The Bug Out King - The North Woods Hermit

Imagine spending 27 years or so living in the woods of Maine and having only a single interaction during which you spoke to another human being in all that time. Then imagine that said interaction was a single word - hello. That was the reported life of Christopher Knight, the alleged North Pond Hermit, a man who lived in the woods of Maine for all that time after pretty much vanishing off the face of the earth at age 19 in 1986. There are lots of videos out there about him, his camp and how law enforcement finally caught him and there are sure to be more.

Here is a video, followed by some links to more videos and to articles about him. If all of this is true, he may well have earned the title of: The Bug Out King. I can see it now, in this day of preppers and people fearing Armageddon, not only is an autobiography forthcoming but so too are at least a few how to bug out guides. Amazingly enough, he said the last major event he remembered hearing about, before bugging out, was Chernobyl.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/10/christopher-knight-maine-hermit_n_3051159.html?icid=maing-grid10%7chtmlws-main-bb%7cdl36%7csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D297046

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/10/maine-hermit-suspect-in-more-than-1000-burglaries-caught-after-27-years-living/

http://videos.huffingtonpost.com/north-pond-hermit-accused-of-1-000-maine-burglaries-517741257

Yes folks, The Bug Out King  is now facing $250,000 bail and the possibility of being charged with about 1,000 burglaries. My bet though is he gets off with a slap on the wrist and then makes millions selling his story from which, of course, he will pay restitution. Maybe then, with some of the rest of the money, he will buy himself a large house in which to live the rest of his days.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Illegal Gun Confiscations Have Begun

The NY SAFE Act, lauded by Dictator Governor Cuomo to be the perfect way to protect New Yorkers has already proven itself to be the cause of major rights violations. At least one man has already had his guns illegally seized by the state and has now slapped NY State with a lawsuit over that violation of his rights. I can only see more disregard of the rights of gun owners in NY headed our way and imagine it will steam roll into confiscation after confiscation because panicked and rabid anti-gun rights health care providers will be reporting gun owners, to the state, for anything and everything in the hopes of having guns taken from law abiding citizens.

See the story here:

http://video.foxnews.com/v/2293945945001/

I see lawyers making a lot of money off of this.

All the best,
Glenn B

Shit, My Tax Returns Are Not Done Yet

Well, they are kind of, sort of almost done. I have to go over them a few times to see if I want to change anything like maybe claiming a loss on hurricane damage but then I will probably get it all back anyway. if not, I can claim it as a loss next year since I actually paid for repairs and got insurance money that covered a lot but not all of it this year - not last. I have to work tomorrow, so I imagine finishing my taxes is out until at least Saturday. Since I am going to be pretty busy on Sunday, I guess it will have to be Saturday. I almost hate to have to submit the tax papers because I also have to send Uncle Sam about a grand or so. That sucks.
 
All the best,
Glenn B

Zombies - They're Here...

...or at least they were there, in Temecula, California (once upon a time, the home of Bianchi International) allegedly chasing this guy. The story is a pip and just goes to show that once you think you have heard them all, someone comes out with a new one.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Unabashed Arrogance of Police Treating Police Special

Wow, this is an incredible story, or at least should be incredible, about an off duty police officer firing off an evidently negligent discharge, that certainly demonstrates the absolute arrogance of certain police and law enforcement departments to totally disregard the law when it comes to a police officer. The law, mind you, should be applied to police officers and others in law enforcement (as well as to politicians and judges) as it would be applied to anyone else. Can you imagine citizen John Doe, getting shit faced enough to go into a bar's restroom to check to see if his gun is loaded, firing a shot, and then not being arrested and criminally charged. That is what happened with this officer and the only difference between him and John Doe is that he is a police officer. So why should he have been arrested and charged and also departmentally charged: First of all, he was not authorized to have his gun with him while drinking in a bar. Secondly, he was probably drunk when he went into the rest room, checked to see if his gun was loaded (absolutely no evident reason within reason to have done) and then like an idiot (or a drunken fool) endangered the public by firing an apparently negligent and accidental discharge (I cannot imagine him firing the gun on purpose but who knows), then saunters out of the rest room back to his table, pays his bill and just leaves all apparently without immediately notifying anyone from the police department that he had fired his gun.

