, spies, and sycophants. But hey, if the U.N. snorted a bit of the devil's dancing dust every once in a while, they might get something constructive done.

My Newest Time Waster

2012-01-27T03:00:00.000-05:00

H/T to An Ordinary American

Let's hunt some prairie dogs!

Sickening

2012-01-26T15:21:00.001-05:00

The state of North Carolina has offered a settlement of $50,000 to people who were forcibly sterilized by the state prior to the program being shut down in 1974. The principle subject of the article was sterilized in 1968 when a board of 5 people labeled her as "feebleminded" and decided she should be sterilized because they worried she might become promiscuous. The lady was 14 at the time and a pregnant victim of rape. This "feebleminded" woman has since gone on to graduate from school and be a productive member of society. Draw your own conclusions there.

This one hits close to home for me. My family, like most, has members who are impaired in some way, either mentally, cognitively, or physically. My sister has learning disabilities, I am an arthritic, and one of my sons is slightly autistic. I'm a responsible, productive member of society, as is my sister. My son may be one someday, if he can ever grow out of the case of the galloping stupids that every teenager goes into.

My point is that under the standards that these boards, which were active in at least 30 states and sterilized 65,000 citizens, any of us could be considered genetically undesirable and sterilized.

I'm not trying to Godwin here, but if the term "Final Solution" just went through your mind, then we have something in common. Eugenics, whether it's done under the auspices of a fascistic regime in Europe or promoted by Margaret Sanger in the United States, is evil.

Can the state of North Carolina truly compensate Ms. Riddick for what was done to her? Definitely not. She was fortunate to have a son with whom she has remained close. But thousands of others were sterilized before they could have children. Money won't do it.

Now the state wants to compensate victims with $50,000. If only 2000 people who were forcibly sterilized in North Carolina are still alive, the state will spend at most $100,000,000. That's assuming they can find all of the victims and all of them take the check instead of taking it as the insult it is.

But the road for the victims of eugenics could be smoothed considerably if the governments in question would make a true apology. Ex-governor Easley issued a one line apology in 2002. Governor Perdue and the state legislature, as well as the leadership of the other states who perpetrated this barbarity, need to make a public apology that does more than check the block and throw money at the problem.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 24

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Well I've said it before and I'll say it again — America's best days are yet to come. Our proudest moments are yet to be. Our most glorious achievements are just ahead.

Caption This Photo

2012-01-26T05:00:00.001-05:00

Today's Earworm

2012-01-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

Overheard in the Living Room

2012-01-25T19:34:00.001-05:00

Irish Woman, watching the end of "The Empire Strikes Back" with Boo - "Where's Han Solo?"
DaddyBear, distracted by going through the monthly bills - "He's frozen in carbonite. Haven't you seen this before?"
Irish Woman - "Well, yeah, but it's been years. So the rebel fleet just drifts around and the new DeathStar is chasing them?"
DaddyBear - "The new DeathStar hasn't been started yet. That's the next movie. There's a gap of a few years between this movie and Jedi. A lot happens in those years by the way. Luke continues to improve his Jedi powers, Leia has to get her metal bikini body, Lando has to make all those Colt .45 commercials, and Chewbacca becomes a Ron Paul supporter."

Books for Junior Officers

2012-01-25T15:36:00.000-05:00

H/T to Blackfive for pointing this new list out.

Company Command has done a survey of Army officers about what they read and then published the top fifty. They call it Read2Lead. I've always thought that when a leader isn't doing his job, he ought to be learning how to do it better. I was blessed to have a Command Sergeant Major in Germany who believed that an NCO should read through all of the same reading lists as the officers he serves under. He would assign reading at each NCO development session, and expected us to be able to discuss the contents of each of them, the lessons to be learned, and how they applied to us as Intelligence professionals.

Here's the list from Read2Lead, with ones I've read in bold and my notes:

(Links to Amazon if you want to get your own copy will also drop a few shekels in Uncle's gun fund.)

Once an Eagle - Read it, reread it, made my son read it. My daughter will also read it, and so will Boo when he gets old enough. It's a morality play about the selfless warrior played against the self-interested careerist, but you have to have ideals to strive for, and this one provides them with sprinkles on top. The lessons in this one apply to anyone, military or not.
We Were Soldiers Once…and Young - Excellent telling of the story of one of the first big fights in Vietnam. Also gave me background information when I learned who Rick Rescorla was.
Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat
Taking the Guidon: Exceptional Leadership at the Company Level
Black Hearts: One Platoon’s Descent into Madness in Iraq’s Triangle
Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society - I've read some excerpts from this, and I need to read the whole thing.
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest - Another one that I've read and reread. Also gave to my sons to read, and will give to the daughter when she's old enough.
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Infantry Attacks - Read all of it in English and then reread parts of it in German. There is a difference in content.
A Message to Garcia
NIV Study Bible
The Prince
On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace - I've read some excerpts from this, and I need to read the whole thing.
The Good Soldiers
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae
About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior - Read it initially as a young PFC. Reread it every couple of years since. If half of what Hackworth says about his career is true, he was as hard as chicken lips.
The Leadership Lessons of Jesus: A Timeless Model for Today’s Leaders
Principle-Centered Leadership
The Defence of Duffer’s Drift
The Heights of Courage: A Tank Leader’s War on the Golan
How to Win Friends and Influence People - Believe it or not, I've read this one. One of my former employers thought I needed "people skills".
Team Yankee - Great novel. A little dated now, but the leadership shown by the main character still shines.
The Forgotten Soldier
East of Chosin: Entrapment and Breakout In Korea, 1950
Leadership and Training for the Fight: A Few Thoughts on Leadership and Training from a Former Special Operations Soldier
The Places In Between
Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts: The Hopeless to Hardcore Transformation of 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry, United States Army, Vietnam - Another great one by Hackworth. He expands on something from his first book and discusses how he took a broken down battalion and turned them into fighters.
Street Without Joy - I used to think this was kind of dated, but considering how Iraq and Afghanistan are going, I know now that I was wrong.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t
The Village
First Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently
Passion of Command: The Moral Imperative of Leadership
Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II
Leadership: The Warrior’s Art
Company Command: The Bottom Line
Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters
The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa
Infantry in Battle
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer
Words for Warriors: A Professional Soldier’s Notebook
The Arab Mind
Cigars, Whiskey and Winning: Leadership Lessonsfrom General Ulysses S. Grant
It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy
Muddy Boots Leadership: Real Life Stories and Personal Examples of Good, Bad, and Unexpected Results
The Soldier and the State: The Theory and Politics of Civil-Military Relations
This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History
The 360 Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization
The Mission, the Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander

The list is interesting because it's the books that our young leaders, who will be our battalion and brigade leaders in the next war, are reading for their own professional enrichment.

I think I need to read more. I haven't read too many books on the list that have been published since I got out. How about the rest of y'all?

30 Days of Reagan - Day 23

2012-01-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life.

Thought for the Day

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-05:00

DaddyBear's rules for watching political speeches, regardless of the political affiliation of the speaker:

Assume you're being lied to.

Actually, that's about it. If you can keep that in mind, then you'll do better than 99% of the people in your demographic.

Today's Earworm

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

Sporterized M1903-A3

2012-01-24T16:36:00.000-05:00

A while back I was wandering through my gun store, and took a look at their bargain rack. They usually have a couple of Mosin's and the occasional Enfield there. One old rifle was mixed in with the used muzzleloaders and such, and something about it caught my eye. After taking a good look, I realized what I had: A sporterized M1903, with an asking price of $225.

Closer inspection showed that it was a Smith Corona M1903-A3.

WECSOG. Some things will just make a man cry

A previous owner had drilled and tapped it a couple of times, finally settling on a Weaver side mount and a scope of unknown manufacture and quality. Almost all of the markings on the scope were worn away. Other than the holes in the receiver, the rifle appears to be in good shape. The finish is pretty thin on much of the gun. There is a bit of surface rust here and there, but I can't find any pitting.

The person who sporterized it didn't cut the barrel, so the original arsenal marks are still there:

The arsenal mark says "SC above the Ordnance Corps Symbol above "4 43"

Not sure what the "U" mark on the bolt means

Finish on the bolt is spotty, but not bad

I tried to get pictures of the bore, but couldn't get the camera to cooperate. It's shiny, and the grooves in the rifling are sharp. My guess is that the gun was brought out of the cabinet every so often, fired at the range or at a deer, then cleaned up and put back in the cabinet.

Here's an indication of how long ago the sporterizing was done:

1976 Bi-Centennial Quarter embedded in an old RedHead stock.
The glue holding it in has turned yellow with age.

So what are my plans for it? In the near term, I'm going to give it a good cleaning, put a better scope on it, and use it for my deer rifle. Assuming of course, that it still shoots well. It seems to be mechanically OK, and the trigger is pretty good for a mil-surp. There's about 1/4 inch of easy travel back to a stopping point, then another 1/8 inch against resistance to where it breaks. Next, I need to get a manual on how to care for it that shows all of the parts that I'll need for restoration. As time and money permit, I'm going to collect all of the parts I need to put original-ish furniture and sights on it. I'll see if I can get a gunsmith to fill in the holes that are drilled in the receiver, then see about getting it re-parkerized. I'll be sure to mark it in such a way that no-one will confuse it with a collectible gun, though. No amount of restoration will make this more than a shooter, and a serious collector would notice it right away. However, I don't want one of my grandchildren to sell it to someone and both of them be unaware that it's not original.

I talked the clerk at the store down to $200, which is less than CMP was selling M1903 actions for when I was up there last summer. I figure I'll have to put another $200 in parts on her, then another couple of hundred or so to get her assembled, repaired, and re-parkerized. Not bad, considering how rare and expensive even an abused M1903 is getting these days.

