The Rat

It may simply be a fable but it is a good one with a rather excellent moral.

THE RAT

A Tourist walked into a Chinese curio shop in San Francisco. While looking around at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very lifelike, life-sized, bronze statue of a rat.

It had no price tag, but was so incredibly striking the tourist decided he must have it. He took it to the old shop owner and asked, "how much for the bronze rat?"

"Ahh, you have chosen wisely!  It is $12 for the rat and $100 for the story, said the wise old Chinaman.

The tourist quickly pulled out twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the story".

As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the tourist noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and had begun following him down the street.

This was a bit disconcerting so he began walking faster. A couple blocks later he looked behind him and saw to his horror the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing.

Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward San Francisco Bay. 

Again, after a couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the rats now numbered in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him faster and faster.

Terrified, he ran to the edge of the Bay and threw the bronze rat as far as he could into the Bay.

Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after the bronze rat and were all drowned.

The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown.

"Ahhh," said the owner, "You come back for story ?"

"No sir," said the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze Democrat.

 

So what was the moral? Sell your Bronze Rats for $100 and the story for $12, you are sure to make more money that way.

A hat tip to TOB for that one.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

I Want Three of These Machine Guns...

...and 100,000 rounds of belted ammo for them - one for me, one for my son and one for back-up. This is one nice gun:



A hat tip to Patrick J. S. for this one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Our Obligation To Defend Our Right To Keep And Bear Arms

Maybe you have not seen the following blog post before, maybe you have seen it. Either way, it is definitely worth reading for the first time or reading again, it is a call, to defend Liberty, like none I have heard recently.

 

*****

If They Come for Your Guns, Do You Have a Responsibility to Fight?

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Dean Garrison on The D.C. Clothesline here.

 

I feel a tremendous responsibility to write this article though I am a little apprehensive. Thinking about the possibility of rising up against our own government is a frightening thing for many of us. I am not Johnny Rambo and I will be the first to admit that I do not want to die. The reason I feel compelled to write this, however, is simply because I don’t think the average American is equipped with the facts. I feel that a lot of American citizens feel like they have no choice but to surrender their guns if the government comes for them. I blame traditional media sources for this mass brainwash and I carry the responsibility of all small independent bloggers to tell the truth. So my focus today is to lay out your constitutional rights as an American, and let you decide what to do with those rights.

About a month ago I let the “democracy” word slip in a discussion with a fellow blogger. I know better. Americans have been conditioned to use this term. It’s not an accurate term and it never has been a correct term to describe our form of government. The truth is that the United States of America is a constitutional republic. This is similar to a democracy because our representatives are selected by democratic elections, but ultimately our representatives are required to work within the framework of our constitution. In other words, even if 90% of Americans want something that goes against our founding principles, they have no right to call for a violation of constitutional rights.

If you are religious you might choose to think of it this way… Say that members of your congregation decide that mass fornication is a good thing. Do they have the right to change the teachings of your God? The truth is the truth. It doesn’t matter how many people try to stray from it. Did I just compare our founders to God? In a way I did, but please note that I am not trying to insult anyone. For the purpose of the American Government our constitution and founders who wrote it are much like God is to believers. It is the law. It is indisputable.

Our founders did not want a “democracy” for they feared a true democracy was just as dangerous as a monarchy. The founders were highly educated people who were experienced in defending themselves against tyranny. They understood that the constitution could protect the people by limiting the power of anyone to work outside of it much better than a pure system of popularity. A system of checks and balances was set up to help limit corruption of government and also the potential for an “immoral majority” developing within the American People. We have forgotten in this country that we are ultimately ruled by a constitution.

Why is a democracy potentially just as dangerous as a monarchy? Let’s look at something that Benjamin Franklin said because it answers that question more fully and succinctly than I can.

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. -Benjamin Franklin

Even 230+ years ago our founders were perceptive enough to realize that democracy was a dangerous form of government. How so? Because the citizens of a country can become just as corrupt as any government. We have seen evidence of this throughout history. Ask Native Americans and African-Americans if this population can become corrupt.

I think in 2012 we are seeing evidence of what Franklin was trying to tell us. Just because a majority of people may support certain ideas it does not mean that those ideas are just. In simple terms, just because most Americans love our president and voted for him, it does not mean that he has the power to go against our constitutional rights.

Next I’d like to review the text of the second amendment. It is very clear. This is the law of this land. So when Senator Feinstein or President Obama talk about taking your guns, you need to think about something. Are they honoring their sworn oath to uphold the constitution?

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

This is a pretty clear statement. The fact is that it took 232 years for the Supreme Court to even rule on this amendment because it has never been successfully challenged. In 2008 a case of Columbia v. Heller the Supreme Court ruled that a handgun ban in Washington D.C. was unconstitutional. One also has to take this into consideration. The Supreme Court supports your right to own guns. If you want to research this decision further you can start here.

For those who try to debate the spirit of the 2nd amendment, they are truly no different from people who will try to take Biblical quotes out of context to try to support their immoral decisions. The founders were very clear on the intent of the 2nd amendment. Let me share a few quick quotes here:

The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. -Thomas Jefferson

Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence … From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable . . . the very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that is good. -George Washington

The Constitution shall never be construed….to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms. -Samuel Adams

I could find hundreds of quotes like these. This country was built on the right to bear arms. It was built on the rights of an individual to bear arms, regardless of what his government or neighbor happened to think. This is crystal clear. Ironically the people who voice their opinions against this right have their free speech protected by your guns. Without guns in this country, all other amendments become null and void, simply because “We the People” will lose our power of enforcement.

We need to keep this in mind as our “representatives” try to push gun bans. I don’t care if 99% of people are in support of gun bans (which is far from the case), it is a violation of our constitutional rights, plain and simple.

A constitutional republic protects the rights of the individual even when their ideas are very much in the minority. If I were the only person in America who believed in the 2nd amendment, I would still be within my rights to call upon it. You would all think I was insane and possibly celebrate if I was gunned down, but in the end I would be the only true American among us.
Our framers were very clear on this. If my government comes to take my guns, they are violating one of my constitutional rights that is covered by the 2nd amendment.

It is not my right, at that point, but my responsibility to respond in the name of liberty. What I am telling you is something that many are trying to soft sell, and many others have tried to avoid putting into print, but I am going to say it. The time for speaking in code is over.

