Physics Matters...

I love a story with a happy ending.

Video: Car fleeing from police goes through park, nearly hits children

Police were involved in a pursuit of a car Saturday, and dramatic video from a FOX 13 News viewer shows the car speeding across the grass of Founders Park as children frantically move out of the way.

The chase ended around 6:12 p.m. at 1500 S. Banbury Drive in Syracuse, and police officials said a minor had taken the vehicle without permission and officers sought the vehicle on a breach of trust.

So, this fourteen year old delinquent steals his grandfather's car. He proceeds to go on a joyride, listening to the police scanner, when he decides the best way to shake the po-po is to drive through a playground where young children are playing. The cops back off, because they don't want to endanger the kids, so he decides another run is in order.

Then one of the dads gets pissed. Dad has a Dodge Earthf**ker. On the little bastard's third swing around, Dad rams the sonofabitch. Hilarity ensues.

Here's the wreck:

And here's the damage to both vehicles:

(both pictures are from the link and are courtesy of the family that owns the Dodge. GOOD ON YA MATE)

I'm sorry, I can't look at that picture without giggling. Folks, this is what happens when a 2500 pound Hyundai Veloster meets a 7500 pound Dodge Mega Cab Ram. The Hyundai is demolished and has to be towed away. The Dodge needs some Brite Kleen on the bumper.

My biggest hope here is that the driver of the Ram isn't cited. Technically, he's at fault - he's on the wrong side of the road. Now, in Massachusetts he would most likely be arrested and charged with attempted murder (and a side-charge of hurting the environment with his oversized truck). I'm hoping that, this being Utah, he'll get a medal for his actions.

And maybe an enterprising UT truck accessory business will be smart and offer him a replacement bumper...

That is all.

Which Works Better?

Joseph in IL wants to point out that direct action works a hell of a lot better than "hashtag activism"...

Some in northeast Nigeria form vigilante groups

Villagers in an area of Nigeria where Boko Haram operates killed and arrested scores of the extremist Islamic militants that were suspected of planning to launch an attack, the residents and a security official said.

The attack on members of the group that holds hold hundreds of kidnapped schoolgirls comes amid the creation of vigilante groups that are resisting the Islamic uprising.

On Tuesday morning, after it learned of an impending attack by militants, a vigilante group in Kalabalge ambushed two trucks in which gunmen traveled, killing and arresting scores of them, a security official told The Associated Press.

[Pauses to let cheers die down]

You see, THAT gets results. Putting a pouty face on Twitter? Not so much. A pathetic "campaign" of celebrities holding signs about real men not buying girls? Doubtful. Shooting the bastards before they can kidnap, rape and kill? Now you're getting somewhere. There's a whole bunch of terrorist scumbags that will never harm a young child again.

Personally, I quote the late, great Jeff Cooper with regards to violence begetting violence:

"I would like very much to ensure—and in some cases I have—that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy.”

The only possible downside to this story is that we don't have video of the terrorist sh!theels getting their "come to Allah" moment when they rolled into the town thinking they were going to score some victims. Here they are, big bad Boko tango @$$holes, and it's just a little podunk town filled with meek little HOLY S**T WHERE DID THE MACHINE GUN FIRE COME FROM???

I'm gonna be humming "Thunderstruck" all day long now...



Ah, USS Missouri: How we say "F**k you and all your terrorist @$$hole buddies" from 24 miles away...

That is all.

At The Intersection of "Bad" and "Ass"...

Joseph in IL sent this in with the subject: 'MURICA! I thought of an alternate title: They were trying to emulate Matthew Allen...

Americans in Yemen shooting were getting haircuts

One of the two officers at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen who shot and killed a pair of suspected al-Qaida gunmen was getting a haircut at a barbershop when the attempted abduction took place, Yemeni security officials said Sunday.
Related Stories

The attempted kidnapping April 24 is the latest evidence of al-Qaida's expanding presence in the capital, a serious challenge to the authority of the already weak central government. It also could strain ties between Yemen and the U.S., which has launched an aggressive campaign of drone strikes against suspected al-Qaida fighters in the country.