So, I guess I've got my first project gun. I won't be able to restore it soon due to money constraints, but as I see parts that I can afford, I'll pick them up and squirrel them away. Hopefully by the time Girlie Bear heads off to college, I'll have what I need and the money to get it done up right. The first .30-06 I ever fired was a sporterized 1903, and I've always wanted one. Now my goal is to reverse the sporterizing as much as possible and restore this beauty to as close as original as I can.

The American Peasant Class

2012-01-24T13:23:00.001-05:00

I've heard and read a lot of references lately to the "Democrat plantation". The term refers to the belief that Americans of African descent will tend to support Democrat politicians and causes so long as Democrats continue to provide them with bread and circuses.

I'm not just calling out Democrats on this. The Republicans have their taken-for-granted class too: conservative voters. For an example, consider the push to make Romney the nominee even though his appeal to the conservative base of the party is shaky at best.

You can call them plebs, serfs, peasants, peons, or whatever; it's all the same: people who are brought up in a system that assumes that they are at the bottom of the ladder, don't see that there are better options, and have little to no motivation to find something better or different are used to ensure that some political movement or another gets and stays in power.

Every person or group that wants to exert control over everyone else requires a lower class because it provides the muscle, either at the ballot box or in the street. The Chekists in the USSR didn't draw from the cream of Bolshevik society. They recruited their foot soldiers from the lower classes of Russian/Soviet culture and used them to instill fear in anyone who might oppose the regime.

The Democrats have their reliable voting block of urban African-Americans. The Republicans have their reliable voting block of conservative middle-class voters. Either way, they're all just peasants working the fields of those who tell them just enough scary stories about the bogeymen on the other plantation to keep them in line and voting a straight party ticket.

Thoughts like this are one of the reasons that I'm considering myself an independent voter more and more. Maybe I'm just cynical, but I honestly don't believe that either party cares at all about what happens to the people on the streets of America so long as their personal gravy trains and power trips keep rolling. In this way, they're no better in my eyes than the most staunch Stalinist or banana republic dictator. So long as we all know our place and do as directed, they're just fine. If one of us pokes our head up and dares to bleat out of time with the rest of the herd, then they drop the hammer down on us or cut us off from the herd lest our disease of independent thinking infect the rest of the flock. Only if enough of us make our voices heard do we have hope that those who think they rule our country will listen.

So I'm going to stop being a good peasant. I will vote for a good Democrat instead of a bad Republican if I think that the Dem would do a better job. I refuse to vote for or against something on the ballot just because the local Republican committee thinks I ought to, and I won't be quiet about it. Hopefully others will get the same idea.

What do you call it when the peasants quit working the fields or toiling in the factories? You call it revolution.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 22

2012-01-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it and see it still.

News Roundup

2012-01-23T16:30:00.002-05:00

From the "Yanking the Leash" Department - The Supreme Court has ruled that law enforcement must obtain a search warrant before affixing a GPS device to a vehicle in order to track a suspect's movements. I agree with this. If the police want to know where I go and when, they ought to have to go before a judge and prove their case a bit. Of course, any policeman tracking my movements is going to die of boredom, but hey, I might become interesting again. It could happen!
From the "Pretty Lights" Department - A large and powerful solar flare is expected to impact flights over the Earth's poles this week. I expect to be going out and watching the Northern Lights if the sky is clear. I need to get a short wave radio one of these days so that I can show Girlie Bear how to listen to the aurora borealis. It'll be a bummer if the storm interferes with digital communicaac8qfnq1l24kinmva8.
From the "Tread Lightly" Department - My senator, Rand Paul, was detained at the Nashville airport yesterday because he refused to allow a TSA agent to perform a proctological exam on him after the porn-o-tron showed an anomaly on his leg. Apparently showing the part of the body that's been indicated isn't good enough. For those of you paying attention, inconveniencing a senator who will have an impact on your funding is considered a less than optimal move for a federal agency. Personally, I hope this is the straw that breaks the camel's back.
From the "Wishing Her Luck" Department - Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was wounded in an assassination attempt by a deranged man last year, has announced that she is resigning her seat in Congress so that she can concentrate on her recovery. I wish Mrs. Giffords luck and continued progress. Brain injuries are a hard row to hoe, and she's going to need all the time and energy she can muster.
From the "Steam" Department - NASA has announced that it has observed and recorded a comet disintegrating as it plunged into the sun. I can draw a political line from this in that if the Republicans don't get their act together soon, that's what's going to happen to them in November.
From the "Blotto in a Volvo" Department - A man in Florida was arrested after police discovered he was drunk. Nothing particularly newsworthy there. Unfortunately, people get drunk and climb into the driver's seat every day. What is unique here is that the gentleman was so drunk he didn't notice he was missing a tire. Now, I've had a tire fall off of a car before, and it puts on quite a light and sound show, so you'd have to be pretty messed up not to notice. Maybe he just thought the sparks was part of a new flame job he didn't know he had.
From the "Prescient Without a License" Department - Authorities in Massachusetts are summoning psychics in the Boston area to a special board to explain why they are operating without a license. Apparently in order to look at auras, stare at tea leaves, and gaze into crystal balls in Boston, you have to give city hall their pound of flesh. I'm guessing the psychics will cooperate fully. I mean, it's not like they're holding the tribunal in Salem or anything. Although, if I were one of these people, I'd be getting with anyone else and seeing if anyone has a bad vibe. You just never know.
From the "Don't Let The Door Hit You" Department - A member of the Norwegian government has stated his opinion that unemployed immigrants should go home and stop utilizing the generous benefits of the Scandinavian country. Sounds good to me, and I'm not surprised that people would be staying in Norway for the benefits. It's not like they're staying for the mild winters.
From the "Don't Mess With Grandma" Department - An 85 year old woman saved her husband's life by driving off an angry moose with a shovel recently. Having been chased by a moose across two lakes in the Minnesota Boundary Waters, I can appreciate how much guts it took to start whacking the swamp donkey about the head and shoulders. One thing's for sure: That husband will never give his wife lip again. Not only does he owe her his life, he also knows that she is not afraid to die.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 21

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

"We the people" tell the government what to do, it doesn't tell us.

My Take - This opinion, of course, assumes that we can still vote our way out of this.

Quote of the Day

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

I don't like it when the pilots introduce themselves and use their first names. "This is Captain Jimmy and First Officer Zachary". This isn't a puppet show, you're flying a plane! I want some credentials: "This is Captain John R. Richardson, U.S. Navy, 1500 carrier landings, 43 confirmed kills in air-to-air combat. Take your seat belts off, I got this.".

-- Greg Hahn, on the Bob and Tom Show. Link may be NSFW for some W's.

Thoughts on the Weekend

2012-01-22T23:19:00.000-05:00

There is no quicker way for a wife to get her husband's attention than for her to go to the basement and then shout from the bottom of the stairs "Honey? Where's the Saws-All?".
When you tell your lovely wife you want to wait to do work in the basement until the renovation of the bathroom closet she's in the middle of is finished, you should plan to spend half your Saturday pulling down plaster, metal lath, and two-by-fours that are older than you are.
You always find the breathing masks 10 minutes after you finish inhaling all that plaster dust.
It is indeed not necessary to use a reciprocating saw to demo a bathroom closet.
Corollary: Insisting that getting the reciprocating saw out of the basement is not necessary means you will tear it all out by hand with your wife making suggestions.
It is physically impossible to keep a band-aid on a cut in the palm of your hand from a pry bar.
The formula for a good afternoon does not include putting your youngest son in a headlock so that the barber can finish the haircut he's halfway through.
Mark your calendars. Today I got to watch all four quarters of a football game. Of course, I missed the overtime, but I'll take what I can get.
Prepping Fail: Noting that you are going to be getting some pretty bad weather, you check the preparations for tornadoes and power outages. You turn on the battery operated radio, and the batteries are dead. You go to the supply cabinet, and you have no D cell batteries. So, instead of watching the overtime of said football game, you get to drive through the rain to Superdoopermegamart to purchase a pack of batteries. Note to self - Order a case of D batteries.

Quote of the Day

2012-01-22T11:34:00.003-05:00

You came into this world covered in someone else's blood you should, in the midst of a violent attack upon you, at least leave in the same fashion.

-- Matthew, Straight Forward in a Crooked World, Dark Arts for Good Guys: The Right to Knife Pt. II

30 Days of Reagan - Day 20

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

And we are especially not going to tolerate these attacks from outlaw states run by the strangest collection of misfits, Looney Tunes and squalid criminals since the advent of the Third Reich […] There can be no place on earth where it is safe for these monsters to rest,or train or practice their cruel and deadly. We must act together – or unilaterally, if necessary – to ensure that these terrorists have no sanctuary, anywhere."

My Take - President Reagan said these words in reference to rogue states such as Libya and North Korea, but his words 16 years before September 11 were prophetic, but ignored by succeeding administrations. Those who want to bring the craziness of the rest of the world to our shores need to know that our reaction will be fast, violent and brutal. We also need to be proactive to find and eliminate threats before they reach our shore. That's why I support a reduction of our foreign involvement, but not a complete dismantlement of our world-wide defense strategy.

Today's Earworm

2012-01-21T23:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not normally a big fan of blondes, but for Faith Hill, I'll make an exception.

