Scored Some 22 Short

Despite my somewhat poor experience at Gander Mountain in Palm Gardens I decided to go back yet a third time. The reason for my return there was to buy some more 22 Short ammo. They had plenty on my first two visits and while I had picked up two boxes of  it, I figured it wasn't a bad idea to get some more. 

When I got there they had only five boxes, of 100 round each, left on the shelves. I took them all and now have a total of seven boxes or 700 rounds. I was lucky too because it was on sale for about a buck per box less than the marked price.

So why buy 22 Short when I don't own any firearms specifically chambered just for it? Well, I do own at least two rifles chambered in 22 rimfire that will take 22 Short, Long and Long Rifle, so I may shoot some of it through them. Even though that is unlikely I still wanted the ammo. It has been so hard to get that it may make a good trading commodity or make me a small profit if I decide to sell it. Even if it reappears in abundance on store shelves, I can always shoot it through those rifles.

All the best,
Glenn B

No Way To Do Business...

...or at least that is my opinion of how Gander Mountain has been doing business relative to my recent dealings there.

I called Gander Mountain in Middletown, NY today. I called twice and was on the phone, waiting for someone to pick up, for over two minutes on each call. No one answered the phone. I called again and was surprised that someone answered on the third ring in the firearms department. He did not know if they had the new Ruger Mark IV pistol in stock and seemed surprised there was such a pistol.

I also have been to Gander Mountain in Palm Gardens, FL, twice this week, while on vacation. The displays in the firearms section leave much to be desired with many slots on the shelves being left bare. Some items that were in stock in that store, as per their website, were not on the shelves. When I looked for a certain set of shooting mufffs they were not to be found. I tried getting some help but as I approached some of the sales clerks, they walked away when they saw me coming. Others were ready to help but did not seem to know what was in stock or the prices of what they had and too many things did not display a price. 

Anyway, I had limited time to spend there and had to leave but ordered the ear muffs online before departing. I received an email about 2 hours later saying that my order was ready to be picked up in the same store where they had not been on the shelves, but had been bare, where they belonged.

In addition, ammo was often found to be piled up haphadzardly with diferent calibers mixed together in the same display in boxes that looked like one another. For instance a display of Remington Core-Lokt ammo had three or four different calibers all piled together without regard to stacking them by caliber. I have seen similar haphazard shelving of ammo in other GM stores. Gander Mountain ammo prices are also pretty high in my opinion.

There also was a good side but it did not outweigh the bad as far as I an concerned. I will say that those of the staff who were helpful were indeed very professional and helpful. One sales floor ckerk was very helpful and so were the ckeckout clerks. The barmaid was very nice too. Yes, I stopped in the bar for one quick drink hoping they would fill my online order before I had to leave. And yes the GM in Palm Gardens is the only GM with a bar and restaurant, at least as per Beth the barmaid.

I have to wonder though, how does Gander Mountain stay in business!

All the best,

Glenn B 

Surprise Free Lunch

What would you do if you ordered takeout food and found $5,000 in the box instead of your chicken wings? A woman in San Jose (CA?) got that exact surprise lunch and she called the restaurant trying to return the money. After waiting a day for a reply that did not come she called a media outlet that was able to get the restaurant's manager to arrange for return of the cash. So, what did she get for her honesty and integrity  - free pizza for a year from the restaurant! Luckily, her own boss gave her a week of paid vacation. (Source.)

Had it been me in that situation, I would have told the manager at Dominoes to go screw himself had he given me a reward of a year's free pizza. First of all, their pizza is terrible, secondly she ordered wings so why not a year of free wings but more importantly why did he not give her at least the traditional 10 to 15% of the returned cash as her reward. That would have been the right thing to do and then offer her the pizza and wings as an additional bonus. 

Should it happen to me, I would have to think long and hard about returning 5K. I have been pretty honest in that regard throughout my adult life and while it would be difficut to decide to keep it, it would go a long way toward the deposit on a replacement car for my destroyed Toyota and I would be sorely tempted to keep it. Bottom line, probably would not keep it and then would wind up cursing out the manager when he offered free pizza. Ammo though might be another thing all together


All the best,
Glenn B

Have You Ever Enjoyed A Vodka On The Rocks In A Gun Store?

I did that yesterday at the Gander Mountain store in Palm Gardens, FL. I sure did not go thrre expecting to find a bar but while there decided to stop in their restaurant to grab a diet soda because I wsd parched. When I looked inside I was astonished to see there was a full service bar and a mighty nice looking one at that.

