Should States seize guns amidst a crisis?

Think about that for a moment. If in a state of emergency { i.e. New Orleans } Should the government seize your guns? I don't think so. If the governor of New Orleans had not done so, the law abiding citizens could have protected themselves from all the looting, rapes, killings, and the robberies. That's why I am glad that earlier this year, Oklahoma had passed House Bill 2696. It protects the Second Amendment for those of us that are gun owners. We all have read or heard on the news, on how violence and chaos erupted right after Hurricane Katrina. The authorities there started collecting guns and weapons because " it was too difficult telling law abiding citizens from the criminals." I think I can tell you the difference. The looters that were looting items that would not help you survive. I truly feel sorry for those people. Having to steal food in order to survive is one thing. I would have let those people go. But, those that were taking televisions, beer, and the such, would have been arrested. The law abiding citizens were protecting what they had left. The criminals were trying to take it all away. There were not enough police officers to handle all the 911 calls that were coming through. Now I ask you this: If there were not enough police, then why take the guns from the law abiding citizens. In that situation, would you not rather to have people to be able to protect themselves? I can hear you now. "There are other ways to protect yourself". O.K. How about this analogy: Taking a knife to a gun fight. How would you protect yourself if you were held at gunpoint with anything other than a gun? I hear you too: with martial arts! As someone who studied martial arts for several years, that MIGHT work if: 1. You could catch your opponent off guard. 2. You were close enough to take action. Even at one foot out of reach he still has the advantage. I would rather protect myself with a firearm and make the odds a little better. I believe in the old saying, "When you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns." If that were to happen, (and I pray that it doesn't) I may have to become an outlaw. I love the saying, " You can have my guns when you pry them from my cold dead fingers." I will always be a gun owner to be able to provide for and protect my family. I do not want the criminal element to have the upper hand. "Give a man a steak, feed him for a meal. Teach a man to hunt, feed him for a lifetime". Since Katrina, the NAACP claims that House Bill 2696 opens the way for discrimination. That may be right, but it only discriminates against the CRIMINAL. Not the law abiding citizens of this great country. According to the Second Amendment Foundation, at least 10 states have adopted this law. (now we only have 40 more to go!) And as far as the statements; "We have a very difficult time telling the law abiding citizens and the criminals", I have a solution: I urge, no I implore you to get your CCW license A.S.A.P., even if you don't ever plan to carry. The reason is that CRIMINALS CAN NOT GET ONE!!!! I believe that in a state of emergency, the police need all the help they can get from law abiding citizens. They can't be everywhere at once.

I leave you with a final thought: If criminals won't give up their guns, Why should we?

S&W Emergency Survival Kit Guns

The concept behind the Smith & Wesson Emergency Survival Kit Guns is indeed an interesting approach to providing a basic, foul weather friendly, ready to go wilderness survival kit. It includes the basic items for making your way in the wild, including a saw, whistle, signal mirror, fire-starter, compass, two space blankets, a knife, survival book, and a weather-proof case for it all. All that for one low price, and they throw in a short-barreled big-bore revolver with neon grips.

I'm not fond of the neon grips and wish they'd include a black rubber combat grip too, though one can be purchased separately for a reasonable price. The revolvers are offered in your choice of .500 S&W and .460 XVR which is sure to please the most power-hungry handgun survivalists who like front-sight dents in their forehead.

Given the two choices, I would go with the .460 XVR as one has the option to load it with the blistering fast .460 XVR, the more than stout .454 Casull, or the .45 Colt cartridge. Still, I think the average handgunner will shy away from these powerhouse guns and opt for something a little more controllable nix the neon grips. I think an offering in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, or even the plenty-powerful .44 Magnum would have been a good idea.

Kudos to S&W for coming up with a unique package like this, even if they aren't offered for more user friendly cartridges that use ammo not requiring you to take out a second mortgage on your home to feed the beast.

Firearms Safety W-W Style

It’s time for a firearm safety refresher course, so sit back and listen while Uncle Joe gives you the rundown W-W style.

The 10 Commandments of Firearm Safety:

1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
2. Firearms should be unloaded when not actually in use.
3. Don’t rely on your gun’s safety.
4. Be sure of your target and what’s beyond it.
5. Use correct ammunition.
6. If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, handle with care.
7. Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting.
8. Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before shooting.
9. Don’t alter or modify your gun, and have guns serviced regularly.
10. Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the firearm you are using.

Those are the ten basic (unadulterated) things you need to know before ever picking up a firearm. Now let’s break them down a tad and throw in some reasoning for each commandment.

The 10 Commandments of Firearm Safety Redux:

1. Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.

In other words, don’t point your gun at anything you don’t intend to shoot. Carry your gun with the muzzle pointed to ground in front of you. If you are in a group and someone is in front of you, sling the rifle with the muzzle skyward, but remember, what goes up must come down. In a house, bullets can penetrate interior walls and many exterior walls like a hot knife through butter, only you can’t see who’s on the other side. Logic dictates that there might not always be a safe direction, in this case choose a direction that has the littlest damage potential, but try and avoid those types of situations first.

2. Firearms should be unloaded when not actually in use.

That’s pretty self explanatory. The only exception is a gun kept loaded at all times for personal or home defense, but technically these are guns that are in-use 24/7.

3. Don’t rely on your gun’s safety.

Mechanical safeties can fail. A safety is not a fail-safe mechanism; it is a precautionary item that should not be relied upon solely as a means of preventing a firearm from going off. These safeties rely upon the competence of the person handling the firearm.

4. Be sure of your target and what’s beyond it.

Bullets penetrate, often times much further than anticipated. There is also the possibility you might miss your target, so never rely on the target itself as a backstop. Don’t shoot if people are anywhere in the vicinity of your target. Ever hear of a ricochet?

