The "Curse You, Bruce" Meme...

Here's the skinny straight from Bruce:

Think of 25 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world. When you finish, tag 15 others, including me. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill. Get the idea now? Good. Tag, you're it!

*sigh* How do I get myself sucked into these things???

Unlike Bruce, I'm going to include multiple listings from the same artist (but just a couple)... There's a distinct hard edge to my listings, which reflects my love of metal and punk music. I've avoided compilations for the most part (there is one sentimental favorite on the list), as it's really not in the spirit of the listing.

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So here goes...

1. Pink Floyd, "Dark Side of the Moon". As the expression goes, if I had a nickel for every time I listened to this album, I'd have a shitload of nickels... Seriously, I went through a period in college where I listened to this album literally every night ("Nu-nights with Floyd")...

2. AC/DC, "Back in Black". This is another one, I've listened to this album so much, I've worn out a cassette tape (remember those, you old farts out there?) *and* a CD... There is not a bad song on this album, and when you consider that this was Brian Johnson's first album with AC/DC after Bon Scot's untimely death, it kicks ass so much it should be titled: AC/DC "Chuck Norris"...

3. Van Halen, "1984". If there were a soundtrack to my mid-teens, this was it. Many nights were spent cruising around the local hangouts with this album jammed in the tape deck of my buddy Paul's Subaru...

4. Def Leppard, "Hysteria". This was to high school what 1984 was to Junior High. I've heard "Pour Some Sugar on Me" so many times that the words have lost all meaning {/Milhouse}. Used to cruise around in my buddy Joe's Toyota Corona wagon drinking beer out of a 5 gallon bucket filled with skating rink shavings to this album...

5. Guns 'N' Roses, "Appetite for Destruction". This was to college what the above two were to their respective epochs. I have "Paradise City" seared, seared into my memory, specifically of sitting on the ancient gas heater in Neil's apartment on 14 Clinton Street in Fitchburg, MA, listening to this song and playing air drums...

6. Metallica, "Black". Also came out when I was in college. Also listened to it several thousand times. Had a friend who could play the guitar riff note-for-note and we'd jam until like 3 in the morning...

7. Roger Waters, "Radio KAOS". This was Waters' second post-Floyd album, with a central theme that made it a kind of "serialized" album like Styx's "Mr. Roboto". Except that instead of creepy Japanese robots holding humans in check, "Radio KAOS" was about a paralyzed computer genius who had accidentally started WWIII... It worked, oddly enough...

8. Aerosmith, "Greatest Hits". Ah. This was the first album I ever listened to while making out with a girl. For that reason alone it makes the top ten, easily. Pam was the first - but certainly not the last - girl to rip my heart out of my ribcage, stomp on it with golf cleats, and walk out of my life. Not that I'm bitter or anything...

9. Van Halen, "5150". Yes, two VH offerings make the top ten, one with Dave, one with Sammy. 5150 is one of those "perfect" albums - not a single song on the album gets skipped over. And as a side note, I used to wake up my drunkard roommate in college with "Get Up" playing at 11...

10. The Cult, "Electric". I loved this album so much, I decorated my favorite pair of Chuck Taylors with "The Cult" on one sneaker and "Electric" on the other. Did a damn good job if I may say so myself. "Love Removal Machine" kicks total fucking ass when you've had your heart broken (again; see #8).

11. Run DMC, "Run-D.M.C.". Whoa. To a pasty white kid from suburbia raised on Kenny Rogers and the Beach Boys, this was about as far from anything I'd ever heard. Hooked instantly. It's like that, and that's the way it is...

12. Rush, "Moving Pictures". Even having a music teacher in eighth grade dissect "Tom Sawyer" line-by-line couldn't shake my unwavering love for this album. I amazed The Boy by playing YYZ for him and pointing out Peart's smokin' drum work...

13. Boston, "Boston". Despite nearly running my truck into a bridge abutment at 75 MPH while listening to "More Than A Feeling" (never listen to "I closed my eyes, and she slipped away" right after you got dumped, that's Jay's handy advice for the lovelorn teen...), I still love this album. To this day, I still get ready for a night out by listening to "Smokin'"...

14. AC/DC, "The Razor's Edge". This one makes the list purely on my undying love of "Thunderstruck", which I consider to be one of the finest songs ever written.

15. George Thorogood, "Move It On Over". Even though the title track has gotten me pulled over three times (I used to call it my turbo...), I love this album. "Cocaine Blues" is one of the few songs that I would consider doing in karaoke...

16. Iron Maiden, "Piece of Mind". Hell, most anything by Iron Maiden from the 1980s would be fine, but "Piece of Mind" has three things going for it: "Die With Your Boots On", "Sun and Steel", and a parody, "fuck you" backwards-recorded message poking fun at the holy rollers who accused them of Satanism.

17. Rolling Stones, "Tattoo You". It's not their best album, nor their best known, but "Start Me Up" is my favorite Stones song, bar none. Even selling it out to Microsoft for the abomination known as Windows 95 doesn't lessen my love for this tune...

18. Grateful Dead, "American Beauty". Oh, the stories I could tell about this album if this weren't a public place... "Truckin'", "Friend of the Devil", "Ripple"... every song on this album is a masterpiece.

19. Garth Brooks, "No Fences". "Friends in Low Places" was the song played for our wedding party, and it was intended as the highest of compliments. None of us are movers and/or shakers, captains of industry, or high society; however a greater group of people you would be hard-pressed to find. And "Unanswered Prayers" makes me cry every time I hear it (and yes, I had to find it on YouTube and listen to it again...)

20. The Ramones, "Ramones". The album's only five years younger than I am, and yet it's still being sampled today - how many times has the "Hey, ho, let's go" from "Blitzkrieg Bop" found its way into pop culture? I thought about one of the compilation albums, as "I Wanna Be Sedated" is my fave Ramones tune bar none, but their debut album stands out...

21. Anthrax, "Among the Living". Oh, speed/thrash metal. I used to grab a couple of Anthrax/Megadeth/Maiden tapes and head over to the library when the goons in my dorm were partying too loudly. I still get a wicked urge to outline the Krebs Cycle every time I hear "Efilnikufesin"...

22. Billy Joel, "Piano Man". Captain Jack will get you high tonight... Oh, man... There's another "nickel" song... I had a good friend in college explain to me what "feed your head" meant. And now, before Jay writes something that might get him in trouble...

23. Huey Lewis and the News, "Sports". Hey, I'm a child of the '80s. Had to toss in one of the most enduring '80s albums out there. From the Miami Vice-like sport coat over fluorescent T-shirt look favored by Huey Lewis to the brassy sound that went out of style after the 1980s, "Sports" is about the closest thing to a soundtrack of the 1980s there is.

24. The Sex Pistols, "Never Mind the Bullocks, Here's the Sex Pistols". Oh yeah, punk rock played a heavy role in my teen years. Think of it as "rap for white kids in Catholic school". You want a conference with the headmaster? Play "Anarchy in the UK" too loud on your imitation Walkman during study hall...

25. Creed, "Human Clay". Really, this one's about "With Arms Wide Open". This song was released in 1999, and coincides with my own journey to fatherhood. Another song I can't listen to without tearing up a bit (and, yes, it's playing as I type this). "Everything has changed". These are the truest lyrics ever written...

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So there are my 25 albums. Give me all 25 of these and I'll have enough music to keep me happy for a very long time. And I'll relive a good chunk of my youth as well... I'm not going to tag anyone specifically for this one, but if you want to play along, consider yourself tagged.

That is all.

Happiness Is...

...Getting the first, last, and only two boxes of .45 ACP at Wally World...

That little pokka-pokka sound as the ammo jiggles in the boxes when you jounce over frost heaves is the sound of freedom, mes amis...

That is all.

Blogroll Additions...

It's been a while since I've updated the blogroll. Got a handful of new blogs to add to the 'roll today, and will have plenty to add in following weeks...

1. Agg79 at My Two Cents - Declares in his "About Me" section to be: "Too old to start over, too young to retire. Over 50. Married 28+ years. One kid in college. No dog. One old project car." I can relate...

2. Jumblerant at the self-titled Jumblerant - a police officer in Israel. That's gotta be a tough gig, I must admit.

3. Olav at Firearms and Training - A former Canadian now living in CA and writing about firearms. G-d Bless America!

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And now, time for the standard disclaimer:

I run a reciprocal blogroll here at MArooned. If you like my insane scribbling writing enough to add me to your blogroll, tell me about it - I'm quite happy to return the favor. But I can't do it if I don't know about it! So leave me a note in comments; shoot me an e-mail (contact info's around here somewhere); catch me on Google chat or Facebook; heck, anything short of writing your blog name on a piece of paper and hucking it through my window tied to a rock works... :)

That is all.

Friday Fun Thread: Econoboxes, Part One...

Alternate title: The REAL reason Americans hate small cars.

I was struggling to come up with today's list - I was trying to put together a list of cool small cars, and got about halfway through and was just stumped for the remaining five. The more I thought about it, the more I started to realize I had an easy Top Ten list on the flip side: Crappy small cars. And then I thought about it some more - most of the cars on the list are American cars.

Think there's a correlation between Americans liking large cars and American small cars being crappy?

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Anyways, here's the list of Top Ten Crappy Small Cars. Enjoy!

1. Geo Metro - How do you go wrong with a car that gets over 50 MPG on the highway? You make it susceptible to implosion upon collision with anything larger than a hummingbird. Oh, and give it an odd number of cylinders, a number more commonly found on weird British motorcycles than in American cars.

2. Ford Fiesta - One of the first true American "econoboxes", the Fiesta put the "shit" in "shitbox". As would continue to be the case even today, in the late 1970s Ford took a European model, slapped a new name on it, and brought it to market in the US. This pathetic attempt at combatting the onslaught of small, economical cars from VW, Honda, Datsun, and Toyota was epic FAIL.

3. Dodge Omni - Mopar was not immune to the "ZOMG we must make crappy small cars" malaise that swept the Big Three in the late '70s when Japanese cars started making inroads. Much as Ford and GM did at the time, Chrysler grabbed a European offering, slapped a new name on it, and set it loose on Main Street.

4. Hyundai XL - Offering a low-cost, fuel economical car at a time of rising gas prices seems like it should be a winning combination. Throw in that the state of American car manufacture from the late 1970s through the 1980s was spotty at best, and people were willing to take a chance on the little Korean car. Problem was, the little Korean car started making people remember the crappy American cars fondly...

5. Ford Festiva - "It's a Ford! It's a Festiva!" Even the advertising jingle for this particulary craptacular POS was terrible. Ford, never one to shy away from taking bad idea and making it worse, took the Fiesta concept to the next level - this time, they didn't just take a European version and re-badge it for the US, they took a crappy Korean POS and re-badged it for the US.

6. Pontiac LeMans - and speaking of taking a crappy Korean POS and re-badged it for the US, Pontiac shat all over the sleeper muscle car LeMans (affectionally known in the early '70s as "LeGoat", as it shared many of the same features as the GTO) by rebadging a Daewoo as the LeMans in the late 1980s (Note: European version Opel Kadett shown in picture).

7. Renault Alliance - It's French {shudder}. It was partnered with AMC {shudder}. There was even a stretch-limousine available... Quality was about on par with the other lousy cars of the time, and it offered the same abysmal performance and shockingly marginal fuel economy as every other crappy econobox of the time. But we get to kick the French again, so...

8. Ford Aspire - Ford gets the dubious distinction of having the same crappy idea three times in a row with the Aspire. Following the rousing success of the Fiesta (cough) and the Festiva (cough), Ford tried one last time to re-badge a crappy car and sell it in the US. And, for the third time, they failed...

9. Yugo GV- "What country is this car from?" "It... no longer exists". This exchange, from the "Mr. Plow" episode of the Simpsons, was obviously aimed at the eastern European Yugo. Second only to perhaps the Trabant for lousy quality, the Yugo was known for whimsically breaking down while still on the assembly line.

10. Chevrolet Chevette - "Chevy Chevette, it'll drive you happy!" Err, um, no. About the only redeeming quality of the Chevette was that it allowed a whole generation of nerds to sidle up to the prom queen and ask "hey cutie, wanna ride in my 'Vette?"...

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Whoa. Serious crapitude there. So, tell me, what other crappy cars are there? Anyone have any good experience with any of these cars? (No, really, I'm serious. No, stop laughing. C'mon!). If nothing else, take this list as a cautionary example of how bad things have been in the automotive world...

That is all.

Oh Yeah, That's It...

Ban on photos of U.S. troops' coffins lifted

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Thursday it will lift an 18-year ban on coverage of the return of military members killed in war by allowing families of the fallen to decide whether the news media may photograph the flag-covered caskets.

Apparently Obama's game plan consists entirely of looking at what President Bush did and then doing the opposite - except, of course, when it comes to spending...

What really pisses me off is this bullshit:

Democrats tried to lift the ban that year but were rebuffed by the Republican-controlled Congress. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., said at the time that the ban was an attempt to "conceal from the American people the true costs of this war."

Are you shitting me? Because from where I'm sitting, the media has done everything except installing a "Dead Soldier Clock" timer that gives up-to-the-minute totals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We've had somber reminders at every thousand killed. We had daily updates on soldiers killed. We've had human interest stories about soldiers injured. There has been NOTHING concealed about the "true costs of this war". That is an outright fucking lie.

But then again, what would you expect from a man who obtained his Senate seat through fraud and chicanery?

That is all.

Friday Gun Pr0n #100

I wanted to do something special for the one hundredth Friday Gun Pr0n. I had originally intended to do some sort of group shot, either all handguns, or all Smith & Wessons, or all revolvers, or something, when inspiration struck...

My Favorites

Pump action shotguns and centerfire rifles,
Rimfire levers and shiny Colt autos.
Magnum revolvers that pack quite a sting,
These are a few of my favorite things

(with apologies to The Sound of Music...)

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Favorite Longarms

Shotgun: Mossberg 590. Since I'm neither a hunter nor a trap/skeet shooter (yet), my shotgun needs are simple: a large capacity pump-action with a short(ish) barrel. The fact that it will take a bayonet just puts the icing on the cake.

Centerfire rifle: Bushmaster XM15-E2S. In the year of the looming AWB and ever-rising prices on semi-automatic magazine-fed rifles, getting this for a decent price (and an excellent deal on 30-round magazines!) vaults it to the top of the list. Once I get my Garand, this choice will be much harder...

Rimfire rifle: Marlin model 39-A. There had to be at least one lever-action rifle on this list. The Marlin is just plain fun wrapped up in wood and blued steel, a 19-round-at-a-time plinker that can be shot all day long using the cheapest bulk ammo available. What's not to love?

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Favorite Handguns

Centerfire revolver: Ruger Security Six. This is the first firearm I ever purchased, approximately 35 minutes after getting my first MA permit (that's how long it took to get to the gun store). The tank-like Ruger construction means it's my go-to gun for first time shooters, as the longer barrel and extra heft tame even hot .357 Magnum rounds.

Centerfire semi-automatic: Colt Gold Cup National Match 1911. It had to be a 1911, of course. The Gold Cup is the natural choice, with accuracy that I can't match and fit and finish that is simply stunning. I enjoy shooting this gun more than just about any other, and everyone I've let shoot it has been quite impressed with its accuracy and reliability. And it's shiny...

Rimfire handgun: Smith & Wesson Model 17. Since I only have one (functioning) rimfire semi-automatic, it wasn't much of a contest, so I combined them into just rimfire pistol. The S&W gets the nod over the Colt, the H&R, and the NAA mini-.22LR for many reasons, but the first being that it is the first gun I give to a new shooter to start their journey. That's confidence right there...

CCW gun: Smith & Wesson Model 360PD. What's really great about the Snubbie from Hell™ is that it's such a versatile carry piece. It's chambered in the very manly .357 Magnum caliber, so it's got stopping power in spades; it's very light, so it gets carried a lot; and it's a Smith & Wesson revolver - as a wise man once opined, it's like a fork: You pick it up, it works.

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So there's Friday Gun Pr0n #100 - all of my favorites.

That is all.

Urge to Kill Rising...

Note to Norton: You suck. I hate you. I will not brake if I see you crossing the street.

Could you please possibly make your products MORE of a HUGE FUCKING PAIN IN THE ASS? Seriously? Like, maybe you could make it so that the only update options are "REMIND ME EVERY FIVE FUCKING SECONDS" or "FREEZE YOUR COMPUTER THE REST OF THE NIGHT"

Oh, wait, that's what you already do...