News Roundup

2012-01-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

From the "Gangster Guns" Department - Two guns formerly owned by the notorious Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were recently auctioned in Kansas City. The Thompson submachine gun and Winchester shotgun sold for $210,000. I hope the new owner is a young person, because by the time the ATF OK's the transfer of the machine gun, they're going to be antiques themselves.
From the "No Kidding?" Department - The captain of the Italian cruise ship that ran aground after hitting a rock has admitted that he "messed up". Remember, this is the guy who ran his ship into an island, got off the boat as fast as he could, then argued with rescue coordinators as to whether or not he should return to his ship and assist in rescue efforts. Son, "messed up" is what I call it when I put caramel flavored creamer in my coffee when I meant to put in un-flavored. What you did can best be described as "poking the pooch", "stepping on your schwanz", or "biting the big one". I wonder how you say "soup sandwich" in Italian?
From the "Performing as Planned" Department - A TSA agent and his wife have been charged with theft after investigators discovered that the agent was putting pilfered belongings from travelers in a pocket that had been sewn into his uniform. For those of you who are keeping track, this one goes in the ever-increasing "Breaking the Law and Violating People's Rights" column of your scorecard, while the "Catching Terrorists" column should add up to precisely "diddly" over "squat".
From the "Hole in my Head" Department - A man in Illinois walked around for several days with a 3 1/2 inch nail in his head. He took a knock to the noggin with a nail gun, thought the nail had missed, and went about his business. I can sympathize with him. I once walked around for a couple of days with a piece of buckshot in my hand before noticing that my left hand was turning funny colors and changing shape. Some would call that a high pain tolerance. However, the official report from the emergency room probably included the term "not too bright".

30 Days of Reagan - Day 19

2012-01-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

Blood that has soaked into the sands of a beach is all of one color. America stands unique in the world: the only country not founded on race but on a way, an ideal. Not in spite of but because of our polyglot background, we have had all the strength in the world. That is the American way.

Thought for the Day

2012-01-20T17:01:00.001-05:00

It is by Browning alone that I set lead in motion. It is by the squeezing of the trigger that the hammer comes forward, the primer becomes flame, the powder becomes gas. It is by Browning alone that I set lead in motion.

Sigh

2012-01-20T11:55:00.003-05:00

I have to make an announcement: I am going to vote for Ron Paul in the Kentucky Republican primary. I'm not going to be voting for Paul because I like him. I came to this decision in a process of elimination, and Paul was the only one I can't discard:

Newt Gingrich: I'm as flawed a human being as you can get, but I can't vote for a serial adulterer who didn't flee Washington like his hair was on fire after he wasn't re-elected. Yes, I'm making a subjective and probably unfair judgement call about someones character based on what I know about his personal life. But to be fair, I did the same thing to Bill Clinton, Gingrich's nemesis. He's a great debater, or at least a combative one who would make Obama work for it, but I've never seen anything from him that tells me he'd be able to lead the country.
Rick Santorum: Seems like a good guy, but after the things I've heard him say about gay people and their ability to marry, I can't support him. A president can't be choosy about whose rights he holds dear. I always say that if the rights of one of us are violated, then the rights of all of us are violated, and I believe that if I as a twice-divorced heterosexual man can choose whatever other human being I want to be with (hopefully) the rest of my life, then every other citizen, gay or straight, should be able to do that too. Look at it this way, if he was saying "I love guns, just not those guns" instead of "I love marriage, just not those marriages" would you vote for him?
Mitt Romney - Do I believe that Romney will be Obama light? Actually, I've come away from that. Romney isn't a wannabe socialist. I see Romney as a political chameleon who will try to govern through consensus rather than fight for what he believes is right. He will compromise base principles in order to say he's accomplished something, even if it's counter to the philosophy of the people who elected him, and therefore I won't vote for him.

So I come to Ron Paul. Now, I like a lot of what Dr. Paul has to say about domestic policy, but I have problems with his foreign policy stance. I'm all for reducing our foreign military involvement, but I think he wants to cut too close to the bone. I also know that what a candidate promises on the campaign trail, what a sitting president tries to do in concert with the Congress, and what actually happens in the end are three very different things, so maybe my concerns aren't that big a deal.

Do I think he has much of a chance of getting elected? I have no idea. Obama would be able to paint him as an extremist kook, but he would be able to re-energize the Tea Party movement. If he chose a conservative running mate, he might have a shot.

However, none of the Republicans are the kind of candidate and leader who you can look at and say "He will beat Obama". Gingrich and Santorum will bring the nutroots out of the woodwork, and Romney is the opponent that Obama wants and he won't get the Republicans to the polls.

So I'll cast my vote in the primary, try to get excited over the summer, and consider third party voting in November. I'm seriously beginning to think that it would be better for Obama to have the White House with a Republican Congress than for any of these four to have a compliant Republican Congress.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 18

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

The ten most dangerous words in the English language are "Hi, I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."

Blogs Roundup

2012-01-20T03:00:00.000-05:00

Robb does a review of a holster maker in my neck of the woods. I'll have to stop by and give his wares a look.
Flier389 relates a great story of an encounter he had with a mama bear and her cubs once upon a time.
Mr.G's has a great write up on gun control and how it seeks to make slaves of free men.
Warning, this post from Auntie J. is sweet enough to make you adjust your insulin.
TinCan Assassin is going to have a lot of fun raising his daughter. The force is strong with this one.
Shepherd K. has good news about his new little one, and learns the parent's lesson of "If you build it, they will spew upon it". I would have commented with some words of encouragement, but didn't see a comment link.
DefenseTech has a quick write-up on a concept design for a stealthy military cargo plane. Looks neat, but my totally non-flying self has to ask why you would need a fleet of cargo aircraft to replace the C-5 that use technology designed to make bombers survivable over an area defended by a sophisticated anti-air infrastructure. I could see having a few for dropping supplies behind the lines or dropping in paratroopers covertly, though.
Big Hollywood is reporting that some of the big Obama contributors in Hollywood are pulling their support of the President after he came out against SOPA and PIPA. Gee, that's too bad.

Thoughts on the Evening

2012-01-20T01:00:00.000-05:00

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: It's better to be shot and lay on the ground for an hour than it is to be captured, flex-cuffed, and questioned.
Apparently the United States military is recruiting rhinos now. One of them powerslammed me when I was uncooperative about being flex-cuffed.
Note to self: When being questioned and you are asked what you do for a living, telling the interrogator "I used to be a soldier until I took an arrow to the knee" might be very funny, but it will not endear you to said interrogator.

Maddening Linguistics Question

2012-01-19T14:58:00.001-05:00

OK, this is making my brain itch, and I need your help.

I'm an upper Mid-West transplant, so Southernisms sometimes don't work for me.

My question to the crowd:

When referring to the set of furniture in a given room, is it a "suite" or "suit"?

Example:

"We went to the store the other day and bought a new bedroom suit"

My mind says it's "suite". But four different Kentucky people, including my lovely and long-suffering wife, say "suit".

Also, when referring to the little shelf that sits at the base of a window, is it a "sill" or "seal"? Again, several Kentucky people use "seal", while I've always said "sill".

Please help. It's making my head hurt.

Ratchet

2012-01-19T07:34:00.000-05:00

I don't think it surprises anyone when I say that I'm pro-gun rights. But you can't be for the 2nd Amendment if you're not just as strongly for the other amendments. I don't agree with the anti-gun bloggers and activists, but I will do nothing to stop them from making their arguments and I will resist those who try to shut them up. I have a visceral dislike for those who prey on our society, but I am even more opposed to those who would deny them proper legal representation, a fair trial, or have them convicted on evidence gained through illegal means. I have a lot of respect for law enforcement, but I have nothing but contempt for those who use their power as a policeman to abuse other citizens. I have my own religion, and I don't agree with the tenets and practices of some other religions, but I'm not going to try to impose my faith on someone else or prevent them from exercising their own faith so long as they don't hurt someone else.

Our country was created when a group of people took the stand that their rights as Englishmen were being violated by a distant monarch. They believed that each of us is endowed at birth with several rights. A condition of ratifying the Constitution was that amendments to it that restrict the ability of the government to infringe on those rights be ratified along with it. The Constitution doesn't grant us any rights; it just lists out those things with which the government may never interfere.

Over the past 100 years or so, those rights have been chipped at by those who believe they are doing good. Honestly, they usually do it because we clamor for them to do something for us. Each time we go to the government for a solution, we ratchet down our freedoms a little more.

1917:

"We're at war! Bolsheviks are taking over Russia! We have to keep foreigners and malcontents from endangering our American way of life! Do something!"

Click - Espionage Act of 1917
Click - Putting Bolsheviks and anti-war activists in jail

1920:

"People are getting drunk and causing misery in our nation! Do something!"

Click - 18th Amendment

1932:

"25 percent of us are unemployed! People are hungry! The nation is tottering on the edge of revolution! Do something!"

Click - Commerce Clause abuse

1934:

"Gangsters are using guns to commit crimes! Do something!"

Click - NFA 34

1941:

"We're at war! There are a lot of immigrants in the country that come from our enemies! Do something!"

Click - Internment of citizens of Japanese, Italian and German descent

1968:

"People are assassinating political leaders! Anyone can get a gun wherever they want! We don't feel safe! Do something!"

Click - GCA 68

1972:

"Hippies are getting high! The fabric of society is tearing! Do something!"

Click - Drug laws and the War on Drugs

1986: -

"People are still buying machine guns in this day and age! Do something!"

Click - Hughes Amerndment

1986

"Gangs are selling a new form of cocaine to poor people! I don't like that! It should be illegaler than selling me that powder form that I like to use on weekends! Do something!"

Click - Crack Cocaine Laws

1994:

"Criminals are using scary looking guns to kill people! Innocent children are dieing in the street! Do something!"

