Guns of the Hunt - sounds like it could be the title of a Capstick or Ruark book, or maybe even something by Theodore Roosevelt - a title that is more than just about guns, and more than just about the hunt. Truth be told though, for the purposes of this blog, while there may be some talk of guns there is no great hunting story - at least not yet. You see the hunt has not yet begun, at least not this season's deer hunt. I was lucky enough to get away over the weekend to do some scouting for deer sign and found plenty of it. As could be expected of me, I brought along a few guns just in case. In case of what? You know in case I stumbled across a turkey that was lost or a squirrel with a death wish. I actually almost came across a flock of turkeys. As I was scouting out hunting area and hiking at the same time with my trusty Remington 870. I heard a raucous commotion in the woods not far ahead. There were leaves rustling madly, branches cracking and what sounded like antlers banging into one another. I was sure, I mean absolutely certain, that I was about to sneak up on two buck locked in combat. What happened was not quite what I had expected. I got close to the commotion, even saw some branches moving in the undergrowth. Then nothing so I sat down with a good sized tree to my back and waited. Then I heard some turkeys cackling or whatever they call it. Not gobbling, this was more like hen chatter. After about 10 minutes I chattered back as best I could. Next thing you know, I was talking turkey to a turkey and yes it was answering me. This went on for about 20 to 30 minutes, then dead silence. After another minute or two I could hear what sounded like several birds walking away from me very stealthily. I guess I screwed up and either they saw me or I cackled too many times. I figure they were not more than 40 to 50 yards away and even thought I caught a brief glimpse of one as they approached me - then as I said - they took off in another direction. Oh well, the hunt is most assuredly not just about the kill. I had a great time and cannot remember having that much anticipation in a long time. Well maybe almost as much as when I thought it was two bucks engaged in combat! As a matter of fact, I am none too sure there had not been two bucks dueling it out; the sound of antlers rattling together was unmistakable and I cannot imagine a turkey making a noise like that. Now the bucks may have been right near a flock of turkeys - for all I know they were spectators as I had hoped to be. Really folks, this is no tall tale -this is how I perceived it while in the woods. Of course, there is a chance all that noise was being made by another hunter but he would have to have been mighty foolish to have been trying to rattle deer and talk turkey and take the chance of getting both a deer hunter and a turkey hunter thinking he was what they were seeking. Actually, there was turkey and deer sign all around, so I figure it may have been both types of animal making all the noise and they were close to one another by coincidence or because of a mutual food source.
Now, back to those guns, after all I said there was no hunting story here - didn't I! I brought three guns on my weekend trip: the Remington 870 mentioned above - mainly for turkey, a Ruger 10/22 All Weather (my son's) - mainly for squirrel, a Sig in .40 S&W caliber - mainly as a self defense carry sidearm. The Sig came with me everywhere, the 870 was with me in the woods just about every minute I was out there, and the Ruger - well it stayed in the car except for a short hike during which I hoped to bad a squirrel or two. I did not seen even one. That is okay though because I did see lots of something for which I was looking and that would be plenty of deer sign.
Thanks to this second, or is it my third scouting trip prior to this season's opening, I have a pretty good place selected from which to do some whitetail deer hunting. Being it is on state land there is always the chance someone else will have his big fat butt seated right on the spot that I selected for my big fat butt and for Brendan's much slimmer butt but those are the chances one must face when hunting on public land. I marked off the spot and two stands with orange tape and am hopeful no one else will tear it down or be attracted to my spot by it. I do not care if others hunt nearby, I just figure that they should respect me and the work I did in finding the spot just as I would respect them likewise and therefore am hopeful they will steer clear of it. A good thing about this particular spot is that it is not more than a few hundred yards from the road right where I will be parked. I like not having to drag a deer too far, and this spot is great for that. It is also full of deer sign. There were tracks all over the place, several rubs and a few scrapes. Some of the scrapes are only feet from where there were others last year. Chances are the same buck made them then and this year. Of course, there is a good chance there are doe tracks in the mix of those tracks I saw. As we have an anterless deer permit, I would be more than happy to bag a doe. I am pretty sure Brendan would take either a buck or a doe but being this would be his first deer you can bet I'll pass up any shot I could take on a buck that he can also get his sights on.
We will be leaving on Thursday afternoon. That way we get to hunt the last day of turkey season on Friday. Deer season opens Saturday. With two of us going, I suppose the chances are that more guns will be with us than I had with me this past weekend. Figure my Sig .40, the Remington 870 for deer and maybe turkey and maybe squirrel too, my Marlin 336 in .35 Remington for deer, Brendan's Ruger 10/22 or my Marlin 25MN in .22 WMR (for squirrels), and maybe one of my Mosin Nagants for deer if I am feeling frisky. I may also throw a .22 pistol into the mix for fun. Of course, the chances of us using them all are remote on a three or 4 day hunt, but I like the motto - 'Be Prepared'. Then again, not all of them may fit in the trunk of the Corolla with all our other gear in there but I have been known to be a wiz at packing a trunk and getting more stuff I'd never need into one - just in case. Thursday will tell but it is a safe bet that the 870, the 336 and at least one rifle in .22LR or WMR is also making the trip. Of course, so too will a sidearm. Hopefully whatever we bring for the hunt will not fail at the critical moment (yes that means I am also hopeful there will be that moment of opportunity for a shot at a nice deer) and at least one of us will bag Christmas dinner. You all know me well enough to realize that if only one of us has a shot, I am hopeful it will be Brendan.
Safe and happy hunting,
Glenn B
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The Other Side Of Ballseye...
...well maybe not really the other side, just a thing about me that I usually don't talk about. Today I played the happy homemaker the not so happy house-cleaner. About once a year now, for the past few years, I have given the carpets in our living room and basement a good cleaning with a rented carpet cleaning machine. The main reason this came about was because of our dogs and their inability to be housebroken 100% (or would that be the dog owner's fault, in which case I tip my hat to my wife - her dogs - not mine). I am not going to place any blame, I'll just say man a carpet sure can look like crap (and it is actually the wee that makes it look disgusting). Yet, without placing culpability for our messy carpets, especially the one in the living room, I have to wonder what on earth ever made my wife decide to go out and get another mutt while I was away for work in Arizona this spring/summer. Did she go for a medium sized mutt like our Mimi (who is perfectly housebroken) - no she did not! Did she go for another psycho Chihuahua like our little Pepe (after Pepe Le Pew - of course) or a more demure yet sometimes psycho pooch like our little Lucy, our other Chihuahua - no she did not.
What she went for was this, a medium sized puppy that was a fawn and brindle, cuddly, loving, licking (a lot), scrappy ball of fire that is now weighing in at about 53 pounds at 8 months of age. She is full of love, and full of energy, and also full of water - or so it would seem she was until she was housebroken. Wait a minute, allow me to correct myself. Yes, she was full of water, but never for all that long. As it turned out, or should I say as it poured out, it often did so all over the living room, dining room and kitchen. Should someone have thought about this before buying a canine fireplug? Sure she should have thought of it. Did she think of it? No she did not and if she did she did not care about the mess that would ensue. Now mind what you are thinking right about now. Of course we cleaned it each time she had an accident. We used rolls and rolls of paper towels, bottles and bottles of pet accident spray too. You know the stuff if you own a puppy; it is supposed to make the stains disappear like magic.. It all FM though; that would be fucked-up magic because it did not work very well. On the carpet in the basement I could do a cleaning job and make it look like almost nothing had happened. The carpet in the living room being much lighter was a totally different story and it stained with rings around where the puddle had been and that area stained too, just lighter than the rings. It was pretty disgusting.
Now that the wonder dog, who could do no wrong in my wife's eyes no matter how much she wee'd in the house, is finally housebroken the best of all except Mimi, we are left with only Lucy or Pepe doing there thing now and then. Thankfully that is a drop in the bucket compared to what Roxie could let loose. Roxie, that's the big one's name, did I forget to mention that earlier. Well being that they are all mostly housebroken, I decided to clean the carpet. Why my darling dear sweetheart never kept them locked in the crates she has for them, or left them locked in the kitchen (where the floor is linoleum) is of no consequence because the deeds were done and I was left with the mess. So earlier today I was off to see homer. Yep, a trip to Home Depot was called for. I picked up the carpet cleaner and headed home. I got the living room done in about an hour. That included vacuuming, moving only 2 pieces of furniture, (because I moved most of it last night) and cleaning it with the cleaner. Then down to the basement. I was about half way done down there when the machine started to make strange high pitched nosies and to start to smell as if electrical insulation was burning. Back to see Homer again - wouldn't you just have known it what with my luck! Got a brand new machine this time, and a free bottle of carpet cleaner. When I told the gentleman at the counter that I needed more cleaner because the last I had was wasted when the other machine broke down he threw me a free one. That was unexpected and nice. Then back home and I finished up the job after dinner tonight. Well I finished cleaning the carpet. I have about an hour of furniture moving to do yet, but I know enough to allow lots of time for the carpet in the basement to dry before I place furniture back on it lest I get a moldy aroma in a day or two. Luckily my basement is normally very dry even on pretty humid days in the summer. It will recuperate nicely from this bathing experience.
As for the carpets they look pretty good. Now the one in the living room looks like it needs replacing and that is because it does need it but it is clean and decent enough for us not to be ashamed of it if guests come over. As for a replacement, I want to wait until the spring, maybe in May when the weather is mild and we can leave the windows open for a couple to a few days to get rid of the new carpet smell. Then again, if my wife has her way, we will be getting a wood floor installed and throw an area rug over it. We already have solid oak flooring under our carpet but the boards were ruined by the previous tenant's 15 cats. Her being wacky and old meant she did not clean up well. Hmm sounds like a problem for someone I know who owns 4 dogs. I may still see if we can save that floor, or just put drop in wood tiles over it. I would prefer the oak but we did have it refinished and they could not get rid of 2 stained areas. I may just have it stained so dark that those other stains will just blend right in - like walnut or darker. It would save us a bundle. For now the carpet is presentable again, and my wife is having a party on Friday (gals only, when Brendan and I go deer hunting) so I was smart to have gotten it done today - otherwise I would have wound up out in the doghouse where the dogs should have been in the first place!
All the best,
Glenn B
What she went for was this, a medium sized puppy that was a fawn and brindle, cuddly, loving, licking (a lot), scrappy ball of fire that is now weighing in at about 53 pounds at 8 months of age. She is full of love, and full of energy, and also full of water - or so it would seem she was until she was housebroken. Wait a minute, allow me to correct myself. Yes, she was full of water, but never for all that long. As it turned out, or should I say as it poured out, it often did so all over the living room, dining room and kitchen. Should someone have thought about this before buying a canine fireplug? Sure she should have thought of it. Did she think of it? No she did not and if she did she did not care about the mess that would ensue. Now mind what you are thinking right about now. Of course we cleaned it each time she had an accident. We used rolls and rolls of paper towels, bottles and bottles of pet accident spray too. You know the stuff if you own a puppy; it is supposed to make the stains disappear like magic.. It all FM though; that would be fucked-up magic because it did not work very well. On the carpet in the basement I could do a cleaning job and make it look like almost nothing had happened. The carpet in the living room being much lighter was a totally different story and it stained with rings around where the puddle had been and that area stained too, just lighter than the rings. It was pretty disgusting.
Now that the wonder dog, who could do no wrong in my wife's eyes no matter how much she wee'd in the house, is finally housebroken the best of all except Mimi, we are left with only Lucy or Pepe doing there thing now and then. Thankfully that is a drop in the bucket compared to what Roxie could let loose. Roxie, that's the big one's name, did I forget to mention that earlier. Well being that they are all mostly housebroken, I decided to clean the carpet. Why my darling dear sweetheart never kept them locked in the crates she has for them, or left them locked in the kitchen (where the floor is linoleum) is of no consequence because the deeds were done and I was left with the mess. So earlier today I was off to see homer. Yep, a trip to Home Depot was called for. I picked up the carpet cleaner and headed home. I got the living room done in about an hour. That included vacuuming, moving only 2 pieces of furniture, (because I moved most of it last night) and cleaning it with the cleaner. Then down to the basement. I was about half way done down there when the machine started to make strange high pitched nosies and to start to smell as if electrical insulation was burning. Back to see Homer again - wouldn't you just have known it what with my luck! Got a brand new machine this time, and a free bottle of carpet cleaner. When I told the gentleman at the counter that I needed more cleaner because the last I had was wasted when the other machine broke down he threw me a free one. That was unexpected and nice. Then back home and I finished up the job after dinner tonight. Well I finished cleaning the carpet. I have about an hour of furniture moving to do yet, but I know enough to allow lots of time for the carpet in the basement to dry before I place furniture back on it lest I get a moldy aroma in a day or two. Luckily my basement is normally very dry even on pretty humid days in the summer. It will recuperate nicely from this bathing experience.