And then, as a coup de grace, maybe you could design it so the uninstall feature takes about as long as painting the goddamned Sistine Chapel. That would be so very user friendly.

In short, die motherfucker, die.

That is all.

QOTD...

From LabRat, in Gunblogger Conspiracy chat:

"BDSM is LARP with boners."

Heh. Remind me to add them to the blogroll, Pinky. Will do, Brain!

That is all.

BOHICA, Part II...

As seen, well, everywhere around the gun blogosphere, our new Attorney General (he of the "Americans are cowards about race" fame) Holder has hinted that Obama may very well make good on at least one of his campaign promises and reinstitute the ban on guns that look scary:

The attorney general also suggested that re-instituting a U.S. ban on the sale of assault weapons would help reduce the bloodshed in Mexico, where last year 6,000 people were killed in drug-related violence.

Because, you know, abridging the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding US citizens is going to help quell the incredible violence in Mexico fueled by drug cartels and corrupt Mexican military members...

So, that said, it's coming. I don't share Sebastian's belief that activism can stop this nor Countertop's insistence that this doesn't have the votes. The same things were said about the stimulus package - reports of calls against the stimulus being something like tenfold greater than calls for it, frex - and look where that got us. We're getting another ban. The only question is, how bad will it be?

Will it simply be a reinstatement of the 1994 ban, complete with sunset provision? Doubtful - at the very least, look for this to be permanent. The Obama administration has been pretty consistent that this will be a permanent ban. Will it encompass more arms than the 1994 ban? If HR 1022 or HR 6257 are any indication, yes, most certainly - look at the expanded lists of affected firearms. Notice, if you will, that lever- and pump-action rifles are now on the block.

Buy your high-capacity magazines and semi-auto rifles now. Buy as much ammo as you can, too - that's most certainly next in their sights. Fasten your seatbelts, folks; we're in for a nasty 4 years here...

That is all.

UPDATE: Forgot to add in my bleg. If you live in a free state and have any "pre-ban" magazines for the AR-15, AK-47, Sig Sauer P226 9mm, or Glock 21, I'm happy to buy you a brand new replacement magazine in exchange for the pre-ban...

The Art of the Draw...

After seeing Carteach0's excellent series on the home defense shotgun, I decided to try my hand at amateur video (no, not that kind, TD, sheesh...):

Drawing a S&W j-frame from a pocket holster.

(And yes, the video was taken yesterday, on Pink Shirt Day).

Not too shabby for my first attempt (the speedloader videos were significantly easier as I could look directly at the camera screen!) at self-videoing. There were a couple of things I didn't point out in the video, like covering the back of the hammer with my thumb so it didn't get caught on anything during the draw, but I think I got the major points covered.

(And if you look really hard, you can see my pile 'o' Heinlein - and 300 - as my "reading material"...)

That is all.

Cheap Bastard Bleg...

I know I've got some security gurus on the ol' blogroll.

I need to pick your brains for a moment (braaaaaaains!). What's the best free firewall and/or anti-virus software out there these days? On the old computer, I was running ZoneAlarm firewall and AVG anti-virus and they seemed to be pretty good, if not a little resource-heavy.

Are there better products out there that I should take a look at?

Additionally, I'd been running Ad-Aware and SpyBot Seek and Destroy for mal- and spyware; any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

That is all.

Teh Daily Awesome...

From today's Dilbert online.

Yeah. That's about right...

(found via Unc).

That is all.

More Random Riffs

Just some randomosity from around the round world today...

• Smith & Wesson recalls guns that could misfire - PPK and PPK/S models made in conjunction with Walther from 2002 to present. If you've got one of these guns, contact S&W for a return authorization stat...
• Bare-istas: Maine cafe pours topless cup of coffee - I dunno. I prefer my coffee be bottomless, actually.
• Leeches aid shark victim - File under E for eewwwww... Talk about headlines of the weird... How cool is it, though, that the surfer's hand was saved by leeches??? (As a side note, it's also kinda weird to hear medical jargon filtered through an Aussie accent...)
• Woman dies in T escalator accident - well, not exactly. Her clothing got snagged in the machinery and she suffered a fatal heart attack. What, a headline that bears little relation to the facts ot the story? Who knew?
• Angry citizens open fire on pols - Claire Wolfe, please call your office. Snark aside, this is a disturbing story on many levels, and it's a theme that I've seen popping up around the blogosphere. Let me state, for the record: I do not support nor condone such talk.
• In Debate on Climate Change, Exaggeration Is a Common Pitfall - WOW. A chink in the armor of the infallible Goracle? The NYFT is pointing out Global Warming hyperbole??? Guess the Carbon credit business is floundering worse than we thought...
• And lastly, in the news of the weird: Father Chains Girl To Bed To Stop Her Eating. Apparently it was to keep her in fighting form for Mixed Martial Arts fighting. Of course.
• UPDATE: New header pic. Goes with one of my favorite sayings: "A shotgun without a bayonet is like a day without sunshine"...
• UPDATE²: LawDog is celebrating his third blogiversary. Go wish him well, please - we want to do all we can to encourage him to post more!

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Okay, that's about all the news I can stomach for now. Time to go tend to my sick charge...

That is all.

Sick (Half) Day...

Home this morning with a sick kid. The Boy woke up at 4:30 this morning and promptly expelled the last remnants of dinner all over his bed (ah, the joy and glamour of parenthood). Check the forehead, he's a little hot (100.5º), throat's sore, etc. Clean up in Aisle 1, you wish, bring a sponge...

When your child is sick, it helps snap everything into focus. While I'm certain this is a minor stomach bug no doubt picked up at school (especially considering a girl in his class was out yesterday for the same type of illness), there's always a nagging little doubt in the back of your skull when your kid is sick. Oh, sure, part of the worry stems from the mundane, the myriad calls to make and people to alert (to the school for the sick call, to the neighbor to bring BabyGirl G to school, etc.); but there's always that little voice that reminds you of all the other possibilities, no matter how unlikely.

Get better soon, buddy, so daddy can breathe again...

That is all.

WantWantWant...

Okay. I mentioned the new short-barreled Smith & Wesson 1911 in my bleg last week. This afternoon, the USPS dropped off the latest issue of Guns & Ammo, with the SW1911 Sub Compact proudly festooning the cover.

It's official. I'm hooked.

Smith & Wesson SW1911 Subcompact .45 ACP

7+1 capacity.
24 ounces.
Scandium frame.
1911 carry gun goodness...

I've wanted to get a Smith & Wesson 1911 for a while now, and had been eyeing the Commander length variant, the lightweight scandium model, as a potential CCW piece. I'm a big fan of the 1911 platform, and would like to add a 1911 to the carry gun rotation for ease of carry (thin profile) and familiarity with operation.

Besides, there's always room in the armory for another 1911. Or three...

That is all.

Say What?

How many things can you spot wrong with this headline:

Heiress Nicky Hilton makes citizen's arrest at IHOP

I've got at least three...

That is all.

Life Imitates "Footloose"...

Sexy 'grinding' may get Exeter High dances banned

EXETER — Exeter High School may do away with school dances because of what officials call inappropriate dancing. The idea upsets students, who blame a generation gap and say there’s no way to change the dancing style they’ve grown up learning.

Principal Victor Sokul said he asked 19 students to leave a school dance on Friday, Feb. 13 after they were seen “grinding.” This type of dancing, in which two dancers rub their bodies against each other in a sexually suggestive manner, is not permitted per school policy, Sokul said.

And rock & roll is the tool of the Devil! It's corrupting our youth!

Since when did NH get taken over by friggin' Baptists? Kids are dancing provocatively? No shit, sherlock. They've been dancing provocatively since, well, humans first realized that you could make music and then dance to it. They're teenagers - basically bags of hormones with feet - that's what they do.

And, sadly, overreacting to it is apparently what "grown-ups" do these days...

That is all.

Word of the Day: Incorporation...

Judge tosses firearms charge against state police lieutenant

BARNSTABLE — A U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down a requirement that guns be locked or disassembled when stored has convinced a Barnstable District Court judge to dismiss a firearms charge against a Massachusetts state trooper.

State police Lt. Richard Bolduc was charged last summer with illegally storing a large-capacity firearm in the presence of a minor. Bolduc's 12-year-old son took his father's police-issued handgun from a bureau in their Sandwich home, pointed it at a 5-year-old neighbor, and pulled the trigger, according to court records.

(The gun was not loaded, and the child was not hurt)

That's one lucky cop, one extremely lucky five year old, and one seriously uneducated 12 year old.

Here's the money quote:

Earlier this month, Bolduc's attorney, Daniel O'Malley, argued before Judge Joan Lynch that the firearms charge should be dropped based on the June 26 Supreme Court ruling.

In District of Columbia v. Heller, the court declared a Washington, D.C., gun ban unconstitutional and struck down the storage requirements because, the court decided, they violated a citizen's right of self protection.

Heller vs. DC being used against MA's "Safe storage" laws. Can you say incorporation? I knew that you could...

Now, granted, there are some other factors at play here:

• There was no actual ruling for or against the officer based on the Heller argument.
• Whether this case would have been dismissed against Joe Sixpack is another story entirely
• It's a loooong way from "A cop walks where an ordinary Joe would have gone straight under the bus" to "MA Safe Storage Laws Struck Down from Heller Decision"...

But this is certainly a start. On the positive side, the argument wasn't thrown out. Now, certainly, it could be the judge dismissed the case simply because the person in question was a police officer. Wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last, either. It's also possible that the judge didn't want to push the issue for fear of her courtroom being the first shot in the Heller onslaught against oppressive states - is she ready to be that first domino?

I'll savor the (very minor) victory for now. We've got a precedent, a slim, flickering hope that maybe, just maybe, the Heller decision may be used to strike down some of the more onerous MA state laws. The funny thing, for me, is that it wouldn't change a thing if MA threw out the "Safe storage" requirements - I'll still lock my guns up as long as my kids are in the house, plain and simple. I'd rather train to get a gun out of a safe than worry about them or their friends having a moment of stupid like Officer Bolduc's son...

And as a parting shot, I shudder to think what my father would have done to me had I taken his service revolver and pointed it at a neighborhood child - I suspect I *still* would be unable to sit down...

That is all.

Remember the ???

Today is the 173^rd anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo. Remember.

When asked about it, 90% of MA residents replied, "Alamo? Don't they rent cars?".

The other 10% thought that John Wayne died in the battle.

That is all.

The Rest of the Story...

Alternate title: G-d as DJ.

Yeah, there was more to yesterday's random '80s hair band music video... There's a whole sordid story of young teen-aged love and betrayal wrapped up in that five minutes of fluff. Let's put on the Wayback Hat™ and take a voyage to 1989 1990*...

I'm working at the local supermarket over the summer break, just having fun and hanging with my friends. There's a girl in the deli who smiles when I walk by, and I ask her out one Saturday night. We go to the beach, talk a walk on the sand, that sort of thing. Nothing heavy - yet - but I definitely get the feeling she's into me.

We go out a few more times, and she tells me that her cousin's parents are going away for the weekend. She tells me to bring along a guy friend for her cousin and we can have a little party. Sounds good so far, right? Well, at some point I stepped outside for a smoke. Walk back inside the house, and my buddy and my girlfriend are nowhere to be found. See where this is heading?

I walk through the house until I find them. Together. Lip-locked.

Talk about a punch in the gut, a betrayal of the unkindest sort. My best friend and my girl, behind my back, yadda yadda yadda. Had a helluva country song there, though. Well, I go back outside. I'm hurt, pissed, angry at the world. I get in my car, and realize that I can't drive home quite yet (we'd been, err, indulging in some of the cousin's family's "extra" beer), so I turn the key to kill some time listening to the radio.

And, yes, "Every Rose Has Its Thorns" was the very first song I heard...

Ah, yes. Just what I needed. A sad hair band power ballad about love gone wrong. Kill me now. I'm feeling sorry for myself, naturally, trying to pull the knife out of my back and put my heart back in my chest after it was so unceremoniously ripped out.

And "Love Hurts" by Nazareth comes on the radio.

WTF??? Okay, this is just plain wrong. Two songs in a row? Did the DJ suffer a similar heartbreak today or what? And then song #3: "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by the Rolling Stones". Talk about YHGTBSM!

It's kind of funny. It's been almost 20 years since that incident. The girl's name has long been lost to the winds of time; a pretty face that at one time meant the world to me, now constrained to a footnote in my life. The friend, well, he and I patched things up (I nailed his girlfriend the following summer just to even things up) eventually and then slowly grew apart as life took us in different directions. I'm married, for nearly 13 years now. Two kids. House. Mortgage. All the trappings of respectable grown-up life imaginable. And yet "Every Rose" comes on the radio and I'm transported back in time to that fragile teenager with the mullet and the broken heart.

It's amazing what music can do, isn't it?

That is all.

*EDIT: I've mentioned telling time by the car I drove. It dawned on me that the car I was sitting in was my Buick, which I got in 1990...

I Can't Be the Only One...

...who shudders when they see the time stamp "9:22"...

(or am I getting too esoteric in my gun nut numerology???)

That is all.

A Preview?

Deval Patrick, the ersatz governor of Massa-fucking-chusetts, has been a staunch supporter of Barack Obama since Obama declared his candidacy. How close? Close enough for Obama to lift Patrick's campaign speechs. Perhaps a quick look at "Cadillac Deval"s tenure as governor of Mass will give us an idea of the direction Obama will take the US? In Deval's time as governor, he has proposed the following:

Gas tax increase.

Computer chips in state inspection stickers.

Tax on alcohol and candy.

Doubling gun permit fees.

Extra taxes for SUVs.

Grant in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens.

Collecting sales tax for items purchased out-of-state.

Yeah. Lots to look forward to, I know...

That is all.

Not For Nothing...

But it sure doesn't help a foul, gloomy mood to have cold, soggy rain melting the brown snow and making even more brown/black mush everywhere...

*sigh*

That is all.

Sunday Songs...

I really shouldn't listen to Sirius 23: Hair Bands...



And now you've had your weekly dose of '80s power ballads...

That is all.

A Glimmer of Hope

Steeling their courage

Eighteen-month-old Kristen Hoenshell has a rare and aggressive form of cancer. What began as a tumor behind her eye has led to surgery and 38 weeks of weekly visits to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she receives powerful doses of chemotherapy that leave her weak and occasionally sick.

Yesterday, when she showed up for another round of treatment, she was greeted by something special. As her cousin Megan Souza pointed out the window of a third-floor walkway, ironworkers perched on the sixth floor of a partially constructed building nearby hoisted a massive I-beam into place. It was emblazoned, in bright pink spray paint, with Kristen's name.

Every once in a while, I come across something that gives me hope for our nation. This is one of those somethings. Each one of those workers gains nothing from this action other than the warm feeling of knowing that they helped a sick kid feel a little better. They're not looking for the 15 minutes of fame; they're not gaming the system; they're just taking a few moments out of their day to do something to help others.

Every child who looks out that window and sees their name on a girder will know that they will be a part of that building - that their names will be associated with another edifice dedicated to helping others, like them, get better. They'll experience the fleeting thrill of fame, basking in the Krylon glow of their name on the girder. For a brief moment, they can forget their pain and their struggle and just be little kids in awe of seeing their name writ large.

I hope I never, ever have to see my kids' names on a girder. I hope and pray with every fiber of my being that The Boy and BabyGirl G will outlive me by many happy years, living to see their own children and grandchildren grow and prosper. But if the unthinkable should happen, I'd be eternally grateful for the kindness of strangers as shown by these ironworkers.

Good job, guys. Good job.

That is all.

Lucky Number Seven

Well, not too lucky for the scumbag-du-jour...

Vegas police: Suspected burglar shot by homeowner

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas police say a homeowner shot and killed a suspected burglar after coming home and finding the person in his home.

Short on details, long on dead goblin goodness... Oh well, we take what we can get. The story is both full of good:

Homicide Lt. Lew Roberts says the homeowner likely would not be charged for the Sunday incident west of Nellis Air Force Base, but said the investigation was still in its early stages.

And bad:

Robert's says the homeowner's gun is registered.

WTF? A Google search for "Nevada Gun Registration" yields the following information:

Clark County (minus Boulder City) requires registration of handguns only. All other counties have no registration of any guns. For Clark County, the first handgun purchase includes a 72 hour "cooling off" period. A handgun registration card (commonly known as a "blue card" because of its light blued color) is issued for each registered handgun, and must stay with the gun. Examples: If you take the gun to shoot at the range, you must take its blue card also. If you loan the gun to a friend, you must make sure he has the card with it. You may register your handgun at any branch of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (bring it to them UNLOADED AND IN A SAFE MANNER). If you sell or give away the handgun, you are obligated to have the registration transferred into the name of the new owner. If you wish to purchase other handguns, your "cooling off" period is waived if you have your blue card present.