5. Use correct ammunition.

Again, this should be self-explanatory, but there are those who aren’t so bright. Just because it looks like it fits, doesn’t mean its safe. The wrong cartridge’s dimensions could be off enough from that of the chamber so that if it were to be fired, dangerous pressures could result. If it’s not a cartridge made specifically for your chambering, don’t even think about trying it!

A cartridge too small for the gun’s chambering could slide down far enough into the chamber that when you try to eject it, the extractor doesn’t grab it. A following round being shoved into the chamber could cause the tip of the bullet to ignite the primer of the first cartridge, resulting in a potentially lethal catastrophe.

In the case of shotguns, the round might just stop up the barrel and when the correct cartridge is loaded and fired, the results can be potentially lethal for both the shooter and any bystanders. (See #8)

6. If your gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, handle with care.

Hang fires can and do occur with modern ammunition, though it’s not nearly as common as it was with muzzleloaders. There could be a couple different reasons why it didn’t fire, and doesn’t mean it won’t fire at all. The primer could be slow to ignite. The powder could also be the culprit and be slow in igniting.

If your gun doesn’t fire, keep it pointed at the target and wait at least 15 seconds, and honestly, in all my years of shooting I’ve had a two factory rounds that didn’t go off until after 20 seconds passed (though these are extremely rare, more than one in a million if I had to hazard a guess), so best to wait at least 30 seconds, then if your gun has second fire capabilities, try firing again, or else extract the cartridge and inspect the primer to make sure it has a firing-pin dent.

Things to look for:
Make sure the face of the primer is flush with the head of the cartridge. If it’s seated too deeply, that could cause the firing pin to not hit it with enough force to fire it. The firing pin indentation should be round and deep, if it’s a very light indentation that could be a sign of a problem with the gun itself, it could be a broken firing pin or weakened spring. It could also mean a defective primer with too thick a housing.

If none of the above is the problem and one wants to investigate further, use a kinetic bullet puller and remove the bullet and powder. Is the powder dry? Try carefully decapping the cartridge case next. Go easy, decapping a live primer can break your decapping pin and scare the bejeebers out of you and anyone in close proximity. If it won’t decap, that’s probably the problem right there, the cartridge case had no flash hole in the primer pocket. If it does decap, then by golly it was probably just a dead primer.

7. Always wear eye and ear protection when shooting.

Again, fairly self explanatory, but there are some people who don’t quite understand what proper protection is. Regular eyeglasses are not protection enough, unless they have shatter-proof lenses.
Those Wally-World sunglass are the same. Unless they are shatter resistant lenses, specifically made for shooting or otherwise industrial safety glasses, don’t wear them. Glass lenses can shatter when debris hit them. Make sure the glasses fit your face snuggly and properly.

Use the proper hearing protection for your environment. At a range, wear hearing protection that attenuates loud noises and lets regular sound through so that you can hear range commands. Hearing protection is just important when hunting, though somewhat inconvenient. For those circumstances, try some of the hearing protectors that amplify (in stereo) surrounding sounds and attenuate the loud ones. These can actually help you hear game that you otherwise wouldn’t hear. Some guns require a little extra protection, those with muzzle-brakes can direct the sound-waves back towards the shooter, and in those cases sometimes earplugs with muff-type protectors over those are in order. Ultimately it’s your hearing, and it’s up to you how badly you want to keep it or not.

8. Be sure the barrel is clear of obstructions before shooting.

This one kind of goes along with #5 for obvious reasons, but there is more to it that that. Make sure that mud, snow, and other debris hasn’t inadvertently plugged the barrel. A piece of gaffer’s tape over the end of the barrel will help prevent this, and won’t affect the bullet or accuracy any.

If you shoot the gun and it sounds “off”, it could have been a squib round. Don’t load and fire another round until you check the barrel to make sure the bullet isn’t lodged in the rifling. If it is, don’t try shooting it out, this will be bad news for you and the gun. If you can’t remove the bullet with a dowel or sturdy rod, it’s time to let the gunsmith take care of it for you. Now would be good time to have him check the whole gun over as a safety precaution. Now would also be a good time to fork over a few bucks to have him do a good trigger/action job if you haven’t had one yet.

A special note aimed at one person: To the guy who called in to Cam & Company a few weeks ago and asked what to do if you got your pecker stuck in the barrel of a shotgun, my advice to you is load the shotgun with a pumpkin ball and pull the trigger. Everyone else is advised to not do this, as it will only work for this particular person with the tiny genitalia.

9. Don’t alter or modify your gun, and have guns serviced regularly.

They’re talking about major modifications. Changing the grips, stock, or sights on a gun can probably be achieved by any gun owner unless they are completely incompetent, but this level of incompetence would have probably kept them from finding a gun shop in the first place. As for major modifications, action jobs, etc., those are best left to professional gunsmiths with outstanding reputations.

10. Learn the mechanical and handling characteristics of the firearm you are using.

Every gun is different, and has a personality of its own. Read the manual, if you didn’t get a manual contact the manufacturer and they will gladly send you one for free. Don’t go to the range and shoot the gun a few times and then never touch it until you need it. You need to familiarize yourself with the gun, go to range and practice, practice, practice. Use the firearm often enough so that all of its features and handling nuances become second nature to you.

Now for some W-W extras:

11. Don’t mix firearms and alcohol.

These activities should be enjoyed separately and should never be mixed under any circumstances.

12. Don’t ban your children altogether from your guns.

Children are curious by nature and banning them from your guns will only intensify their curiosity. Instead, teach them gun safety, teach them the importance of all the rules and the responsibility that goes with owning and using firearms. Then let them handle the guns under your supervision and teach them to shoot. Take them with you often to the range, and hunting, and let them shoot with you.