Apparently my timing was perfect, for a change, because they had just opened. I ordered a vodka on two rocks with a club soda on the side. Enjoyed it immensely while chatting with Beth, the very nice barmaid. She told me the place is usually a bit slow on week nights but packed on Friday and Saturdays. A surprising find inside a gun store but there because the or an owner of Gander Mountain lives clise by a d that us what the owner wanted. Gander Mountain has moved up a few notches in my estimation.

All the best, 
Glenn B

A Revolutionary Ruger - Their New Pistol May Be Just That

All too many times, I have set my sights on buying certain new guns and then never got the particular guns I for which I had yearned.  I've had a lot of different excuses as to why I didn't follow through with a purchase. For example, I've always wanted a Remington Model 8 in 35 REM. Never got one simply because they were hard to find and by the time I found a decent one the price was sky high and I couldn't spend that much. Another reason is I lost interest in something I had wanted. That sometimes happened because I saw reports giving a specific gun a poor grade. I have also lost interest in some simply because I am The Great Procrastinator and over time my desire waned. Of course, I have bought a decent amount of guns in my time and sometimes buying a gun or guns has negatively effected my timing and made it next to impossible for me to get something else I wanted badly. For instance, a good deal on one of my dream guns once presented itself to me within days of me attending a firearms auction at which I had bought a few guns, ammo and accessories. The timing for that chance to get that particular dream gun was terrible because I was broke because of my auction purchases.

Now you may be wondering what that has to do with a revolutionary Ruger firearm and I am going to tell you directly. Ruger has just announced its production of a  new handgun the Ruger MK IV Pistol and yes it is revolutionary at least as far as I am concerned. It has a one button takedown device to facilitate disassembly. While any Ruger Mark I, II or III pistol owner can tell you they are excellent guns and loads of fun to shoot, they can also tell you they can be a royal pain to take apart and put back together for a good cleaning. If this new one is as much of a snap to diassemble and assemble, as Ruger claims, I see them flying off of the shelves with great speed and I foresee one flying my way.

I love my Ruger Mark II pistol but have to admit it can be troublesome when it comes to regular maintenance. After over 25 years of owning it, I still have to resort to the manual or my own how to videos to do what amounts to a field strip for cleaning it. While the new Mark IV looks pretty much just like my Mark II, it has major design changes in that it can be disassembled by pushing in the recessed button at the back of the frame and then lifting off the receiver and sliding out the bolt. Ruger makes it sound positively easy. I want one, I want one, I want one and hint of all hints my birthday is coming up. While I will be broke due to my current trip to Florida and probably will not get one for a birthday gift, I will have to treat myself nonetheless. That is okay by me and I am confident I will be getting one as soon as funds allow. By the way, did I tell you I have some guns and things for sale at GunBroker.com.

All the best,
Glenn B

Obama - The Absolutely Opaque President

Fuck him and fuck Clinton (Hillary) they are the ultimate in covert sacks of shit. Oba is also that much of a coward as to have to have used a pseudonym yo email Hillary Clinton. And fuck yhe FBI director that did not charge her. Read about why I think so here.

All the best but not to them,
Glenn B

Once Again The NIC Supports The Muslims...

...over the interests of Americans. He has vetoed a bill, that had bipartisan support, that would have allowed Americans to sue Saudi Arabia over 9/11 (source).

Will President Obama, also known as the nincompoop in charge, ever admit he is pro-Islam and anti-American? It does not really matter since his deeds evidently say it louder than his words ever could say it.

All the best,
GB

Florida...

...is hot. NY was just cooling down to some nice Fall weather and I come here today where it is eighty something degrees at 1140pm and humid as all hell. I suppose that means it is cocktail weather

All the best,
GB

Florida Bound

Leaving for FL tomorrow, early. Visiting my uncle. Clothes packed, guns and ammo packed, what more could I need besides my meds (like BP med, thyroid med and gout med - nothing psycho related - they are packed too) and my ticket. Ready to rock and roll and have an excellent time. Plan to teach a prospect how to shoot and she may teach me how to fish! Happy times seem imminent.

All the best,
Glenn B

Much More Than An off Duty Cop...

...is a better way to describe Jason Falconer, the man who reportedly shot the knife wielding attacker in the St. Cloud, MN mall last Saturday, than the way the media has described him. For some reason, the main stream media only reports him as an off duty officer. They apparently have totally ignored, that while he is indeed a retired police chief and remains a part-time officer, he is also the owner of a firearms training facility that trains civilians in concealed carry, is a USPSA Shooter,  3-Gunner, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. (Source.)

I wonder why they did not report all that.
 
All the best,
Glenn B

A Real Crime Stopper...

...or at least something that decreases it.

Hat tip to Tara N.

All the best,
Glenn B

Yes - I Will!

I read that and laughed so hard it hurt.

Hat tip to Peter G.

All the best,
Glenn B

Thank God He Was One of The Stupid Ones...