Click - Brady Bill

1990's

"People are saying or writing things that offend me or piss me off! Do something!"

Click - Hate speech codes

1996

"People are exercising the fair use part of copyright! I'm not making money off of it! Do something!"

Click - DMCA

2001:

"We're at war! We need new security organizations to make us safe! We have to give our police new powers so that they can fight terrorism! Do something!"

Click - PATRIOT Act

2005:

"Those people are living on land that I want so that I can make money! They're standing in the way of progress! Do something!"

Click - Kelo v. City of New London

2010:

"People don't have health insurance and the cost of getting health care is rising! I don't want to take the steps to make it more affordable because those would be hard! I don't want to pay for it myself! Do something!"

Click - Obamacare

2012:

"People are still using the Internet to exercise the fair use part of copyright! I'm still not making as much money as I want to! Do something!"

Click - PIPA and SOPA

Every one of those clicks is a part of our birthright being locked down so that we can't exercise it, and I'm only hitting the ones that are at the top of my mind at the moment. There are many more, and we are locking ourselves down so well that demanding that we be left alone to exercise our rights gets us labelled as dangerous. Each and every one of them happened because a significant portion of our population demanded that the government do something to make their lives better. They do it out of want or fear, but rarely think about the consequences of their demands. Now their unintended consequences are killing our republic. Each time the government provides or restricts something, it becomes easier for something new to be done that restricts our rights.

In a way, we're a bunch of frogs that have been demanding that someone turn up the heat under our pot of water every so often, and now we're almost boiled.

What we need to do is get back to basics in our nation. We need to all sit down, look at the Constitution, including those parts we don't care for, and start yanking the leash of government to get it out of those parts of our lives in which it has no business. We need to stop looking at the government as the provider of solutions, and start accepting that life is hard and that we have to take care of ourselves.

Today's Earworm

2012-01-19T07:01:00.000-05:00

30 Days of Reagan - Day 16

2012-01-19T07:00:00.001-05:00

In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.

My Take - Pretty much says it all. Government does not create wealth, and it cannot lift people out of poverty. Government does best when it stays out of our way. We clean up the messes, build the economy, and care for one another faster, more effectively, and less expensively than when the government gets involved.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 17

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.

Disappointment

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

On this date in 1989, I made my first trip to the Oakland MEPS station to take my initial physical, sign my enlistment contract, and enroll in the Delayed Entrance Program for the Army. It was the day after my 18th birthday, and I was ready to take on whatever opportunity I could find to get out of the Bay Area.

It was the day I had my first big disappointment in adult life. You cannot imagine the crushed feeling when I realized that when the recruiting sergeant offered me "M.I.", he was offering me Military Intelligence, not Mobile Infantry.

I do wish I had a camera to capture the look on his face when I said "Mobile Infantry? We can do that? Cool! Sign me up!".

Next big disappointment: I had to stay in the Bay Area for another 8 months. The next slot for me to go to basic training that lined up with language school at Monterey was in August.

Two in one day, and I couldn't even have a beer to make it all better.

News Roundup

2012-01-19T04:00:00.000-05:00

From the "What's In A Name?" Department - The twin spacecraft currently orbiting the moon have been named "Ebb" and "Flow" by an elementary school in Montana. I personally liked "Ren" and "Stimpy", "Shaggy" and "Scooby", or "Mork" and "Mindy", but to each his own.
From the "Portable Pornoscan" Department - Police in New York have unveiled a new way of finding out if someone is carrying a gun. Their new toy would note when the infrared radiation from a human body would be disrupted by a gun, which would allow police to stop a suspect and investigate. The claim is that it would only be used when there is probable cause for a search, but I don't buy it. No tool given to the authorities is immune from abuse. How would a legal CCW carrier signify to police that they are legal unless they do something takes away the "concealed" portion of CCW without being hassled by every police officer who points this thing at them? If this is successfully developed and deployed, I suggest that all people start carrying around blunt triangle shaped pieces of pot metal so that the signal to noise ratio goes to hell for Officer NotSoFriendly.
From the "Really?" Department - A new study asserts that nitrogen, one of the most common elements on our planet, is bad for the ecology. Now, I'll accept that misuse of nitrogen based fertilizer and contamination of rivers and oceans is bad. But I'd prefer to find a way to mitigate that damage than go back to the days when scientists used math to predict how many people would starve to death because we were overcoming the ability of the planet to produce enough food for everyone. Then again, maybe that's the point.
From the "Happy New Year" Department - Fox News is reporting that the State Department plans to disapprove of the proposed oil pipeline from Canada to Texas, which would have added more petroleum to our stocks, provided jobs to build and maintain the pipeline, and reduced our dependence on oil from such bastions of democracy as Venezuala and Saudi Arabia. However, there are concerns about the environmental impact of the pipeline, especially as it crosses several sensitive areas in the midwest. So to my Chinese readers, please take this as an early New Year's present from our country to yours. Canada has already said that if we don't want to buy their oil, they're more than happy to ship it to their west coast and put it on tankers for y'all. Gung hei fat choi!
From the "Not Good Enough" Department - The TSA has announced that screeners at Kennedy Airport were mistaken when they made elderly women remove a back brace so that it could be x-ray'ed and expose a colostomy bag for inspection. The screeners in question will be given 'refresher training' on how to deal with travellers with medical conditions. How about this: If you think that elderly grandmothers pose a security risk dire enough that you'd make them disrobe in an airport, you're too screwed up to be a TSA security screener. Instead of refresher training, these bozos should be shown the door, given a firm handshake, and told to find somewhere else where they're better qualified to make a living.

No Free Ice Cream Today

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm joining other bloggers and some major Internet sites in not posting anything in order to protest SOPA. Basically, if this becomes law, most of the content in the Internet will go away. If I piss someone off, they will find a way to make what I link to or embed a copyright issue, and my blog goes bye-bye with little to no recourse.

Congress has tabled the bill for now, but nothing stops them from bringing it up later in one form or another.

Please reach out to your Congresscritters and let them know how you feel about this legislation. SOPAStrike has good tools and information if you're so inclined.

I'll be back tomorrow.

Thought for the Day

2012-01-17T22:14:00.000-05:00

You know you're doing something right as a father when your youngest son knows how to stand on the couch, hold a Nerf rifle over his head, and shout "Wolverines!" at the top of his lungs.

Yeah, Mama might not be so amused, but that's pride burning in your father's chest, son.

Today's Earworm

2012-01-17T20:16:00.001-05:00

Well, Louisville had quite a storm come through. ~~Two~~ Four small tornadoes, lots of rain, and a lot of straight line wind. Luckily, damage wasn't too bad. It wasn't quite a hurricane, but there was quite a bit of thunder.

News Roundup

2012-01-17T16:07:00.000-05:00

From the "Good Start" Department - President Obama is asking Congress for the authority to streamline the executive branch a bit, cut a couple thousand jobs, and thereby save about $3 billion over the next decade. Again, the president is finally doing something I can support, which is surprising. Basically, he's shuffling a few pieces of the government around, eliminating .1 percent of the federal workforce, and is looking to save about .02 percent of the current federal debt. I give him credit for trying, but there's a lot more to do before our future goes from "boned" to "rosy".
From the "Not Good Enough" Department - The TSA has announced that they will begin testing security agents at several airports for ill effects that could be related to full body scanners. No plans to actually test the scanners themselves, just the agents who run them. Because, you know, it's better to see if anyone has frank symptoms as opposed to checking to see if the equipment itself is faulty.
From the "Good for Him" Department - The prime minister of Canada has reminded anti-oil activists in the United States that Canada is still a sovereign nation, distinct from the whining crowds of Washington, Berkeley, and Boston. Something I've heard a few lonely voices say on this whole Canadian oil kerfluffle that hasn't been picked up by the mass media is that Canada is going to harvest this oil and sell it to somebody. It might be us, or it might be China, but they're going to sell it. No amount of whining on our part is going to stop them if we decide we just can't stand to buy oil from a stable democracy that borders us.
From the "I'm Lovin' It!" Department - A woman in California was arrested on suspicion of prostitution after patrons at a Burbank McDonalds reported she was walking down the line at the drive through asking people to buy her Chicken McNuggets in exchange for sexual favors. I only have this one comment: It's "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?" not "Who would you do for Chicken McNuggets?".
From the "Really?" Department - A 99 cent store in New York has been fined $30,000 for stocking and selling toy cowboy guns that officials assert that are too realistic looking. Of course, every gangbanger on earth carries around cheap, shiny plastic replicas of single action revolvers with orange tips on the barrels. Apparently, they're doing it for the children.
From the "That was quick" Department - Iraqi officials have begun to harass foreign contractors over visas and other paperwork that has "expired". Basically, the contractors the U.S. left behind to do the work that soldiers would be doing if an acceptable Status of Forces Agreement had been reached are being treated in pretty much the same way our soldiers would have been if they had stayed behind without one. My suggestion: Close the embassy, move it to the Kurd area where they like us, demand our people be compensated in gold for their trouble, and tell the rest of Iraq to go piss up a rope.
From the "Really Golden Oldie" Department - The tomb of a singer has been found in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Amazingly, it appears that the tomb is intact after almost 3000 years. This will allow archaeologists to investigate the tomb to learn more about life in the ancient kingdom. Currently they are translating hieroglyphics for songs such as "Pharaoh Don't Preach", "Who Let Canubis Out?", and "Pharaoh of Pain".

30 Days of Reagan - Day 15

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Above all, we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.