You need to keep the card with the gun? Holy hell, folks, this is worse than MA. I don't have to keep any "blue cards" with my handguns (which is a good thing, as I'd need yet another safe)...

Even in gun-friendly Nevada the GFWs have a foothold. This is bad. Very bad.

---

Dead Goblin Count: 7

That is all

Friday Fun Thread: Concept Cars...

Ah, the concept car. A chance for automobile manufacturers to pull out all the stops and truly wow us with their design prowess and visions of future automobiles. Here's a list of my personal favorites through the years...

1. 1938 Buick Y-Job. Considered to be the first concept car ever, the Y-Job pretty much set the stage for the concept car. The design of the Y-Job would influence Detroit's designs for the next 20 years.

2. 1955 Lincoln Futura. How can you not love the concept car that would become the Batmobile? While Lincoln never used this futuristic design, it wound up bringing plenty of publicity to Fo Mo Co., rating it as one of the concept car success stories.

3. 1988 Dodge Viper. It would evolve into the Dodge Viper, a car many credit with bringing Chrysler back from the dead in the early 1990s. The speed with which Chrylser moved the Copperhead into production as the Viper stunned many Detroit insiders, and the Viper quickly took over as the premiere American muscle car.

4. 1961 Mako Shark Corvette. Wild fins, "gills", and coloration taken (apocryphally) from a mounted Mako Shark in then-GM Design head Bill Mitchell's office; the Mako Shark Concept 'Vette would preview the C2 redesign two years ahead of the change.

5. 2008 Ford Interceptor. Okay, so maybe I'm a sucker for rear-drive, ridiculously overpowered sedans. Maybe it's the police tie-in (the "Interceptor" package was the code for the "cop motor, cop suspension..."). In any case, there's always room for a bad-ass RWD sedan...

6. 2001 Volkswagen Microbus. The only way this could have been retro-cooler would have been for it to have been a Westie. Volkswagen enjoyed crazy success with their retro-fabulous Beetle, so it seemed like a sure thing for the Microbus to see some sort of production. Then VW proved they were made of complete FAIL by making the new VW van a re-badged Caravan...

7. 2003 Cadillac Sixteen. 16 cylinder engine. 1,000 rumored horsepower. This would have been the Caddy di tutti Caddies had it seen production. One can only imagine how quickly a fleet of Cadillac Sixteen limosines could deposit Hollywood starlets...

8. 1963 Chrysler Turbine. Chrysler's attempt to bring jet-technology to the automotive world, the turbine-powered Chrysler had a three year test run. It was touted as the next generation in automotive powerplants, with instant-on starting (no more chokes!) and the ability to run on a wide variety of fuel (peanut oil! tequila!). Sounding like a vacuum cleaner on steroids was just a side benefit.

9. 1988 Pontiac Banshee. With a front-end that would be incorporated into the fourth generation Firebird, the Banshee looked like something that rolled off of a Hotwheels track. The swooping lines and acre of glass, however, did not make it into the final production car. Thankfully.

10. 1972 Ford Carousel. While it still wouldn't have beat the VW microbus, the Carousel would have pre-dated Chrysler's "minivan" by a over a decade had it made it onto the assembly line. What's interesting is the number of design cues that made it into the Aerostar, Ford's answer to the Dodge Caravan...

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Another week draws to a close, another automotive list to peruse and (hopefully) enjoy!

That is all.

Let Me Get This Straight...

Just so we can get things squared away, let's see if we can figure this out...

This is racist:

But this is not:

Or this:

or this:

---

Sorry, guys. You just spent the last eight years comparing the President of the United States of America to various primates. You have no fucking right to get all butt-hurt because the tables are turned. Crying "racism" because someone's poking fun at "your guy" diminishes the charge of racism itself - there's nothing racist about that cartoon except what you project in your condemnations.

Turning to "ZOMG! TEH EVIL RACISTS" every time someone criticizes The Annointed One does three things:

1. It shows you can't or won't refute the actual substance of the issue;

2. It cheapens the cries of racism in legitimate cases; and

3. It points out how Obama needs to bring down his detractors rather than address the issues.

You had your eight years of trashing the president. Don't be surprised when the shoe's on the other foot.

That is all.

Friday Gun Pr0n #99

Today's gun pr0n fits in, numerologically. I consider it a grave personal failing that I do not (yet) own a K-98 Mauser that could have been used for last week's picture, so this week I must atone for my shortcomings...

Good ol' Number 99

That, of course, belongs to a Smith & Wesson model SW99. I've pictured one previously, but that's not the only one I have...

SW99 fullsize .40 S&W (L) and compact 9mm (R)

I picked up the .40 nearly five years ago, not too long after I started getting back into the whole "gun thing". It was a perfect fit to my hand, and from the moment I picked it up I knew I had to bring it home... Turns out the full size was a little too big for concealed carry, so I picked up the smaller compact model in 9mm. I've had the 9mm for a little over 4 years, and in the time I've owned both guns I've put several thousand rounds through each. Both have run perfectly, digesting everything I've tossed through them from high-end Federal +P+s to 20 year old S&B range fodder.

This gun is a collaboration with Walther - Walther makes the polymer frames in Germany, Smith & Wesson makes the slides here in the states. The gun is a striker-fired double action semi-automatic, but it does have a decocker that allows for single-action shooting as well. The gun can be carried safely in double action model, but cocked with a slight draw of the slide to shoot in single-action mode if so desired. It's really a duty/fighting gun, so it's best to just live with the DA first shot and SA follow-ups IMHO.

I've been thinking of getting into some sort of action pistol discipline, and the full-size .40 S&W might be the go-to gun for that. I've got a good Galco pancake holster for leather and a Comp-Tac dual magazine carrier for gear. .40 S&W is more expensive than 9mm, but I'd rather shoot the full-size gun over the compact - at least for the first few outings, that is. All I've got to do is pick up a couple more S&W magazines, but those are relatively cheap these days - no one wants the neutered 10 rounders, so a lot of places have deep discounts even on factory mags.

Hey, we MAholes have to look on the bright side of living behind the Red curtain, right?

That is all.

Just When The Day Couldn't POSSIBLY Get Worse...

...I find out that the Neanderpundit is no more.

Fuck me.

Looks like I'm gonna have to ramp up the crapblogging to fill the (very large) hole in our collective blog experience...

That is all.

Random Riffs...

Hoo, boy, there's a lot of stupid out there today. Here are a bunch of stories that raised my blood pressure this morning:

Patrick considers higher fees for gas guzzlers

Governor Deval Patrick said today he is looking at a Hummer tax -- adding higher registration fees for gas-guzzling cars and offering discounts for those that do less harm to the environment. One industry opponent said it would be the first such fee in the nation on the state level.

The suggestion comes as Patrick prepares to unveil a fuller version of his much-awaited transportation plan on Friday. While he would not release details today, Patrick said at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce appearance that any gas tax increase would be coupled with a freeze on toll rates.

Let's think about this for a second, shall we? These "guzzlers" already use more gas than the average car, right? And gasoline has plenty of taxes levied against it as it is, right? And Deval's talking about a 29-cent increase in the gas tax as a way of shoring up state coffers, right? So isn't this plan just a double hit to those of us who drive larger vehicles?

And don't kid yourselves, folks. They pass this crap, it'll take about 3-4 months before any car larger than a MINI or SmartCar gets hit with this "fee". That part about not releasing details is a little frightening, too; especially in light of the 1,000+ page "stimulus" package proposed, voted on, and passed into law within the span of, what, two weeks? Apparently Cadillac Deval has learned from the master about ramming bad legislation through...

---

And to show that MA isn't the only New England state going batshit crazy, the last bastion of freedom here is giving up the ghost:

N.H. House backs seat belt law

CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire House on Wednesday approved a bill that would require all drivers and passengers to wear seat belts.

New Hampshire is the only state that does not require adults to wear seat belts, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Correction: Was.

Read the story. It's going to be a primary offense, meaning that the cops can pull you over simply for not wearing your seatbelt. That's not even how it is in the Volksrepublik - the officer has to have made the traffic stop on another violation to write a seat belt ticket. Now, I don't want to say this is all the fault of the newly minted NH democrats - oh, wait, yes I do - but buried in the story is the real reason for this last-in-the-nation change:

New Hampshire would receive $3.7 million in federal grants if it enacts a primary seat-belt enforcement law

Show me the money. Nice to see principles - Live Free or Die - go right out the fucking window when there's cash on the line. I can't really blame NH, really - everybody and their brother has their hand out these days, so why don't they get their piece of the action?

---

Lastly, this bullshit thoroughly and completely enrages me to the point of incoherence:

Holder: U.S. a 'nation of cowards' on race discussions

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In a blunt assessment of race relations in the United States, Attorney General Eric Holder Wednesday called the American people "essentially a nation of cowards" in failing to openly discuss the issue of race.

In his first major speech since being confirmed, the nation's first black attorney general told an overflow crowd celebrating Black History Month at the Justice Department the nation remains "voluntarily socially segregated."

Yeah. We really need to work on discussing race relations when we have Al Sharpton going balls-to-the-wall insane over a fucking cartoon, don't we? When the professional race hustlers stop crying racism over the most trivial of issues, then we can talk. Until then, do not lecture us on how we need to talk more about race. Until we can admit that racism exists on both sides of the issue, there's nothing to talk about.

---

Gah. Good thing I'm going to the range tomorrow...

That is all.

Fun With The Media...

Today's fun is going to consist of trying to pin down just what the media means when reporting on firearms. It's a herculean task, as the terms are nebulous and often used in a manner completely contradictory to reality. Below is my (quasi-) humorous attempt to decipher exactly what the media really means when they use a particular term with regards to firearms.

---

• Armor-piercing ammunition: Any round capable of penetrating tinfoil.
• Arsenal: A lot of guns. Can be as little as two or three, with no known upper limit.
• Assault weapon: Any firearm ever made, up to and including matchlocks.
• Background check: Absolute necessity that should ideally involve a body cavity search and complete psychological profile consisting of one question: Aren't you nuts for wanting a gun?
• Barrel shroud: That shoulder thing that goes up (I just HAD to get that one in!)
• Bullet: Cartridge. 99.9999% chance they do not mean the actual projectile.
• Cache: Usually less than arsenal, although the two are sometimes used interchangeably.
• Clip: Magazine. 99.9999% chance they do not mean a stripper, moon, or en bloc clip.
• Easily concealed: Any firearm smaller than a Yugo.
• Firepower: Any firearm of any kind. May even include air rifles, paintball markers, or Super Soakers.
• Fully automatic: Semi-automatic (99% of the time).
• Gun show loophole: Private sale of firearm.
• Gun trafficking: Ownership of a particular firearm changed hands. Potentially illegal, but not always a given.
• High capacity: Any magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds. Sometimes 8 or 9.
• High-powered: Anything above .22LR.
• Illegal gun: Every firearm ever made. If we have our way.
• Machine gun: Semi-automatic (99% of the time).
• Military-style: Someone, somewhere heard from a friend that the weapon in question may have been based on a design that some country's military may have used at some point in the past. Or present.
• Semi-automatic revolver: We have no fucking clue what we're talking about, as the odds of us meaning the Mateba are about the same as us actually committing an act of journalism on the Light Bringer...
• Sniper rifle: Any rifle capable of firing a bullet more than 20 feet.
• "Straw man" purchase: Any purchase of a firearm. It just sounds scarier in quotes.
• Teflon bullets: See the start of Semi-automatic revolver; typically seen in op-eds and other scare pieces. Most often paired with "cop-killer" bullets, which we presume are more deadly than standard "human killer" bullets.
• Unregistered firearm: We are completely oblivious to the fact that the majority of states do not require that one submit a list of all the firearms one owns.

---

So, what terms have I missed?

That is all.

Apprehension...

Okay, so I go out and get the mail. There's a letter for me from the BATFE. Since I'm a C&R holder, this isn't as out-of-the-ordinary as it may seem. However, given the recent tenor of the new administation with regards to 2A issues, I was just a little apprehensive seeing the notice. As it turned out, it was simply this year's rules and regulations - only in CD form.

Any other C&R holders out there have a mild panic attack when seeing the letter from BATFE?

That is all...

Gunnie Bleg

Not for me this time but for my recent returning shooter. Jack sent me a quick e-mail asking my opinion of a couple of potential new firearms:

I have been looking at ads for 1911’s, what can you tell me about Kimber Crimson Carry 1911 and the XDM from Springfield Armory?

I know that Kimber and Springfield both make some mighty fine guns; however neither are on the MA Approved Firearms Roster {spit} so I don't have any personal experience with either. From what I've heard and read, there's very little chance you could go wrong with either offering; however I was wondering if anyone out there had any experience with either of these firearms?

Here are the guns in question:

Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry

Manufacturer's specs are here; here's a quick recap:

Weight: 25 ounces empty (about what my Glock G30 weighs; it's a decent weight, not too heavy for carry but not too light as to make recoil unmanageable)

Capacity: 7+1

Barrel: 3"

Sights: Low profile Novak, also Crimson Trace grips.

---

Springfield XDM (40 shown)

Manufacturer's specs here; breakdown as follows:

Weight: 32 ounces empty (9mm or .40)

Capacity: 19+1 (9mm); 16+1 (.40S&W)

Barrel: 4.5" (either)

Sights: 3-dot white sights

---

These are very different animals indeed. The Kimber is a devoted-carry 1911-style .45, whereas the XDM is a duty gun. The XDM is heavier and larger, meaning that carrying it concealed will be more problematic than the Kimber; the advantage of ammo capacity is all-but negated by the MA AWB - you're limited to 10 rounds in either caliber for the Springfield, as this is a new firearm and there are no pre-ban magazines available for it.

(Side note: Jack - did you perhaps mean something like the Springfield EMP? You mentioned 1911-style guns, is this the one you're thinking of?)

If ammo capacity is the deciding factor, a Glock 19/23 (9mm/.49 S&W mid-size) might be more the ticket. There are many pre-ban magazines available at reasonable prices; these guns have been in production for well over 20 years now so there's plenty of accessories available on the open market; and Glock has a pretty near bulletproof reputation (ha! get it? A gun pun!).

As for the Kimber, if you can get one, grab ahold of it - with the limited availability of these guns because of the insane MA laws, chances are good that you can sell it for at least what you paid at any point down the road. If you don't have a line on a Kimber, Smith & Wesson makes a similarly sized SW1911 that should be MA compliant (read: available) and on the market for considerably less than a used Kimber.

---

If anyone has any thoughts/experience with either of the two handguns Jack is interested in, we'd love to hear from you!

That is all.

Worth It...

It was worth baring my soul.

From the comments to my "True Confession Time" post, Dorothy in FL left the following comment:

I just wanted to let you know that your post helped out a new shooter. I have been shooting for about 4 months. I’ve been around shooters for about 15 years. I just got my first gun last December because of the election. Anyway, I was at our local gun range with my boyfriend when this couple walks in. The girl looks like she’s about to jump out of her skin. I went over and talked to them and found out it was her first time shooting and all that her boyfriend brought was a couple of 9mm automatics. I herded her over to where I was shooting and shared my little Ruger 22 with her. After a few rounds with that I loaded my Glock 17 with two rounds. I fired one so she would see what kind of bang it would make and then let her fire it herself. By the time my boyfriend and I were ready to leave she was back over with her man shooting his guns and looking much more comfortable. Thank you so much for all of your advice. It really made a difference.

People are going to wonder why I can't stop smiling today, but what the heck...

Thank you for your comment, Dorothy, but more importantly, thank you for stepping in to help that young woman. That's one of the things I really like about the shooting community - that willingness to help out a new shooter, to lend a hand (or a more-fitting firearm) to insure that a new shooter's first experience is fun, rather than frightening.

And now, a young woman who perhaps might have been put off from shooting entirely now has a completely different outlook on it. She would have otherwise just melt into the background, fidgeting and uncomfortable because guns are loud intimidating; instead, you took the time to cater to her, offering a better choice of first gun and some private tutoring.

Thanks, Dorothy. Thanks for leaving that comment. Thanks for helping that woman have a much better first time shooting. And finally, thanks for reading...

That is all.

Northeast Blogger Early Spring Meet...