...because the bombs that he is suspected of planting that did explode caused minimal injuries and the others he is suspected of planting did not explode. He must have gotten a D minus (at best) in bomb-making 101.

Besides being an evidently inept bomber or at least suspected bomber, when confronted by police he reportedly tried to shoot it out with them and they can thank god he was not a better shot. He did however reportedly manage to hit one officer but the officer can be thankful to himself for remembering to wear his body armor and maybe also to God for guiding that bullet into that armor. Another officer was wounded by glass when the suspect shot at officers in a patrol car. The politicians and bureaucrats are all doing their best to pat each other on their backs and to assure that no one gives any indication there is any link to any terrorist group or to Islam in the best manner of political correctness. (Source.)

The suspect was only wounded, reportedly shot in the arm and leg and as far as I feel about that I can only hope he develops a terrible incurable infection and perishes after a long pain ordeal with it. Of course, if he survives this, maybe he will wind up in a nice cozy cell with a very well endowed guy named Bruce (or Bubba) for the next 75 years.

Earlier today, I heard it reported that the bartender who called police did not do so merely to report a man sleeping in the bar's doorway but because he thought the guy was the bombing suspect whose photo had been made public by then. Now those reports seem to have changed to the police being the ones who ID'd the guy and the bartender, in essence, merely calling about a bum on his doorstep.

All the best,
Glenn B
 

Missouri - One of the Good Ones

Missouri has added itself to the list of states that do not require a concealed carry permit (source). I keep hoping beyond any reasonable hope that NY State will do likewise.

All the best,
GB

Is It Friday Already?

TGIF as they say. I am playing hooky from work today but with valid excuses. I have to see a couple of docs as follow-up to my ER visit to the hospital because of my recent car accident. Went to see an ophthalmologist on Tuesday and as soon as he realized it was going through no-fault auto insurance (which is the law in NY State) he refused to see me. He gave me about 6 different lies excuses as to why I lost a day's pay taking off to see him but his last was probably he truth - he did not want to get involved in litigation. There likely will not be any litigation since the other guy involved in the accident claimed full responsibility for the accident and I imagine is insurance company will make a settlement that is enough for me for a very sizable down payment on a new Corolla. Time will tell and if not then a lawyer hired by me will tell but I think they will pay me enough to keep me happy. Anyway, now I am seeing not only my regular doc today but also another ophthalmologist. The thing about that is the timing of the visits is whacky. I should be seeing the eye doctor first, then my regular doc with his results. I am seeing them the other way around, only way I could get the appointments. As for that other eye doc not seeing me, I think I will send him a bill for my lost wages and maybe take him to small claims court if he does not want to pay. So much for his not wanting litigation.

The good news for me about today though, other than it being a day off of work and its being Friday, is what I will be doing tonight. Tonight Brendan, Zack, Pat (two of his buds) and I will be going to see the Charlie Daniels Band along with whatever group is backing them up. We saw the CDB last year and they were excellent; that concert made me wonder why I was never a bigger fan of Charlie Daniels!

Tomorrow is another story, I have about a 200 mile drive just to pick up my license plates and personal effects from my wrecked car. So far, Brendan is slated to come with me which means we can have some fun after we do that. We'll probably bring some guns and stop at Han's place for shooting goodness and after that for some alcohol containing beverage for the night. Having to drive bac home the very next day will be a bummer but we both have to work on Monday. Still, we can squeeze some good fun into the day tomorrow.

All the best,
Glenn B

Quite Possibly True

All the best,
Glenn B

So True

 

All the best,

Glenn B

Pistol License Renewal - Pleasant and Fast But Very Concerning

I received a letter in the mail from my local County Police Department last week about my pistol license needing to be renewed. There was a two sided form, mostly already filled out on which I had to fill in a couple of items of missing info,, check that my pistols were listed correctly and answer several questions, yes or no. The very first question was of great concern to me because it asked if I had taken ANY prescription drugs in the past five (5) years. On my original application they specifically asked about prescription narcotics but nothing about other prescription medications. They are getting extremely nosy relative to personal medical records especially in light of the fact that NY considers pistol license information to be public record unless the licensee has filed to have his license info withheld from the public. I did that a year or three ago when they gave us the option and can only hope they got it right and never release my license info along with those newly required medical questions & answers to the public. I guess it is about time to send off another several letters to elected county and state officials to complain about this latest invasion of privacy that should have nothing at all to do with the issuance or denial of a pistol license.

