Saturday, June 30, 2012

Janet Napoplitano Ought To Be Fired Over This One...

...then again, I cannot imagine how that pompous yet useless arsehat was appointed as Secretary of Homeland Security in the first place. This article though should only go to show how incompetent is she at the helm. When law enforcement, within her agency, is instructed to run and or hide if someone starts shooting and to throw things at the shooter as a last resort, well you just know something is out of wack. Man, am I happy I am retired from DHS, I might have gone ballistic (figuratively) had they given me those instructions. Not all the blame is hers though, this is FEMA created and mandated training program. She just let it get distributed among her department and seemingly had some flunky mandate that all LEOs in DHS were so trained. What a sorry assed state of affairs, no wonder morale at DHS is so darned low.
All the best,
Glenn B

NYS 8 Hour Pre-Employment Security Guard Course

I went to take the NYS 8 hour pre-employment Security Guard course today, about 30 miles from my home. I could have taken it at a location close to home but my new employer paid for it at the distant place. I cannot argue with that. Yes, I got a job as a security guard, part time, only two days a week at most but that is better than nothing right now.

There were 30 of us there to take the course, some youngsters, some middle aged and some older than even me (or in other words some obvious retirees). The instructor was going over the application form and covering the question about if you have ever been convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor, saying how important it is to fill that out honestly. A guy raises his hand, then asks a question. In essence, his question was: If someone was arrested for a felony and a misdemeanor, does just the felony have to be put in the answer or does the misdemeanor too. The instructor explains you have to put down both and that it is not necessarily disqualifying and the guy asks another question, something to the effect: Well what if it was for a felony and more than one misdemeanor, do all of them have to be put down? The instructor replies yes and the guys asks: Even if it was one felony and 11 misdemeanors? Now, I am not saying the guy was asking this about himself or that he was even implying this was his own record but he was the one asking those questions. The guy asking also was the only one in class with a kind of a Mohawk haircut, hair that was dyed a pretty bright unnatural color. He also had fairly good amount of ink on him. Those things, about his appearance might mean little about his personality and integrity but if he was actually convicted of a felony and 11 misdemeanors and that is how he decides to show up for a future job interview, there is a serious question or two that would need be asked of anyone who would consider hiring him.

While, I truly believe in giving ex-convicts a break in life, that is once they have served their sentences and are back in the community, I would have to question the wisdom of hiring this guy as a security guard if indeed it was his own record he was talking about and he shows up for a job interview looking like he did today. I cannot quite understand how someone would give serious consideration to his application, let along hire him, if that was his record, for a security guard job. It bewilders me.

Of course, then there was the other guy who basically asked: What if I forgot about a felony conviction? And there was the other one who asked if him being discharged from the Marine Corps for conduct unbecoming would matter since he was promised an honorable discharge. I guess it takes all kinds to make the world go round. There I sat, with no arrests or convictions, nothing negative in my career, not a blemish on my record and I can only find a job for 8 to 16 hours a week at pretty lousy pay at that. Something just doesn't seem right about that to me but what is a guy gunna do! At least I found a job.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, June 29, 2012

The USA Has A New Form Of Government:



Screw That Crowd.

I have to find out where to get myself and my son that shirt.

All the best (to they who would work
for what they have and fight to keep it),
Glenn B

The Upcoming Elections

On this coming election day, November 6, 2012, it will not only be extremely important for the well being of this nation to vote for Romney (to rid us of Obama) it is also going to be extremely important to vote for any Congressperson who opposes Obamacare (be they Republican, Democrat or from another party) and to vote out of office anyone who supported it (be they Republican, Democrat or from another party). The important thing is that we vote into office those against it or support those already there who oppose it and either way that we vote for those who will vote to repeal it. If we get enough of them in office, we may even turn some, who remain there, who voted for it the first time around. The pressure from a Republican controlled House and Senate would be overwhelming or so one can hope.

Read the piece at the above link, if it is correct, then 33 seats in the Senate are up for grabs!

FUCK OBAMACARE!

All the best,
Glenn B

Browning Citori Lightning Update - Again

Well, yesterday I found out repair of my Browning Citori had been completed and today I found out it has been shipped back to me. From what I can tell, UPS picked it up this evening. It is slated to be back to me by Tuesday, July 3; just in time for Independence Day should I be inclined to make it go boom for the occasion (at a range - of course).

All the best,
Glenn B

Blogger Has Screwed Up My Blog Roll (as if my laptop being messed up was not enough)

Part of my blog roll has disappeared. I have no idea how to retrieve it, or if retrieval is even possible. I have lost all the bloggers' links who link back to me. If you are one of the bloggers who was on my blog roll under "Grumps, Geeks, Gun Guys, and Geniuses - All Worth A Read and Who Gave Me A Courtesy Link - Thanks" please leave a comment or send me an email with your blog name (because I probably will not remember them all off the top of my head and I want to make sure I get em all back on the list).

Thanks,
Glenn B

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Laptop Computer Crashing?


I had to reboot my laptop, tonight, about 15 to 20 times before anything came up on the monitor. A few days ago, while signing onto a chess game, the screen came up all screwy with a bunch of gray shaded vertical bars. I removed the game, did some fiddling and all seemed well. Well, its not seeming so well tonight. My guess is that something is about to crash and then who knows what. I have my old desk top PC but no cable outlet in the basement to which I can hook it up for Internet. I guess I could get a receiver for my wireless router and plug it in to the desk top - if the laptop goes belly up. I would hate to have the laptop repaired, it is 4 years old and probably not worth the cost of repairs. Then again, I cannot afford a new one right now. Yep, I guess, if it dies on me, I will have to see if I can get the old desk top fired up again. Thankfully, I just did a backup a day ago to my Norton account. I am going to do another in a minute or two.

From now on, I guess the lap top stays turned on.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Have Said It Before - I Will Say It Again - Buy Guns, Ammo and Emergency Supplies Now

I think prices of guns, ammo and emergency supplies are going to skyrocket soon because I think that demand will soon outpace supply.

The Supreme Court's ruling on mandated health care, commonly called Obamacare, is bound to be a boost to Obama's reelection attempt. Sure, it may help Romney too but I look at it this way, Obama was proven right and thus many folks will think that makes him okay to get their votes. Thus, I think the election will be very, very close - much closer than if the health care law had been found unconstitutional. (A quick side note on that, why did they not attack it as a violation of the Due Process clause is beyond me. Being required to vote on it before they could read it, to see what was in it, certainly seems like a violation of Due Process. Being required to pay into it and be burdened by this law makes it seem as if the Due process due to the citizenry has been grossly violated by Congress and the president. Imagine the police, arresting you, charging, bringing you to prosecution and throwing you in jail for life and only then collecting investigating the case to see if there was any evidence against you.)

Because I believe the election will be so close, because I think there is a darned good chance of this tyrant, this despot, this socialist, this anti-American president being reelected, I will be making sure to build up my stocks of everything and anything that I believe will wind up being in short supply if he is reelected. Those things could include: firearms, ammunition, food stocks, seeds, water, flashlights, batteries, water purification kits, medical supplies such as first aid kits and medicines, clothing, fungible assets and whatever else I can think of before they are no longer available. Is this Chicken Little saying "The sky is falling" maybe and maybe not. You decide and act accordingly for yourself.
As I said in my last post, prior to this one, The time is right for revolution. I am not condoning it but I figure if he is reelected it is coming and sooner than expected; the time certainly seems right for one to be stirred up. Along that line, I might suggest you start up some way to network with others of like mind to you and with your families other than by electronic means such as email or telephone. In other words, start meeting with folks who think like you on the issues, meeting them in person, to plan for your futures. If the SHTF, then communications may be cut off and the only way to stay in touch will be in person.

If none of this materializes, then at least you are well stocked for almost any type of man-made or natural disaster. You can bet, others who have faced those situation wished, after the fact, that they had been better prepared before the fact.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Time Is Right For...

REVOLUTION
Just Saying, Not yet Condoning.

Browning Citori Lightning Repaired - Wow That Was As Fast As....Greased Lightning

I sent my Browning Citori Lightning shotgun into Browning, just under two weeks ago, for repairs. I first checked the status on Monday, two days ago, via the website that Browning offers to make such checks. That status check informed me that it was expected the gun would be repaired by July 13 and it was awaiting assignment to a gunsmith due to a backup of repair orders at the plant.

Just for the heck of it and because I have little better to do (well I have better stuff to do but am avoiding doing it right now) I checked on the status again. That was only a moment ago and I got a big surprise. All too often, at least for me, surprises are not good ones but this was a pleasant exception. The status of my shotgun is now shown as "MINOR REPAIRS JOB COMPLETED" and as CHECK OVER & TEST JOB COMPLETED". Wow that was quick.

When I sent the gun in for repair, I had to include a form, that I downloaded from the Browning website, to detail the problem to them. On the form, it said this:
"All firearms sent to the Arnold MO service facility for repair that are determined to be a chargeable repair will be assessed a $30 charge for quote evaluation. If our quote proposal is accepted, that $30 charge will be applied toward the total amount of the quote."

I sent them my credit card number and told them I gladly authorized the $30 charge for them to take a look at the gun but I also told them to make sure to contact me in case it was not a warranty repair so I could decide if I wanted to pay the additional cost of the repair or not. They never got in touch with me and that is another surprise, a good one or not yet to be determined. I guess their not calling me to let me no how much it cost to repair could mean one of a few things:

1. There was no charge at all as they covered it under warranty.

2. There was only a $30 service charge and it has not yet shown up on my credit card account.

3. They charged me something more than $30 for the repair but forgot to check with me to authorize the charge and that has not yet shown up on my card.

Right now, I am going with number 2 even though when I checked, there were no charges on my credit card from Browning. I figure I am not lucky enough to have had them fix this for absolutely nothing, as in for free, so I figure they will charge me the $30. Of course, they might have found nothing wrong and just figured I am an imbecile because I could not get the barrels onto the rest of the gun and then checked it over for free out of pity for me. Somehow, I find that unlikely. Not that I can be an imbecile but unlikely that they found nothing wrong. My son tried to get it together too. He could not do it either and he is no imbecile. Anyway, it does say minor repairs were completed, so I imagine something must have been wrong with it.

The current status of the shotgun is shown as:

Firearm Is Ready To Ship To Customer. I would not think they needed to link that to an explanation of what the sentence means but that is what they did. Then again, maybe they get lots of guns, for repairs, from lots of imbeciles! Anyway, it appears that my shotgun will be shipped back to me soon. My guess would be that the status update tomorrow will show it has shipped.

If I had to sum up my satisfaction with Browning's service so far, I could only say: EXCELLENT.

All the best,
Glenn B

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Ammunition Poll - Would You Buy More Ammo If Prices Fell

There has been some talk in the media lately about gasoline prices falling. I use MSN for email and saw on their homepage that they reported that gasoline prices are the lowest they have been since January. That good news with the 4th of July (Independence Day - no they did not call it that but I prefer it) right around the corner. It makes me wonder why the speculators are not speculating and why George W. Bush is not causing price increases. Note that Obama is not taking credit, how can he, he has done nothing to make them decline and furthermore he has insisted we drill now more than ever and it has not helped. Catch 22 for him - can you say "Good riddance Obamessiah" but I digress.

As I was saying MSN reports that gasoline prices are falling. They also posted a pole asking folks if they would travel more if gas prices fall even farther. The results, when I looked at them were like this"

Do you plan to drive more if gas costs less?

20 %

Yes, it will make a difference in my driving.
36,741 votes

77 %

No, my driving habits will stay the same.
141,699 votes

3 %

I'm not sure.
5,199 votes

A few minutes before I saw that poll, I had been window shopping online for .32 Auto ammo. I was setting up, getting ready for a range trip today (that did not materialize, but now I am ready to go another day) and I realized I was pretty low on that caliber. I figure maybe I have 300 - 400 rounds of it, so why not see if I could find a bargain. I did find some good bargains but decided to wait until my pension gets straightened out or until I sell some other excess ammo I have so I can use the money from that for the .32 Auto. I am trying to be frugal and praying that ammo prices do not go up because the price is a bit ridiculous for some of it. I am ever hopeful though, that if gas prices really do fall, and I don't mean to the national average of $3.40 per gallon that MSN claims regular to be at right now (not that low around here) but to pre-Obama prices, then ammo prices also will fall markedly. I sure seem to remember the ammo manufacturers and retailers blaming ammo price increases on increased costs to them due to higher shipping of everything from components to finished product. Of course the higher shipping rates were blamed totally on higher gasoline prices.

Who knows, maybe ammunition prices will drop just a little even now since gasoline prices are dropping. I tend to doubt that though with this being a presidential election year. If it starts to look like the messiah will win another term, I would bet the farm that ammo prices will skyrocket faster that the Bat-a-rang thrown by Batman on steroids.

Okay, okay, back to my point but I guess I was never there already! Here it is: I figured should add a poll to my blog, similar to the poll MSN had about gasoline prices and whether or not lower prices would get folks to drive more. My poll though will have to do with  ammo and shooting. It is at the top right side of my blog page. It's only going to run through Independence Day, I'll be out having a blast on the 4th.

All the best,
Glenn B

Babies Test Positive For Pot - Reporters Missed Asking The Important Question

There it was, a very intriguing headline on FoxNews.com:

Baby soap residue causing false positives in marijuana tests
Before reading the brief article under that headline, I jumped to the conclusion that someone using that soap had a false positive on their drug test at work or something like that. Well, was I ever so wrong.

As I read on though, I soon realized that it was apparent the drug testing had nothing to do with employment drug screening, it did not even have anything to do with adults, not with working teens either. Actually, I figured all of that out as soon as I read the first line of the piece:

"A shocking number of babies are testing positive for marijuana use."

Maybe someone, in the medical profession saw this video and thought babies needed to be tested to protect them from the evil weed figuring here is proof of what they always suspected, that babies do indeed smoke pot:



All kidding aside, as per the report, the drug tests for marijuana were done on babies and it appears is still being done by hospitals. It seems that the method of collection of the sample got contaminated by the little bundles of joy who had been washed with a certain type of baby soap. That was the article in a nutshell. I am so happy that the babies positive tests for marijuana were false positives. My goodness, just think of the implications - a nation of pot head toddlers going on a munchies seeking rampage. Every breast in the nation would not be safe!

Hey, wait a bud pickin' minute here. While the article told us about babies being tested, about the test itself, about the contamination coming by way of tainted samples due to collection methodology, that the contaminant was soap, it failed to mention something very important. You would think a reporter who was even worth half his pay would have thought to ask, and then reported on the answer to, this question:

Why are babies being tested for marijuana use in the first place?

Once the answer to that question is given, I could see the potential for asking lots of others, such as: How many babies have been tested (it seems like it must have been a large number to have a "...shocking number..." of them test positive?  Does some arsehat in the medical profession believe that there is a marijuana usage problem among infants? Does some politician believe that government grants (just guessing this is funded by taxpayer dollars) should be doled out for a knucklehead project like this. If the babies test positive for marijuana, are they incarcerated? Are the children removed from their homes and put into protective custody if they test positive? Are the parents charged with a crime if the babies test positive? Will their cases be reviewed now that it has been discovered that false positives may be to blame? Is there any reasonable and logical explanation for testing infants for marijuana? When no one can come up with a valid reason for this program, will it be shut down and will the funding set aside for it go to something practical where it is truly needed? Is anyone involved in this project actually from planet earth and not Uranus? (Yes, I asked if they are  from yours because they certainly did not escape from mine.)

Want to see the article, then click on this link: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/06/21/baby-soap-residue-causing-false-positives-in-marijuana-tests/?intcmp=obnetwork#ixzz1yupnn3Y6

Just unfriggin' believable no matter what they say is the reason. We truly are living in Bizarro World.

All the best,
Glenn B

Monday, June 25, 2012

Browning Citori Lightning Shotgun Repair Update

It was a week ago, this past Friday, that I sent my Browning Citori Lightning O/U shotgun into Browning for repair. By Wednesday of last week, I received an email from them acknowledging receipt of it at their facility. That was a nice touch, it is good to know the gun made it to them and better to know that they care enough about the customer (who would be me in this instance) to make that kind of notification. The email also explains that they will get to repairing it as quickly as possible but that repairs during or near the hunting season usually take longer due to volume at that time of year. In addition, they supplied my name, address, serial number of the shotgun, a reference number for my gun and a web password. I can enter those into a "Track Your Repair" site.

I am going to pause a moment here and do that before I write more...

Okay, that was easy. The result of a query of my gun shows that it was received on June 20th and is expected to be repaired by July 13th. The repairs they expect to make are shown as "MINOR REPAIRS" (that's a relief), current status is "JOB NOT STARTED" and their is a status notation saying that there is currently a backlog and the gun is waiting to be assigned to a gunsmith. Allowing the customer to check on the repair status is one heck of a professional customer service touch, probably saves them from taking a lot of phone calls too.

What a nice experience so far. I hope it stays this way. About the only things that could make this better, than them doing an inexpensive minor repair on my shotgun, would be for them to tell me it was covered under warranty and that they got it done a couple of weeks sooner than expected. Oh yeah, and that I won first prize in some contest I did not even know I entered and they are giving me the hunting trip of a lifetime with some free guns - or something like that.

All the best,
Glenn B

Glock 26 Sight Replacement Update

When I sent my Glock 26 slide assembly into Glock, I asked them to replace the night sights with normal sights. I expected to get what I thought were standard sights put on it to replace the malfunctioning Trijicon sights (the front sight had dimmed considerably). I figured they would be Glock manufactured iron sights. well, the slide assembly was returned to me last week with its new sights. They are made out of polymer. I was not happy, then I noticed a small amount of damage to the finish on the slide, damage that was not there when I sent it off to Glock. I just about had a shit fit. I sent off an email to Glock, that was last Wednesday, I think just about demanding they put iron sights onto it. I got a reply today apologizing and telling me that the polymer sights come standard on the Glock 26 as of late.

I don't believe it. That is that Glock has gotten that shitty as to put plastic (yeah I know, ploymer is not really plastic) sights on a defensive handgun. I will be sending it back to them for the iron sights as soon as I can get to UPS but first I am going to look to see exactly what sights they offer to make sure I get exactly what I want this time. To think, another 4 to 6 weeks before I get the slide back again after I send it in.  Now that I think of it, it actually was 7 or 8 weeks before I got it back even though they estimate a turn around of the shorter time frame. Shit, shit, shit Oh darn.

I must admit, the specific person, in customer service, with whom I am dealing at Glock has been very professional and courteous. My gripe with Glock is geared toward the company itself, going to Polymer sights on a combat/defensive handgun, how long they took for the turn around, and the minor damage to the slide. I have no problem at all with the rep who has been helping me, he has been stellar.

All the best,
Glenn B

Sunday, June 24, 2012

LONESOME GEORGE - AN ONLY ONE - AMONG THE MISSING

I like animals but I am not a psycho animal lover. I keep them as pets, have used them for utility, have studied and observed them, photographed them and have hunted them and eaten too. So it sure surprises the hell out me that there are actually tears in my eyes right now over the loss to the world of a single tortoise.

No, not one of my Hermann's or Redfoot Tortoises - but over the passing of Lonesome George the last of the Pinta Island Galapagos Tortoises. He was over 100 years old and probably was the best known tortoise, maybe even the best known reptile, heck - one of the best known animals - on the earth. (More on him and his life here.) All that, regardless, or because, of him probably being the rarest of creatures in the universe but such is the case when you are the last of your kind - you gain fame when others realize your rarity and he was world renowned.  So, in a small part, he was famous because he was so old, but what made him even better known, since he was unexpectedly discovered in 1972 (his species was long thought to have been extinct by then) was that he was in fact - the last of the last.

There will never be another Pinta Island Tortoise. Despite numerous attempts at breeding George with females of two other closely related species they never reproduced due to the matings. They laid eggs, but all were infertile. Still though, even had they been successful and after years and years of selective in-breeding - none of the prodigy would be a true Pinta Island Tortoise. Thus was George's fame, that he was it, none would ever replace him and now he is gone. He has lost his life and the world has lost him.

That sucks but it was inevitable since long before George was discovered to be the last of his species. It was that way because men - whalers, merchant seaman, explorers, pirates - who did not know better at the time, wiped out most of the rest of his kind for food and probably sent a few to zoos around the world too where they eventually died off. If any survived naturally, into the 20th century, then sailors who dropped of goats on Pinta island wiped the remaining ones out, all but George. They brought the goats to have a supply of fresh meat and left them there to reproduce on their own. The goats did just that, they reproduced. They also did something else, they flourished and overpopulated. They ate virtually all of the vegetation that could sustain tortoises on Pinta Island and the only one that survived, that we know of, was Lonesome George. He was 'an only one'.

It is a shame but one has to have expected it since they realized there were no females on the island. We should have gotten over it as soon as we heard of it years ago; after all, his demise and the end of his species was inevitable, written on the wall. The thing is - life goes on as I understand with or without him. Thus my surprise over the optical sogginess I was feeling when I started this post but in my defense, the giant tortoises (I think at the Bronx Zoo) were among my favorite animals when I was a young lad.

Who knows, maybe they will be able to clone him and later figure out how to 'clone' a female from his DNA and then develop a breeding population. That would be neat. What would be a real bitch would be if they suddenly discovered a female or two of his species now that he is gone. That would seem typical of the gender, coming out when the guys are gone.

I am still a little bummed out, but must say that over the years, whenever I read about George, he brought a smile to my face. I always thought he looked a bit lonely but also comical too, like a cartoon character - the tortoise who won the race against Buggs Bunny (too bad George's situation was not more like 'that' tortoise). So, I'll close with a bit of comic relief in his memory, looking at Lonesome George and at his passing from the viewpoint of yet another very famous critter:



Boy, I feel better now, that put me in the mood for some bacon and tortoise eggs.

All the best,
Glenn B

Saturday, June 23, 2012

World Trade Center Progress

They were going to call it The Freedom Tower until Red China griped and now they will call it something else (imagine us being so indebted to them we changed the name for them). I think most New Yorkers always will refer to it as The World Trade Center because it is on the site where the WTC once towered above all other buildings in New York City. I call it that anyhow, so do my friends.

The pics shown are from about 2 weeks ago when I visited the area, with two good friends, to have lunch at Ho Yips on Liberty. These show the progress they have finally made on it. That it has taken over 10 years to get this far truly is shameful no matter any or all of the reasons for the delays but at least it is finally getting there. It is a pretty impressive sight. Not as impressive as were the Twin Towers of the WTC but close and I am sure that, once it has been completed, it will look even more impressive than it does now.

All the best,
Glenn B

An Unexpected Waterfall

"Unexpected" is an understatement when it comes to finding a waterfall in New York City, right in there among the big buildings. The one pictured here was on the east side, somewhere close to Madison and 53rd, wish I had noted the location. It was a pretty neat sight to find in the Concrete Jungle even though some idiot planted a row of trees right down the middle instead of just planting the rows on either side to frame the fall. Still, a nice place to sit to rest, or a place to gather your thoughts, or a great spot at which to enjoy your lunch.

All the best,
Glenn B

Gotta Go To Homer's...

...to pick up some paint and a brush. I hate going to that place but after my experience there last week, with the grill (wherein they were nice enough to deliver one to me on Fathers' Day to replace a defective one I had just bought) you can bet I will stick with them for awhile. I have a couple of painting jobs that need to be done in the house - both in the basement. One job is only about 4 feet square, the floor in the in-house. (It's not a bathroom, only has a toilet, is a small room, tiny, narrow and tall just like an outhouse but is inside, so I call it the in-house; after all, it is an in-house facility!) The thing that stinks (no pun intended) about that job is that I have to clean the floor first. It will require a good thorough cleaning, then a drying period, to make sure the new primer and then paint will adhere properly. Then a single coat of primer and probably three coats of paint. In all, the actual work, probably will take less than two hours.

Then, probably sometime this coming week or the following one, I will go back to Home Depot to pick up some paint for the basement walls in the front part of our cellar. That too will require a coat of primer, then a couple coats of paint. It is going to be a lot more work. Before I forget, I guess I'll have to paint the ceiling too. Perhaps, it will be better to do that first so that no paint from the ceiling splatters my newly painted walls. I'll have to ask them if a job like what I am doing requires primer or not. I am basically putting fresh paint, of the same color as the old, onto the walls. Maybe just a good cleaning off would do the trick. Then again, I don't often have good luck with things when I change how I have always done them, a coat of primer first is probably the best way to go.

Oh well, did I mention, I loathe going to Homer's!

All the best,
Glenn B 

Bombina Must Be The Rage In Europe This Year

Blog pages of mine that seem to consistently get the most visits are now my home blog page and those that deal with certain guns. The write up that I did on the Marlin 336, with embedded disassembly and assembly videos is one that gets a lot of views.

For some reason though, over the past 2.5 to 3 weeks or so, I have noticed one of my pages, dealing with a very different subject (or at least I hope people think it very different from ones dealing with guns and ammo), has been getting a lot of attention primarily from Europe but some from Asia too. I figure it is getting at least 3 to 4 unique visits, and even more page views, per day and from at least 10 different countries by now. That may not seem like a lot to you but it certainly was noticeable to me because the page, while looked at in the past, has not been anywhere nearly as popular, as it has been of late, since I wrote it back in August 2010 almost 2 years ago.

About the only reasonable explanation I can give, for its increased popularity now, is that I suspect that the subject I wrote about has become an even more popular one abroad than it had been in the past. The subject was Bombina orientalis, commonly called the Fire Bellied Toad. Remember, I said above that I hope people are looking for something very different in it than even something remotely to do with guns and ammo. The reason I said that is because of the frog's scientific name. I am hopeful that the folks who have visited the site have not been looking for information on bombs or bombing plots and also hope they do not think that the word Bombina has something to do with that subject, a subject that could easily be associated with guns and ammo. As I also said though, the reasonable explanation would be that this frog is increasing in its popularity as a pet in Europe and parts of Asia and I'll leave it at that for now, at least until an exploding frog lands on my lily pad.

Well, there is one last thing. I would certainly appreciate it if one of the people in Europe who reads this post could confirm whether or not Bombina orientalis has risen in popularity as a pet in Europe this year. Thanks.

All the best,
Glenn B

Should You Let Others Know: What Did You Do To Prep This Week?

This week, after a considerable amount of thought, I have decided that, after this post, I will no longer post (in this blog) or comment (on other blogs) about what I have done to prepare for TEOTWAWKI. (I will continue blogging about guns and ammo and tactics and emergency preparedness and such but not about anything specific as to what I have done to prepare myself and my family.)

With all due respect to this great and very informative site, and to the site's owner, that asks the weekly question "What did you do to prep this week?", and considering I only commented now and then about what I had done to prepare in the past, I see no good reason to continue doing so and every good reason to cease from doing so. My stopping to do so though, from after today on, is exactly what I have done to prep this week. Now that I have gotten that out, let me also say, this though is the last week I will discuss the matter, of specifically what I have done to prepare for hard times, openly on the Internet.

The reason I have arrived at this conclusion to my no longer commenting on or blogging about what I have done to prep is that I believe it foolish to advertise just what preparations I have made and in essence to put out a sign saying: "Glenn B--------- has stocks of this, that and other survival things. If you want them - come and get them once the SHTF". I believe that leaving comments about my disaster preparedness could well be my and my family's undoing should bad come to worse; it seems an open invitation to marauders.

Maybe this seems a bit overly cautious on my part but I would bet there are people out there who already have zeroed in on the locations of those who have prepared for TEOTWAWKI events. Furthermore, I would be willing to venture my reputation that some of those same folks are willing to go to those locations with the intent of taking what I or you have for ourselves in the event of an emergency. It is just like a burglar scoping out a potential target before attempting his burglary. It is not all that difficult, in my understanding, for anyone to go online and track down an Internet user by using their IP address. In addition, it is not difficult to find almost anyone if you know their name. So, if you know my name Glenn B---------- and you input it into an Internet search, you probably would come up with my home address, or at least the village in which I live. If you actually found my residence address, you could input that into something like Google Maps and or Zillow and see what my house looks like and maybe even see some of my vehicles. With an aerial view, on a mapping program, you could certainly see the area around my home and figure the best way to assault it if you so desired.

In addition to finding out about my home address and the like, an Internet search could also reveal several other things about me that I might not want to have known during a TEOTWAWKI situation, well at least not known by potential looters, robbers, thieves and the like. For example, you could easily discover several forums or other website to which I belong and which I use regularly. You then could easily find forums posts in which I have discussed survival issues including my preparations, my stocks of food, supplies, firearms and ammunition, my stay-put or bug-out plans, my abilities, photos of my family and so forth.

My biggest blunder in that regard has been that I rarely posted any of this information anonymously and almost always used my full name when I did post in forums and when I did so on social media sites. Even if you do not have my IP address, you could easily identify me by way of me leaving a comment on someone else's site about preparations I have made. How? Just click on my user name on that site and what comes up but my blog. My whole name is never used on my blog as far as I can remember but there are links to forums and other sites I frequent. Since I use my real name in forums, you could click on ones to which I am linked and search me out there using my first name and last initial. It might be a painstaking way to do it but sooner or later you could identify me and then locate me and you could do it long before you actually planned to come and get my goods and certainly without me knowing that you had located me and mine

What has happened, is that I , like so many others, have become too comfortable with the Internet and with living in our world (here in the USA) that has essentially been pretty much free of the things that I should be worried about that could and quite possibly would happen under a true TEOTWAWKI situation. I plan to correct as much of that as I can do. One way to start the corrective process is to stop being so open about what preparations I have been making. I will no longer advertise how many firearms I own, how much ammunition I have, what long term foodstuffs I have purchased, how much water I have at hand, medical supplies I have and so forth - or even if indeed I even have any of it. I see no reason to keep posting a large virtual glowing sign for all to see saying - "Hey, if you don't have it then Glenn B sure has more than enough for himself and his family and you can find it here".

Now others may think they are well hidden by anonymity but my bet is that a savvy Internet user could easily track you down though the methods I mentioned and  through others unknown or little understood by me. I don't know about you but I truly believe that a major worldwide catastrophe possibly is coming to us soon, probably in the form of WWIII and I would like to be somewhat prepared for it if and when it arrives on our shores. I most definitely do not need to help someone who is not as well prepared to try to redistribute, against my will, what I have worked hard to have on hand.

In closing I will say this: If you know where I am and want what I have and are willing to try to take it away from me by force or other illegal means - beware - I will be quite ready and willing to legally protect myself and my family and what was meant to help me and my family survive from thieves,  bandits, freebooters, looters, outlaws, thugs, plunderers, ravagers, marauders, robbers, and the like.

All the best,
Glenn B

Sandusky Can Get All He Wants Now...

...but something tells me that once he is incarcerated for having molested young boys, he will be on the receiving end and will be getting it from an older class of men. So, he may not want it so much anymore but I would bet he is going to get it nonetheless.

All the best,
GB

How Low Will The Obama Campaign Go...

...to try to garner campaign contributions from the wacky leftists who love him so? I thought it was pretty ridiculous when both the Romney and Obama campaigns set up a sort of lottery whereby if you made a donation to their campaigns, you could win a dinner engagement with the one to whom you donated. To think - both of them have a campaign gimmick like that. It makes me sick, if for no other reason than it shows how miserably Obama-like is Romney. Perhaps, he is not quite as bad as Obama though - I don't think Romney's campaign has stooped quite as low as has the Obama campaign in its attempts to generate donations.

You see, the Obama campaign has done something that no other presidential election campaign apparently has even thought of before. It is asking supporters to forgo things like birthday, wedding and anniversary gifts and, that if you have a special day like that coming up, you ask those who would give you the gifts to make a campaign contribution to Obama instead. What a bunch of unmitigated arrogance. I guess it shows the true colors of the man - redistribution of wealth being his number one goal - so long as he is not giving up his wealth but is receiving that of everyone else.

If Romney falls to that deep murky depth and mimics Obama's seeming absolute lack of ethics and class, I will be voting for a write in candidate like Ron Paul.

All the best,
Glenn B

Friday, June 22, 2012

Post Retirement Employment

After about 3.5 months of submitting over 90 applications, résumés and cover letters, I have found myself a job. It sure isn't what I had in mind, as far as pay or hours go nor as the position itself goes, but it is a job even if only part time. I am starting at $14 an hour with yearly raises. It is a civil service job with no benefits other than salary, that because it is part time. The job itself is a security guard slot at a public library. The hours are, as I said, part time - probably only 8 to 12 hours a week to start. I can probably earn just enough for two weeks worth of groceries a month at that rate. More hours may be forthcoming.

As I said, not what I ever had envisioned myself doing with my investigative skills. Yet, other places, such as a large, well known department store, the owner of which never told Mr. Gimble anything nor did Mr. Gimble tell Mr. ---- any of his secrets (you need to be fairly old to understand that), have turned me down time and time again for similar positions because they say they cannot match my skill set or I am flat out unqualified. Imagine being unqualified for employment as a front door guard at a department store! That was pretty depressing to hear especially since they paid better and had more available hours but getting this job is a blessing since I have been out of work since November.

As it now stands, I am taking what I can get and will be happy with it to supplement my partial pension payments. I will probably keep looking for another job and if luck has it that I find another part time job, well then, I may wind up with two of them.

As for this job offer, it should be at least somewhat interesting working in a library across the street from a high school. Of course, the hours I work will be right around when the school kids are there. I imagine the job will be not so much to protect them as to protect the library from them but maybe a bit of both.

Who knows? I may like the job; I used to love hanging out at the library as a kid. It got me out of the misery of my childhood family life and into the fantasy of living a life of adventure by way of reading about others' lives and such. I guess that kind of led me to my career and the work I did over the past 32 years, that sure was an adventure at times - more than my fair shares worth.

Anyway, libraries are pretty neat and I am hopeful I will have book borrowing privileges (it is in another county than where I live, so maybe and maybe not). Too bad all my years of seeking out, collecting, preserving and cataloging evidence, intelligence gathering, intelligence analysis, report writing, and the like does not qualify me for a even an assistant librarian position. It would be okay by me if it did so - working as a librarian, even an assistant librarian, would be kind of fun, if for nothing else, then for a change of pace.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Still Kicking...

...just have not been blogging. I have not been wanting to write about politics, have not done anything gun-wise (well, a little but that is for a blog post later tonight or tomorrow) and have been just plain out lazy this week. I promise to get something out by tomorrow night. I have a bone to pick with Glock reference the sight repairs on my Glock 26 and a good thing or two to say about Browning so far relative to my having sent in the Citori Lightning for repair but as I said, later for that stuff.

All the best,
GB

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Imagine Foreign Troops Landing On Our Beaches - Would Obama Be As Indecisive

This is one powerful video about a man who is obviously not presidential material even though he is our president. I shudder to think how he would react should another country sink some of our fleet, then foreign troops begin landing on our beaches instead of oil.


Oil Spill Timeline from RightChange on Vimeo.

It is a powerful reminder of just how inept is President Obama. I think, he should have stayed in community organizing. 

Thanks to Pete Q. for the link to the video.

All the best,
Glenn B

Another Firearms Safety Rule That Colonel Cooper Did Not Mention In The 4 Rules

You should strive to always carry your pistol in a holster or other device designed to carry the type of pistol you are carrying. Carrying one in a pocket or in the waistband of your pants is not a smart idea. Shame on me for sometimes carrying one in my pocket, but it is unlikely I would ever shoot myself like the guy in the linked article shot himself if only because rarely is there a round in the chamber when I do it that way. That is the second person I know of who shot himself where this guy got it. Ouch.

http://www.freep.com/article/20120615/NEWS03/120615029/Man-shoots-himself-in-the-penis-in-Birmingham?odyssey=tab%7ctopnews%7ctext%7cFRONTPAGE

A hat tip to Larry H. for the link.

All the best,
Glenn B

Home Depot Hits A Home Run With My BBQ Grill On Fathers' Day

I bought a new BBQ grill on Friday. I got it to replace a 5 year old Charm-Glow grill that was pretty good but that had a burner explode on me. That was maybe due to a spider finding it comfy and building a web inside the burner. I heard that is the number one reason they go pop. Not a big explosion, I did not even hear it as I was probably inside the house when it happened but enough to break the burner apart and flare out the exploded ends where it came apart.

As for the new grill, I tried to get it earlier last week but all they had were display models and I wanted to get one assembled right out of the box because all the display models were outside getting soaked in the rain and building up rust. Home Depot would oblige but I had to wait because the assembler was not going to be until Friday. So, I was patient. The new one was ready on Friday and I picked it up, rented a Home Depot truck to cart it home and had my son and a couple of his friends help me offload it. I even got $35 plus tax off of the price because it had a few minor dents in it. Not bad.

Then yesterday, I found out one of the burner/igniter control knobs, for the sear burner, did not work properly. Damn, what luck, that little black cloud, with my name on it, found me again but I suppose you get what you pay for and this while not the least expensive certainly is not a Weber. In fact, it is a Brinkman Elite, 6 burner grill (they call it a 4 burner grill but it has 4 regular burners, a sear burner and a side burner and no matter how I add it up that comes out to 6 burners). I decided to exchange it and called Homers to see what had to be done. They told me I had to return it before they could do an exchange. I explained that would cause me to have to make 3 round trips back and forth to Home Depot. I would have to drive there in my own car and park in in their lot, then drive home with an empty truck to pick up the grill, drive back to Homer's with the old grill, pick up the new grill and drive it home from HD (not Harley Davidson), then return the empty truck to Home Depot, where I would pick up my car to drive home. I asked if it would be okay for me to drive there and leave my car, pay for the new grill and have it loaded onto a truck (at no charge to me for the rental fee), drive the new one home, offload it with my son, load the old one onto the truck and drive it back to HD (thus only one round trip with the truck), where I would drop off the old grill and get a refund for it, then pick up my car and drive home. The guy told me that required management approval and he was talking about me buying a new one and getting a refund for the old one - not the truck use at no charge to me. Three and a half hours and about 3 of my phone calls later, they told me they would bring the new one to me and exchange it for the old one. GREAT thought I. As I should have expected, what with that black cloud of mine, they never came yesterday, it was a few more hours before they called me to tell me they would have to do it today.

This morning at 0900, I called HD and was told they would leave HD with the new grill at 1000. I called them again at about 1115 but before the call went through on my cell phone, the house phone rang. It was the delivery guys, they were outside my house. They brought in the new one, looked at the old one, affirmed the problem, then set up the new one, hooked up the gas and made sure all the burners worked as they should. They were really very nice about it, professional and very courteous and apologetic about the one that did not work. As they left, I gave them a $20 tip that I hope was more than enough for a good lunch for them. I just figure it came out of the $38 and change I had saved when I got that off the price of the first one because of the dents. While they arrived here later than expected, but before noon as promised, they sure saved the day because we are going to have a BBQ this afternoon and out future in-laws are coming over for a joint Fathers' Day celebration. I have to hand it to Home Depot for going the extra mile on this one and actually doing the exchange for me at my home. That was really very nice of them. I always sort of thought of them as a we do not give a shit company, much the way I see Walmart and other such stores but I was certainly wrong about this particular Home Depot. They went out of their way to satisfy the customer and did it in the nick of time too. After the delivery guys left, and after I made sure the grill was working, I called up customer service at the store where I bought the grill. I thanked the customer service gal (who helped me today) profusely. I also asked her to convey my thanks to the customer service gal who helped me yesterday, the manager (who okay'd the exchange at my house, maybe even thought of it first), the assembler (who made sure one was ready for me and who apparently pushed for the exchange at my house) and I told her what a great job the delivery guys did today and how professional and courteous they acted. They really did a nice thing. I have to say, I think the customer service gal was rather surprised I called to thank her, she sure seemed surprised and quite happy about it too. When you (or I)get service like that it is your (or my) responsibility to let them know about it just as you would complain if it was bad service (anyway - I would complain).

Now, I just hope it is a good cooker. After the delivery guys left, I turned it on to check it to make sure all the burners work (a second but why take chances). I left it on for about 10 to 15 minutes to waste gas to break it in. Seems to work just fine. As far as cooking goes, I bet I will get stuck doing all the grilling today even though it is Fathers' Day. Oh well, it is a man thing or so my wife would say - maybe (I sure would say so). I must admit though she does her share of the BBQ'ing and would do it today if I asked her to do it. I may as well do something around here now and then and grilling is not a bad something to do so long as I have a cold one in hand Funny, I just stocked up the mini-fridge in the man cave with a 12 pack of Spaten Oktoberfest and still have a couple of Franziskaner Hefe Weisse Biers in there.

Happy Fathers' Day

All the best,
Glenn B

A Complaint About My Blog Photos - I Do Get Complaints

I recently posted about my new Obama T-shirt. The complaints usually are post-specific and are usually left in the comments section of my blog posts. I usually answer those complaints right in the comments section but today I will answer the most recent complaint I received right here in this blog post.

Here is the complaint from the comments to the Obama T-shirt post:

"Anonymous17 June, 2012 08:52

It's funny how you wear a shirt making a bold statement like that, then post up a picture that the average viewer/reader can barely see.

Then when one clicks on your profile all they get is a small face pic. Lol cmon now if you going to post a pic at least post one that has good lighting.

And the reason why I'm anonymous is because I don't have an account created for any of the profile options.
"

Hey Anonymous, what is amazing is you would make that comment, saying it is funny, that I do not post a larger or better picture of myself on my blog yet you commented anonymously and gave a truly lame excuse as to why in justification of your own action to disguise you identity. While you tried to justify your own action, you did not ask me if there was justification for the crappy photo of me in the t-shirt or for the small profile pic.

I will explain, not that you deserve an answer, being that you are not respectful enough to post your name with your comment but because I feel like it and because it will satisfy the curiosity of others who made read your comment. As for you, you could have easily signed your comment with your name by typing it in at the bottom of your comment. You could have very easily registered so that your name would show without you remaining anonymous, well if mom or dad let you register with your name. Yet, you apparently chose to register in a fashion that would keep you labelled as anonymous and hide your identity. There are other ways to register so your identity will show - that is if you are honest about the identity with which you register. So, you easily could have registered in a way that your name would come up each time you comment and as I already pointed out, you could just have signed your real name or at least first name on the comment you left. Please, don't make up ludicrous excuses as to why your name does not appear and expect me to believe them and please do not give me a line of seeming bullshit about why you say it is posted anonymously when you could have easily made it otherwise.

As for the shitty pic of me in the Obama shirt, it is due to my camera being on its last legs. I have complained about it (the camera not working properly) in posts sometime during the past several months. Right now, I have to prioritize my spending because I am on a limited income due to my recent retirement and due to the fact that I am receiving less than 65% of my retirement payments until my pension is finalized (that has been no secret on my blog either). Thus I have made do with a camera on which the flash usually does not work, on which the button to take the pic only works about 40% of the time and which often does not focus correctly. I take what I can get with it. Lately it has not worked at all, that T-shirt shot may be the last pic the camera will have taken. Anyway, the pic shows the shirt clearly enough (at least enough for you to say it makes a bold statement) which was the item of interest in the relative blog post.

As far as me making a bold statement, by wearing that shirt, is that bold - posting a pic of it on my blog? I think not. I do not even think it bold, to actually wear the shirt during the course of a normal day. When I wear the shirt out, when I go to the range, or to do some shopping, or when I go elsewhere, it is even more visible to more people than in the lousy photo on my blog and I am right there in person wearing it. I have gotten some great comments on it. In fact, all the comments I have gotten have been positive, very much so. When I wear it out, everyone I encounter or pass by can see it plainly and can see me plainly too. So what is your point again about the bold statement and my picture being barely visible to the average viewer? (I guess your eyesight is pretty good though for you to have commented on the boldness of the statement.) I can tell you what is not bold: Leaving an anonymous comment to complain about someone's blog is not bold, it is disrespectful too.

As for the small pic in my profile, so what. That is how it came out. It is a profile pic for a blog not a portfolio pic for my new career as a male model. Anyway - on my profile it is a good 2x3 inches (on my screen) - larger than many on other profiles. Many, if not most profile pics, do not enlarge when you click on them. Mine does. If you would like to see larger pics of me, even videos of me, search through the blog, there are quite a few.  Here look at this one, it is one of my favorite self taken photos. Or you can look at this one, not the most flattering but another clear photo of me.

By the way, if you still think my profile pic is too small, and if you use MS Windows 7, why not enlarge the screen view by clicking on the magnify icon on the status bar. You can enlarge the view up to at least 150%. If you have other than Windows, I would bet you could do that with any OS.

Many people, who blog, would not even accept and post an anonymous comment like yours on their blogs. I not only accepted and posted it, I have done one better, I have blogged about it. Ooh what a bold statement I have made, it makes me tingle all over (sarcasm). 

FUCK OBAMA (straightforward statement, the word fuck used in the non-sexual context).

All the best,
Glenn B  

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Nuns (and guns)

I was schooled by nuns of the  Dominican Order in grammar school. They were some tough old coots (and some young but they all seemed old to me at the time). I went to summer camp because of those nuns (and other things), where I learned, from Marist brothers, how to shoot rifles (BB and 22 rimfire). Lately I have been thinking about those nuns, for some reason, and wondering what nuns would look like today if they advocated things like summer camp where kids could learn how to use guns. I found a picture, online, that pretty much sums up how I think a modern nun, who advocated gun rights, might look like.

Scary, isn't it. Cool too. Not very realistic though and not because she is holding an AK but because there are just so few nuns left today who wear the habit.

All the best,
Glenn B

Secret Service Prostitute Scandal: I Knew It Just Had To Be GWB's Fault

See the article: Documents detail serious accusations against Secret Service agents since 2004 at:  http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/15/us-reveals-accusations-against-secret-service/?test=latestnews?test=latestnews#ixzz1xygEpDau

Since 2004, eh! Back when GWB was in office! He must be at fault or so I would bet some lib-tard is thinking.

All the best,
GB

BBQ Grill Woes

Bought a Brinkman Elite 5 burner grill (4 regular burners, one sear burner and a side burner - sounds like 6 burners to me but they said 5) yesterday, at Home Depot. Of course, I got it assembled by them since I can be sort of all thumbs with a temper.

Brought it home in one of their rental trucks. Now it has to go back for an exchange or refund because the sear burner knob does not turn correctly nor does it operate the igniter as it should. You get what you pay for I suppose and $324.00 was not that much. Wish I could but I cannot afford the $1,400.00 for a similar sized Weber. I am waiting for them to call me back about making an exchange, I know they have others of the same model in stock.

I want to pick up the new one, bring it home and offload it, load the old one onto truck, bring it back, then go home and have a BBQ. It seems the guy in the BBQ Department has to check with his boss to see if it is okay for me to buy the new one, then bring back the old one for a refund. They wanted me to bring in the old first to make an exchange, which would have meant going there first in my car to rent a truck, driving home with empty truck to pick up old one, bring the old one back on the truck for exchange, bring new one home on truck, bring back truck, then drive back home in my car. I don't understand how my step, time and gas saving way could be a hassle, it seems like a no brainer to me, but they must check with management first. What a pain in the neck, it is about to ruin my seventh Saturday of the week.

All the best,
Glenn B

Greased Lightning On The Draw

This kid is only 13 years old but he is fast.   
All the best,
GB

Friday, June 15, 2012

Browning Citori Lightning - Another Gun Off For Repair

Back in April of this year, I bought  Browning Citori Lightning, Grade 1, SxS, 12 gauge shotgun at an auction. I examined it thoroughly before the auction. Not only was everything in excellent functional condition (as in everything worked) the gun was as new, in the box, never fired. well, somehow, somewhere, between the auction house and my hone something happened that I cannot understand. When I got hone, the barrels would not go onto the rest of the gun. No way, no how, many tries - it is just not going together. I tried, my son tried and guys at a local gun shop tried.

I called Browning. The first moron customer service person, at Browning, to whom I spoke, told me to bring it to a gunsmith and he told me with apparent nasty attitude. Maybe he was having a bad day. I called again and explained what the first customer service guy had told me. I was told that would be looked into to. This time, I also was told I could bring it to a Browning Authorized Service center in my state but when the lady in customer service looked up the closest one, she found there were none at all in NY. She then told me I could send it directly to Browning. That was back in early May or so. I am finally getting round to sending it in to them. I have the form filled out to alert them to the problem and give them my info, it is in the box with the gun, and the box is taped and ready to be shipped. I plan to bring it to UPS in a little bit, once my son gets here (we are going to pick up a new BBQ grill too, so I need him along).

I am very hopeful this will be a minor problem, something that falls under a warranty repair or that is inexpensive, as in under a c-note. Even if a bit more than inexpensive, say a couple hundred to a few hundred dollars, it will not be too bad considering the price I paid for this gun. I still would have to pay even more in a gun store. More on that after I get it back from Browning and I can figure the full cost of it to me.