As I mentioned in the first post about this meetup, the inimitable Ambulance Driver will be honoring us with his presence next month. He's going to be in the area Sunday, March 22nd and Monday, March 23rd, and has graciously consented to slum with us mere mortals. The plan as it currently stands is to get together at a restaurant/bar/brew pub on the evening of Sunday, March 22nd for dinner and drinks, then again at a range on Monday, March 23rd for a shooting event.

The general plan would be for the eating/drinking event to take place somewhere in the greater Boston area, and then for the shooting event to take place in northern MA/southern NH. This will (theoretically) allow for greater geographical diversity, meaning that those coming from the frozen NH north (cough, cough) will have an event close(r) to them, and those from the MA South Shore to have something down their way.

Bleg#1: What's a good place for a good-sized group of folks to get together in the metro-Boston area? I was thinking perhaps Boston Beer Works (the location off North Station), however if there's a Bruins or Celtics game that night it would be pretty crowded. The location should be fairly easy to find, have plenty of parking, and large enough to accommodate a group of 15 - 30 people in a private or semi-private area.

Bleg#2: Range event. My gun club only allows five guests at one time, so we'll need to find a larger range to sponsor us. I believe several members of Harvard Sportsman's have offered to host the event; for that we are very grateful (it's a great club; I only wish it were closer). Once we have a firm(er) number of attendees, we should be able to get something in motion for the club. Since the shooting event would be on a Monday, folks will need to make accommodations for work, etc., so please get a count together quickly.

However, New England in March, even later March, can be wildly unpredictable - I've woken up to 2' of snow on more than a couple occasions. In the possibility of inclement weather, we have several indoor ranges available - there's Bob's Tactical in Salisbury, MA (kind of small) or Manchester Firing Line in Manchester, NH (expensive, but they do rent machine guns...). I'd prefer to have the event at a gun club for greater flexibility WRT guns & ammo (most indoor ranges are limited to pistol-caliber arms); however if it's going to be snowing, pouring, or -10ºF that day, I'd rather we not subject our delicate flower of a guest to the worst of NE weather...

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In the comments to the first post, the following people have expressed interest in attending one or both events:

JD
MedicMatthew
Zeeke42
Andrew
Elizabeth
TOTWTYTR
Ross
Lissa
Weer'd Beard

Plenty of room for more attendees - sign up today!

That is all.

For Breda...

Given her admiration of and zest for bacon, I present the following: Mmmmm... Bacon!

Here's just how it starts:

To begin with, I cook with jalapenos and habaneros right smart too, and onions and garlic never do any damage to a recipe either. So… I coarse chopped three fat jalapenos, two habaneros and one medium 1015 (if you don’t know what that is, you’re a savage), and I minced a few garlic cloves. These I spread out on the sausage layer along with the cooked bacon.

I gained three pounds just reading that description. And felt my arteries harden...

That is all.

For Tam...

Who mentioned being dismayed whenever the news reports on an arsenal of guns seized from a home. Well, here's a story from Mass of all places that might be more what she's looking for...

Police Recover Second Weapons Cache In Auburn

AUBURN (AP) ― Investigators found 85 guns and 800 pounds of ammunition in an Auburn home.

Police say a 72-year-old Auburn man will face criminal charges after investigators found 85 guns and 800 pounds of ammunition in his home. Investigators zeroed in on Anthony Simulynas after a Worcester resident who was arrested for illegal possession of military-style explosives and assault weapons said he stole a powerful machine gun from the Auburn man.

Here's the picture from the link:

Not as impressive as some, but certainly better than the usual "arsenal" consisting of a pump shotgun, a tube-fed .22, and an old H&R .32 S&W...

That is all.

Unexpected Danger

There's apparently something new under the sun in the taxonomy of modern dangers: Chimpanzee attacks.

Woman's life in danger after chimp attack

(CNN) -- A woman has been hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after a pet chimpanzee attacked her at a friend's home in Stamford, Connecticut, police said.

Charla Nash, 55, had just arrived at her friend Sandra Herold's house when the chimp, named Travis, jumped on her and began biting and mauling her, causing serious injuries to her face, neck and hands, according to Stamford Police Capt. Rich Conklin, who said the attack was unprovoked.

Now, we here at MArooned wish the injured parties a speedy and full recovery, and are saddened at the destruction of the animal involved. However, we cannot help but think of the possible marketing tie-ins here:

That is all.

Respect for the Old Ways

I went to the range yesterday afternoon. It had been a while since I'd been shooting and even longer since I'd shot on the outside range. I brought three pistols with me for the day's shooting goodness, my SigSauer P226, my Glock G30, and my Colt Official Police .22LR. I wanted to do a little defensive practice with the G30 - as well as shoot a .45 of some sort, as it had been a while. I also had a bunch of Sig 15 round magazines that needed emptying - and what better way to empty a magazine than downrange?

I try to bring a .22 pistol with me every time I go to the range. It's cheap shootin' for starters - a $13 brick of copper-plated Federal bulk ammo will last several range sessions compared to the $10 box of 50 9mm rounds that's gone in three magazines in the Sig. It's good practice for double-action shooting - knowing there won't be a loud bang when the round touches off allows me to concentrate on smoothing my trigger pull. For that same reason, it's good for when I start flinching too much - switch to the .22, shoot a few cylinders' worth through it, and work through the flinch.

The Glock continues to surprise me. I shoot it fairly well, all things considered - it is a subcompact with barely enough room for two fingers on the grip and a short barrel. Even at that, it's good for COM work easy, and with a little concentration I can reliably hit a 3" stick-on target at 25' in a predictable manner. The Sig groups extremely well, a testament to the fine piece of engineering that it is; however I shoot it somewhat low most times. I think it might be time to benchrest it and see if it's the sights, or just me.

The Colt, though, is something else. It's got fixed sights: a simple rounded blade for a front sight - the only concession to target shooting being a small gold bead on the leading edge - and a simple groove carved in the top strap for a rear sight. But even with these simple sights, this revolver is frighteningly accurate. I was picking off parts of orange clays - which are 4" across when intact - at the 25 yard berm with minimal effort. Even shooting double action is easy, the traditional Colt lockwork operating perfectly after nearly 75 years (the serial number, which is BARELY 5 digits, dates the gun to 1935 for date of manufacture).

For some reason, this gun and I just mesh. Even though the grip isn't the most ergonomic and the sights are rudimentary, I can put all six shots in a tight group with alarming precision. I've tried to figure out why it's such a good fit for me, and as near as I can tell, it's got to be the Colt mystique... Maybe it's the age of the gun - maybe they were just made more accurate back then. Maybe I feel more at home shooting a wheelgun - for a long time, all I shot were revolvers, and seem to do better with a manually-advancing arm. Maybe it's the single-action trigger of the Colt - it's smooth, light, and breaks like a glass rod. Maybe it's the .22LR chambering - knowing that there won't be a loud BANG and snappy recoil means better concentration on the front sight.

In any case, this is the one gun that I can utterly rely on to shoot well. The S&W Model 17 is a close second - on a good day I can outshoot the Colt with the Smith. But for day-in, day-out shooting, for some reason this Colt just gets the job done. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I suspect that the craftsmanship of this fine old revolver, combined with my love of the wheelgun and the smooth shooting of the diminutive rimfire all contribute to the perfect storm of shootie goodness.

Plus there's a certain "old school" appeal to shooting a handgun made during the Great Depression...

That is all.

Even More "You Might Be A Gun Nut If"...

You might be a gun nut if you get a call from the NRA while you're cleaning your guns...

That is all.

How Can This Be?

Police say NH man hit woman with hammer

ROCHESTER, N.H.— Rochester, N.H., police are looking for a man who they say hit a woman in the head with a hammer.

The assault took place Sunday night and police said it left the woman bleeding from the head. Police are looking at 53-year-old Leo Gelinas of Rochester.

This happened in NH? Home of the Uzi-bearing trees, where guns just fall off the bush and lay around waiting for someone to bring them into MA? And all this dude could get his hands on was a claw hammer? (Side note: Does Caleb have an alibi?).

Obviously NH needs to enact Estwing control to go with the one-drink-an-hour law...

That is all.

Scrapin' Paint

British, French nuclear submarines 'collide'

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British Royal Navy nuclear submarine was involved in an accident with a French submarine while on operations in the Atlantic Ocean, CNN has learned. Both vessels are understood to have been carrying nuclear warheads at the time and to have suffered damage.

There's no truth to the rumor that the French sailors were taunting the silly English kah-nig-its...

That is all.

Not What You'd Think...

Alternate title: Welcome to North Massachusetts...

NH's Liquor Enforcer Proposes 1-Drink-Per-Hour Law

MANCHESTER, N.H. (WBZ) ― There is a new bill proposed by New Hampshire's top liquor law enforcer that suggests a one-drink-per-hour limit at local restaurants and bars, according to a newspaper reports. SeacoastOnline.com reports the law is aimed at combating drunk driving.

State Liquor Law Enforcement Chief Eddie Edwards suggests that bar and restaurant owners would only serve one drink per hour, four at a sitting. According to the paper, Edwards defines one drink as an ounce of spirits, 5 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of beer. "Here's the criteria - you can only consume so much alcohol," Edwards told the paper. "If I give you four, five drinks an hour, you should know that this makes someone intoxicated."

What did I say just yesterday? Oh, yeah, that the state views us as unruly children incapable of caring for ourselves that needed to be told what to do every moment of our day. And, less than 24 hours later, a gleaming example of this nanny-statism is dropped in our laps. In "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire, of all places. Guess they'd better think about changing that to "New Hampshire: You'll put your eye out" or "New Hampshire: Don't run with scissors" as the formerly free state looks ever more towards its neighbor to the south.

I'm waiting for (future) Congressman Bruce to introduce competing legislation mandating a swift kick in the 'nads to anyone introducing such vacuous and insipid regulations...

That is all.

Thought Question...

Now that Obama is flush with his "success" at ramming through the largest spending bill in US history, with concomitant fawning press, is he going to turn his gaze towards banning (certain) guns? With this spendulus bill he's come a hell of a lot closer to national health care than Bill Clinton ever came; isn't it conceivable that Obama would want to out-ban Bubba, too?

Especially considering the unholy shitstorm that's going to hit the fans around the country if President HopenChange's gasoline pissing unicorns don't show up post-haste to fuel everyone's car in this age of Socialism... They've already started downplaying the stimulus bill - it hasn't even been signed yet, and they're already hedging their bets. Any bets as to how many times Bush's name will come up when (not if) the stimulus fails to put the brakes on the failing economy?

I think I'm going to start a torch-and-pitchfork concession stand business - might be a money maker in coming days...

That is all.

Revelation...

My children are supposed to be cleaning their rooms this afternoon. Both of them have been coming to me the entire time, roughly 3-4 minutes apart, asking me what they need to do next. I have to break the task of "clean your room" into tiny manageable portions:

• Put your dirty laundry in the hamper
• Put your pillows & blankets back on your bed
• Throw out the trash
• Take the toys you got for your birthday/Xmas out of the bag you used to carry them up into your room and put them where they belong
• Oh, there's no room? Then pile up toys that you no longer play with so I can box them up and put them in the attic to be given to baby cousin later.

This has been going on most of the afternoon so far. They'll spend a couple of minutes "cleaning" (meaning hiding), then they'll come to me for more guidance.

"DA-DAHHHHH!"

"Yes [The Boy]?"

"I put all my clothes in my hamper. What do I do next?"

"Put away the new toys you got for your birthday."

[repeat ad infinitum]

---

Then it dawned on me. This is exactly how the government treats us: like children, who need (beg) to be told what to do every step of the way.

No one wants to take initiative or responsibility. We want to sit back, fat and happy in our rooms houses, and let the government tell us which toys to pick up next how to invest our retirement money. We can't - or won't - make the decisions we need to make to grow up into responsible adults.

And the worst part is, we're aiding and abetting this mindset seemingly every step of the way.

The media derided the Bush administration for coming into office with the mindset of "the adults are back in charge." They scoff, even now, at the button-down atmosphere of Bush & Co., preferring the laid back approach of Obama. It all fits together, the parent that desperately wants to be their child's friend.

But our kids don't need us to be their friends, they need us to be their parents.

And we don't need the government to be our friends, giving us everything we need to survive. What we need is a government that will, for the most part, leave us the hell alone. Sadly, enough of the American voting public wants a government that will pay our mortgage and fill our tanks with gas.

Without ever knowing or caring where the money is coming from to pay for the largess...

That is all.

Frustrating, To Say the Least...

I've been reading up on this so-called "stimulus", trying to articulate exactly what out of this monstrosity is the most offensive to a fiscal conservative point of view. It's a herculean task, as there's much in this bill to offend, well, anyone not feeding off the government teat (or deriving votes therefrom).

And the more I read into it, the more I just want to say "fuck it all" and go to the range.

That is all.

Overzealous...

Okay, so perhaps I overreacted in my "Touch of Grey" post...

Got a little trim-happy yesterday:

Heh.

That's what BabyGirl G calls "skin stripes". She saw me getting the clippers out (it was time for a trim of the ol' beard anyhoo), and asked if I was going to make "skin stripes" again (I did it for last year's King Richard's Faire).

Who am I to argue with daddy's little cutie on Valentine's Day?

That is all.

Eric Clapton, Look Out...

The Boy got "Guitar Hero III" for his birthday from one of his aunties. We've been playing it pretty much all afternoon and evening - so far, I'm the only one to make it all the way through a song without having the curtain fall.

Y'know, there's a certain... coolness about being able to totally kick your son's butt playing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"...

That is all.

My Influence Grows...

Went out for lunch yesterday with some friends. One's a buddy of mine who I've been friends with since high school, some 25 years now. The other friend I mentioned earlier, a high school friend who I recently got back in touch with.

Needless to say, with two gun nuts at the table, we started talking about firearms and such. Out of the blue, my long-time friend (who, BTW, is a staunch pacifist although not a leftist moonbat, he's just a real "turn the other cheek" sort) asks me,

"So, how hard is it to get my LTC?"

Not only that, but I was contacted by another friend about going shooting. She was impressed by my confession and wanted to go shooting for the first time. Looks like I'll be chalking up more new shooter in the coming months.

Makes the shitty week I had suddenly seem a lot better, I tell you what...

That is all.

Touch of Grey

Brushing my teeth this morning, I noticed a couple of grey hairs poking out of my goatee. I'd like to say that I handled it with wisdom and grace, pausing for a moment to ponder my mortality before moving on. Perhaps I'd reflect on how far I've come from the fresh-faced college kid graduating out into the "real world", maybe crack wise about my children turning me grey. It would be a true sign of maturity to handle the physical manifestation of the ravages of time gracefully.

Instead, I grabbed the tweezers and ripped those fuckers out before they knew what hit 'em.

Oh hell no. I went bald at 22. There is no sodding way I am going to go gently into that grey night. I'll rip the sonsabitches out until they get too numerous, and then I will start painting 'em. I draw the line at grey hairs when I'm still in my damn thirties. In another couple of years, once I've stopped throwing the holy mother of all tantrums about turning forty, I'll revisit my staunch opposition to grey and possibly let them grow.

Or I might just buy a case or two of Grecian formula.

I'm hoping it's just an artifact of the past couple of weeks - there's been a lot of crap going on right now, a good chunk of it well beyond my control - and that once things even out a but there won't be any more grey for at least another 5-7 years. I've never been a big one on vanity (look no further than Jay-the-walrus with the man-boobs for that one!); however with the recent weight loss and "come to Jesus" moment on exercising, I'm starting to care more. And I don't want to be Jay Greybeard, thankyewverramuch...

It does appear, however, that having kids will age you much faster...

That is all.

Friday Fun Thread: Conservative Cars...

Okay, so turnabout is fair play. Last week's fun thread was cars associated with filthy hippies; this week we'll turn our eye to the cars most likely to be driven by stodgey conservatives.

So here's the list!

1. Ford Crown Victoria. Automotive conveyance for police officers, taxicab drivers, and blue hairs throughout the land, the Crown Vic is a universal "dad" car. And there's no one more conservative - some, like The Boy, would say "stupid harsh" - than dear ol' dad...

2. Cadillac DTS. More upscale than the 'Vic, the DTS is an ideological brother wrapped in leather. This is the CEO's car, an American icon that says, hey, I don't care that it needs to be maintained by a fleet of highly trained mechanics, it's the carmaker-of-choice in Goodfellas...