For that he got a 3 day suspension! I wonder if it was a paid suspension. I cannot believe he was not suspended, without pay, pending a full departmental investigation and an investigation of criminal wrongdoing by the office of the district attorney. Oh, that is right, that only usually happens if it is a non-law enforcement type who fires such a shot while drunk in a strip club.

Do they really believe that is acceptable behavior for a police officer; are they really keeping him on the job? That is unfucking believable especially when you consider he reportedly has had at least one other departmental run-in that seemingly involved a violation of law (although it is uncertain if he was the violator or just an associate).  For the Chief of Police to have said: "I know officer Delatte well and firmly believe him to be an officer of exceptional character" was absurd unless he had really meant to say that the officer was 'an exceptional character' meaning an exceptional asshole! Then again, during a previous run in with the police, it was the very same Police Chief, who was in a speeding vehicle with the very same officer, when the driver of that vehicle refused to pull over for police. To say the least, I think, the chief is less than a good judge of character and once again has shown the sometimes sheer arrogance of law enforcement disgracefully treating law enforcement officers to the special (and blatantly unethical) privilege of being over and above the law.

Hat tip to Zach over at The Next Chapter, where I first saw the link to the article.

All the best,
Glenn B

Kin Jong Un, What If It Is Not Just Hot Air Escaping A Blowhard...

...and what if North Korea nukes South Korea or Japan or both? I am not saying they are going to start a nuclear war, they have said so. For all we know, about Kim Jong Un, the psycho, in charge of N. Korea, he may just decide to do it; it may not be the same old bluff. After all, his father was a 100% wacko who hated freedom, the USA and most of the free world. He grew up in that atmosphere and that had to have molded him in a warped way. The thing is - he will never be exactly like his father and may, as most kids who admire their dads, try to be like him but also try to be better than him. In his eyes, better would likely mean starting WWIII instead of just being a masterful blowhard of the bluff.

One has to wonder, are we ready to become engaged in a world wide war or even in another regional one. My guess is that we are not, no matter how much the generals and the White House tell us we are capable. Call me cynical but the more they say we are ready, the more I doubt it. Same goes for the more they say it is just the same old rhetoric on the part of North Korea. Dick Chenney, and many others think it might be different this time because with the lack of our experience with the new North Korean leader and with our lack of intelligence on North Korea, it could go off differently than expected. Differently could well mean a country being nuked or an invasion of South Korea although all intel so far seems to indicate a missile test. Hopefully that intel is correct and it will be nothing more than a provocative test and Chenney's remark that we are in deep shit is off the mark.

Here is a timeline of the events so far that have led up to the point at which we now find ourselves.

Me, I am hoping for continued peace and also hoping our country is preparing for war because I believe that old saying about 'they who long for peace must prepare for war'.

All the best,
GB

New Sign Of The Times For NY

This sign is to be placed on all highways where they enter NY.

A hat tip to Kerry F for this one.

Good grief,
GB

Percentage of Adults In U.S. Labor Force Lowest Since 1979

When was the last time that the percentage of working age adults, within the labor force  in the USA, was as low as it is now at only 63.3 percent? It was in 1979 - right smack in the middle of the tenure of, President James Earl Carter (no his real given name was not Jimmy) the absolute worst president of my lifetime up until the current one got into office. Note, I just said '...worst president of my lifetime up until...' because I no longer consider Carter to have been the worst. The worst president of my lifetime, without a doubt, has been Barrack Hussein Obama. he is, by far, in my opinion, the most incompetent man to have ever set foot in the White House. But don't worry because, as he has told us and will tell us again, we will all be covered by The Affordable Care Act, a mortgage is nothing to worry about, electricity rates will skyrocket if he has his way, the recession is over and more folks have been going back to work, and he will end the war in Afghanistan and wants peace in the world... 

All the best,
Glenn  B

Reference:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/07/americans-discouraged-by-economic-recovery-leave-labor-force/

Zero Seven Thirty...

...sure is approaching rapidly but sleep still eludes me. Gotta crawl into the sack and see if I can just pass out for a few hours.

later,
GB

Shit...