***

Edited to ad: There was also a new requirement in the paperwork that probably should concern any licensee, at least in my county since I am unaware if this is state wide, and that is that they mandate you put down in which area your pistols are stored in our home and how they are secured with options of a safe, a locked container or other (and you fill in what is the other method). I have to wonder if anyone who did not opt out of having their license info available as a public record now has the concern that someone can request their license info and see where and how their weapons are stored. If that is now part of public record, the state has just potentially given burglars or home invaders the whereabouts of a licensees' weapons and the method of their storage. I can hear one crook talking to another.

Dirtbag 1: "Hey Tony, we be going to dis guy's house to be gettin us some guns."

Dirtbag 2: Forgedaboudit Jaquann, he got dem in his safe upstairs. Let's go to Elmer J. Fudd's place cause he only got dem in a locked cabinet in da basement".

End of edited add on.

***

 



As for the actual renewal process, I had to write up all the prescription drugs I had taken over the course of the last five years and id that for as many as I could remember. Then stopped by a Citibank, where a nice young lady notarized my list for me as required. Thankfully she did it gratis and was very pleasant about it. When I got to the county police headquarters, I was amazed to find there was not even a single person ahead of me. I was taken immediately by a very nice, courteous and professional lady officer and after about 10 minutes, at most maybe a dozen and that included some chat time, I had my renewed pistol license in hand and was on my way home. The process was nothing like the initial application which took a few to several visits to the license division and a couple to few months to process. All in all, a very pleasant experience except for having to divulge all that medical information.

So, I am good for another 5 years. Hopefully by then, folks in NY and the country as a whole, will have realized it is not the guns that are the problem and the whole licensing thing will be a moot point. Of course, if Clinton survives her maladies and is somehow elected to the presidency, all will go in the exact opposite direction and I may never again be issued a pistol license. Vote Trump, vote for America!

All the best,
Glenn B 

A Seasonal Anticipation For Men

They are saying it is going to start to get a bit less humid and quite a bit cooler this week, at least up this way. A man can only hope so because...  

 

...that means high beam season is upon us.

 
All the best,
GB
 

Interesting Video Of Hillary Clinton Seemingly Being Dragged Into Vehicle

Watch this video:

https://twitter.com/i/videos/tweet/774993814025011200?

I just watched it a few times and besides noticing how Clinton was being supported by the barrier, and how she stumbled when she tried to walk, I also noticed that right after 15 second mark the Secret Service Agents are literally dragging her. You can clearly see that her right foot evidently is not moving under her power at all and it seems obvious it is scraping the ground as she is dragged and pushed into the vehicle.  If she recovers, there is little doubt in my mind some Secret Service Agents will be losing their jobs or wind up being transferred, if she is elected, if only because they did not completely block the view of the guy with the camera.

I figure it is either a serious health issue (which has been bandied about for weeks now after some other issues like her coughing spree), or that it is stress related and she just cannot take the run for the presidency (and thus could never take being president), or that she is shitfaced or stoned, or that she is seeking sympathy and acting. I tend to think it is a serious health issue but that is just my guess.

I would say hip-hip-hooray the Wicked Witch of Little Rock is melting but I am not an evil son of a bitch and I cannot do so simply because I am not made of the same stuff as is she. Then again, I wish I was a forgiving and or tolerant enough person to wish her get well wishes for a speedy recovery but I cannot find it in me. I cannot tolerate her or forgive her for what I believe are her plans for us if she is elected as president and she has made those plans evident - to turn us into a tyrannized and divided rights depleted and overtaxed nation with her as the tyrant. It is not that I am wishing she gets worse or dies or anything like that, I just cannot and will not wish her well because I truly think she is trying to destroy our constitutional republic - the United States of America.

Donald Trump may not be perfect but I believe he is one heck of a better choice than is she for the presidency.

A hat tip to New Jovian Thunderbolt where I first saw the video.

All the best (except to her and others like her),
Glenn B

Ted Cruz Was Right...

...when he said that conservatives should vote their conscience but maybe for a reason other than he was thinking at the time. Laura Ingram says it better than anyone I have heard or read so far:

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/09/07/laura-ingraham-taking-ted-cruz-seriously-what-vote-your-conscience-means-for-conservatives.html?intcmp=ob_article_sidebar_video&intcmp=obnetwork

It is a bit of a long read but well worth your time to read every last word of it especially if you are considering not voting at all or voting for someone other than Donald Trump.

All the best,
Glenn B

If The North Koreans Get It - Why Don't Our Governments?

"North Korea said on Sunday a push for further sanctions following its fifth and biggest nuclear test was “laughable”, and vowed to continue to strengthen its nuclear power." (Source.)

The governments that keep imposing sanction after sanctions onto North Korea for violating just about everything possible in regards to agreements and treaties covering their nuclear development, especially as relative to nuclear weapons, are evidently full of mindless idiots. Even after North Korea itself has admitted that the use of sanctions against that country is laughable you can bet our politicians will continue relying on sanctions that have had little effect and that will do little to nothing to prevent North Korea from someday using those weapons against us or our allies Maybe it is about time that we stop joking and start nuking - as fry them before they fry us.

