Mexico is making noises that the U.S. officials who authorized, took part in, and covered up Operation Fast and Furious, AKA Operation Gunrunner, could face prosecution in Mexico for the damage to that country, including the deaths of multiple Mexican citizens.
While I'm a proud American, and normally I wouldn't allow any other country to indict, extradite, and prosecute our citizens, much less government officials, I'm on Mexico's side on this one. This isn't some Spanish court indicting Dick Cheney for political reasons. Our government seems to have aided and abetted weapons smuggling, which led to the death of Mexican citizens. We regularly extradite criminals from the rest of the world to the United States so they can answer for their crimes in the drug trade. Why are the ATF, Justice Department, and other Obama administration officials any different?
They are accused of, either through malice or negligence, of allowing the illegal export of thousands of firearms to Mexico while that country is in the midst of a low-level civil war between the drug cartels and the government. Even assuming that the plan was formed and executed out of sheer stupidity and was not some nefarious scheme to influence U.S. domestic gun control policies, those who ordered it and carried it out need to be held criminally liable.
If they don't get a trial here, then we should extradite them to Mexico if they are charged there. If we expect the rest of the world to give us their criminals, including corrupt government officials, for crimes committed here, then we have to do the same for them.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Independence Day Wrap-Up
I started Independence Day and the last day off I will have all month doing my favorite thing: I took Girlie Bear to the range and let her blow through a box of .22. A steady rain for the first 45 minutes we were there pretty much melted the cardboard target stands we used, but they still showed enough of our targets that we could get some practice in. She's getting good enough with the Rossi and the 10/22 that next time I'm going to back her target up about half again as far as it is now.
After she didn't care for the 20 gauge last time, I bought her a recoil pad for her shoulder. She tried shooting my black powder rifle, and said she liked that a lot better. Not sure if it's because the Omega doesn't kick as much as her Rossi in the shotgun configuration or if it's the recoil pad. Probably a little of both. I'm going to start looking in earnest for a good used black powder rifle for her to use this fall. She's ready.
As for me, I shot the 10/22 a few times, then shot the Garand. Nothing says "Happy Independence Day!" like shooting an M1 Garand. Then, of course, it was time to shoot the 1911. I did cheat a bit and shoot Tula ammunition through it. I also started working on figuring out how to accurately shoot the Smith and Wesson .357 that I bought just prior to Knoxville. It's got a very light single action trigger, and I've started to learn where on the front sight works best. Double action is also very smooth, but I need to do a bit of dry fire before that evens out for me.
After clearing the range, Girlie Bear and I headed over to the local purveyor of fireworks and geared up for tonight. I gave Girlie Bear a budget of $20, and to her credit, she bought an armload of explodey goodness for $19.56.
Once we got home, I got the charcoal going and prepped dinner. Our menu included smoked turkey, roasted potatoes and onions with garlic, fresh corn on the cob, and Dutch apple pie with vanilla ice cream. I have to say the hardest thing I did today was leave the turkey alone after I brought it in from the smoker. There was about 45 minutes while the potatoes were on the grill, and I just sat and thought about how good that gobbler smelled. Everyone feasted well, and I can honestly say it was one of the better meals I've made lately.
After dinner, Girlie Bear and I prepped the area for fireworks. Boo came out after his bath and watched me set off "wockets" and "sparkles" for him. I tried to keep it low key out of consideration for the neighbors, but as soon as it got really dark, three of them started setting off mortars. Oh well, something to remember next year.
I hope y'all had a good 4th of July and had a chance to celebrate!
After she didn't care for the 20 gauge last time, I bought her a recoil pad for her shoulder. She tried shooting my black powder rifle, and said she liked that a lot better. Not sure if it's because the Omega doesn't kick as much as her Rossi in the shotgun configuration or if it's the recoil pad. Probably a little of both. I'm going to start looking in earnest for a good used black powder rifle for her to use this fall. She's ready.
As for me, I shot the 10/22 a few times, then shot the Garand. Nothing says "Happy Independence Day!" like shooting an M1 Garand. Then, of course, it was time to shoot the 1911. I did cheat a bit and shoot Tula ammunition through it. I also started working on figuring out how to accurately shoot the Smith and Wesson .357 that I bought just prior to Knoxville. It's got a very light single action trigger, and I've started to learn where on the front sight works best. Double action is also very smooth, but I need to do a bit of dry fire before that evens out for me.
After clearing the range, Girlie Bear and I headed over to the local purveyor of fireworks and geared up for tonight. I gave Girlie Bear a budget of $20, and to her credit, she bought an armload of explodey goodness for $19.56.