3. Hummer H2. More comfortable than it's militarily-derived brother H1, the H2 maintains the ginormous, Republicans-hate-Mother-Gaia contours of the most evil SUV ever made. Just don't forget: Republicans protect the environment - strip mining prevents forest fires!

4. Toyota Camry. Reliable. Inexpensive. Plant built in the US and staffed by non-union autoworkers - what could possibly be more American than that?

5. Ford F-150. Not all conservatives drive sedans; some prefer the towing and hauling options offered by a light-duty pick-up truck. With seating for up to six adults, V8 power, and 30+ years of being the #1 selling truck, it's a pretty conservative choice in its own right.

6. Chevrolet Suburban. Of course, no list of conservative vehicles would be complete without the official vehicle of Texas, right? I remember visiting our partners in San Antonio at my last job and remarking that something like every third vehicle was a 'Burban...

7. Honda Accord. Heck, this one makes the list purely on resale value alone. Nothing says fiscal reponsibility like a value-holdin' Accord (and please note I said "conservative", not "Republican"...)

8. Chrysler 300. Now, not the ones with the 22" rims and tinted windows so dark you don't need sunglasses; but the solid, boxy luxury car with 350 horsepower under the hood. Safe, secure, and can move like nobody's business when the rubber meets the road.

9. Ford Focus wagon. For the more, err, entry level conservative, the Focus wagon offers decent hauling capacity as well as good fuel economy. It's not much to look at, but it gets the job done day in and day out.

10. Chrysler K-car. Sure, the newest variant is over 20 years old, but the boxy shape and nostalgia alone help this homely little bastard make the list. The K-car is widely credited with helping Chrysler pull itself out of the hole it was in at the turn of the 1980s, and Lee Iacocca himself praised the little K car for helping fix Chrysler...

---

On a side note, it was pretty easy to put together this week's list. Basically, I thought about what cars my friends and family drove and then extrapolated a little further. Feel free (as always) to jump in if you think I've missed one or if you disagree with a choice...

Just remember: There are no wrong answers, just stupid hippies.

That is all.

So *THIS* Is What HopenChange Feels Like!

Here's the list of what MA cities and towns have submitted as their "shovel-ready" list of items they would like funded with the stimulus money.

Take a read. Let the HopenChange wash over you. Then remove all breakables from within reach as you see things like this: $15 million for landscaping at UMass Amherst. Actually, I got curious and added up all of the UMass Amherst requests. Over $120 million dollars. For one facility.

That's above and beyond the money that they normally appropriate for such matters out of tuition and fees, folks. That means there are some $120 million worth of projects above and beyond the normal scope of the UMass Amherst operating budget.

Someone please tell me why the Chancellor of U.MA Amherst isn't being pilloried like the heads of GM/CitiGroup/Fannie Mae/etc.? To have so poorly mismanaged the school that it needs nearly an eighth of a billion dollars in additional money just to bring it up to speed? That's borderline criminal malfeasance.

Just something to think about when they talk about how the eeeevil corporations need to be reined in...

That is all.

Inconceivable!

Alternate title: That word you keep using. I do not think it means what you think it means...

Just found the following search string in my Sitemeter referrals:

massachusetts illegal position of shell casings

MA may be bad when it comes to gun laws, but even we don't have laws against how you arrange your ammo...

That is all.

Friday Gun Pr0n #98

I had a hard time deciding which gun should garner the coveted Friday Gun Pr0n post. Looking through my pistol safe (I really need to get a third!), I dug all the way to the bottom and found this little gem:

CZ-52

This is a Ceskoslovenska Zborjovka Vzor 52, more commonly known as a CZ-52. It's a single-action only semi-automatic pistol with a capacity of 8+1 rounds of the very manly (and fireball producing) 7.62X25mm and will also fire the more sedate 7.62 Tokarev.

This pistol has the distinction of being the first firearm I've obtained with my Curio & Relics license (Class 3 FFL). It was chosen on the basis of fulfilling three criteria:

1. It was cheap ($120 plus shipping).
2. It was an eeeevil semi-automatic pistol that fires a round capable of defeating some body armor (good for some serious PSH from the ruling elite who hate such things).
3. It was not on the Approved Firearms Roster {spit} and was delivered straight to my door anyways.

Muwhahahahahahaha!!!

That is all.

Dawn Breaks...

Something was really bugging me about the last item I posted. It seemed naggingly familiar, and yet I couldn't put my finger on it. Something about the story irked me in a manner in which I know I've been irked before. Well, it finally dawned on me. It's the same thing as stories like this:

Shooting range noise has area neighbors up in arms

Which has idiots like this:

That's not what people like Risner-Day want to hear. The 38-year-old mother of three lives on Washington Drive in Brentwood in a $410,000 home that she and her husband, Rob, bought three years ago.

They're complaining about the firing range at SigSauer. This range opened in 1996, which is nearly a DECADE before they bought their house (the story is from 2007). Look, if you buy a house in an area and you don't scout the area out first, shame on you.

And yes, this is kinda personal with me, because my gun club has run into the same kind of opposition. We've been there about 70 years or so, and developments built in the past 10 years have been giving us trouble over the noise. One yutz went so far as to call the cops on us, claiming that a stray round had hit his house.

I swear I am not making this up: He had a complete cartridge in his hand when the cops arrived...

It's the same kind of idiots that buy a house near a train station/highway/airport and suddenly discover the shocking news that there's a reason those houses were selling for less money than houses not right next door to the train station/highway/airport. They're upset at the hours of operation. They don't like the noise. They don't like the traffic. What they really don't like is the fact that they neglected to do their homework in advance of the purchase, and now want to use the bully pulpit of big .gov to make everything right.

And that's not the responsibility of the government no matter how much we wish it were so.

Look, if one of these entities is acting illegally, that's a different story. Show me a gun range where there's improper backstops and rounds really are leaving the range, I'll be the first agreeing that they need to correct that post haste before another round goes downrange. Show me a train station that's running in excess of their posted hours, or an airport that's maliciously dumping fuel on neighboring houses, I'm all for going after them with the big hammer of fines.

But don't get all pissy when something you knew about in the first place fails to change to suit your liking. You bought the house, or took the job, or otherwise accepted things as they were from Day One. If you don't like it, you've got no one to blame but yourself. Running to the government to make things all better only empowers the bastards - they WANT you to think that the government is the only possible way things can be fixed (Hmm, now where does that sound familiar?).

Accept some damned responsibility for your bad choices, man up, and do something about it other than whine.

That is all.

Stupidity Should Hurt...

Boston College in the crosshairs

Some Boston College professors and students are raising a holy ruckus over the Catholic school’s return to its religious roots by hanging crucifixes in all its classrooms, calling the move “offensive” and a break from the Jesuit tradition of tolerance.

“There is no choice if you don’t think it’s appropriate. You can’t turn it around,” said biology professor Dan Kirschner, faculty adviser for BC’s chapter of Hillel, a Jewish student group. “I think it is being insensitive to the people of other faith traditions here.”

Boston College is a Catholic college, you nitwit. You knew that when you took the damn job. Any students who attend BC knew that when they signed their name on the application. Claiming "intolerance" when YOU KNEW ABOUT IT ALL ALONG means you're either a shallow, self-absorbed asshole or a mouth-breathing moron. Which is it?

Jesus H. Tap-Dancing Christ here, people, what in hell is wrong with us? Have we gone so far down the rabbit hole that this is acceptable for even a second? This whiny puke gets his 15 minutes of fame and no one gets to hit him with a Taser? Stupid should hurt, I'm sorry. If you accept a position with a religious based organization, don't act all butt-hurt when they, you know, express their religion.

This is like me complaining that my Ram gets poor gas mileage.

GAH. No wonder we need an $800 billion dollar bailout. We're too friggin' stupid to live as a species...

That is all.

True Confession Time...

*deep breath*

I have a startling confession to make. One for which I hope everyone can find it in themselves to forgive me. It's something I've carried with me for years; too ashamed to tell anyone all this time. But I feel that I must come clean - if my story helps just one person, it's worth telling. Okay. Time to come clean.

I was "that guy".

You know the guy I mean. The guy at the range. The guy at the range with the timid girlfriend who didn't like guns. The girlfriend who really didn't want to be there and really needed a gentle, guiding hand to make her first time at the range enjoyable. The guy full of fail.

The guy who handed said timid girlfriend a .357 Magnum and then left her to her own devices.

Yeah. That was me. Now, I could offer up excuses all day long. I was young and stupid. I didn't know any better. I didn't have a .22LR revolver or semi at the time for her to shoot. But in this case especially, excuses are like assholes - they all stink. I fucked up, plain and simple. I blew an opportunity to convert an anti-gun person by showing them just how much fun you can have at the range, and instead scared someone off shooting for life.

And I've been paying for that error ever since...

So, guys, heed my advice. If your significant other expresses any interest whatsoever in going shooting with you, take it very seriously. Bring along as many different guns as you can - and start small (caliber)! Bring a couple of .22s if you can - borrow if you have to, trust me. There's nothing worse than the look of horror in your SO's eyes at shooting something she's not comfortable with for her first time out.

Bring .22s. Shoot at reactive targets - tin cans, orange clays, soda bottles filled with colored water. Make it fun. Don't use the 50' NRA target and nit-pick why she's not hitting the dead center. Don't critique her stance, or grip, or technique (obviously say something if she's doing something unsafe or that could hurt her). The first time, just concentrate on safety and getting her used to the "bang".

Above all, pay attention to her. If she looks uncomfortable, take a break. Get her away from the noise and the dust and the commotion and have a calming chat. Answer questions. Reassure her that she's doing fine. And be prepared to leave if she's really not feeling well, if she's not having a good time. Sure, you might be disappointed because you wanted to get some shooting in, but trust me. You can always go back later by yourself. If she's not happy/comfortable and wants to leave, making her hang around for another hour while you have your fun ain't gonna win any style points...

---

I'm hoping I can correct my mistake. I'm hoping that this year I can bring Mrs. G. back to the range and (re-)introduce her to firearms in a much better fashion. I have plenty of .22s to choose from now (at the time when we first went I owned the Security Six .357 Magnum and the Makarov .380ACP. I opted for the Sec Six with .38 Specials figuring that it would have less recoil). I definitely want to bring The Boy this year; I'm going to try for a family two-fer...

And considering that she took exactly 5 shots the first time (some 15+ years ago), I think it might even count as a new shooter...

That is all.

Connections

I found an old high school buddy of mine through Facebook yesterday. Through the wonders of Al Gore's intarwebz, I managed to get back in touch with a friend I haven't seen for over 20 years now. We went to high school together, then, as with many friends, went to different colleges and onto different lives.

Come to find out, he is now:

• Living in my wife's hometown (where several good friends currently live, also high school chums);
• Working in the building next to mine; and
• A gun nut who posts on the same forum.

He also drives a black truck, rides a motorcycle, and has gone bald, too.

It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it.

That is all.

Giant Brass Ones...

Okay, gotta give a tip 'o' the keyboard to the dude in this story:

Homeowner shoots back at M-16/AR-15 wielding robbers

CCTV:Feb 05/09.Tucson,Arizona,A homeowner, alerted of an impending home invasion by his security cameras, arms himself and takes matters into his hands last Thursday when four armed suspects attempt to break into his home.Also attached is the news story*...top right.

The video the owner caught is incredible. You see a vehicle pull up, and four men run out. One of them is carrying what appears to be an AR-15 or M-16, a weapon which could be fully automatic.

PSH aside, watch the video. Dude takes on a rifle-wielding assailant with a handgun - that takes stones. Now, granted, given that this guy seemed to be expecting trouble (sitting at home watching multiple security cameras?) and the, err, nature of the robbery (check out the pimped out 300 used for the getaway car), I'm going to be careful to make this dude out to be more than he is.

But still. Taking on multiple assailants, one of which is armed with a longarm, is pretty freakin' ballsy... Pity it doesn't count as a Dead Goblin...

That is all.

Behind Enemy Lines, Part IV

Parts I, II, and III focused on the bad parts about being a gun nut in "enemy territory" (gun-unfriendly states). For this part, I'd like to look at some of the good things about living in MA as a gun nut. And yes, there are some good things, even in MA.

For starters, we don't have an awful lot of restrictions on where we can carry. Schools and the post office are the only places we definitely can't carry, and there are folks who dispute the PO. There's no such thing as "binding signage" here - a store can put up all the "NOE EVIL GUNZ ALLOWED" signs it wants, but the most they can do is ask you to leave. Bars are okay. Restaurants which serve alcohol are okay. Your car is okay. There are very few places where CCW is expressly forbidden.

We don't have waiting periods, purchase permits, monthly limits, or other extraneous hoops to jump through once the MA LTC is obtained. Now, granted, that's a pretty big hoop, but it's a one-time deal. Once you obtain it, you can walk into a gun shop on a whim, buy a gun, some ammo, and a holster, and walk out with a new carry piece. You can even do it the next day, too. You're limited by the Approved Firearms Roster {spit}, certainly; but you don't need a sheriff's inspection, a permit to purchase, or a specific card to buy a specific gun.

Another benefit is one that's not readily apparent - the general "Condition White" of the rest of the population. I've carried a concealed firearm for almost 15 years, and have yet to lose that "ZOMG what if someone sees my gun" feeling. I have, on occasion, revealed a clip (to the holster) or even a muzzle once or twice (Darn slider holsters!). I've even done stupid shit like pull my back-up mag out of my pocket when looking for change at the store counter. Fortunately, in MA, people in general don't know the difference between a G21 magazine and a left-handed torque wrench, so my faux pas have gone unnoticed...

And there's something about belonging to the "Brotherhood of the Oppressed Gun Nut" that I've jokingly likened to the Christians in ancient Rome. When you come across a fellow gunnie here behind the Red Curtain, you feel an automatic kinship with them; a bond shared between folks who spend their time looking over their shoulders and talking of their passion in code... There's a fierce passion for the Second Amendment among the gunnies behind enemy lines; perhaps it has to do with being on the razor's edge of bans and confiscation that help us appreciate how fragile the Bill of Rights could be without the teeth of the Second Amendment...

I've been to many shoots here in MA, and a handful in NH as well, and while they've all been good, the ones in MA have been eager to pass the hat for GOAL (MA firearms owners advocacy group). I'm certain that it's no different at other ranges, certainly, but the folks I've met at the range are almost universally wonderful, caring, sharing folks. I've had folks offer multiple thousand dollar race guns to me to shoot simply for saying "Wow! Nice STI!" or "hey, what's that, I've never seen one of those before". (Of course, I'm always quick to offer my own gun to anyone who expresses interest as well).

Our local gun board, the Northeastshooters forum, is replete with "Karma" offerings - folks realize they have an extra magazine or pair of grips or holster and offer it up to the other members. Group buys are common on anything from flashlights to pre-ban magazines to even laser-engraved AR-15 lowers. We recently had a member pass away unexpectedly and took up a collection for his family. There's just so much good that's done simply because one belongs to this group of misfits, outcasts among outcasts, the MA gunnie...

There are benefits to being a gun nut in MA. They don't outweigh the negatives - not by a wide margin - but there are benefits.

That is all.

Infuriating^∞

For House and Senate, it's time to compromise

(CNN) -- The Senate passed its economic recovery package Tuesday, setting the stage for what could be a bitter battle with the House as the two chambers try to reconcile the differences between their versions of the plan.

The final vote was 61 in favor and 37 opposed. The same three GOP senators who helped the bill survive a key test vote Monday -- Sens. Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Arlen Specter -- again broke ranks to support the bill Tuesday.

Compromise? Excuse the ever-lovin' fuck out of me, but "compromise" usually means that both sides come to an agreement, typically each yielding a little ground and meeting in the middle. In this case, it's a helluva lot more like they're ramming this "stimulus" up our asses and the "compromise" is that they're going to use sandpaper instead of rocksalt as a lubricant.

I'm sorry, but we are fucked, and I don't mean in the hot, sweaty, good way.

Gah. Off to the range.

That is all.

Infuriating...

I saw this video on the morning news this morning. This happened a couple towns over from me.

From the link:

Car crashing into bakery hitting toddler and display case

Last Sunday a car crashed into a bakery in Methuen knocking over a display case, and a a toddler who was in the bakery with his mother. No one was injured.

Yes, yet another example of "Sudden Acceleration Syndrome", also known as "another old person behind the wheel who has no business driving a car". What's infuriating is that no charges are being filed, which means, most likely, that they won't even have their license taken away.

How many more children must be injured or killed before we stop bowing to the pressure of radical pro-car death groups like the AARP?

That is all.

Tired...

I'm tired.