All the best,
Glenn B

Three Women Fire Bomb Police Station In Mombasa

Before reading the article, I bet myself that the three "robed" women who fire bombed a police station in Mombasa, Kenya were not Catholic nuns and...I won the bet.

http://www.oann.com/robed-women-petrol-bomb-police-station-in-kenyas-mombasa/

All the best,
Glenn B

Remembering 9/11 In A Personal Way



How can we as a nation ever forget or forgive the attacks of September 11, 2001!

Not long in time before 9/11.



Looking down from west of the site. The Custom House is in the
foreground just past the green roof of the World Financial Center.
The remains of it and one of the towers, in the courtyard, take up
entire right side of the photo. Remains of 7 WTC rubble pile to left,
spanning Vessey St. and breaching Custom House evidence vault.




Rubble pile (either the same one or similar to one from 7 WTC) that
spread across Vessey St. to the south side of the Custom House.
 A coworker and I, accompanied by recue workers, climbed over
 the debris pile to access a customs vault to secure evidence on
the Friday night after the attacks. It was scary to say the least.

 

The Custom House - luckily all personnel had evacuated.

 

Part of a wall from 1 WTC leaning up against
the Custom House as viewed from the east.

 I did not take any of the above photos. I got the WTC photos I have here and there on the Internet and from coworkers who either took some or found them online. I was a Special Agent with Customs at the time and as luck had it, I was in CT for some training on the day itself. I went to the site over the course of part of two days to help with rescue and recovery efforts; that was a few days after the attacks. Anyway, these pics have personal meaning for me so I saved them. Figured I would share them again.

Besides looking at those pictures this morning, I also took a look at what amounted to my insurance claim after the attacks. I had been assigned to 6 WTC since around June of 2001 and also had been assigned full time duties as a firearms instructor. It was Paradise but did not last long. Anyway, I have a Word file saved in the same folder as the photos. It is amazing how many things came to mind when I looked over the personal items I lost (some like a few of my pistols being recovered and returned to me later). Memories of work assignments, of details to other offices like a trip to Arizona and another to Haiti and just a reminder of how long I have been taking my current high blood pressure medicine were all brought back by reading through the list of items I lost. It is hard to believe it has been 15 years since then as those memories while a bit faded by time are still pretty strong.

Of course, the photos, my insurance claim and my memories only show a very small bit of the big picture. The towers burning, crumbling to dust, the thousands killed or wounded, the folks leaping to their certain deaths from high stories in desperate attempts to flee the flames, the heroes who gave some and those who gave all trying to save others by running into the towers to help, the thousands fleeing down the streets as the towers collapsed, the regular folks (non-emergency workers) who volunteered and flocked to the site to help in anyway they could, the nation coming together unified in cause even if only briefly, that is the real story of 9/11.

I think: That we have cowered under the regimes of two feckless presidents since then who have not retaliated with all of our nation's might (although one tried much harder than the other in seeking to destroy our enemies) against each and every country that played a part in planning, carrying out or facilitating these attacks; that we consider some of those countries as allies; that we did not execute each and every terrorist at Guantanamo; those are all the shame of it. That we released prisoners who subsequently again plotted or actually took part in  later attacks against our troops or involved themselves again in terrorism against other nations, and that we have allowed Islamic Terrorists to form groups such as ISIS and thus to continue a reign of terror is the disgrace of it. That some in our country actually believed and still believe that our own government had some sort of conspiratorial hand in the attacks is the insanity of it.

I truly believe, we should never forget and never forgive. I believe we should do all we can do to protect our nation and her people and that means we need to fight terrorism without reservation and destroy terrorists either until they all have breathed their last breaths or we have breathed ours. We should always remember and honor our fallen, we should stand unified as a nation in avenging them and most of all, it should be personal for all of us!
All the best,
Glenn B


So True

 

All the best,

GB

Bovine Fart Counting Inspectors Wanted - Apply Sacramento Capital Building

The state of California may soon be hiring inspectors to count the fart of cows. Leave it to Sacramento legislators to come up with and approve regulations regarding the amount of ass gas given off by bovines. They are hoping to reduce methane in the atmosphere. next thing you know they will cut down the redwood forest to cut back on the amount of carbon dioxide produced by trees.

See: http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2016/09/01/cow-fart-regulations-approved-by-californias-legislature/

How they will actually enforce these regulations without having fart counting inspectors at each dairy farm or cattle feed lot is cloudy to me.

All the best,
Glenn B

Well - Kilted To Kick Cancer Has Begun And...