Once we got home, I got the charcoal going and prepped dinner. Our menu included smoked turkey, roasted potatoes and onions with garlic, fresh corn on the cob, and Dutch apple pie with vanilla ice cream. I have to say the hardest thing I did today was leave the turkey alone after I brought it in from the smoker. There was about 45 minutes while the potatoes were on the grill, and I just sat and thought about how good that gobbler smelled. Everyone feasted well, and I can honestly say it was one of the better meals I've made lately.
After dinner, Girlie Bear and I prepped the area for fireworks. Boo came out after his bath and watched me set off "wockets" and "sparkles" for him. I tried to keep it low key out of consideration for the neighbors, but as soon as it got really dark, three of them started setting off mortars. Oh well, something to remember next year.
I hope y'all had a good 4th of July and had a chance to celebrate!
An Omen?
The presidential seal fell off of President Obama's limousine the other night as he was travelling to the airport in Philadelphia. While the Secret Service maintains that this kind of thing happens from time to time, but it's the first time I've heard of it. If I were a superstitious man, I'd take this as a sign of things to come, like a broken sword in a king's scabbard.
What other signs that the Obama presidency is in trouble should we be be on the look out for?
What other signs that the Obama presidency is in trouble should we be be on the look out for?
- His head speechwriter gets struck by lightning on a clear day
- His teleprompter is found hanging by its own power cord with a goodbye note nearby
- The seal on his speaking podium bursts into flame
- "Hail To The Chief" is replaced in the press room with the theme from "The Omen"
- The bust of Lenin that the President's mother left to him in her will starts to cry tears of vodka
- The bust of Churchill he returned to the Brits is found with an ear to ear grin on its face
- The President's doctor reports that he is not sleeping well due to nightmares that cause him to wake up screaming "Palin! Perry! Rubio!"
Monday, July 4, 2011
Thought for the Day
Self Control - The act of bringing in a whole smoked turkey from the grill and leaving it alone in the kitchen while the rest of dinner cooks after not eating all day.
Thoughts on the American Revolution
While listening to a recent podcast, someone asked "Why is it that the American revolution is the only one that didn't end in a bloodbath?". From the French Reign of Terror, to the killing fields of Cambodia, to the mountains of the former Yugoslavia, almost all revolutionary political changes have included mass killings. Usually these incidents include not only members of the former ruling class, but also common people who don't fit into the mold that the new regime was using to cast their new society.
So what was different about the 13 original states? Not to say that there wasn't bloodshed, because there certainly was a bit of that after the shooting war ended. But those colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain were for the most part allowed to leave with their lives, if not the bulk of their property. Contrast what happened in 1783 in North America with what happened in France in 1789. While there was some violence and what we would probably call ethnic cleansing over here, in Paris, they started lining people up for a close mechanical shave.
When the South and Central American colonies overthrew their Spanish masters, people were hung and shot in successive waves. Repeat that in Russia, post-WWI Germany, and post-colonial India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Millions died in China after the Communist takeover in 1947. There was even violence in the 'peaceful' dissolution of Communism in Eastern Europe in the early 1990's, culminating in the Balkan Wars.
The only exceptions to this rule I can think of off the top of my head was the Velvet Divorce of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and possibly the movement of some members of the British Empire to self-rule, such as Canada and Australia.
So what happened? Why are we so different?
Some posit that the American colonists had been pretty much self-guided for such a long time that when we decided to finally make it official we didn't see the need to purge our ranks. Others suggest that in the beginning, if you didn't like your neighbors in North America, both of you had ample opportunity to just up and move. To paraphrase Heinlein, nothing makes good neighbor relations like ample elbow room.
I see the truth in these theories, and they probably had a lot to do with it, but there's something more. The leaders of our revolution had several hundred years of British political and social development to rest upon, aided by physical separation from the corruption of these ideals, to support them. They could read Locke and other members of the Enlightenment, but their studies were not muddied by the sausage factory of a working parliamentary system.
They also had the luxury, at least until the last couple of decades before 1776, of being able to have their cake and eat it too. They could stand on their rights as Englishmen, but due to being a long sea voyage away from London, they didn't have too many of the responsibilities a subject owes to his sovereign. When Parliament and King George III fought a war for French North America and expected the American colonies to chip in through taxes, the colonists began to scream about violations of their rights. I've always wondered what would have happened if, when the Americans squawked about "taxation without representation", King George had raised several prominent Americans to the House of Lords and given them a vote. Would there have been an American revolution if Washington, who was a British hero after the French and Indians War, had become First Earl of Virginia? What if Franklin, or more likely his son, became the Duke of the Mid-Atlantic states? Add in a few elected members of the House of Commons from Boston, Charlestown, and New York, and the cassus belli for the revolution starts to evaporate.