Buy a few guns specifically for their use that you will keep safe with your own, this will make a world of difference in their lives, they will then be their own responsible gun owner, and they now have to practice what they’ve been taught. It’s one thing to shoot daddy’s guns; it’s another to shoot their own guns that are specifically for them. Teach them to clean and maintain their own guns too.

13. Clean and lubricate your guns as soon as possible after each shooting session.

A clean, well maintained gun is a more accurate and reliable gun. Today’s non-corrosive rounds still leave a residue that can attract moisture which will cause rust and pitting in your bore.

14. Buy more guns.

I don’t care how many guns you own, it’s never enough. A happy gun is a gun with a responsible owner with lots of family members. Think of all the poor orphaned and ownerless guns at the gun shop that are in need of loving owners.

15. Hunters: One Shot, One Kill

Law Abiding Gun Owners/Hunters/Sportsman and the term "spray and pray" should never be used in the same sentence. Learn how to shoot accurately and kill the animal with one shot. Learn how to hunt and shoot properly, never take potluck shots and hope they hit, that's the among the worst kind of irresponsibility.

16.Last, but certainly not least: Support the National Rifle Association.

For around the price of a box of premium rifle ammo, you can get a year’s membership to the NRA who continues to defend your rights as gun owners. They are out there defending your rights whether you asked them to or not, so why not suck it up and show a little thanks for their efforts and give them the support they need in return. http://nra.org

Outlaw Chef

An outlaw chef in Chicago has gone out of control. Someone needs to notify PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals) immediately!

Quickly, get the number of that restaurant and make reservations before it's too late.

Lighthearted Monday

Credit goes to my cousin Gil for sending this my way.

Rules of the Blues:

1. Most Blues begin "woke up this morning."

2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in right away: I got a good woman "with the meanest face in town."

3. Blues are simple. After you have the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes. Sort of.
I got a good woman with the meanest face in town.
I got a good woman with the meanest face in town.
She got teeth like Margaret Thatcher and she weighs 500 pounds.

4. The Blues are not about limitless choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch; ain't no way out.

5. Blues cars are Chevy's, Cadillacs and broken-down trucks. Other acceptable Blues transportation modes include Greyhound buses and southbound trains. Walkin' plays a major part in the Blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or SUVs. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running.

6. Adults sing the Blues. Teenagers can't sing the Blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. In the Blues, "adulthood" means old enough to get the electric chair when you shoot that man in Memphis.

7. You can have the Blues in New York City, but not in Brooklyn or Queens. Hard times in Vermont, Tucson, or North Dakota are just depression. The best places to have the Blues are still Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City. You cannot have the Blues in any place that don't get rain.

8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the Blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg while skiing is not the Blues. Breaking your leg when your broken-down pickup truck rolled over on it is.

9. The following colors do not belong in the Blues: violet, beige, mauve (unless you"re truly desperate for a rhyme).

10. You can't have the Blues in an office or a shopping mall. The lighting is just plain wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.

11. Good places to have the Blues: the highway, a jailhouse, an empty bed, the bottom of a whiskey glass. Bad places to have the Blues: ashrams, gallery openings, weekends in the Hamptons, golf courses, Tiffany's, and Ivy League institutions.

12. No one will believe it's the Blues if you wear a suit, unless you happen to be an old black man and it's an old black suit.

13. Do you have the right to sing the Blues?
Answer "Yes" if:
a. your first name is a southern state like Georgia
b. you're blind
c. you shot a man in Memphis
d. you can't be satisfied
e. you're older than dirt
Answer "No" if:
a. you once were blind but now can see
b. you're deaf
c. the man in Memphis lived
d. you have a trust fund or an IRA
e. you have all your teeth

14. Blues is not about color, it's about bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the blues; Gary Coleman could. Ugly old white people got a leg up on the blues. Julio Iglesias and Barbara Streisand will never sing the Blues.

15. If you ask for water and baby gives you gasoline, it's the Blues. Other acceptable Blues beverages are: wine, whiskey, muddy water, beer, black coffee. Blues beverages are NOT: mixed drinks, kosher wine, sparkling water, Snapple, Starbucks Frappuccino, or Slim Fast. Although Rubber Biscuits and the Wish Sandwich are famous blues snacks, better stick to common blues grub like Greasy Bar-B-Que, Fatback and beans, and Government cheese. Blues food is never: Club sandwich, Sushi, or Creme Brule.

16. If it occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is a Blues death. So is substance abuse, the electric chair, or being denied treatment in an emergency room. It is not a Blues death to die during liposuction or from tennis elbow.

17. Excellent names for female Blues singers: Sadie, Big Momma, Bessie, or Fat River Dumpling. Excellent names for male Blues singers: Willie, Joe, Little Willie, Lightning, or Big Willie. Singers with names like Muffy, Sierra, Auburn, Alexis, Gwenyth, Sequoiz, Brittany or Rainbow are not permitted to sing the Blues, no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.

18. The Build Your Own Blues Singer Name Starter Kit:
a. Name of physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Lame, Asthmatic)
b. First name (from above lists) or name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi).
c. Last name of a U. S. President (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.)
Examples: Blind Lime Jefferson, Cripple Kiwi Fillmore, etc. (Okay, maybe not "Kiwi")

19. I don't care how tragic your life is; if you own a computer, you cannot sing the Blues. You'd best destroy it. Fire, a spilled bottle of Mad Dog, or shotgun. Maybe your big ass woman just done sit on it. I don't care.

20. Hey there, you can READ! This too be a big ol' problem. Most folks singin' the Blues ain't never had much a chance for education. In the Blues the three R's stand for Railroads, Runnin' and Rehab.

21. It gots to be dark to sing the blues, preferably after midnight. Singin' da blues at noon is forbidden.

22. If none of the above works, try one last, pathetic stab at authenticity: name your guitar. Remember, Lucille is taken.

