All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, May 27, 2013
Memorial Day - In Memory...
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, May 26, 2013
I Don't Know Which Was Better For My Psyche...
...watching my Bearded Dragons wolf down a couple of large Blaptica dubia roaches or weeding and planting out in my garden for an hour or so.
I planted some lilies, and potted some tomatoes and put tomato cages around some others that I planted last week. The tomatoes that I potted today, along with a few pepper plants and some potted flowers, will be a house warming gift (along with some good wine) for my daughter and future-son-law later today. She who must betolerated adored and I are going to visit them for a BBQ.
Thinking about my morning's activities, I have to say I had fun doing both but I think I could more readily enjoy sitting down to watch the beardies eat as many roaches as they could chow down before I would choose to do the gardening. That's at least for today anyhow because I also really do enjoy working the dirt. I suppose that is the 9 year old kid in me. Doing both, one right after the other, was great.
All the best,
Glenn B
I planted some lilies, and potted some tomatoes and put tomato cages around some others that I planted last week. The tomatoes that I potted today, along with a few pepper plants and some potted flowers, will be a house warming gift (along with some good wine) for my daughter and future-son-law later today. She who must be
Thinking about my morning's activities, I have to say I had fun doing both but I think I could more readily enjoy sitting down to watch the beardies eat as many roaches as they could chow down before I would choose to do the gardening. That's at least for today anyhow because I also really do enjoy working the dirt. I suppose that is the 9 year old kid in me. Doing both, one right after the other, was great.
All the best,
Glenn B
Why Do Idiots Try Get Through Airport Security While Armed
I just do not understand how it is that during the past week, the TSA reportedly seized 54 handguns that people tried to get through airport security on their persons or in carry-on luggage. I don't mean that I do not understand how TSA found them. Even morons can find guns at airport security; Heaven only knows how many get by them though. What I do not understand is what would compel someone to try to bring a gun onto an aircraft with the laws as they are (mind you, not that I agree with those laws) and with as much security as is in place. I can understand someone maybe forgetting that he or she had a gun in a carry on bag that maybe had been used to legally transport the gun at a previous time. I cannot fathom though how someone could have that gun on his or her person and forget about it. Yeah, maybe if someone had pistol in a holster that was strapped to his wooden prosthetic leg, he could forget it was there, if not paying attention, when putting on the leg that day but otherwise I just don't get it. See:
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/25/18491498-54-loaded-guns-seized-at-airports-last-week?lite=
All the best,
Glenn B
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/25/18491498-54-loaded-guns-seized-at-airports-last-week?lite=
All the best,
Glenn B
Islam: A Form of State Posing As A Religion
Much like pro Right to Keep and Bear Arms advocates say: "Guns do not kill people, people kill people", I have heard supporters of Islam say: "Religions do not kill people, people kill people" but I must point out I have never heard a gun preach killing yet I have seen killings advocated within the teachings of religions.
Yet, I do not recall the Christian or Jewish faiths instructing their followers to go out and kill they who will not convert to either faith. Maybe it is in the bible and I am unaware of it. Certainly though, I am unaware of they who take that literally nowadays - except maybe for a few kooks who do not act out on it. On the other hand, there is a religion that preaches such today and many of the followers of that faith are killing in the name of it and many other of its followers become violent in the name of it. That is fact that cannot be overlooked. Just because the topic comes to religion does not mean we should overlook the obvious truth. People try to deflect that line of reasoning by saying things like Christians or Jews or Americans do horrific things to each other every
day. Yes we do but most often on an individual basis and not
based upon any tenet of those faiths or of American law. Tell me, when is the last time that
Americans, by the hundreds of thousands, violently protested someone using their
freedom of speech over a cartoon that mocked a religious figure? When have we rioted in mass, burned hundreds if not thousands of cars, had mobs beat non-believers of our law, had large numbers of us threaten to exterminate those of another faith and advocated the executions of those who will not follow our ways. No, for the most part, we tend to bend over backwards to tolerate everyone, even they who do all the things I just mentioned in the preceding sentence.
Yet, I do not recall the Christian or Jewish faiths instructing their followers to go out and kill they who will not convert to either faith. Maybe it is in the bible and I am unaware of it. Certainly though, I am unaware of they who take that literally nowadays - except maybe for a few kooks who do not act out on it. On the other hand, there is a religion that preaches such today and many of the followers of that faith are killing in the name of it and many other of its followers become violent in the name of it. That is fact that cannot be overlooked. Just because the topic comes to religion does not mean we should overlook the obvious truth.
I am not anti-religion, however, I am anti seat of power
that tries to regulate my liberties and rights in violation of my Natural (and
possibly God) given rights by use of violent force that leads to injuries and
death. It is historical fact, that every nation into which Muslims have
embedded themselves, have eventually fallen to them once they reach a certain
size of the population. It is a well known fact that Islam preaches that that
infidel must be converted or killed. It is well documented that Islamists have
followed that literally in every country into which they have established
themselves. The same is slowly but surely currently happening in many countries around the
world. In some it has reached an advanced stage, in some others the Muslim population is not yet high enough for it to be so advanced but it is commencing in them bit by bit. Let me name just a handful of them: Denmark, England, France, The Netherlands,
Israel, Egypt, Germany, India, Australia, Nigeria, the United States of America.
Take a hint from what one of them said, I refer to one of the assailants who recently hacked to death a
British soldier. He told us to get out of Muslim nations and the violence
will stop. No, it will not stop then. Why not? Because Muslims keep on
infiltrating other countries and spreading the violence to them, it is the way of that so called religion. That is a fact
that you cannot deny in the face of history. Of course, every Muslim is not of
the same mind set but I will say this - I do not see Muslims fighting back
against such or actually making a concerted effort to confront the violent ones
and to put an end to the violence. They yammer about being persecuted; yet, in
the name of their religion, thousands are savagely killed each year. Yes, there are a few small groups but not
many who speak out but they do little else than talk. What will stop the violence? It would have to be either a major change in how Islam is practiced or having Muslims retreat from every non-Islamic country remaining in the world. I would prefer the first choice by far but if things continue as they are, I would be willing to implement the second.