My take: What's in your pocket, on your hip, in the safe, sitting on your desk, or buried next to the old oak tree in the back yard isn't the weapon. It's you, your skills, and your motivations that matter. You, as a free man or woman, can choose to live free, follow just laws, and stand up against injustice and tyranny. Or you can choose to be a slave or vassal, be a predator upon the weak and undefended, or turn your head when you see others being abused. I hope that I have the strength to be the former, and to resist the latter. Either way, it's your choice, but the tools you choose are not what makes you dangerous or strong. They are only what you choose to use.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 14

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Recognizing the equality of all men and women, we are willing and able to lift the weak, cradle those who hurt, and nurture the bonds that tie us together as one nation under God.

Best Speech I've Heard In A Long Time

2012-01-15T22:26:00.000-05:00

Presented without comment.

H/T to Kevin.

Thoughts on the Weekend

2012-01-15T20:25:00.000-05:00

I have the best wife on Earth. I got a membership to my indoor range for Christmas and a membership to my outdoor range for my birthday. They came with an admonishment, on multiple occasions, to use them both enough to justify the cost. I'm going to have to up my ammo budget.
The new stock and sights on the 10/22 are great. Definitely need to do a lot more work with that one so that I can be ready for Appleseed later this year.
I tested my theory that the 22-A1 doesn't like the Federal or Winchester bulk pack .22 and I was right. It does, however, have no issues whatsoever with the Remington bulk pack, so I'll keep a few boxes of that around just for that gun. Also, you have to slap the magazine up into the well like it owes you money.
The stock sights on the 22-A1 leave quite a bit to be desired. The front post is about 1/8" wide, which means that at any real shooting distance, I have a hard time finding center mass on the target. In addition, while I was able to get good, tight groups out of it, they were always left of center. Adjustments of the rear sight all the way over only moved it a little closer to the center of the target. I guess I can either use a bit of Kentucky windage to correct, have the slide ground to put better iron sights on it, or take advantage of the rail on top of the slide to put an inexpensive red-dot scope on it.
To the guy teaching his son to shoot on the lane next to me: Good for you for trying to bring your teenage son into the fold. One hint - berating him about accuracy on his first time out might not be the best approach. Seriously dude, handing the kid a Beretta 92, pushing the target out to about 40 feet, and then giving him crap because he wasn't punching a ragged hole in the X ring is counter productive. How about you start out with safety, proper grip, sight picture, and stance? He might get more out of that than making him shoot two-handed, one handed strong and off hand, and pushing the target out further and further. One final thing, when you're "showing him how it's done", it's not necessary to do breathing exercises and pump yourself up like an Olympic power lifter prior to bringing that big old 9mm up to bang out a magazine full of bullets. Also, dude, the second time the nice range safety comes over to ask you to watch your muzzle might be a hint that you need some time working on the basics yourself.
To the mother and her son two lanes down from me: Congratulations on your purchase of a Remington semi-automatic .22 rifle with a Leupold scope. Again, I think that a little more time on the basics like trigger control might benefit your son. Also, cranking off 30 rounds of .22 in 10 seconds from a scoped rifle might be fun, but y'all might not be learning much more than what the nice range safety told you when he showed you to your lane, helped you unbox your new gun, showed you how to load the magazines and put them in the gun, and work the safety. I do have to compliment both of you on your safety. I never felt like one of you was going to cause me to have to spend money on a deductible.
I will someday find the engineer who designed the 22-A1 and beat him or her about the head and shoulders with a cucumber. The takedown on that thing is pretty easy, but putting it back together when your fingers are slippery from gun oil and grease is a pain in the neck.
Rollerskating rinks are just as fun for me as an adult who doesn't skate as they were for me as a child who didn't skate.
Corollary: One of the side benefits of being half cave troll is that no ice or roller skating rink has been able to rent me skates since the 6th grade.
The following "entertainers" are on notice that they can bite my butt: KC and the Sunshine Band, Rihanna, The Black Eyed Peas, Miley Cyrus, Kool and the Gang, and Britney Spears. After three hours of listening to them and every other over-produced bit of tripe to come out in the last 40 years this afternoon, I hope they all die horribly.
To the man at the roller rink with the tattoos all the way up his arm and neck, a well-worn Harley Davidson tee-shirt, and a bandanna, I grant you 500 bonus man points based upon the smile of the wee little girl in the pink shirt you were skating around the rink with today.
Karma: The universal force that causes the asshat on rollerblades who almost runs you and your 3 year old son down as you show him how to rollerskate for the first time to lose it in the next corner, crash into a concrete block wall, and have to be helped off the rink by his father.
To the young boy who lost his balance on the rink and went parallel to the ground before crashing down on his face, who then got up, laughed about it, and took off skating: Mal Hombre!
To the 'tween boy who put on his skates, stood up, lost his balance, landed on his butt, and burst into tears because his "tushy hurt", the envelope returning your application for a Man Card should be at your mailbox shortly.
There may be more blatant ways to show your daughter that you love her than by giving up your Sunday afternoon during the NFL playoffs to take her and her friends rollerskating and then having dinner with her and your ex-wife, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

News Roundup

2012-01-15T19:27:00.001-05:00

From the "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise" Department - Oprah Winfrey has made a non-endorsement endorsement of Barack Obama for reelection. Those of you who survived the 2008 campaign should recall how Ms. Winfrey made it her personal crusade to put Mr. Obama in the White House, so it should come as no surprise that she thinks four more years of his personal style of presidency is a good idea. Ms. Winfrey also described Obama as "masterful". I could go for the cheap joke about a successful black woman using the word "masterful" about another American of African descent, but I'll leave that one alone. Well, it looks like Obama has the "billionaire black woman from Chicago" vote all sewn up. I wonder if he'll have the "fat film director from Michigan" vote in November? Does anyone know where he stands with the "overrated harpie who got their start sitting on North Vietnamese anti-aircraft guns and living off of her father's acting legacy" portion of our populace?
From the "Never Smile at a Crocodile" Department - Italian police report that a suspected drug dealer used a caiman to guard his stash. Imagine a caiman as what you would get if you stunted the growth of a crocodile by giving it unfiltered Pall Malls and cheap whiskey as an infant. Then make it a little grumpier than the average crocodilian. Apparently someone watched a little too much Miami Vice as a kid. No word on whether or not the reptile was named Elvis.
From the "Genius or Bad Idea?" Department - Scientists in Oregon plan to pump millions of gallons of water into a dormant volcano in order to generate steam to drive power turbines. One has to ask if the steam turbines will generate enough power to outweigh the cost of pumping water into the mountains, but hey, who am I to ask hard questions? And am I the only one to think that this is something that Dr. Evil would have come up with? "I will pump millions of gallons of water into a volcano and cause huge earthquakes and steam eruptions unless you pay me one hundred billion dollars!"
From the "Shocked" Department - The White House has made its reservations about SOPA public. Well, I'll be dipped. President Obama is actually taking a position that I agree with and support. Have to mark this day on the calendar. What's next? Is he going to come out on Monday and he wants to make massive cuts to entitlement programs in order to better align the federal budget with reality? Yeah, I know, ever the starry eyed optimist.
From the "Unintended Consequences" Department - A woman in Louisiana had to have one of her arms and a shoulder surgically removed after she developed a rather nasty infection from injecting bath salts in order to get higher than Everest. Apparently this is the latest method of slow suicide available to the American consumer. All I can say is this: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 13

2012-01-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Abraham Lincoln freed the black man. In many ways, Dr. King freed the white man. How did he accomplish this tremendous feat? Where others — white and black — preached hatred, he taught the principles of love and nonviolence. We can be so thankful that Dr. King raised his mighty eloquence for love and hope rather than for hostility and bitterness. He took the tension he found in our nation, a tension of injustice, and channeled it for the good of America and all her people.

Caption This Photo

2012-01-14T23:02:00.001-05:00

How I got Boo ready for his nap

2012-01-14T14:38:00.000-05:00

When Girlie Bear and Little Bear were about Boo's age, I bought them each a collapsible plastic lightsaber. Yeah, it's sometimes cool to have a dad who's a geek. The kids enjoyed beating on each other and me, and when they moved on to other toys, I put them up. I stumbled across them in a closet this morning, and gave them to Boo. He hasn't put down his lightsaber since. My hands and arms are a bit sore from being hit and swinging a lightsaber all morning, but it's a good sore.

He's currently all tuckered out after an extended post-lunch lightsaber duel. It went kind of like this:

Of course, it looked more like the end of the movie than the beginning, but I never claimed to be agile. I'm looking to a quiet afternoon as he sleeps it off and recharges his batteries.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 12

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.

Product Review - Maxpedition Mongo Versapack

2012-01-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

Like most geeks out there, I carry a laptop and the sundry odds and ends it needs for work. I used backpacks from Targus for several years, which were wonderful backpacks, but they were so large that I found myself throwing more and more crap into them as time went on. Eventually, I was carrying as much junk to work as I used to take on ruck marches.

When my backpack wore out, I decided to go in another direction. I wanted a laptop bag that was rugged, could carry enough stuff that I wouldn't have to stuff it every day in order to get to work, but wasn't so big that I could just keep chucking stuff into it.

I saw several people at the NRA Annual Meeting carrying small bags from Maxpedition, so I took a look at their line. They have everything from the tactical man purse to rucksacks and everything in between. My range carries a few things from them, so I was able to take a look at the quality of their work, and I was impressed. I eventually settled on the Maxpedition Mongo Versipack.

Photo from Maxpedition website

The Mongo is big enough I can put a Dell laptop, power supply, a Logitech trackball mouse, a water bottle, a notebook, and my lunch without any crowding. When I want to, I can fit in a Macbook, its power supply, a novel, and a few more things before having to wonder about how I'm going to close the main zippers and buckles. Honestly, weight is the limiting factor. The Mongo is a messenger bag, so the carrying strap is worn across your chest and shoulders. Too much weight in the bag means discomfort in the shoulder.

