Insomnia=Return of Humpday Hardware

Ok, let’s get back in the swing of things by goin’ cowboy again…

This is one of the prizes of the Privateer’s arms locker: a Winchester Model 1887, produced (assuming I looked it up properly) pre1890.

When Spoon and I were first involved in cowboy shooting, I noticed that this model was listed as a “legal” shotgun, although I had never seen one (outside of T2). Finally got a chance to handle one at a match, and absolutely fell in love…



Of course, actually finding one for sale took a bit more time. Finally managed it a couple hours away, and stumbled on it: they didn’t know what it actually was, having it marked as a rifle (I THINK it was as an 1885). Had ‘em bring it down, looked it over, and handed them my plastic: then had to find the SN for them.



She was in slightly rougher shape: looked like a previous owner was grinding the muzzle on concrete. Figured that as I was only going to use her for CAS, I had the BBL shortened slightly. The smith smiled at me when he checked the action: said it was one of the tightest ’87 actions he’d ever encountered, and the $1K I paid was a steal.




Since then, I’ve not only shot CAS with it, but both trap and sporting clays. Not exactly the best gun for those tasks, but it preforms admirably. Despite the fact that it’s older than the combined ages of the entire squad on the line…

One note: the “tack cross” was there when I got it. Would LOVE to know the story behind it (which is one of the things I love about old guns like this).

Why did I chew out through the straps?

Well, the last couple months have been... interesting. Will give the full story at a later date (some things need to settle down a bit, including potential criminal charges). Suffice it to say that I got seriously scammed by someone I thought was a friend. Will give full details after all the smoke clears...

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As some may remember, last year I FINALLY got a Harley. Had a small problem with her in June: she threw her compensator on the way back from Kentucky. No problem: took her to the local HD shop, and they made it all better.

Except that, when I brought her out of storage last week, she started making the same noise she did last June. WTF?

She's back at the shop: REALLY hope they fix her right this time!

And for starters...

I posted this once before, but I think it would be a good idea to revisit it. This is one lady's story, about what happened to her.

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At the end of eighth-grade, when I was thirteen; I was walking home from school. When I was ten houses down the street from my house, there were two or three guys outside talking. They stared at me from the moment I turned the corner and started waslking down Prospect.

When I got a little closer, they started talking to me and I don't really remember what happened after that but somehow I ended up in one of the bedrooms on the second floor of the house they were in front of. I was raped in that house by two boys at the same time. The first person I told was my best friend, she called me a whore for what happened to me.

After that I did not tell anyone until I met with Strings from BACA in 2006. I didn't tell anyone because I was afraid of what they would call me after hearing those words come out of my best friend.

Today, ten years later, it still affects me. Every relationship that I have been in, I always think that they are using me for sex and then will leave me; thinking that about everyone who truly loves me has made me push them away. I feel like I am not worth anything to anyone but for sex.

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Those of you who have daughters, especially of the "invincible" variety: have them read this. Maybe it will help keep them from becoming another statistic

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

All kidding aside, no practical joke: April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. I'll do my best to post (and, in some cases, repost) things that are important to know to actually prevent your child from becoming a statistic...

Found on Facespace

Saw this posted by a BACA member, and figured I would spread it a bit...

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Hero? No I am not
I am a biker
I am a physical presence
I am emotional support
I am an OBSTACLE and A SHEILD
Child Abusing cowards beware for I am not one
I am part of a body, a family like no other
one of worn leather, shining chrome, and burning hearts!
Skin tattooed with our intent
EMBRACE & EMPOWER
For some we are the comfort after a bad dream, for others we ARE the nightmare
We are THE KEEPERS OF THE CHILDREN
THE CHILDREN- they are the Heros
- Baca Medusa

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'Nuff said

Politics... BAH, HUMBUG

So, I'm sure most people are just as tired of the Republican Primary Season as I am.

Seriously: are they in a competition to see just how badly they can fail?

Anyway, this post over at Atomic Nerds got me thinking: what would I want in a candidate? If I could build a candidate for office the way I would an AR, what features would I want?

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- No religion. Leave it at home, I don't care to hear about it. Don't recall ever seeing a spot on an employment application asking about my faith, so I don't want to know about yours.

- Knowledge of basic civics. Such as knowing the Bill of Rights, and that it means the government "may not". Bonus points for not agreeing with something (such as gun ownership), but defending it as being enumerated

- Stop trying to avoid "scandals". Seriously, that was one thing Obama did that I appreciated (and that Clinton seriously messed up). Prefer someone who will own their mistakes to someone who tries to excuse them

- Actually admit to not knowing something at some point. Seriously folks: nobody is an expert on everything. Would be refreshing to have a candidate answer a question "Honestly, I'm not sure what to tell you on that. I'll have to do some research on the topic..."

How about y'all: what do YOU want to see in a candidate?

Casting about for blogfodder

And caught this at MArooned

Rules are simple: "What 5 firearms would I purchase, should price nor practicality be an issue?"

Hoo, boy!

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Beretta 93-R Because Mack Bolan couldn't be wrong. Already have the Automag, need the Italian machinepistol to go with it.

Size of a 92F, select fire, uses commonly available magazines. What's not to love?

Le Mat The ultimate in percussion revolver fighting pistols

H&K MP5SD For Spoon, who considers this the ultimate in fun to shoot

Pfeifer-Zeliska .600 Nitro Express pistol Do I even NEED to explain?

.45 Luger C'mon... who WOULDN'T want one?

Interesting article

So... as anyone in the shooting community knows, there has been a long-standing debate about what caliber to use for a defensive handgun. Recently, a friend of mine sent me this article, which shows some interesting facts for the debate.

I've always told people to carry whatever they felt comfortable with. If you're fine with a pocket .22, and feel that will do what you need it to do, cool. If you feel you need a Smith .500, rock on with your bad self.

Me? There's always a .32 in my pocket. What's on my hip varies: my .45, or the .357, or even the Beretta 9mm. I'm certain any of them will preform well if needed.

Go read: what this man's study shows is something many have known for awhile. That there is no "magic bullet"

Ever have

... one of those days where you just don't know why you bothered chewing through the straps? Yeah... having one today

A day that will live in infamy

The words spoken by FDR to Congress, asking that we declare war on the Empire of Japan in direct response to their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. Maybe we should read the whole thing:

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, Members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives:

Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.

Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night, the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As commander in chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense. But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph -- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese empire.

Take a moment to remember the sacrifice those words would cause for a large number of Americans, as we fought to stop the Axis Powers...

Humpday Hardware: is that a pistol in your pocket?

Let's continue the cowboy theme for a bit...

One of the other things that was fun in CAS were the side matches: derringer matches, long range rifle, and pocket pistol.

Since my persona was a gambler, the pocket pistol matches intrigued me. So I set out acquiring the needed equipment. This is NOT as easy as it sounds.

My first attempt was the pictured H&R. Now granted, I picked it up for a song (think I paid $50 for it), but I made a serious mistake: I didn't check the lockup. Even with the trigger pulled (at which point, the cylinder shouldn't wobble at all), there's a good 2mm of play. Should only require replacing one part, but Gander Mountain doesn't generally stock parts for obsolete pocket .32s...



So we continue on the search, moving forward to the year before last.

I had gone to a local funshow with a young friend and his mother: she wanted to buy him his first centerfire rifle, and asked me to tag along and help him find a good deal. While browsing the tables, I spied this:



That would be an Iver Johnson version of the same pistol (both based on the S&W pocket pistols). And again, offered for a song (I had $100 on me, it was marked at $150. He took the Franklin). And this time, I had learned my lesson: lockup was checked before discussing price, and it locks up like the frame and cylinder are one piece.

Haven't gotten a chance to fire either yet, but hopefully my next range trip I'll bring the Iver J along to test. Here they are with my EDS:

Recoil therepy

So Spoon and I decided to hit a (somewhat) nearby indoor range last night, to try and distract ourselves a bit. Best idea ever.