On the flip side, in places like India and African nations,
Christians actively kill Muslims in much the same way Muslims attack Christians
and Jews but in almost every instance they are reprisal killings. The Christian
and Jewish faiths are not, to my knowledge, trying expand themselves by forced
conversions and the taking over of nations as at least Christianity did in the past. Nor are Buddhism, Taoism,
Confucianism, Hinduism, the Wiccan, or any other religion trying to expand by use of rampant violence. Nor, to my knowledge, do Christians routinely seek out and kill ex-Christians who have converted to Islam but there are many
accounts of Muslims brutally killing
ex-Muslims who have converted to other religions. What happened to freedom of religion in those instances that the Islamists claim they are free to practice when it comes to them practicing Islam? The truth is that Islam does not at all tolerate freedom of religion and once Muslims are in a position of power in any nation they begin to enforce Sharia law instead of obeying the law of the land.
If you care to avoid the facts and to say, 'oh my goodness
how can you speak out against practices of a religion since people are free to
worship as they see fit', let me remind you that I too am free to speak my mind, and free to live,
yet if I spoke out against Islam in a Muslim nation I would likely be executed. It could even happen in in a nation like England or India or Nigeria or Denmark or even in the USA. Any so called religion
that, by its dogma, violates the rights of non-believers by imposing its law
upon them is not religion at all, it is a form of state. Once it becomes that,
there is no right for it, by law or Nature, to even be considered a
religion let alone any liberty afforded to it to be practiced as a faith.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, May 25, 2013
My Kingdom For An Empty Ammo Can or Three...
...maybe not my kingdom but someone sure would have my humble and most gracious thanks if they suddenly showed up on my doorstep with a few empty 50 cal ammo cans in very good or better condition. No, I don't believe in the Easter bunny or Santa Claus but figured maybe it would be the Groundhog who would do me that favor. Thing is I just realized I probably could use at least two or three of them, probably more like 4 or 5 of them for ammo I have laying about in the dungeon (the name I gave to my basement when I felt like I was confined in it when I had the big C). I guess I will have to hit some local gun stores and any milsurp stores I can find in the area, otherwise I am destined to go to the next gun show of any merit that comes along. I'd hate to have to buy these from an online dealer, I just could not imagine them showing up without at least a few more dents than they had when they left the dealer. It should be an interesting day going from gun store to gun store to milsurp shop.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, May 24, 2013
Another Blog Added to My Link List...
...under the header: TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, Not At Them
The blog is The Lonely Libertarian which can be found at this address:
http://hopelesslysane.blogspot.com/
All the best,
Glenn B
The blog is The Lonely Libertarian which can be found at this address:
http://hopelesslysane.blogspot.com/
All the best,
Glenn B
Columbia County (NY) District Attorney Refuses To Prosecute Man Under NY SAFE Act
He stated he was not making blanket policy, just handling each case on its own, but what the Columbia, County (NY) District Attorney did by dropping the charge that the defendant had too many bullets in his magazine may well send a message to other prosecutors, even to police in NYS, that the SAFE Act is not a good thing.
Even if it goes only as far as this one case, at least the defendant was a lucky man.
FUCK the NY SAFE Act and SCREW CUOMO!
See: http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S3044282.shtml?cat=300
All the best,
GB
Even if it goes only as far as this one case, at least the defendant was a lucky man.
FUCK the NY SAFE Act and SCREW CUOMO!
See: http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S3044282.shtml?cat=300
All the best,
GB
Oh Happy Days - Memorial Day Sales, BBQs And Summer Are Upon Us
I just figured out why I was able to score the new washing machine, that I ordered last night, at such a great price - it was on sale because of Memorial Day - whoopee!
Then I remembered that this Sunday, my wife and I have been invited to the new house of our future son-in-law and our daughter for a Memorial Day weekend BBQ. We are living high on the hog so I hope they have some swine waiting to grill for us. I am salivating - yummy!!
Thinking of that made me think that Monday is the more or less official start of summer. Soon school will be out, thus my hours at work will be cut, and I will have more time to enjoy each day in retirement (yes, I am retired but working part time). Yee-ha time to enjoy life a little bit more!!!
Then I remembered that a lot of you are veterans and a lot of folks will be thanking you for your service this weekend because of how great you have made things for us and thus how befitting they think it is to thank you over the Memorial Day weekend, because after all, it is all about veterans right. God bless the vet!!!!
Really though, it's Memorial Day and it's not about BBQs or sales or summer starting or veterans whose hand you can shake and whom you can pat of the back or about a veteran feeling good about himself for having served. It is about something related to all of the above but also very different. It is about this:
Then I remembered that this Sunday, my wife and I have been invited to the new house of our future son-in-law and our daughter for a Memorial Day weekend BBQ. We are living high on the hog so I hope they have some swine waiting to grill for us. I am salivating - yummy!!
Thinking of that made me think that Monday is the more or less official start of summer. Soon school will be out, thus my hours at work will be cut, and I will have more time to enjoy each day in retirement (yes, I am retired but working part time). Yee-ha time to enjoy life a little bit more!!!
Then I remembered that a lot of you are veterans and a lot of folks will be thanking you for your service this weekend because of how great you have made things for us and thus how befitting they think it is to thank you over the Memorial Day weekend, because after all, it is all about veterans right. God bless the vet!!!!
Really though, it's Memorial Day and it's not about BBQs or sales or summer starting or veterans whose hand you can shake and whom you can pat of the back or about a veteran feeling good about himself for having served. It is about something related to all of the above but also very different. It is about this:
No, I am not going to tell you not to take advantage of sales and will not scream at you for celebrating the commencement of the official summer season with a wild BBQ and certainly cannot fault you for thanking veterans or for feeling great about being a veteran even if on a day that never was meant for any of it and that includes honoring the living vet (as instead was Veterans' Day). I will not do that even though Memorial Day was meant to be a day of national mourning and remembrance of they who fell, a memorial to them, on both sides, in the Civil War. It was first called Decoration Day. It later had the name changed to Memorial Day and became a national day of mourning and remembrance of all those who fell while in the military service of this nation during wartime.
While it was never meant to be a day of celebration, I cannot fault anyone in the USA for celebrating on that day. We would not have any of our freedoms, those I just mentioned nor any others, if not for those who have fallen. I just wanted to remind you what Memorial Day truly was all about though, so that maybe, just maybe, you would take out some time this weekend, especially on the day itself, to remember them, to mourn them, to honor they who gave everything so we could be here today doing what we love to do. Why? Because Memorial Day is all about them, they who gave their lives for their country, while in military service during time of war (even though now it is usually accepted as anyone who died while in service), and thus died protecting our freedoms.
In remembering and honoring our military's war dead, many often wear the red poppy. I do not recall that I ever knew why until today. It was because of a tradition started after publication of a poem, written in 1915, by Moina Michael in response to In Flander's Fields that was written by a Canadian. She then had the idea of wearing red poppies to honor our fallen military personnel. That ultimately led to the Buddy Poppy Program of the VFW. Why not read this poem, out loud to yourself, your family, your guests or your hosts, just before you partake in your holiday BBQ this year; why not honor they who fell to make it possible:
We Shall Keep The Faith
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders Fields we fought.