So, basically, the local al-Quaida minor league team thought they'd scored a home run when they heard that there were Americans in town. They figured they'd swoop in, grab the gringos, then either have a nice ransom party or simply saw some heads off live on al-Jazeera TV.

Except that the Americans were smart, and took precautions, and when the tangoes burst in threatening everyone, they plugged 'em like John Wayne shooting a cattle rustler...

Yemeni officials questioned the two Americans and released them, allowing them to leave the country. One can only assume that the Americans were let go for fear their manliness would draw every single woman for miles, and in a few years Yemen would be overrun with strong-willed, badass American kids.

And I can't get this scene out of my head:



Well-played, gentlemen, well-played.

That is all.

Best News You'll Hear This Week...

Possibly even month.

Disney Confirms 'Incredibles' and 'Cars' Sequels

Pixar is working on a sequel to 2004's The Incredibles, the popular computer-animated superhero movie from Walt Disney Pictures, Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed on Tuesday during the company's annual shareholders meeting in Oregon.

Iger said The Incredibles 2 as well as Cars 3 are both in development, with Incredibles director Brad Bird formulating the sequel's plot. No timeline was given on their releases, but an announcement on the Disney Pixar Facebook page just made it official.

Cars 3 I can do without - Cars 2 was really nothing more than "Do It For The Merchandising!". We will most likely pick it up on Blu-Ray once it's out, because the kids enjoyed the first two iterations, but I suspect they're both too old for this one. I'm also more than a little curious to see where they take the franchise - Toy Story 3 was, in some people's opinions, the best of the trilogy, for example (I vastly preferred the original but they were all excellent).

But Incredibles 2? I have three words for that: About [expletive] time. The Incredibles is by far my favorite Pixar film to date, and is certainly in my top five all-time favorite movies, period. The characters, while relying on superhero tropes, are original and vibrant - who'd ever heard of a superhero having a mid-life crisis before? Oh, sure, you could argue that Frank Miller's Dark Knight was, but that's really more of the struggles of the Bat than a mid-life crisis.

I am *very* curious to see where the second installment takes us. They might pick up where the first movie left off, with the family all battling the Underminer. One of the great parts about animated shows is the characters never age, so spacing the sequel more than a decade later won't make that much difference. Or, it could pick up ~ 10 years later, with Violet off on her own, Dash a high school senior, and Jack-Jack as a fifth-grader.

It's a pretty reasonable assumption that, with the Pixar team on the job, the second installment won't be a simple retelling of the first. I haven't yet seen a Pixar movie I didn't like - even Wall-E and Ratatouille were decent films - and they've been good about changing up the sequels. I suspect that no matter what the storyline might be, we'll be treated to great writing, amazing scenery, and a fun time for everyone in the family.

"What could happen? We're Supers!"

That is all.

Something Really Cool...

One of my fellow editors here at Shooting Illustrated is about as big a sci-fi buff as your humble host, and he's also a might fair amateur gunsmith. He took it upon himself to create a working version of an iconic movie prop, and he details his adventure here:

Building a Live-Ammo-Firing Han Solo Blaster

Go read the whole article. It's well-worth the few minutes to read about this labor of love. And the gun's pretty darn neat, too:

Yeah. Han Solo's blaster brought to life. Pretty darn cool.

Now if I can convince him to make Captain Mal's sidearm...

That is all.

Feel-Good Story of the Day...

Saw this on Facebook yesterday, and it's WAY too good not to share...

Militants accidentally set off own car bomb at training camp in Iraq, leaving 21 dead

BAGHDAD – Militants accidentally set off their own car bomb Monday at a training camp in the countryside north of Baghdad, leaving 21 dead and resulting in two dozen arrests, Iraqi officials said.

In the city of Mosul to the north, meanwhile, the speaker of parliament — one of the most prominent Sunni officials in Iraq — escaped unhurt from a roadside bomb attack on his motorcade.

I think I can safely say that THIS is exactly the kind of car bomb that we can all support. "Here, Achmed, you have to hook up the blue wire over he- NOT THE RED [BOOOOOOM]"

Heh.