..I just remembered, I have to go to work in the morning. Work sucks but I would rather work than be a friggin' blood suckin' slug.

Goodnight.

That is all (at least once the song finishes - see last post).

All the best,
GB,

She's So Cold

Great song, great sentiment, I know it all too well.



eNuff said,
Glenn B

While The White House Would Not Be Surprised If North Korea...

...launches another test missile, I would bet (but not be surprised) that those arsehats in DC would be caught with their pants down if the North Koreans launched a missile attack, instead of a test, on the U.S. or one of its allies. See:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/05/white-house-would-not-be-surprised-if-n-korea-launches-missile/

Are you ready for WW III? Hopefully it will not take place in our lifetimes or in those of our children or grandchildren.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye On Buying Guns, Mags and Ammo

A wise man once said something to the effect of: "Buy land, they are not making it anymore".

I would go along with that and just add this: "Buy guns, magazines and ammo because soon they may not make anymore of it, and if they do make more of it, what they make of it will either be priced too high or otherwise will be unobtainable for the common man and the good of the nation".          

All the best,
Glenn B

We Lost A Good Man 5 Years Ago Today - In Memorium of Charlton Heston

What can I say about Charlton Heston that has not been said already. Probably noting, so let it suffice for me to say he was a man among real men, had not been pussified as has most of the male population of the western world, and was the staunchest of supporters of our right to keep and bear arms, thus he was among the staunchest of supporters of the Constitution and the American People. Allow me add to that - he was one heck of an actor.

Finally, I must say, I think he was 100 times more a man than most men today; so manly in fact that he almost literally was  the Omega Man compared to most of what remains. He is sorely missed and almost certainly will never be replaced by anyone coming even close to him, at least not for a long time to come.

More about him at these links:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000032/

http://www.nrawinningteam.com/heston.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Heston

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/264166/Charlton-Heston

All the best,
Glenn B

Better SAFE Than Sorry?

What is it they say - "better safe than sorry"? I guess in some respects that is true so long as it does not say better SAFE than sorry, meaning safe as in the NY SAFE Act. All, I think, that the NY SAFE Act accomplishes is to make law abiding gun owners less safe than they had been, before it became law, and thus it gives false hope to the blissfully ignorant who support the act.

Being on the safe side though, and staying there, is where I prefer to be within the limitation of my principles. I do not intend to willingly give up liberty, at least not without an effort to retain it, for the false hopes of safety and security offered by the Nanny State. Nor do I ever intend to be brainwashed into believing that the state, by taking away or restricting my liberty to bear arms, will keep me safe under the guise of things like the NY SAFE Act.

Nonetheless, I have decided to stay on the SAFE side. Working under that mindset and under the law, the NY SAFE Act to be specific, I have prepared to remain better safe than sorry for the time being. Toward that end, I have acquired a few things to keep it on the SAFE side. All of these things were bought within the past six weeks, most of it within the past two weeks; although, I will admit one item was not ordered in that time frame. That one was on back-order since December 2012 but I paid for it this week, once it had shipped.

What you see in the photograph are:

Thirty (30) TAPCO USA, INTRAFUSE 10rd AK-47 Magazines - Black (ordered and bought this week)

Ten (10) Beretta 92F 10 round factory magazines (ordered this week)

Two (2) Glock 26 10 round factory magazines (ordered last week)

640 rounds of TulAmmo 7.62x39mm FMJ ammunition (ordered in December but paid for this week)

200 rounds of Golden Tiger 7.62x39mm FMJBT ammunition (ordered in late February)

200 rounds of Prvi Partizan 5.56x45, 55 grain, FMJ ammo (ordered in late February)

1 of 2 boxes of silica gel desiccant for my ammo locker.

Note that one purchase is not pictured. That is:

100 rounds of PMC .308, 147 grain, FMJBT ammunition (ordered in late February)


That is certainly unusual buying activity for me. I'd buy ammo about once a month or so on average. I really had no need to buy any of this gun gear except for the fact that the NY SAFE Act was passed. I had no need for more ammo, no need for new mags, no need to spend that money on these things now, until NY State created that need by passage of the SAFE Act. I am sure the firearms companies appreciate the business NY has pushed their way even though they do not appreciate how NY forced that business on them.

As for me buying them when I really could not afford them, that too was forced upon me if I wanted to remain safe. You see, the thing was that there has been an inordinate amount of influences leading to firearms, ammunition and magazine shortages. For instance all of the huge ammo purchases by federal departments, Obama being reelected, the school shooting in CT, then the NY SAFE Act passed in the dark of night putting deadlines into effect as to when New Yorkers could make online ammo purchases and up until when they could purchase 10 round magazines (anything bigger was banned upon passage of the bill) and what type of firearms they could own, then threats of new anti-gun federal legislation and or executive orders, then other states passing tough anti-gun legislation, all during which time frame there has been an ammo buying frenzy by the citizenry. So tell me, what was a gun-guy to do, at least in NY, other than try to stay SAFE than sorry?

I bought all that ammo, at too high prices, but nowhere nearly as high as the prices were at some dealers. I was happy to get 100 rounds of .308 (first purchase among all these) and then 200 rounds each of the 7.62x39mm and the 5.56x45mm. I was happy as anyone in the USA to find ammo at prices that, while being too high,  were much less than three or four times the price of what it had been selling for a couple of months ago and it was already overpriced then. I was amazed that the Sportsmansguide sent me an item, 640 rounds of 7.62x39mm ammo, that I had ordered back in December - that is I was amazed and quite happy too. I had forgotten all about that order.

As a New Yorker, in the initial weeks of the NY SAFE Act, I was faced with the reality that if I did not acquire 10 round magazines for my son and my AKs soon, we would never be able to get them again since we only had until the 15th of this month to legally do so and everyone was out. After that, we would only be allowed to buy 7 round or smaller mags. We would be able to grandfather in any 10 round mags we had but we did not have any. As soon as I saw 10 round AK mags available, I registered on that dealer's site and checked off 10, then 20, then 30, then 40 and finally went back down to 30 and ordered them. My Beretta 92 series pistols would soon be paperweights and nothing more if I could not find 10 round mags for them before the state imposed purchase deadline, and the 7 round magazine size limit. No one was going to make a 7 round mag for most 9mm pistols or most any other pistols, so when I saw those 10 mags available, I jumped on 10 of them. Why not more? I had ordered other things that already had me too deep in the hole, like all that ammo and we have a lot of debt building on our plastic because of our daughter's wedding getting closer.

Those Beretta mags were the last things I ordered that were firearms related. Now it has come to pass that the whole 7 round magazine restriction has been suspended indefinitely. That means we can still by 10 round mags, in NY, after the 15th of this month. Arsehat politicians did keep the provision in the law that says we only load them with 7 rounds even though they hold 10. Too bad that the law was not changed (or that I did not find out about the change) before I purchased all those mags. Had I realized that 10 round would still be available because the deadline was done away by virtue of the 7 round mag provision having been suspended, I would have held off awhile. As it is now, I have to hope they give me more hours at work than the fewer I had been hoping for recently.

Hell, I just remembered, we still need to get some 10 round mags for Brendan's ARs but I suppose that will have to wait until I hit the lottery.

Now, all I can think is: "I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go." Oh no, there is one other thing I now think: While I am NY SAFE ACT compliant, the SAFE Act does not lend itself at all to being better safe than sorry. The armed citizenry is the only thing that ultimately assures our safety.

All the best,
Glenn B

Let's Reinstate The NRA 5 Day Handgun Loaner Program

What an excellent program was this one; do you remember it? It caused the crime rate in he USA to drop markedly and caused violent armed criminals to drop like flies. I wonder if we could get it up and running again. It would do the nation a world of good.



A hat tip and my thanks to Peter Q for this one.

All the best,
Glenn B

First Impression: TAPCO USA, INTRAFUSE 10rd AK-47 Magazine - Black

I tested out some of the 30 new ten round Tapco USA Intrafuse AK magazines that I purchased earlier this week, at the range tonight. I had thought they were polymer but stand corrected after seeing the webpage for these mags, they are made from a composite material. I am not all that happy that they are a composite material and was not happy when I thought they were polymer either, I prefer metal. While I wish they were metal, composite was all that was available before the anticipated arrival of the dreaded purchase deadline for 10 round mags under the NY SAFE Act. That would have prevented me from legally buying any more ten round magazines here in NY. Well, I should say sort of, kind of, maybe before the deadline because it is now a moot point. That part of the NY SAFE Act recently was suspended indefinitely to allow ten round mags. The law still says you can only load them with seven rounds though unless at a range. How preposterous and how like a bunch of whining Demoncrats and RINOs to think that up - but I digress, so I will get back to the magazines.

The mags are Tapco USA Intrafuse, 10 round, black composite magazines, in 7.72x39, for the AK47. I bought 30 of them fearing the above mentioned deadline. Tonight, I joined about 29 other members of Long Island Firearms at the Nassau County Range for the LIF monthly shoot at that location. I brought along 20 of the new mags and just enough ammo to test them all. As it turned out, I only wound up testing ten of them. I figured that testing 1/3 of the mags I had bought was more than a good enough representative sample. I have to say, they functioned flawlessly.

Also, as opposed to reports I read on the LIF gun forum recently, there were no problems seating or removing the mags from my AK as others had said they experienced with their AKs. They recommended using  a stone to remove some of the composite material to make them easier to insert into the mag well but there is no way I see that as being necessary. These inserted with ease. When I first got them, I had difficulty getting one to seat in my son's AK but I think that was due to his AK being very filthy. Since then, he inserted at least half of them, maybe even all, into his AK's mag well without a problem. As for those other folks who actually took off some of the mag, maybe they got a bad lot but these worked just fine. 

I used my Century Arms WASR-10 AK-47. I was restricted to using only HP or SP ammo at this particular range and the mags easily handled both types. The brand ammo that I used was Wolf for both the hollow points and the soft point ammo. There were no failures to feed. I only fired ten rounds out of each magazine but as I said all fed flawlessly. I think you can understand me being in the ammo conservation mode right now with the price of ammo as high as it has gone recently. When ammo is again more abundant and at lower prices, I will put a lot more ammo through these mags to give them a good going over to assure sustained flawless function.

Nice to see, they are made in the USA.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ammo: To Sell Now Or Not To Sell Now - That Is The Question

Watch this video:



That was inspiring in as much as I am now reconsidering selling some of my .22LR and other ammo. Are people really buying .22 LR ammo for over $60.00 per brick? Yes they are doing so, in droves. I just checked GunBroker.com to see what already had bids on it. I was amazed; I knew the prices were high but not that high. Some bricks of .22LR, nothing special mind you, have sold for over $75.00 apiece. Wow!

As for the guy in the video, he sounds like a guy who spent his money on mostly other things than ammo and is now taking it out on others because he was ill prepared for what has come about.

I am not a prepper but am somewhat prepared. I just took a quick look at my .22LR ammo (did not include my .22 Magnum). I have a decent supply of it laid in, good to last through frugal use during a revolution, a few nuclear winters, a zombie invasion and the Apocalypse combined. Here is what I found in five minutes of looking through my ammo locker, ammo cans and shooting box and bag. Almost all of those boxes are full. The exceptions are the ammo in the pic on the far left (your left as you look at the pic). The vertical CCI Mini Mag box and the other five stacked boxes next to it are partials. All of the bricks are full, except one and that one is missing 100 rounds. There is also the one odd box of 100 rounds of  .22 Short in the mix which I shoot in a .22 LR revolver, so it got included here. I figure about 6K of 22 LR rounds.

Now that I have seen the prices that others are getting, I am at least considering selling some of it. I figure maybe I could part with, let’s say 500 to 1,000 rounds at most. Yet, I am still not sure I want to do so. Why not? Well, as I see it, ammo prices are going to fall drastically, from the levels they are at now, once seasonal production kicks in. That, of course, is a good incentive to sell now but those prices are not going to fall back to the levels they were even a year ago, let alone to the prices of five or ten years ago. Yes, that means I could make a great profit now and buy replacement ammo later and still have cash profit remaining but that depends on two or three essential things. It depends upon whether or not I am right and that ammo prices will fall drastically, which depends on production going into full seasonal swing - which may or may not be hampered by government regulations, the economy and other concerns such as availability of resources (and the way the people and the government have been buying ammo – resources are sure to be short) and my getting any depends on me having money at the time all of this may happen. So maybe there will be a glut of less expensive ammo soon and maybe not. Selling what one already has, hoping you will be able to replace what you sold with a supply that is not there now and at prices that you hope will fall is chancy.

Then again, do I need to replace it? Or maybe I should ask: Should I sell some of it because there are folks out there who do not have any or almost any of it? To answer the first question, let me say that, I have enough .22LR and other ammo to last me a good long while. It may be enough to last five years in survival mode. While I could shoot it all within a couple of weeks, if I wanted to waste it,  try to remember I mentioned the frugal use of my ammo above and I mean that here too. As for that other question, why should I sell any to some schlub who did not have the sense to lay is a small store of it when the writing was on the wall. How could anyone, who is into guns and shooting, not have noticed that ammo was selling faster than peanuts outside the elephant house at the zoo! Look at the guy in the video again. Do you think that just maybe he shoots now and again or is he just wearing the Glock shirt and cap to make himself look like an all knowing gun guru. (Now that I think of it, that could be truer than you or I might imagine). Then again, there are others out there who also did not buy ammo and who, in my view, do not seem as idiotic or look as silly as does that guy. Do they deserve to be sold my ammo? Maybe, I will have to think about it but I must say, if I do sell any, my prices would not be as high as the ‘sold at’ prices I have seen online.

I will have to think about offloading some other calibers too; I have ammo in at least two calibers for which I have no guns. Go figure but once upon a time I thought that ammo could come in useful to sell or barter on a rainy day and brother it looks to me to be pouring right about now.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Was A Little Late For Work Yesterday...

...but my boss was very understanding when I showed him this picture. Yes, that is a tractor trailer with its roof sheared off. I do not quite understand what it is about the signs that say "No Trucks" and "No Commercial Traffic" for the parkways in New York State but truck driver frequently disregard them. I imagine it could be because they are written in English and  some of the drivers refuse to learn the language. Thus, I think, it is all their fault that things like this happens. Even without the signs, the underpasses, like the one this truck hit, are obviously too low for these trucks to pass underneath. Well, that is how I see them and I am pretty surprised that the drivers do not realize it before they hit. My guess is that this guy was hauling ass and was totally oblivious. Most trucks get stuck 1/4 to 1/2 way through the underpasses. This guy seems to have made it all the way through and took off his truck's whole roof. Note there was not a tow truck there capable of getting him out from under it.

Here is a hint for anyone anticipating driving a truck in NY Sate, Parkways = NO TRUCKS (pick-up trucks used to be forbidden but are now allowed), Expressways = Trucks OK (unless posted otherwise).

All the best,
Glenn B

Is MSN Getting It Right?

Chicago teens mob

downtown pedestrians

28 teens were arrested after 300 to 400 of them attacked

pedestrians in Chicago's Miracle Mile area, leaving police

on high alert & neighbors frustrated.

 

Police: Man drove into Wal-Mart, attacked shoppers

 

Philadelphia father shoots & kills home invader

 

 

Is MSN finally starting to get it. The above was how 2 of 8 scrolling news blurbs was shown on its homepage (http://msn.com) this morning. Are they finally realizing that they should not only being showing the news relative to maiming and killing of innocents by gunmen but also should show articles about bad guys wildly accosting the citizenry and then other ones about the good guys fighting back and winning because they were armed. I can only hope so but my guess is that the above lineup was just coincidental.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

The Rat

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

THE RAT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown.

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

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

 

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

A hat tip to TOB for that one.

 

All the best,

Glenn B

I Want Three of These Machine Guns...

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



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

All the best,
Glenn B

Our Obligation To Defend Our Right To Keep And Bear Arms

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

 

*****

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Are you willing to die to take my guns?

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

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

*****

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

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

All the best,
Glenn B

A Tragic Lesson Learned About Gun Safety

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All the best,
Glenn B

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

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

Russian Ammo and American Mags - Hallelujah

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

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

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

All the best,
Glenn B