If they come for our guns then it is our constitutional right to put them six feet under. You have the right to kill any representative of this government who tries to tread on your liberty. I am thinking about self-defense and not talking about inciting a revolution. Re-read Jefferson’s quote. He talks about a “last resort.” I am not trying to start a Revolt, I am talking about self-defense. If the day for Revolution comes, when no peaceful options exist, we may have to talk about that as well. None of us wants to think about that, but please understand that a majority can not take away your rights as an American citizen. Only you can choose to give up your rights.

Congress could pass gun ban legislation by a 90%+ margin and it just would not matter. I think some people are very unclear on this. This is the reason we have a Supreme Court, and though I do not doubt that the Supreme Court can also become corrupt, in 2008 they got it right. They supported the constitution. It does not matter what the majority supports because America is not a democracy. A constitutional republic protects the rights of every single citizen, no matter what their “elected servants” say. A majority in America only matters when the constitution is not in play.

I just wrote what every believer in the constitution wants to say, and what every constitutional blogger needs to write. The truth of the matter is that this type of speech is viewed as dangerous and radical or subversive, and it could gain me a world of trouble that I do not want. It is also the truth. To make myself clear I will tell you again. If they come for your guns it is your right to use those guns against them and to kill them. You are protected by our constitution.

Most of the articles I am reading on the subject are trying to give you clues without just coming out and saying it. I understand that because certain things in this country will get you on a list that you don’t want to be on. I may well be on that list. This blog is small and growing so I may not be there yet, but I have dreams. I also have my own list of subversives and anyone who attempts to deny my constitutional rights is on that list.

I am not the “subversive” here, it is the political representatives who are threatening to take away my inalienable rights. If they come to take my guns and I leave a few of them wounded or dead, and I somehow survive, I have zero doubt that I will spend a long time in prison and may face an execution. But I would much rather be a political prisoner than a slave.

If I go down fighting then I was not fighting to harm these human beings. I was simply defending my liberty and yours. It is self-defense and it is what our country was built on. We won our freedom in self-defense. We would not be ruled by a tyrannical government in the 1770′s and we will not be ruled in 2012 by a tyrannical government. There is no difference.

This is a case of right and wrong. As of now the 2nd amendment stands. It has never been repealed. If Feinstein or Barack have a problem with the constitution then they should be removed from office. They are not defending the constitution which they have sworn an oath to protect. It is treasonous to say the least. They would likely say the same about me, but I have the constitution, the founders, and the supreme court on my side. They only have their inflated egos.

I am not writing this to incite people. I am writing this in hopes that somehow I can make a tiny difference. I have no idea how many of my neighbors have the will to defend their constitutional rights. 2%? 20%? I am afraid that 20% is a high number, unfortunately. When push comes to shove many people may give up and submit to being ruled. I believe that our government is banking on this.

What I do know is that this country was founded by people who had balls the size of Texas and Patriotic Americans take shit off of no one, especially our own government. For evidence of that, you might research the Revolutionary War. My question is how many Patriots are left?

I would hope that our officials come to realize that, regardless of our numbers, we still exist because they are calling Patriotic Americans to action. They are making us decide if we want to die free or submit to their rule. I can not tell you where you should stand on that. I do know that it may make the difference between living a life of freedom or slavery.

You must start thinking about this because I believe that the day is coming soon and I personally believe it has already been planned. Not all conspiracy theories are hogwash. They may throw down the gauntlet soon and my suggestion is that you prepare yourself to react.

I mean no disrespect to our elected officials but they need to understand that “We the People” will not be disarmed. If they proceed then it is they that are provoking us and we will act accordingly. We are within our rights to do so.

For those who are in support of taking the guns, you need to ask yourself a very important question, and I am not just talking about the politicians, because if you support them, you have chosen your side.

Are you willing to die to take my guns?

Click Here to Follow The D.C. Clothesline on Facebook

IMPORTANT UPDATE From Dean Garrison!!! When this post originally went viral I was trying to answer every single comment and that lasted for almost 48 hours. Then I came to grips with the fact that I am human and I can’t do it. If for no other reason I value my family and I can’t steal time from them to constantly be on the site. I want you all to know that I appreciate your support and good debate whether you agree or disagree. I also want to thank each and every American Patriot who has made the honorable choice to serve their country. Anyone who wants to repost this on their blog or website is also given permission to do so, so long as nothing is changed in the text of the article, and a link is provided back to this site. Again, thank you so much. I am humbled. It’s now 16 days later and this is still the most popular post on our blog. Keep fighting for what is right. We must stand united. -Dean Garrison 1-20-13

*****

That is one well written piece that speaks volumes about our right to keep and bear arms, our liberty to exercise it and our obligation to defend it against a government that would infringe it or try to take it away from us.

A hat tip and my thanks to peter Q for sending me his one.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Tragic Lesson Learned About Gun Safety

Before you read on further, let me say that this is a sad story, in fact a tragedy that may evoke a tear or two on your part.

It is a recent event, at the time I write, it happened about two and a half weeks ago. It is the story of a 10 year old boy whose life was taken too soon and was taken, accidentally, by his own 13 year old brother. They were two brothers, they reportedly were shooting their new Daisy Powerline 880 BB guns at targets outside their home. They had gotten the guns only the week before. They pumped up the BB guns to give them more power. The 13 year old reportedly pointed his BB gun at his brother, from close range, and I am guessing he pulled the trigger because it was reported in another article hat they had been shooting each other with air. The BB went into the younger brother's head and passed through at least part of his brain. After a week, the younger boy perished.

What I am about to say is going to be harsh but it is not meant to offend, sadden, demonize the mother of these children or her boyfriend, who reportedly were nearby but apparently not constantly supervising the children as they shot their BB guns. What I am about to say is meant as a warning. You should never allow young children to be unsupervised while they are handling conventional firearms or even gas or pneumatic propelled guns. The reason should have been fairly obvious, before this sad event took place, to anyone who is a parent. You also absolutely need to teach children about firearms safety (aka: gun safety) even when they are only going to handle BB or pellet guns. Teaching them does not mean telling them once and then thinking all will be okay. Teaching them means repeatedly drilling them on the subject and making sure, by way of adult supervision, that they have gotten it right. Kids and teens are easily distracted and need such lessons repeated under the guidance of a responsible adult; they need supervision. Without that supervision, well you just saw what happened. I would not wish that on any sibling or parent. If you have children, who have access to firearms or BB or pellet guns - please teach them the rules of gun safety and please keep them well supervised when they are shooting.