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders Fields we fought.
A hat tip to Pat S for posting the above poster on his Facebook page. It inspired me to remember, to mourn, to honor they, of the U.S. Military, who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend America during wartime.
All the best,
All the best,
Glenn B
Extended Warranties And Me; I Have Gotten My Money's Worth Lately
Some folks, like the douche bags at a certain consumers' testing group, my brother-in-law (not a douche bag at all) and others (some are and some are not DBs) say you should never buy an extended warranty because they are not worth it. I beg to differ.
We had an extended warranty on our fridge but it expired last year. A recent repair for our fridge was over $400, they replaced the main control circuit board. Then 2 months later, it went out again and they came back and replaced the circuit board again at no charge, changed another part for $33 and performed all the labor ion the second repair for free. Because we had purchased the extended warranty and machine with American Express, they graciously covered an additional year of the extended warranty - and therefore just paid me the $400 plus dollars for the first repair. I am pretty sure they would also pay that additional $33 from the second repair if I made a claim but don't think I will bother. Those repairs only came with a 90 day warranty, but since I paid with Amex, that warranty will also be extended for another 90 days. They double your regular warranty if a year or less; if longer than a year they will add a year to it. If you buy an extended warranty when you get the product, they will do the same for the extended warranty - so if you buy a 5 year extended warranty they will add a year making it a six year extended warranty. That is what happened with our fridge. It was well worth the expense of the extended warranty which was under $100 when purchased several years ago.
We also just had a vacuum cleaner go belly up. I bought an extended warranty for it for about $28. The warranty company just sent us a check that was about $20 more than the original purchase price of the vacuum. The new one I just bought was about a hundred bucks more than the old one but that extended warranty plan just about paid for the new one and thus saved me a good chunk of change.
Then there was the washing machine on which we also had an extended warranty. Yes good things and evil crap seem to come in threes. The washer also has gone belly up. The extended warranty company for the washer just sent us a check for $400 plus dollars. Again, the cost of the extended warranty was a lot less than the check they sent us, I think it was about $75 for 3 years extra time. I bought a new washing machine tonight; it set me back $581.33 which included $110 for a 5 year extended warranty. The machine itself was $403 marked down from $549 at Homer's Depot (both Lowe's and Sears had it on sale but for considerably closer to the regular price than HD).
Of course, extended warranties are a crap shoot of sorts. If the appliance or other product you buy does not breakdown and either require repair or wind up unrepairable, then you wind up losing the money you spent on it at the end of the extended warranty period. For instance, a few years back, maybe several by now, I bought my wife a large screen TV for Christmas. Knock on the thickest wood in the house (as I knock on my head) it has not had any problems and I am guessing the extended warranty on it has expired by now. Still, if I was going to buy another TV like that, I would also buy an extended warranty on it if for no other reason than televisions are mostly made in some sweat shop in China, North Korea or Japan and the manufacturing standards in at least on of those countries sucks. When I bought my laptop, last summer, I got at least a 3 year, extended warranty for it. In an instant of brain fartitiss made the mistake of not paying with American Express though and hope not to regret that, time will tell. I have already had problems with the laptop, that would have been covered under the manufacturer's one year warranty but that could be an indication of other problems ahead so I am looking at the extended warranty I purchased as good insurance against such but just cannot believe and cannot recall why I did not use Amex to make the purchase.
One last thing, as to extended warranties, I don't buy them for every eligible product I buy. I usually don't get them for items under $200 in value. I figure I can take a gamble on most of them and take the hit if I gambled wrong. A little above $200 in price though and that is a different story if an extended warranty can be had at a good price and if the terms of the warranty are to my liking. Yes that means, I check the terms of each warranty before purchasing it. You would be surprised at what some people try to call an extended warranty - some are not worth the paper on which they are written. Most though, from reputable companies seem okay to me and thus I stress buying from reputable companies to get your money's worth.
All the best,
Glenn B
We had an extended warranty on our fridge but it expired last year. A recent repair for our fridge was over $400, they replaced the main control circuit board. Then 2 months later, it went out again and they came back and replaced the circuit board again at no charge, changed another part for $33 and performed all the labor ion the second repair for free. Because we had purchased the extended warranty and machine with American Express, they graciously covered an additional year of the extended warranty - and therefore just paid me the $400 plus dollars for the first repair. I am pretty sure they would also pay that additional $33 from the second repair if I made a claim but don't think I will bother. Those repairs only came with a 90 day warranty, but since I paid with Amex, that warranty will also be extended for another 90 days. They double your regular warranty if a year or less; if longer than a year they will add a year to it. If you buy an extended warranty when you get the product, they will do the same for the extended warranty - so if you buy a 5 year extended warranty they will add a year making it a six year extended warranty. That is what happened with our fridge. It was well worth the expense of the extended warranty which was under $100 when purchased several years ago.
We also just had a vacuum cleaner go belly up. I bought an extended warranty for it for about $28. The warranty company just sent us a check that was about $20 more than the original purchase price of the vacuum. The new one I just bought was about a hundred bucks more than the old one but that extended warranty plan just about paid for the new one and thus saved me a good chunk of change.
Then there was the washing machine on which we also had an extended warranty. Yes good things and evil crap seem to come in threes. The washer also has gone belly up. The extended warranty company for the washer just sent us a check for $400 plus dollars. Again, the cost of the extended warranty was a lot less than the check they sent us, I think it was about $75 for 3 years extra time. I bought a new washing machine tonight; it set me back $581.33 which included $110 for a 5 year extended warranty. The machine itself was $403 marked down from $549 at Homer's Depot (both Lowe's and Sears had it on sale but for considerably closer to the regular price than HD).
Of course, extended warranties are a crap shoot of sorts. If the appliance or other product you buy does not breakdown and either require repair or wind up unrepairable, then you wind up losing the money you spent on it at the end of the extended warranty period. For instance, a few years back, maybe several by now, I bought my wife a large screen TV for Christmas. Knock on the thickest wood in the house (as I knock on my head) it has not had any problems and I am guessing the extended warranty on it has expired by now. Still, if I was going to buy another TV like that, I would also buy an extended warranty on it if for no other reason than televisions are mostly made in some sweat shop in China, North Korea or Japan and the manufacturing standards in at least on of those countries sucks. When I bought my laptop, last summer, I got at least a 3 year, extended warranty for it. In an instant of brain fartitiss made the mistake of not paying with American Express though and hope not to regret that, time will tell. I have already had problems with the laptop, that would have been covered under the manufacturer's one year warranty but that could be an indication of other problems ahead so I am looking at the extended warranty I purchased as good insurance against such but just cannot believe and cannot recall why I did not use Amex to make the purchase.