Most of my EDC Crap

All the EDC crap in one convenient package,
with a bit of room for lunch, another computer, or whatever

It carries exactly as much as I need for a day, but not much more. It definitely keeps me from putting ever increasing amounts of crap into my bag.

The bag is well made and rugged. I have used it as a laptop bag, diaper bag, picnic basket, and odds and ends bag while hunting. It carries just about everything I need or want, and shows no wear after several months of use. Cleaning the fabric is pretty simple. I just use a wet dishrag and some liquid soap, and any schmutz comes off with a little elbow grease.

The bag has pockets and pouches for everything, including a water bottle holder with a drain hole, several pockets for whatever you carry, and a cellphone/MP3 player carrier on the strap. The phone carrier holds my iPhone very well when it is in a slim case, but my OtterBox rubberized case was too big for it.

The phone carrier holds very securely, and has some expansion for larger phones

Interior pocket. Hook and loop material on both sides allows for addition of accessories

One of two key hooks. This one is located on the strap, the other one is in the front pocket.
This is very convenient when going through airport security.

One quibble on this is that there is a LOT of hook and loop material on the bag. When you're trying to be quiet in the woods while carrying it, you're going to make noise getting your water bottle out or opening up one of the pockets. Also, hook and loop is a magnet for dirt and burrs when you're walking through the woods. Most of the time I have spent cleaning the bag up has been spent picking something out of the loop material.

One upshot of the hook and loop is that you can put on hook and loop patches. I got a nametape from Military Names, and it is easily put on and taken off of the hook and loop panel on top of the bag.

Maxpedition has a lot of extra pouches and other doodads that you can buckle, velcro, or strap to its bags. These include a hook and loop 'universal' holster and magazine carrier for off-body carry. Again, weight is a limiting factor in a messenger bag. The more stuff you carry and strap onto your bag, the more weight the strap across your deltoids is going to have to sit under. The strap is padded, but there is a point where it would be too much.

Two things that might give someone pause in buying the Mongo are its appearance and price. Maxpedition is unapologetically making 'tactical' bags, which means they look like something you could take on patrol. Unless your office is behind Baghdad barriers, you're not going to blend in with the rest of the IT crowd. Also, their color selections appear to be brown, green, or black, or some variation thereof. I chose the more subdued of their greens, which they call 'foliage'.

Maxpedition's prices are a bit steep when compared to laptop bags from Targus or Swiss Army, but you definitely get what you pay for. I've been using this bag every day for six months, and it has no sign of wear or stain. Maxpedition lists the bag for $157.99, but Amazon has them for $112. Either way, it's more than I had ever spent on an EDC bag, but I expect that it will last far longer than the less expensive bags that I considered.

Overall, the Mongo is a good value, as long as you plan on using it often and for a long time. Its looks might not be for everyone, but it is a good bag for carrying those things you need for your day and nothing more.

Almost forgot: Disclaimer - I was given no compensation for doing this review. I purchased the equipment with my own money.

I hate it when family fights

2012-01-13T20:21:00.000-05:00

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) is holding its annual SHOT Show next week. Basically, it allows outdoor sports media and companies that deal in guns, gear, and all the rest of things that make life fun to get together for a few days, discuss new products and services, and hobknob. It's invite only, as opposed to the NRA Annual Meeting, which allows the general public to come in and look at products and talk to industry representatives.

For the past few years, more and more people from new media, such as gunblogs, have been invited to attend SHOT. Recently NSSF put out a very gracious welcome to non-traditional media on their blog. They seem to be very open to including gunbloggers into the fold.

A growing contingent at the SHOT Show is our Internet media. In fact, more than 600 Internet media representatives — bloggers, forum leaders and website producers — will be at the show this year. When we first started registering Internet media four years ago, that number was under 100.

Apparently, some of the more established 'journalists' have an issue with that. Here's the comment that started the kerfluffle:

Now the question is when you are going to start qualifying internet media? We have to crawl over nobodies who can install wordpress and have nobody reading anything they write, It isn't so hard to qualify internet media using Alexa.com and Compete.com. Why do you waste the manufacturers' time and make the real internet media have to deal with wish I were internet journalists who are just using your stamp of approve to solicit review guns and accessories? You've created this giant gorilla in the room and we all have to deal with it, and you may think the industry takes your numbers seriously, but everyone sees things for what they are. If you are serious about bringing value to your exhibitors, you need to vet the press list. -- Paul, Helinski, GunsAmerica

What are my qualifications? Well, I'm a gunowner and shooter. I'm not Tony Tactical or Allen Quatermain, but I enjoy the technology of guns, the fun of shooting, hunting, and fishing. I'm an everyman. I'm a suburban father, gun enthusiast, and news junkie. My perspectives on these subjects reflect that, and people like me are a rising voice that more and more people are listening to.

Look, I'm not a professional journalist, and I never claimed to be. I don't do this to get free stuff or make money. I don't consider myself a hardcore gunblogger. I don't compare to Tam, Uncle, or Jay. On a typical day, I get a few hundred unique visitors and pageviews. Posts about guns and gun rights make up between 1/4 and 1/3 of what I do. When I do reviews, it's almost always on stuff I bought with my own money. I've gotten very few freebies. Once I got some ammunition from Lucky Gunner, I went to their blogshoot, and I've recently gotten some clothing from an outfitter company, which I'm currently evaluating and will have a review for in the next few weeks. If manufacturers or resellers want to send me stuff, I'll take it if it's something I'm interested in, do an honest review where I make sure I'm up front about someone providing the blogfodder, and then get on with goofy humor and ranting.

Are there gunbloggers who are in it for potential money and free stuff? Yep, just like there are journalists in traditional media who are too. We call those people "jerks", and they tend to be shunned pretty quickly. I'm not attending SHOT, and honestly, I doubt I will. I will probably go to the NRAAM this year, and if invited to attend as media, I will take the opportunity. Will I be intruding on traditional media? Maybe, but I do try to not step on toes. If gunbloggers and other Internet media types are making it hard for others to do their job, then NRA and NSSF will deal with the problem. All it takes is one year where issues with us unwashed heathens make NSSF or NRA look bad or not get the press they want, and we'll be shown the door. If we're doing good work, even if we're getting in the way a bit, then that will be recognized.

We're all in this together. Excluding people like me, the everyday guy who is interested in guns and telling people about it, is counterproductive. If I'm acting like a jerk and making it hard for you to do your job, ask me to leave. But don't exclude a new, dynamic part of the gun culture because they don't do it for a living or they don't act like you do. We're closer to the consumers of the gun industries products and services than most journalists, because we are consumers. Our perspectives on new guns, clothing, and gear will reflect that.

Don't exclude us because we're a bunch of dorks and amateurs. That's what gives us a powerful voice, even if individually we don't speak to thousands of people at a time.

News Roundup

2012-01-13T15:27:00.000-05:00

From the "Father of the Year" Department - A Louisville man was arrested after his three children told their teachers that their father gave them baggies of stuff to carry to school and the teacher discovered that the baggies contained drugs. The man came to the school before he found out his little ruse was unravelling and asked to speak to his kids alone. My guess is he wanted to be able to get out of the house clean and pick up his amateur pharmaceutical supplies from his unwitting mules. Just goes to show that you don't need to prove you know how to be a good parent before you start hatching children.
From the "Reinforcing Stereotypes" Department - Authorities in Sweden report that levels of some drugs went up in the water of a river during a reggae festival. It is believed that the increased levels of drugs such as ibuprofen come from revelers using the bushes instead of portapotties and the runoff ending up in the river. This tells me that Swedish scientists aren't testing for the right drugs, because I have a hard time believing that reggae festival goers used ibuprofen as their favorite pharmaceutical. Although, if you've ever listened to reggae for more than an hour or so, you can understand why they needed pain relievers.
From the "Practically Chicken" Department - A man in Orlando is under arrest after authorities saw him try to strangle a swan and carried the bird around by the neck. I have it on good authority that swans are quite tasty, so I can understand why the gentleman wanted to catch his own fresh, organic poultry. However, doing it at a public pond usually gets the neighbors talking.
From the "Pissing in the Wind" Department - A video showing several U.S. Marines urinating on the dead bodies of Afghani insurgents is making the rounds and has drawn condemnation from both the Afghan and American governments. If the term "HEADDESK" just went through your mind, congratulations. Rule number one gentlemen: Don't be F***ING stupid. One question: Where was the leadership? Why didn't an NCO see what these guys were doing, make them stop using the most direct physical and verbal intervention strategies available, then make sure that no-one in the unit did something just as dumb, like post video of it to the bloody internet?
From the "Holes in the Shield" Department - A security research firm has announced that a piece of Chinese malware has been used to try to gain access to military networks through the smart cards used as part of the identification process on those networks. No reports yet on whether or not the trojan attack was successful, but that sound you just heard was General Keith Alexander's soul screaming loud enough to set off the fire alarm.
From the "Brilliant!" Department - Mercedes Benz is apologizing for using an image of Che Guavera during a presentation at CES in Las Vegas. Apparently using the image of a mass murdering Communist didn't trip any editorial trigger when the presentation was created, reviewed, practiced, re-reviewed, and finally approved by legal and marketing. Coming soon: Pictures of Chairman Mao to sell ice cream, a new campaign showing Stalin holding a tablet computer, and now that we are starting planning for grilling season, a campaign showing Idi Amin eating a hot dog.
From the "Medical Mishaps" Department - A crew of medics transporting a heart to a hospital in Mexico City for transplant had a heart stopping moment when one of them tripped and dropped the organ onto the street. Doctors were still able to use the heart, and the patient is reported as doing well. And some good will come of this: It might help to keep the recipient well grounded. No matter how far up he or she goes in society, their heart will still be in the street.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 11

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.