Didn't take too much with us: mom's Mustang, Spoon's Kimber, dad's Ortgie, and one of the pocket .32's.

She did fairly well with her Kimber, but we REALLY need to replace the magazines.

Dad's Ortgie has issues, but that's ok: it'll never be used as a carry piece again. Actually, it'll be passed on as a gift to someone who'll truly appreciate it.

The pocket .32, I'm kinda pissed about. Need to replace the mainspring: a full cylinder of light strikes tells me that. Or maybe the hammer.

The new surprise was Spoon with the Mustang. Only went out to 10 yards, but kept every group at the range under 8 inches. To me, that's good enough for a pocket pistol: she's gonna be taking it as her new carry piece. I think mom would approve.

0355

Miney just came out of Dad's room, and asked me to come in. Dad is gone

Change isn't always for the better...

New Jovian Thunderbolt comments on something posted over at Tam's place.

I know where they're coming from.

When I got into shooting, I was all about the new and uber-tacticool. ARs, HKs, Berettas... all that was "cutting edge". Then, something changed...

Now, the pistol on my hip most often is a Smith 19-5. And I'm looking into an Uberti Schofield copy, that will also be added to the rotation. One of the prizes of my collection is a Winchester 1887 shotgun. And at gun shows, the table of "old things" draws me much more readily than whatever the newfangled gizmo of the day is.

They really DON'T make 'em like they used to. And that's a shame...

Up all night, sleep when I'm dead

Well, I suppose I should just tell folks what's going on.

Dad returned from Thailand, again with his COPD hitting hard. And has been in a long spiral down since, to the point that we're currently keeping a 24 hour watch on him. Guess who gets the night shift?

Honestly, I don't expect him to make it to Christmas. And at this point, would rather he didn't: felons in solitary have a higher quality of life at this point...

Humpday Hardware goes cowboy

Ok... been promising this for months now. Unfortunately, I did NOT get pics of Spoon actually holding her pieces: too much life going on right now (will post about that later)

Anyway... before we got involved in BACA, Spoon and I had discovered the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting. For those unaware, this is a game where you dress up in your best approximation of Olde West Garb, and see how fast you can miss a set of targets. It's played with two single action pistols, a lever or pump action rifle, and one of a limited number of shotgun designs (all pre 1899 designs)...

We never got a chance to get too involved: our BACA chapter got started shortly after that, and our finances got screwy around the same time. To the point that my cowboy pistols got sold (the very last guns I ever sold). But the plan has always been to get involved with that sport again.

We had already picked up Spoon's first pistol before then: an American Western Arms Longhorn.



The funny story with this pistol is, it's her second one. Took the first one to the range, and it locked up tight on her: part of the frame behind the cylinder had broken. But they made it right almost instantly, so good on AWA

The second pistol was actually provided by a friend for her Christmas present last year (and I still owe him on it: I haven't forgotten, bro). It's an Uberti Peacemaker knockoff:



My frined Matt was looking to get rid of it (and a side by 12 ga), and we talked about it. The fun of this one was the gunstore employee who claimed he had shipped it, but didn't: that caused a LOT of fun on both ends.

So here they are: my wife's pair of single action slugthrowers

New Feature

Ok... gotten back into Humpday Hardware (honest, Spoon WILL be goin' cowboy tomorrow). And suddenly, another possible feature presents itself: The Tuesday Drunk Barrista. Some background...

A friend of mine is a barrista at the local java joint. And he's a... colorful... character. Who, when he goes out on weekends, has been known to spout some priceless lines. Or find himself in priceless situations. We'll call him John.

Now... John is a gay liberal. But I'm a tolerant soul. And I've talked several friends into aiding and abetting, by reporting back whatever humor happens when I'm not along.

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So I got invited along this weekend past. There's only the four of us guys, and discussions are wide ranging. Including discussion of John's visit to the submarine (I STILL haven't gotten all the details, but he often says "so I desecrated a national monument"). As the night goes on, the discussion turns to child support, and the ridiculus levels some men are made to pay.

John, swaying slightly, proclaims quite loudly "well, if some guy knocked me up, I would want to be getting some scratch from him!". We all just sorta looked at him, before busting out laughing...

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So that's the start... I have a few stories saved up, for the rare weekend they don't go out. And y'all can read about it every tuesday!

... and blood will run in the streets!

Well, we're 27 days into the era of legally armed Wisconsinites, and coming to the end of the opening weekend of Idiot Season (Christmas shopping).

Just did a quick Google search, looking for any cases of shootings here in Cheddarland during the Black Friday stupidity. Now, I've heard of all kinds of asshattery from Friday, but oddly enough, nobody pulled their heater and popped some caps to secure the X-Box for Lil' Timmy.

We were promised blood in the streets, damnit. Where's our blood in the streets?

Pimpin' ain't easy

Many moons ago, a reporter asked Patton about his pearl-handled pistol. His response has become somewhat legendary: "Only a New Orleans pimp, would carry a pearl-handled gun."

Ummm... sorry, general

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I had picked up Smitty a few years back, wanting a .357 in the locker. When I bought him, he had oversize Pachmyer grips, which didn't fit my tiny paws all that well. Over the next year or so, I spent lots of time looking for a good set of grips that fit my hand. Various rubber grips were tried, none felt right. And when I considered the idea of keeping him in my colors, they got worse.

Then came the Fon du lac gunshow, and a table that had all KINDS of grips. I was hoping for a nice set of smooth wood. Instead, I found what you see on him.



He's a Smith 19-5, with a 2" bbl. Shoots well, and carries ok in either of the rigs pictured. I'm hoping to replace both with a Flatjack from Dragonworks Leather, debating between the Gadsden inlay, or stingray with eye. And finances to be a lil' better...

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And no, really, next week Spoon will cowboy up!

And Wisconsin joins the United States

As most people know, some form of concealed carry has been available in 48 of our 50 states for many years. Well, as of 01 Nov, Wisconsin FINALLY joined the rest.

It has been a long fight to get here, but we FINALLY made it. And today, 18 Nov, I got my permission slip in the mail:




YAY!!!

Too much irony. Needs some starch

So... Steve Jobs has shuffled off this mortal coil. Although never a fan of his products, I never wished the man ill, and admit he revolutionized things.

The joke now is the Westboro Baptist Idiots. They've announced that they'll be protesting Jobs' funeral. And they made the announcement on Twitter,  via their iPhones.

Words fail

Meanwhile, on the east coast...

... Mother Nature decided to shake things up a bit. Unfortunately, She made a mistake, and did NOT swallow DC...

Damnit

In the mind of a pedophile...

Ok... go here. Read the post, certainly (and the post linked back at Peter's place). But most importantly, read the comments...

There, folks, is a pedophile (you'll know who he is).

This is seen regularly, where someone starts posting to a blog or discussion group, defending pedophilia as "simply sex between people who love each other". We're left to imagine children, enveloped in the overwhelming love of the person embracing them, and that love being shown in a tender, heart-warming fashion.

BULLSHIT

Yes, quite often, the victim (a child, not fully mature) DOES "consent" or even "desire" what the pedophile is doing. That's because the scum do something called "grooming"... a fancy term for "brainwashing". They convince the child that they want this, that it's ok. That it's acceptable to have happen.

Children also have a desire to try alcohol, and tobacco. Haven't heard the outcry about THOSE rights "being infringed", probably because the only people who would benefit from such would be businesses, and those businesses have morals.

When you encounter these people, they will go to great lengths to convince you that what they do is harmless, that there really is no victim, that children genuinely WANT these things. And they can sound OH SO REASONABLE, just wanting these poor children to have their "sexual rights".

Call them on it folks. Someone who would defend the actions of a pedophile, probably is one themselves. Show them NO mercy, just as they show none to their victims...

Of flash mobs

Yes yes, I know... I've been lazy. Working on that.

The big news items out of Wisconsin this year has been the passage of concealed carry, and the flash mob phenomina in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, it seems the police and politicritters of Milwaukee are refusing to look at the racial component of the mobs: almost exclusively black youths, targeting white victims.