One last thing, as to extended warranties, I don't buy them for every eligible product I buy. I usually don't get them for items under $200 in value. I figure I can take a gamble on most of them and take the hit if I gambled wrong. A little above $200 in price though and that is a different story if an extended warranty can be had at a good price and if the terms of the warranty are to my liking. Yes that means, I check the terms of each warranty before purchasing it. You would be surprised at what some people try to call an extended warranty - some are not worth the paper on which they are written. Most though, from reputable companies seem okay to me and thus I stress buying from reputable companies to get your money's worth.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, May 20, 2013
Garden Work Today - It Was A Bit Tougher Than I Remembered
Today, I planted, in pots, about 15 tomato plants, one eggplant, six Jamaican (I think they were Jamaican) Wax pepper plants, a basil plant, a bunch of cilantro (in one pot) and six cucumber pots. I used a 50-50 mixture of composted soil from my compost pile and bagged commercial garden soil for about 40% of the plants, solely bagged garden soil for about another 40% of the plants, and pure composted soil from my compost heap for about 20% of the plants. I also planted some green beans and tomato plants in the ground. I have less suitable ground in which to plant vegetables this year because my neighbor put up a six foot high privacy fence along the small strip of in the ground garden I had available to me in the past. It will get a lot less sunlight this year so I opted to put almost everything into pots that I could place, and move, around on sunny spots of my backyard lawn. I will still plant the remaining vegetable plants along that fence and hope for the best with them but do not expect them to do that well; I have a few tomato plants left over.
I put in a good four to four and a half hours of light to medium physical labor. Well, I should say light to medium for most folks. For me it was medium all the way through. Damn, it has been a year and six months since my cancer treatments ended and a year and two months since they first said I was cancer free and I am still miserably out of shape. I guess being diagnosed with an inactive thyroid, back in September of last year, due to the radiation treatments having destroyed my thyroid has not helped but I have been taking a pill for that. Granted, the doc has had to increase the dosage a few times and I think she will have to do so again once or twice before I feel back to normal but you would think by now, or at least I would think, by now, that garden work would not be much of a chore for me. I was wrong, it was more than I expected. Then gain, it was nowhere near as bad as last year so I have improved since then even considering the thyroid thing. Really though, I have got to get mine arse to a gym and cannot understand why I have not been motivated to do so.
Oh well, as for the garden, I am hoping it grows as well as others have in the past for me. Last week I planted a few perennials on the side of my house that gets the least light. They are supposed to do well in less than six hours of sunlight, I hope so. Some of the perennials I planted last year have come up again this year and are quire promising to make a nice display.
All the best,
Glenn B
I put in a good four to four and a half hours of light to medium physical labor. Well, I should say light to medium for most folks. For me it was medium all the way through. Damn, it has been a year and six months since my cancer treatments ended and a year and two months since they first said I was cancer free and I am still miserably out of shape. I guess being diagnosed with an inactive thyroid, back in September of last year, due to the radiation treatments having destroyed my thyroid has not helped but I have been taking a pill for that. Granted, the doc has had to increase the dosage a few times and I think she will have to do so again once or twice before I feel back to normal but you would think by now, or at least I would think, by now, that garden work would not be much of a chore for me. I was wrong, it was more than I expected. Then gain, it was nowhere near as bad as last year so I have improved since then even considering the thyroid thing. Really though, I have got to get mine arse to a gym and cannot understand why I have not been motivated to do so.
Oh well, as for the garden, I am hoping it grows as well as others have in the past for me. Last week I planted a few perennials on the side of my house that gets the least light. They are supposed to do well in less than six hours of sunlight, I hope so. Some of the perennials I planted last year have come up again this year and are quire promising to make a nice display.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Polish Zombies
Maybe not what you think cause I sure don't mean some Pole who was bitten by a mostly rotted and rancid walking cadaver and then turned into one himself.
What I do mean is: one medium to large not quite ripe banana, two strips of ripe pineapple (each about 3/4 to the same size as that one banana), one medium to large kiwi, 4 ounces of OJ, the juice of half a lemon, 3 to closer to 4 ounces of Meyer's Dark Rum, 3 to closer to 4 ounces of Luksusowa Potato Vodka (a product of Poland) and eight ice cubes (medium sized from a normal sized ice cube tray) all pulverized/liquefied into a smoothie in a blender. Wow, I am feeling it and it tasted great too, all while supplying at least a couple to a few days worth of fruit (although maybe not the best drink for diabetics).
Yeah, I could have had one of those well advertised '22nd letter and eighth number' drinks but it just would not have been the same, even with alcohol added - there just would have been no way to call that a Polish Zombie (already a stretch) - a bloody something or other maybe - just not a zombie!
All the best,
GB
What I do mean is: one medium to large not quite ripe banana, two strips of ripe pineapple (each about 3/4 to the same size as that one banana), one medium to large kiwi, 4 ounces of OJ, the juice of half a lemon, 3 to closer to 4 ounces of Meyer's Dark Rum, 3 to closer to 4 ounces of Luksusowa Potato Vodka (a product of Poland) and eight ice cubes (medium sized from a normal sized ice cube tray) all pulverized/liquefied into a smoothie in a blender. Wow, I am feeling it and it tasted great too, all while supplying at least a couple to a few days worth of fruit (although maybe not the best drink for diabetics). 
Yeah, I could have had one of those well advertised '22nd letter and eighth number' drinks but it just would not have been the same, even with alcohol added - there just would have been no way to call that a Polish Zombie (already a stretch) - a bloody something or other maybe - just not a zombie!
All the best,
GB
Ammo Prices Getting Back to Normal - Heck No, Not Even If They Are Lower!
I have heard it on gun bloggers' sites, on firearms forums, at the range and elsewhere: 'Hey, it looks like ammo is becoming more available and that prices are dropping back to normal'. The truth is, even though I have been settling for buying ammo at lower than super price gouging prices and letting people know when the prices are fairly good (considering how high they went), ammo prices are nowhere near normal. So what are normal ammo prices. In that regard, I will grant the ammo companies this much - higher fuel costs raised the price of everything and war related use of resources have made ammo components more expensive - so I will say that normal ammo prices (kind of, sort of, maybe) are those that they were under the presidency of George W. Bush subsequent to the rise in fuel prices that made everything go up in price.