My take: This is one of the reasons I favor veterans when it comes to voting. Someone who has never had to do funeral detail has no idea the human cost of going to war, even if it's justified. They also sometimes don't see the military as a group of human beings, but as more of a monolithic "other". Not saying that there are no good non-veteran politicians or that all politicians who are veterans are good leaders, but I just have a recognized bias towards someone who has that experience.

Update - OK, that was a mangling. I've corrected my horrendous paragraph a bit.

Product Review - LG Tone Wireless Headset

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, I destroyed my third set of Apple headphones for my iPhone. I like the soft rubber sort of noise isolation kind rather than the cheaper ear buds, so that means I've spent about $200 on headphones. Yeah, I'm an idiot. The main thing that would happen was that I would either lose the soft earbuds, which Apple does not seem to sell replacements for and 3rd party replacements didn't fit quite right, or cut/break the wire when working on something. BTW, if you ever want to hear good, honest to God American cussing, take a recording of my rant when I cut through the cord of $75 earphones with a hedge trimmer.

I decided to try a wireless headphone this time. I needed them to be relatively light, stereo, and with good audio and range.

A little research led me to the LG Tone HBS-700 BlueTooth headset, which gave me everything I need for less than another wired set from Apple.

The Tone is different from any of the other BlueTooth headsets I tried out. The set hangs across the back of the neck, with wired earphones that go up to the ears. This means they're a lot more comfortable to wear than the other stereo BlueTooth headsets I looked at, which tended to be the over the ear type with more of the weight of the set being put on the ears. When not in use, the back of each earpiece clips magnetically to the front of the set.

Audio quality is pretty good. It's not as good as the high end Bose sets I looked at, but it costs 1/3 as much. The sound quality is definitely better than most of the over the ear sets I looked at. The noise isolation works as well as any other non-noise cancelling set that has the rubber inserts but not the noise cancelling electronics.

Controls are pretty intuitive. One side has the on/off switch, volume control, and the button for answering the phone and initiating voice commands on your phone. The other side has a stop/start button and the reverse/fast forward button.

The set latched onto my iPhone and laptop pretty easily. One quibble I have with the set is that once I mated it with my laptop after using it for a while with my phone, it didn't want to go back to working with the iPhone again. I eventually had to shut down the laptop entirely, then go through several rounds of the link-up procedure to get it to work.

Battery life on the set is pretty good. It's advertised as having 10 hours of talk time with 15 days of idle time. My experience is that I can listen to music and make phone calls for between 6 and 8 hours before the annoying "Charge me" beep starts to go off. Recharging is done through a wall wart transformer that connects to a small port on the inside of the right wing of the set. Recharging is advertised as taking 2.5 hours, which is pretty much my experience. One downside on this is that while recharging, the headset turns itself off, so using it while recharging doesn't happen.

LG lists the range on the Tone as being 33 feet, and while I've never done a measured straightline test, that sounds about right for unobstructed connection. I can easily leave the phone on the table in the living room and go pretty much anywhere on the same floor and still have a good connection. I did have some issues with range when I kept my phone in an OtterBox case, but when I changed to another case, the issue went away.

The Tone seems to be pretty rugged. I've used it while working outside and while exercising, and it holds up to dirt and sweat pretty well. I haven't gotten them totally drenched in water, but they are advertised as being water resistant, not water proof. The problem of the rubber earbuds falling off with the Apple headphones hasn't cropped up, probably because I'm not pulling them loose by tripping of a wire and ripping them out of my ears on a regular basis.

Overall, I'd say that the HBS-700 is a good value. It's comfortable, has good sound quality and range, pretty good battery life, and doesn't fall apart through normal use.

Disclaimer: I received nothing for doing this review. I purchased the product with my own money.

Today's Earworm

2012-01-12T15:51:00.001-05:00

Louisville is in the midst of its first real snowfall this winter. The local weather critters are hyperventilating about how bad this could get, and school closed two hours early today so that the students could get through their three hours of busride (no joke) before it gets dark.

Here's my take on it, with apologies to SSG Barry Sadler.

Fluffy snowflakes from the sky
Kentucky people whine and cry
Half an inch will fall today
Tomorrow morning, I'll shovel the driveway

Woolen cap upon my head
I'd rather be sleeping back in bed
School is closed, at home I'll stay
Right after I shovel the damn driveway

Kroger looks like a bomb has hit
The food is gone, every bit
Eggs, milk, and bread are their mainstay
A french toast emergency on a snowy day

Back at home, my laptop waits
I can't leave my customers to their fates
Email, WebEx, IM, and cell
Working remotely during the White Hell

Shovel the driveway, I tell my kid
But Dad, she says, I already did!
Half an inch more will fall today
Tomorrow morning, I'll shovel the driveway

Movie Review - The Smurfs

2012-01-12T12:53:00.001-05:00

OH GOD MAKE IT STOP! THE PAIN! THE BAD ACTING! THE OVERPLAYED CLICHES! GET THAT BLOODY LA-LA-LA SONG OUT OF MY HEAD! KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

News Roundup

2012-01-12T10:26:00.000-05:00

From the "Shocked" Department - The CDC is reporting that murder as a cause of death has fallen off of the top 15 reasons Americans die for the first time since 1965. No way is this true. We have been told by our betters that guns cause murder, and the number of guns owned by private citizens has surged to all time highs. This has to be a huge coverup engineered by the NRA, the NSA, and the NCAA.
From the "Real World Example" Department - An "animal rights" group has taken responsibility for the recent torching of several trucks used to haul cattle. Attention Department of Homeland Security: This is an example of domestic terrorism. The guy who's got a Bible, a gun safe, a bucket of bullets, and some MRE's is not setting trucks, car dealerships, ski lodges, or housing developments on fire.
From the "Father of the Year" Department - Police were called to the Occupy Washington camp recently because some bluntskull thought it would be a good idea to leave his 13 month old daughter alone, in a onesie, in a tent, in January. I look forward to this guy being put in the stocks, in a onesie, in January. See? I don't just pick on women.

A few thoughts on life

2012-01-12T09:02:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to go into where this comes from because I truly care about the people who riled me up, and the incident that caused this is far enough back that I've had time to chew this over and get most of the bile out.

But here are my musings* on life:

Life is not fair. The trick is being strong enough and prepared enough to deal with when it's not fair to you. Whining is not dealing.
In most of life's situations, there will be winners and there will be losers. Real life keeps score.
In order for a human being to live, something else must die. Maybe it's a plant, maybe it's a lamb. But in order for you to eat, someone is killing something else. Whining to me because I prefer my food to come from something that has legs or fins is annoying.
Not every person who joins the military is Audie Murphy or Gunnery Sergeant Hartmann. As a matter of fact, most aren't. Most are ordinary people doing their job. They just do it in circumstances and conditions that 99% of our population will never fully understand, and because of that they are exceptional.
Not every veteran has PTSD. There are a lot of men and women who will bear scars, both internal and external, and we have a debt of honor to provide them with everything we can give them to heal. But some people are just assholes. Need to tell the difference? Let's try this: Was the dickhead who beats his wife and kids a dickhead before he deployed? If so, then it wasn't the deployment. Corollary: Just because someone served, please don't assume that they're a ticking time bomb. It's annoying and insulting.
Every child is a wonderful gift from God. But not every kid who gets into trouble, or has trouble with math has a learning disability. Quit looking for a biological excuse for the fact that your kid isn't the next Stephen Hawking or that you never taught them to obey adults who are placed in authority over them.
Life is hard. Has been ever since Mother Eve decided to talk to the snake. You can either deal with that or sit down on the side of the trail and die. Your choice. But please choose quickly. Some of us are trying to deal.
Not everyone needs to go to college. Remember that kid who didn't do so well at math or English, no matter how hard they tried? Putting them in a four year liberal arts or hard science program is nothing but a formula for someone to either bail out of school with a huge student loan debt and no degree or for someone to get a huge student loan debt and a degree that means next to nothing. There is no shame in learning a skilled trade, and the guys who took shop classes in school and went on to learn a trade when I went to high school are for the most part making at least as much money as I do.
When you get in trouble, you either have mitigating circumstances or you have excuses. A mitigating circumstance is "I had to steal bread so that I could feed my children". An excuse is "My father ran off when I was young and I never got enough hugs". Guess which one I have an iota of sympathy for?
No-one owes you anything just because they share a biosphere with you. Get up, brush your teeth, and earn a living.

*musings, rant, ravings, whatever

30 Days of Reagan - Day 10

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on Earth, or we will sentence them to take the last step into a thousand years of darkness.

Thought for the Day

2012-01-11T18:46:00.000-05:00

I've been working for a company with a lot of trucks and airplanes for over a decade now, and I've never seen any of them turn into robots. I don't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

Dinner Tonight

2012-01-11T17:46:00.000-05:00

Irish Woman is off to a meeting at the zoo tonight, so I get to cook!

Ingredients:

1/4 inch cut eye of round steaks
Canadian Steak Seasoning (Course ground pepper, dried garlic, course salt)
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped fine
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
4 to 6 white mushrooms, sliced
1 can beef broth
4 cups broccoli florets, fresh

Parmesan couscous or whatever flavor you like

On a large plate or baking dish, lay out the steaks and sprinkle lightly on both sides with the steak seasoning. Prepare couscous according to box directions.