Now, CCW goes into effect in November, and the first Wisconsin permits are expected to hit the streets by 15 December. And I'm going to make a small prediction about the combination of these two facts:

Sometime between 15 December 2011, and the same time 2012, there will be another flash mob in Milwaukee (again a group of predominantly black youths). Only this time, there will be an armed citizen amongst the chosen victims, most likely a white male. Said victim may or may not survive the encounter, but there WILL be casualties.

When this occurs, Milwaukee is going to blow, sky high, as the various race baiters and idiots in paleomedia turn this into some racial crime.

You heard it here first. Gawds, but I hope I'm wrong...

Words fail

Cue red tint on your computer moniter when you read this.

Back from the homicidal rage? Ok.

For those who didn't mash the link: couple has house searched in connection with a burglary. In the house, the police find two children: a month old baby boy "in good condition", and a girl of 5 or 6 locked in a crib and so malnourished she was attempting to eat her own skin. AND, (if that wasn't enough), authorities found the remains of another child buried on the premises.

*RAGE*

And the money quote, for me:

"He was really a nice guy," Brian Gore's ex-girlfriend, Sandy, told WTKR 3 News in Norfolk. "He went to church and everything."

They go to church, so they MUST be good folks.

People, some of the WORST things I've seen have been done by people with more religious artwork on their walls that your average church.

Y'all will excuse me, I have to go hit something now. Like my head against the wall

Eva

MANY years ago, my father told me a story about my grandmother. She was a full blood Apache woman, who had a bit of an attitude.

Story goes, that a door to door salesman interrupted her favorite gameshow. She politely excused herself from the door, went to the kitchen, snagged a tool, and chased the guy down the street brandishing her meat cleaver over her 4' nothing frame.

Why do I bring this up?

Well, it's been time to replace the "longboat" of the HMS Privateer. I WAS going to pick up a sidecar equipped Goldwing from a brother out of state, but I found something else instead.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I'd like to introduce you to Eva, my new scoot:



'91 Sportster 1200, with a bit less than 15K on the odometer...

She's going to be getting some cosmetic work done on her: a face-lift, so to speak. Pics will come when she's all finished.

Why "Eva"? Because she's small (Sporties are the smallest of the HD line), but has guts WAY beyond her size. Seems fitting she should be named after my slightly psychotic grandma...

Back aboard

Ok... someone (again) reminded me that I've got this thing. Working on making regular posts again...

Of lunatics, guns, and polite discourse

So... by now, I'm sure everyone's heard about the wackjob in Arizona who pulled a gat and mowed down several people (including a congresswoman, a judge, and a small girl).

And the media frenzy began before the gunsmoke had cleared, with many stations immediately claiming that the shooter was some "Right-Wing Teabagger, pushed over the edge by Sarah Palin's rhetoric". We've also heard some in Congress calling for more gun control (at least the smoke had cleared before those statements were made, although the bodies had not yet reached room-temp).

Excuse me, but did IQs suddenly drop while I wasn't looking?

Access to a gun didn't make this loser go on a rampage. If guns were licensed, registered, and heavily restricted... he would have bought one illegally (the way gang-bangers in Chicago get theirs). but hey... let no tragedy go unused, right?

As for the cries against his political ideology: first, evidence is pointing him to be more Left than Right. and either way, there's no way of predicting when someone is going to look at their personal mental map, and take a turn for magnetic due what the fuck...

The guy was a wackjob, who snapped and decided to kill some folks. Nothing further need be said about him.

One facet that ISN'T getting much news: one of the people who nabbed and held him was a concealed carry licensee. Funny, that...

Do people have brains?

I'm being forced to conclude "no".

We recently had some unpleasantness at Marinette High School, wherein a 15 year old (one Sam Hengel) took a teacher and 25 students hostage. Things finally ended with the hostage-taker shooting himself in the head.

Now, I field badly for the family. They've lost a son, and that's only the start of their problems that will stem from this (reports are that the guns used belonged to the parents). However (quoting from the local paper):

[Quote]The Sam Hengel Memorial Fund has been set up...[/quote]

Since when does a hostage-taking sociopath get a memorial fund?

What kind of message does this send to other sociopaths?

Whatever IS the world coming to?

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Grails

A few around the blogosphere have commented on their "Grail Guns": guns that are hard to find, usually expensive, but what you desperately "must have" in your personal collection.

Sad thing is, my list of "grails" has gotten awfully thin: two of what *I* considered grails, I've already gotten. One of which I've already written about. The other will be in an upcoming installment of Humpday Hardware.

But there are still a couple guns that, given the chance, I'd sell a brother for (ok... I'd sell Rev. That counts, right?).

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First off would be "the other Mack Bolan gun": the Beretta 93-R







This is the subgun/machine pistol Mack used to put the hurt on the bad guys in SO many different "men's action/adventure" books. We actually lost count of how large the man's body-count was.

The 93-R is a select-fire subgun built on the frame of the 92 series pistol. From World Guns:

Beretta 93R automatic (or machine) pistol has been in development during the second half of the 1970s, and first appeared circa 1977. The index 93 stands for "9mm, 3rd model", and the suffix "R" means "Raffica" - burst[-firing] in Italian language. This special purpose sidearm was intended for police and military forces who may require improved firepower in compact weapon during the close-quarter combat, such as room-to-room search or VIP protection. Because the compact size and relatively powerful 9mm Parabellum ammunition necessary resulted in high cyclic rate of fire, Beretta designers decided do limit the practical rate of fire by introducing a burst limiter, which allowed only for three shot bursts, in addition to the standard semi-automatic fire. To further improve the control during the burst fire, the pistol was fitted with folding forward grip, and the detachable folding shoulder stock. Early production pistols also featured a ported barrel to decrease barrel climb, but later this feature was dropped. The Beretta 93R is no longer listed in Beretta military & law enforcement catalogs, but it is used by some Italian police and anti-terrorist forces, such as Carabineri's GIS and NOCS, and by some other paramilitary forces. The burs fire mode is of dubious value for anybody but the most professional shooters, who need the improved effectiveness at very short to short ranges; the folding shoulder stock probably can help for long range single shot accuracy.

The basic design of the Beretta 93R machine pistol is based on the famous Beretta 92 pistol; The 93R uses the same short recoil operated, locked breech system with vertically cammed lock. The slide retains typical Beretta-style open-top design. The trigger mechanism, however, is somewhat different from Beretta 92, as it is a single action only, with non-ambidextrous frame mounted safety and additional fire mode selector (both mounted on the same axis, with the selector lever pointing forward and safety lever pointing backward). The mechanism which controls the length of the bursts is located behind the right grip panel. Beretta 93R pistol is supplied with proprietary 20-rounds magazines but also can use standard Beretta 92 type magazines.

Yes... burst firing, but can use standard 92 mags. What's NOT to love?

Oh yeah... the price tag. Last time I heard of one selling at auction, it went for $30K. At the same time, a suppressed MP5 ran $15K... :(

Sad to say, I doubt I'll ever own one. But if the possibility ever manifest, I would be hand-delivering the form 4.

I DID have an airsoft version (back when I did costuming for cons). From an Eagle shoulder rig to ready to fire (including flipping out the shoulder stock) was roughly 3 seconds...

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Another that MAY qualify as a grail would be the Le Mat. Although I'm not sure it quals, as reproductions are available (and at a relatively reasonable price).




From Wikipedia:

The LeMat revolver was a .42 or .36 caliber cap & ball black powder revolver invented by Dr. Jean Alexandre LeMat of New Orleans, which featured a rather unusual secondary 16 gauge smoothbore barrel capable of firing buckshot, and saw service with the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War of 1861–1865.

Basically, it consisted of a shotgun barrel surrounded by the cylinder of a nine-shot revolver. Oddly though, it points rather well: I've handled several examples, and am always surprised at how well it points.

The hammer is hinged in the center: you cock it, then pivot the front portion down so it will engage the shot barrel's cap. Making your first shot, well, shot... followed by 9 shots of .42 or .36 caliber lead goodness (or badness, if you're on the other end)...

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Odd as it may seem, that's it for my "Grails". There's a LONG list of other guns I WANT to have in my collection... but they're all fairly possible, if not easy (being nothing more than a matter of financing)...

Returning to some regularly scheduled posting...

Just went through some of my old posts, and bringing back some things that I've let fall by the wayside...

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Humpday Hardware returns next week. Probably won't be a weekly feature (I only have so much hardware), but I'm going to continue through the Privateer's arms locker.

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Gonna cheat a bit for the other "return": Going to go ahead and (like I said I would) steal my brother SOB's "Nostradumbass Award". This SHOULD be a weekly (being posted sometime Friday). This week's took a bit, but only because I already stated that I refuse to cover the TSA's stupidity.

Take a read here. Basic facts of the case:

Off-duty cop in his cruiser, and on his way to a second job, does 26 mph over the posted speed limit. Hits a 12 year old boy, leaving him a quadriplegic in need of constant medical care. Sentence? $185 fine for speeding...

Oddly though, the cop is NOT the Nostradumbass: we've all seen stories of cops doing REALLY stupid (and illegal) things. No shock there.

No... I'm looking at the judge, who had the audacity to declare that this officer wasn't responsible for the child being paralyzed.

Some on the 'net have argued that he wasn't responsible. However, if he hadn't been going almost twice the posted limit, this (most likely) wouldn't have happened. Instead of the non-story of a child crossing the street, we have a story of a child who's life is ruined... and a cop getting a slap on the wrist.

So, Montgomery County District Court judge Whomever (they don't list his Dishonour's name), congratulations! You've just helped perpetuate the "Us v. Them" mentality so many are feeling in our country. And thereby gotten yourself declared this week's Nostradumbass!

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Oh... want to learn more about the "Thin Blue Line" thing? Check out this post over at Matt G's place. That's one peace officer I can have respect for!

BACA news

I'm a little late on the announcement, but I'm proud to let y'all know that BACA has expanded again.

At this past year's International Conference, Italy was granted temp charter status. Well, it seems they have done the work and met the requirements: last week, a representative group from the International Board went over, and granted full-charter status.

Congratulations to my new brothers from Italy! Welcome to the fight!

Around the blogosphere...

It seems that all the blogosphere is afire with calls for the TSA to be disbanded (or prosecuted, tarred and feathered, and other assorted violations of their persons).

Not going to take time and link every last post I've read about it: would take most of the night.

However, who exactly is surprised that a government agency, given basically limitless power with no oversight or controls, has gone off the deep end? Seriously folks: we saw this coming, if we thought to look.

Here's hoping that we can get away from security theater now...

update 6

And we're closed. Will post the new balance of power in Wisconsin a little later.

For now, time to go work out.

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update 5

Quick: turns out our new governor's birthday is today. What better birthday present?

Congratulations and Happy Birthday, Mr Governor-Elect!

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update 4

Well, it looks like the makeup of the legislature in Wisconsin is gonna be a bit different from the last few years. Here's how it breaks down currently:

SENATE:
Dem: 18
Rep: 15

ASSEMBLY:
Dem: 52
Rep: 46
Ind: 1

Don't have final totals, but we HAVE picked up seats...

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I'd like to give a public thank-you to the Manitowoc County Republican Party: great folks, who were VERY helpful with info tonight...

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update 3

Another quick observation, while watching the local tee wee: Wisconsin is going BIG for Republicans.

Maybe this time, we can fix our lack of CCW, leaving Illinois the lone hold-out...

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update 2

Locally, looks like the only Gems winning are those running unopposed. That amuses me...

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update 1

One quick observation: why DOES the media project winners when there's only 1% of the vote in? That make sense to anyone?

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Election night 2010

Sitting at the local Republican headquarters to get the election results. Updates a lil' later.

One interesting fact. Local Assembly race included a bit of a dirty trick. We were looking at a race between a Democrat and an incumbent Independent. Was just informed that one of the local unions played dirty pool to get someone on the ballot... as a Republican.

Anyway... more later...

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Is Yule coming early?

So I caught a link to this on APS just now...

Oh, boy. Talk about an interesting situation!

The relevant part:

Thank God for the Madison police. Apparently unbeknownst to them, another concealed carry case (Wisconsin v. Joshua D. Schultz) as working it’s way through the court system in Clark county which challenged Wis. Stat. 941.23 as unconstitutional. When the Madison police retrospectively issued disorderly conduct charges against what has become known as “The Madison Five” for patronizing Culvers while lawfully armed, they really proved Schultz’s case for him. Police powers were being used for the mildest of reasons (someone was “disturbed” by just the sight of a gun) to destroy a persons constitutionally protected right. Today, Wis. Stat. 941.23 was ruled unconstitutional.

It's only applicable to Clark County (for now). But it gives precedent for the rest of the state...

Follow-up on bullying...

So... Sabra posits her theory here. And it got me thinking (never a good thing)...

How much of a role has "social networking" played in these problems? Seems that every time one of these cases hits the news, we hear about all the abuse folks are getting via Facebook/Myspace/Youtube etc. Is that really adding that much to it?

I do know that the current generation is changing the paradigm of relationships, largely on the availability of instant access into each-others' lives. "Facebook stalking" is an actual term, and the feeling I get from many is that kids really don't see anything wrong with it...

There's also the change in break-ups. Used to be, one breaks up with someone, and they would have to make some effort to contact/keep tabs on their ex. Now, your ex knows exactly what you're doing most of the time, just by pulling out the leash in their pocket and checking a networking site (there's a reason I have never turned Facebook on on my Android, or any other phone I've owned). Today's generation seems completely linked into each others' lives, and often almost unable to separate out of it...

Not sure what the solution is, even if there is one. But the first step (regardless) is acknowledging that there IS an issue. We can't start figuring out the parameters of it until we recognize that it's there...

Bullicide

Ok... we've all seen the reports on the rash of teen suicides currently cropping up. most of which are being blamed on "bullies".

Now, I remember my school years, without any fondness. But it seems we're hearing more and more about how terrible kids are treating each-other, and the suicides that result.

So I have a question: are bullies today really that much worse than previous generations? Or are today's kids thinner skinned? Maybe a little of both?

I imagine the pervasion of "social networking tools" makes it easier for kids to torment each-other, but there almost has to be more to it than that...

Update on Spoon...

Ok... better late than never, right?

Spoon's doing fine: only injury was a pulled shoulder, which is healing. Interesting factoid: both cars had their front ends smashed, neither airbag deployed. Always nice to know we can count on equipment to function properly!



That's what the Accord looks like now. Spoon is PISSED: she loved that car.

But at least SHE'S ok. Better than the other way around, right?

BEEWBZ!!!!

Yes... like so many of the cool kidz, I changed the font color for Brest Cancer Awareness month...

... and the excitement continues...

So... Went to the local ABATE meeting today. I rode with my VP, so we could continue discussions. Spoon drove herself.

On the way home, a young lady running late for work felt she didn't need to stop for that stopsign. Which she didn't: hitting Spoon's Accord brought her to a complete halt.

Spoon seems ok, but we're still having her checked out at the ER.

Have to give kudos to the EMTs that took care of her: felt as safe as if AD was taking care of her. Can't think of any higher praise I can give.

Updates as I know more (she's in x-ray as I type this)

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Just a note

Learned something new...

Don't drop your phone in the toilet. They don't like that.

Learned that all on my own...

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More poems

As promised, another set of poems by one of our BACA kids.

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Quick Sand
Standing in quick sand
Sinking faster and faster
As I struggle to get free
You sit there and watch me
Laughing and pointing in my face
You see that I am scared
But that does not bother you
It's like you want to see me
Being tortured
Being filled with pain
And never being able to escape
Slowly getting closer to my death
And when I finally give up
You act like you are going to help me out
But you just pull me up a little
So you can see me go through the pain
All over again
Standing in quick sand
Sinking faster and faster

Never Ending
Hidden in the darkness
Always in the shadow
And when there is light
I enter to flames
Burning sand
Having no relief
Having no time to think
And to get rid of the heat
I walk right back to the shadow
Where I am alone
No one to comfort me
No one to understand
Just me
Starting the pain all over again


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Last one for today is rather... harsh. So we're gonna separate it. Do NOT read this with anything breakable nearby, or if you're at all squeamish. You've been warned...





Every Night
Laying there, knowing what is going to happen
A man walks in
Someone you thought you knew
Sits on your bed and starts up your leg
You begin to breath heavy
Your heart starts to pound
He slowly undresses himself
Smiling, knowing no one is there to stop him
He crawls over your head
And says “open up”
Forcing your mouth open
He picks up your head
Moving his hips back and forth
Making it seem as if you are choking
Your jaw hurts as does your throat
Your eyes start to water
As he wipes the tears away he pushes your head down
Meanwhile taking your shirt off
Then slowly removing your pants
“You’re tight; we need to get you wet.”
He says as he starts kissing you in an area that already hurts
It feels as if he uses sand paper
How does any one enjoy this you think to your self
When he says he had his fill
You know what’s coming next
He starts kissing your stomach
And moves up to your breast, then your lips
He spreads open your legs
While laying on top of you
You feel this hard push
You want to scream because of the pain
But you can’t with his hand over your mouth
“I can’t wait to be a dad” he says
“Your mom can’t give me a child so I’ll take one from you.”
The thing is the he doesn’t know
There is already a baby inside of you
The pain is so unbearable you start to pass out
But he smacks your face
While you silently cry
He finishes what he planed on doing
Stands up, smiles as he gets dressed and goes to bed
As you lay therein more pain then any one knows
Feels like some one is stabbing you repeatedly
You slowly walk to the bathroom and clean yourself off
You get sick like every other night
You go back to your room and cry yourself to sleep
Knowing it is going to happen tomorrow
You soon become numb to everything
The man no longer gets the tears
You no longer suffer the pain
You’re so use to everything
You can’t see it ever changing
It will never end
The constant burden
Will there ever be peace for you
Is there a way out
Until you find it
This man keeps walking in
You still feel everything
You still see everything
You still hear everything

Guess tonight is "blog link"

Linked via AD, we have something worth reading.

No... I didn't post the link yet. I actually HAVE a heart, unlike a certain bayou-area medic. *I* will warn you to grab a hanky.

Then, go here and read.

Dried your eyes?

I hope to whatever Power is out there, that me and mine only ever interact with folks of Epi's caliber.

Via Lawdog

We get this gem. I think I'll play along...

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1. Do you believe that criminals and domestic abusers should be able to buy guns without background checks?

Have you stopped beating your wife yet? That's basically what you're asking.

IF someone has committed such a terrible crime that they can't be trusted to exercise their rights, why on Earth are they wandering around in public?

2. What is your proposal for keeping guns away from criminals, domestic abusers, terrorists and dangerously mentally ill people?

I believe Law Dog covered this one quite well: lock 'em the Hell up.

3. Do you believe that a background check infringes on your constitutional right to "keep and bear arms"?

Hell yes.

4. Do you believe that I and people with whom I work intend to ban your guns?

As soon as you feel you can.

Actually, I seem to recall one Senator Feinstein stating point blank "If I could've gotten the votes..."

5. If yes to #4, how do you think that could happen ( I mean the physical action)?

Again, Law Dog covers this rather well. Look at DC, New York, and Chicago. 'Nuff said.

6. What do you think are the "second amendment remedies" that the tea party GOP candidate for Senate in Nevada( Sharron Angle) has proposed?

No idea: don't live in Nevada

7. Do you believe in the notion that if you don't like what someone is doing or saying, second amendment remedies should be applied?

Say what? "Second Amendment remedies"?

If someone is saying or doing something that I don't like (but that otherwise causes me no actual harm), then they are perfectly within their rights. If they are causing me harm, there are plenty of remedies for this. "Second Amendment remedies" should only be used to preserve against death or imminent bodily harm.

Projecting much?

8. Do you believe it is O.K. to call people with whom you disagree liars and demeaning names?

When the shoe fits. I've also used such terms with people who's beliefs I agree with, when said terms were warranted.

9. If yes to #8, would you do it in a public place to the person's face?

See #8: would, and have.

10. Do you believe that any gun law will take away your constitutional rights?

Replace "any" with "all", and you're right on the money.

11. Do you believe in current gun laws? Do you think they are being enforced? If not, explain.

I believe they exist. I believe their existence is a travesty of Constitutional law.

Yes, they're enforced. Usually against those who they shouldn't be, while those who SHOULD get hammered are let slide.

12. Do you believe that all law-abiding citizens are careful with their guns and would never shoot anybody?

Don't recall anybody who can completely avoid mistakes. It's called "being human".

I believe most are as careful as possible.

13. Do you believe that people who commit suicide with a gun should be included in the gun statistics?

Don't believe there should even BE "gun statistics", anymore than there should be "knife statistics" or "Nerf statistics"...

14. Do you believe that accidental gun deaths should "count" in the total numbers?

See 13

15. Do you believe that sometimes guns, in careless use or an accident, can shoot a bullet without the owner or holder of the gun pulling the trigger?

Machines are no more perfect than the humans who create them. However, that imperfection is just part of life.

16. Do you believe that 30,000 gun deaths a year is too many?

That many guns die every year? Wow... news to me!

Compare the number of people who die via the mechanism of a firearm to almost any other mechanism, and get back to me on this one...

17. How will you help to prevent more shootings in this country?

It's not my job to prevent more shootings". Nor yours, nor any other citizen's.

Shootings are going to happen. Maybe, if we actually locked violent criminals up, there would be fewer criminals out shooting folks?

18. Do you believe the articles that I have posted about actual shootings or do you think I am making them up or that human interest stories about events that have happened should not count when I blog about gun injuries and deaths?

Since I don't really read your blog, I couldn't say for sure. But, as Law dog said: "the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'"

19. There has been some discussion of the role of the ATF here. Do you believe the ATF wants your guns and wants to harass you personally? If so, provide examples ( some have written a few that need to be further examined).

I believe (from anecdotal evidence) that some ATF agents enjoy the power trip the current crop of "gun laws" allows them...

20. Will you continue a reasonable discussion towards an end that might lead somewhere or is this an exercise in futility?

If by "reasonable" you mean honest give-and-take*, we can talk. If you mean "reasonable" as we keep giving, while y'all keep taking, then I'd say we're done.



*- Which means you give something up (ie: opening the machine gun registry) in exchange for something we give up (ie: background checks).

Testing...

Ok... Trying something new: blogger-Droid. Maybe being able to post on the fly via the phone will increase posting frequency. Let's see how it goes...

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Poems from a BACA child

So, last weekend my chapter adopted a rather remarkable young lady. Orangie Girl is certainly a survivor, moving past her abuse to a better life.

One thing she has been doing to aid that is writing poems as therapy. She mentioned that she wishes they could get spread far-and-wide, so others can read them. I suggested a couple websites, then thought "idiot: you have a blog".

I'll put them up here a couple at a time. And a couple of them are going under a fold: they can get a little brutal...

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These first two are her favorites. Feel free to comment on them: I'll forward appropriate comments to her.

Cries of the Little Girl
Who will hear the cry of the little girl
The girl that just wanted a dad
A best friend
Some one to talk to
Some one to hang out with
And most important
Some one to protect her
Who will her the cry of the little girl
When she walks the burning sand
Crying to herself
Not knowing how to escape
Living with endless pain
Believing she is alone
Lost in the world
Who will hear the cry of a little girl
Forgotten by the ones she loves
Hiding so no one sees her suffer
Sitting in her room trying to end it all
Planning her way out
To leave the monster in her heart
So she can be at peace with herself
Who will hear the cry of a little girl

My Meadow
In the depths of the forest
I’m caught wondering around
Trying to find a place for a break
To finally have what peace I need
I look toward a glissen’ of light
And start running to the opening
But something keeps pulling me back
It’s you
The one I looked up to
How could you trip me and make me fall
You are the root of the trees
Sticking out in my way
Not allowing me to finally be at ease
Every turn I make
There you are making me trip and fall
Can there be no path for me
You say you are there to protect me
Standing there tall and strong
With your unbreakable bark
And your beautiful appearance
But that is only your cover
For on the inside you are rotting away
A tree dying from the inside out
So you pull me down to feel stronger
But now as I look around
You are not a forest of trees surrounding me
But you are a lonely tree
Standing by yourself
Cold and alone
You can no longer keep me down
For I have seen my meadow
I have over come the obstacles of your roots
I may have fallen
And I may fall again
But I will get up
For I have seen my meadow
And you can no longer keep me from it

It's made with honey!

The immortal words spoken to "Ebn", Antonio Banderas' character in 13th Warrior, when he declined a drinking horn due to religious restrictions. What he was being offered was mead.

Now, I grew up with dad brewing elderberry wine by the job lot. And I helped him with it more than once: stuff was always good. But that seemed like more work than I really wanted to do myself, and I thought mead was a little less common (although honestly, I have yet to find anyone else that does a decent elderberry). So I did some research, found some recipes ("3 lbs honey to the gallon" is all the "recipe" I really use), and started experimenting. Turns out, I make a pretty good brew.

Mead brewed with fruit in it is called a melomel. I've done strawberry, plum, and currently have a batch of blueberry going that already tastes delicious. Then a friend asked of I could make an apple/cherry cider.

I don't do cider: I do mead. But hey, that DOES sound good!



Here's the starting ingredients. Honey (now going with 4 lbs per gallon), yeast (I use Cote des Blanc), and fruit. Not pictured is the 3 gallons of spring water that will be added to all this...





That's the cherries and apples. 3 lbs of cherries, 6 lbs of macintosh apples. Damn close to a gallon of fruit alone.

Some folks will use straight fruit juice, and call it a melomel. To me, that's cheating: I add several lbs of fruit to the must, and deal with the hassle. To me, the finished product is worth it.



Spoon pitting the cherries. As she said: "I just popped 160 cherries for you!".

Gotta love my shy, retiring wife.

So... pit cherries. Core and quarter the apples. Run all the fruit through the blender, and pour into the primary fermenter. There goes an hour or so.

Then you have to liquify the honey. We do it by heating spring water in a large kettle, and pour the honey into that. Stir until all the honey is disolved (keep some extra hot water handy to rinse the honey container). Once it's all disolved, add to the must. Drop a thermometer in: the yeast should be added at a little under 105*, which is also when you should take your preliminary hydrometer reading (if you want to know the alchohol content of the finished product)...



Here's the must, all ready to be sealed up. In a couple weeks, we'll strain the pulp out, and transfer everything over to a carboy.

Note: when using fruit pulp, do NOT just pour the must into the carboy. Doing so will result in said pulp rising to the top, trapping the gas. Eventually, the pulp will be pushed up into the vapor lock and blow it. Makes your brewing room smell nice, but is a mess to clean up. Ask me how I know... ;)

This batch should be ready by December, possibly January. I'll post updates on how it goes...

Not dead yet

No, I'm not dead: just been working WAY too much.

Was playing around online, and found this. Thought some may get a giggle...

That's odd

Ya know, all this time, I thought Calvin's Mom was somewhere on the Eastern Seaboard. If that's the case, how is it she has a cat somehow related to Law Dog's?

... but where are my flying cars?

So... Spoon and I were out and about today, just sort of spending time together. And I noticed something interesting...

We were looking over the Barnes & Noble Nook (their version of the Kindle), and I got to thinking about the difference 38 years makes.

When I was born, phones were mounted to the wall. Books were on paper. Portable music was a transistor radio. Showing people your vacation photos meant handing them a big album. And, if you needed a shopping list at the store, you had a piece of paper in your hand.

Now, the phone is attached to your belt, and includes; internet access, GPS, memos, and a few hundred other possibilities. You can easily have a few HUNDRED books in your pocket. Your other pocket has a small box with more music than the local radio station (plus other things it can do). Every picture you own can be on either of the above devices, ready to be inflicted on whomever you come across. And your shopping list is probably on one of those devices too.

All those "personal" things, in a couple small packages that fit in your pocket. And those are advancements that took less than 40 years.

What the Hell are the next 40 gonna bring? What kinda "they didn't have that when *I* was a kid" stuff am I going to see hit before I finally shuffle off?

and where the HELL is my flying car, or personal jetpack? And my phaser... they seem to have forgotten that!

I'll take "What the Hell" for $100, Alex

So, via Tam we find this gem.

Gotta admit, I find the video humorous.

The folks at the Firearms Blog say they don't know what's being advocated, but I think I can see it: getting involved in being proactive for your child's safety. Which IS a nice message. However, I think (if we had kids), I'd like my wife to be able to back up her participation in the AmberWatchAlert.org with her fine lil' Kimber...

Having an alert system for missing children is good. Having would-be abductors know that mothers are likely to shoot them (and get away with it) is even better.

EPIC Douchebaggery

OK... I caught this over at Armed Polite Society. Talk about the epitomy of "douchebag". Basic story:

Guy posts on a car forum that "his girl" is complaining about him buying mods for "his" car. Forgets to log off said forum, and she finds the post. Hilarity ensues... >:)

Some of the highlight posts to check:

#44 (p2): Where "Rachel" posts an open letter to "Billy", using his account

#118 (p3): "Billy" complains about "being made a laughing stock" (never mind he made the original post)

#125 (p4): One of the Mods (apparantly fairly mild-mannered) calls the guy out as a tool

#138 (p4): One of the commentators posts one of the best examples of self-inflicted insults ever seen

#332 (p9): "Billy" digs his hole a little deeper

I think that's enough for now: not going to go through all 114 pages of stuff.

But I figured I'd do my little bit to spread this one far and wide... >:)

Weren't we here before?

I'm not going to check, but I seem to recall starting this thing in part to deal with my father returning in ill-health.

Unfortunately, his health is now getting worse.

Which would bother me MUCH more if it wasn't, in part, his own doing. He KNEW going back to Thailand would be bad (higher humidity=harder to breath). He KNEW he shouldn't be smoking anymore (I even gave him my e cig, so he wouldn't be taking in smoke: he stopped using it).

He's in the hospital (again). Honestly, I'm half tempted to tell them to keep him this time...

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Oh, yeah... I'm baaaaaaack!

What happened?

Anybody know what happened to Cranky Professor? Suddenly, you need to log in to view her blog, and even then I can't access.

If anybody knows, please email me!

Alice Day

Well... Jade at The Ultimate Evil has posted her yearly piece on the pedophile's holiday: "Alice Day". Named for Lewis Carroll's character Alice, and the rumored relationship between Lewis (real name Charles Dodgson) and a young woman named Alice Liddell, "Alice Day" has become a day for pedophile activists to promote changes to the laws protecting children from predators who would steal their innocence.

But Jade covers this perfectly well here. Go, read... and enjoy the exchange between her and commenter "Aristotle". He tries, he really does. And comes away in tatters... >:D

*sigh*

Due to a constant barrage of spam comments from the far east, I've switched on comment moderation.

Lots of stuff coming, once I'm no longer on painkillers...

OWIEOWIEOWIE!

Folks that know me in meatspace, know that I have a small problem with my teeth. Namely, they're dying...

Partly it's bad genetics: both mom and dad had bad teeth too. Partly it's poor dental hygiene: I never picked up good habits on brushing (and after a certain point, it just hurt too much). And lastly, it's a failure of dentistry: I have gone through so many dentists that just would NOT listen...

After getting jumped in the Navy, the doc in charge of my facial reconstruction told me "no dental work for a year". Had to threaten a Courts Martial to get the ships dentist to back off on that one.

Next dentist I saw, I told him up front: pull the damn things. He ignored that: "oh no... we can fix them!". Which lasted right up to my last visit, where he looked at me and said "you were right".

Of course, by that time I had lost the job where I got my dental bennies from. BIG help, doc!

Since then, I've just sort of plugged along: teeth would start hurting, I'd take some pain killers, pain would go away. Every couple years, a nasty abscess would start up, putting me down for a couple days. Which is what I'm dealing with right now...

But I'm tired of "just dealing with it". So Monday, I go to Aspen Dental, to see if they can fix my grill (read: remove the damn thing and replace it with new parts).

Wish me luck!

BTW: I'm going to ask for the teeth back. If anyone has kids that don't want to brush, email me: at the least, I can send some fairly graphic pictures to help your cause.

Stealing from my brother...

Those of you who have listened to the BACA Nation show know that my brother SOB has a segment he calls the "Nostradumbass Award". So-called because "this is so stupid, there's no way you could've seen it comin'".

I think I'm gonna steal it.

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Today's recipient is 20 year old Lee Deitrick from Stark County, Louisville, Ohio. Click the link: words fail me here...

How ANYONE could think that tattooing a 1 year old was a good idea, blows my mind.

And something tells me the parents might just be waiting with a tattoo gun of their own when he gets out...

Fools below 50*

Got the Kaw fired up today, and went for a little cruise.

Just got back (1847 hrs). 43*, when traveling at 30mph, is freaking COLD!

Just sayin'...

Crappy movies foretell the future, film at 11...

Marko hits the nail on the head with one of my biggest fears about healthcare reform...

I remember watching Demolition Man when it came out, and getting chills. Looks like it was prophetic...

That, and Idiocracy. Both seem to be coming true, and at a remarkable pace...

On violence

Yes, I know: light posting. Been busy.

One of the things keeping me busy is the usual rounds of agency meetings, where I try and explain what BACA is, what we do, and how we can help. It's getting easier, but still feels like pulling teeth.

One thing I keep running into is the question of violence. Folks see us, and think we're nothing but "hired guns", or vigilantes. And react accordingly.

Let me quote the part of the Mission Statement that causes this:

...however, if the circumstances arise such that we are the only obstacle protecting a child from further abuse, we stand ready to be that obstacle.

People hear that, and think we're all about beating up abusers.

Folks, everyone who focuses on that sentence completely misses the mission of BACA (indeed, what SHOULD be the mission of advocates in general):

...who focus on empowering children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live.

That, right there, should be the most important factor for advocates: to empower victims to become survivors (and, as was mentioned at our local SARC meeting, "thrivers").

Still, I'm always asked about violence. "Is your group willing to use violence? Because we don't condone..."

Let me set the record straight. We don't condone or encourage violence against abusers. Personally, I would rather never see the abuser in a case except at court. Unfortunately, we sometimes have an abuser who feels they can intimidate our little brothers and sisters off the witness stand.

What are we supposed to tell these children? What would make them feel safer: "The only way Chester is getting to you is through me", or "If Chester comes around, I'll call the police and take notes on everything that happens"?

Were I the child, I'd feel better hearing option one, especially coming from a large intimidating guy. Option two just wouldn't fill me with much confidence.

This is not to say we're looking for a fight: far from it. At least in my chapter, we concentrate on "minimum force": we will use only as much force as is necessary to stop a threat. So far, our mere presence has been enough to deter abusers from going after our kids. I pray that will continue.

But, as I told one lady: "I won't ask my members to be sacrificial lambs. If the perp is known to be violent, we'll do whatever it takes to keep our kids safe".

When asked to clarify, I responded "That may mean my life. It may mean the abuser's. That decision is up to the abuser: I won't seek them out, if they just leave our kids alone".

Seems reasonable to me.

In light of current weather conditions...

Got the blowsnower back from dad-in-law today: folks we were subletting our berth from moved out, so now we do our own snow removal. Shoveled yesterday, and this morning (bacause the wind thought the snow belonged where I moved it from). Today, I fired up the blower, and cut out a nice little parking area...

Then sent a text out to my BACA Chapter, making a motion to change from "BACA: Wisconsin" to "BACA: Hoth".

I might have to get some t-shirts printed up as a gag. Imagine the graphic, with a guy in leathers sitting on a tauntaun (equiped with ape-hangers, of course)... >:)

Before I forget

If you're reading this before 7pm Central Time...

Go to www.bacanation.com

click on the listen live link, and enjoy some good tunes and thought-provoking pieces.

Stay out of the chatroom though: sometimes gets a tad silly... ;)

Don't ask, don't tell, don't make a big deal...

A whole passel of other bloggers have mentioned the issue of the military's decision to do away with the don't ask/don't tell policy.

I was talking about it with my local Marine Recruiter, and his take gave me a giggle...

"I'm gonna end up with a premium on gays over straights. From my experience, they take better physical care of themselves, have better grades, and don't get in anywhere NEAR as much trouble. They'll be the perfect recruits!"

Couldn't say it better myself.

Sebastian over at Snowflakes in Hell mentionedthe exchange between the Brady Campaign and Starbucks Coffee.

You have to love it when a fairly "hippy" company like Starbucks tells a liberal group to go pound sand. Makes me want a mocha!

Air Force Cadets get Pagan Worhip area...

... film at 11! :P

Caught this at Support Your Local Gunfighter. Nice to see that the Air Force is stepping up, and giving the pagans an outdoor location for their religious observances. Now, if the military could just step up and do the same... >:)

On a serious note: SYLG commenter RT made the statement "Much of what is in the Wiccan beliefs and in Paganism is actually Satanic. Plain and simple. I’ve lived both lives. I know this to be true."

Now, I don't know RT, and I get the impression that he might be using a bit of snark here. But I've run into this attitude several times before, without ever getting a decent explanation. Could somebody please enlighten me?

And I'll be kinda weighing in on the DADT thing in a post later today...

Sometime a cigar...

Sabra has an interesting post up over at her place. The shot that gave me a spark:

My experience--as an outside observer, generally, since most of my friends are guys--is that men actually tend to be very straightforward creatures. We just misinterpret them because we look for hidden meanings that aren't there, and they have problems with us because they expect what's on the surface to be what's there, and frankly that's the way it SHOULD be.

Preach it, sister!

Tell you the truth, there have been times I've had to come out and tell someone "I'm not a lawyer: I don't speak in loopholes". Because quite honestly, that seems to be the way some people think...

If I say "I can't make it to your , car's dead", it means exactly that: I would love to be there, but my transportation is doing a doornail impression. If I didn't WANT to be there, I would've told you "not interested".

Unfortunately, even a straightforward "not interested" gets ignored nowadays. It's almost like some people have become salesmen: if they just try a little bit harder, they'll convince you to do whatever it is you have already said "no" to. What IS it with that?

Thankfully, I don't (generally) have that problem with Spoon: she hears what I say*, takes it at face value, and goes forward. And she's learned to, generally, tell when I start "speaking in code": means there's trouble where we are, and she starts paying more attention to what's going on around us.

Sabra's right on this: start out as you intend to go forward. Folks, you can't have a decent relationship with someone if you're treating every conversation as if it were a high school lit assignment, where you have to figure out the author's intent behind their words. Instead, be open and honest, and expect (if not demand) the same in return.


*THE biggest fights we have are when she starts not hearing what I say, but what she THINKS I'm going to say. Whole other topic, there.

Barefooting

Peter just reminded me that I had promised to do a write-up on Vibram Fivefingers!

Ok... not me personally: he linked to Labrat at Atomic Nerds, but it reminded me that I had meant to do a piece myself.

Beginning to think that I should go back through the archives, and make sure I haven't missed any other ideas. Then I wouldn't have to worry as much about my muse!

Anyway...

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Purchased a pair of the Vibram "KSO" shoes a little less than a year ago. My main plans for them were: a) a work shoe that would be more comfortable and durable; b) a shoe that I could have in the saddlebags, but which wouldn't take up too much space. With that in mind...