23. Epitaph on a blues musician's tombstone: "I didn't wake up this morning"

Thought for the Day

Sorry I don't post often, but this time of year is very busy for me. Anyway heres My thought for you:

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. If you want to be successful and happy, BE YOURSELF.


later

Carry-On Knives for Terrorists?

While looking through the Cold Steel website to see if they had any knives worthy of me drooling on, I came across the Nightshade Series of knives. They claim these knives are made of a fiberglass reinforced synthetic material that is nearly undetectable. They further state the knives can be taped, tied, or tucked just about anywhere on a person's body. Plus, they're really affordable. It's a keen idea just waiting for the wrong usage.

Without out and out saying it, I got the impression that one could tape this to their body and walk right through airport security and go through the metal detectors with a fairly effective stabbing instrument. Yes, that would be illegal and I do not condone trying it.

But let's say for the sake of argument that a group of terrorists order a bunch of these and tape them to their torso's, legs, shove one up the crack of their ass, or whatever. While the politically correct airport security folks are doing their best taking away granny's fingernail clippers and junior's bottle of 7-Up, and generally singling out the elderly, or frail, or children, or whoever so as not to get sued by Mohammed for racial profiling, the terrorists get sent on through to board the plane armed with pretty stout knives, while no one is any the wiser.

Now on the plane the terrorists have a strong chance of hijacking the plane, because they have large knives and the FFA has left all the sheeple passengers unarmed without so much as paperclip and spare shoelace to MacGyver themselves a machine gun from, and odds are the passengers are going to sit back let themselves be taken hostage only to get killed because the terrorists are on a suicide mission, instead of ganging up on them and fighting back. If there's a good chance I'm gonna die, I'd rather die a hero than a coward.

No, I'm not saying these non-metallic knives should be banned, what I am saying is that just when you think airport security has saved us all from ourselves, there's always another way. Taking away personal items isn't going to be as effective as racial profiling would be. Instead of digging through an 80 year old granny's purse, try patting down the foreign looking guy with the shifty eyes and fidgety hands

Any bets on if and when we start seeing these things show up on the news in the hands of airborne terrorists?

Comments

Those of you who've already posted comments, they aren't gone or forgotten, but I'm moving to a new commenting platform with haloscan. It seems to be easier to use and more streamlined than the default blogger system. Thanks.

I'll try and see if I can somehow transfer your comments over to the new comment platform.

PETA: Hypocrites At Their Dumbest

Not long ago I was having a discussion with several persons whom represent PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). I asked them several questions which they were unable to answer, and it got me to thinking just how hypocritical these people really are. A couple of them were vegetarians and that's where it really got twisted. It went something like this:

Me: You believe that killing animals for food is wrong?
Them: Yes, it's cruel to kill animals for any reason.

Me: Do you have any pets like cats or dogs?
Them: Sure, I love animals and enjoy their companionship.

Me: You take good care of them don't you, I mean take them to the veterinarian regularly and feed them well, right?
Them: Oh yes, absolutely. I love my pets like I love my own children!

Me: What do you feed them?
Them: Mostly canned foods, like Alpo or Purina. They like the soft foods better than the dry, so that's what I give them.

Me: So you're saying you feed your pets meat?
Them: I guess so, that's what they like.

Me: So then it's okay to kill other animals for food?
Them: No, killing animals is cruel for any reason!

Me: But you just said you feed meat to your pets.
Them: --silence--

Me: It seems to me if you feed meat to your pets then you're advocating the killing of animals for food.
Them: That's different though!

Me: How so? You already said that killing animals for any reason is cruel.
Them: Umm, uhh, well you see, uhh.. dogs and cats are omnivorous and need meat in their diet.

Me: Actually most dogs and cats are carnivorous by nature and are forced omnivorous diets when domesticated, but you bring up a good point. Humans have always been omnivorous for all of recorded history, and you're trying to force vegetarianism on people saying it's ethical, while saying that it's wrong to force vegetarianism on animals. Seems a little bit hypocritical don't you think?
Them: It's would be unethical to force animals to eat a diet un-natural to them!

Me: Isn't that exactly what you're trying to force on people though?
Them: Well, yes, but...

Me: Look, you said earlier that it's wrong to kill animals for any reason. Then you said it's okay to kill animals to feed other animals. Which is it, either killing for food is right or wrong, which side of the line are standing on?
Them: --silence--
Me: That's okay, your saying nothing is answer enough.

---

So what it basically boiled down to is that they don't know what they're doing. They have an agenda that doesn't fit into the confines of the real world. They say one thing and practice another. That's pretty hypocritical if you ask me.

When they quit picking on the human race and spread out to all life on earth then maybe we'll see something entertaining. Maybe they should start another branch organized to stop animals from hurting other animals. I'd like to see them teach a pack of starving coyotes that it's unethical for them to slaughter a farmer's cows for food. And why not? They already chastise the farmer for shooting the varmints that threaten his livestock. Maybe they should go to Africa and start a picket line between a pack of bloodthirsty lions and a herd of Gazelles. If they're going to stop animal killing, they're going to have to concentrate on more than just humans.

What these PETA people, especially the strict vegetarian ones fail to realize is that even herbivores turn carnivorous from time to time. It's not as uncommon as one might think to see a rabbit doe eat her young, more common among the older ones. I've seen deer eating birds or small rodents. There are just some things that a strict vegetarian diet doesn't provide that only meat products have. Natural herbivores instinctively know this and turn to meat when their bodies start craving certain nutrients, so it's ignorant to think that natural omnivores like humans would be healthier by not eating meat which is an important part of our diet. That's why we're called omnivores, because we have the need to eat meats and plants both. Humans aren't naturally herbivorous, and neither are dogs or cats. So if you vegetarian hypocrites want to push your agenda then you need to expand it to the whole animal kingdom, not just humans. Why the double standard?