In a wok or large saute pan, heat enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Add onion and bell pepper. Saute until onion starts to change color. Add mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms are almost cooked through and onions are fully soft. Move everything to the side of your pan so that there is a clear space in the middle and add steaks. Brown on both sides, adding soy sauce to taste along with a sprinkling of ginger. Mix steaks in with onion mixture and add broth. Increase heat and bring to a boil uncovered. When it boils, reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until half of the liquid is gone. Add broccoli. Continue simmering for additional 3 to 5 minutes until broccoli is bright green and tender. Thicken with a corn starch slurry. Serve over couscous.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 9

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth.

This is the End!

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

OK, people! This is it! This is what we've been training for! This is the beginning of the end for civilization as we know it! We may have a revolution up in here after this!

Hostess is going bankrupt.

The purveyor of Twinkies, Ho-Ho's, and a myriad of other sweet treats has fallen on hard times. American tastes, even as we have become fatter as a whole, has turned away from the basic ingredients of Hostess' line: fat, sugar, flour, and coconut. Soon you will no longer be able to get coconut covered, cream filled cholesterol bombs at the Stop 'n' Stab. Nuclear fallout shelters will be bereft of food that will truly last until the end of the world as we know it, with no need to seal it in mylar with an oxygen eater.

True story: When I transferred to my first duty station in Germany, it was just a few weeks after the end of the first Gulf War. During the war, shipments of non-essential items, such as snack cakes, to the exchanges and commissaries in Europe had been suspended so that the shipping could be used to support the war effort. You can imagine the deprivation of military families having to subsist on German pastries when the supply of Ding-Dong's dried up. A month or so after we got there, my wife and I went to the commissary one Saturday afternoon. Apparently, the first shipment of chips, snack cakes, and American candy had come in. The scene we encountered after getting our shopping cart was right out of a nightmare. There were housewives arguing over the last bag of Dorito's, soldiers pulling rank over a box of Hershey bars, and even worse. I heard, and may the Lord strike me down if I'm exaggerating, the wife of the local garrison commander exclaim "Hey bitch! Get away from those Ho-Ho's!".

Now imagine that scene replicated all over the world as the last of the cupcakes and chocolate cakes runs out. We are talking fat men playing chicken with grocery store scooters, housewives ripping at each other's hair, and grandmothers knifing anyone who gets between them and those sweet, sweet Twinkies. Blood will run red in the snack foods aisle!

If you haven't stocked your larder high with Twinkies, then you should do so as soon as you can. It's like bulk .308 and 7.62x54r: It stacks well and it never goes bad.

Being Honest

2012-01-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

I try to be a practical man, especially when it comes to firearms.

I bought my first firearm, a Mossberg 835 shotgun, because I wanted a good gun for home defense.

I bought a Mosin-Nagant because I wanted an inexpensive centerfire rifle for plinking.

The same goes for all of my guns. I see or feel a need, and I buy something to fit that need. Be it a hunting rifle, a new carry pistol, or a .22 I buy so that I can shoot more inexpensively or use to train someone on, I have never looked for something new and shiny just because it was pretty or neat.

Then 2011 happened.

First, I went to the NRA Annual Meeting and decided then and there I wanted a new 1911. And so I tried out as many as I could get my hands on, saved my money, and got one.

Then, I went to the Lucky Gunner Shoot, and met the Pied Piper of Gunbloggers, Oleg Volk. He came to the shoot with a whole bunch of toys, and I fell in love with most of them. The nice men from Kriss were there too, and I decided that a Vector would be just a lot of fun to own.

So now Oleg has new pictures of the KSG and Coonan pistol up, and I'm feeling lust in my heart. And every time I go to my range and see the Kriss up on the rental wall, I want to start selling organs to afford one so bad I can taste it.

Hi, I'm DaddyBear and I want guns for no other reason than they're fun and shiny.

30 Days of Reagan - Day 8

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

We're at war with the most dangerous enemy that has ever faced mankind in his long climb from the swamp to the stars, and it's been said if we lose that war, and in so doing lose this way of freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment that those who had the most to lose did the least to prevent its happening.

News Roundup

2012-01-10T04:00:00.000-05:00

From the "No Kidding" Department - A new study finds that 25% of Iraqis polled say they are "suffering". This is an increase from 2009. And to that I say this: What did you expect? You all had 8 years to create a functioning government, learn to keep the lights and water on, and create police forces that are more than well equipped gangs. Now that we've taken our ball and gone home, you get to be big boys and girls and try to not re-enact Lord of the Flies on a national scale. To be perfectly honest, I don't give two hoots about whether or not Iraqis feel they are suffering.
From the "Doom" Department - The United States' national debt has come to equal the countries GDP. For those of you playing at home, that means that we owe as much money as the value of every transaction, service, and thing that we build in this country. The economy, which is still growing at less than 2% a year, would have to grow at over 6% a year in order to stay ahead of the debt at the rate it's growing. That sound you hear is our thrifty ancestors crawling out of the grave to pimp slap the lot of us.
From the "Atmosphere" Department - A man in France recently had a really bad night. He dropped his wallet into the sewer, went in after it and got stuck, and spent the night with his head in a French sewer. To add insult to injury, when police helped to rescue him, they noticed that he had been putting waste oil into the sewer at the time of his accident, and now he's being prosecuted for polluting. So what is worse than having your head caught in a French sewer? Having your head caught in a French sewer you've been topping off with used motor oil.
From the "Public Employee of the Year" Department - A school worker in New York had her daughters call her employer to report that a fictitious sister had died of a heart attack, then she forged a death certificate so that she could get time off for bereavement and jet her way to the tropical paradise that is Puerto Rico. School officials became suspicious when her poor job of photoshopping the death certificate was spotted. Apparently she didn't consult with Dan Rather on how to make sure the correct fonts are used.

Mental Note II

2012-01-09T19:35:00.001-05:00

It is a sign that your evening is not going to be uneventful when you come home from work to find the 3 year old running through the house naked and singing "Get Back" at the top of his lungs, while his mother chases him and prays to at least one deity to give her patience.

Mental Note

2012-01-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

In the future, do not take a good strong dose of NyQuil, then drift off to sleep while reading first hand accounts of the Western Front during World War I. Drugged fever dreams about mud, gas, explosions, and barbed wire are no fun.

Quote of the Day

2012-01-09T15:54:00.003-05:00

The fact that the Brady Campaign would use the blood of criminals to attack honest gun owners is reprehensible and should be rejected by all decent people.

Press Release from Sean D. Sorrentino about the recent "Light a Candle" campaign by the Brady Campaign.

Our People

2012-01-09T14:24:00.000-05:00

A Girl and Her Gun articulates something that I've felt for a long time. The first time I wandered into GBC and started commenting on gun blogs, I was treated as someone who belonged. There was no "newbie" period where I had to sit and listen to my betters, and when I disagreed with someone, they didn't take it personally. If I was factually wrong, I was gently corrected. If it was a disagreement of opinion, our differences were respected.

These are our people. We don't have a real leader, just firsts among equals. Showing respect for each other and being there when real life intrudes on our microcosm has been the way it's always been.

Go give her letter a read. She says it so much better than I could.

Theory

2012-01-09T08:58:00.001-05:00

I was discussing some of the places I've been, especially when I was in the military, with a friend over the weekend. His son is considering joining the military, and the recruiters are doing their kabuki dance about the wonderful places he could be stationed. He wanted the straight skinny, and I gave him my (somewhat dated) experiences and opinions.

Then something occurred to me.

I've always had an idea about how the services decide where to put bases: The Army and Marine Corps seem to put their posts in the worst places they can find, while the Navy and Air Force pick places that are nice, fun, and close to something worth going to.

Here's a short list of the military posts I was deployed, stationed, or TDY to:

Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri - Army
Presidio of Monterey, California - Army, but really joint
Goodfellow Air Force Base - Air Force, but really joint
Augsburg, Germany - Army
Fort Huachuca, Arizona - Army
Fort Hood, Texas - Army
Fort Bragg, North Carolina - Army
Fort Irwin, California - Army
Fort Lewis, Washington - Army
Fort Drum, New York - Army
Macdill Air Force Base, Florida - Air Force
Norfolk, Virginia - Navy
Fort Meade, Maryland - Army, sort of
Cherry Point, North Carolina - Marines
Naples, Italy - Navy
Stuttgart, Germany - Joint
Berlin, Germany - Army
Frankfurt, Germany - Army
Camp Red Cloud, Korea - Army
Munich, Germany - Joint
RAF Mildenhall, UK - Air Force
Washington DC - Joint
Tuzla, Bosnia - Army
Taszar, Hungary - Army
Misawa, Japan - Air Force

There are a lot more, but those are the big ones.

I see a bit of a pattern. The Air Force and Navy bases are where they need to be, but tend to be in relatively nice places. The joint postings are usually almost as nice. Also, overseas posts tend to be OK, with the exception of Tuzla and CRC. Then we get to the domestic Marine and Army posts. To be charitable, they tend to be crapholes. It's like in the 1930's and 1940's the leadership took a look at a map of the continental United States and sprinkled Army posts and Marine bases in the most economically depressed and isolated areas. Other than Goodfellow AFB, the Air Force bases all seemed to be good places to take a vacation or raise kids. Even Norfolk, with all its warts, is better than Bragg or Cherry Point.

Do you veterans concur? Did the Army and Marine generals put their posts in places that would make their troops hard, or at least pissed off, and the Air Force and Navy put bases in places where their people would be happy?

30 Days of Reagan - Day 7

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and, above all, responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill.