Wednesday, August 31, 2005
I Know Philly's a Long Way From The Big Easy...
But if you're a Reader who's been screwed by Katrina , email me, lemme know whatcha need, and I'll see what I can do.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45  
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
It's Not Rocket Science… There are few Big Questions. As far as I can tell, the first is the awesome, all encompassing WHY? Though I've got my own notions on that, I'll not be addressing that one now. The next is "WHO AM I?", followed closely by "IN WHAT MANNER SHALL I CONDUCT MY LIFE"? Now those two, they're not rocket science, and those I will deal with it like a bikini; enough to cover the topic, and small enough to keep it interesting. I once articulated an answer to the third question in a moment of exasperation. I was talking with a friend, concerning a local problem involving people behaving badly. Closing my eyes and shaking my head, I went off.
"You know, it's not freaking rocket science. Anyone can do it. Just be a {bleep bleep} decent human being. All you really need is to the best of your ability, be brave, speak truths, be willing to learn, have at least a small dose of humility handy, keep your word, and don't go out of your way to harm anyone. I mean, really, even if you get that half right, a quarter right, you'd be a quantum leap ahead of the sort of nonsense we're talking about. You'd think that after umpteen bazillion years of human civilization this all would be common knowledge, and we'd have it down by now." My friend opened his mouth to speak. I knew what was coming next. He was a Fundamentalist of some flavor or another, and I hadn't made reference to giving oneself over to his particular Deity of choice, or the inherent imperfection and sinful nature of man. Being a Secular Jesuslander, I get that every once in a blue. It is sometimes outside of the worldview and experience of some of my religiously observant acquaintances that human decency is possible without immolating oneself in the Deity. I was pleasantly surprised when he closed his mouth, and acknowledged the simple, clear truth of what I said. "Yeah, you're right. It's not rocket science." No, it's not rocket science, but that sure doesn't make it easy. Being a decent human being takes introspection and practice, in massive, continuous doses.
So, I've answered Big Question #3, but what has this to do with Big Question #2? If you want to conduct your life in a complete, dignified manner, what has this to do with who you are? It has everything to do with it. Living your life in a complete dignified manner is an exercise in Going About Being That Which You Are. Figuring out who you are is a question that only you can answer. It takes a fair amount of introspective pondering upon a rock. Even then, it's still only just a construct in your head until you put it into play, and that takes trial, error, and practice. And that's where the rubber meets the road. So, if only you can figure out who y'are, how exactly is this soliloquy of mine supposed to contribute? All I got for that is a piece of advice that seems to hold true. Know this: Your failings are just that: Failings. They neither define nor constrain you. Acknowledge your darkness, but don't obsess over it. When you close your eyes and look upon the myriad aspects of yourself, know that what is good and just, that highest, cleanest image of who you could be is but the merest hint of the truth of who you are. That is what your Deity intends you to be. It is your rightful place to stand among men. Your ability to BE that in as much fidelity as you can muster is what truly defines you, and as you relentlessly practice BEING THAT, you will find that you get better at being that which is you. It comes more and more easily until it flows freely as water spilling down the mountain. Feed your light.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Monday, August 29, 2005
Defensive Loads For Short Barreled .45 ACP Handguns
A Reader and Friend recently asked me what my carry loads are for my Sig P245.
Any handgun round needs to strike its own balance of the factors of bullet mass, diameter, recoil (for "controllability"), and velocity.
Now the design philosophy behind the .45 (which I happen to subscribe to...duh...) is to favor mass and diameter first, followed by recoil and velocity. In other words, solve the equation such that you wind up with the most massive and wide bullet you can shove out of the gun at a generous and adequate velocity without causing undue concern with the speed of followup shots on the same or different targets.
There certainly happen to be other schools of thought on the matter, as we all know. Inside the "defensively credible" envelope, there is the "small bullet shoved out at insane velocities" school of thought (FiveSeveN, .223). The "medium bullet shoved out at really high, bordering on insane velocities" school, (9mm, .357 mag, 10mm), and for the masochists recoil junkies, there is the school of the "perfectly huge bullet shoved out at insane velocity" (.454 Casull, 44 mag, etc)
The other factor to keep in mind is that whatever load and platform you pick, barrel length has a definitive impact on the total amount of velocity you impart on the bullet. The velocity imparted on a bullet can be charted on a curve, with velocity increasing with each additional inch to some optimum point, and then decreasing with each additional inch due to friction.
Sadly, what I've heard many times is that optimal barrel length for .45acp seems to be in the 10-11 inch range, which is far too long for a defensive handgun, and too short for the legally mandated length of 16 inches for a carbine. (I hear that also holds for 9mm)
Now, as to the Sig.
The Sig's a bit of an anomaly, in that it sports the oddball barrel length of 3.9 inches, which for all practical and math simplifying purposes is 4 inches.
The "standard" barrel length for a .45 acp handgun was revealed to the Prophet John Moses Browning (peace be upon his name) from on high to be 5 inches.
Subsequent iterations of this holy design were adulterated to include lengths of 4.25, 4, 3.5, and even 3 (!!!) inches.
Ballistics data for 5 inch barrels is readily available on any cartridge manufacturers website. Normal 230 grain hardball loads seem to clock in around 850 feet per second or so, and +P loads seem to boost performance anywhere between 50 and 100 fps.
When you lop an inch off the holy measurement, you seem to lose about 50 fps as a rule of thumb, which is consistent with what Reader Andrew found when he clocked his pedestrian Winchester hardball loads through his P245 at 780 fps, which is down from the advertised velocity of 835.
What I carry in the gun is Cor-Bon 230 grain +P hollowpoints, relying on the +P to make up for the modest amount of velocity lost due to the short barrel. Cor-Bon tells us that the velocity out of a 5 inch barrel is 950 fps. Taking into account the fact that most advertised velocities are a smidge higher than what's normally seen, and the approximately 50 fps I lose to the short barrel, I extrapolate that this puts me right around where I oughta be, in the 850+ range, which gives me a power factor of 195, and also puts me into full accordance with JMB prophecy.
Not having a chronograph, of course, this is nothing more than an educated guess. (hint: any chrono manufacturer who wants to send me their wares for review is welcomed!)
In keeping with the "most massive/widest adequately fast with manageable recoil" philosophy, I am often tempted to go with a 200 grain +P load, which in a 5 inch barrel blisters out at 1080 fps. Assuming I get about 1000 fps out of the short barrel, this would give me a solid power factor of 200, which is a marginal improvement on the situation. Alas, I am already an apostate with my 3.9 inch barrel, and confounding that sin with impious bullet weights might be held against me in the afterlife. ;)
As for barrels significantly shorter than 4 inches, I start getting a bit skeptical as to what the performance would actually be, given that .45 acp isn't a fast cartridge to begin with, and 2, 2.5 inches isn't a whole lot of room to generate velocity with. With a 3 or 3.5 inch barrel, IMO, you MUST drop down to 200 or 185 grains to keep velocity at adequate levels to provide the penetration you need. When it comes to 165 grain bullets, I get even more skeptical, as by then we're falling pretty far away from the design philosophy into a different category entirely, that of a "wide but not particularly heavy bullet not going particularly fast".
Of course, if someone's got a short barrel and a chrono, I invite the data.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Way To Go, Italy!
Or,
Why don'tcha just paste targets on Red Cross personnele?
Now that Jihad Joe knows that you're open for concessions, there's no end to it.
Italian Red Cross Hid Iraqi Insurgents in Exchange for Kidnapped Workers.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
New Jersey: The Hospice of Liberty...
{Where Liberty Goes To Die...The Graveyard of Liberty, etc}
The spectacular Wendy McElroy talks about Speech Codes at New Jersey state colleges and universities.
Within the article, Wendy gets to the core of the matter and explains:
-----------------
Parents may also be puzzled about why some universities oppose free speech instead of championing it.
One approach to an explanation is to view the phenomenon as part of a general societal trend that has pitted freedom of speech against tolerance as though they were enemies. This trend claims that expressing my dislike or criticism of the gender, race or lifestyle of others is tantamount to violating their civil rights.
The trend rests on a specific definition of "tolerance." For many, that means being broadminded. It means acknowledging the legal right of others to a dissenting opinion, religious belief or peaceful lifestyle such as homosexuality.
The foregoing definition of tolerance does not require stifling your own opinions or preferences, which have an equal legal status. It does not require you to personally accept what you tolerate. Defending people's right to be different doesn't involve taking them out to dinner and a movie.
The current campus definition of tolerance inverts the more traditional meaning and demands personal acceptance. Tolerance becomes the active celebration of "diversity" and toleration requires the suppression of the speech, views or peaceful behavior that supposedly hinder diversity by making "diverse others" uncomfortable. The others are usually members of a group that has been historically oppressed, such as women and are deemed to now deserve special legal protection.
-----------------
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Even Miss America Wants To Flee New Jersey...
The Article
Quote:
-------------
Miss America CEO Art McMaster told the authority's board members the pageant cannot survive if it continues from the hall and in Atlantic City.
McMaster said he had no destination in mind for the pageant, but said the high cost of operating in Atlantic City meant a drain on the organization that would put it out of operation.
-------------
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Monday, August 22, 2005
Another One Over The Wall...
In the midst of momentous and chaotic goings on, The Anarchangel busts a friend out of Jersey for good.
No sweat on the missed lunch, just as long as you guys made it out OK. :)
In other news, now that Mom & Dad have vacated the premises, and our old au-pair has shuffled back home, {a bittersweet moment}, Freedom House is slowly returning to some semblance of normality, and so I hope to emerge from this period of sporadic blogging to bring y'all more of whatcha came for.
In the meantime, whyn't you pop over to Dave's place, and take a gander at the weekend shoot I wasn't able to attend due to family obligations. {damnit}
Bonus point to the Reader who can identify the Mighty and Egregious Charles in the group pic, who curiously doesn't have his bag of anvils with him.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Friday, August 19, 2005
Final NJ Tax Dollars...
I've finally gotten around to doing my taxes, after filing an extension.
I've cut my final tax check to the Diseased State of New Jersey.
NJ: That tax dollar is the final thread that connects me to you, and it's the last direct tax dollar you'll ever see from my wallet.
So long, assholes.
Free at last...free at last! Oh thank god, I'm free at last!
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Publicly Posted Private Note: (go figure)
Reader JMRogers@{deletedForPrivacy}:
My massively tardy reply to your email (which now resides in my personal "hall of fame") has bounced as an "unknown recipient".
And for the record, you're welcome. :)
And the rest of y'all....whaddya looking at? Go read a post. ;)
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
There Goes Another One...(Part 123123444)
Thom of Toxin Anti Toxin reports that he is EJECTING FROM THE DISEASED STATE OF NEW JERSEY.
{Visual: the geek does Kiki style poinging backflips}
Quote:
-------------
I cannot wait to get the hell out of this state. I wonder which pistol I'll buy first when I get to Ohio. I have always wanted a revolver in .22 lr and a 1911 type .45 ACP. Since I won't need a fucking pistol permit, perhaps I'll get both. Take that you poxy gun grabbers! Then I'll be looking for an M-1 carbine or similar battle rifle. Ha!
I am taking a big pay cut but I will be doing something I like better and enjoying a lower cost of living. For example, we will make enough from the sale of our NJ home to pay off our mortgage and purchase a comparable home in OH without a mortgage. Our property taxes in OH will be less than half of what they are in NJ. We will be closer to our families as well. The gain in freedom is so much more than worth the cut in pay, so I rejoice.
-------------
And we rejoice right along with you, as you join the long, proud line of Real Americans .
I've commented numerous times on the phenomena of the steady stream of people waking up, taking note of how far south things have gone in Jersey, and running like hell, so I'm not going to wax at length.
What I am going to do is share the conversation I had with Airboss when I told him that we were finally getting out:
Quote: {approximate from memory}
--------------------------------
During a lot of the cold war, I was stationed in Germany, and I'd get news from the guys in the barracks every time someone made it alive over the wall to freedom.
Every time that happened, I would feel a deep, indescribable feeling of joy.
That's how I feel right now, like someone made it over the wall.
--------------------------------
Me too, Airboss. Me too.
Oh, and for the record, my current recommendation for single stack 1911s is a Springfield Armory Milspec, have your local gunsmith put a beavertail and commander hammer on it. As for .22lr revolvers, I found myself drooling over a gun case a few months back over an S&W snubbie J frame. And if you don't like my choices, that's fine, you can always get another. As for M1 Carbines, they are are a hoot, get 2.
Thom: be sure to keep us posted.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
The National Academy of Engineering On "Smart Guns"...
THR member Alan unearthed Technological Options for User-Authorized Handguns: A Technology-Readiness Assessment.
Summary:
---------
The technology is very immature, nowhere near usable, costly, and unlikely to be completed without many years and {taxpayer} dollars.
---------
Of particular interest was something that I came across in the abstract.
Essentially, there are two separate classes of requirements. One is for public safety personnel (ie: cops), and the other is for "people concerned with personal safety and handgun misuse, particularly by children, in the home (i.e., homeowners)."
They go on to explain that the requirements for law enforcement must include reliability under stressful and adverse conditions, and must therefore risk false positives. On the other hand, the requirements for homeowners seeking to prevent child access and misuse must be biased in the other direction, that of preventing false positives. (IE: if in doubt, don't function).
Quote:
-------------
The committee recognizes that there are a number of non-law-enforcement user groups in addition to homeowners, including hunters, target shooters, collectors, and those with permits to carry concealed weapons.
To the extent that these groups or homeowners wish to use or transport a handgun outside the home and want the ability to use it under adverse environmental conditions, the “homeowner” UAHG as we define it would not be suitable.
Rather, the technical requirements for such firearms are likely to be similar if not identical to those for law enforcement.
-------------
Given that the statutory language in NJ's "Smart Gun" law is expressly couched in terms of child safety, it is very clear that NJ will accept (and perhaps requires) the more-likely-to-malfunction-under-duress "homeowner" standard.
Once again, in its dogma driven scramble to marginalize the right armed defense by any and every means possible, the Dark and Fascist State of New Jersey demonstrates its institutionalized contempt for the lives of its citizens.
People, I don't know how many times I've got to say it, or how many pieces of evidence I need to present:
The State of NJ Holds Your Very Life In Contempt.
Accordingly, it's fair to conclude that it views anything as intangible such as "your rights" to be a joke.
No Real American would stand for that.
With the exception of perhaps a few hundred, or at the very most a few thousand New Jerseyites*, I've seen no evidence to escape the conclusion that the rest of you are perfectly pleased with that arrangement, and that makes you feeble, degenerate parodies of Americans unworthy of your heritage, fully deserving of the contempt your government holds you in.**
*And you poor beleaguered guys and gals trapped behind the lines know who you are.
**D'oh. I just insulted a whole state.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
One Last Post Before Hitting The Rack...
Kevin of The Smallest Minority's repartee to Alex "the constitution is unknowable, and therefore malleable" is a thing of beauty.
Here's a Taste:
---------------
The primary difference between you and I, Alex, is that I have an allegiance to that document, and you do not. The purpose of this debate, from my perspective, is to get you to understand why we need that allegiance, and why disregard of it is the most grave error we can make.
Was the Constitution perfect? Hardly, but while it may not have been the greatest document ever recorded (as someone once quipped) it beats the hell out of whatever they're using these days.
"Old" and "flawed" does not equal useless and wrong. By all means, if it needs changing, we can change it, but declaring it meaningless simply eviscerates it. That "abiding belief*" vanishes, and the law behind it along with it.
---------------
Don't cheat yourself. Go read it.
*Kevin earlier makes reference to Scalia: " A guarantee may appear in the words of the Constitution, but when the society ceases to possess an abiding belief in it, it has no living effect. Consider the fate of the principle expressed in the Tenth Amendment that the federal government is a government of limited powers...."
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Monday, August 15, 2005
Red Curtain of Blood, with Entrails...
OK.
Here's The Article,
Quote:
------------
Tucked away in the 2005 appropriations bill is a little-noticed rider that is aimed at compelling students to spend every Sept. 17 learning about the U.S. Constitution.
------------
ONE DAY? ONE FREEPING DAY?
The classical justification for public education is that an educated citizenry is essential to the wellbeing of the Republic.
This implies, of course, that the citizenry understand their Republic's operating system, so that they can intelligently and meaningfully engage said system.
I'm actually in complete alignment with the goals of the rider:
Quote:
-------------
"One will not protect what one does not value. And one cannot value what one does not understand," Byrd, D-W.Va., said when he introduced the provision, explaining that if students understood the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, they would do more to protect and defend them.
"Through our schools, we can help to ensure that each new generation of Americans understands what is at stake," Byrd said.
-------------
Yay, you, Senator Byrd. Whatever your other flaws (D), I'll applaud you for doing right in this case, no matter how dubious the proposition is that a single day makes a difference.
Of course, there's splashback, from both sides of the spectrum:
Quote:
-------------
"This is a really friendly-sounding goal but I would be opposed absolutely and completely on the grounds of federalism," said Mike Krempasky, a conservative activist and a founder of the Web log RedState.org.
-------------
Well, there is that, but if we were to be entirely consistent from a Federalist perspective, we'd have to go whole hog and rework the entire financial structure of the Republic by gutting federal taxation power and return it to the states, where it belongs.
That, as they say, is a task for another day.
This, bit though, put it over the top for me:
Quote: {emphasis mine}
-------------
Al Frascella, spokesman for the National Council for the Social Studies, said teaching the Constitution as well as civics and social studies courses has been on the decline for decades. Nonetheless, he doesn't know how effective Constitution Day will be.
"Sen. Byrd has good intentions, but he's only setting aside one day, and that means you're taking a day out of the regular curriculum," said Frascella, who praised Byrd for his past support for social studies funding.
-------------
Excuse the hell me, Mr. Frascella, but if your sacred-and-not-to-be-disturbed "regular curriculum" does not include the history, content, structure, philosophy, and mechanics of the Constitution, then your curriculum is an abject failure, no matter how much self-esteem your students might derive from it.
And furthermore, I'd suggest that your funding would be less in peril if you were excellent at attending to the primary mission of public education
I searched the National Council for the Social Studies site, and found a mere 39 references to the word "Constitution", many of which were in the context of legislative funding alerts.
Incidentally, the abstract for the Thematic strands that "Form the basis of the social studies standards" does not mention the word "Constitution" once.
These are the strands:
-------------
Culture
Time, Continuity, and Change
People, Places, and Environment
Individual Development and Identity
Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
Power, Authority, and Governance
Production, Distribution, and Consumption
Science, Technology, and Society
Global Connections
Civic Ideals and Practices
-------------
The closest they come to it is dealing with it in the abstract in the segment on "Power, Authority, and Governance":
--------------
Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance.
Understanding the historical development of structures of power, authority, and governance and their evolving functions in contemporary U.S. society, as well as in other parts of the world, is essential for developing civic competence. In exploring this theme, students confront questions such as: What is power? What forms does it take? Who holds it? How is it gained, used, and justified? What is legitimate authority? How are governments created, structured, maintained, and changed? How can we keep government responsive to its citizens' needs and interests? How can individual rights be protected within the context of majority rule? By examining the purposes and characteristics of various governance systems, learners develop an understanding of how groups and nations attempt to resolve conflicts and seek to establish order and security. Through study of the dynamic relationships among individual rights and responsibilities, the needs of social groups, and concepts of a just society, learners become more effective problem-solvers and decision-makers when addressing the persistent issues and social problems encountered in public life. They do so by applying concepts and methods of political science and law. In schools, this theme typically appears in units and courses dealing with government, politics, political science, history, law, and other social sciences.
Learners in the early grades explore their natural and developing sense of fairness and order as they experience relationships with others. They develop an increasingly comprehensive awareness of rights and responsibilities in specific contexts. During the middle school years, these rights and responsibilities are applied in more complex contexts with emphasis on new applications. High school students develop their abilities in the use of abstract principles. They study the various systems that have been developed over the centuries to allocate and employ power and authority in the governing process. At every level, learners should have opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills to and participate in the workings of the various levels of power, authority, and governance.
--------------
To be completely fair, after much digging, I found mention of the Constitution not in the appendix, but buried deep in the supplement:
Quote:
--------------
The fundamental values and beliefs taught in social studies are drawn from many sources, but especially from the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution with its Bill of Rights. These beliefs form the basic principles of our democratic constitutional order. They depend on such practices as due process, equal protection, free expression, and civic participation, and they have roots in the concepts of liberty, justice, equality, responsibility, diversity, and privacy. Exemplary programs do not indoctrinate students to accept these ideas blindly. Instead, they present knowledge about their historical derivation and contemporary application necessary to understand our society and its institutions.
--------------
{Diversity is a root concept? WTF?}
I'm not going to fisk the rest of their thematic strands, although if you want some extra curricular excercise, the theme on "Production, Distribution and Consumption", with its "particular emphasis on the examination of domestic and global economic policy options related to matters such as health care, resource use, unemployment, and trade" is probably a juicy place to start.
Suffice it to say, the whole thing is a cunningly designed mold of subtle bias. Each individual element is reasonable and defensible, but interlocks in such a way that once you pour the plaster into it, the result is of a decidely collectivoLeftist bent.
The results speak for themselves:
Quote: {from the Fox article}
-----------
The survey of more than 100,000 students found that one in three high school students thinks the First Amendment goes "too far" in guaranteeing free speech to all Americans. It also found that only half said they thought newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval.
In addition, three in four students surveyed wrongly believed that flag burning is illegal and about half wrongly thought the government has the right to restrict indecent material legally posted on the Internet.
-----------
Sorry, dude. Your holy "regular curriculum" is pretty much a train wreck.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Public Service Message...
{Better late than never, if you haven't heard already...}
American Hunters And Shooters Association Is A Democrat Controlled Gun Control Front, pretty much as along the lines of "Americans for Handgun Safety".
{Shakes head}
Give it up, guys, we're onto you, and no one's buying what your selling.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Public Service Message:
Jamie Young, aka "Sodapop" is organizing another shoot!
------------------
Place: Water and Wings gun club. Pistol Range: 50yd
9173 Janes Lane Rifle Range
100-500yd
East Greenville, PA 18041
215-679-6633
Date: 8/20/2005
Time: 9am-5pm
Admission fee: $20 admission $5 for food
[url]www.JSHolsters.com[/url]
[url]www.Amback.com[/url] Your American Backyard
We have several things in the works and some interesting guests that may
be attending. As of now the schedule is this:
10am-12pm, Utah CCW class.
[url]http://www.packing.org/state/index.jsp/utah[/url]
Currently, there are twenty-five states that honor the Utah non-resident
concealed carry permit. The closest states for PA are OH, DE & VA. The
course runs two hours and includes range time. The normal course fee is
$50 but for the shoot we will discount the course for the price of
admission (course fee will be $25). If you are interested in the
course, please reserve a spot as we will need to prepare course packets
prior to the event.
1:45pm
Group photo
2pm-3:30pm
Glock Owners Workshop.
Bring your Glock. During the 90 min course we will demonstrate detailed
disassembly/reassembly. We will also discuss routine maintenance (what
little there actually is) as well as resources for Glock parts on the
Internet.
We will also have a table with our holster line and JSHolsters, LLC logo
wear. For those who attend the shoot, we will offer a 15% discount on
holsters ordered through our online store for 30 days after the event.
Those who stop by our table will have a chance to enter a drawing for
free holsters and logo wear, as well as certificates for training
courses we offer.
We will also have NRA Pistol Instructors present to offer gratis
instruction for first-time shooters. New shooters are welcome.
All responsible firearms owners are welcome!
Please be accomodating to others that attend. Everyone will get range
time and please share your toys!
People from all the popular gun boards will be attending.
Seeya there!!
Keep an eye out for future updates and check out
[url]www.firearms.org[/url] for more info. Please introduce yourself when
you come out.
Jamie Young
aka Soda Pop
----------------------
I now return to my regularly scheduled chaos.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
The MSM: Self Obsessed.
Not merely self absorbed, mind you, but self obsessed.
A few minutes background exposure to network news playing in the office over the last few days has confirmed forever for me the reason why I no longer watch network news.
If you took the MSM's word for it, you'd have to believe that nothing else of import was going on in the world, and conclude that:
1) The death of Peter Jennings (from LUNG CANCER!) is the worst thing EVER.
2) Everybody's getting LUNG CANCER, even perfectly innocent people who never smoked once, or even spent a moment within 100 yards of someone who was smoking, and
3) While the MSM understands that the entire world is traumatized by the death of Peter Jennings, they have to interrupt the world wide grief fest to scream AAAAAAGH! LUNG CANCER!, run around in little circles, and pass out from the excitement.
Meanwhile, back bin the real world, they miss out on what's really going on. {h/t: Kim}
Updated:
Of course, the MSM would love you to believe they've got this covered, with articles like this, but once you plow through the whole thing and get near the bottom, you'll find why they found this particular story was worthy of telling:
Quote:
------------
One day a nurse came in to ask Rodgers if he wanted to meet President Bush, who was visiting the hospital. Rodgers declined.
"I don't want anything to do with him," he explains. "My belief is that his ego is getting people killed and mutilated for no reason -- just his ego and his reputation. If we really wanted to, we could pull out of Iraq. Maybe not completely but enough that we wouldn't be losing people -- at least not at this rate. So I think he himself is responsible for quite a few American deaths."
------------
Defeatism: The hallmark of the Left and their pet press.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Monday, August 08, 2005
Light Posting...
Sorry for the light posting. I've a ton of work, both domestic and commercial to catch up on.
That, and Freedom House is in a higher than usual state of chaos: My parents decided to stay with us for a few weeks post vacation, the new au-pair arrived last week, doubling up with the outgoing au-pair for a while, the kids are have some child-trauma about the whole thing, I'm still catching up on a mountain of backlogged email (sorry, gang, y'all know who y'are) and the upstairs bathtub tile decided to go teats up and partially collapse.
I will relay this much, however:
While at a Russian festival in the city over the weekend with the family and several of my friends who happen to be emmigrees from the former Soviet Mess, we were subjected to a speech from some city politico dingbat or another. Most of the speech was innocuous fluff, but two bits grated on me.
Early on, he celebrates multi-culturalism thus:
Approximate quote from memory:
------------------------------
~There was a time in America when we were all to act alike, think alike, pray alike... but now America is a vibrant, multi colored rainbow...~~
------------------------------
Er, when was this, exactly? Or was this guy watching Happy Days thinking it was historical documents?
A bit later on, and again approximated from memory:
------------------------------
~~And if anyone ever tells you that you're not a real American, not as real as someone whose ancestors came over 300 years ago, you tell me, and I'll personally go explain to that person what a real American is~~
------------------------------
One eyebrow raised. Nudging the buddy nearest me, I asked, "So, is this a big problem for the Russian community? People taunt y'all for being fake Americans?"
Shaking her head slowly, closing her eyes in disbelief at the travesty she'd just witnessed, she summed up the whole speech. "Zhat speech was...embarrassing. But now it is over, all the better. Now for the singing and dancing." Gwa9 smirked in agreement, and both miniGeeks seemed happy now that the "talking man" had gone away.
A short while later, I noticed the politico a few steps away, and briefly considered taking him to task on some of the, er, finer points of his speech.
For example, I'd noted the subtext payload in that last little bit, which roughly translated "You guys are incapable of defending yourselves from verbal tauntings. It's a good thing you've got me, your big brother, who will personally protect you from these big bullies..."