But to get back to the question at hand, why didn't the streets of Boston, New York, and Charlestown run red with the blood of Tories in 1783? Why were those who opposed Washington politically not taken out to the woods and shot? My guess is that the leaders of the revolution truly believed that their calling was to bring the theoretical politics of Locke and his contemporiaries to fruition, and were able to agree on it well enough to forestall bloodshed. Their solution was flawed, and we spend much time, treasure, and occasionally blood improving on it. But with a little luck and a determination to do the right thing and go home, they got it right enough that lining people up for the gallows or the guillotine was unnecessary.
For over two centuries we've been following their example and with only one exception, we've been able to keep this thing going without watering the fields with blood. We argue, scream, belittle, and backbite day in and day out, but political victors have never put the losers on a train to nowhere.
Today we commemorate the day our colonial ancestors made it official. There was a long war ahead, followed by debates and arguments over what the revolution would bring to the new country, but in one form or another, our republic has stood for 235 years. Here's hoping it stands for at least another 235.
So what was different about the 13 original states? Not to say that there wasn't bloodshed, because there certainly was a bit of that after the shooting war ended. But those colonists who remained loyal to Great Britain were for the most part allowed to leave with their lives, if not the bulk of their property. Contrast what happened in 1783 in North America with what happened in France in 1789. While there was some violence and what we would probably call ethnic cleansing over here, in Paris, they started lining people up for a close mechanical shave.
When the South and Central American colonies overthrew their Spanish masters, people were hung and shot in successive waves. Repeat that in Russia, post-WWI Germany, and post-colonial India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Millions died in China after the Communist takeover in 1947. There was even violence in the 'peaceful' dissolution of Communism in Eastern Europe in the early 1990's, culminating in the Balkan Wars.
The only exceptions to this rule I can think of off the top of my head was the Velvet Divorce of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and possibly the movement of some members of the British Empire to self-rule, such as Canada and Australia.
So what happened? Why are we so different?
Some posit that the American colonists had been pretty much self-guided for such a long time that when we decided to finally make it official we didn't see the need to purge our ranks. Others suggest that in the beginning, if you didn't like your neighbors in North America, both of you had ample opportunity to just up and move. To paraphrase Heinlein, nothing makes good neighbor relations like ample elbow room.
I see the truth in these theories, and they probably had a lot to do with it, but there's something more. The leaders of our revolution had several hundred years of British political and social development to rest upon, aided by physical separation from the corruption of these ideals, to support them. They could read Locke and other members of the Enlightenment, but their studies were not muddied by the sausage factory of a working parliamentary system.
They also had the luxury, at least until the last couple of decades before 1776, of being able to have their cake and eat it too. They could stand on their rights as Englishmen, but due to being a long sea voyage away from London, they didn't have too many of the responsibilities a subject owes to his sovereign. When Parliament and King George III fought a war for French North America and expected the American colonies to chip in through taxes, the colonists began to scream about violations of their rights. I've always wondered what would have happened if, when the Americans squawked about "taxation without representation", King George had raised several prominent Americans to the House of Lords and given them a vote. Would there have been an American revolution if Washington, who was a British hero after the French and Indians War, had become First Earl of Virginia? What if Franklin, or more likely his son, became the Duke of the Mid-Atlantic states? Add in a few elected members of the House of Commons from Boston, Charlestown, and New York, and the cassus belli for the revolution starts to evaporate.
But to get back to the question at hand, why didn't the streets of Boston, New York, and Charlestown run red with the blood of Tories in 1783? Why were those who opposed Washington politically not taken out to the woods and shot? My guess is that the leaders of the revolution truly believed that their calling was to bring the theoretical politics of Locke and his contemporiaries to fruition, and were able to agree on it well enough to forestall bloodshed. Their solution was flawed, and we spend much time, treasure, and occasionally blood improving on it. But with a little luck and a determination to do the right thing and go home, they got it right enough that lining people up for the gallows or the guillotine was unnecessary.
For over two centuries we've been following their example and with only one exception, we've been able to keep this thing going without watering the fields with blood. We argue, scream, belittle, and backbite day in and day out, but political victors have never put the losers on a train to nowhere.
Today we commemorate the day our colonial ancestors made it official. There was a long war ahead, followed by debates and arguments over what the revolution would bring to the new country, but in one form or another, our republic has stood for 235 years. Here's hoping it stands for at least another 235.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Can we sign her for the Vikings?
A woman in China broke her arm while catching a toddler that fell from the 10th floor of her apartment building.
Now, if we can just get her over here to coach receivers and punt returners, we'd be much better off.
Wu Juping kicked off her high heels and raced over to break the fall of the plummeting 2-year-old, breaking her arm in the process but saving the little girl's lifeGood for the lady. Most people would try to help in the same situation, but she was able to catch the little one in mid air, suffering only minor injuries herself.
Now, if we can just get her over here to coach receivers and punt returners, we'd be much better off.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
News Roundup
Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg has said she plans to stay on the Court as long as her health allows it. From her lips to God's ear, as my grandmother used to say. I'd like her to stay on until at least February of 2013 so the next president can appoint her successor.