Tired of being the grown-up.
Tired of being the responsible one.
Tired of being the disciplinarian.
Tired of feeling unappreciated.
Tired of being the good child.
Tired of being frustrated.
Tired of being the good example.
Tired of being the provider.
Tired of working hard with little to no recognition.
Tired of being ignored.
Tired of being neglected.
Tired of putting everyone else first.
Tired of coming in last.
Tired of being taken for granted.
Tired of being a doormat.
Tired of hiding my feelings.
Tired of pretending everything's all right when it's not.
Tired of backtalk.
Tired of not talking.
Tired of feeling less important than what's on TV.
Tired of doing everyone else's work.
Tired of being the guy who gets it done.
Tired of being the answer man.
Tired of fixing everyone else's mistakes.
Tired of taking crap from everyone.
Tired of being me.

But since this is the only me I have, I guess I'll have to keep being tired.

That is all.

Pinewood Derby Car Build, Part II

Okay. As promised in Part I, here's the second part in the series of "So You Want to Build a Pinewood Derby Car"...

We left off with the basic shape cut out. The next step is to sand it to its finished shape:

I start with Medium grit (100) sandpaper, then fine (150), extra-fine (320) and then super-fine (400). Once the sanding is finished, a quick touch-up with 0000 steel wool rounds out the sanding. Sanding is pretty subjective - you pretty much stop when the car looks the way you want it to. It's a good idea to round all the edges, not so much for performance but so you don't cut the hell out of your hands when it falls (and it will) and you grab for it...

---

The next step is optional - adding weights inside the car. Some folks prefer to add flat weights to the bottom; some add it throughout the car. We've found that putting the bulk of the weight over the rear wheels brings the best speed improvements - too far forward and the car "hops" down the steep part of the track; too far back and the front lifts up when the track levels out.

Speed tip#3: Optimal positioning of the weights is directly over the rear axle.

We opt for the 3/8" round weights positioned over the rear axle. Each bar is 1 ounce; the bar can be cut in half and fit perfectly inside the car. A 3/8" drill bit and a drill press makes the holes (be *very* careful to watch the depth of the bit!).

Put the weights in:

Put a small amount of wood glue in the holes first, being careful not to use too much!

---

Next, cover up those unsightly holes:

Voila!

One last buff with the super-fine sandpaper and it's ready to paint.

---

The paintjob is a chance for real creativity; I opted for a simple design:

Once the paint has dried, it's time to attach the wheels:

This is a step where you have to be extremely careful. The wheels MUST go in perfectly straight and have room to travel - but not too much - or all that hard work goes out the window. Put a piece of tape over the groove and line the axle (nail) up with the tape to insure that all four axles are even. Bang the nails in carefully, using a piece of thick cardboard to make sure you don't push it in too far.

Speed tip#4: Once the car is perfectly even, lift one of the front wheels up ever so slightly - three wheels touching the track instead of four means less friction.

---

One of the last steps is to glue in the axles once all four are attached and even.

I use plain ol' Superglue; one of the single-use tubes will glue the axles of three cars to the last drop. This is a step that a lot of folks overlook, and it's to their detriment - in our adult race, we had at least four or five cars lose a wheel. Also, be EXTREMELY careful not to glue the wheel to the axle - or the car!

---

Second to last step is to put graphite on the axles. The best way to do this is to tip the car on its side, squeeze a moderate amount of graphite into the junction of the nail and the tire, and spin the tire a bit. Once all four tires have had graphite added, run the car on a flat surface (on top of paper towels, please, unless you want to be the target of your wife's wrath...)

The very last thing to do is to add weight to the car to get it as close to 5.00 ounces as possible. I only had to use one small weight on the bottom of this car to get it to 4.95 ounces.

---

And the final product:

That's my entry to the adult race. I didn't get a chance to work in anywhere near as much graphite as I would have liked (more is better; the ideal is a wheel that spins 15 - 20 seconds), so my fourth place finish was quite satisfactory.

---

I hope that this series has been helpful; please feel free to share your tips/questions/ideas/things to avoid for all the Scout dads and future Scout dads. As I mentioned, one of the driving forces for me putting this together was to have a handy series of "how to" pictures that I can print out and pull together into a "Pinewood Derby Cars for Dummies" type book for the new Scout dads next year.

And next year, my car is going to be a speed demon - The Boy won't stand a chance!

That is all.

2009 Pinewood Derby AAR

The Pinewood Derby was this past Saturday. It's the highlight of the Scouting year, the "Superbowl of Cub Scouts" (as related to me by one of the other Scout dads). There's no event more hotly contested, eagerly awaited, and either dreaded or anticipated by the Scouts and Scout dads.

I've posted Part 1 of how to build a Pinewood Derby racer; I expect to have Part II up tomorrow. Suffice to say, there's an awful lot of work that goes into building a 7" long car; even more work actually getting an 8 year old boy interested in investing the sweat equity necessary to have a winning car. And therein lies the rub: The boys are supposed to do as much of the car as they can; the dirty little secret being that some dads do most or even all of the work. Not everyone, of course, but enough that people talk.

The Boy did the lion's share of the work on his car this year; I basically helped with anything that involved power tools or hammers and that was it. He picked the shape of his car, transferred it to the block, sanded the block after I cut it; he painted the car himself, applied the stickers, polished the wheels, and applied the go-fast graphite.

And he came in third place - I'm so proud of him I could bust.

Last year, however, he took first place. Last year, he was a Tiger Cub and I was his "adult partner", and was allowed by the rules to assist him. Even with a larger field of participants we swept the running, beating the second-place finisher by a decent margin. He was vociferous in voicing his disappointment at missing Regionals (the first and second place winners from each Pack get to go to the Regional Derby); he apparently felt it was owed him.

Well, he thought wrong.

At numerous times over the course of the past two or three weeks he had to be reminded to work on his car. There was always something to distract him, whether playing his Wii games, going sledding, or a favorite TV show that he had to watch. He was reminded that he needed to put the time in working on his car if he wanted to win, and Saturday's showing helped bring that point home in a big way.

---

There's a lot of preparation involved in running a successful Pinewood Derby. The night before the race we have a "Check-in Night" where all participants must bring their cars for inspection and Check-in. All cars are thoroughly scrutinized for proper length, weight, and equipment - there's an entire cottage industry around making these minuscule chunks of wood go faster than the other minuscule chunks of wood. Go figure. There's a lot of last minute sanding, chiseling, etc. that goes on as Scouts bring their cars to the proper specifications, but everyone gets checked in the night before the race.

After the Scouts and parents have gone home, the fun really begins. The volunteers and leaders gather to judge the "Most Creative" cars, and it's harder that it might seem. This year alone we had Luke Skywalker's landspeeder (my favorite); a recycling truck complete with tiny glass bottles; a bowling pin; Franken-Car; a surfboard; and a rolling bathtub. Once the cars have been sequestered we set up the track and test the racing software (and wound up spinning our wheels for nearly an hour as the Committee Chair's shiny new Vista laptop wouldn't play nice with the track's electric eye and we had to find a back-up laptop!).

---

We arrive about a half-hour before the start of the race on the Big Day to get the "Pitstop Café" going (we sell coffee and donuts to help offset the cost of the trophies and such). The first race (this year we went in Rank order - Tigers/Wolves/Bears/WeBeLoS I/WeBeLoS II) started promptly at 9:00 with all 5 participating Tiger Cubs present; we ran through that heat in less than 10 minutes... The Wolves were the second largest group (11 boys) and that took us less than a half hour.

We experienced an unfortunate series of technical difficulties with the Bears, our largest group (13 boys, and yes I am very superstitious!). Our Committee Chair who ran the computer program inadvertently erased heats 2-13; then the Cubmaster accidentally stopped the timer on the third race; and finally I put the wrong car up on the track for one of the heats. D'OH!!! We got through it with minimal complaints, though - a lot less from the boys than from the parents, I might add - and finished the WeBeLoS I and IIs with no incidents (of course each of the WeBeLoS only had 6 participants each).

We ran several "Grudge" matches - father against son (The Boy beat me, twice), brother against brother (and sister; and I did at least come in faster than my daughter's pony car). Once these were done, though, it was time for the highlight for the grown-ups - the adult races. Yes, our Pack conducts races at the very end for any and all who want to enter a car - Moms, Dads, sisters, older brothers, even grandfathers. I had a car and so did my daughter; our Cubmaster had his own car (an "I" beam!) and raced against his wife and both sons (one a WeBeLoS II, the other a Boy Scout). The adult races are a lot of fun, as there's less pressure (no one's going on to Regionals!) and the entries are pretty wild.

---

It's a lot of fun, but it is both physically and mentally exhausting. It is the culmination of literally weeks of planning, cajoling volunteers, helping the new Scout parents, and good ol' sweat equity (them tracks is heavy!). I'm very glad it's only once a year. The lessons it teaches, though, are invaluable: Sportsmanship, craftsmanship, workin together... I got to spend quality time with both my son *and* my daughter out in the workshop happily sanding our little pinewood boxes, or at the workbench polishing axles, or sitting down to the kitchen table to paint our creations. The Scouts learn how to win - and lose - with grace and dignity (and so do the parents).

Everybody leaves with something, even if it's just plans in their head for "what we're gonna do next year".

And as a parting shot, here's the G. family cars:

Pretty cool, huh?

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, Part II and conclusion to "So, You Want To Build A Pinewood Derby Racer". I'll cover sanding, weighting, and finishing touches you can apply to your car. The main reason I built my car (the one on the left; The Boy's third place winning car is the sleek model in the middle) was to document the process in a very thorough, detailed manner so I can produce a sort of "Pinewood Derby for Dummies" for the new parents when it's my turn at the helm next year.

And not for nothing, I came in a very respectable fourth place out of the adults - a field of 29 cars, mind you!

That is all.

Well THAT Didn't Take Long...

GOP as an insurgent opposition

Republicans see positives in negative stand

WASHINGTON - Three months after their Election Day drubbing, Republican leaders see glimmers of rebirth in the party's liberation from an unpopular president, its selection of its first African American chairman and, most of all, its stand against a stimulus package that they are increasingly confident will provide little economic jolt but will pay off politically for those who oppose it.

After giving the package zero votes in the House, and with their counterparts in the Senate likely to provide in a crucial procedural vote today only the handful of votes needed to avoid a filibuster, Republicans are relishing the opportunity to make a big statement. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) suggested last week that the party is learning from the disruptive tactics of the Taliban, and the GOP these days does have the bravado of an insurgent band that has pulled together after a big defeat to carry off a quick, if not particularly damaging, raid on the powers that be.

"Insurgent"?

From Merriam-Webster online:

Main Entry: ¹in·sur·gent
Pronunciation: \jənt\
Function: noun
Etymology:
Latin insurgent-, insurgens, present participle of insurgere to rise up, from in- + surgere to rise — more at surge
Date: 1765

1: a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government ; especially : a rebel not recognized as a belligerent

2: one who acts contrary to the policies and decisions of one's own political party

Um, yeah. Republicans are revolting, all right, but certainly not against the established government. What they are doing - as the Democrats did from 2000 - 2008 - is to stand in opposition to the President mainly because of his political affiliation.

Biased reporting? Who knew?

That is all.

New Game!

Let's play a new game called "Spot the Errors!"

Police Find Cache Of Weapons, Bomb Materials

WORCESTER (WBZ) ― Police officers later recovered over 100 firearms, blasting caps and other devices, including artillery simulators.

Police have arrested a 54-year-old Worcester resident on charges of illegal possession of military-style explosives and assault weapons. Sgt. Kerry Hazelhurst said on Sunday that Paul Mateiko was arrested Saturday after firefighters responding to a medical emergency at his home noticed a large cache of unsecured weapons.

Well, other than the obvious PSH that permeates any story in MA with any attachment to firearms, this section's not too bad. However, what got me was this one:

Police officers later recovered over 100 firearms, blasting caps and other devices, including artillery simulators. "A total of approximately 150 handguns, revolvers, semi-automatic machine guns… thousands of rounds of ammo and three-quarters of C4 explosives," said Hazelhurt as he described the scene.

Hmm... Let's see. Apparently revolvers are not handguns (since they're listed separately); machine guns are now semi-automatic; and C4 is sold by the "quarter". We'll ignore the scare-mongering "thousands of rounds of ammo (I typically have anywhere from 4-5K rounds of .22LR on hand; each box of 550 rounds costs about $12 - do the math, that's less than $50 for 2,000 rounds).


Now, don't get me wrong. If you want to collect machine guns (and this guy's father was a WWII vet, so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if the machine guns were bring-backs long forgotten) and explosives, power to you. Seems to me that's exactly the kind of thing the 2A intends for us to own. However... Ignorance - or outright avoidance - 0f the law doesn't make you any less arrested, booked, and most likely forever banned from owning firearms again, though.

That's the rub; quite often the true intent of the Second Amendment is so thoroughly and completely choked with red tape, roadblocks, and other bureaucratic impediments to actual ownership of such items. Fully automatic weapons are very tightly controlled, subject to both the 1934 Federal Firearms Act requiring an NFA stamp and tax be paid for each machine gun as well as the Hughes Amendment to the Firearms Owner Protection Act of 1986, which banned the transfer of all new machine guns to civilians regardless of whether the stamp was obtained or not. Blatantly unconstitutional, as it direct impinges on the ability of the citizenry to own the very same weapons our soldiers are using, but good luck trying to convince Everyman that ZOMG!!! teh NRA WANTZ TEH MACHINE GUNZZZZZ!!!.

For lack of a tax stamp, the right to keep and bear arms is lost. Just doesn't seem right, does it?

That is all.

Only in My House...

...would the following be overheard:

"[The Boy]! Don't cut your sister's head off!"

(and if you guessed that they were playing Lego Star Wars on the Wii, you'd be right...)

That is all.

Winter Browns...

After two months of snow, sleet, ice, and other assorted global warming, a weekend of melting is upon us. Temperatures are in the mid-40s, the sky is clear, and the sound of water dripping off of every elevated surface fills the air. It's a welcome sound, as roofs groan under the weight of the snow and ice fills the gutters to the brim.

The problem with the melting is that the resplendent veneer of new-fallen snow is stripped away, revealing the muck and mire of winter.

We're fortunate to live on a side street with little traffic. The main streets of even our sleepy little burg are lined with brown muck; snow caked with months of road salt, sand, and grime that has yet to be swept clear by man or nature. Storm drains are covered by snow and ice, and the melted water slowly absorbs back in the snowbanks as the temperature drops.

Brown is the color of the day; brown trees, stripped of their leaves for months now, thrust their naked branches to the sky, devoid of the devices by which they receive life-giving water and sun. The roadside, a repository of grit and dirt, turns a dirty brown that will linger until the rains of spring wash the earth clean yet again.

It's this time that weighs heavily on a man's heart; spring seems an eternity away, the winter months languishing under a cover of gray snow and treacherous ice. It's this time that brings about the phenomenon of cabin fever; tempers grow short; fuses even shorter. Being trapped in close proximity with little hope of getting out for months and months does strange things, makes people crazy. Days are short, with many leaving for work in the dark and returning in the same way.

In a few long months, the snow will finally melt; signs of life will return; daylight creeps back in around the edges of the day. Tempers will relax; fuses will lengthen; the flames of discontent will snuff and blaze no more. But for now, the brown plague rules the roost, a blanket of blah across the land. These truly are the times that try men's souls; with naught but a palette of gray and dirty brown landscape as far as the eye can see.

Needless to say, this calls for beer.

That is all.

So Let Me Get This Straight...

A member of the HopenChange brigade gets up in front of the Brady Bunch and brags about how they're going to use the shiny new anti-terrorism tools to put the thumbscrews to law-abiding gun owners, and people are surprised? Really? This comes as a shock to anyone with a pulse and an even passing familiarity with how the Evil Party operates?

They're gearing up for something big, folks. I am filled with a growing feeling of dread that whatever they're cooking up in their pointy little heads is going to make us yearn for the freedom of the Clinton years. They're back in power, back in command of all three branches, and they have the full and unabashed support and supplication of the mainstream media.

They're coming right for us, and they're not going to be happy until we have Great Britain-style gun laws... BOHICA, only harder.

That is all.

Boogety, Boogety, Boogety...

...Let's go racin' boys!

It's the Pinewood Derby today. We were at the church setting up the track and racing software until 11 last night, making sure that today's Derby runs without a hitch. Time to see what the car can do - and hopefully will get to post the second set of pictures later...

UPDATE: The Boy took third place for the Wolf Scouts. Not too shabby!