Why am I not surprised, this coming from people who represent an organization that kills more animals than it helps.

Pluto: The Unplanet

So Pluto is no longer a planet in out solar system: News Article

Was it worth declassifying it? All books throughout history that taught us Pluto was the 9th planet in our solar system are now wrong. Our teachers were wrong, our astronomers were wrong, everyone was wrong. Or were they?

Maybe this whole Pluto thing is going to be like the incredible edible egg ordeal. You know how that went, first it was good for you, then it was bad for you, then it was good for you again, then it was bad for you again, etc. The debate just kept going on and on and on like the pink battery-powered bunny with the drum.

Does it really matter how we define it? It's still what is and always has been. We call the tomato a vegetable when it's actually a fruit, we call the peanut a nut and it isn't, and neither is the cashew. But in the grand scheme of things, they are still what they are no matter what we call them.

What's next, the moon isn't actually made of green cheese?

Redneck Mafia

Okay, y'all listen up now! I want to direct your attention to the sidebar again. This time you'll be checking out the Redneck Mafia blogroll. I've checked out each and every one of the blogs listed as of this writing, and most of them seem like a good bunch of bloggers. Expect to find bloggers on the list that are down-to-earth people, very few of them seemed to have their heads stuck in the clouds or even stuck in the mud for that matter.

Check 'em out yourself and if you like what you see give the blogroll owner a shout to sign your own blog up.

FOX News Journalists Kidnapped by Palestinian Group

News story available on FOX News.

It seems that some Palestinian group has taken hostages and is trying to negotiate the release of the hostages in return for the release of all the Muslim prisoners detained by the United States.

Now I know that this is really going to boil some people's blood, but the solution to these hostage situations is simple: Do not negotiate hostage situations, period. If countries would quit negotiating for hostages, then there would be no need for hostage taking in the first place.

This is war, and we are all in it whether we want to be or not. It's important to understand that civilians are a part of the war, not just military personnel. It doesn't matter if you are a war correspondent or a factory worker in Podunk, Oregon, because if a terror group sees an opportunity to take a civilian hostage then that's what they'll do. But when they realize that taking hostages gives them no leverage whatsoever, then they'll stop wasting time and resources doing so.

I'd rather be tortured and beheaded by a terrorist group than to help strengthen their cause by giving in to their demands. To fight an enemy, one has to understand the enemy, be able to think like the enemy, and fight the enemy by destroying any tactical advantage they might have, that includes hostage situations.

As an example, Israel had the right idea with the way they invaded Lebanon. They hit the Hezbollah fast and hard, their goal was to annihilate the enemy as quickly as possible so that they in turn suffered as few casualties as possible. That is until the U.N. stuck their corrupt little political fingers into the pudding and screwed it up for Israel while giving the Hezbollah a chance to regroup, resupply, and strengthen. Israel should've told the U.N. to shove it and pushed forward with everything they had until they accomplished their goal.

That's exactly what the U.S. needs to do, is throw everything we've got at the terrorists, annihilate them as quickly as possible, and quit giving the enemy what they want by stopping the negotiating for hostage releases. It's war, people die, that's why it isn't called peace. That's why the U.N. needs to back off and disband, the liberals and leftists need to open their eyes and see that this isn't a utopian world in which we live, each and every one of us needs to show support for our troops, and most of all, we all need to be willing to sacrifice our all to protect freedom and abolish terror. This isn't strictly a military war or religious war, it's a war on all free people of the world.

No hostage negotiations, no compromises. Destroy the enemy's leverage and you'll soon destroy the enemy. Let me repeat what I said earlier: If countries would quit negotiating for hostages, then there would be no need for hostage taking in the first place.

101st Fighting Keyboardists

My thanks goes to Capt. Ed of Captain's Quarters for his adding Western Wisdom to the 101st Fighting Keyboardists blogroll. I stumbled upon that particular blogroll some time ago and thought about trying to join it, but it kept getting pushed aside for later. Well, needless to say, later finally showed up.

If you haven't checked it out yet, you should, you'll find the resource over on the right side of the page. The 101st Fighting Keyboardists blogroll is a valuable resource for those who support the war, our troops, and the American way of life. Liberal jackasses might want to check it out too since they might actually gain some enlightenment and be freed of the wretched leftist brainwashing inflicted upon them.

PETA: Terrorists Influencing Your Children

Did you know that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) supports terrorist organizations, and has itself used terrorist tactics to it's advantage?

PETA donates huge amounts of money to the ALF and ELF (Animal Liberation Front & Earth Liberation Front) which are grouped into a category known as Ecoterrorists. These groups use violence against persons and properties that are engaged in various activities that they deem harmful to the earth or it's animal inhabitants. For instance they destroy logging company equipment, threaten medical researchers who use animals in their efforts to find cures to serious human diseases, vandalize sportsmens' lodges, harass hunters and fishermen, etc. Those are but a few examples of their activities. The seriousness of many of these cases have included death threats to pro-sporting (hunting, fishing, etc) politicians and their families. Though I don't remember the details, there was a certain senator or congressman who came under attack from PETA for supporting a bill that would allow a dove hunting season in a particular state. This man became the target of serious death threats against himself as well as his family because of it. There are literally thousands of these instances, just do a web-search that includes keywords such as: PETA, death threats, terrorism, attacks, vandalism, arson, assault, etc., and you will find plenty of reliable sources of information.

Along with these terror tactics, PETA also kills more animals than saves. In fact, PETA puts approximately 85% of all animals in it's care to death. This is not just putting gravely sick animals out of their misery. PETA kills several thousand healthy animals every year, and many of these animals are killed in cruel ways and planted on the properties of persons who do not align themselves with PETA's beliefs. This is done to set the person(s) up for criminal charges of cruelty to animals, giving whatever person or industry bad publicity and making PETA the so-called hero that came to the rescue.