So, what does that mean today. Well it means that when you see a price on something like CCI, TMJ, 40 grain, .22WMR at only $15.50 per box of 50, here, you may think that the prices are getting back to normal. Why? Because weren't the prices at some other establishments just a whole lot higher than that, such as the .99 cent per round, or $49.95 per box of 50 price, offered here for very similar ammo, in the same caliber (only difference is essentially that one is HP and the other TMJ), made by the same manufacturer and for which there is usually a minimal price difference if any.
The truth is that while some ammo seems to be a bit more available, at somewhat lower prices than the ultra high price gouging highs that prices reached, current prices are nowhere near normal yet and some still remain super high priced (as can be seen in one of the examples above). When will they reach kind of, sort of, almost normal prices again? When the prices of ammo like that, in the same caliber and grain weight, made by the same manufacturer, reaches prices like the $9.87 per 50 rounds for hollow points, and $10.16 per box of 50 for solid points as it was offered here well after Bush had left the Oval office and Obama had been in office for awhile. They may reach true normal again six months to a year after the price of gasoline falls back to what it was before the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. For now though, if they go as low as the pre-Obama prices, I will be more than satisfied and I will keep buying as much as I can, of calibers I can use, at even higher prices than that so long as the prices are not in the stratosphere.
Let me say, I have to qualify the above because I have seen the price of one particular type and brand of ammo go back to normal on one website if only fir a very brief time. Yesterday, Cabela's had a 500 round bricks of Remington .22LR for about only .04 cents per round plus shipping. That low of a price on .22LR has been unheard of as of late! They only allowed 1 brick per customer so I was not all that unhappy when I was to late to find any remaining in-stock.
All the best,
Glenn B
So, what does that mean today. Well it means that when you see a price on something like CCI, TMJ, 40 grain, .22WMR at only $15.50 per box of 50, here, you may think that the prices are getting back to normal. Why? Because weren't the prices at some other establishments just a whole lot higher than that, such as the .99 cent per round, or $49.95 per box of 50 price, offered here for very similar ammo, in the same caliber (only difference is essentially that one is HP and the other TMJ), made by the same manufacturer and for which there is usually a minimal price difference if any.
The truth is that while some ammo seems to be a bit more available, at somewhat lower prices than the ultra high price gouging highs that prices reached, current prices are nowhere near normal yet and some still remain super high priced (as can be seen in one of the examples above). When will they reach kind of, sort of, almost normal prices again? When the prices of ammo like that, in the same caliber and grain weight, made by the same manufacturer, reaches prices like the $9.87 per 50 rounds for hollow points, and $10.16 per box of 50 for solid points as it was offered here well after Bush had left the Oval office and Obama had been in office for awhile. They may reach true normal again six months to a year after the price of gasoline falls back to what it was before the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. For now though, if they go as low as the pre-Obama prices, I will be more than satisfied and I will keep buying as much as I can, of calibers I can use, at even higher prices than that so long as the prices are not in the stratosphere.
Let me say, I have to qualify the above because I have seen the price of one particular type and brand of ammo go back to normal on one website if only fir a very brief time. Yesterday, Cabela's had a 500 round bricks of Remington .22LR for about only .04 cents per round plus shipping. That low of a price on .22LR has been unheard of as of late! They only allowed 1 brick per customer so I was not all that unhappy when I was to late to find any remaining in-stock.
All the best,
Glenn B
Countdown - Three Weeks Until Another Sucker Bites It
In three weeks, to the day, my daughter is getting married. She is at a friend and neighbor's house getting sloshed at her wedding shower. Mind you, she is not the sucker. The sucker will become my son-in-law. I don't mean that with any nastiness, not even a dram of it. I mean it as a fact, plain and simple. We men have been suckered into marriage as a life long contract for, I would guess, eons. Having been married for the past 27 years plus, I readily call myself a sucker. I sucked it in - hook, line and sinker.
Now, you ladies may think that my wife could consider herself in the same boat but let me explain before you get all presumptuous. I am not a sucker in as much as I was suckered into it but much more so in as much as, for some reason, I want to stay in it. Why? Because my wife is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Thus, even though, I can bitch and moan about things she does that do not please me (even things she does not really do and that I only imagine she does), I will gladly suck it all up, and more, to stay together with her. That is not just because it is cheaper to keep her; it is because, in my own twisted, possibly demented, and certainly convoluted way (like any other heterosexual married man), I need her, I depend on her and I love her very much. (Why is that??? - That is the question all normal men ask themselves!)
Yes, I am sure my future son-in-law will fit perfectly into that same category in relation to my daughter, even though he surely does not think it now - pre-wedding. Thus another sucker who thinks he is the master of the house bites the bait and is hooked hard and then reeled in by the true master - the woman in his life. He will learn, we all do (we men that is, who are straight and who get hooked)!
As for my daughter, I hope she enjoys the two bottles of Moet & Chandon I bought for her shower. I could have spent that money on a really good 15 year old. Watch what you are thinking, I meant a 15 year old bottle of single malt Irish Whiskey. Although, of course, being a sucker I figured it would please both her and the wife to give her the Champagne. That even though the wife is not partial Champagne since my daughter loves it. With any luck, it will make the wife a bit more partial toward an undeserving me because it makes our daughter happy and she was happy when I gave it to her just before the party commenced.
Man oh man, there is no hope for me. I am not just a sucker, I am pussy whipped. Now I am heading over to crash the party for a glass of the Champagne. Or maybe I would be better off here just sucking down the potato Vodka that I had to buy myself because the Champagne broke my budget.
All the best,
Glenn B
Now, you ladies may think that my wife could consider herself in the same boat but let me explain before you get all presumptuous. I am not a sucker in as much as I was suckered into it but much more so in as much as, for some reason, I want to stay in it. Why? Because my wife is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Thus, even though, I can bitch and moan about things she does that do not please me (even things she does not really do and that I only imagine she does), I will gladly suck it all up, and more, to stay together with her. That is not just because it is cheaper to keep her; it is because, in my own twisted, possibly demented, and certainly convoluted way (like any other heterosexual married man), I need her, I depend on her and I love her very much. (Why is that??? - That is the question all normal men ask themselves!)
Yes, I am sure my future son-in-law will fit perfectly into that same category in relation to my daughter, even though he surely does not think it now - pre-wedding. Thus another sucker who thinks he is the master of the house bites the bait and is hooked hard and then reeled in by the true master - the woman in his life. He will learn, we all do (we men that is, who are straight and who get hooked)!