That is all.

Blogroll Updates

If it's Friday afternoon, it must be time for a blogroll update! Got a bunch of new blogs to add today, many of whom actually let me know they'd added me to their blogroll! That's how it's supposed to work (hint, hint) :)

1. Tom at My Gun Culture was the first to let me know in comments to last week's update.

2. Carteach0 of the eponymous Carteach0 also commented to let me know he'd added my poo-flinging humble musings to his 'roll.

3. Firefighter4884 alerted me to his blog, Ambulances, Boomsticks, Coffee through Facebook (see? I told you I'd get around to the add! *g*).

4. Jake (formerly Riposte3) of Curses! Foiled Again! (love the Dirk Dastardly ref!) rounds out the additions this week.

Welcome aboard everyone!

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I'm going to make this text standard boilerplate for all blogroll additions:

I run a reciprocal blogroll here at MArooned. If you like my insane scribbling writing enough to add me to your blogroll, tell me about it - I'm quite happy to return the favor. But I can't do it if I don't know about it! So leave me a note in comments; shoot me an e-mail (contact info's around here somewhere); catch me on Google chat or Facebook; heck, anything short of writing your blog name on a piece of paper and hucking it through my window tied to a rock works... :)

That is all.

Friday Fun Thread: Filthy Hippies

Back when I was stumped as to what to feature for Friday's Fun thread, I asked for ideas. JD had a good suggestion:

Or maybe the top 10 cars you want to crush with a truck due to the way the hippies drive them. . .

Heh. While I love all cars, man, there are certain models that are indelibly linked to the "peace, love, and granola" crowd, their offspring, and the wanna-bes that try to be like them. In that vein, here are the top ten cars I associate with the hemp-lovin', patchouli-smellin', big-head paper machier puppet-makin', WTO-hatin' hippies.

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1. VW Microbus. This is the number one hippie transport device like McDonald's is the number one fast food burger joint. No other vehicle is even remotely close. From "Cars" to "Land Down Under" to "The Wonder Years", no other automobile has been more intimately linked to the free love crowd.

2. Volvo 240 wagon. This seems to be the more recent transport of those who think that Bush=Hitler and that the biggest crime evah is the failure to legalize... There is literally one of these right down the street from me, a wagon circa 1986 or so, with no less than five anti-Bush stickers on it...

3. Saturn SL. For a while in the mid-1990s, the SL seemed to be the in-car for hippies. Of course, in the mid-1990s, the Saturn SL seemed to be the in-car for pretty much everyone - I personally knew about a dozen different couples that owned Saturns. Apparently the low price, reliable construction, and no-haggle policy appeals to those who love a good value much as they love Gaia.

4. Toyota Prius. Ah, the enviro-hippie. Where would we be without the smug, "greener than thou" condescension of those who have no compunction about driving a car that requires mechanics who might work on it be trained in emergency firefighting techniques should one of the battery compartments be ruptured inadvertantly? (This is from a friend of mine who's a master mechanic for Ford...)

5. VW New Beetle. Mostly favored by the female of the species (Hippius Nobathius), the New Beetle appealed to those who want to appear hip to their kids while maintaining a lifeline to the carefree lifestyle they enjoyed before the condom broke. Bummer, man. Oh, and it has a built-in vase on the dashboard for your flowers, man.

6. Subaru Outback (sorry Ross). For some reason, the Outback appeals to the wealthier hippie. Maybe it's because a good number of them live in Vermont, which is technically located within the Arctic Circle. Maybe it's because the station wagon allows them to transport more, um, hemp. In any case, there's plenty of 'Rus out there with "1-20-09" stickers on them...

7. Honda Insight. Looks like an EV1. Gets really good gas mileage. Ugly as sin. Sideskirts, for heaven's sake! The lack of a rear seat appears to be the only reason the Insight never caught on outside of folks who enjoy leg cramps and getting passed by mopeds and riding lawn mowers...

8. Geo Tracker. Sure, it's an eeeevil SUV, but it's cute and it's got a removable roof. Plus it's got 4WD, which is helpful for getting to the geodesic dome cabin you built in upstate Montana as your place to "get your head together". Just don't take any sharp corners, or you'll really experience a trip - to the hospital...

9. VW Eurovan. The Eurovan appealed primarily to the aging Baby Boomers trying desperately to recapture their lost youth (and remember back when they had hair *and* could see their toes). The Eurovan enjoyed a bit of gottahavititis in the US, as it was only available in 1993 and then for a brief period in the late 1990s.

10. Saab 96. This is kind of a personal one for me, as Mom G. had a Saab 96 when I was a wee sprog. Mom was an aspiring hippie, a conflicted soul yearning to be free who happened to be in love with "The Man". She wanted a VW Bug in the worst way, but Dad, as a cop, had responded to too many rollover accidents involving Beetles to permit his wife to get one. The Saab 96 was the next closest thing, so she got one and festooned it with flowers, peace signs, etc. Made for a funny sight in the driveway next to the Ford MSP police car...

And she traded it in on a 1977 Buick Regal, which could have fit the 96 in the trunk. Go figure...

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I hope you've enjoyed this light-hearted look at the possible vehicular conveyances of the hippie and post-modern hippie movement. No actual hippies were harmed in the creation of this list, but only because none got close enough for me (or Fred Thompson) to punch.

Next week's theme? Top Ten Conservative cars... Heh.

That is all.

Friday Gun Pr0n #97

Today's gun is one of the older guns in the G. armory, and one of the nicest conditions, too.

Colt Police Positive .38 S&W

This is a Colt Police Positive in .38 S&W - not .38 Special. It's a traditional double-action six-shot revolver, with a five digit serial number that puts its manufacture date somewhere in the middle of WWI. This picture - and the fifty-odd others I took - doesn't do it justice, as the bluing is near-perfect, with only the slightest hint of a turn line on the cylinder.

I haven't shot this one (yet), as .38 S&W tends to be on the pricey side (as well as pretty hard to find) compared to .38 special. I suspect it would shoot just as well as any of my Official Police revolvers (the .22LR or the two .38 Specials) or the Detective Special, although the trigger is pretty stiff. I suspect it's nothing that a few hundred rounds downrange wouldn't cure.

And at the rate the previous owner (paging Barney Fife) shot this gun, I'd wager it'd take several millenia to achieve a triple digit round count...

That is all.

Curious Bugger, Ain't I?

Google search terms: Bush Katrina Response - Results 1 - 10 of about 4,150,000 for bush katrina response

Here are some quotes from the first ten links:

"CONSERVATIVE CRITICIZES RESPONSE TO KATRINA"
Bush takes blame for Katrina flaws
Criticism of government response to Hurricane Katrina - Wikipedia ...
White House Web site condemns Bush's Katrina response - Breaking ...
Commentary: Bush can't see failure of Katrina response - CNN.com
Poll: Katrina Response Inadequate, Public Says Response To Katrina ...
How race shaped Bush's response to Katrina. - By Jacob Weisberg ...
First report on Katrina assails Bush's response - International ...
LawGeek: Bush's Response to Katrina sub-par compared to other ...
Katrina Report Spreads Blame

Ten hits, all ten of which are antagonistic to President Bush and the response of his administration to the Katrina natural disaster.

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Google search terms: Obama Kentucky Response - Results 1 - 10 of about 1,640,000 for Obama Kentucky Response

Here are some quotes from the first ten links:

FEMA gets decent marks for its ice storm response
Mixed Reviews For FEMA's Kentucky Response, Top State Officials ...
The White House - Blog Post - President Obama Declares Emergencies ...
ED ANGER SAYS: OBAMA HATES KENTUCKY! Weekly World News
Ice storm tested Obama's FEMA - Weather- msnbc.com
UK march planned in response to Obama effigy - Latest News ...
Big Dogs House » Blog Archive » Obama’s Katrina Is In Kentucky
Newshoggers.com: FEMA, Obama and the Kentucky Icestorm (Updated)
CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - KY ...
Amazon.com: tremendous and quick response from President Obama and ...
Kentucky freezes; Obama dines on $100 a pound steak - FEMA, White ...

Ten hits, two of which are positive and two are negative about the Obama administration's response to the ice storm in Kentucky. Additionally, five stories are neutral and one is unrelated to the storm.

---

Taking into consideration that:

a. The ice storm in Kentucky is of several orders of magnitude lower than Hurricane Katrina's toll on New Orleans;
b. FEMA being hyper-sensitive to criticism due to their (perceived) lackluster response to Katrina; and
c. Antagonistic media coverage of Barack Obama being as prevalent as unicorn tears;

It's rather telling the difference in the media's perception and portrayal of the official government response to each incident, no?

That is all.

UR Doin' It Rong...

Ky. halts FEMA meals that may use tainted peanuts

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky officials say they've stopped distributing FEMA emergency meals for winter storm survivors that may contain recalled peanut butter.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says some emergency meal kits for storm victims in Kentucky and Arkansas may include packets of peanut butter that are part of a national recall over possible salmonella contamination.

It appears that Breda was right. Barack Obama really does hate white people...

That is all.

On A Roll...

While I'm on a roll of shamelessly stealing inspiration from more talented people on my blogroll, I'd like to borrow and adapt something Brigid posted. She very thoughtfully provided some excellent ideas for men to get their sweeties for Valentine's Day. Guys, go read. She's one smart cookie, that Brigid...

In the interest of fair play, I'd like to offer a list for the ladies out there. Just in case you're stumped on what to get that special fella in your life, here's a list of simple ideas:

1. Oral sex.
2. Beer.
3. Oral sex.
4. Bacon.
5. Oral sex.
6. Ammo
7. Oral sex.
8. Steak.
9. Oral sex.

and if he's been really good, why wait until March 14th?

No need to thank me, it's all part of the service...

That is all,

Two Dozen + 1 Things About Jay G.

I am shameless stealing inspiration from Marko on this one. Here are 25 things you probably didn't know about me:

1. I am afraid of flying. Petrified. Had a bad experience on a flight out of Tampa ahead of a hurricane, where the plane actually underwent freefall. Scared the flight attendants that's how bad it was.

2. I'm a major hypochondriac. Every headache is a brain tumor, every muscle ache is bone cancer.

3. I have never been more than one time zone in either direction from EST. Never.

4. I don't watch television other than the morning news, and that's only because it's on when I work out.

5. I am allergic to animal dander. All animal dander - cats, dogs, mice, horses; if it's a lower mammal and it sheds skin, I'm allergic to it. The Boy never stops reminding me that it's MY fault we can't have a dog...

6. I have no sense of smell. None. Can't smell roses, new babies/cars, or skunks. It's both a blessing and a curse.

7. I actually like the "ricer" look - provided it's not overdone, which it usually is. A nice set of rims, a lowering kit, a nice spoiler... Tint the windows and put in a 500W stereo, I love it.

8. That said, don't mess with classic cars. 1963 Chevy Impalas with 22" gold rims and hydraulics make me cringe.

9. I actually don't like the taste of beer or coffee. I just drink both for the effect.

10. I've eaten the worm that floats in the bottle of tequila. On more than one occasion.

11. One summer during college I videotaped "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" off AMC and watched it literally every single night the entire summer long.

12. In the 22 years that I've been driving, I've owned four coupes, three pick-ups, two SUVs, and one van. I've also had three motorcycles.

13. I'm really, really superstitious, so item #13 scares the hell out of me.

14. Also in the category of "Things that scare the hell out of me" are dogs. Specifically large dogs. Even more specifically, large scary dogs. Getting attacked by a German Shepherd when you're six years old will do that.

15. I've never officially broken a bone (one look at either of my pinkies reveals that I've broken each of them at least once, but never treated for it), but I've had dozens of stitches.

16. When I was six years old I stepped on a nail and got blood poisoning. I was in the hospital for almost two weeks.

17. I collect 1/18th scale diecast cars. At last count I had over 300 models.

18. I used to play the guitar when I was younger. I'd like to pick it back up again.

19. My single biggest regret in life is that I never served in the Armed Forces.

20. WRT the Second Amendment, I'm more of an absolutist than I let on - I'm of the rather unpopular opinions that released convicts should have full 2A rights and also that we should be allowed unfettered access to machine guns. Allowing them to encrouch back in the '30s started the shitass slippery slope we're on now.

21. Other weird stuff I've consumed includes rattlesnake (tastes like, yep, chicken), bison (okay, not terribly exotic, but I am rather sheltered), and rabbit.

22. The only animal I have ever hunted is the common red squirrel, and that was as pest control for my buddy's cottage. Someday I would like to hunt for deer, but it's not terribly high on the list.

23. The older I get, the stronger the pull becomes to join the "family business" - policework. I've given serious thought to becoming an auxiliary cop in my town.

24. I think Will Farrell is one of the least funny humans on the planet.

25. Ever since I lost weight, I've been cold. Apparently all that fat was good insulation. Who knew?

Phew! That was a lot harder than I thought it would be!

That is all.

And Yet Another "You Might Be A Gun Nut"...

Leaving work yesterday evening, I was carrying my extendable snow brush. I moved it to get my keys out of my pocket, and subconsciously slung it over my arm like a rifle (think a side-by-side shotgun, action open, with the hinge over my arm).

One of my co-workers caught me out of the corner of her eye and looked taken aback.

"I thought for a second you had a..." and paused. "A gun!"

I did my best "deer-in-the-headlights" so as not to let on that, yes, I've carried many a gun in that manner. It seemed to work, because she kind of let it drop after that.

I caught my reflection in the glass doors as I prepared to exit the building. I was carrying the brush just like a gun - and I hadn't even meant to carry it that way...

That is all.

Inured... Or Endured...

It's a sign of this friggin' winter that I'm not even thinking about shoveling the driveway after yesterday's snowstorm. Mrs. G. got her car out of the garage and on the road with no fuss, and I've got at least triple the ground clearance. I'll run the truck over the mound at the bottom a couple of times to flatten it down for later, and it's supposed to reach the 40s this weekend... This is, BTW, about the dozen^th snowfall of significant (>3") amount this season.

If you happen to see Al Gore, please give him a wedgie for me, kthanxbai...

That is all.

Missing Something...

I just can't see how this is a bad thing:

Obama to limit bankers' pay

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Executives of companies receiving federal bailout money will have their pay capped at $500,000 under a financial compensation plan that President Obama is expected to announce Wednesday, two senior administration officials said.

I don't have a problem with the government setting this limit. If a company needs a .gov bailout, they should be ready to abide by the .gov rules. If a CEO has performed so pitifully that his company needs to go, hat-in-hand, to the government teat, I fail to see why they should be richly rewarded for their failure. In fact, this would reinforce the need to perform - nothing motivates like the thought of losing giant fistfuls of cash, and having to beg the .gov for bailout $$$ ought to hurt the CEO financially.

For those who make the claim that "if you cap what a CEO can be offered as compensation, you won't get the best CEO possible", well, there's a couple things to note. First, if the company is asking for a bailout, then maybe the company didn't get the best CEO possible. Secondly, what possible motivation is there for a CEO to perform if he can go to the Feds, get a bailout, and still receive a multi-million dollar bonus? We need to reward success, not failure, plain and simple. I fail to see how this measure does anything other than just that.

Believe me, it pains me greatly to admit that Obama got this one right...

UPDATE: Cheerfully withdrawn. I shoulda known better. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa...

That is all.

MArooned Gear Review: The Nemesis

I mentioned picking up a pair of "The Nemesis" pocket holsters by DeSantis at the gun show this past weekend:

J-frame (L), P3AT (R)

While I've only had the holsters a short while, I've had a pretty good chance to try them both out. They're identical in function, featuring a sticky exterior that remains firmly anchored in your pocket even under, well, less-than-optimal draws (I purposely try extracting the pistol by grabbing at the grip, tugging with two fingers, etc. to try to cover a variety of possible ways I might have to access my carry gun). The interior is non-marring and allows for a rapid draw from the holster. Material is firm and offers some shape-blending (i.e. for the J-frame there's not as distinct of a cylinder bulge).

I'll post a long-term update down the road apace, but as of right now I am very pleased with this purchase. I'd been using an $8 Uncle Mike's pocket holster for both guns, which worked, kinda, but was in need of upgrade. Time will ultimately tell, of course, but so far it looks like "The Nemesis" is a functional, reasonable choice of pocket holster. It won't break the bank, yet offers a lot more than just a way to keep lint out of the lockwork.

MArooned Seal of Approval is earned for this product.

That is all.

Three Wheel Turning...

(One million bonus points to whoever can ID the song parodied in that title - if anyone can get it, Countertop would be my guess...)