The U.S. military is reporting that Iran is providing support to terrorist organizations in Iraq. They also report that water is wet, it gets hot in the desert in July, and that the sun rose in the east this morning. Are we actually paying for this hard charging intelligence work?
Venezuelan strongman and former street clown Hugo Chavez has admitted that a cancerous growth was removed from his body a few weeks ago in Havana. No word yet on his overall condition and what kind of cancer it was. We here at DaddyBear's Den wish Mr. Chavez a speedy recovery so he can return to his job of watching for the plane for Mr. Rourke.
Maria Shriver has filed for divorce from her husband Arnold Schwarzenegger after the Governator admitted fathering a child with one of the household staff. I feel for Arnold. I didn't mess around on my wife, but divorces suck no matter what. Of course, he's got a lot more to lose than I did. It's going to hurt a heck of a lot more to write a check for several million dollars to his ex than it did for me to write one for $143.50 to mine. No word yet on whether Arnold will be moving into a small apartment or a condo, or when he will be hitting Bed Bath and Beyond to furnish it.
The U.S. military is reporting that Iran is providing support to terrorist organizations in Iraq. They also report that water is wet, it gets hot in the desert in July, and that the sun rose in the east this morning. Are we actually paying for this hard charging intelligence work?
Venezuelan strongman and former street clown Hugo Chavez has admitted that a cancerous growth was removed from his body a few weeks ago in Havana. No word yet on his overall condition and what kind of cancer it was. We here at DaddyBear's Den wish Mr. Chavez a speedy recovery so he can return to his job of watching for the plane for Mr. Rourke.
Maria Shriver has filed for divorce from her husband Arnold Schwarzenegger after the Governator admitted fathering a child with one of the household staff. I feel for Arnold. I didn't mess around on my wife, but divorces suck no matter what. Of course, he's got a lot more to lose than I did. It's going to hurt a heck of a lot more to write a check for several million dollars to his ex than it did for me to write one for $143.50 to mine. No word yet on whether Arnold will be moving into a small apartment or a condo, or when he will be hitting Bed Bath and Beyond to furnish it.
The Lord looks out for fools and drunkards
A woman jumped onto the tracks of the light rail train near San Fransisco. She apparently fell between two tracks and escaped with only minor injuries. Considering that she didn't fry like a hot dog connected to a car battery on the 3rd rail, nor did she get beaten and broken like a pinata, I'd say she's pretty lucky.
Police are saying that this may have been a suicide attempt, but if it is, she needs more practice. Maybe she could go to an amusement park and try throwing herself onto the tracks of a roller coaster a few times? Or she could just go to the same platform on Tuesday morning and announce to the commuters she inconvenienced that she's the one that held up their trip to work and watch how quickly she's beaten to death with laptop bags.
Police are saying that this may have been a suicide attempt, but if it is, she needs more practice. Maybe she could go to an amusement park and try throwing herself onto the tracks of a roller coaster a few times? Or she could just go to the same platform on Tuesday morning and announce to the commuters she inconvenienced that she's the one that held up their trip to work and watch how quickly she's beaten to death with laptop bags.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Interesting idea
Scientists are considering adding sewage to a section of the canal system that links the Great Lakes to the Mississippi, which would cause bacteria to use up all of the oxygen in the water and make it harder for big head carp to get into the Great Lakes. I wish them luck. These non-native fish have been reeking havoc on some of the game fish here in Kentucky.
But that solution makes me think that maybe there's another place it could be applied.
How about we add more sewage to the mile or so between the White House and the Capitol, let the bacteria eat up all of the oxygen that the oxygen thieves there need to thrive, and try to keep the invasive species from the federal government from continuing to contaminate our country?
Just a thought.
But that solution makes me think that maybe there's another place it could be applied.
How about we add more sewage to the mile or so between the White House and the Capitol, let the bacteria eat up all of the oxygen that the oxygen thieves there need to thrive, and try to keep the invasive species from the federal government from continuing to contaminate our country?
Just a thought.
An experiment
I have this blog set up with SiteMeter and Google Analytics, but part of me wonders how accurate they are. I'm not that worried about stats, but I'm curious as to how many people read this little collection of thoughts.
So what I'd like to do is ask a favor of all of you. If you don't mind, please leave a quick comment to this post. Nothing too involved; just something to tell me you've been here. You can identify yourself or do it anonymously. I'll compare the number of comments to what Analytics and SiteMeter say, and see what we can see.
Thanks!
So what I'd like to do is ask a favor of all of you. If you don't mind, please leave a quick comment to this post. Nothing too involved; just something to tell me you've been here. You can identify yourself or do it anonymously. I'll compare the number of comments to what Analytics and SiteMeter say, and see what we can see.
Thanks!
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