As for my daughter, I hope she enjoys the two bottles of Moet & Chandon I bought for her shower. I could have spent that money on a really good 15 year old. Watch what you are thinking, I meant a 15 year old bottle of single malt Irish Whiskey. Although, of course, being a sucker I figured it would please both her and the wife to give her the Champagne. That even though the wife is not partial Champagne since my daughter loves it. With any luck, it will make the wife a bit more partial toward an undeserving me because it makes our daughter happy and she was happy when I gave it to her just before the party commenced.
Man oh man, there is no hope for me. I am not just a sucker, I am pussy whipped. Now I am heading over to crash the party for a glass of the Champagne. Or maybe I would be better off here just sucking down the potato Vodka that I had to buy myself because the Champagne broke my budget.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, May 17, 2013
So My Son Asked Me...
..."How much ammo do we have for our AKs". That was last night when he was getting ready to go on a trip to upstate NY with his girlfriend today. I just said we have some and asked if he wanted any for the trip. He said "nah" and took 100 rounds of 22WMR and maybe 30 rounds of 12 gauge shells, some buckshot and some birdshot. He could have taken some 7.62x39mm too, along with his AK, but I guess he figures we should conserve for if things get really bad and ammo becomes impossible to find.
As it turned out, just after he asked me that, I saw that Sportsmansguide.com had both 7.62x39mm ammo (at the least expensive price I have seen in a long while but still not a great price at .27 cents per round) and Sellier & Bellot 12 gauge 00 buckshot (at a very good price of $5.50 per 10 rounds) in stock.
Nah, I didn't order any. What can I say, I am either broke or lying or both. You figure it.
All the best,
GB
As it turned out, just after he asked me that, I saw that Sportsmansguide.com had both 7.62x39mm ammo (at the least expensive price I have seen in a long while but still not a great price at .27 cents per round) and Sellier & Bellot 12 gauge 00 buckshot (at a very good price of $5.50 per 10 rounds) in stock.
Nah, I didn't order any. What can I say, I am either broke or lying or both. You figure it.
All the best,
GB
Not All In Law Enforcement Are Against The RKBA
I tip my hat to the Sheriff's Departments who are supporting the right of the People to keep and bear arms and who have filed suit against the state of Colorado and its gun-control laws.
See: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/17/18323842-majority-of-colorado-sheriffs-file-suit-against-new-gun-laws?lite
Al the best,
Glenn B
See: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/17/18323842-majority-of-colorado-sheriffs-file-suit-against-new-gun-laws?lite
Al the best,
Glenn B
Remember Under Bush - There Were 30 Million Illegal Aliens Here...
...now, all of a sudden, there are only 11 million. That can only mean that Obama must have gotten rid of about 19 million of them over the past 4 1/2 years. Since that must be the case, I just do not understand why he cannot get rid of the other 11 million the same way he got rid of the first 19 million of them. What are they, tough guys or something? Or, are they just the ones Obama has chosen to keep around!
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Driver Thwarts Car Jacking - Takes Down Perp
Here is a pretty impressive and fairly graphic video showing a guy defending himself against an armed thug in what seems to be a possible car jacking. It happened recently according to the date stamp on the video, either February 3nd or March 2nd depending on how the date stamp was set up to read.
My interpretation of what I saw there is: The store owner/driver looks as if he may have sprayed the bad guy first or tried to poke him in the face with his car keys, he definitely has something in his left hand when it comes out the window, the first time, at the bad guy. Then he fends off the bad guys pistol, with his left hand, as he draws with his right hand. Note that, to me, it appears the first shot was at point blank range, the muzzle of the driver's handgun maybe even touching the bad guy on his body just under his left arm when the bad guy is still up against the SUV. You will see, if you watch closely, something black in the driver's hand which is almost undoubtedly his own pistol. Keep watching closely to see that the bad guy seems to spasm for a split second with gun arm pulling back and his head snapping to his right just after that something black in the drivers right hand goes to the I mentioned on the bad guy. The driver retracts his right hand and whatever is in it into he SUV. Note the second bad guy's reaction was just after what I think was the first and point blank shot; it was obviously too soon after the second time the driver's pistol came out of the window to be in reaction to it the second time his gun was being brought into play. Right about then is also when bad guy number one tries to flee. It was then that the driver appears to have fired two more shots, as the bad guy was trying to get away but was still an armed and a very imminent threat. Both follow-up shots look to have hit their mark judging by the movements of the desperado right after each shot was fired. The bad guy going down, hopefully permanently after the third shot. Like this one did, most such gun fights end in a matter of only a few seconds. I was pretty amazed tat a guy who had just left his store, and evidently forgot to lock the door, was alert enough to successfully to stop the threat but that is exactly what he did. It seems almost certain that he saw the bad guy approach in his side view mirror or heard him running up to the car because his left hand came out that quickly to deal with the threat. I have got to hand it to him, he was on the ball, at least on constant yellow alert and rapidly moving right from it to red. In addition, let me point out some smart things he did after the shooting and one not so smart. The not so smart first, he did not take cover once out of his vehicle. The first thing, after the shooting that he did that was smart was to break his tunnel vision. He walks to the back of the SUV and then starts to back up and looks left for a moment as if to look for other threats. Then he walks toward the rear of the vehicle again, gives a quick peek to the left, and walks out toward the left around the back of the SUV, effectively using the corner of the building for cover even though far from it in case the other bad guy was still around the other side of it. That would give the bad guy much less of an angle to hit him if still there. Note he maintains a combat ready stance throughout these moves. It also seems as if he may have communicated with the guy coming over from his left from across the street as the driver's hand can be seen going up for a moment when he is behind the SUV and the other guy, apparently a bystander, has just started to come toward him. Then he does something, again, very smart, he kicks the bad guys weapon away from the body. Remember, he sure could not be certain if that guy was dead or not. Then he backs away from the body, keeping the bad guy covered as he does so. The video ends to soon after that to tell much of what else he may have done to secure the situation (such as maybe pick up the bad guy's pistol) but there was one other thing, it looks as if (and I am guessing here) he may have been trying to get a cell phone out of his left jacket pocket. It seems to me that this guy did what he did based more than on watching Bruce Willis movies. I would bet he had decent training and practiced at it more than once, had a plan ready if ever accosted, and had a follow-up plan for what to do once the gun fight was terminated and he was the winner.
If anyone has a link to the story behind the video, please leave it in the comments section. Thanks.