I will admit, they take some getting used to: if you're used to walking around in modern shoes, the feeling of being barefoot is odd. Comfortable at first, walking around in an urban setting WILL start to hurt your feet after a bit. Vibram suggests slowly working up to wearing their product all the time, and that's a VERY good suggestion.

Being me, I ignored that: wore them that night when Spoon and I went for a walk. After five miles, my feet HURT. But were fine the next day. And the pain gradually got less, until wearing them all day didn't bother me in the least.

As for my intended purposes...

Using them as a work shoe was interesting. Took my bosses and coworkers quite a while to get used to them, and I was still getting complaints when I finally stored them in the closet (they are NOT a Wisconsin winter shoe!). However, once I had adjusted to the "barefoot feeling", a couple effects were shown (for me, at least):

- felt MUCH less fatigued in my legs after the day was over
- noticed an enhanced level of coordination and balance

How'd they fare as a shoe to change into after riding?

Given their size (VERY compact, take up about the same space as a pair of tube socks), they were able to basically live in my saddlebags. It was nice to be able to take off the heavy armored boots when I arrived at a destination, and wear a comfortable shoe (also cooler: vintage motorcross boots are HOT in summer).

Do I have any complaints? Well, a couple... but they're minor.

First off: I REALLY need to get a pair of their Flow model, and see how it handles cold weather. They had a "boot" version called the Surge, but it's been discontinued. If I find a pair in my size, I'm snagging them.

You also REALLY want to get several pairs of toe-socks for these. Gives you more versatility, temperature wise. Since ordering socks to go with the shoes, I've taken to using the toe-socks as "liners" even now (Coolmax fabric actually between your toes GREATLY reduces the feeling of "sweaty feet". Just sayin').

So... would I recommend them? Not just yes, but hell yes. Honestly, after my riding boots, these were probably the best footwear purchase I've made.

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Obligatory FTC disclaimer: Vibram Fivefingers did NOT in any way reimburse the author for this review. The product in question was purchased by the author, and the above review was written entirely as a public service.

Not to say I would turn down a pair or three for "review purposes". Just sayin'... ;)

Wisconsin politics

I still haven't forgotten that I need to post pics from National. Drama has been slowing that down: they'll be done this weekend...

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So... while trying to relax from today's drama (I just wanted to enjoy my anniversary), I read this over at Boots and Sabres.

I have to agree with Owen: we need a part-time legislature. Maybe, I should revive my thoughts on running for assembly, with that as one of the planks?

I'll be honest: I start thinking about it every couple of years. Then I remember all the BS I've seen in our Puzzle Factory, and all the time wasted by the clowns we have there. And I realize I just do NOT have the temperament to deal with 'em.

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Not gonna touch Obama's STFU (excuse me, SotU) Address. Would rather deal with perps trying to explain away their transgressions: they're more believable...

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And another from B&S: Wisconsin is getting money for high-speed rail between Milwaukee and Madison.

Great: so my tax dollar are going to make life easier for liberals to go from one stronghold to another. And there was much rejoicing (yay).

Don't get me wrong: there are times and places where mass transit makes sense to me. Hell, there've been times I've been tempted to use the train to go to National (driving has been more cost effective, so that's been the choice). However, like any business (to my mind), cost and benefits have to be weighed.

San Diego (when I was stationed there) had a fairly effective and useful mass transit system. The trolley went most of the places that folks needed to get to, and the buses took up the slack for those places the trolley didn't hit. Worked out great (for the most part).

Here in WI, there just isn't that much infrastructure. Manitowoc has a bus line, but it's usually empty. Which makes me wonder: who's paying for these buses to drive around? Fuel, maintenance, and the drivers all have to be paid for, but I don't see how the few folks actually riding are making that happen.

Yes... as Owen pointed out, building a rail line will create jobs... in the short term. But eventually, that service has to be paid for. Personally, I don't like the idea of even more tax dollars going to subsidize a system that only benefits a handful of people.

Oh, yeah... that's how MOST government programs work. Silly me!

BACA International 2010: Aftermath

It's been pointed out that I missed a couple days. Sorry 'bout that.

Saturday night got a lil' foggy. I FINALLY got to be at the banquet: usually working security, last year was passed out. Was much fun, sitting with my little big brother Stinky.

One of these years, I'll remember to actually USE my camera during the conference. Right now, I have to spend some time on facebook, looking for pics to show y'all.

A great deal of fun was had by Spoon and I, as well as a bunch of fun. Some changes were made to policy, bringing us together as one BACA.

The drive home, predictably, sucked. It's always a bit of a let-down, leaving: especially since some of our brothers and sisters were still gonna be there. Next year, we're pulling a couple extra days...

Give me some time to find pics, and I'll get 'em up...

BACA International 2010: Day Two

Wow... time, it is a-flyin'...

Didn't get TOO drunk last night. Which means I'm NOT passing out in the meeting... even if it is a pain stayin' awake.

Have pictures from the official trip that was made to Europe: even got permission to post a few of 'em. I'll get those up in the next couple days...

BACA International 2010: Day One

Ok... got through the opening ceremony. For some people, we have some good news: the BACA Nation has grown by two states. Virginia and North Carolina gained full charter: welcome to the family, brothers and sisters!

We also have to more states in temp charter status: New Jersey and Iowa. They've got a long haul ahead of them, but I think they'll be up to the challenge.

One last piece of news: looks like there's a movie telling the story of how BACA started. Working title's Hawk Dances. More as I have more...

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It's that time of year again!

Well... I'm in St Louis yet again. Time for the BACA International Conference!

This year, we've added folks from Italy and the Netherlands. The communication gap is sometimes... interesting.

Came down LATE Wednesday night, arriving here @ 0900. Things don't really get started until tomorrow, although there's a steady flow of arrivals.

More as it happens!

Beauty Standards

Holly over at the Pervocracy has a brilliant post up about beauty standards. Go, read: it's worth it.

I have a friend who could REALLY learn from this. He's a bigger guy, low self esteem, who will only chase after lithe lil' hotties. He's also always been chronically short on dates: the combination of "oversize" with "low self esteem" doesn't seem all that attractive to women, for some reason...

I've always laughed at folks who ask about "my type". Personally, my head always turns most with athletically built women (slender, small chest, LONG legs). And I've always had a thing for redheads. Usually end up with blondes, who are more on the "stacked" side (go figure).

Folks, "attractiveness" is more a function of chemistry between two people. Get caught up in the packaging, and you'll loose out: trust me on this...

Around the net

Ok... getting back to the helm after some... drama. more on that later.

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Lawdog gives a critique of Dances with Ferngully. And says everything that needs to be said.

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Jay G makes a t-shirt of what is probably the most WRONG shooting implement I've ever seen ("uncommon minds", indeed!)

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That's it for tonight. Busy with getting ready for the trip to the International conference. And working my tail off.

It's that time...

Y'all have a good winter holiday, of whatever persuasion you like! ;)

Now wait just a second (or maybe several trillion)

From the Weekly Standard, via Cold Fury:

Senator Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) pointed out some rather astounding language in the Senate health care bill during floor remarks tonight. First, he noted that there are a number of changes to Senate rules in the bill–and it’s supposed to take a 2/3 vote to change the rules. And then he pointed out that the Reid bill declares on page 1020 that the Independent Medicare Advisory Board cannot be repealed by future Congresses:

“It shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report that would repeal or otherwise change this subsection.”

This is not legislation. It’s not law. This is a rule change. It’s a pretty big deal. We will be passing a new law and at the same time creating a Senate rule that makes it out of order to amend or even repeal the law.

I’m not even sure that it’s constitutional, but if it is, it most certainly is a Senate rule. I don’t see why the majority party wouldn’t put this in every bill. If you like your law, you most certainly would want it to have force for future Senates.

I mean, we want to bind future Congresses. This goes to the fundamental purpose of Senate rules: to prevent a tyrannical majority from trampling the rights of the minority or of future Congresses.

Paging Sarah Palin: the death panel is unkillable.

Go and watch the Demint's full comments: we REALLY need to find a way of curtailing parlamentary games...