I am not in it this year. I did not receive an invitation to re-join the fund raiser for 2016, I imagine they sent one but did no have my latest email address. Then again someone over there could have thought to contact me through Facebook or through the link on my blog but apparently no one did that. Regardless, it was my bad for not getting them my new email address.

Even though it was somewhat of a pain in the butt and I was somewhat disgruntled with how it was run last year, I mellowed about all that and would have been willing to do it again. I suppose though, it is okay I am not doing so because to tell you the truth, besides being a labor of love so to speak, it was a pretty big expense considering I had to buy a couple of kilts (and even the moderately less expensive ones are not inexpensive) and accessories, print flyers, make appearances kilted and such. It also was a bummer because I did not raise anywhere nearly as much in donations as I had expected.

So this year, I will pick one of the fund raisers and donate through his or her effort. It sure won't be as much from me as in past years but will be as much or a little more than I can afford right now. I just checked on how much I may get for my 11 year old Toyota Corolla and it seems I would be lucky to be paid $2,500 by the other guy's insurance company for my car having been totaled by him. So, I suppose I will need about another 15 grand to buy a new car. Along those lines, it seems I'll be making a small down payment and will be making payments on a new car for at least a few years.

Oh well, I will donate as much as I can to KTKC and I hope you do too; as I have said before, it is a worthy cause.

All the best,
Glenn B

Gun Control

History has proven this right, time and time again:

All the best,
GB

Mexico & Clinton - More Biased Balderdash In The Media?

So, Reuters is reporting that Hillary Clinton will not have a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and they are making it appear as if she said she will not do so because Donald Trump created problems there. (Souce of both of the following quotes.)

"U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Monday she will not accept an invitation from Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto for a visit after rival Donald Trump created what she called a "diplomatic incident" in his foray there."

Doesn't that sound to you like she said she will not meet with him because Trump created a diplomatic incident there. It sure sounds like that to me and many readers would probably get that far and stop reading, at least the biased for Clinton and against Trump voter types that so strongly seem to support a leftist platform and let's be honest, also the die hard Trump voters who cannot accept any criticism of him. Yet, if you would just read on, to the very next paragraph, you would see that apparently that is not what Clinton said in response to a question as to whether or not she would meet with the president of Mexico. What she said was much briefer and seemingly made no reference to Trumps visit there, at least if quoted correctly.

"In a written excerpt from an interview with ABC News that will air Tuesday morning, Clinton simply said "no" when asked if she would travel to Mexico before the election on Nov. 8, without elaborating further."

The first paragraph certainly seems like an embellishment or certainly at least an exaggeration of what she reportedly really said, at least it seems that way to me especially in light of the fact that it was reported she did not elaborate further.

Now pardon me for being so bold as to say this but wouldn't one think that the candidate who keeps boasting about her record as Secretary of State (the chief diplomat in the USA) would most assuredly accept an invitation from our country's neighbor to the south to visit with that country's president as a sign of good diplomacy if for no other reason! Instead, she just gives a one word answer "no" that she will not accept such an invitation and snubs him just like that.

I also imagine that one would think that the candidate that Clinton brands as racist, Donald Trump, would never accept such an invitation. Yet, he did so and has already met with the Mexican president. Regardless of their differing opinions on border security and illegal immigration and whether or not they clashed over such issues, at least Trump had the respect for president Pena Nieto to meet with him and discuss the issue face to face. And to think, now Clinton is trying to assert that Trump's visit was a dismal failure because she says he did not breach certain issues - who is kidding whom here! She is a weasel at best and likely will be the ruin of America if elected.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ryan John

My daughter is a mama and my son-in-law a papa with the arrival today of their son Ryan John. That makes my wife an oma  (grandmother), my son an uncle, my wife's brothers grand-uncles, my sister grand-aunt,  and my mother-in-law an omi (great-grandmother ). As for me, I guess it makes me gramps or in other words an old fart but a very happy one at that.

All the best,
Glenn B

Home Safe & Hopefully Sound

Brendan and I just got home about 15 minutes ago and sure made good time getting here. My head still aches from the accident on Saturday night and I am going to try to see doctor today and if not today then tomorrow.  As for Mimi she seems okay now, I think the sedative and pain meds have worn off after her visit to the vet because of the run in with the porcupine.

On the ride home, since my son was driving, I called the insurance company of the driver who rear ended my Toyota Corolla on Saturday night. I filed a claim with them and they said someone would call me back tomorrow for more info or whatever and to get things rolling after the holiday. The lady to whom I spoke also said that once they get their client's side of the story they will arrange to pay me if he admits what he was at fault. That made me ask "Hasn't he filed a claim yet" and she told me no he had not done so as of my call. I muttered something more to myself than to her but she replied to it when I said something like 'That does not sound good'. She replied: "No it is not". I hope there are not going to be problems with this guy, it was bad enough he drove his SUV right into my car's ass end and maybe even was accelerating even though the speed limit dropped by 20mph. I certainly don't need any more problems with this mess.