I am not saying that the mom of these two boys had not informed them of gun safety rules or that they were not usually supervised while shooting. In fact the linked article that reports the shooting says that the mom and her boyfriend "...were at home when the shooting occurred..." and that the mom was cooking dinner and checking on the boys periodically. Periodically is not good enough folks. If you have children whom you are allowing to handle guns, there has to be constant adult supervision. That means 
uninterrupted monitoring by a responsible and capable adult within hands-on reach of the children. Otherwise, being that they are children, they might start playing with the guns in a manner that is extremely unsafe. 

"The boys took turns shooting each other with air..." (source)

They seemingly were playing with their BB guns. My guess is that the great majority of adults, if any were present, would have prevented those actions or at least stopped that activity had it already begun and that the kids probably would not even have started it had there been constant and proper adult supervision and had the boys been properly and thoroughly taught about gun safety. The sad truth is that too many people think about BB and pellet guns as toys but there is nothing toyish about them.

Folks, please keep an eye on your young ones and give them the loving supervision they need whenever they handle guns. It will go a long way to assure your kids will grow up to become responsible firearms owners who will pass on that same tradition to their children,your grandchildren.

My heartfelt condolences to the family of that young boy. I hope that they may find some solace in the thought that the lessons that can be learned from his death may go forward to prevent the same from happening to another child and toward fostering safe gun handling among those who enjoy one of America's oldest traditions. The tradition is that of teaching their children to shoot because we have the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and because we have the obligation to protect ourselves, our loved ones, our rights, our nation and our Constitution.

All the best,
Glenn B

Sources:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/21/florida-boy-10-dies-after-brother-accidentally-shoots-him-with-bb-gun/?intcmp=obinsite

http://www.theledger.com/article/20130314/NEWSCHIEF/130319476?tc=ar

Russian Ammo and American Mags - Hallelujah

I had kind of sworn off of buying any additional ammunition for the time being and I did that weeks if not well over a month ago. I figured there would be no more of it in stock, for me to buy online, before the NY SAFE Act deadline of April 15th that kills all Internet sales of ammo to New Yorkers and it is just too expensive in stores around here. Well, low and behold, several hours ago, I received an email from the Sportsmansguide about a tin of Russian manufactured TulAmmo brand 7.62x39mm ammo, that I had put on back-order. The email was to tell me that my order had shipped. So another 640 rounds of it is headed my way.

That came as a surprise to me because I had forgotten I had placed a back-order. In fact, I had made the order a good long while ago, on December 19, 2012, as in three and a half months ago. What foresight, my order was placed before the SAFE Act was even thought up!

I also recently purchased 30, ten round, Tapco polymer AK magazines, made in the USA, while still legal here. I figure that even if the SAFE Act is repealed or amended to allow higher cap magazines, I will be able to use these at the range for fun and keep the wear and tear off of my higher cap mags. I still can legally possess, but not use to shoot, those mags here in NY until next year. They will be long out of NY state and in storage elsewhere, and legally so, before then.

All the best,
Glenn B

An Excellent Dinner...

...was had by me tonight and it was store bought fully prepared. I went to Costco to do some family grocery shopping and went there on an empty stomach. When I passed the area where they keep their roasted chickens and their spareribs, well - I could not resist. I picked up a rack of ribs. Then I passed a refrigerated section that contained all sorts of delectable items and I spotted the smoked whitefish. I have not had one of those in years, many years. I used to get small ones when I was a kid the smaller ones were called chubs, back then. This one was larger than a chub, maybe weighed a few pounds when fresh caught and a couple to a few smoked. When I got home and after unpacking everything, I grabbed 4 ribs and the head and about 5 inches of the tail end of the smoked whitefish. Then I opened a Kirkland India Pale Ale (I have to do a post about Kirkland beers, the India pale ale and some others are pretty darned good). That was my dinner with the only addition being about 8 small Rolled Gold pretzels.

The Whitefish was out of this world delicious. I don't know about you but when I eat something I have not eaten for years, that I used to like very much, the taste all these years later is often a disappointment to me. I cannot say if that is because I remember it tasting differently than it actually did or if I get myself all hyped up expecting it to taster better than it actually could taste or if it is just simply that my sense of taste has changed as I have gotten older. The thing about the Whitefish tonight though was that it tasted just as I remembered it, every scrumptious morsel of it that I put into my mouth. The pieces that I was able to pull of the bones of the head were the most oily and thus the beast. As for the ribs, they were pretty darned good but not quite as good as I have gotten from Costco. Th India Pale Ale was an excellent accompaniment. The pretzels, just something for some crunch and a few more carbs. Truth is that the BBQ sauce on the ribs probably had enough carbs to last a whole day so I only had a few pretzels.

Wow, just writing about it is making my mouth water. Too bad for me, I told my wife about the Whitefish and ribs and told my son about the fish (and he is sure to find the ribs), so the chances are they will disappear tomorrow. I cannot remember that he ever ate smoked whitefish or that I have eaten it since he was born; man, has it been more than 20 years since I have eaten it! Whatever, it was an excellent dinner.

I think I will have to buy some oily fish and smoke it myself - whitefish, salmon, things like that. As for ribs, I make them myself but prefer to make them in a pot instead of smoked or cooked in the BBQ. I brown the ribs, then pour BBQ sauce and a beer into the pot over them, heat it all up and then slow cook it for about 3 to 4 hours. Talk about fall off of the bone ribs - absolutely delicious and not one drop of the delicious fat is lost into the grill or smoker, it all stays in the sauce. I may have to add bacon next time for even more flavor.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thanks To Arsehats Like Biden, I Cannot Stop Blogging...

...at least not as long as he, and others of like mind, keep saying such preposterous things. I also find it hard to leave the Blogosphere while there are videos like this one out there.


 
Whoever compiled this piece of political satire and gun-sense, has proven himself or herself as a genius. That is, of course, as opposed to Biden proving himself a mental midget (at ever opportunity). So,I guess you are stuck with me much more so than those pants were stuck to that other fat-body at the end I and I am happy he was wearing underpants)! What a classic of political satire that truly hits it's mark.