I know I have been complaining about how difficult it is to live off of the partial payments from my pension right now but rest assured the money to buy this came from my savings with the intent of me getting something of lasting value - an investment. If I did not somehow screw it up badly enough, then it will have been well worth the price to purchase it.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Anti-American President



It all depends on for whom you vote. I don't think there is anything that ever could sway me to vote for this guy, whom I believe to be the most anti-American of all communists presidents ever.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Glock 26 Sight Repair Update - Still Waiting

Glock got back to me saying this:

"I apologize for the delay. We are currently back ordered on your sights. I expect to have some in next week."

What I do not quite understand is how Glock could have had my slide since April 20th and still have the parts on back order since then. After all, they are standard Glock sights they are supposed to be putting on the slide, not some after market night sights or anything special order. Glock not having standard sights, manufactured by them, in stock for over an eight week period (today marks 8 weeks) seems to me as if that would be pretty indicative of some type of problem with the company.


They say they will have the sights in stock, perhaps, by next week. Then they have to still put them on the slide. My guess would be another few days to a week before they get to that. Then ship it back to me, another few days. My guess is I am looking at at least another ten days to two weeks before I have my Glock 26 slide back on the frame. The long wait certainly is not something that makes me happy.

All the best,
Glenn B

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

17 Year Old Kills Self With Head Shot - Lots of Potential For a Darwin Award

Wow, talk about assholes and guns not going well together gunpowder and alcohol not mixing, this story says it all. See the story here.

My view on all of this: First of all illegal aliens should not be in our country. The three guys in this alleged drunken binge, that apparently played a great part in the death of the 17 year old, were all reportedly wetbacks; illegal aliens in Texas (where the shooting took place). One supposedly was the father, the other two, including the guy who reportedly wound up allegedly shooting the bullet that killed himself, were the father's sons. Someone pulled out a gun, a .380 pistol. The 17 year old allegedly got hold of it and reportedly tried to give it to his girlfriend to shoot it. She had enough sense to refuse. So the 17 year old allegedly takes out the magazine, turned toward a butane tank (of all things) and pulls the trigger (this is corrected below but this was the story told in the Fox News piece). I am guessing, the gun goes bang, the bullet probably went something like bing-ziiiinnnnnggggg. It must have come right back at the shooter striking him in his head - killing him - or so the story goes so far. Local police investigate and call it an accident due to alcohol and are reportedly investigating to see if the father is guilty of anything leading to the death of his own son.

Now I would think that the father and his sons, being here illegally, would have been illegally in possession of any handgun they had. Hmm, there is a crime, or so I would think. It would be a felony at that, at least in my opinion. That because an illegal alien not only had the gun but discharged it. That is, I believe, felony possession of a handgun and whatever would be the charge for shooting it when illegally possessed. The father was present, thus, I think, making it felony murder since the son died while in, what seems to me to have been, a felony. Add to that, that the police reportedly said all three had been drinking heavily (did I forget to mention there was alcohol involved) and they were allegedly all very drunk! So, the father seemingly was sharing alcohol with an under aged drinker, his 17 year old son, or was at least there while the kid was drinking and did not stop him or so it seems to me. That might be a crime in some places, just maybe not in Texas, not when the suspect is an illegal immigrunt alien. Did I mention alcohol was involved - it was allegedly consumed in large amounts by the father and his two sons. Did I also mention how the police, or at least one officer, reacted as reported on in the story:

"It was just an accident under the influence of alcohol," Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Trevino said Tuesday.
(Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/13/drunken-teen-killed-by-own-ricocheted-gunshot-in-southern-texas/?intcmp=trending#ixzz1xfVPAdMc)

Did I also mention, or forget to mention, that the police are now reportedly investigating to see if the dad is in any way criminally responsible! Holy shit, it's Texas, not the friggin' Moon or Uranus although the police, on this one, sure seem to be acting like if they came from Uranus. (Note I said from yours, they certainly are not from mine.)

No mention of any arrests, not for the three being in the USA illegally, not for the supplier of the booze endangering the welfare of a minor, not for the father allowing the kid to get drunk thus endangering the welfare of a minor, not for illegal possession of a handgun, not for allowing the kid to handle a pistol illegally, not for felony murder (yes he apparently was killed during the commission of what seems to have been  felony, during which the others were present seemingly making them accomplices) not even for disturbing the peace - not for anything. Maybe the cops should be investigated! Although, I guess to be fair, I'll have to admit this was something reported on by the media and they rarely give the whole story out to us, let alone get their stories right, at least in my opinion. I also have to say, I think that if it is just as reported, then that was some truly bizarre bit of police work.

UPDATE/ADDITIONAL AND DIFFERENT INFO:

What did I say about the media screwing up stories. I just checked the source from where the author of the above linked article got his info. That would be from The Monitor - here. It is a very different version of the story, reporting very differently in these ways among others:

The father gave an evidently false story to the police at first.

The father then reportedly admitted they were all drinking heavily and his son did almost all of the above with the gun, but only pointed it at the butane tank and "...thought twice about shooting it"; then he allegedly turned the gun towards his own head and pulled the trigger - killing himself. I guess he did not think twice about using his own head as a target. Did I mention a lot of alcohol was allegedly involved.

The police have not made any arrests and are not planning on arresting anyone at anytime soon (I told you maybe they were from Uranus, certainly not from mine) but are looking into criminal responsibility of the father and researching any applicable laws. No arrests, not for anything I mentioned above, nor for impeding an investigation by way of the alleged false story first given to the police.

Man oh man, I think they are quite possibly about the most inept police force I have heard about if all that is true. They did not even turn them over to Homeland Security Investigations or to ICE for being here illegally from the sound of it. Yep, I think they must be from Uranus, not from mine!

All the best,
Glenn B

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

When Adults Say: Hey Kids, Don't Mess With Guns...

...without adult supervision - maybe there is a reason for it. I tend to think that at least one young man learned his lesson. Watch the video and see if you agree with me on that.



In a way, I have to hand it to these kids. They were quite enterprising, that was a neat looking project. I have to slam them too since it seems (it sure looks real to me) they were pretty careless and rather ignorant, and totally irresponsible, in how they went about manufacturing their version of a black powder rifle and in how they demonstrated it. Not wearing eye protection or hearing protection could have cost the shooter dearly. For all we know, maybe it did at that. I would hate to have had my eyes subjected to that back-flash. If he was lucky, he blinked in the nick of time but it sure happened quickly.

Those kids sure looked old enough to have known better. Then again, I sort of, kind of, somewhat vaguely recall having been young and dumb myself - once upon a few decades ago. So, I can understand why they did it. If his eyes did not get burned, nor his face too badly, then they probably had fun or will have fun recalling their mischief at a later date (if they are ever allowed to hang out together again). Truth is, they probably could have had, and should have had, fun in a much safer manner. In fact, they still could have had it with a gun if they had some responsible adult supervision. My closing thought: I would bet, if the shooter had parents who taught him how to be responsible with guns and still have safe fun with them, that whole misadventure probably never would have happened nor even crossed their minds as a passing whim.

All the best,
Glenn B