All the best,
Glenn B
My interpretation of what I saw there is: The store owner/driver looks as if he may have sprayed the bad guy first or tried to poke him in the face with his car keys, he definitely has something in his left hand when it comes out the window, the first time, at the bad guy. Then he fends off the bad guys pistol, with his left hand, as he draws with his right hand. Note that, to me, it appears the first shot was at point blank range, the muzzle of the driver's handgun maybe even touching the bad guy on his body just under his left arm when the bad guy is still up against the SUV. You will see, if you watch closely, something black in the driver's hand which is almost undoubtedly his own pistol. Keep watching closely to see that the bad guy seems to spasm for a split second with gun arm pulling back and his head snapping to his right just after that something black in the drivers right hand goes to the I mentioned on the bad guy. The driver retracts his right hand and whatever is in it into he SUV. Note the second bad guy's reaction was just after what I think was the first and point blank shot; it was obviously too soon after the second time the driver's pistol came out of the window to be in reaction to it the second time his gun was being brought into play. Right about then is also when bad guy number one tries to flee. It was then that the driver appears to have fired two more shots, as the bad guy was trying to get away but was still an armed and a very imminent threat. Both follow-up shots look to have hit their mark judging by the movements of the desperado right after each shot was fired. The bad guy going down, hopefully permanently after the third shot. Like this one did, most such gun fights end in a matter of only a few seconds. I was pretty amazed tat a guy who had just left his store, and evidently forgot to lock the door, was alert enough to successfully to stop the threat but that is exactly what he did. It seems almost certain that he saw the bad guy approach in his side view mirror or heard him running up to the car because his left hand came out that quickly to deal with the threat. I have got to hand it to him, he was on the ball, at least on constant yellow alert and rapidly moving right from it to red. In addition, let me point out some smart things he did after the shooting and one not so smart. The not so smart first, he did not take cover once out of his vehicle. The first thing, after the shooting that he did that was smart was to break his tunnel vision. He walks to the back of the SUV and then starts to back up and looks left for a moment as if to look for other threats. Then he walks toward the rear of the vehicle again, gives a quick peek to the left, and walks out toward the left around the back of the SUV, effectively using the corner of the building for cover even though far from it in case the other bad guy was still around the other side of it. That would give the bad guy much less of an angle to hit him if still there. Note he maintains a combat ready stance throughout these moves. It also seems as if he may have communicated with the guy coming over from his left from across the street as the driver's hand can be seen going up for a moment when he is behind the SUV and the other guy, apparently a bystander, has just started to come toward him. Then he does something, again, very smart, he kicks the bad guys weapon away from the body. Remember, he sure could not be certain if that guy was dead or not. Then he backs away from the body, keeping the bad guy covered as he does so. The video ends to soon after that to tell much of what else he may have done to secure the situation (such as maybe pick up the bad guy's pistol) but there was one other thing, it looks as if (and I am guessing here) he may have been trying to get a cell phone out of his left jacket pocket. It seems to me that this guy did what he did based more than on watching Bruce Willis movies. I would bet he had decent training and practiced at it more than once, had a plan ready if ever accosted, and had a follow-up plan for what to do once the gun fight was terminated and he was the winner.
If anyone has a link to the story behind the video, please leave it in the comments section. Thanks.
All the best,
Glenn B
Shooter - Know Thyself and Improve Your Shooting
While reading a thread about buying a 1911 pistol, on the Long Island Firearms Forums, I came across a post in which a poster told about having seen two other shooters, shooting 2 brands of 1911 pistols, from a bench rest, getting group sizes up to 5" at 15 yards; then about how he shot a yet third brand of 1911 pistol from the bench rest, also at 15 yards, and got a much better group size of 2". He apparently believed that the difference in group size was due to the pistols or at least that is what was implied in what he wrote because he said "...my RO shot a tighter group, closer to the bulls eye that either of the other two 1911's that day, from a rest." (He as referring to his Springfield Armory Range officer model as opposed to 1911 pistols manufactured by Wilson Combat and Ed Brown.) Note how he says his pistol shot better and not that he was, in that particular situation, the better shooter and thus probably failed to give credit where it was due. My guess would be that had he shot worse than the other two guys he would have blamed it on his gun or at least implied such.
I figured it would be good to explain why there was probably such a difference in group sizes, fired by different guns, that he witnessed. It may benefit folks to know that good quality 1911 type pistols, in good working order, made by reputable manufacturers, in the same, or even somewhat different, price ranges as to MSRP, will be about as accurate as one another for general combat shooting.
When the post writer said that the shots were taken by all three guns from a bench rest, I am figuring he meant a hands on pistol type bench rest, something like the following two examples and not a Ransom Rest, the third photo below.
Note that the first two photos show the shooters are holding the pistols, with the Ransom Rest there is not a hand on he gun. That is because the Ransom Rest fires the gun once the mechanical rest is activated by a person. The human hand never holds or even touches the gun in that mechanical rest when it fires. The Ransom Rest is made from metal, is quite heavy and is secured to the bench with the gun secured in the rest. This is usually the type rest, if not the actual brand, used by gun manufacturers when they test their firearms for accuracy.
If the rest, from which he saw the shots taken, were ones which required the shooter to hold the firearm and activate the trigger with his trigger finger, then we can safely bet, that if nothing was mechanically or physically wrong with those other guns or the rests, it was the fault of the shooters for those larger groups and the prowess as a shooter of the person who wrote the post for his/her smaller group. If it was a from a Ransom Rest my bet would be either that: the rest was not set-up properly, the rest was faulty or the ammo was faulty. As for the poster shooting better in that instance as per his/her own claim he/she was not as good a shooter as the other guys, my bet is the poster simply did it better that time and both of the others merely did not do it as well as usual. If a shooter is holding the firearm, that shooter affects how it fires and how accurate are the shots. I strongly doubt it was due to the makes of the guns. It could have been, of course, also due to faulty or junk bench rests but my bet still is on the shooters because almost certainty, had the two who did not shoot as well known anything about bench rest, both shooters would have complained that something was wrong with it had there actually been something wrong and the other shooter did not seem to have a problem with the bench rest and shot a better group.
Let me show you an example of why, I think, it was probably the shooters and not the guns that mattered:
The above target was shot at 7 yards from a position of standing, strong hand supported (weak hand supporting the strong hand or two hand hold). There was no other support. There were 28 shots in total, on that target, all fired from a Remington R1 1911, same ammo. (All factory fresh JHP ammunition, think it was Remington, no reloads and not some super-duper man stopper ammo at crazy velocities.)