All I can add is: I wonder if that arsehat, who is the Vice President of the once greatest country in the world, for even one moment thought of the very possible illegality of doing so in many left leaning locations. It would certainly be illegal in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Fransicko, and other liberal Meccas to fire randomly just to scare a threat away as opposed to actually firing at a person who posed a threat to your life or who posed a threat of serious bodily injury.) In addition, it could be reckless behavior. Then there is the potential risk that firing a gun without aiming would cause to innocent bystanders. Is the Vice President of the United States really that out of touch with the consequences of  what he is telling the rest of us to do - and is he that out of touch to not realize that most of us do not live in wooded areas as he said he and his wife do? I guess that the answer to that last question is a definitive yes. 

It just proves him so much more of an asshole. Now, if only the uninformed voter would listen to those who would inform them (like me and other Libertarian and Conservative, and even Liberal, sensible bloggers). But then, isn't that why Biden's boss, President Obama, won the person of the year from Time Magazine? Because he appealed to uninformed voters (AKA: the ignorant who prefer to remain ignorant). What a fucking mess we are in with stooges like this in power  and assholes who wish to remain ignorant, and other assholes who will award prizes to the stooges for having appeal to the ignorant! Now mind you, this is not a Republican or Democrat thing, at least as far as I see it. George W. Bush was not too far removed from either of the current yahoos in office (yes he was much better but was still an arsehat of a liberal, and a poor example of a conservative as far as I am concerned; and keep in mind I am not all that much a supporter of ultra conservatives either. Oh, what I would not give for a staunch Libertarian to win the next election.

Whatever political lean you support, I think you should be able to see the folly of this jerk Biden. I would hope you have at least that much intelligence as an American but maybe I hope for too much.

I owe a large debt of gratitude to Jim McK..., for sending me that video. I don't know if he read my blogpost, immediately previous to this one, about me considering shutting down my blog; yet, he surely turned me around from even considering, for one moment longer, shutting it down. Thanks my friend and a hat tip to you!

All the best,
Glenn B

I Don't Know If I Want To Blog Anymore...

...because, truthfully, I see little to blog about and much more to get ready for what I believe is the inevitable revolution. I find it hard to fathom that the America in which I grew up and that f our forefathers is lost to us and future generations forever because of the likes of liberals like William Jefferson Clinton, George W. Bush, Barrack Hussein Obama, Diane Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and others. Yes, I believe that George W. Bush was a liberal, in fact almost a raving leftist; I base that upon his domestic policy especially with regard to the bailouts and his implementation of what I think is the patently unconstitutional Patriot Act. The others are all extreme leftists for certain, hard core leftists at that. I see them as nothing less than full-fledged socialists and communists wanna be's.

They violate the Constitution, seemingly, at every turn. For those of you who think the Constitution is a living and fluid document, the interpretation of which can change at your desire - try to bear in mind that the framers of the Constitution allowed for it to change by way of a 2/3's majority of the Congress voting in favor of an amendment and then the president agreeing on the amendment. It is not alive and growing and getting older and failing as an aged creature might begin to fail in health. What has failed seems to be the ability of the American people to believe in liberty because many want to restrain the liberties of their political opponents while keeping their own liberties free from infringement,  such as the likes of major Bloomberg of NY (deceitful pompous ass that is he).

Today, many Americans celebrate diversity and think that celebration of it means we must embrace being different above everything else. The fact is that the United States of America has always been a nation of diverse peoples. We all have differences, yet we were all American first and thus were, for the most part, united in our love for America and in our patriotism. now the left sees patriotism as the equivalent of terrorism; it is shocking in how much leftists try to denigrate patriotism. As a country, if our citizens and legal resident aliens cannot see beyond our diversity and unite with the common cause of keeping our nation one of liberty, freedom and true justice for ourselves, we will be divided and that will only lend to our inevitable destruction because in essence we will be standing against one another at every turn. That destruction can be avoided, must be avoided, in order for us to survive as a nation with our Constitution as our basis. If all else fails, such as political, legal and grass roots attempts, then all that will be left to us may be revolution. It looks as if all else is failing and I fear that revolution is inevitable within the next few years at most. I pray I am wrong but am preparing as best I can to survive what I think must come to pass. Blogging does not even come in a close second to what I need to get ready.

I am not saying I will stop blogging for certain but that I am seriously considering such to make more time for other activities; those that will go toward protection of our rights, liberties, my family and our well-being should what I fear come to pass. Of course, I could make those preparations and remain active on my blog. I have been preparing to survive a bad situation for the past couple to few years. I am not a prepper, per se, but have gotten ready on a much smaller scale than being able to survive a year or more independently. But I see there is more that needs be made ready. Yet, I could never see me and my family being the Swiss Family Robinson; we are more like the families of our nation's firsts patriots, they who fought in the original revolution that formed our nation. Just a father, a mother and our children among many others of like mind - yet, who are diverse in our origins, customs, religions and other beliefs -  all wanting to make the best for us, and for other Americans of diverse origins, all united by the same cause. That cause - the protection of our natural and God given rights and liberties against tyrants and others who would strip us of them.

All the best,
Glenn B

More Or Less A Year Has Passed Since...

...my first post-cancer treatment CT-Scan and PET Scan, they came out all clear as were one or two other CT Scans between then and this week. 

Well, I just had another CT Scan last Monday, then saw the docs on Wednesday, and the chemo doc told me I do not have to come in until a year from now for my next one. I will keep seeing the radiation doc, but also less frequently, next visit is in six months instead of three. The chemo doc admitted that I am doing better than had been expected; to tell the truth I don't think he really had expected me to be doing anything right around now except resting eternally, he just seems amazed, and happy that I am doing well. He was a real truth teller though, I have to admit that. He gave me 50/50 odds "at best" that I would beat it and that is just how he put it - with stress on "at best". He also said it would be the toughest thing I had ever done in my life and I have to admit, he hit the nail on the head with that statement and the both docs drove it home with radiation and chemo treatments that they called aggressive. Now I have one other thing to admit, while it was definitely the toughest thing I ever have done and while I would not wish it on my worst enemy, it was worth the fight.

I did not do it alone though; I have to say I had a lot of help from family, loved ones, friends and all of you in the Blogosphere.

My sincere and heart felt thanks to all of you who inspirited me and urged me to KICK CANCER'S ASS!

All the best,
Glenn B

The 2nd Amendment, the NRA and Pro-RKBA Black Leaders

Here are both the long and short versions of an excellent video in support of the 2nd Amendment. I recommend watching the long version  (over an hour) but if you only have a few minutes, the short version can convey the message, albeit in brief.

Long version:



Short version:



All the best,
Glenn B

Going To See Willie...

...Nelson on June 7th, the night before my daughter gets hitched. Brendan is coming with me. I picked up two early sale tickets today for the show at NYCB Theater at Westbury. I saw him once back in about 1977 or so, in NM, in a place called the Palomino Club (or something like that) and did not even know who was playing at first. That was great, I was passing through some town in New Mexico, on my way to NY, and stopped in there for a beer. Almost got my butt kicked, by a gorilla in a Hoss Cartwright 10 gallon hat, because of the length of my hair and my beard, but had some cowboy hat wearing bouncers protect my skinny arse and then got to enjoy the show and had quite a few beers while at it.

Then, I saw him in NYC a few years ago, after he had canceled a tour stop somewhere in PA and changed it to New York Shitty. I bought a ticket online, and went to the show straight from my office. That was one of the best musical performances I have ever seen. I am hoping that the upcoming one will be good and that the seats I was able to get are likewise. They are in a section behind the orchestra pit, row E seats - and -. I am guessing they ought to be good seats.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Repaired HP Laptop Arrived Today

I received it, on the street, truck side, from the FedEx delivery man, whom I had just missed at my house. I was driving down the street and saw a FedEx truck turn off of my block onto the road I was on. I went around the corner to see a FedEx delivery attempt notice stuck on my front door. I hung a u-turn and pursued the FedEx truck in the blind as it was nowhere to be seen. Luckily, I made a turn and it wound up being the same way he had turned. I found him a few blocks from my home. I asked if I could get the package from him and immediately showed him my driver's license for identification. No problem, I signed for it, brought it home and am now typing on it.

The best I can make out from the less than very informative paperwork that was enclosed with the computer was that HP changed a hard drive cable, some other unidentified cable and upgraded the BIOS. I guess it was not the hard drive, that was faulty, after all. I ran a systems diagnostic Tune Up test which runs most of the available tests at start-up and all passed, including the previously failed Hard Drive Long DST test. Funny, HP techs stated to run that test yesterday, then cancelled it, so I am wondering how they knew they has solved the problem! They also seemed to have fixed the problem with the graphics controller, maybe that was solved when they changed the hard drive cable or maybe they did something else they did not list on the paperwork. Oh well, seems to be working better but not completely right yet. It may have to go back again if they cannot solve the problems that happen when I attach an use a mouse, any mouse - I have tried 3 or 4 now and they all have problems when attached. I guess another call to HP tech service is in order.

All the best,
Glenn B

Still No Laptop...

...thus the lack of blogging on my part. I have borrowed my son's laptop today and will try to get a  bit more blogging done later tonight. 

All the best,
Glenn B

True Heroes - A Prime Example: Jim Corbett

Jim Corbett with the slain
Bachelor of Powalgarh.

Jim Corbet - a man to be emulated; he was a man among man-eaters! He should be the type of man that youngsters, today, call hero instead of the drugged out movie stars and steroid pumped up athletes whom they tend to choose all to often. His book, 'Man-Eaters of Kumaon', is my favorite work of non-fiction. Coincidentally, he passed away April 19th, the same date I was married (of course, not in the same year, but oddly enough in the year of my birth). Read up on him here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Corbett_(hunter)

I strongly recommend reading Man-Eaters of Kumaon if you are interested in tigers and other big cats, hunting, India, conservation or merely historical figures.

All the best,
Glenn B

PS: Yes I still have the laptop, hope to send it out to HP by FedEx tomorrow.

MY BLOGGING SUSPENDED FOR ABOUT WEEK OR SO

I have to send my HP laptop into HP for repair. It has several issues and while they finally came around and said they would send and in home service tech to replace the hard drive, they also said that the problems could be caused by other things, like a problem with the motherboard, and thus should fix it at their facility. I agreed and will ship it out tomorrow.

All the best,
Glenn B

Long Island Herpetological Society Cancels Annual Expos

Much to my dismay, the Long Island Herpetological Society announced, today, that it was cancelling its 23rd annual reptile expo and will not have the same type of shows in the future. I went to the very first show and all others since with the exception of one or two when I was away for work. I even went to the one in November 2011, when I was at the tail end of my cancer treatments, when I looked and felt more like a walking dead man than I care to remember. Oh well, as they say, all good things come to an end.

Besides it being a big letdown that the 23rd annual show was cancelled, it is also a major disappointment for me that apparently all future such LIHS expos were also cancelled; although, they may continue a much scaled down (no pun intended) version without vendor sales.

I also am sorely disappointed in another way. The 24th annual show likely would have been held this coming fall. (The 23rd show, the one just cancelled, had been scheduled for November 2012 but was rescheduled to this April after Tropical Storm Sandy devastated much of Long Island.) Well, I had planned to attend the one this coming fall, as I had the previous ones, but with one big change. The change was to include me traveling down to Daytona Beach for the National Reptile Breeders' Expo in August. I had been planning on buying a good number of herps there, keeping them through the fall and then selling them at the LIHS 24th annual show. Then, I was planning on donating all of the proceeds to the LIHS. That was as good an excuse as any to include the National Reptile Breeders' Expo on my bucket list. In preparation, I already made reservations (just a few days ago). The fact is, I had to pay for the airfare in advance but now the trip seems less than pointless. At least I purchased the travel through Southwest Airlines and can change the reservations without an additional fee. Too bad though that I did not know about this just a bit in advance.

Now, I have to let my son know the bad news. While he has not attended a monthly meeting of the LIHS in a while, he often attended the annual shows with me and would help out at my table. In November 2011, I could not made it though the door let alone to the show site had he not brought me there and helped me to get inside.

Oh well, such is life. The longer you live, the more you see the things you enjoy go belly up.

All the best,
Glenn B

How To Handle A Break-In While Awaiting The Police

This video is courtesy of LiveLeak that had an embed code for it on their site. It is well worth the 8:29 it takes to watch it all. Listen to the police, the politicians and even the second in charge of all federal law enforcement tell you what to do when someone breaks into your home with you there.  One of them had an intelligent suggestion, only one of them. He was the only one who made any sense at all and thus not among the arse hats when it came to what you should do to defend your life in the face of imminent loss of life or serious bodily injury.


A hat tip to Herr Richard M for this one.!

All the best,
Glenn B

The Battling Boys of Benghazi

 

Said to have been written by an annonymous officer of the U.S. Marine Corps.

 

Sent to me by TOB, a hat tip to him.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

A Father On Defense of His Daughter Versus Gun Control

I don't think I could say it any better.

All the best,
Glenn B

My First LIF Range Meet Up

Long Island Firearms (LIF) hosted a range meet of some of its members at the Nassau County Rile Range this evening. The last time that I went to a planned shooting event, of any sort, with folks I had never met before was in August 2012 when Brendan and I attended the 5th Annual Northeast Bloggershoot in a supersekrit location in New England. I usually go to the range alone or with Brendan. I am not a very social drinker and it seems not a very social shooter. After tonight's shoot, the idea of me being a not so social social shooter may change into one in which I become much more sociable at the range. I met some nice folks, all LIF members and I had a good time tonight at the range with them.

Mostly, we met at the range, then took over two of the rooms in which to shoot. The range has several rooms with five points in each. I think there was a total of about 16 of us. We made introductions all around in the room in which I was in and everyone introduced themselves with their first names and LIF Forums sign-on name. I am already not great at remembering names, to have to try to remember a first name and a nickname will be almost impossible for me. I do remember the Range Safety Officer in our room was Dan although I forget his forum handle. Another guy whose name I remember is Roman but again I  cannot remember his forum name either. I met Roman on the last LIF trip to Albany to protest the NY SAFE Act so his was already a familiar face to me. The RSO in the other room was malakaguy, no  do not recall his real first name. Oh well, if I go again next month and again each month after that, I am likely to start picking up a name or two now and again.

After the intros, we got to shooting. Eight guys in the room and only five points, so I shot for about ten to fifteen minutes and let someone else into my slot for a while. We switched back and forth like that for the hour and forty-five minutes of so we had to shoot. At first, I was a tad disappointed that we were slated to shoot from 7-9 but most folks did not get there until 7 and we only started shooting at around 7:15. As it wound up, I had more than enough time to shoot before I started aching between the shoulder blades. I really need to start a work-out routine. I took another break and shot some more later on.

I brought along my Remington R1 1911, my Ortgies pocket pistol and my Glock 26. It was the first time I have shot the Glock since I got new sites put ion it. I shoot okay with it but probably could do a tiny bit better moving the rear site to the right just a bit. I will practice with it a bit more, could have been my fault in how I was holding it that had it shooting a bit to the left, maybe an inch or two at the most, at 15 yards. Nonetheless, the group was a good one. As for the Remington, it is right on out to 15 yards (I only shot out to 15 tonight) and I was perfectly happy with it. I shot well enough with it to get a compliment from the RSO on my group. I was not all that happy that once again there was a problem with the next to last round failing to feed a couple of times when using the Remington factory magazines. The cheap after market mags I have work perfectly, I never have a jam with them. Again, I forgot to mark the mags that jammed. I need to do that and then send them to Remington to either repair or replace. The Ortgies functioned flawlessly but I do not shoot as well with it as the sights are fairly hard to see being they are very small. I shot okay with it, would even qualify with it if I had to shoot a qualification with it but know if the sights were a bit bigger I would shoot better with the Ortgies.

Other LIF members had a decent variety of firearms. There were a few other .45 Autos (at least one was some model of Kimber), Dan, the RSO, was shooting a .44 magnum revolver among other guns. Roman had an Uzi (semi auto only - of course being we are in NY) and also had a rifle that was a revolver. Anew member, I think his name was John, said he had not shot since summer camp many moons ago. He was shooting a marlin rifle in .22LR. Considering he had not shot in many years, I have to say he must have learned really well at summer camp. He was right on the paper with everything and the target he was using was pretty small. Some of the guys shot one anothers' rifles and handguns. Like I said though, I am not all that social a shooter and I held off on sharing for now (although I did share at the 5th Annual NE Bloggershoot). Once I know this guy from that one and know each person's gun handling habits, then I will let other shoot what I have with me if they want to do so. Since I was already aching, I had no desire to shoot guns belonging to anyone else.

I am pretty sure I will go to the next one in a month or so. If I miss that one, then I will attend the next one. It seems they shoot at that range monthly but also shoot monthly at other ranges here on Long Island. When the weather is a bit nicer, I will probably join them on some of the outdoor ranges too.

Nice guys - all them. These meet-ups at the range could become habit forming.

All the best,
Glenn B

If 100,000 Folks Had As Much Ammo As Me...

...we would have a bit more than DHS reportedly has purchased recently and thus might be ready for them should the government attempt to overtake the citizenry and institute tyranny by force. Oh course, we the people, to the best of my knowledge, do not have anywhere near the reported 2,700 Mine Resistant Armored Protected (MRAP) Vehicles that DHS reportedly also acquired recently. If this report and others like it are true, you had best be stockpiling ammo, legally obtained and possessed components for explosives, Pepper Spray, gasoline, food water, medical supplies and whatever else on which you can lay your hands for possible use if the government goes wild.

Folks, in my opinion (and remember I was in federal law enforcement for 32 years plus some), there is absolutely no justifiable reason, for a federal department handling domestic law enforcement to be purchasing 2,700 such vehicles or to have purchased 1.6 billion rounds of ammo (as DHS reportedly has purchased over the past year). They patrol our borders, investigate drug smuggling, customs violations, money laundering (minor role in that now as the FBI is the main agency relative to ML) and arrest wetbacks with maybe a suspected terrorist thrown in now and then and they search people getting on planes and the like. They are not into handling civil unrest (nor should they be), are not para-military nor should they be that either,  and regardless of Janet Napolitano's rhetoric they do not do a lot in the way of actually investigating or preventing terrorism. It is mainly the FBI that handles terrorist investigations, not DHS, trust me on that one. So why do they need all those bullets and those armored personnel carriers unless  they plan on putting down mass civil unrest or expect China to invade and for themselves to protect our shores/borders during an invasion?

Remember that Obama, during his first campaign, said he would have a civilian force as strong as the military but he never said why he need a civilian force that strong. Now he is putting it together with law enforcement and I fear all that ammo will be aimed at We The People, at least those of us who disagree with him. If you are not scared or at least very concerned about why this is happening, you must have drunk a good sized amount of the Obamessiah kool-aid. As Michael Savage said last night, Democrats and leftists either are or already have become everything they claimed to have feared and this is just more proof of it.