Wildfire WF650-C - Column

Exactly 15 days after I climbed out of a $1.7 million 1001-hp Bugatti Veyron 16.4 made in France, I climbed into a $7731 26-hp Wildfire WF650-C made in China. Our tech department had no trouble telling them apart. The one that produced 975 fewer horsepower also sported one fewer wheel.

The three-wheeled Wildfire is licensed as a motorcycle and is thus exempt from a lot of safety regs such as airbags and side-impact beams. It doesn’t have a lap belt, either, but it does include a shoulder belt and three features the Bugatti failed to offer: a cigarette lighter, an ashtray, and a pop-up skylight whose leading edge, oddly enough, performs the popping-up part. In that position, it scoops up all of the ventilation you’ll ever need, as well as all of the bees you’ll ever need, every last one of which has had its anger receptors presensitized by, first, a violent collision with Chinese glass and, second, a violent collision with your forehead.

{chortle}

Just in case you can't be bothered to click the link, here's what this... creation... looks like:

It's so ugly it's cute! Well, maybe not...

For $7500 I think I'll pass, though. There's a lot of really good used Civics, Corollas, and even Hyundai Accents for that kinda scratch. Especially when you consider that, since it's registered as a motorcycle, you would be required to wear a helmet in states with helmet laws. I think you could just about reach the very pinnacle of dorkhood that way: Wearing a helmet, driving a three-wheeled econobox made in China. It doesn't even have the cachet of a BMW Isetta...

That is all.

Unreal...

PROMISES, PROMISES: No lobbyists at WH, except ...

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama promised a "clean break from business as usual" in Washington. It hasn't quite worked out that way.

From the start, he made exceptions to his no-lobbyist rule. And now, embarrassing details about Cabinet-nominee Tom Daschle's tax problems and big paychecks from special interest groups are raising new questions about the reach and sweep of the new president's promised reforms. Maybe he shouldn't have promised so much, some open-government advocates say. They're willing to cut him some slack — for now.

I'm certain that we'll be seeing the apologists come out of the woodwork any second now. It's coming... wait for it... Ah, here we go:

"Even the toughest rules require reasonable exceptions," said White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Yep. He's not lying. He's not waffling on his campaign promises. He's just making "reasonable exceptions." I wonder what other "reasonable exceptions" Obama will be allowed to make before the media starts accusing him of breaking campaign promises. Is there some sort of sliding scale in place, perhaps? Does two or three "reasonable exceptions" still get a pass? What, precisely, would constitute an "unreasonable exception"? Is that even possible with "The One"?

Think, for a moment, just how far they'd have let George Bush get with that one...


Here's my personal favorite, though:

Melanie Sloan, who is not shy about criticizing lobbyists or politicians as executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "I think the Obama folks' intentions were great here," she said. "But sometimes you realize you can't actually govern on just what you campaigned on."

Yep, you read that right. They're giving Obama a complete and utter free pass on blatantly lying in his campaign promises. The media - and the theoretical watchdogs thereof - have absolved him of blame by using the very same line of thinking they lambasted George Bush for (Nation-building?). And wouldn't it have been an act of responsible journalism to - you know - ask Obama about those campaign promises back when he was, oh, campaigning?

Apparently it's perfectly fine to lie through your teeth to get elected - if you're the Annointed One...


That is all.

Heat Update...

Guy's been here since 8AM. He's swapped out like three different parts. He says, and I quote "No idea" what's wrong with it.

And it's snowing. Again.

*sigh*

Looks like I picked the wrong day to stop sniffin' glue...

That is all.

Before You Start Your "Engines"...

Alternate title: So, You Want To Build A Pinewood Derby Racer...

We've got our Pack's Pinewood Derby coming up this Saturday. This year, flush with our success last year, The Boy and I have somewhat of an image to maintain. He's doing more of the work on his car this year (and will do even more next year); so I decided to build my own car to really see what kind of speed I could wring out of a 7" block of wood.

I also thought it would be neat to detail the process. I intend to print out the entire series of pictures and put it together into a pamphlet I can offer the new Cub Scout dads next year. This will be the first part - creating the car - and the second part - finishing touches - will follow shortly.

---

We'll walk through each step of the process, starting with the kit itself:

and what's inside that magic little box:

The first step is to decide what you want your car to look like. A Google search of "Pinewood Derby Car Templates" yields a bunch of possibilities. I printed out a dozen or so pages, let my son choose which one he wanted, and picked one for my car:

Trés aerodynamic, non?

Next step is to transfer the template to the block of wood:

Right now, before any cuts are made or any sanding is done, is a good time to decide where the weights should go. We had very good luck last year with the weights placed over the rear axle, so we decided to stick with a winning formula.

Speed tip #1: Placement of weights closest to the rear axle yields the fastest times.

Placing the weights up front, on the theory that it helps "pull" the car down the track, has the unfortunate effect of having the rear wheels "hop" on the downslope. Placing the weights behind the rear axle is good, but the fastest configuration is over the rear wheels.

Most hobby shops will stock a large variety of Pinewood Derby accessories (and they're also available online - I recommend supporting the local business for a variety of reasons). We chose the round weights which are easily put into the car by drilling a set of 3/8" holes:

Be VERY careful to check the depth on the drill press!!! The weights come as 1 ounce units that have 12 segments. With the holes drilled properly, you can cut each segment in half and get ½ ounce per hole (remember that the car can weigh no more than 5 ounces).

Speed tip #2: Remove burrs from the axles (nails) and the tires.

For the nails that serve as the axles, a close inspection reveals burrs from the machining process right about where the tire meets the axle. A sanding regimen to smooth the nail out will lessen the friction between the wheel and the axle - always a good thing. Start with medium sandpaper, then extra-fine sandpaper, and finish with 0000 steel wool - this will produce a nice, smooth axle.

For the wheels, I recommend the wheel chuck:

The same sanding regimen yields a uniformly smooth wheel free of plastic burrs that can rob precious speed. Be very careful when sanding the wheels, though - you're not allowed to alter the shape of the wheel (i.e. sand it down to reduce the footprint). All you're aiming for is making the wheel uniformly smooth.

The last step in this section is the most dangerous, and the only step so far that I performed for my son: Cutting out the shape.

Here's a big tip, one I learned the hard way: A good band saw (or heck, even a cheap one) is about 150 MILLION times better than a coping saw... I cut out three cars (one for The Boy, one for me, and naturally, one for BabyGirl G so she wouldn't feel left out...) in about a tenth the time it took me to cut out his car last year.

It's also a very good way to involve your Cub Scout and get them thinking about power tool safety. I had the full set-up: Gloves, mask, safety glasses; I insisted that The Boy wear the same. Since we were using an older band saw (hey, ya runs with what ya brung, and beggars can't be choosers...), it required a little extra TLC along the way - what better way to show how to troubleshoot? Shut the switch off, remove the safety key, then unplug. Just like in shooting, you'll never go wrong being extra careful...

---

That's it for Part one. We've designed the car, cut out the shape, and prepped the body for sanding. The wheels and axles are polished and ready to be put on; once sanded, the car can be painted and then is ready for the final assembly, which is where Part II will come in.

How will she do? Well, we'll find out Saturday afternoon. I'm hoping for some bragging rights...

That is all.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Today is The Boy's birthday. Eight years ago today he came into my life, an undersized bundle of joy that changed my world completely. With his birth, I became a father. Watching him grow up and become a little man, I became a Dad.

It's the greatest thing in the entire world. Nothing else even comes close.

I've cleaned up his butt, his barf, and his blood. I've picked him up after he's fallen, I've patched up scuffs, I've administered Tylenol for fevers, I've held him when he's had his shots. I've also seen the first school play, the first sleepover, and his first time at bat in baseball.

One helluva ride. 8 years in already, and it seems like barely an eyeblink.

Happy birthday pal. I love you.

That is all.

More Crap I Don't Need...

Got a call while I was at the Cub Scout Leader's meeting tonight. On the eve of yet another snowstorm, our furnace has decided to die. Yep, no heat in the G. house tonight.

Un-fucking-real.

We moved into the house less than 10 years ago. Five years ago, almost to the day, we replaced the block in the furnace. It doesn't look like the block - last time there was water everywhere, but who knows?

AAAUUUGGGHHH!!!!

It's always something, isn't it...

That is all.

More Non-Friday Gun Pr0n!

And from the same source, my friend BillH in ID:

History.

Gorgeous. Love the shot, Bill. Garand, K-98, and 91/30, right? The newspaper is the perfect touch IMHO...

That is all.

Unfortunate...

Weird train of thought on the ride into work today. Driving down some of the backroads I travel in my journey to my place of employment, the truck shuddered and lurched over the various potholes, frost heaves, and frozen ice in the roadway. As the Ram bounced, jounced, and otherwise shimmied around the road, my mind wandered back to a different time. I was riding in the back of my buddy's F-150, smoking a cigarette and letting the breeze flick the ashes off for me.

Then my memory wandered further back, to being about 10 years old and riding in the back of my grandfather's Chevy pick-up, my buddy Cliff with me, on our way to get ice cream on a hot summer's day. I remembered, clear as day some 20-mumble years later, looking up at the sky and watching the clouds seem to pace us as we drove down the road. We'd laugh at each other when we went under a tree branch and both jumped at the same time; our cloud-watching rudely interrupted by an over-reaching oak.

And then it hit me. I've got a pick-up truck, and my son will never know the feeling of the breeze in his hair on the way to the ice cream shop. He'll never sit in the back with his muddy bicycle after I have to come pick him up when he tries to jump the creek (Oh, I caught hell for that one...). Our overly litigious society has decreed it too dangerous to allow folks to ride in the back of a pick-up truck - no seat belts, you see, folks might sluice around too much. Might bounce right out and hit the pavement. Too many variables.

And that's sad right there.

That we've allowed the government to make our choices for us; that we've willingly granted them the power to take away our childhood memories makes me very sad - and very angry. Barring unprecedented longing for reclaiming liberty, I don't foresee us ever getting those freedoms back - I don't see a repeal of the seat belt laws (or helmet laws for that matter). I see us marching ever closer and closer to the Big Brother state envisioned by Mssr. Orwell so many years ago, where everything is taken care of by the state and nothing is left for the individual.

And I don't like it. I don't like it one bit...

That is all.

Today...

Gotta post it...



Heh.

That is all.

Behind Enemy Lines, Part III

Parts I & II dealt with the legal issues of being a gun nut "behind enemy lines" - owning, carrying, and purchasing firearms in a state that is decidedly not 2A-friendly. Specifically, the topics of "May Issue" permitting, the ban on certain firearms for purely cosmetic reasons, and how certain firearms cannot be sold due to bogus "Consumer Regulations" restrictions have been covered in these earlier parts.

Part III will certainly be more subjective - the everyday life of the MA gunnie.

To start with, a little math. MA has some 6.4 million residents, give or take a couple. According to GOAL, there are some 240K licensed gun owners in MA - that's less than 4 percent of the population. Now, to those unfamiliar with MA gun permitting, you might think that's a little on the low side - most states have around 6-8% of their population with gun permits.

Except that in MA, you need a permit to even own a firearm, not just carry one.

What this means is that less than four percent of the citizens of MA own firearms (legally). You're more likely to run into someone who voted for Ralph Nader for President than a gun owner in Massachusetts. You're more likely to be talk to someone in MA who is unemployed than who owns a gun. Heck, you stand a better chance of finding someone in MA who thinks that Elvis is still alive than a licensed gun owner.

There just ain't too many of us...

What there is a lot of, unfortunately, is violent crime, a good chunk of which is committed with a firearm. Most of this is typical big city/drug war/gang-type stuff, pretty common to large urban centers and such; however, what it means, sadly, is that people in MA only have the nightly news and the drive-by shootings to associate with gun ownership. It's hammered home pretty frequently: Guns=criminal. Guns are bad. It's the old logical fallacy: People do bad things with guns, therefore guns are bad.

Hell, the deodand of the gun-buyback is proof-positive that we think the damn things are possessed...

In a nutshell, people only know what they "know" about guns by watching the nightly news (drive-by gang shootings) or from Hollywood. It's extremely rare for the average person in MA to hear a positive story about a firearm - the papers aren't exactly filled with defensive gun use stories, and even in the ultra-rare case where there *is* a defensive gun use, 99 times out of 100 the miscreant shot in self-defense will be referred to as a "shooting victim"...

It's not the kind of place you exactly want to brag about your Bushmaster carbine, that's for sure.

What does this mean for the average MA gun owner? It means we are, by and large, underground. We don't advertise the fact that we own guns - it's a good way to lose business, friends, or even jobs. We are reluctant to admit to our co-workers that we go to the range, or compete in a match, or go to a gun show. We instruct our children not to talk about guns at school, because when the other kids talk - as kids will - their parents will suddenly remember "other plans" when your child wants their child to come to their birthday party...

It's not right, don't get me wrong; it's just how it is...

I know guys who are afraid to put NRA or GOAL stickers on their vehicles because they don't want their co-workers to know they own guns. I've heard of people using "code words" to talk about going shooting ("Daddy's going to a meeting"). If, for some unknown reason a gunowner in MA is "outed", they're most likely to claim the Fudd defense ("Oh, I just have a deer rifle" or "Oh, I only have a couple of guns, and they're family heirlooms. I would never shoot one!"). Talking about firearms in a positive, supportive way is just not something that happens with any sort of frequency in states like MA.

In Part IV I'll discuss the happy exceptions to the above rule - the tightness of the 2A community in anti-gun states...

For now, that is all.

Huh.

Someone just told me there was some sort of sporting event on right now.

*shrug*

That is all.

Covered in Nerf™ Darts...

So I left a cryptic status on my Facebook page yesterday: "Jay spent the afternoon covered in Nerf™ darts...".

If you suspect that I have a young progeny, of the male persuasion, who will be celebrating the anniversary of his nascence shortly, you'd be right. If you further deduced that he chose to do so with 20 of his closest friends at his karate dojo rather than invite said gang to the G. homestead (which would entail frantic cleaning and quite possibly an exorcism), you'd also be right.

And if you said that I was right down in the thick of things, targeting my son and his friends for wanton elimination at the trigger of my trust Nerf™ guns, you'd be right yet again...

Why yes, I am sporting a Nerf™ dart mohawk. Rather fetching, don't you think?

The vast majority of the boys in this group are also my Wolf Scouts. I felt it was important for them to see me as a dad as well as someone who's more than happy to just get silly and PLAY with them, too. I've been the Assistant Cubmaster for the past year and a half, and will be stepping into the role of Cubmaster next month when the WeBeLoS IIs cross over to Boy Scouts and the current Cubmaster moves on with his son.

So, naturally, I dove in with both feet, ran around the dojo like a man possessed, taking fire from all sides and generally getting the ever-lovin' snot beat outta me by a passel of hyperactive eight year-olds. But such is the crazy hedonism of my weekend. Sometimes it's tough just getting out of bed...

That is all.

Gun Show Haul...

Went to a gun show yesterday morning. I was looking for one thing, and one thing in particular: ammo. I've got my evil assault rifles, my high-capacity handguns and magazines to supply said arms, etc. Yesterday's trip was needed to procur some reloads from my favorite reloaders out of NH who make the dangerous trip to MA to sell ammo at the gun show.

Of course, I managed to find more than ammo...

M7 bayonet for my Mossberg 590 (because, let's face it, a shotgun without a bayonet is like a day without sunshine...)

DeSantis Nemesis pocket holsters for J-frames and P3AT (it was about time the $8 Uncle Mike's holsters were replaced by something better)

NES window decal (going on the back window just below the Harley logo...)

HKS Speedloader for S&W Model 17 (it was too cute to pass up)

(And the ammo)
200 rounds of .38 Special 148 gr lead wadcutter
100 rounds of .380 ACP 95 gr lead wadcutter round nose
80 rounds of 5.56 55 gr FMJ

---

Prices for AR-15 variants appear to be stabilizing; AK-47 clones are still pretty volatile and are (IMHO) a couple hundred bucks north of YHGTBSM. $700 - $800 for a WASR-10? Uh, nofuckin'way. Ammo's still in the stratosphere - $150 for 500 rounds of 7.62X39mm. Ouch. I remember when it was $2 a box of 20 rounds and $80 for 1,000 rounds... Sure wish I'd bought more...

Side note to Tam: There are still plenty of Colt Pocket Autos in pristine condition out there. Problem is, they appear to be made out of solid platinum or something given the prices they are commanding (or at least asking).

At least the jerky was tasty!

That is all.