So, how would you like these terrorists to freely come to schools and spread their terrorist propaganda to your children? That doesn't set too well does it? PETA does in fact do that very thing though. They are in your schools distributing their propaganda and influencing your children to turn against you if you are a sportsman or engaged in certain industries. Don't believe me? See for yourself, they are passing these out in schools: Your Daddy Kills Animals! (PDF) they also encourage your kids to visit this, among other websites at home, or better yet in the school library out of parental control: http://fishinghurts.com. Do you really want them filling your children's heads with all crap? PETA readily admits that it gears the majority of it's propaganda towards corrupting the minds of children, and it's your local schools that are going along with it, probably without your knowledge.

While we fight a global war on terror, let us not forget our homegrown terrorists that hide behind the veil of "do-gooder" organizations. They are corrupt, violent people and very dangerous on multiple levels.

Here are a few links of interest (I neither endorse these sites, nor guarantee the accuracy of their content):

http://www.peta-sucks.com/

http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

http://www.anti-peta.com/

As for me and my home, things will remain anti-PETA. I will continue to hunt, I will keep on fishing, I will savor every bite of my steak at supper time, and I will continue to help educate people as to the terrorist nature of PETA and other similar organizations.

Emerson Audio/Video Products

Over the years I've owned many different Emerson products, ranging from VCR's, DVD players, Television Sets, and Stereo units. Some of them were gifts, others were purchased by me. All of them started out with me as brand new and ended up in a dumpster a year or less down the road.

I'm not one to mistreat or be rough with electronics, and I've never had much in the way of problems with most other brands, but for some reason every Emerson product I've owned has either started having problems within the first 6 months or completely crapped out after a year or so. I guess longevity and Emerson aren't two words that go hand in hand.

Perhaps I've just had a bad run of luck with them. Maybe others haven't experienced any problems with Emerson products. I'd like to hear about any experiences anyone has had, whether good or bad, with Emerson brand electronics.

Homebrew: Parabolic Microphone

I’ve set out to build a portable parabolic microphone. I plan to build one with a budget of less than $10 and with any luck I can drop that down to less than $5 by using spare junk laying around here. My goal is to have it work at least as well as those you’d pay 300+ dollars for from a retail business. However, since I haven’t the funding to purchase a ready-made unit for direct comparison, nor do I know of anyone that owns one that I can borrow, I will have to find a way of making some sort of indirect comparisons that aren't completely devoid of useful information.

Several years ago I built a Ten-Tec Hi-Sensitivity Audio Amplifier Kit (part #1252) which I plan to use for amplifying the sounds picked up from the parabolic microphone, but since I use this for multiple applications, I did not figure it’s price into the above cost estimate. Had I needed to use a built-in amplification circuit for the parabolic microphone, I would either add about $10 to the estimate for the parts to build a simple unit myself, or add on the cost of an audio amplifier kit such as the Ten-Tec Utility Audio Amplifier (part #1550) which is currently selling for $15 + shipping.

Can I succeed? I don’t know, but it will be fun trying. There’ll be more to come later on (with pictures!) when I actually get up the gumption to begin working on it.

Guitar Effects Pedals

Lately I've been thinking about getting a few effects pedals to go with my amp. Maybe the new sounds available will give me the inspiration I need to regain some creativity. I'm looking real close at the Line 6 series of effects pedals, they seem to be a few notches above the BOSS stomp-boxes for quality and adjustability.

I'll start out with the meat and potatoes of effects, a chorus pedal, and see where it goes from there. Later on I'll probably try and add in a compressor and an echo/delay box. That ought to give me plenty of gizmos to play with to find a unique sound. I'm looking to keep it clean, or mostly clean with a nice blues or jazz sound to it, nothing wildly overdriven or cheesy sounding. I don't want to get the crappy distortion pedals all these metal heads live on, besides, I can do that already if need be with just my all-tube amp, trust me on this one. But when I play, I like to actually hear the chords I play. Yes, teenage head-bangers, you can actually play notes and chords with a guitar, not just make obnoxious noise. There's more to life than taking a nice musical instrument and making it sound like garbage. The idea here is to enhance the sound of your instrument, not hide your inability to play behind tons of distortion and squealing.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Guitar: Stuck in a Rut

I've been stuck in a rut with the guitar for quite some time now. I'm not progressing any at all with learning anything new at all. I even took a break away from the guitar for a few months and when I picked it back up, I realized I was still uninspired. I'm not sure what's killed my progress nor do I know how to grasp the motivation to pull myself up and out of this rut.

Ham Radio Withdrawals

My HF/VHF base station radio equipment has been packed away in their boxes for a couple of months now in anticipation of the upcoming move back to Oklahoma. The antennas are all down and boxed up and the 80' tower is now gone on to a new owner a few miles away. This, of course, means no time on the air ragchewing or even just listening around on the bands. It sounds kinda cuckoo, but I started having ham radio withdrawals the other day. No, nothing like getting mysterious rf burns on my skin or hearing rare DX contacts in my head, more like just a feeling of aggravation at not being able to partake in one of my favorite hobbies.

Then it dawned on me, I have a H-T that I haven't fired up in almost a year, so I dug the little Icom T90A out and plugged in the charger. I figured even though I'm too far out from any repeaters to make any contacts, I could still listen around the bands. If you're a ham, you know that just listening isn't going to be good enough. Well I thought I'd give the 20" Maldol MH-510 whip planted on top of the diminutively sized H-T a try out here in the sticks.

By golly the propagation was good that evening! I keyed up gave my callsign on the Lake Park, GA repeater some 40+ miles away from my QTH and lo and behold the repeater came back with nice morse I.D. answer. Then came the QSO, and reports of full quieting on the repeater, and all the comments like there's no way you're sitting in your house in Dowling Park and coming across full-quieting with a little 5-Watt H-T. For me, that was impressive.