All the best,
GB

Header Pic

One day of that blog header pic was longer than enough for me.

Happy hunting, either for Easter eggs of Easter bunnies.

All the best,
Glenn B

So My Current Blog Header Pic...

 

...probably isn't something you would see on Wirecutter's, Pissed's, Jay's, Jen's or Jo's blogs but it sure as hell fits right in with how I feel about the Easter Bunny. Being that Easter is pretty much right around the corner, and that Easter Bunnies, of all descriptions (including vicious white ones), are about to invade many homes (maybe even mine), I find my blog header pic as rather seasonally appropriate. That is, it is fitting in a Gomez Addams (he was always well prepared) and a Monty Python (so were they mostly well prepared) sort of way.



Living in NY, I'll have to settle for a handgun as my bunny killer. So, I chose my trusty ten shot S&W Model 17. After all, I am willing to bet that The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch has been banned under the NY SAFE Act. One thing is for sure, I am not letting on if its having been banned makes me a felon!

As for how I envision Easter Bunnies, I could see them looking a lot like this one, innocent, cuddly and sweet. I can also see them as being demonic pests acting much like the white rabbit of Monty Python lore. (Those guys must have watched a lot of Elmer chasing down that other pesky widdle wabbit, don't ya think!) So, after I finish one of 'em off with my trusty .22, I figure it will soon enough wind up looking like the one below and taste even better than he looks.

Easter Bunnies can be simply delicious if properly stewed (just one of thousands of recipes but not the recipe for the one pictured). Don't try this with chocolate bunnies because they tend to melt.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Bad Habit That Sure Has Made Life Interesting

Not the needle tearing a hole but, in one way or another, hurting myself throughout my life and screwing up my chances of living in peaceful, painless, ignorant bliss. How does the purported Chinese saying go: "May you lead an interesting life"! It is supposedly a curse and not the wish for good fortune that many may think it. Well life certainly has been interesting.

A friend of mine always used to say: "Ignorance is bliss" and I used to think how I would never be so lucky as to enjoy it. Now, I am actually happy I never lived that way and instead chose to live an interesting life. It sure has not been easy. Then again, I think, for the most part that it sure has been fun and promises to remain so for awhile. I would not change how I lived it except maybe not to have hurt any others, undeserving of pain, along the way.



All the best,
GB

Gun Pron - Semi-Auto In .38 Special

Saw a firearms forum comment, apparently questioning the validity of a claim by the media that a criminal had been armed with a semi-automatic pistol in .38 caliber. In fact, it seems a few people thought the report should have said a pistol in 380. While that is likely true, to doubt the existence of pistols chambered in .38 caliber (not .380) is a mistake.

While reading the forum posts, I already knew of at least a few such pistols, such as Colts in .38 Super, and .38 ACP but did a little research anyway and came up with quite a few semi-auto pistols that had been chambered in .38 caliber. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.38_ACP

http://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/38PM/38pm.html

Then there are those chambered in .38 Special, like the one pictured below. Pretty, ain't it!

 

All the best,

Glenn B

 

Not Watching Fox News - You Don't Know What You're Missing

Enjoy this video, I know I sure did - it is great. I love the line about Bill Clinton and love even more to imagine it is most likely true.



See, I said it was great. I truly believe it has the potential to help turn some Demoncrats into Conservatives and maybe even some homosexuals into straight men. It's not gonna do a thing to change a lesbian or a heterosexual though, is it!

A hat tip and a half to Peter Q for sending me this one.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Albany Trip & Protest of the NY SAFE Act

There were we, Brendan and I, bit up at 0400, out of the house by 0440, and at the Long Island Firearms' bus pick-up location by 0510. The bus, and the 50 or so LIF members, had been scheduled to depart to Albany at 0500 but did not leave until at least 0520, maybe even 0530. The ride up was uneventful but this time someone had thought of bringing some DVDs and that made it go somewhat quicker, for some, I suppose. I did not pay much attention to the movies on the way up. I read most of the book I had with me: Worms Eat My Garbage. (I may now have to try composting indoors in a worm bin.)
 
When we got there, we parked right across from the square that sits between four government buildings, one of them being the state capital. We were parked next to the legislature building. We debarked the bus there although, as I already had been aware from the LIF forums, we were not supposed to do that. No one seemed to care all that much. Once off the bus, I asked the guy who had been assigned as 'bus monitor', or whatever, what we were going to do next. He said there was no plan! I asked what about what had be written up on the LIF forums about us going into the legislature building, in mass, to voice our protest and what about the 1100 pep rally that was supposed to be followed by the mass protest in the square at noon. He said there was no pep rally scheduled fr 1100 and knew noting about any inside mass protest but we could go inside if we wanted to do so. He also said there would be a protest rally at noon in the square/park. Hell, it was around 0945 or so maybe a bit earlier. It would be a bit o a wait until noon, especially in the light rain that was falling. The bus captain told us to be back at the same spot, where we got off of the bus, at 2PM to board and head home. This despite he event being planned to last until 3PM. Since we had been told that the events would go from 10AM until 1230PM, this was quite the change but we voted on it on the bus and most, if not all, agreed to stay later.
 
Then, some guy in a red baseball type cap comes along and starts telling everyone what was going to be the agenda for the day. He explained the bus could not stay where it was and was supposed to have dropped us off around the block at the bus staging area, the park in another area. H also said the bus would pick us up at that same staging area. (We were told there were 117 busloads of people slated to arrive for the protest, all pro-2nd Amendment folks, plus all those who drove in their own vehicles.) Then he told us that the beginning of our day should be to go into the legislature building and see our legislators if we had appointments. I tried, by sending an email to mine, three weeks ago, for n appointment.His office replied to my email on Thursday, day before the protest, very late in the afternoon, after 4PM. He told me to give them a call during business hours to arrange it. The thing was it was already too late in the day by the time I got to the email. Clever legislator, isn't he. He voted for the SAFE Act, frigging RINO.
 