As for the carpets they look pretty good. Now the one in the living room looks like it needs replacing and that is because it does need it but it is clean and decent enough for us not to be ashamed of it if guests come over. As for a replacement, I want to wait until the spring, maybe in May when the weather is mild and we can leave the windows open for a couple to a few days to get rid of the new carpet smell. Then again, if my wife has her way, we will be getting a wood floor installed and throw an area rug over it. We already have solid oak flooring under our carpet but the boards were ruined by the previous tenant's 15 cats. Her being wacky and old meant she did not clean up well. Hmm sounds like a problem for someone I know who owns 4 dogs. I may still see if we can save that floor, or just put drop in wood tiles over it. I would prefer the oak but we did have it refinished and they could not get rid of 2 stained areas. I may just have it stained so dark that those other stains will just blend right in - like walnut or darker. It would save us a bundle. For now the carpet is presentable again, and my wife is having a party on Friday (gals only, when Brendan and I go deer hunting) so I was smart to have gotten it done today - otherwise I would have wound up out in the doghouse where the dogs should have been in the first place!
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, November 16, 2009
Does This Man - Our President - Have Any Clue At All...
...as to just how badly he is representing the Untited States of America and her citenzry around the world? Does he have even one iota of knowledge as to what it means when he bowed so low to the emperor of Japan as to make it look, in my personal opinion, as if he was playing the part of a fool? The bow in Japan is a tradition during which the person who bows lower is admitting that he is subserviant to or owes more respect to the other person. The other person, the one who bows less, is acknowldging the lower standing of the other person simply by not bowing as much and also shows his own self esteem by hardly bowing at all. It is akin to keeping the lower classes and ranks in there places.
What usually happens when the head of state of a country meets with the emperor of Japan, the head of state from the other country may bow slightly out of courtesy and the Japanese emperor will bow likewise. Afterall - thse are, if not equals, then at least both heads of state. If you watch the video closely, you will note that the emperor does indeed bow. He bows about an inch or two - that is it. Obama on the other hand looks as if he just lost his contact lenses or maybe as if he is asking for an apology from the emperor with his first bow, then makes several more bows of lesser tilt. Our country, with this president in charge, must be the laughing stock of the globe. I, for one, am embarrassed by such actions on his part while representing America, but that is my personal opinion. What do you think.
All the best,
Glenn B
What usually happens when the head of state of a country meets with the emperor of Japan, the head of state from the other country may bow slightly out of courtesy and the Japanese emperor will bow likewise. Afterall - thse are, if not equals, then at least both heads of state. If you watch the video closely, you will note that the emperor does indeed bow. He bows about an inch or two - that is it. Obama on the other hand looks as if he just lost his contact lenses or maybe as if he is asking for an apology from the emperor with his first bow, then makes several more bows of lesser tilt. Our country, with this president in charge, must be the laughing stock of the globe. I, for one, am embarrassed by such actions on his part while representing America, but that is my personal opinion. What do you think.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, November 13, 2009
Ballseye’s Choices For Care Package & Stocking Stuffers
Well it is again that time of year when we at least start thinking of shopping for the Christmas and Chanukah holidays. Me, I already started my holiday shopping. I got a present for each of the men in my family in my generation and included the next generation too. I’ll not say what it is because someone of them may read this and the surprise would be ruined. Usually, I do not start my Christmas shopping until after Thanksgiving but I saw something for them and knew it was limited in numbers and might be harder to get later so I ordered 5 of them. Thing was, I received them and sent them back for an exchange; the ones I got were not in good condition and they have promised to send ones in excellent condition next time. After all since they are new items they should be in excellent condition!
That’s enough on what I bought already, let me talk start writing about what I set out to pen herein. One of the reasons I already started to shop for Christmas was mentioned above, a limited item on that was available; another reason though is that I started shopping for the Soldiers’ Care Packages I will be sending out over for this holiday season. That just got me in the general shopping mood and being that it is already mid- November I am also in the Christmas shopping mood. Now I have the same problem I have every year when shopping for my family, and I also have the same problem I have had over the past couple of years when shopping for our soldiers who are in Harm’s way. As for my family I have an idea of some nicer gifts that will go to my wife, daughter and son but I need to pick out some stocking stuffers too. I prefer to get them something nice for the stocking along with some goofy and less expensive items too. As for the soldiers, I plan to get them things they can all share, but I also will try as I did in years past to get a gift for each soldier in the unit. Like the gifts I mentioned above, that I have already bought for the men in my family, these will probably be something the soldiers can use and will be pretty happy to receive even if each one of them receives the same exact thing.
This year, as over the last two, I have been assigned a soldier by way of Soldiers’ Angels. It is my job to write to him, to email him, to send him care packages. I just sent out such a package with a long letter. One of the things I asked in the letter was what he could use, another was how many guys/gals are in his unit. I would have emailed him to ask but he gave no email address just his mailing address in Afghanistan - on the front lines near the Pakistani border. Things I sent in this package were wool socks, granola type bars, candy, chewing gum, a wood carving book, a wood carving set, wood blocks for carving, mixed nuts, and some other things that I cannot think of right now. I am hopeful to receive a reply from him that tells me what he and his buddies can use - but even if he never writes back to me, I know what to send. I’ll just send things I have sent to the other couple of guys in the past who were assigned to me by Soldiers’ Angels and to the one other soldier I sent stuff to on my own (someone I never met but whom I had contact with on the Internet before he was deployed).
So what are good things to send to our guys and gals in the military who are on foreign soil. Just about anything in general but there are certain restrictions. First let me start with the restrictions – the do not sends:
Do not send:
Pornography, not even mild pornography
Pork products (to soldiers in Islamic countries)
Firearms, ammunition, explosives or fireworks
Propaganda (such as no anti-Muslim or anti-military books)
Liquids or food stuffs in glass
Anything that freezing will ruin
Anything that heat will ruin (though it should be getting cold over there soon enough)
Mass mailings of religious items
Alcoholic beverages
Okay, now that I got that out of the way, what can you send:
Clothing like hats, gloves, socks (I just sent a 3 pack of very thick wool socks to my soldier), and so on
Sunglasses
Batteries (various sizes but think of batteries for things like portable DVD players and Walkmen – so AAA, AA sizes mostly)
Music CDs and Video DVDs (be careful it is nothing that might be considered even mildly pornographic)
Toiletries such as baby wipes, deodorant, scented soap, toothpaste, dental floss, toothbrushes, safety razors, and so on.
Chapsticks
Sun Block
Earplugs (the foam variety) in multiple packs (helps them sleep or helps them retain hearing if in an artillery unit)
Books and magazines and newspapers
Small notebooks and pens, or letter writing kits (fancy paper with envelopes)
Candy (try to send stuff that will not melt, send chocolate in late fall and winter)
Chewing gum, bubble gum
Nuts of all varieties (I usually send mixed nuts)
Dried fruits
Beef Jerky
Crackers, and cookies (they may get squashed but you can bet they will get eaten)
Spices for cooking (The first year it was requested I send an electric Crock Pot and spices - and I did just that with your generous help.)
Drink Mixes like Crystal Light
Tea bags and Ground Coffee
Ziploc type freezer bags
Small toys like Matchbox Cars, Slinky, marbles, (stuff they can either enjoy themselves or give to local kids)
Small games, decks of playing cards (often available in 6 or 8 packs), poker chips
Small hobby kits (like the wood carving kit I sent this time round)
A kite flying kit
Small art kits, like pastels or charcoal and drawing paper
Dry graphite lubricant
Eyeglass repair kits
A baseball and glove
A Football
Small Air pump with pin for football
Small breakdown fishing rod kits (they make em pretty small nowadays and you can bet if there is a river, stream, pond or lake there will be fishing getting done even if there are no fish in it – that is just the optimism that comes with being a fisherman)
Pictures of loved ones (if you are a family member or loved one of the soldier)
Letters or cards from anyone who wants to include a note for a soldier (unless you bought it in the store, do not accept any sealed packages or envelope from anyone for inclusion in the care package – make sure you can review the contents)
Some of the things I have included in the previous care packages that I later found out were really well received by the soldiers were sort of the stocking stuffer variety of gifts – with at least one of them for each soldier in the unit. The first year each soldier got at least one flashlight and one pocket folding knife. Last year I do not think I had enough knives and lights to give one to each but it worked out that each soldier in the unit should have received either a knife or light. I have also sent Tobacco products (I have sent cigars and smokeless tobacco – they were both a big hit). I make a point to send enough cigars so each person in the unit can get one.
As for the flashlights please allow me to give an unabashed plug for a particular company. When I first thought of sending flashlights, two years ago, I contacted several flashlight makers and suppliers. I was looking at picking up small hand held lights of the high intensity type. Some agreed to sell them to me at a pretty good discount. Then one of the manufacturers came up with a deal that still chokes me up today. Streamlight of Pennsylvania offered me a deal I could not believe nor one that I could turn down. Angel D., one of their reps, sent me a light and batteries (including batteries in each light and extra batteries for each light) for each person in my soldier’s unit. I think it was something like 10 or 12 flashlights and about 36 batteries. Those lights retailed for well above $55, some places had em as high as $65 – and that is apiece! Then last year, I contacted Streamlight again, but insisting that they offer me a discount so I could buy some lights from them that time. They again agreed to send 12 lights, once again Angel D proving she lived up to her name. I was almost to ashamed to ask her how much she could sell me a few more for because the soldier’s unit last year was bigger than the one the year before. The next thing I knew, I received 16 Streamlights in the mail – all free.
Folks, these were all pretty high end flashlights. Again, they retailed for about $60 apiece and that second time they sent 16 of them. The company that did this is an American company in PA. It is an American made product they sent. It was done for a stranger to send to strangers and all based upon patriotism, good will and trust. They were not going to get an rave reviews in the news for this. For all they knew I was reselling the things. What they did get was my thanks and I conveyed the thanks of the soldiers to them. (What Angel D did not get was a gift I meant to send to her. That is me and my muddled middle aged memory again. I will send her a little something soon – she deserves it.)
What I could give back to Streamlight, I did. I gave recommendations for their products on my blog just as I am doing here. I am not doing this for payment or as repayment, I am doing it out of courtesy to people who really did a nice thing for our soldiers in a war zone. So here goes my spiel.
Folks – read this and read it well – if you are even thinking of buying a flashlight to send to someone you know in the military, or maybe thinking of buying one for family or a friend to put in their stocking this year, or as a gift for a coworker in a fire or police department – or even thinking of getting yourself a high quality light – PLEASE CONSIDER STREAMLIGHT. Heck I bought one for myself last year (lost it already). I also had one from work, lost that one too. I can attest to their usefulness and quality though based on my limited experience with them and based upon what I have heard fro m others. I think they make a great product. Besides that, as I said above, they are great people who have done some wonderful things for our troops; my bet is I am not the only one to whom they sent lights for the troops for free.
Okay, that is it for the unabashed plug.
Back to the idea behind this rant. All the things I mentioned above, that the soldiers can share like food or books or music CDs or cigars, are great items to send to the troops. Other small items, stocking stuffer sort of items, like knives, flashlights, pocket knife sharpeners, and other small durable items that a soldier can easily carry and then keep for the rest of his or her life are greatly appreciated by them. Other durable (and fairly durable) things, that would be for one person alone, are also greatly appreciated. These would include: sunglasses, religious or secular medals (never in bulk), a baseball glove, compasses, gloves, wristwatches, some form of not too expensive jewelry, nail clippers (imagine treasuring a nail clipper but I’d bet they do), a small hardcover book you dedicate to a particular soldier, CD players, and such are all great items to send. (Remember send expensive packages or items insured.)
Now, if you think about it, an awful lot of what I mentioned above would make good stocking stuffers as well as great inclusions for care packages. Of course, I could go on and on and on but I’ll finish up soon. In closing, let me just say - remember, way up above, how I started this piece. Something about 5 things I ordered for the other men in my family for Christmas. I will not tell you what I ordered them but will say they would be great stocking stuffers and yes they are included in the above list.
By the way, if you would like to donate to this years efforts at putting care packages together for my assigned soldier and his unit, you can click on the donation link on the right side of my blog page. Anything will be appreciated and everything I receive after PayPal takes their cut goes directly toward the purchase of items going into the care packages. I will be paying all shipping costs out of my own pocket as in the past.
All the best,
Glenn B
That’s enough on what I bought already, let me talk start writing about what I set out to pen herein. One of the reasons I already started to shop for Christmas was mentioned above, a limited item on that was available; another reason though is that I started shopping for the Soldiers’ Care Packages I will be sending out over for this holiday season. That just got me in the general shopping mood and being that it is already mid- November I am also in the Christmas shopping mood. Now I have the same problem I have every year when shopping for my family, and I also have the same problem I have had over the past couple of years when shopping for our soldiers who are in Harm’s way. As for my family I have an idea of some nicer gifts that will go to my wife, daughter and son but I need to pick out some stocking stuffers too. I prefer to get them something nice for the stocking along with some goofy and less expensive items too. As for the soldiers, I plan to get them things they can all share, but I also will try as I did in years past to get a gift for each soldier in the unit. Like the gifts I mentioned above, that I have already bought for the men in my family, these will probably be something the soldiers can use and will be pretty happy to receive even if each one of them receives the same exact thing.
This year, as over the last two, I have been assigned a soldier by way of Soldiers’ Angels. It is my job to write to him, to email him, to send him care packages. I just sent out such a package with a long letter. One of the things I asked in the letter was what he could use, another was how many guys/gals are in his unit. I would have emailed him to ask but he gave no email address just his mailing address in Afghanistan - on the front lines near the Pakistani border. Things I sent in this package were wool socks, granola type bars, candy, chewing gum, a wood carving book, a wood carving set, wood blocks for carving, mixed nuts, and some other things that I cannot think of right now. I am hopeful to receive a reply from him that tells me what he and his buddies can use - but even if he never writes back to me, I know what to send. I’ll just send things I have sent to the other couple of guys in the past who were assigned to me by Soldiers’ Angels and to the one other soldier I sent stuff to on my own (someone I never met but whom I had contact with on the Internet before he was deployed).
So what are good things to send to our guys and gals in the military who are on foreign soil. Just about anything in general but there are certain restrictions. First let me start with the restrictions – the do not sends:
Do not send:
Pornography, not even mild pornography
Pork products (to soldiers in Islamic countries)
Firearms, ammunition, explosives or fireworks
Propaganda (such as no anti-Muslim or anti-military books)
Liquids or food stuffs in glass
Anything that freezing will ruin
Anything that heat will ruin (though it should be getting cold over there soon enough)
Mass mailings of religious items
Alcoholic beverages
Okay, now that I got that out of the way, what can you send:
Clothing like hats, gloves, socks (I just sent a 3 pack of very thick wool socks to my soldier), and so on
Sunglasses
Batteries (various sizes but think of batteries for things like portable DVD players and Walkmen – so AAA, AA sizes mostly)
Music CDs and Video DVDs (be careful it is nothing that might be considered even mildly pornographic)
Toiletries such as baby wipes, deodorant, scented soap, toothpaste, dental floss, toothbrushes, safety razors, and so on.
Chapsticks
Sun Block
Earplugs (the foam variety) in multiple packs (helps them sleep or helps them retain hearing if in an artillery unit)
Books and magazines and newspapers
Small notebooks and pens, or letter writing kits (fancy paper with envelopes)
Candy (try to send stuff that will not melt, send chocolate in late fall and winter)
Chewing gum, bubble gum
Nuts of all varieties (I usually send mixed nuts)
Dried fruits
Beef Jerky
Crackers, and cookies (they may get squashed but you can bet they will get eaten)
Spices for cooking (The first year it was requested I send an electric Crock Pot and spices - and I did just that with your generous help.)
Drink Mixes like Crystal Light
Tea bags and Ground Coffee
Ziploc type freezer bags
Small toys like Matchbox Cars, Slinky, marbles, (stuff they can either enjoy themselves or give to local kids)
Small games, decks of playing cards (often available in 6 or 8 packs), poker chips
Small hobby kits (like the wood carving kit I sent this time round)
A kite flying kit
Small art kits, like pastels or charcoal and drawing paper
Dry graphite lubricant
Eyeglass repair kits
A baseball and glove
A Football
Small Air pump with pin for football
Small breakdown fishing rod kits (they make em pretty small nowadays and you can bet if there is a river, stream, pond or lake there will be fishing getting done even if there are no fish in it – that is just the optimism that comes with being a fisherman)
Pictures of loved ones (if you are a family member or loved one of the soldier)
Letters or cards from anyone who wants to include a note for a soldier (unless you bought it in the store, do not accept any sealed packages or envelope from anyone for inclusion in the care package – make sure you can review the contents)
Some of the things I have included in the previous care packages that I later found out were really well received by the soldiers were sort of the stocking stuffer variety of gifts – with at least one of them for each soldier in the unit. The first year each soldier got at least one flashlight and one pocket folding knife. Last year I do not think I had enough knives and lights to give one to each but it worked out that each soldier in the unit should have received either a knife or light. I have also sent Tobacco products (I have sent cigars and smokeless tobacco – they were both a big hit). I make a point to send enough cigars so each person in the unit can get one.
As for the flashlights please allow me to give an unabashed plug for a particular company. When I first thought of sending flashlights, two years ago, I contacted several flashlight makers and suppliers. I was looking at picking up small hand held lights of the high intensity type. Some agreed to sell them to me at a pretty good discount. Then one of the manufacturers came up with a deal that still chokes me up today. Streamlight of Pennsylvania offered me a deal I could not believe nor one that I could turn down. Angel D., one of their reps, sent me a light and batteries (including batteries in each light and extra batteries for each light) for each person in my soldier’s unit. I think it was something like 10 or 12 flashlights and about 36 batteries. Those lights retailed for well above $55, some places had em as high as $65 – and that is apiece! Then last year, I contacted Streamlight again, but insisting that they offer me a discount so I could buy some lights from them that time. They again agreed to send 12 lights, once again Angel D proving she lived up to her name. I was almost to ashamed to ask her how much she could sell me a few more for because the soldier’s unit last year was bigger than the one the year before. The next thing I knew, I received 16 Streamlights in the mail – all free.
Folks, these were all pretty high end flashlights. Again, they retailed for about $60 apiece and that second time they sent 16 of them. The company that did this is an American company in PA. It is an American made product they sent. It was done for a stranger to send to strangers and all based upon patriotism, good will and trust. They were not going to get an rave reviews in the news for this. For all they knew I was reselling the things. What they did get was my thanks and I conveyed the thanks of the soldiers to them. (What Angel D did not get was a gift I meant to send to her. That is me and my muddled middle aged memory again. I will send her a little something soon – she deserves it.)
What I could give back to Streamlight, I did. I gave recommendations for their products on my blog just as I am doing here. I am not doing this for payment or as repayment, I am doing it out of courtesy to people who really did a nice thing for our soldiers in a war zone. So here goes my spiel.
Folks – read this and read it well – if you are even thinking of buying a flashlight to send to someone you know in the military, or maybe thinking of buying one for family or a friend to put in their stocking this year, or as a gift for a coworker in a fire or police department – or even thinking of getting yourself a high quality light – PLEASE CONSIDER STREAMLIGHT. Heck I bought one for myself last year (lost it already). I also had one from work, lost that one too. I can attest to their usefulness and quality though based on my limited experience with them and based upon what I have heard fro m others. I think they make a great product. Besides that, as I said above, they are great people who have done some wonderful things for our troops; my bet is I am not the only one to whom they sent lights for the troops for free.
Okay, that is it for the unabashed plug.
Back to the idea behind this rant. All the things I mentioned above, that the soldiers can share like food or books or music CDs or cigars, are great items to send to the troops. Other small items, stocking stuffer sort of items, like knives, flashlights, pocket knife sharpeners, and other small durable items that a soldier can easily carry and then keep for the rest of his or her life are greatly appreciated by them. Other durable (and fairly durable) things, that would be for one person alone, are also greatly appreciated. These would include: sunglasses, religious or secular medals (never in bulk), a baseball glove, compasses, gloves, wristwatches, some form of not too expensive jewelry, nail clippers (imagine treasuring a nail clipper but I’d bet they do), a small hardcover book you dedicate to a particular soldier, CD players, and such are all great items to send. (Remember send expensive packages or items insured.)
Now, if you think about it, an awful lot of what I mentioned above would make good stocking stuffers as well as great inclusions for care packages. Of course, I could go on and on and on but I’ll finish up soon. In closing, let me just say - remember, way up above, how I started this piece. Something about 5 things I ordered for the other men in my family for Christmas. I will not tell you what I ordered them but will say they would be great stocking stuffers and yes they are included in the above list.
By the way, if you would like to donate to this years efforts at putting care packages together for my assigned soldier and his unit, you can click on the donation link on the right side of my blog page. Anything will be appreciated and everything I receive after PayPal takes their cut goes directly toward the purchase of items going into the care packages. I will be paying all shipping costs out of my own pocket as in the past.
All the best,
Glenn B
The First Hunt of the Season...
...will commence, for me, sometime tomorrow. I am driving up to where I hope to hunt deer next weekend on a bit of a scouting trip. Of course I'll lug along a shotgun just in case I run across any turkey's or gray squirrels. That would make for a nicer Thanksgiving dinner in a couple of weeks but then again chances are that I'll be the only turkey in the woods. I was planning on leaving earlier tonight but only got home from work at about 8:30PM, so a trip tonight of about 200 miles to a Motel 6 in Binghamton was out of the picture. I've now got my sights set on about 7 or 8 Am as a departure time. Yeah, I know that is late but that is okay by me because I still have to grab some hunting clothes out of the shed. I was not about to do that tonight in the dark with it being as windy and as rainy as it is outside tonight. Of course I may leave a bit earlier, but not by much. If I get a half a day in the woods, then spend the night nearby, then get out into the woods again on Sunday for most of the day - well - I'll be a happy camper even if I will be staying in a motel!
So - no more blogging this weekend until maybe Sunday night depending on when I get home and how I feel when I do. Well, I'll give you one more blog before I retire with a glass of Knappogue castle for the night, it will be a longish one and should keep you reading for awhile if it does not bore you to tears. Have a nice weekend.
All the best,
Glenn B
So - no more blogging this weekend until maybe Sunday night depending on when I get home and how I feel when I do. Well, I'll give you one more blog before I retire with a glass of Knappogue castle for the night, it will be a longish one and should keep you reading for awhile if it does not bore you to tears. Have a nice weekend.
All the best,
Glenn B
Ballseye's Gun Shots 36 - Need Gun Parts?
Have you ever tinkered with a gun and broken one of its parts, or purchased a used gun that had a missing screw and needed a replacement, or have you ever fired a gun so many times as to need a replacement recoil spring, or have you fallen down out in the woods and broken off a front sight, or maybe you left a magazine at the range only to return there and not find it where you left it? Stuff happens, parts break or wear out, or get lost (those little screws and pins holding a gun together are easy to drop and loose) and so on. What are you to do when any of that happens?
As a first resort, you would probably do what I do - contact the manufacturer to see if they have replacement parts. The thing is, as new models come out, old models go the way of the dinosaur and what you have may well be considered a fossil or at least a collector's piece. The original manufacturer may not make parts for it any longer, nor may they have any old parts left over in stock. What do you do then. I suppose you could look to online auction sights such as GunBroker.com. I just did that to look for original grips for my Ortgies pistol. Chances are that sooner or later they will come up for sale there. In the meantime I have a choice, keep firing my Ortgies with its now cracked grips and risk them falling off the pistol, or buy other than original manufacture replacement grips and use them while waiting to find replacement originals.
I already ordered a pair of other than original manufacture replacement grips. Now where on earth would i be able to find a set of grips for an Ortgies pistol? For that matter, where on earth would I be able to find gun parts for other obscure, antique, modern, and even current manufacture guns? The one place I think of when I need to find a gun part is Numrich Gun Parts.
Their website has changed in appearance since I first used it, well at least the home page has changed, but I still can navigate it fairly easily - but only because I realize it takes a bit of extra navigation in many instances. If you visit their site, here is a tip, search for the item in the search bar by the manufacturer's name but if you do not find it that way then return to their home page and click on the first letter of that manufacturers name or select from the category list relative to the part you are seeking. If you selected the first letter of the manufacturer's name, look down the list, that will come up, for the manufacturer. I don't know why it happens, but when I typed in Ortgies in the search bar, all that came up is an 'Ortgies Pocket Semi Auto Pistol Schematic W/ Parts List'. If you click on the link for it - all you get is more info for that item. When, on the other hand, I clicked on the letter O, I got a list of gun manufacturers whose names begin with O. On that list is the name Ortgies. When I clicked on Ortgies I again saw only information about an Ortgies schematic, but this time it was a very different link that displayed. When I clicked on that link, a surprising amount of available parts for Ortgies pocket pistols was displayed. Why Numrich has decided to make their website this cumbersome to navigate is beyond me but they do have a lot of parts; it is just that actually finding them listed can be a bit like going through a maze. Mind yo, it is not that way for all guns for which they sell parts, for some guns it is easier to find the available parts list.
Now if you want parts for a more popular gun, say a Marlin 336, then their will be a little more navigating involved if you use the first letter method, but finding the various parts list for a large number of Marlin models is a bit more straightforward than it would be for an Ortgies pistol. If you click on the letter M, you get a list of manufacturers beginning with that letter. Go down to marlin and click on it, then be amazed at the number of models for which they have parts and schematics. Then, take a breath, and look for the model for which you need parts on that list. Now did I just say this would be more straightforward than searching for Ortgies parts, I was wrong! Again, Numrich makes this a navigation maze. If for example you searched out M, then Marlin, then clicked on rifles, then looked down the list for a link for parts for a model 336CS you would not find it displayed as such right out! Why not? Again, Numrich has decided to hide the gun parts list under or behind a link that is labelled for a schematic. If you click on the list for the 336 - you will find a few parts. If, however, you click on the link for the 336CS Schematic, you will find not only a schematic but a long list of parts for the 336CS (the CS was one of the more popular models of the 336, but Numrich list parts for several models of the 336 - make sure you are looking at and ordering parts for the correct model for which you need them). The list of parts for the Marlin 336CS includes such things as: barrel, carrier rocker spring, ejector, extractor, breech bolt, forend, front sight complete, and so on. It is a long list. Availability for each part is listed next to the named part.
While it may not be the easiest website to search for the items you need, it is quite likely one of the biggest, if not the biggest online inventory of gun parts available at retail to the shooter. I have tried other sites to find gun parts before such as MidwayUSA, Brownells, Marstar (of Canada), GunBroker and so forth - but the one I keep looking to - the one I look to first in almost every instance of me needing a replacement part - is Numrich. I ordered my Ortgies replacement grips two days ago, and in keeping with their policy of getting out orders within two days, I received an email yesterday telling me my order had shipped already! That is pretty darned good service. In addition I have never received a wrong part from the, they have always delivered just what I have ordered. I figure I have made at least a half dozen to 10 purchases from them by now. Anything from a firing pin spring for my Ortgies, to the grips for the same, to magazines for a Marlin 44 and magazines for a Marlin Model 56 Levermatic to a pin for a Mosin Nagant M44 and I think also a 5 round magazine for a Yugoslavian SKS. There were other parts too, screws and springs though for what I cannot remember. So if you ever are in need of replacement gun parts and cannot find them at the manufacturer, or 9if the manufacturer has long since gone out of business, try Numrich. They just may have what you have your sights set on getting.
By the way, nah - they don't pay me or give me discounts for mentioning them. Why do I do it then? I do it so that you will know where to shop should you need parts. I mean, why not make a good thing known! As a matter of fact, I don't get anything from firearms manufacturers, suppliers, or related businesses when I mention their products or services on my blog. How I wish though that I got some form of pay or discounts or free stuff for mentioning them on my blog - that would be sweet.
All the best,
Glenn B
As a first resort, you would probably do what I do - contact the manufacturer to see if they have replacement parts. The thing is, as new models come out, old models go the way of the dinosaur and what you have may well be considered a fossil or at least a collector's piece. The original manufacturer may not make parts for it any longer, nor may they have any old parts left over in stock. What do you do then. I suppose you could look to online auction sights such as GunBroker.com. I just did that to look for original grips for my Ortgies pistol. Chances are that sooner or later they will come up for sale there. In the meantime I have a choice, keep firing my Ortgies with its now cracked grips and risk them falling off the pistol, or buy other than original manufacture replacement grips and use them while waiting to find replacement originals.
I already ordered a pair of other than original manufacture replacement grips. Now where on earth would i be able to find a set of grips for an Ortgies pistol? For that matter, where on earth would I be able to find gun parts for other obscure, antique, modern, and even current manufacture guns? The one place I think of when I need to find a gun part is Numrich Gun Parts.
Their website has changed in appearance since I first used it, well at least the home page has changed, but I still can navigate it fairly easily - but only because I realize it takes a bit of extra navigation in many instances. If you visit their site, here is a tip, search for the item in the search bar by the manufacturer's name but if you do not find it that way then return to their home page and click on the first letter of that manufacturers name or select from the category list relative to the part you are seeking. If you selected the first letter of the manufacturer's name, look down the list, that will come up, for the manufacturer. I don't know why it happens, but when I typed in Ortgies in the search bar, all that came up is an 'Ortgies Pocket Semi Auto Pistol Schematic W/ Parts List'. If you click on the link for it - all you get is more info for that item. When, on the other hand, I clicked on the letter O, I got a list of gun manufacturers whose names begin with O. On that list is the name Ortgies. When I clicked on Ortgies I again saw only information about an Ortgies schematic, but this time it was a very different link that displayed. When I clicked on that link, a surprising amount of available parts for Ortgies pocket pistols was displayed. Why Numrich has decided to make their website this cumbersome to navigate is beyond me but they do have a lot of parts; it is just that actually finding them listed can be a bit like going through a maze. Mind yo, it is not that way for all guns for which they sell parts, for some guns it is easier to find the available parts list.
Now if you want parts for a more popular gun, say a Marlin 336, then their will be a little more navigating involved if you use the first letter method, but finding the various parts list for a large number of Marlin models is a bit more straightforward than it would be for an Ortgies pistol. If you click on the letter M, you get a list of manufacturers beginning with that letter. Go down to marlin and click on it, then be amazed at the number of models for which they have parts and schematics. Then, take a breath, and look for the model for which you need parts on that list. Now did I just say this would be more straightforward than searching for Ortgies parts, I was wrong! Again, Numrich makes this a navigation maze. If for example you searched out M, then Marlin, then clicked on rifles, then looked down the list for a link for parts for a model 336CS you would not find it displayed as such right out! Why not? Again, Numrich has decided to hide the gun parts list under or behind a link that is labelled for a schematic. If you click on the list for the 336 - you will find a few parts. If, however, you click on the link for the 336CS Schematic, you will find not only a schematic but a long list of parts for the 336CS (the CS was one of the more popular models of the 336, but Numrich list parts for several models of the 336 - make sure you are looking at and ordering parts for the correct model for which you need them). The list of parts for the Marlin 336CS includes such things as: barrel, carrier rocker spring, ejector, extractor, breech bolt, forend, front sight complete, and so on. It is a long list. Availability for each part is listed next to the named part.
While it may not be the easiest website to search for the items you need, it is quite likely one of the biggest, if not the biggest online inventory of gun parts available at retail to the shooter. I have tried other sites to find gun parts before such as MidwayUSA, Brownells, Marstar (of Canada), GunBroker and so forth - but the one I keep looking to - the one I look to first in almost every instance of me needing a replacement part - is Numrich. I ordered my Ortgies replacement grips two days ago, and in keeping with their policy of getting out orders within two days, I received an email yesterday telling me my order had shipped already! That is pretty darned good service. In addition I have never received a wrong part from the, they have always delivered just what I have ordered. I figure I have made at least a half dozen to 10 purchases from them by now. Anything from a firing pin spring for my Ortgies, to the grips for the same, to magazines for a Marlin 44 and magazines for a Marlin Model 56 Levermatic to a pin for a Mosin Nagant M44 and I think also a 5 round magazine for a Yugoslavian SKS. There were other parts too, screws and springs though for what I cannot remember. So if you ever are in need of replacement gun parts and cannot find them at the manufacturer, or 9if the manufacturer has long since gone out of business, try Numrich. They just may have what you have your sights set on getting.
By the way, nah - they don't pay me or give me discounts for mentioning them. Why do I do it then? I do it so that you will know where to shop should you need parts. I mean, why not make a good thing known! As a matter of fact, I don't get anything from firearms manufacturers, suppliers, or related businesses when I mention their products or services on my blog. How I wish though that I got some form of pay or discounts or free stuff for mentioning them on my blog - that would be sweet.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Ballseye's Gun Shots 35 - Ortgies .32 Pistol Woes
So there I was doing a good cleaning on my Ortgies .32 Pistol tonight and when I was reassembling it I noticed a crack on one of the grips. Not a negligible crack on the main part of the grip. Of course, it was instead on the a portion of the groove edge which engages the grip latch (it forms the side of the notch into which the latch fits). In other words, if it breaks off chances are the grip will no longer be held in place. This crack runs on an angle from the edge of the wood on the outside of the groove diagonally from top toward bottom of the groove and toward the center of the grip from the rear. Now I am debating, should I lop off that piece of the edge so the crack will not go any further. Doing so would probably leave enough wood to hold the grip but that is uncertain. Not doing it may allow the crack to keep going and shear off any wood that engages the grip latch, that is also uncertain. (Nothing to drill as when you drill a hole to stop a crack in a large piece of wood; if I drilled this it would just fall off.)
Anyone know: Is there any type of glue or resin that works especially well at binding wood by actually getting into its pores and really holding it together well?
Now this is not the end of the line even if the grips fell apart. Replacements are out there. I ordered a set of new manufacture hard rubber replacement grips from Numrich Gun Parts. I figure to have them by Monday or Tuesday. I can use them when I shoot and put the other ones away.
Yet, even with replacement grips ordered, this sucks a lot! I so much liked this pistol in its all original parts condition (well except for the firing pin spring which I replaced when I got it). Did I already say this sucks - if I did not let me say it now and if I did let me say it again - this absolutely sucks. So I will be looking for a set of original grips to replace these. They sometimes come up for sale at GunBroker.com; as you would expect though there are none for sale now except for the .25 Auto size. Anyone have a set? (I do mean of these grips.)
I guess one thing came of this that is positive - an answer to something I always wondered - why the grip on one side always felt a tiny bit loose. Other than that I just about completely disassembled the pistol tonight. I took everything down except for the trigger, and only did not do that because I could not see the spring and plunger that give it tension. Not seeing it to take it apart probably means I would have difficulty seeing it it was going back together right too - so why chance it. It is a fairly simple pistol to detail strip and reassemble. No screws, only pins.
All the best,
Glenn B
Anyone know: Is there any type of glue or resin that works especially well at binding wood by actually getting into its pores and really holding it together well?
Now this is not the end of the line even if the grips fell apart. Replacements are out there. I ordered a set of new manufacture hard rubber replacement grips from Numrich Gun Parts. I figure to have them by Monday or Tuesday. I can use them when I shoot and put the other ones away.
Yet, even with replacement grips ordered, this sucks a lot! I so much liked this pistol in its all original parts condition (well except for the firing pin spring which I replaced when I got it). Did I already say this sucks - if I did not let me say it now and if I did let me say it again - this absolutely sucks. So I will be looking for a set of original grips to replace these. They sometimes come up for sale at GunBroker.com; as you would expect though there are none for sale now except for the .25 Auto size. Anyone have a set? (I do mean of these grips.)
I guess one thing came of this that is positive - an answer to something I always wondered - why the grip on one side always felt a tiny bit loose. Other than that I just about completely disassembled the pistol tonight. I took everything down except for the trigger, and only did not do that because I could not see the spring and plunger that give it tension. Not seeing it to take it apart probably means I would have difficulty seeing it it was going back together right too - so why chance it. It is a fairly simple pistol to detail strip and reassemble. No screws, only pins.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thank You Veterans
To all of you who are Veterans of the U.S. Military, and who served honorably, I say thank you. I am grateful for all that you have made possible for me, my family and the rest of the United States of America. To those of you who are Veterans of Foreign Wars - I give double the thanks.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, November 9, 2009
Today In History - November 9th - A Significant Day For Germany
In 1989, recent history for most of us, those words - earlier spoken by President Ronald Reagan to Soviet President Gorbachev - were finally brought to fruition when the Berlin Wall was toppled. It was a great day for Germany - it meant reunification of the east and west portions of the country and of the east and west sections of the city of Berlin. There was joy all around on both sides of the wall.
The strange thing, maybe just by coincidence, or maybe by design of some higher power, is that November 9th had a lot of significance in the events that ultimately led to the fall of Germany and to the division of both the country and the city of Berlin at the end of hostilities in WWII. I will not go into it all that much except to list for you other events of historical significance that also took place on November 9th and either directly involved Germany or indirectly did so through actions of her allies or enemies. Look at the other events that took place, the most notable, but maybe not the most significant, probably being Kristallnacht:
November 9, 1918 Bavaria proclaims itself a republic
November 9, 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates after German defeat in WW I
November 9, 1918 Germany declares itself a republic (known by historians as the Weimar Republic)
November 9, 1923 Beer Hall Putsch-Nazis fail to overthrow government resulting in 16 deaths and Hitler going into hiding and ultimately leading to his arrest during which time he wrote Mein Kampf.
November 9, 1925 German NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party (better known as the Nazis) form the Schutzstaffel - the SS.
November 9, 1935 Japan invades Shanghai China
November 9, 1936 Albanian govt of Frasheri falls
November 9, 1937 Japan's army conquers Shanghai
November 9, 1938 - Death of Ernst vom Rath who was shot by a German born Jew, Herschel Grynszpan, in Paris two days before
November 9, 1938 - Kristallnacht - German pogrom against the Jews as called for by Joseph Goebbels in retaliation for the assassination of vom Rath
November 9, 1939 - Venlo-incident: German Abwehr kills 2 English agents
November 9, 1940 - German Invasions of Norway & Denmark
November 9, 1941 - Hitler threatens Clemens August Graf von Galen of Munster who will then endure virtual house arrest from 1941 on due to his anti-Nazi sentiments
November 9, 1942 - German occupiers put Erik Scavenius as Danish premier
November 9, 1942 - Transport nr 44 departs with French Jews to Nazi-Germany (part of Hitler's attempt to exterminate all Jews worldwide - something he decided on only in 1942)
November 9, 1989 - East Berlin opens its borders (Finally some good on this day for Germany - the wall comes down!)
It all sort of makes you wonder - or at least makes me wonder - what is it about 11/9 and Germany! I suppose it is all only coincidence but I really do wonder if that is all. Then again, what is it about November 9 th in general? Heck, this was the day of the discovery of the body of Mary Jane Kelly the last murder victim of Jack The Ripper, the day that John List killed his family and fled to Colorado, the day that Sherman first planned his March to the Sea, the day of the Great Fire of Boston and the day Napolean became the 1st Consul of France (as in dictatorial ruler)!
Of course, throughout history, lots of good and bad things happen on each and every day. So I suppose in the years of Nazi influence and rule in Europe lots of other days were significant too - but again I wonder - did any others have as many as significant events take place as did this one day for Germany?
All the best,
Glenn B
Reference:
http://www.todayinhistory.com/s30-11-09-event-results.html
The strange thing, maybe just by coincidence, or maybe by design of some higher power, is that November 9th had a lot of significance in the events that ultimately led to the fall of Germany and to the division of both the country and the city of Berlin at the end of hostilities in WWII. I will not go into it all that much except to list for you other events of historical significance that also took place on November 9th and either directly involved Germany or indirectly did so through actions of her allies or enemies. Look at the other events that took place, the most notable, but maybe not the most significant, probably being Kristallnacht:
November 9, 1918 Bavaria proclaims itself a republic
November 9, 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates after German defeat in WW I
November 9, 1918 Germany declares itself a republic (known by historians as the Weimar Republic)
November 9, 1923 Beer Hall Putsch-Nazis fail to overthrow government resulting in 16 deaths and Hitler going into hiding and ultimately leading to his arrest during which time he wrote Mein Kampf.
November 9, 1925 German NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party (better known as the Nazis) form the Schutzstaffel - the SS.
November 9, 1935 Japan invades Shanghai China
November 9, 1936 Albanian govt of Frasheri falls
November 9, 1937 Japan's army conquers Shanghai
November 9, 1938 - Death of Ernst vom Rath who was shot by a German born Jew, Herschel Grynszpan, in Paris two days before
November 9, 1938 - Kristallnacht - German pogrom against the Jews as called for by Joseph Goebbels in retaliation for the assassination of vom Rath
November 9, 1939 - Venlo-incident: German Abwehr kills 2 English agents
November 9, 1940 - German Invasions of Norway & Denmark
November 9, 1941 - Hitler threatens Clemens August Graf von Galen of Munster who will then endure virtual house arrest from 1941 on due to his anti-Nazi sentiments
November 9, 1942 - German occupiers put Erik Scavenius as Danish premier
November 9, 1942 - Transport nr 44 departs with French Jews to Nazi-Germany (part of Hitler's attempt to exterminate all Jews worldwide - something he decided on only in 1942)
November 9, 1989 - East Berlin opens its borders (Finally some good on this day for Germany - the wall comes down!)
It all sort of makes you wonder - or at least makes me wonder - what is it about 11/9 and Germany! I suppose it is all only coincidence but I really do wonder if that is all. Then again, what is it about November 9 th in general? Heck, this was the day of the discovery of the body of Mary Jane Kelly the last murder victim of Jack The Ripper, the day that John List killed his family and fled to Colorado, the day that Sherman first planned his March to the Sea, the day of the Great Fire of Boston and the day Napolean became the 1st Consul of France (as in dictatorial ruler)!
Of course, throughout history, lots of good and bad things happen on each and every day. So I suppose in the years of Nazi influence and rule in Europe lots of other days were significant too - but again I wonder - did any others have as many as significant events take place as did this one day for Germany?
All the best,
Glenn B
Reference:
http://www.todayinhistory.com/s30-11-09-event-results.html
Wikipedia (see various links above)
Ballseye's Gun Shots 34 - The Lesson of the Lanyard
Practical fireams use is something not all of us get to do all that often. Yeah we go to the range maybe once or twice a year, maybe even once a month. We may even take part in competitions that have the word "practical" in the name of the match now and then but is there any real practicality to any of that. Real life practical shooting and firearms handling, at least to me, means you are using a gun for something for which you have practiced and not just solely in practice. So how can I use mine practically here in New York amid the likes of Bloommberg, Patterson and the huge anti-gun crowd that resides in this state. Well besides carry it and being at the ready to defend myself with it (I did shoot a guy once way back then just along those lines), and besides having it at the ready when working in law enforcement, there is another thing I do with it that meets my idea of Practical Use of a Firearm. I hunt.
This weekend, I have a quick day (maybe two day) trip planned with my son. We are going to go upstate New York to scope out our deer hunting area. I have a couple of areas selected, but we want to get a better feel for the one we are most likely going to hunt. So off we will be going. Now firearms deer hunting season will not yet be open but we will take along at least one 22 rifle and a 12 gauge shotgun. No - we are not about to go poaching deer out of season, but if an old Tom Turkey crosses our path or if a gray ghost with a bushy tail chucks down nutshells at us from the swaying treetops - well then, you can bet we will be shooting. Of course, with our luck, chances are we will only see one of Pepe Le Pew's cousins and wind up getting skunked but we will be ready for putting some game on the table should the opportunity arise.
The thing is though, some other things will get accomplished by way of our armed walk through the woods this weekend. All of those things will be hunting oriented in one way or another, and some will be more specifically sighted in on firearms and their practical application. If you know anything about me and my use of firearms then you know that safety is one of the preeminent things on my mind when handling guns. It has been since I was about 9 or 10 years old. That is a long story - but here goes the nutshell version:
I well remember learning how to make lanyards by braiding and twisting and tying brightly colored strips of vinyl or plastic covered string when I was in summer camp as a youngster. It was the neatest thing, besides anything to do with monsters, that you could make in Arts and Crafts class. We all vied for the attention of the camp counselors (Marist Brothers) by giving them a finished lanyard. They only accepted the good ones so we all strove to make them well. I finally got one right and one of the brothers who was a range instructor took possession of my masterpiece. I was thrilled. My thrill was not diminished by the fact I had to make about 10 of them before one was acceptable, nor was it lessened by the fact that the brothers only accepted the good one. (Imagine that in today's politically correct nanny society - heck back then you had to prove yourself worthy even for them to accept a gift - and that really was a good thing because it instilled an ethic of doing well within us.) It was just great, the neatest thing that mine made the grade. I will admit though, that even back then I had to wonder at least a little why I had gone to those great lengths to make an acceptable lanyard, but I do not still wonder about it - I know the reason - he is in the picture above. You see the reason I wondered, back then, was because I of the the zapping electrical like sting of that very same lanyard as it was swiped across my thighs with great force like a whip. That was when I did something that was unsafe at the range. I was in the prone position (the one we shot from most) and was wearing the uniform of t-shirt and camp shorts. A cease fire or something was called for and I guess I was not quick enough - so when I finally got it right after a it of loud talking down to from the range brother - I was whipped with my own handiwork. Imagine it if you can but to tell you the truth it was an honor to be disciplined with what I had made myself. I do not know if I realized it then, though there must have been some realization of it in my mind, that it was almost as if I had agreed that if I step out of line I should in some way be responsible for my own discipline! The lanyard that I made made it so. Thus was born a deeply rooted in respect for a few things. I gained respect for adults, for authority, for firearms, and for firearms safety, and at the same time self respect and the knowledge that I had to become responsible for my own actions. That was The Lesson of the Lanyard. It was a practical lesson I have never forgotten and strangely enough it was enmeshed in Art and Crafts class! I am not an artsy guy, I do not do well with my hands building or making things, but I will never forget that lanyard or the lessons it taught me and the most important one was respect for firearms' safety.
Okay - so what does all that have to do with our planned trip this coming weekend and our practical use of firearms. Well, Brendan and I will be out in the woods together. It will be the first time in about a year. We will both be carrying firearms. We will both need to exercise firearms' safety to the maximum, not only for our own safety but for anyone with range of a fired shot. A scouting trip like this one then will allow each of us to assess our own and each others attention to firearms safety. It will give each of us a chance to practice it and to refine it before the deer hunting season opens while at the same time giving us the potential to bag a turkey or some squirrels for Sunday's dinner. I am pretty sure Brendan will be safe although he may need a reminder or two about firearms safety when afield instead of in the house or at the range. It is a truly different world out there when you are hiking through the woods with loaded firearms. Heck, he may not be the only one who needs a reminder, I am far from perfect and I can use a reminder now and then just like anyone else. I'll accept it from him as he does from me - with an open mind at staying safe and keeping out sport fun for years to come. The thing is, when I taught him to shoot, I never taught him how to make a lanyard first but I did instill firearms safety into his head above anything else to do with guns and ammo and hunting. I attended his hunter safety course and even took the test with him to show him an old dog needs to keep brushed up on things too. I also sent him to summer camp one year. I don't know if they used a lanyard on him, but I do know one of the Marist Brothers from way back when I went to camp, one of the range brothers at that, was in charge of the camp to which my son went. I imagine they also instilled a bit of respect into him as they did into me with the Lesson of the Lanyard; if they did then it was good thing.
Truth be told, I think one of the biggest reasons that there are as many accidents each year as there are during hunting season is that some hunters, while having passed a hunter safety course, just do not have as much respect for firearms safety probably due to their lack of practical experience with firearms during times of the year other than hunting season. What I mean is they only handle their guns a couple to a few times a year - at most - usually right before and during hunting season. Imagine that you drove a car only for a week or two a year and that when you did the roads were crowded with other drivers who drove as little as you and all came out at the same time of the year to drive! This is a lot like those using firearms during hunting season. The few times a year they handle guns, with one exception, are at the range or in the home - and they do not go to the range often enough at that - maybe once or twice to sight in the hunting rifle right before opening day. The first day of deer season is about the only time they handle a firearm in the field. Thus they have little experience doing so and they are the poorer sportsman and firearms handler for it - there skills are rusty and they have probably not thought of some of the basic rules of firearms safety for awhile let alone other hunter safety concerns. It can be a scary time.
How do you overcome that tendency to get rusty. Getting out to the range a at least 5 or 6 times a year (or better yet monthly) then going out afield a time or two before the opening of the main season for the animal you intend to hunt would be a good way to assure that you are less likely to do something costly on opening day in all the excitement of the hunt. I would rather take the time and effort to be a bit better prepared to get off a good and safe shot if I do wind up seeing (in other than my dreams under an apple tree) a huge 14 pointer, a flock of Canada Geese, a big Tom Turkey, or a fat cottontail zigging and zagging - what about you. So this weekend my son and I are going to go out and make practical use of some of our firearms in order to hone our handling and possibly our shooting skills, while a the same time making sure we have the safety issues right. Practical not only in that we may bag game with them but in that we will help assure that we maintain proper firearms safety etiquette during our main hunt and that we come home in one piece and help to assure that others afield do likewise.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wish I'd Had My Camera Handy Today...
...as I drove up the west side of Manhattan and got a good look at the USS New York! It is an impressive and very modern looking ship. Besides that it is partly made from steel that came out of the World Trade Center. I only got a brief glimpse and it was enough to assure me I need to see more of it. Maybe Thursday for lunch or after work when I am back in NYC for my job. I'll be out in the field tomorrow and off on Wednesday - hmm maybe that makes Wednesday a good day too - especially since it will be Veterans' Day!All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, November 5, 2009
The Other Shooter Still Alive - Great News!
The other shooter to whom I refer as being still alive is the female civilian law enforcement officer who is believed to have been the first to shoot the suspect in the Fort Hood Shooting. She has been through surgery and is in serious but stable condition. They did not give out her department nor name her. I ask you all keep her in your thoughts, prayers and hopes for a full and speedy recovery. I imagine that had she not taken swift and decisive action thing would have been much worse. If she is the actual person who first shot Major Hasan my heartfelt thanks go out to her. She did the right thing. If anyone else assisted her and also shot Hasan - good for them too.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
The Shooter - Still Alive - What A Shame
That he was not killed is a shame because now we will coddle him for the rest of his life, or at least that is what our legal system will do to him. It will also wind up, heck it is happening already, that authorities will try everything in their power to kee this from being referred to as an act of terrorism, that too is a shame. Then again there is more shame to that if only because there is some evidence already that might indicate it was an act of terrorism of sorts even if only perpetrated by a loner.
The real shame of it is that this might have been prevented had something been done in the not too distant past - about 6 months ago:
"Federal law enforcement officials say Hasan had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats.
The officials say they are still trying to confirm that he was the author.
One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates homicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.
"To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause," said the Internet posting. "Scholars have paralled (sic) this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers."
They say an official investigation was not opened." (from FoxNews @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,572305,00.html)
That is the biggest friggin shame I have heard of in years. This guy was in our military possibly writing stuff like that and there was no formal investigation! If it was his writing, he obviously thought the higher cause was Islam!. I mean to what do you think the writer makes reference when he writes of a "more noble cause"?
Something curious about his writing in that I have heard it before. I doubt I saw it on his site but I have seen something at least very similar before. Maybe it even was his site, I do not recall. Regardless of where I have seen likewise before, it is a sentiment that is not unique to him among Muslims. Isn't it amazing how a Muslim views a suicide bomber as being the same as someone who throws himself on a grenade to save others. They just don't see the difference between someone actually saving others without killing anyone, actually carrying out an act to protect someone at the same time sacrificing their life - and someone killing others and at the same time killing himself to destroy an enemy often at the same time killing innocents. A suicide bomber could almost be rightly compared to a soldier who kills in action but only almost. Why only almost? Because they are cowards who attack helpless and unsuspecting people by way of surprise. Suicide bombers are more akin to the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and I say that with all due respect to the Japanese of today who are fine people. Even then they do not attain the level that did the Japanese. At least the Japanese were going into battle against other armed forces even if it was a sneak attack. Suicide bombers are just cowards hyped up on religion who think they are going to fornicate in heaven with young virgins. I hate to tell them, but even an agnostic like me realizes that heaven is not the place for fornication.
My thoughts and hopes (and my own form of prayers) go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and I pray for they who were wounded. Well, that is all except for one person - I have no ridiculous ideas of turning the other cheek - if he is convicted I say fry the bastard extra crispy. Until then, I cannot jump the gun, he is innocent until proven guilty. Somehow I feel that may never come about though either because he pleads insanity and wins or because he is killed before then either by a fellow inmate or by one of his jailers while trying to escape.
All the best,
Glenn B
The real shame of it is that this might have been prevented had something been done in the not too distant past - about 6 months ago:
"Federal law enforcement officials say Hasan had come to their attention at least six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats.
The officials say they are still trying to confirm that he was the author.
One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates homicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.
"To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause," said the Internet posting. "Scholars have paralled (sic) this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers."
They say an official investigation was not opened." (from FoxNews @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,572305,00.html)
That is the biggest friggin shame I have heard of in years. This guy was in our military possibly writing stuff like that and there was no formal investigation! If it was his writing, he obviously thought the higher cause was Islam!. I mean to what do you think the writer makes reference when he writes of a "more noble cause"?
Something curious about his writing in that I have heard it before. I doubt I saw it on his site but I have seen something at least very similar before. Maybe it even was his site, I do not recall. Regardless of where I have seen likewise before, it is a sentiment that is not unique to him among Muslims. Isn't it amazing how a Muslim views a suicide bomber as being the same as someone who throws himself on a grenade to save others. They just don't see the difference between someone actually saving others without killing anyone, actually carrying out an act to protect someone at the same time sacrificing their life - and someone killing others and at the same time killing himself to destroy an enemy often at the same time killing innocents. A suicide bomber could almost be rightly compared to a soldier who kills in action but only almost. Why only almost? Because they are cowards who attack helpless and unsuspecting people by way of surprise. Suicide bombers are more akin to the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and I say that with all due respect to the Japanese of today who are fine people. Even then they do not attain the level that did the Japanese. At least the Japanese were going into battle against other armed forces even if it was a sneak attack. Suicide bombers are just cowards hyped up on religion who think they are going to fornicate in heaven with young virgins. I hate to tell them, but even an agnostic like me realizes that heaven is not the place for fornication.
My thoughts and hopes (and my own form of prayers) go out to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and I pray for they who were wounded. Well, that is all except for one person - I have no ridiculous ideas of turning the other cheek - if he is convicted I say fry the bastard extra crispy. Until then, I cannot jump the gun, he is innocent until proven guilty. Somehow I feel that may never come about though either because he pleads insanity and wins or because he is killed before then either by a fellow inmate or by one of his jailers while trying to escape.
All the best,
Glenn B
Go Phillies...
...was heard roaring out of my mouth a few times in my office yesterday. I was not rooting for the Philles, I am not a fan of theirs, not a fan of baseball at that. Yet, when It comes time for the World Series, and when the Yankees are in it, I suppose I, like most other New Yorkers, even those of us who dislike baseball, wish them well and hope they win. So while I'll admit I was razzing the die hard Yankees fans in my office with those shouts of Go Phillies, I have to point out I was also wishing the Yankees well at the same time. I mean - when you think of it - what better way is there to wish the Yankees well than to tell the other team to go away. And so, the Yankees have again won the ultimate in baseball and have again sent another team home dragging their bats behind them. Once again though I did not even watch 5 seconds of any game. Baseball just doesn't do it for me but as I said, the Yankees winning is kind of nice just because I am a New Yorker.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Why Is Homophobia Almost Always Used...
...as the reason that anyone would be against the gay and lesbian lifestyle, gay marriage and homosexuality in general? Here is a quote, attributed to a reported lesbian, from an article reporting on the failure of a Gay marriage Proposal at the ballot box in Maine (source):
"It hurts. It hurts personally," she said. "It's a personal rejection of us and
our relationship, and I don't understand what the fear is."
I have no fear of homosexuals or of homosexuality in general. Yet, if offered the opportunity I would vote against any legislation to legitimize homosexual relationships. I would also vote for legislation that would assure that homosexuals are not granted, or afforded protection of, rights based upon their sexual preferences especially regarding marriage but not limited to just marriage. Why would I do that if I am not afraid of homosexuals and homosexuality. I would do so because I believe that homosexuality is an aberration of the natural sexual drive between human beings. In other words I believe it to be something akin to a disease (either physical or mental or a combination). I also simply believe that in its essence homosexuality is wrong on a moral and ethical level. While you may disagree with my beliefs, while you may vehemently disagree with them, there is no reason at all to start saying it is a general fear of homosexuals and homosexuality that brings me (or others who feel likewise) to my conclusions.
I have worked with homosexuals who are both in and out of the closet. I have had several friends who were openly homosexuals and maybe one or two who tried to hide it. I am not nor ever was afraid of them based upon their homosexuality. They pose no threat to my manhood, no threat to my physical well being, and no threat to my mental health just because of the lifestyle they have chosen or have been geared toward taking because of genetics (I believe that for the great part the lifestyle is indeed chosen but there is some evidence to indicate genetic predisposition toward homosexuality). I tolerate them in my life because it seems inevitable that there will always be homosexuality. What I will not do is grant them special liberties above and beyond those of we other mere mortals who are heterosexual, nor will I cede to them rights and liberties that were obviously always meant to be between a man and woman such as marriage. I believe they should be treated equally under the law, but that does not mean a man can or should marry a man or likewise for a lesbian couple. What that means is that someone can marry another person of the opposite sex or choose not to marry regardless of their sexual orientation.
There is something that I do fear relative to homosexuality though it is not homosexuality in and of itself. Rather it is that the moral fiber that has bound our nation together is rotting and crumbling. This is evidenced not by tolerance of homosexuals, I think tolerance is fine, but by bending over backwards to appease them and to grant them liberties and rights based solely upon their sexual preferences. Take for example the decline of public decency laws in favor of freedom of expression. Nowhere in our Constitution does it say that the people are granted freedom of expression. Yet gays and lesbians and any other people are allowed to march in Gay Parades such as the Halloween Parade in New York City while at the same time exposing themselves (yes I mean exposing their sexual body parts). Furthermore gay and lesbian protesters, just a year or two ago, were seen to be beating one another with whips and other such devices on the public streets of SanFransicko Francisco. Why were they not arrested - was it solely because they were gay and lesbian. If I were to stand in front of a church in protest and whip a woman who was dressed as would be a sexual slave - I would be arrested and charged without delay for some crime, you can bet on that. Yet when gays and lesbians congregate at such protests, parades or at large group festivities, such is apparently tolerated because they are homosexuals and for no other reason that I can see. I believe that people really ought to start standing up for what is right and putting down what is wrong in this country, and folks stuff like that is just plain out wrong in my opinion.
Now, think about this for a moment: Someone is sure to call me homophobic for my having written this despite my claim that I do not in general fear homosexuals or homosexuality. Have you seen the irony that should be evident if someone says I am homophobic? If I am so gosh darned awfully afraid of them, then how on earth could I have voiced my opposition to them so openly. I don't fear them or their lifestyle - I just out and out think it is wrong. As for treating them equally under the law, sure I believe in that and I do it too. As a good citizen I have to, and as a federal agent I am required to do so. Heck I treat everyone equally - so no one gets special favors, consideration, or liberties from me, nor do I deny them what is justly due to them, when it comes to the law. None of that means I am, or need be, afraid to voice my opinion on it, or be afraid of anything in relation to homosexuality. Maybe someone else is unwilling to accept the truth - that others can be opposed to you or your lifestyle without being afraid of you simply because they believe you to be wrong. I suppose though that acceptance of such a premise would also mean that they who accept it would have to actually face the possibility that homosexuality could be wrong. I think that in general, homosexuals do not want to face that possibility so blaming others as being fearful of them is an easy way out.
If you don't like the way I think - tough noogies - I am entitled to my own opinion just as you are yours. Please though, don't say that myself or others are homophobic as a fact. The fact is we don't fear you but instead disagree with you and are not afraid to say so.
All the best,
Glenn B
"It hurts. It hurts personally," she said. "It's a personal rejection of us and
our relationship, and I don't understand what the fear is."
I have no fear of homosexuals or of homosexuality in general. Yet, if offered the opportunity I would vote against any legislation to legitimize homosexual relationships. I would also vote for legislation that would assure that homosexuals are not granted, or afforded protection of, rights based upon their sexual preferences especially regarding marriage but not limited to just marriage. Why would I do that if I am not afraid of homosexuals and homosexuality. I would do so because I believe that homosexuality is an aberration of the natural sexual drive between human beings. In other words I believe it to be something akin to a disease (either physical or mental or a combination). I also simply believe that in its essence homosexuality is wrong on a moral and ethical level. While you may disagree with my beliefs, while you may vehemently disagree with them, there is no reason at all to start saying it is a general fear of homosexuals and homosexuality that brings me (or others who feel likewise) to my conclusions.
I have worked with homosexuals who are both in and out of the closet. I have had several friends who were openly homosexuals and maybe one or two who tried to hide it. I am not nor ever was afraid of them based upon their homosexuality. They pose no threat to my manhood, no threat to my physical well being, and no threat to my mental health just because of the lifestyle they have chosen or have been geared toward taking because of genetics (I believe that for the great part the lifestyle is indeed chosen but there is some evidence to indicate genetic predisposition toward homosexuality). I tolerate them in my life because it seems inevitable that there will always be homosexuality. What I will not do is grant them special liberties above and beyond those of we other mere mortals who are heterosexual, nor will I cede to them rights and liberties that were obviously always meant to be between a man and woman such as marriage. I believe they should be treated equally under the law, but that does not mean a man can or should marry a man or likewise for a lesbian couple. What that means is that someone can marry another person of the opposite sex or choose not to marry regardless of their sexual orientation.
There is something that I do fear relative to homosexuality though it is not homosexuality in and of itself. Rather it is that the moral fiber that has bound our nation together is rotting and crumbling. This is evidenced not by tolerance of homosexuals, I think tolerance is fine, but by bending over backwards to appease them and to grant them liberties and rights based solely upon their sexual preferences. Take for example the decline of public decency laws in favor of freedom of expression. Nowhere in our Constitution does it say that the people are granted freedom of expression. Yet gays and lesbians and any other people are allowed to march in Gay Parades such as the Halloween Parade in New York City while at the same time exposing themselves (yes I mean exposing their sexual body parts). Furthermore gay and lesbian protesters, just a year or two ago, were seen to be beating one another with whips and other such devices on the public streets of San
Now, think about this for a moment: Someone is sure to call me homophobic for my having written this despite my claim that I do not in general fear homosexuals or homosexuality. Have you seen the irony that should be evident if someone says I am homophobic? If I am so gosh darned awfully afraid of them, then how on earth could I have voiced my opposition to them so openly. I don't fear them or their lifestyle - I just out and out think it is wrong. As for treating them equally under the law, sure I believe in that and I do it too. As a good citizen I have to, and as a federal agent I am required to do so. Heck I treat everyone equally - so no one gets special favors, consideration, or liberties from me, nor do I deny them what is justly due to them, when it comes to the law. None of that means I am, or need be, afraid to voice my opinion on it, or be afraid of anything in relation to homosexuality. Maybe someone else is unwilling to accept the truth - that others can be opposed to you or your lifestyle without being afraid of you simply because they believe you to be wrong. I suppose though that acceptance of such a premise would also mean that they who accept it would have to actually face the possibility that homosexuality could be wrong. I think that in general, homosexuals do not want to face that possibility so blaming others as being fearful of them is an easy way out.
If you don't like the way I think - tough noogies - I am entitled to my own opinion just as you are yours. Please though, don't say that myself or others are homophobic as a fact. The fact is we don't fear you but instead disagree with you and are not afraid to say so.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
So I Went To Vote...
...this evening and when I walked up to the table where they check off your name and you sign in, I picked up a ballot sheet to check out all of the candidates. I already had a good idea of for whom I would vote but wanted to check and see all that were running. As I glanced at the sheet I noticed one candidate in at least 4 parties with only one person in some off the wall party opposing him. Then I noticed someone running for judge. She was listed in each and every party's column on the page. I asked if it was a misprint or a joke. The people who were working at the polling place were obviously flummoxed. One lady told me it MUST be right.
Okay, I went in and voted but not before getting a number for the local board of elections because you can bet I will make an inquiry about how someone can run unopposed and be in each and every party while at the same time actually representing any one of those parties and its political platform. I will also ask why Spanish language appeared first and foremost above English in some of the directions on the sheet. This is still America, United States of - isn't it? I mean we are not in the socialist/communist tyranny of Cuba are we? Maybe someone took over while I was sleeping last night! I figure Spanish would be the primary language there, and they probably vote just like that in Cuba - one person running as the candidate of all parties - don't ya think!
Now as I was voting, I heard one of the workers say to another that the woman running for judge was unopposed and therefore she would naturally be listed as the candidate for all of the political parties on the sheet. Do you see anything wrong with that kind of logic? I sure do. When I mentioned, on my way out, that I had overheard that comment, and that if someone runs unopposed and is running on the platform of a certain political party then that does not automatically qualify them to run as a representative of all parties - that person should be shown with that person's actual party affiliation - otherwise we have lost something here in America - something that makes us Americans as opposed to dupes under a dictatorship or tyranny. One guy shook his head in agreement and said mmmmm mmmmm mmmm (thankfully without invoking the name of BHO).
Oh well, I just don't get it. If all of the parities involved allowed one woman to run as a representative of their party then there is truly something wrong with the system. If on the other hand she just ran unopposed and was a member of only one or two parties (such as Dem/Lib or Rep/Con) but was listed under all parties - then the election board needs to get it right and redo the election. Why - since she was running unopposed. Well what about the candidate who runs as a representative of say 4 of 5 listed parties and he is opposed by one other guy from the Bumstock party who actually runs as a Bumstockian. Now the first guy gets in under the Republicans, the Democrats, The Conservatives, and the Independents even though he is only a member of one of them and the Bumstockian candidate is in just under the party with which he is affiliated. Many of the voters who are not Bumstockians would never vote for anyone in that party and as far as they knew no one candidate had been nominated by their own party. Then when they get to the polling place they are surprised to see the first guy listed in 4 rows for 4 different political parties. They think - wow our party must have thought him okay and as a matter of fact so did three other parties. I guess we ought to vote for him because of party affiliation. So all the voters who are members of the other three parties (other than the one for which the guy received a nomination) under whose guise he is running now vote for him instead of the guy for the Bumstockian party only because of party affiliation. That is less than fair, in fact it seems underhanded to me. It seems like something that would be finagled in the old USSR. Maybe I am wrong, maybe the guy got all 4 nominations from 4 different parties - but if so then the system is broken and broken badly.
As I said, I don't get it - is this the good old US of A or not?
All the best,
GB
Okay, I went in and voted but not before getting a number for the local board of elections because you can bet I will make an inquiry about how someone can run unopposed and be in each and every party while at the same time actually representing any one of those parties and its political platform. I will also ask why Spanish language appeared first and foremost above English in some of the directions on the sheet. This is still America, United States of - isn't it? I mean we are not in the socialist/communist tyranny of Cuba are we? Maybe someone took over while I was sleeping last night! I figure Spanish would be the primary language there, and they probably vote just like that in Cuba - one person running as the candidate of all parties - don't ya think!
Now as I was voting, I heard one of the workers say to another that the woman running for judge was unopposed and therefore she would naturally be listed as the candidate for all of the political parties on the sheet. Do you see anything wrong with that kind of logic? I sure do. When I mentioned, on my way out, that I had overheard that comment, and that if someone runs unopposed and is running on the platform of a certain political party then that does not automatically qualify them to run as a representative of all parties - that person should be shown with that person's actual party affiliation - otherwise we have lost something here in America - something that makes us Americans as opposed to dupes under a dictatorship or tyranny. One guy shook his head in agreement and said mmmmm mmmmm mmmm (thankfully without invoking the name of BHO).
Oh well, I just don't get it. If all of the parities involved allowed one woman to run as a representative of their party then there is truly something wrong with the system. If on the other hand she just ran unopposed and was a member of only one or two parties (such as Dem/Lib or Rep/Con) but was listed under all parties - then the election board needs to get it right and redo the election. Why - since she was running unopposed. Well what about the candidate who runs as a representative of say 4 of 5 listed parties and he is opposed by one other guy from the Bumstock party who actually runs as a Bumstockian. Now the first guy gets in under the Republicans, the Democrats, The Conservatives, and the Independents even though he is only a member of one of them and the Bumstockian candidate is in just under the party with which he is affiliated. Many of the voters who are not Bumstockians would never vote for anyone in that party and as far as they knew no one candidate had been nominated by their own party. Then when they get to the polling place they are surprised to see the first guy listed in 4 rows for 4 different political parties. They think - wow our party must have thought him okay and as a matter of fact so did three other parties. I guess we ought to vote for him because of party affiliation. So all the voters who are members of the other three parties (other than the one for which the guy received a nomination) under whose guise he is running now vote for him instead of the guy for the Bumstockian party only because of party affiliation. That is less than fair, in fact it seems underhanded to me. It seems like something that would be finagled in the old USSR. Maybe I am wrong, maybe the guy got all 4 nominations from 4 different parties - but if so then the system is broken and broken badly.
As I said, I don't get it - is this the good old US of A or not?
All the best,
GB
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Ballseye's Gun Shots 33 - Isn't It Ironic - The Ruger MK II
If ever there was a pistol that exhibited irony among all of those that I have owned, borrowed, and or fired it would have to be the Ruger MK II. How can a pistol exhibit irony. Well, I guess it is due to the fact that the very affordable and fairly well made Ruger MK II is one of the most fun to own and shoot pistols available. Yes, I agree, there is nothing ironic in that. Then again, consider that the Ruger MK II is one of the most cursed at modern pistols in existence and you may see some irony.So how is it that a pistol that is well made, affordable, fun to shoot and is one that is regularly shot by large numbers of shooting enthusiasts can also be one of the most cursed at pistols out there? Just leave it to a Ruger to come up with a reason. You see, despite all the good things it has going for it, the Ruger MK II can be one of the biggest pains in the neck to disassemble for cleaning and even a bigger pain in the butt to reassemble after cleaning. Figuring out how to take one down and then put it back together again with ease on a regular basis, especially when the pistol is fairly new, would be something akin to unearthing the secret of the Sphinx. Isn't it ironic that the Sphinx, one of Egypt's most well known and studied monuments was and remains one of the most perplexing. The same holds true for the Ruger MK II when it comes to taking it apart and putting it back together again. It can be done, it is often done, but you can bet that you are going to hear cursing when it is being done no matter how popular the pistol is due to its better attributes.
Why do I bring this all up? I own a Ruger MK II pistol. Tonight I decided to disassemble mine and give it a good cleaning. I got it apart pretty quickly, maybe only one hushed and mumbled utterance that could have been a curse. Then, after I cleaned it, I tried to put it back together again so it would be in working order. That is when the muttering, the mumbling, the hushed utterances all started to become a bit louder and when the first expletives aimed at this piece of mechanical conundrums began to spew forth from my lips. It took me at least 7, maybe even as many as 9 (or was it an even dozen) attempts to seat the bolt stop and mainspring housing (all one assembly) and get it to the point where I could close it and wind up having a fully reassembled pistol. Amazingly, once I had accomplished that, I racked and released the slide then squeezed the trigger (as in dry fired) and much to my amazement the pistol functioned as it should. I tried this holding it at various angles several times and it worked each time. usually what happens is I get it reassembled and cannot operate it at all and then have to take it apart and put it back together again to get it to work - or I get it back together and it will only work if pointed at the floor at a 45 degree angle, or more, but when held level squeezing the trigger will simply not drop the hammer. That too requires taking it down and reassembly it until I get it right. So the litany of foul language that escaped my pie hole tonight was not quite as long, nor as loud nor as flowery as it usually winds up being. That in itself may be ironic!
Truth be told though, I love (as in really like) my Ruger Mark II. It has taken a beating over the years and keeps on firing and it usually hits that on which I set my sights. There is a lot to love about this 22 pistol despite the pain in the neck it can be to reassemble correctly. First of all it is chambered in .22LR. Therefore it is inexpensive to shoot. You could put 500 rounds through it in a session and chances are that will not cost your more than $20 for ammo. Chances are also good that you would be able to do so without having to stop to clean the gun. Yeah, I know, 500 rounds is a lot of ammo, but I have already gone at least 300 rounds without a malfunction, and on another occasion I have shot 500 rounds through it in a day. That time, I did stop about half way through that time to give it a quick field cleaning without disassembling it and it kept feeding, shooting, extracting and ejecting just fine. I was using some fairly clean ammo when I did that, and granted I had a couple or a few failures to feed but that should be expected in almost any 22 after getting past 150 to 200 rounds in the same session without a cleaning and as I recall I was well past those numbers when the first failures to feed occurred.