But wait, it gets better. The explosion alerted the good guys, who swooped in, captured a bunch of insurgents, and shut down a facility where they made car bombs to kill innocent people.

TO RECAP:

• 21 Dead tangos.
• 22 Tangos in custody.
• One car bomb making facility shut down.

Damn, but that's a good day right there...

That is all.

Another dispatch from...

(image courtesy of Robb Allen)

Careful, It's Dusty Out Today...

Jacqueline in Texas sent in this story. It's a good antidote to the previous one.

Boss selling restaurant to save employee with brain tumor

Along Highway 105 in Montgomery, you'll find the Kaiserhof Restaurant and Wunderbar. You'll also find a waitress extraordinaire named Brittany Mathis.

"I have my good days and my bad," said Mathis.

The 19-year-old employee doesn't look or sound sick, but she is -- and everyone at the authentic German restaurant knows it.

So, how does her boss handle it? Does he fire her before she can sue him for medical insurance? Does he cut her hours so he doesn't have to pay her health insurance? No, he went the opposite direction.

He's going to sell the restaurant and help her pay off her medical bills. 

Now, he's getting out of the business anyways, saying he wants to spend more time with his family. Given how the restaurant business works, that's not surprising - 15 hour days are a short day. Thing is, he owes her exactly nothing, yet he's going to help her out at this crucial time, because that's what people do.

And that's why the leftists can't stand the thought of self-reliance - because it means one less person dependent on government largesse that they can control at some point in the future.

That is all.

For C&H Fans...

I brave the wilds of HuffPo for you...

These Disturbingly Creative Snowmen Would Make Calvin And Hobbes Proud

Bill Watterson's classic comic strip always took an extra sharp turn for the weird around the season's first snowfall. And although there hasn't been a new "Calvin and Hobbes" printed in the last twenty or so years, Calvin's mischievous spirit has quite clearly lived on.

Without further ado, here are some of the strangest snowmen to grace the cold, white earth.

My favorite? Why, it's got to be this one, of course:

Heh. A snow AT-AT. That's one lucky kid right there - I'll bet it took quite a bit of time to create all the tiny snow X-wing fighters needed to round up one snow AT-AT... Some of the snowmen creations are obvious recreations of some of the Watterson originals. Others are riffs on the subject; still more are fresh material (i.e. the snow outhouse - well done!).

Why, yes, I *did* hear that the Northeast is going to get socked with snow, why do you ask?

That is all.

Brilliant!!!

Brad_in_MA sends in a story of a man who can be summed up in one word: GENIUS. Check this out:

Hilarious video leads to unexpected sale of 17-year-old car

Here's proof that a good pitch can sell anything ... even a 17-year-old Nissan with a hood that needs to be tied down with rope.

Luke Aker created a video to help sell his not-so-gently used 1996 Maxima. But rather than just posting a regular old Craigslist ad with boring photos of the engine, trunk and odometer, Aker decided to create an ad in the style of a pretentious luxury car commercial with soft lighting, deep voice-over and analogies to humankind's greatest achievements.

Here's the video in question. You really need to watch this. Really.



"...It will get you from point A to point B. Most of the time" - LOVE IT.

The folks at Nissan got wind of the commercial and contacted Mr. Aker about the Maxima. They not only purchased it, they also made a $1,000 donation to the Wounded Warrior Project to boot. Well-played, Nissan USA.

We salute you, Luke Aker, a true man of genius.

That is all.

Things Are Different In Texas...

Jacqueline in Texas sends in a sign from a local hardware store:

That, right there, is how its done, folks. In amongst all the 30.06 signs that forbid the carrying of arms, here's a store that tells customers, right up front, that they are welcome if they are carrying a firearm. This sign, mind you, is a thousand times more effective than a "no guns" sign. Think about it. A "no guns" sign tells a potential bad guy that he will be the only person in that store with a firearm.

That sign tells the same potential bad guy that he's playing Texas Roulette if he whips out a heater in that hardware store...

That is all.

Start Your Friday Off Right...

Brad_in_MA sends in the feel-good story of the day:

Wrigley Heiress Charters Private Plane for Marine's Dogs to Fly Cross-Country

A good Samaritan with deep pockets chartered a private jet to fly a Marine's dogs across the country to the soldier's new base on Sunday, after the pets were deemed too big to travel on commercial flights.