I saw, however, that he was more interested in pawing through the gift bag o' booty they'd given him than in listening to the small fawning crowd that had gathered, so I figured I'd find more pleasant ways to waste my time. Soon, the outing would be over, and I'd be crammed into a small space, rebuilding crumbled walls and tiles.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Saturday, August 06, 2005
Ejection Seats: A Good Thing...
A Reader sent me this Windows Media Clip of what happens when a giant bird gets sucked into a jet on takeoff.
Hair raising.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Friday, August 05, 2005
Walther TPH Mags...
Walther TPH mags seem fairly hard to come by, and I see them on auction sites for $40-$60, which is preposterous for 6 shot .22lr mags.
Fortunately, Wholesale Hunter. net has factory mags for $24.
I ordered 4, and they just arrived in the mail, in original Walther packaging. I've not tried them out on the range, but visual inspection indicates that they seem to be the right thing and in good order.
As I researched my little impulse buy, I see that it's often classified as a "saturday night special" in some jurisdictions, largely due to its small size and concealability, despite its pedigree and quality of construction.
I find it fascinating that a lot of the bias against small, concealable firearms predates the wide acceptance of concealed carriage of arms, and that many vestiges of this contempt persists on the books. Long story short, the forces of organized gun bigotry will exploit any and every tool they can to further their agenda of a helpless populace.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Thursday, August 04, 2005
"The lack of power of the American M-4 and M-16 rifles is astonishing."
Instapundit points to Michael Yon, who did a fair bit of combat photography.
Having gotten wind of a plan to ambush the Iraqi police, the Americans decided to ambush the ambushers.
Quote:
------------
The lack of power of the American M-4 and M-16 rifles is astonishing. So many people and cars shot-up, but they just keep going and going. For a moment, it appeared the terrorists might get away.
------------
Despite the varmint round, the bad guys did NOT get away. :)
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Monday, August 01, 2005
Eeew! I've got meme on me!
Get it off! Get it off! ;)
Countertop splattered the what's on YOUR nightstand?" meme all over me, and I'm compelled to reply.
Most Readers know that I've got younglings in the house, of the 3 and 4 year old variety, which means that leaving guns lying around in the open is absolutely, positively, not going to happen. I'll get to that in a minute.
The innocuous items on my nightstand are a stack of books, my alarm clock, a lamp, a reading nightlight, and a surefire. When I'm actually sleeping, I add to that pile my watch, spectacles, wedding ring, and that day's ponytail elastic. The specs go into a fairly precise place, such that my snooze auto-whapping motion doesn't send them flying, and that I can reliably lay hands on them should I need to.
OK, as for the armaments, I've got an armoir one step from my bed, and bolted within that is a Homak pistol safe:
I also keep armor hanging in the adjactent closet.
This rig needs revisiting, for a number of reasons. The first is that the Homak safe isn't 100% perfectly reliable. If you fumble the combination in a certain way, it thinks you're tampering, and goes into multi minute "lockdown" mode. {This happens about once a year, and I don't like it one bit.}
The second reason is that this safe's getting crowded, as it generally contains our various carry guns.
Originally, it was just my Sig P245 on the right (for left handed draw), and gwa9's Sig 226 on the left (for right handed draw). Then we stuck the S&W 642L in between them, for whoever wanted it that day. Now we've also added gwa9's kel tec, and my little walther, plus spare mags for everything, and it's a freaking mess.
Now, a word about the state of said guns:
In our house, guns are in one of three states:
"Carried": Which means they're fully loaded, with one in the pipe, and at least one spare mag/speed loader on our person.
"Stored": Which means they're completely unloaded, and tucked into bed, which is the "big gun safe".
"Night mode": which means that they're in a safe, and stored such that simply picking them up and triggering them will not result in a discharge. The slide guns must be racked. We kicked around what to do about the revolvers, and decided that simply opening the crane with loaded chambers wasn't enough. Rather, we leave the crane open, with a safariland speedloader prepositioned.
As for resolving the situation, we're still kicking it around. We briefly entertained the idea of using the car safes I reviewed a few weeks ago, but eventually decided that keylocks were too risky. Elsewhere in the house, I've got a gunvault, , which is reliable as heck, but doesn't the furniture well.
What we're probably going to do is simplify the situation, use the Homak as the carry gun safe, and get new gunvaults for the guns we will designate as the his & hers "house guns".
In the meantime, it'll be pretty much whichever gun falls out when the safe pops open =8-0
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
Bloggus Resumus...
Right then, I'm back, and apparently, the Republic, such that it is, hasn't fallen in my absence.
Well done.