The guy in the red cap said, even if we did not have an appointment, we could go inside and ask to see our legislators. I asked about the 'in mass' inside protest; he said none was planned. Then he said that there were about 1,000 folks waiting on line to clear the six magnetometers they had at the entrances and the lines were in essence frozen. Brendan and I looked at on line and though of waiting on it for all of a minute or two. It was not moving at all as we walked toward it, not moving while we waited on it a minute or two, and not moving as we walked away from it. Well, that is to say not moving forward, a couple of people on it got off of it complaining about the long wait. We took a walk, then got out of the rain in a local diner and got some hot coffee and hot tea.
 
After that, we took another shot walk, Brendan's tendinitis was acting up a bit so we did not go far. Then back to the park/square where we listened to the speakers in the pep rally that started a bit earlier than 1100; yes the pep rally we ha been told would not take place. I am going to guess that there were already about double the people hat had been at the previous rally, in Albany, in January that Brendan and I also attended. My guess is at least 4,000 folks by that time and more were arriving continuously for the next hour or more. I will go out on a limb and give a guesstimate that there wound up being about 6,000 to 7,000 people there - all pro-2nd Amendment protesters. There were zero Brady Campaign types, at least none that made themselves obvious that I saw. We were told to beware of them as they were supposedly coming to the event to cause a stir by getting in our faces and getting us to lose our tempers. More misinformation from the LIF forums but such are forums - open to any arsehat who wants to start rumors.
 
The protest was much the same as the first except for the quality of the speakers. There were a good number of speakers (people giving their slants on their opposition to the NY SAFE Act) but the audio equipment was worse than the first time around and it was extremely difficult o understand much of what many of them were saying. As for the ones I heard, the speakers giving their spiels, they were not as convincing (in my mind) as they had been back in January. They did not fire up the crowd and where as much as they had done so back then. This was not the fault of the crowd because when a speaker called for them to chant USA - USA - USA, I think it must have it reverberated throughout all of downtown Albany - it was loud. Same for a few other chants, but the speakers did not call for as much of that as the first time around. Oh well, they were saying what they had to say I suppose.
 
Much like the first protest in January, there was extremely little media coverage for this event. That is true even though the amount of news vans at this event was double that of the amount in January. In January, there was a single news van that was evident This event had 2 media vans. Could you imagine if the protest had been anti-gun folks; there likely would have been at least 10 media vans. As for reporters, I saw two of them, each with a cameraman. I also saw one other cameraman walking around videoing the event. We had a member of the press on our bus with us too. I saw no other media personnel at the event. I will admit, I saw a small article, fairly far back in the page count, of the New York Daily News today (that is a NYC Newspaper, very liberal - ultra liberal in my view).
 
At the protest, their were a lot of great signs. I will try to get the pics off of my cell phone, having some problems right now but ill post them if I can get that done. As for the people at the event: The protesters were mainly males but there was a large number of females there too. I would estimate about a 60/40 to 70/30 split. While my guess would be that most folks there were 35 or older, there was a good number of younger folks too. That was good to see. As for racial makeup, most of the protesters were Caucasian, followed by Asians, with a smattering of others. That is a shame because the 2nd Amendment protects the right and liberty to keep and bear arms for all of us regardless of race, creed, gender and so forth. Then there was the police presence. I am going to guess there were at least 40 uniformed NY State Troopers. There were also a fair number of Albany Police officers. In all, I figure, there had to be at least 60 uniformed officers at the main event. That was not including plain clothes officers who were certainly there, also at the main event, quite a few of them were obvious. As for uniformed police, there were about four times as many than at the protest in January. This time around the protest was held on a weekday when the legislators were in session and I am sure they demanded the extra protection. Protection from what or whom, I cannot imagine because the crowd was civil, well mannered, respectful and courteous. We are responsible gun owners and not skells. We are very unlike those at an Occupy Wall Street event.
 
At about 145 PM, I noticed that the crowd was thinning rapidly and I suggested to Brendan that we head over to wait for the bus. We moved across the street and watched the event from there while we waited for the bus. We also watched as hundreds and hundreds of people departed the area and then we realized that the crowd must have been huge because back in January, once the crowd had started to leave, the park/square was obviously not crowded in virtually no time. This time around, there was still a huge crowd remaining even though we watched people leaving, in droves, from just before 2PM until about 3PM. Close to 3PM, our bus driver called the bus captain telling him he was being prevented, by the police, from leaving the bus parking area but figured he would soon be able to pick us up where we were waiting. As we waited, a State Trooper approached the group, telling us we could not wait for our bus where we were waiting. he said we had to go around the block to the bus staging area. The bus captain, Terry, called the driver to let him know he had to meet us at the staging area. Things just kept changing, it was a tiny bit disoRgAnAzized! We went to the staging area and the bus met us there about five or ten minutes later. We boarded and were soon headed home.

As on the way up, we made one pit stop on the way home. That was a bit of a delay due to three LIF members taking unduly long inside the concession area. No one made the speech we received the first time around about getting into the rest area, getting what we wanted to eat and then getting on the bus with it, and to eat on the bus and not while at the rest area. That probably added at least an extra 15 minutes to the rest stop. On the way home, I finished my book and then watched the third movie of the trip  Full Metal jacket - great flick. When we finally got to the bus drop-off area on Long Island, no one had already collected a tip for the bus driver. Someone mentioned it to the bus captain but most people were already off of the bus. I threw the driver $10 for me and Brendan. He deserved it and I saw the bus captain hand him something too. I hope that it all did not come out of just his pocket.

Oh well, I have to hand it to the LIF, they got us there in one piece and got us all back home again likewise; a hat tip to the bus driver as well in that regard. I imagine it is no easy task organizing a bus trip like this and coordinating with all the other groups so as to have everything work out as planned. I have to admit, despite my mentioning some minor uncoordinated things, the LIF bus trip went very well and all seemed to have a good time while standing up for the rights of all Americans (as in country not continents). My thanks to Steve the LIF Administrator (he is The Architect on the LIF forums) and to Terry (our bus captain) and to all the other members who went on the trip to try to have the NY SAFE Act repealed and to protect our right and liberty to keep and bear arms without infringement. Everyone in the group was very nice during the ride there and back and all were respectful while at the protest. I also have to give a special thank you to the young red headed lady who was sitting across the aisle from me on the bus. The Oatmeal Raisin cookie she gave me was excellent and made the ride home all that much more enjoyable!

The only thing that could make this trip wind up being more enjoyable, after the fact, will be if the NY SAFE Act is repealed.

All the best,
Glenn B