Helen Rosburg, the great-granddaughter of chewing gum industrialist William Wrigley, said she was more than happy to help out Andrew Morales and his family upon hearing that they may have to leave their beloved pets behind.

There are a fair number of people that think that just because a person is worth over [some random large number] that they deserve to have their money taken away. They think that this money certainly must have been gotten off the backs of the workers; that there's no way an honest person could make that kind of money without someone else suffering. These people are idiots, mind you, but they are out there.

Whenever you hear someone talk mindlessly about the "wealthiest 1%", remember that folks like Ms. Rosburg are solidly in that 1%. Without the money from her family's business concerns, she wouldn't be able to help folks like this Marine - not that it would matter to those who would love to use the power of the government to take her money away at gunpoint.

Here's another thing to consider. She doesn't have to do her philanthropic work. She could very easily re-invest her money into concerns that will make more money for her rather than spend it on concerns that don't directly involve her. Now, if the government starts taking more and more of her money - and remember, under our tax system, the wealthiest pay more proportionally anyways - will she continue her work? Or will she very quietly just fold up shop and stop helping?

Of course, more cynical folks might think that's the government's plan in the first place...

That is all.

Make With The Clicky!

Aaron has the monthly roundup of gun stuff what you can win.

In a few months, I'll be eligible to win any of these items. It's a weird feeling, freedom. For years I've been enviously scouring the list, looking for the MA-approved handguns and ban-compliant rifles. It's all going to end soon, as I put the Volksrepublik of Massachusetts behind me for the greener pastures of another Commonwealth. Warmer in many ways, from the climate itself to the acceptance of the Second Amendment, the two Commonwealths could not be more different.

I think I'm going to like this one much better...

Now go click and (maybe) win something!

That is all.

Greatest Generation Indeed...

Jacqueline in Texas sent this in. If it doesn't put a smile on your face, well, you must be an "essential" employee...

'Greatest generation' veterans sweep past barricades at memorial in their honor

What was meant to be a final gathering of heroes Tuesday instead became a final victory for dozens of World War II combat vets who refused to let the government's budget battle block a visit to their memorial in the nation's capital.

With bagpipers playing "Amazing Grace," nearly 200 veterans from Mississippi and Iowa swept past barricades and security guards at the World War II Memorial in Washington in order to keep a commitment to visit the site, which was closed today due to the partial government shutdown. The veterans, in their 80s and 90s, were accompanied by Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., a former Marine who earlier vowed not to let the National Park Police keep them from a planned visit to the open-air monument.

The Park Police did not, in fact, stop the WWII veterans from attending the memorial, which is probably the one smart thing to come out of Washington today. Make no mistake - the "cuts" are intended to be as venal as possible - you know Obama's not going to miss any vacation time because of the shutdown. I'm sure the question was asked - should we turn these veterans away - and when they realized the absolute political suicide that would ensue, the decision was made to stand down.

It's telling that it took the generation that told the Axis to get stuffed to stand up to an out-of-control government, does it not?

That is all.

I Dare You...

... to read this story and not pump your fist in the air and yell "YES!" even just a little...

Fencing coach foils robbery with sword

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A fencing instructor foiled a robbery this week, and he was even dressed to do battle as he chased down the suspected thieves.

Franco Scaramuzza said he always tries to be aware of his surroundings, so when the crime unfolded right in front of him last Tuesday in Bellevue, he knew he had one choice.

His choice was to grab his epee and run after the thieves screaming bloody murder. Apparently, it worked like a charm, because when they saw a man armed with a sword advancing on them rapidly, they dropped their illicitly obtained goods and ran shrieking from the scene.

Folks, I want you to consider how that must have looked from the goblin's standpoint. Here they are, having pulled off the caper of the century where they sprayed an elderly couple with pepper spray and took the woman's purse, when all of a sudden some dude in full fencing regalia comes running at them with a sword in his hand.

I don't know if it happened or not, but I like to think that the police had to hose out the squad car after picking these two up from the trout pond in their trousers after that experience...