All the best,
Glenn B

What A Weekend

There I was, at about 0330 this morning letting Mimi outside to answer nature's call. She went and as soon as she did off she went. I knew there must have been an animal that she was after and soon enough I knew exactly what kind of critter when Mimi came back with a snout full of porcupine quills, one large and the others much smaller. I pulled out the large one but could not get the small ones. She was in a lot of pain so I Googled an emergency vet. About 45 minutes later we were at the vet where 20 or so quills were pulled out but only after they put her out with an anesthesia. About 10 minutes later I paid $227 and we headed back to my brother-in-law's place but not before I wondered outloud what else could go wrong this weekend. The cute lady vet, who had carried Mimi out to the car for me, said that is the one question you should never ask. She was right because something else almost did go wrong.

Just a few miles from the house, as I was about to turn off the main road, and as two cars approached in the opposite lane, the guy behind the other decided to pass the car in front of him. I guess he either had really bad eyesight or was drunk or texting because they were way too close to me for him to try that. He came full into my lane and I jammed on the brakes and thankfully so did the driver of the lead car in the other lane. That allowed the stupid fucker trying to pass to veer hard right back into his lane ahead of the other car. He missed hitting me head on by about 20 feet or less.

I would like to thank the guy he was passing for slowing down because otherwise there almost certainly would have been a collision with injuries or fatalities. Anyway, I did not need another dickhead hitting one of my cars within a couple of days of my Toyota being totalled by another jerk who rear ended it. Since my car was totaled on Saturday night, I was driving my son's car this morning.

We wound up back at the house safely and luckily Hans was up because I had locked us out. Mimi is now sound asleep and Hans is making breakfast. I cannot get back to sleep, I am wound up from the jerk who almost ran into us head on and my head is still aching and has been since the first accident. At least I am alive to feel it and that is a good thing and yes I will likely see a doctor later today. I have to say, this has been one fucked up weekend so far!

All the best,
 Glenn B

An 11 Year Friendship Crashes

Right after it happened, I almost started to cry, I got that choked up. Heck, it had been my faithful companion for over 11 years and an 80 year old dickhead ended it all in one fell swoop. The Toyota Corolla - that took us to a few Shenandoah River canoe fishing trips, drove us around about 3/4 of  NY state on a road trip, carried us to Maine for my son's first big game hunting trip (when he got a black bear), ferried us from home and back again on countless trips to my uncles farm and nearby for hunting and fishing fun, brought us into the realm of the Northeast Blogger Shoots at a sooper sekrit location in NH, did likewise down to a couple of shoots in West By God Virginia and faithfully carried us wherever we wanted to go, to do whatever we wanted to do  -  has been totaled.

That fucking dickhead, probably a really nice grand dad but dickhead nonetheless, drove into the arse end of the Toyota last night and did more than enough damage to assure it is not worth repairing. I had just gotten a new exhaust system for $1375 and have not paid a penny of that yet and was thinking the old Corolla might make it at least another 5 years if not 10 and then this guy plows into it like he never even saw us on the road in front of him.

Spun me and the car around into the oncoming traffic lane and I thought it was going to flip but it didn't. I still have a bad headache since last night when it happened. Neck is a little achy too. The scary thing is that last night, hours after the accident, the vision in my left eye got extremely blurry when my head ached the most. Vision got better after awhile but the headache is persistent. Maybe I should have gotten into the responding ambulance and gone to the hospital like the other driver had done. If my head still aches when I get home tomorrow, off to see a doc I will go. Other than a few other aches and pains and feeling miserable, really so, over the loss of my faithful Corolla, I think I am okay. Supposedly the other driver was unhurt.

Of course, as far as finances will be going, I will soon be broker than broke because I need a replacement car. May have to sell some guns and ammo or take what little money I have in the thrift savings plan out of it.

The only other good thing, besides no apparent major injuries or deaths, is that the police and a guy from the tow company all said the other driver was 100 percent at fault so I imagine his insurance will cover it all. And yes, he had insurance. Covering it though probably means a few grand at most for an 11 year old car but it will be better than nothing toward a downpayment on a new car. That will likely be another Corolla.