Besides being chambered for .22lR, the Ruger has some other nice features. The MK II that I have has a blued steel 5 1/2" bull barrel, alloy frame, adjustable rear target sight, front blade sight, plastics grips mounted on an angled grip akin to a Luger pistol, and fires from a 10 round magazine. The magazine release is on the bottom of the grip and can take a bit of getting used to for someone who usually finds the mag release on the left side of the frame grip just to the rear of the trigger guard's lower section. Nothing to worry about in a target, plinker, or hunting pistol. I have shot my MK II in all of the manners I just mentioned and can say without a doubt it is one of the best can shooters I have ever fired. It has also bagged a few squirrels in its day, and really I mean only a few. I usually hunt squirrels with a rifle because a pistol just does not usually reach out and touch them as well from the normal squirrel shooting distances. I imagine some also find it a passable pistol for target shooting competitions although I suspect that most serious target shooters would choose something a bit more refined. Still though - the Ruger MK II is accurate enough to make it a great hunting pistol and a great plinker.
I don't think they still produce the MK II any longer. There were a couple or a few other 22 caliber models that came out in Ruger's lineup of pistols since the MK II so I imagine production of it ceased. One of them was the 22/45 (with a grip more akin to the Colt 1911) and another was the MKIII. My guess is they no longer produce the MK II now that the MKKIII is in production and has been for at least a few years. It is pretty much the same pistol with some refinements as far as I can tell. I highly recommend the MK II and if you can find a used one in good to excellent condition I say buy it. I also figure that the MK III is also probably worth the investment of funds if you cannot come up with a nice used MK II. If anyone wants to front me the cash to buy and test one - be my guest. I am pretty sure I'll enjoy every minute of owning it, well at least the minutes I spend shooting it but maybe not the time I spend disassembling and reassembling it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Ballseye's Gun Shots 32 - How Many Guns Do You Have?
"How many guns do you have?" was a question I was recently asked by a friend of mine. I had to admit, I had no clue. I could have given a pretty good estimate, but the truth was that I did not know, and could not think of, the exact number of guns that I owned at that time. That got me to thinking that I had better count them when I found the time, and of course when I had found all of my guns. Finding the time proved a little harder than finding all of the guns. I was called away to my sister's and brother-in-law's house on Wednesday night for a family emergency. I spent 2 days and 3 nights watching my 9 year old nephew; then spent Saturday there too for the fun of it. Today, Sunday, I had a good amount of work cut out for me in the basement. It was time for fall cleaning. I try to clean the basement really well at least once in the Fall and then once in the late Spring. In addition to it needing a good cleaning just because it was that time of year, it also was a veritable mess. Guess who made the mess. I have no one but myself to blame for that. There was shooting , hunting and fishing gear all over the place. There was also some of this and some of that and all of it was messy. So I got to cleaning today.
Somewhere in there while cleaning, I opened up the gun locker and emptied it out. I gave each rifle and pistol a quick eyeballing to make sure there was no evident rust, then wiped a few of them down on the wood with some oil soap. Then I scrubbed down the inside of the arms locker. I made sure it was dry and put all the firearms back inside. Err, well I actually did something else first. Yes I counted them but that is not to what I was just referring. What I did that was more important than simply counting them was to take new photographs of all of them for insurance purposes and to otherwise document my collection just in case something ever happens to them. This way I have a photographic record for myself, for the police and for the insurance company. I just photographed them in groups. I took one pic of all of my rifles in .22 caliber, one pic of all of my larger bore rifles with my shotgun thrown in for good measure, and one pic of all of my pistols and my one revolver. In the pics of the 22's and the pistols I also included all of the magazines for them. I did not take close ups of the serial numbers, I have them in a separate written record.I recommend that anyone who owns firearms to do likewise. Keep a written record of the Make, model, caliber, serial number of each gun you own - and also keep a photographic record of them too. I only photographed one side of each, but you could take a picture of each side. If the firearm is special because of fancy hand engraving - photograph the engraved sections close up. Now you have a record that shows the condition of the firearms if something does happen to them, and furthermore gives additional documentary evidence as to your ownership of them for any later date. I am going to keep copies of the photos on my hard drive, and on a flash drive or CD. I also emailed them to myself and will store the email in my ISP's online email storage.
I can now answer the question as to how many guns I have. I can also do something else. I can look at the pictures I took and can compare the guns I see in the pics to the guns on my written inventory of firearms. If I see one in the pic that is missing in the written records I will add it to the record. If I see one on the list that is missing in the pics I will either have to make a note that I sold or otherwise disposed of it. If I do not recall getting rid of it, well then that means I had better start looking for it pronto! By the way, if you have not figured it out yourself yet - I have (or should I say "we have" as at least 1 of them is my son's) 8 rifles in .22 caliber (7 in .22LR and one in .22 WMR). We also have 5 rifles in larger calibers, including my sons AK47. There is also 1 shotgun. Add to that 1 revolver and 7 pistols and I think that is all of them. That is, of course, unless we add on the BB gun and the airsoft too, but I'll pass on that and just include firearms. That makes for a grand total of 22 firearms I can tell you this. That number is not high enough. I now have a yearning to go out and find myself something new to add to the mix. I am still hoping to pick up a Marlin XS7 in .308 but have not seen one for sale yet. A gun show is coming up in November so who knows. I also am way overdue for a visit to the local gun store that is only about 5 blocks from my house. That could make for a nice walk next weekend - empty handed on the way there, and carry a cased rifle on the way home. I already have the money set aside for it - so for once I can say money is no problem. What is keeping me - I do not know!
All the best,
Glenn B
Note: The total number just mentioned does not include the firearms issued to me by my employer. While I could say I have them, I surely do not own them. If I was to include them, the number would go up to 24 with the .40 caliber SIG and the Remington 870 that I was issued for my job.
Friday, October 30, 2009
For Soliders' Care Packages - Christmas Is Upon Us...
...and that means that it is high time I start taking up a collection toward some Soldiers' Holiday Care Packages. Once again (the third time if I have not lost count) I have had myself assigned to a soldier by Soliders' Angels. Again he is in Afghanistan. Again, for two out of three, he is on the front lines and very close to the Pakistani border. I already have one nice package put together for him and his unit thanks to donations from a couple of coworkers. That one is going out on Monday. It isn't a Christmas package - just a regular care package. The Christmas packages and their contents have not been shopped for yet and still need to be put together. Toward that end, I ask you for your generous support as in previous years. Any amount you can donate will go, after PayPal gets their cut, toward the contents of the care packages. As usual I will donate at least $25 toward the contents of each package (plus an initial amount of about $50) and I will pay all shipping costs out of my own pocket. I am hoping we can do good enough for our guys and gals in Harm's way so as to put together at least 4 or 5 nice holiday packages.
Each of the last two years, I contacted StreamLight and Angel D. sent me some really nice and expensive high intensity flashlights to be included in the packages. I don't think I can bring myself to ask again this year if only because I forgot to send her a gift last year to show our appreciation. I will make sure to send one though before the holidays - maybe it is best that way - so she gets it in time for Christmas this year. She has been a true Angel, and so has her company - StreamLight. The cost of her gift will be put up by me out of my own money and will not come from any donations you make toward the care packages for my assigned soldier and his fellow troops. If you would like to donate toward her gift, you can do so through the regular PayPal donation link but be sure to let me know part or all of your donation goes toward something for her. I figure a nice gift would help show her our appreciation for what she has done for our troops but you need not donate anything toward that because I can handle it.
As for the care package contents, I will try to get things that the soldiers want, need and otherwise will help make it easier for them to be in the hellhole in which they are stationed. I have had no communication with this soldier. I have written but have received no reply. I do not know if he received the letters. I have no email address for him to try contacting him that way as I did have for the other two. I do know though from his brief profile on Soldiers' Angels, that there is no PX on his base. They need toiletries and they want tobacco products. Those items will be included in the packages. So too will be included things like: candy, cookies, other treats, chewing gum, books, music CDs, batteries, ear plugs, maybe some folding knives (if I collect enough), wool socks (it gets very cold there in winter) and whatever else I can think of that will help make their days a little easier to bear and that will show we have not forsaken them especially at this special time of year.
You may notice I keep saying I have a soldier assigned to me but also keep referring to they and them. That is because what we send is not just meant for the soldier to whom I am assigned. Whatever we send is meant for all of the others in his unit and so far each solider to whom we have sent packages has readily shared everything. I see no reason to think otherwise this time, I mean would you expect it to be any other way! You may also note that I refer to this as a Christmas Package and holiday package. I used to be a Catholic. Old habits die hard and even though I have not practiced any faith in many years I like the idea of the Christmas season as one of giving - for after all - giving is exactly what the message of Christmas was all about. If you want, please think of it as a Chanukah package, a holiday package or simply a care package or whatever you want to call it. Just remember that the packages we will send are being sent to help our troops regardless of their beliefs. The most important thing about this is that it helps them.
This year, like the previous years, I will document everything in this blog that I collect and everything I buy and send to the troops from all of us. Be as generous as you can and don't be bashful. If being generous for you means you can give a dollar, then please do so. Every little bit helps. I'd like to get the first package out no later than two weeks from tomorrow, so please if you are planning on donating, send something as soon as possible.
To donate please use the link, in the red area, on the right side of my blog page.
All the best,
Glenn B
Each of the last two years, I contacted StreamLight and Angel D. sent me some really nice and expensive high intensity flashlights to be included in the packages. I don't think I can bring myself to ask again this year if only because I forgot to send her a gift last year to show our appreciation. I will make sure to send one though before the holidays - maybe it is best that way - so she gets it in time for Christmas this year. She has been a true Angel, and so has her company - StreamLight. The cost of her gift will be put up by me out of my own money and will not come from any donations you make toward the care packages for my assigned soldier and his fellow troops. If you would like to donate toward her gift, you can do so through the regular PayPal donation link but be sure to let me know part or all of your donation goes toward something for her. I figure a nice gift would help show her our appreciation for what she has done for our troops but you need not donate anything toward that because I can handle it.
As for the care package contents, I will try to get things that the soldiers want, need and otherwise will help make it easier for them to be in the hellhole in which they are stationed. I have had no communication with this soldier. I have written but have received no reply. I do not know if he received the letters. I have no email address for him to try contacting him that way as I did have for the other two. I do know though from his brief profile on Soldiers' Angels, that there is no PX on his base. They need toiletries and they want tobacco products. Those items will be included in the packages. So too will be included things like: candy, cookies, other treats, chewing gum, books, music CDs, batteries, ear plugs, maybe some folding knives (if I collect enough), wool socks (it gets very cold there in winter) and whatever else I can think of that will help make their days a little easier to bear and that will show we have not forsaken them especially at this special time of year.
You may notice I keep saying I have a soldier assigned to me but also keep referring to they and them. That is because what we send is not just meant for the soldier to whom I am assigned. Whatever we send is meant for all of the others in his unit and so far each solider to whom we have sent packages has readily shared everything. I see no reason to think otherwise this time, I mean would you expect it to be any other way! You may also note that I refer to this as a Christmas Package and holiday package. I used to be a Catholic. Old habits die hard and even though I have not practiced any faith in many years I like the idea of the Christmas season as one of giving - for after all - giving is exactly what the message of Christmas was all about. If you want, please think of it as a Chanukah package, a holiday package or simply a care package or whatever you want to call it. Just remember that the packages we will send are being sent to help our troops regardless of their beliefs. The most important thing about this is that it helps them.
This year, like the previous years, I will document everything in this blog that I collect and everything I buy and send to the troops from all of us. Be as generous as you can and don't be bashful. If being generous for you means you can give a dollar, then please do so. Every little bit helps. I'd like to get the first package out no later than two weeks from tomorrow, so please if you are planning on donating, send something as soon as possible.
To donate please use the link, in the red area, on the right side of my blog page.
All the best,
Glenn B
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