It was impressive enough for me when I could stand in the driveway at Patrick's house in Mustang, OK and come across the Edmond, OK repeater full quieting with that little H-T, any time of day or night. But to do that with my little H-T here surrounded by all these tall slash pines and whatnot, I didn't expect to get out more than 5 miles or so. Maybe I was off on my expectations, maybe not. I just know that I've cured my ham radio withdrawals for the time being.

Aggressive Drivers

Why do drivers think that after they get their licenses they think they can drive however they want? I drive an 18-wheeler for a living and during the day I have at least 4 or 5 people change lanes with only 2-3 feet between them and my rig. Do these people have a deathwish or do they do not know it takes about 1 truck length per 7 mph to stop safely? I wish I knew. I have yet to have a wreck in my rig (knock on wood) and hope I never do. I also hope I never have a wreck that may be fatal. I have talked to other drivers that have been in a fatality accident and they say that it is very hard to get over it. Please tell everyone you know to not do this. Please pass this on. Not only that the more aggressive you drive the more gas you use. Another thing I deal with is people not yielding like they are supposed to. Or when I yield they change lanes to keep truckers from merging into traffic safely. I have had to merge into INTERSTATE TRAFFIC FROM A STANDSTILL! This will also get a person killed. Please drive courteously and safely. I do and plan on driving that way from now on. I don't want to be the driver that has to deal with a fatality because of someone's stupidity. Now I also realize that not all truckers drive safely. But because you never know, please give ALL of us truckers plenty of room to do our jobs safely. Thank you in advance.

British Grandma's Arrest Got Me To Thinking...

See original blog posted on camedwards.com.

The fact that those who reside in England have no right to defend themselves got me to thinking about some things. We here in America have the right to defend ourselves, unlike our British neighbors across the big pond. What got me thinking though is if our right to self-defense isn't so overly restricted with various legislations as to make exercising that right so distressing and over-burdensome that it is almost not worth defending oneself at all.

Here in America, more times than not, a person who defends themselves from a criminal are often put through such distress afterwards that they often times are worse off than if they hadn't exercised their right of self defense at all. The criminal whom you defended yourself against can often sue you for damages, and if the criminal himself doesn't, many times the criminal's family does. So now you have to defend yourself in a legal battle to prove that your actions of self defense were justifiable. You are the one made to look like the bad guy, you are the one but through an emotional wringer, you are the one now being scrutinized by the public, media, jury, prosecuting attorney(s), and most likely the liberally biased judge in front of you.

What else happens to you? If you used a weapon to defend yourself the weapon is confiscated leaving you feel even more vulnerable and victimized than before. The investigations can tear apart your home and family life, let alone the forthcoming trails. There is no "innocent until proven guilty" in this country any longer. You are most likely to be treated just as guilty as the criminal is. It's up to you to prove your innocence, and if you can't do that you're up the creek without a paddle. So it looks to me more like you're guilty until you prove yourself innocent. If you can't prove that your actions of self-defense were justifiable, or if you can't afford decent legal representation, then often times you are penalized for your actions. It can be anything from having to pay for damages caused to the criminal to an all-out prison sentence for you while the criminal walks away a free man. I could give plenty of references to such cases, but I am too tired right now to reference them, and if you do a little research on your own, you can easily find the multitudes of case histories for yourself.

The point that I'm trying to make all basically boils down to the fact that often times there's such life-disrupting events that follow justifiable self-defense situations, that to many people it's not worth exercising the right in the first place. It's all thanks to the liberal lawmakers, they want your rights to be so over-regulated as to make it impractical to exercise them. Once they accomplish that, they can then have that right taken away under the justification that it's an antiquated right that is no longer used, nor needed. Which leads me to another point: Rights are like muscles, if you don't exercise them they will eventually atrophy, but that's getting into a topic for another day.

What would I do? I'd exercise my right to self-defense anyways. I'm a damn stubborn son of a gun who won't give up his God-given rights for anyone or anything, consequences be damned.

Ten-Tec Omni-VII

Listen up all you hams, three days ago Ten-Tec announced on their website the upcoming addition to their line of ham transceivers, the Ten-Tec Omni-VII, an HF+6M rig that is set to be priced somewhere between the top of the line Orion II and the more affordable Jupiter. Set to be released during October of this year, I have a feeling these rigs are going to be back-ordered up the wazoo for quite some time.

There's not much else I can think to say about it except check it out for yourself.

Why I Looked to the Sky

A nice thunder-bumper moved through the county last night. While I was standing at the window watching as the rain gutter overflowed, I took note that I should do something about that, like perhaps clean the gutters out later. About that time, I heard a loud crack and watched as the top half of slash pine came crashing to the ground at the treeline near the woodshop. It came within about 2 feet of crunching one of the dogs into the ground. With unfettered nerves, the little dog decided that would be it's new play-thing until such time as it was removed from it's territory.

Come this morning I decided it was time to move the dog's new pine-top toy back into the woods. I'm sure it'll make a nice diamondback rattler habitat soon enough. Anyway, the section was about 20 foot long, and fairly heavy, so while I was moving it I was really putting a lot of weight into it. I decided after I got it most of the way to where I'd lay it to rest that if I gave it just one more tug it'd be in place. So there I lunge backwards with everything I've got, and the next thing I know I'm looking up at the sky thinking "that sure is a purty sky this morning, but why am I looking straight up at it?". At that moment I realized that the branch I was using for a handle had sheered off at the trunk with no forewarning whatsoever, promptly landing me flat on my back before I knew what happened.