All the best,
Glenn B

An 11 Year Friendship Crashes

Right after it happened, I almost started to cry, I got that choked up. Heck, it had been my faithful companion for over 11 years and an 80 year old dickhead ended it all in one fell swoop. The Toyota Corolla - that took us to a few Shenandoah River canoe fishing trips, drove us around about 3/4 of  NY state on a road trip, carried us to Maine for my son's first big game hunting trip (when he got a black bear), ferried us from home and back again on countless trips to my uncles farm and nearby for hunting and fishing fun, brought us into the realm of the Northeast Blogger Shoots at a sooper sekrit location in NH, did likewise down to a couple of shoots in West By God Virginia and faithfully carried us wherever we wanted to go, to do whatever we wanted to do  -  has been totalled.

That fucking dickhead, probably a really nice grand dad but dickhead nonetheless, drove into the arse end of the Toyota last night and did more than enough damage to assure it is not worth repairing. I had just gotten a new exhaust system for $1375 and have not paid a penny of that yet and was thinking the old Corolla might make it at least another 5 years if not 10 and then this guy plows into it like he never even saw us on the road in front of him.

Spun me and the car around into the oncoming traffic lane and I thought it was going to flip but it didn't. I still have a bad headache since last night when it happened. Neck is a little achy too. The scary thing is that last night, hours after the accident, the vision in my left eye got extremely blurry when my head ached the most. Vision got better after awhile but the headache is persistant. Maybe I should have gotten into the responding ambulance and gone to the hospital like the other driver had done. If my head still aches when I get home tomorrow, off to see a doc I will go. Other than a few other aches and pains and feeling miserable, really so, over the loss of my fauthful Corolla, I think I am okay. Supposedly the other driver was unhurt.

Of course, as far as finances will be going, I will soon be broker than broke because I need a replacement car. May have to sell some guns and ammo or take what little money I have in the thrift savings plan out of it.

The only other good thing, besides no apparent major injuries or deaths, is that the police and a guy from the tow company all said the other driver was 100 percent at fault so I imagine his insurance will cover it all. And yes, he had insurance. Covering it though probably means a few grand at most for an 11 year old car but it will be better than nothing toward a downpayment on a new car. That will likely be another Corolla.

All the best,
Glenn B

Triclosan and Triclocarban Among Ingedients To Be Banned From Soap

The FDA has ordered that several antibacterial ingredients, such as  triclosan and trilocarban, be removed from soaps within a year. The FDA is claiming that the soaps may do more harm than good, such as creating resistant bacteria. More here.

I used to buy hunter's soaps and deodorants with triclosan and triclocarban in them and the combination certainly seemed to help reduce body odor. I first heard about those ingredients when reading an article claiming that the Israeli military used them in soap to help control body odors for their people on covert ops. I figured if they used the combination for that purpose, it may actually work and it surely seemed to do so for me when out hunting. Then one of the ingredients was dropped in hunter's soaps, I cannot recall which, and the effectiveness seemed to drop as well but was still better than plain soap and water. Once again the government steps in and fucks things up seemingly without any science to back them up. In fact, another government agency - the EPA - had already made a determination about triclosan but seems to be under pressure from the environazis: to revaluate it with the idea of banning it:

"The agency has previously determined that pesticide products containing triclosan will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on human health or the environment and is currently engaged in reevaluating the risks posed by triclosan including a review of the human health and ecological risks, endangered species assessment, and risk assessment process for biosolids." (Source.) My bet is that this is more of a way to try to get at hunters being less successful than it is a bid to save the environment.

I guess I will need to stock up on hunter's soaps that still contain at least one of those ingredients while I still have the chance.

All the best,
Glenn B

Here I Sir At Home...

...when I should have been at my brother-in-law's place upstate for the weekend already. Decided to get some more painting done in the basement last night after work. Been working the last two weeks with little time or energy to get things done, so thought it would be best to do that before leaving. Will throw on a second coat this morning then get mine arse to his house upstate. Painting a second coat should give me time to think about what guns to bring along.

Enjoy the long weekend.

All the best,
GB

A Little Bit Of A Score Cash Wise For Me

Just found out that I accrued 52.44 hours of leave time over the past year. I only earned 30 hours in the prior year, which means that over the past year I earned 1.75 times more than the year before. That also means I worked 1.75X more hours - mostly because I worked just about full time for a 4 month stretch in the fall into the early winter. I should be working that much since I am retired but it does help to pay the bills and make ends meet when on an otherwise fixed income in NY (one of, if not the, most expensive states in the country).

Anyway, the good news is that I will get a check for 52.44 hours pay. It is not like I can spend it on anything fun since the amount I will get after taxes is just $162 more than half of what I had to pay to get my exhaust system replaced on my Toyota Corolla. In other words, I still have to find several hundred dollars more to get the remainder of that repair bill off of my credit card. Oh well, what I am getting sure is a big help and I am not complaining; just wishing I could have spent it on a vacation.

All the best,
GB