That is all.

Thanks to Jacqueline in Texas for this awesome story!

There Are Good People Left.

This story all by itself went a long way towards renewing my faith in humanity.

Minnesota DQ manager's good deed gets attention

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Joey Prusak was appalled when he saw a customer at the suburban Minneapolis Dairy Queen store where he works pick up someone else's $20 bill and slip it into her purse.

So when the woman got up to the counter to order, Prusak refused to serve her unless she returned the money. When the woman refused, the 19-year-old store manager went a step further: He gave the visually impaired customer who hadn't realized he'd dropped the money $20 out of his own pocket.

There is just so much right in this story, I don't even know where to begin. First of all, it puts the lie to that stupid canard of "The customer is always right". No, no they're not. Sometimes the customer is an idiot who can't find their ass with both hands and a bloodhound. And sometimes they're evil little turds who deserve to get flushed. At 19 years old, this kid has more integrity than a lot of people twice his age - how many others would have had the guts to stand up to the woman, including refusing to serve her?

And that he's 19 years old and a manager at the store? That's someone going places, folks. He's been working there since he was 14 - this isn't a slacker, waiting for mom and dad to hand him something. This is someone that's going far in life. He'll own that store before he's 25, and before he's 40 he'll have a whole chain of stores. And then some whiny college kid will bleat about how he's the "wealthiest one percent", and I hope he kicks that college kid into his own hat.

Kudos to you, Mr. Prusak - were that there were more men of your caliber left in this world...

That is all.

Just Good People...

Gotta give a shout out to the good folks at Brownells. As you might recall, I recently acquired a "pre-ban" AR-15 lower that was built into a rifle:

Well, the upper that I purchased didn't come with a bayonet lug. And if there's one thing folks know, I love me some bayonets. So, a quick call to my friends at Brownells, and voila!

They were kind enough to send a YHM front sight gas block - with bayonet lug! Wally installed it for me, we fit the upper to the lower, and an evil AR-15 was born. I'm still waiting for someone to explain why the lower being over a certain age makes an upper less deadly with a bayonet or a flash hider. I suspect I'll be waiting for a while. But I do want to thank Brownells for making my bayonet wishes and EBR dreams come true!

Thanks to the good folks at Brownells, I can haz bayonet!

That is all.

How's That "90%", Again?

Colorado Lawmakers Ousted in Recall Vote Over Gun Law

COLORADO SPRINGS — Two Colorado Democrats who provided crucial support for a slate of tough new gun-control laws were voted out of office on Tuesday in a recall vote widely seen as a test of popular support for gun restrictions after mass shootings in a Colorado movie theater and a Connecticut elementary school.

The election, which came five months after the United States Senate defeated several gun restrictions, handed another loss to gun-control supporters. It also gave moderate lawmakers across the country a warning about the political risks of voting for tougher gun laws.

The "warning" is that the "90%" line we've been fed is complete and utter bulls**t. Gun permits are up *EVERYWHERE* - when I renewed my MA LTC this year, the number of permit requests in my town had DOUBLED since the previous year. More than 10% of the residents of my town - and bear in mind, it's about half kids here - have their MA LTC. IN MASSACHUSETTS. This is not just the angry bitter clingers buying more guns, folks. This is *everyone* seeing the writing on the wall and acting accordingly.

I *still* can't find most ammunition on the shelves at the local stores, box or otherwise. We are only *just* starting to see the much-reviled AR-15, the most popular sporting rifle in America, on store shelves (and at pricing closer to non-panic levels). People in record numbers are getting concealed carry permits - despite the incessant drone about "Stand Your Ground" laws in the media. And now, with the ousting of two virulently anti-gun legislators in middle-ground Colorado, we're starting to see some serious political ramifications for ignoring the *true* will of the people with regard to gun control.

Good job Colorado. Good job Magpul - I can't help but think that you guys following through on your promise to leave CO after the passage of the gun control legislation played no small part in the recall election. Losing a thriving business (how many other businesses in today's Obamaconomy have people lining up to buy their product, often at a markup?) because of idiotic regulations that affect only good people sent a wake-up call to the voters in Colorado, and they voted accordingly. Good job all around.