Normally stuff like that never bothered me, but it's been years since I've taken a fall of any sort. I guess being in my early thirties and not in as good of shape as I used to be, that my body is revolting. My back feels like it's been hit with a 10 pound sledge swung by a 300 pound lumberjack. I can't wait till tomorrow morning, after it's had a chance to really set in. I'm just glad I didn't land on a stump or any other objects protruding from the ground. I have a feeling I got real lucky this time, but irregardless, that's why I looked to the sky.

Buy American Made

The other day I touched on what brand overalls were worn on the hit television show Hee Haw (see the original post here). Thinking about that entry prompted me to say a few words about supporting manufacturers of products proudly made right here in the U.S.A.

I firmly believe in supporting manufacturers that are U.S. owned, and operated here on U.S. soil. With that in mind, I direct your attention to Round House brand workwear. Proudly manufactured in Shawnee, OK, Round House has a loyal following for a reason: they build 'em with quality in mind. They're every bit as strong and durable as (if not stronger than) other nationally known brands, without costing an arm and a leg. (All you Okies better take note of that!)

The next time you get ready to spend those hard earned dollars on something, stop and think where your money's going. It's up to all of us to help keep American businesses strong and the American workers employed, and you can do your part by buying American made products. This is becoming critically important as more and more factories are shutting their doors, leaving American workers jobless, partly because of the purchases we Americans make on foreign made products instead of domestic ones. Next time, just look for the label the says "Made in USA".

Breaking News: General Hills to Quit Making Cereal

Yesterday morning Theodore “Teddy” Graham, President of General Hills dry goods division, passed away while eating breakfast. Despite his loveable name, Mr. Graham developed a bad reputation during his career. Interviews with those who worked closely with Mr. Graham revealed that he would fire workers off the plant floor for no other reason than he just didn’t like their looks. Because of his sour reputation, there is not expected to be a large audience at Mr. Graham’s funeral.

An interview with the chief medical examiner Dr. Paul Bearer revealed the details of Mr. Graham’s untimely death. “You see sir, it’s kind of ironic what happened. Mr. Graham was found lying lifeless at his breakfast table yesterday morning by his maid. The maid reported to us that Mr. Graham had been dining on a bowl of his company’s breakfast cereal ‘Alphabets’ when he died. My examination confirmed that he did indeed die with a scoop of cereal in his mouth. A detailed autopsy revealed the letters Y, O, U, R, E, F, I, R, E, and D were lodged in his throat.” Dr. Bearer concluded the interview with the following official statement: “It is my conclusion that Teddy Graham choked on his own words”.

Already in place, the new president of General Hills, political conservative Rusty Spoons has vowed to end the production of breakfast cereal at General Hills. When asked if this had anything to do with the sudden death of his predecessor Mr. Graham, the new president of General Hills dry goods division responded “I have decided to cease production of breakfast cereals here at General Hills simply because this country already has too many flakes”.

You read it here first.

Hee Haw and Overalls

Remember the country show from the 70's and 80's called Hee Haw? I remember when I was growing up I'd sit and watch it every time it came on. It was just about my favorite show out of all of them.

I always wondered what kind of overalls they wore on Hee Haw. I never really saw them around anywhere I lived, so I never got to see a brand tag. Anyways, I finally found out what they were. If you've ever wondered, they are Liberty brand overalls. They're budget priced and made in China. Seeing that it was a low-budget show, I'm really not surprised that they used the cheapies, but I'm still kinda disappointed.

Now you know, even if you didn't want to.

Crap On Demand

I have successfully trained my youngest niece's pit-bull to crap on demand. That's right, he actually buckles up and takes a crap on a simple voice command from me, even if he doesn't have to go, by golly he tries his best.

Michelle Malkin Targeted by Liberal Losers

See it on Michelle Malkin. If that link doesn't work, go to http://michellemalkin.com and scroll down to the topic that says: Digg: Say hello to "fair and balanced" by Michelle Malkin

It's amazing how pissy and whiney the liberal population gets whenever a conservative takes the spotlight. This is one of the many reasons why liberals are at the top of my "People To Laugh At" list. They're bad losers. Liberals are all for free speech until it contradicts their viewpoints. They're showing just how weak and fearful they really are of the wholesome goodness that conservatism provides.

9/11 Video

View it at Hot Air.

While you're at it, read this article at Popular Mechanics.

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." - George Santayana

How do you feel about firearms

How do you feel about people owning firearms for personal protection? Now read the following and see if you feel the same way. Picture yourself in this following scenario. You have a person break into your (or your loved ones) home. Then you or your loved one is beaten and raped. The suspect is never found. THIS HAPPENS EVERYDAY! I know someone that this very thing happened to. Before it happened she did not allow firearms in her home. She hated guns. She knew i was an avid gun owner. We had several discussions on this very topic. After her horrible ordeal she came to me with this question. "Will you train me properly on how to use a gun? And will you help me pick one out?" I was taken aback. She had caught me off guard. But of course I told her I would. After I had given her the training and advice she told me what had changed her mind. I hate that something like this would change someones mind. I would rather change someones mind by discussion. If this has changed your mind PLEASE support the NRA and support our 2nd amendment right to own and bear arms. Also I truly , TRULY pray that this NEVER happens to you or your loved ones.

http://nra.org/

Fidel Castro Steps Aside

Read the news article here. It seems that Fidel Castro's health just keeps declining as his body becomes frail with age. I'm sure the stress of being a high and mighty communist dictator of a small island has played a significant role too. While he (most likely temporarily) steps aside, he leaves his power in the hands of his younger brother Raul who isn't quite the picture of youth himself. If Raul is anything like his brother at all, I'm still not sure there's too much to rejoice about at this point. I'd save up the party supplies for when the man actually keels over for good. Will the end of Fidel Castro, whenever that is, be the end of communist rule in Cuba? I hope so, but I'm not holding my breath. I can see the balance of power leapfrogging down from one communist party official to the next over the next few decades, and the people will remain unjustly oppressed.