So, for those of you who give a hoot, I spent the week in idle luxury at a house my sisters, parents and I chipped in to rent on Deep Creek Lake, which is in western Maryland, about 20 miles east of West VA, and 15 miles south of PA. There was much lounging about, flinging of children into the lake, paddling about in rubber dinghys, and renting of pontoonboats. I provided the evening entertainment, and got the whole clan hooked on Firefly. The outdoor roasting of meats caused my Blue State sistren a mild amount of anxiety in bear country, but I wasn't particularly worried.
A Brief Digression...
The late great Steve Herod was of the opinion that the defensive difference between an individual .24 caliber pellet and a .36 caliber pellet was negligible, but that the difference between 27 pellets and 8 or 9 pellets was significant.
"Therefore, you get a hold of yourself some #4 buckshot, and put two or so of those up front,
and the rest in slugs, and
that oughta see you through just about any problem I can think of that can crop up in your home, yard, or garden."
Where was I?
Oh, yeah. Vacation.
Well, it seems that while I was off in the woods, the world wasn't standing still, and the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act came and went in the Senate. A lot of you long time Readers probably first came aboard when I live blogged the Senate debate on this bill the last time it came around, which was an extended 3 or 4 day extravaganza centered around possible renewal of the AWB.
What a difference a year and an election makes!
Skimming transcripts and blow by blows, it looks like the gun bigot blowhards (Kennedy, Schumer, Boxer, Lautenberg, and Corzine, etc) got to do a compressed replay of their previous antics, {everyone should witness at least one good drunken Kennedy Senate rant at least once in their life} and if I'm scanning the record correctly, DiFi couldn't bear to even show her face. {Serves her right after her gleeful little jig when she thought she was going to get her precious AWB last time.}
.50 bmgs aren't even brought to the altar for sacrifice, the few amendments that ended up attached don't substantially change anything {although by the way the GOA is squawking, you'd think that door-to-door confiscation had been approved}, and the Senatorial gun bigots got their butts whipped red and handed to them on a stick.
[Neo]Whoa.[/Neo]
Here's the best bits:
Quote: {emphasis mine}
----------------
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES.
(a) Findings- Congress finds the following:
(1) The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
(2) The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the rights of individuals, including those who are not members of a militia or engaged in military service or training, to keep and bear arms.
---------[snip]-----------
(6) The possibility of imposing liability on an entire industry for harm that is solely caused by others is an abuse of the legal system, erodes public confidence in our Nation's laws, threatens the diminution of a basic constitutional right and civil liberty, invites the disassembly and destabilization of other industries and economic sectors lawfully competing in the free enterprise system of the United States, and constitutes an unreasonable burden on interstate and foreign commerce of the United States.
(7) The liability actions commenced or contemplated by the Federal Government, States, municipalities, and private interest groups and others are based on theories without foundation in hundreds of years of the common law and jurisprudence of the United States and do not represent a bona fide expansion of the common law. The possible sustaining of these actions by a maverick judicial officer or petit jury would expand civil liability in a manner never contemplated by the framers of the Constitution, by Congress, or by the legislatures of the several States. Such an expansion of liability would constitute a deprivation of the rights, privileges, and immunities guaranteed to a citizen of the United States under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
(8) The liability actions commenced or contemplated by the Federal Government, States, municipalities, private interest groups and others attempt to use the judicial branch to circumvent the Legislative branch of government to regulate interstate and foreign commerce through judgments and judicial decrees thereby threatening the Separation of Powers doctrine and weakening and undermining important principles of federalism, State sovereignty and comity between the sister States.
---------[snip]-----------
(b) Purposes- The purposes of this Act are as follows:
---------[snip]-----------
(2) To preserve a citizen's access to a supply of firearms and ammunition for all lawful purposes, including hunting, self-defense, collecting, and competitive or recreational shooting.
(3) To guarantee a citizen's rights, privileges, and immunities, as applied to the States, under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, pursuant to section 5 of that Amendment.
----------------
I say again:
[Neo]Whoa.[/Neo]
Language like this is a killing blow: it decapitates some of the gun bigot's core articles of faith, that 2A is a "collective" right, and that it doesn't apply to the states. While we might expect that corpse to lurch around for some time to come, spewing arterial blood everywhere, it's a big step towards setting the stage to sweep the deck clean. I'm feeling pretty optimistic, especially if we come out on top for the next few election cycles, and gain a few more Supreme Court Justices that can actually read the Constitution.
All in all, that's a pretty bright day to offset some of the recent muck, and now that we have two data points to strike a vector with, it's fair to say things are heading in the right direction at a surprising clip.
BTW, Countertop's got a handy list of the roll call vote, with the names of the traitors highlighted.
My take on it is that many are ducking for cover for the mid term elections, but we can remember who voted for renewing the AWB last time by clicking this link.
.
Permalink
Posted By: geekWithA.45
|
|