And of course, it's interesting to see the reaction in the mainstream media. They are, of course, "blaming" the NRA - ignoring the millions that anti-gun groups poured into CO both before the gun control legislation and now leading up to the recall. NYC Mayor Bloomberg spent $350K of his own money (and countless NYC tax dollars) to fight the recall - yet the EEEEVIL NRA is the big boogeyman here, twisting people's arms to vote for recall (yes, that is sarcasm dripping off that sentence. Don't get any on you). Isn't it funny that the gun control groups are protrayed as the grassroots movements, when as soon as that outside money dries up, people drop like flies?

It's called projection, and it'd be ironic if they were even dimly aware they were doing it...

That is all.

"So, Ma'am, You're Saying Batman Rescued Your Cat?"

Heh. Sent in by Shane W. is today's feel-good-story-of-the-day.

UPDATE: Two Men Dressed as Superheroes Save Cat from Burning House

MILTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Even the firefighters who put out the flames at a house fire in Milton on Saturday call Batman and Captain America heroes.

Like a scene from a comic book, two men dressed as superheroes went into a burning house on Church Street to save a cat.

“We were at the American Legion doing an event for the vets and the children in the community,” John “Batman” Buckland said. “The vets came over, said they saw some smoke, thought it was trash.”

Turns out, Batman's a hero in real life, too. Mr. Buckland is a former firefighter, and went into the house - dressed as Batman - to see if anyone is inside. You don't have to be Batman to be a hero, and anyone that walks into a burning building to save others fits that description in my book. That he was dressed as Batman at the time (and had Captain America as a sidekick!) is just the icing on the cake...

It's not often we get to post stories that make you feel good. Usually they're stories that anger up the blood, or make you shake your head, or worry you about this handbasket with a couple JATO units strapped to it and where we're going in it. This time, for today, it's a feel good story about two men, dressed as superheroes, that went above and beyond.

I wonder, though, how many of those kids got in trouble for fibbing when they told their parents that they saw Batman and Captain America go into a burning building to save a cat...

That is all.

There Is Still Goodness In This World

Jacqueline in Texas sends in the feel good story of the day, week, heck possibly even the month:

Stranger pays for 'special' family's dinner

(CNN) - A dinner out turned into an experience of a lifetime for a North Carolina family thanks to one stranger's heartfelt gesture.

Ashley England and her family want to thank a customer who paid for their meal Friday night and left behind a touching note about their special needs son. A photo of the note has gone viral, shared with thousands of people on Facebook.

Their son, who suffers from epilepsy that leaves him unable to speak, was having a rough night and was throwing a tantrum in the restaurant. Now, I remember when my kids were at the tantrum throwing stage. I carried my daughter out of a number of restaurants before she finally got the idea that throwing tantrum = bye bye. I can only imagine it's orders of magnitude harder with a child with other challenges.

Rather than stew silently, or make snide comments, a random stranger committed an anonymous act of kindness and paid for the family's meal. "That which you do for the least of my children, you do for me". That's goodness right there. That's a giving, Christian thing to do. Rather than judge, ignore, or walk away, they took positive steps and turned a bad night into a good one.

Bravo, anonymous giver, bravo.

That is all.

Good Followup...

Remember when I posted the story about the Texas father who caught some dirtbag attempting to rape his 5 year old daughter and subsequently beat him to death?

He won't be charged.

[pauses for cheers to die down]

Thanks to a whole bunch of folks who sent me that followup. And no, it doesn't count as a DGC addition... (no firearm). Yeah, I'm guessing that the DA shopped that around to a few folks, and when they couldn't find a single soul who would vote to convict, they very quietly dropped all charges.

"Let me get this straight. This dude walks in on an illegal alien* scumbag molesting his young daughter and proceeds to stop the threat. In the process, the perpetrator expired. You want me to convict the father of murder? In Texas?"

I'm guessing after the 20th juror or so laughed in the DA's face they realized they weren't going to win this one...

That is all.

*Thanks to commenter DO for pointing out that there is nothing to indicate the scumbag was an alien of either stripe. Mea culpa on that one, folks.