The second target was shot at 10 yards (yes further away than was the first target) from a position of standing, strong hand supported, just as was the first target and with the same exact Remington R1 1911 and the same ammo. So why the difference in group size, why did it get markedly better at 10 yards out than at 7 yards?
The difference was the shooter and nothing else. No, there were not two different shooters, it was the same guy shooting each time but it definitely was the shooter who made all of the difference. I know that for a fact because I shot both targets. The first one consists of the very first 28 shots I ever fired with my Remington R1 1911. I had not fired a pistol in .45 caliber for about at least 5 years more or less. I was anxious to shoot it and maybe subconsciously concerned about recoil and it shows. I took a little break after that, fired another pistol for several shots, a 9mm, and did much better with it. I thought about what I may have done differently with the .45 and about what I should do to correct for it and to get it right; in other words I realized it was me and not the pistol or the ammo at fault and decided to correct myself. I fired another 14 rounds out of it. The result was the second target and I note again it was even further away than had been the first target yet has a much better group.
In almost every instance of good versus poor shooting (or better versus worse shooting in instances where a shooter is consistently poor or good but can improve either way), with a current production good quality firearm, from a respectable manufacturer, in good working condition, it is the shooter who makes the difference. The human factor is, almost without any doubt in my mind, the variable in the shooting described by the guy who made that post in the firearms forum. The only doubt there could be would arise because I do not know anything about the specific firearms and ammo that he/she saw being shot.
How does that benefit anyone who shoots. Well, if they understand what I said and if they believe it, especially that they themselves are likely at fault when not getting great groups (knowing thyself, so to speak), and then work on their technique to improve it using the fundamentals of pistol shooting correctly, their shooting will almost certainly improve. That is unless they know they are already perfect and are always doing it right for each and every shot. If they think like that, there is no hope for them unless they actually are perfect shots. In all my years, I have not met one perfect shot, nor heard of one, except when shooters who are legends in their own minds are describing their own marksmanship abilities.
All the best,
Glenn B
I figured it would be good to explain why there was probably such a difference in group sizes, fired by different guns, that he witnessed. It may benefit folks to know that good quality 1911 type pistols, in good working order, made by reputable manufacturers, in the same, or even somewhat different, price ranges as to MSRP, will be about as accurate as one another for general combat shooting.
Note that the first two photos show the shooters are holding the pistols, with the Ransom Rest there is not a hand on he gun. That is because the Ransom Rest fires the gun once the mechanical rest is activated by a person. The human hand never holds or even touches the gun in that mechanical rest when it fires. The Ransom Rest is made from metal, is quite heavy and is secured to the bench with the gun secured in the rest. This is usually the type rest, if not the actual brand, used by gun manufacturers when they test their firearms for accuracy.
If the rest, from which he saw the shots taken, were ones which required the shooter to hold the firearm and activate the trigger with his trigger finger, then we can safely bet, that if nothing was mechanically or physically wrong with those other guns or the rests, it was the fault of the shooters for those larger groups and the prowess as a shooter of the person who wrote the post for his/her smaller group. If it was a from a Ransom Rest my bet would be either that: the rest was not set-up properly, the rest was faulty or the ammo was faulty. As for the poster shooting better in that instance as per his/her own claim he/she was not as good a shooter as the other guys, my bet is the poster simply did it better that time and both of the others merely did not do it as well as usual. If a shooter is holding the firearm, that shooter affects how it fires and how accurate are the shots. I strongly doubt it was due to the makes of the guns. It could have been, of course, also due to faulty or junk bench rests but my bet still is on the shooters because almost certainty, had the two who did not shoot as well known anything about bench rest, both shooters would have complained that something was wrong with it had there actually been something wrong and the other shooter did not seem to have a problem with the bench rest and shot a better group.
Let me show you an example of why, I think, it was probably the shooters and not the guns that mattered:
The above target was shot at 7 yards from a position of standing, strong hand supported (weak hand supporting the strong hand or two hand hold). There was no other support. There were 28 shots in total, on that target, all fired from a Remington R1 1911, same ammo. (All factory fresh JHP ammunition, think it was Remington, no reloads and not some super-duper man stopper ammo at crazy velocities.)
The second target was shot at 10 yards (yes further away than was the first target) from a position of standing, strong hand supported, just as was the first target and with the same exact Remington R1 1911 and the same ammo. So why the difference in group size, why did it get markedly better at 10 yards out than at 7 yards?
The difference was the shooter and nothing else. No, there were not two different shooters, it was the same guy shooting each time but it definitely was the shooter who made all of the difference. I know that for a fact because I shot both targets. The first one consists of the very first 28 shots I ever fired with my Remington R1 1911. I had not fired a pistol in .45 caliber for about at least 5 years more or less. I was anxious to shoot it and maybe subconsciously concerned about recoil and it shows. I took a little break after that, fired another pistol for several shots, a 9mm, and did much better with it. I thought about what I may have done differently with the .45 and about what I should do to correct for it and to get it right; in other words I realized it was me and not the pistol or the ammo at fault and decided to correct myself. I fired another 14 rounds out of it. The result was the second target and I note again it was even further away than had been the first target yet has a much better group.
In almost every instance of good versus poor shooting (or better versus worse shooting in instances where a shooter is consistently poor or good but can improve either way), with a current production good quality firearm, from a respectable manufacturer, in good working condition, it is the shooter who makes the difference. The human factor is, almost without any doubt in my mind, the variable in the shooting described by the guy who made that post in the firearms forum. The only doubt there could be would arise because I do not know anything about the specific firearms and ammo that he/she saw being shot.
How does that benefit anyone who shoots. Well, if they understand what I said and if they believe it, especially that they themselves are likely at fault when not getting great groups (knowing thyself, so to speak), and then work on their technique to improve it using the fundamentals of pistol shooting correctly, their shooting will almost certainly improve. That is unless they know they are already perfect and are always doing it right for each and every shot. If they think like that, there is no hope for them unless they actually are perfect shots. In all my years, I have not met one perfect shot, nor heard of one, except when shooters who are legends in their own minds are describing their own marksmanship abilities.
All the best,
Glenn B
Take The Star Road
Peter, over at Bayou Renaissance Man, has electronically published his first book. It is a work of Science Fiction, Take The Star Road, and is currently available here. It will be published in a paper version, later on.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Right To Keep And Bear Arms Versus Special Privilege
Recently, a friend and former coworker of mine was dismayed because there was no provision, under the NY SAFE Act (gun control law) allowing retired federal agents to retain the law enforcement privilege of carrying standard capacity firearms
magazines as opposed to low capacity magazines. He acknowledged himself as now a civilian but believed that, due to service to the nation as a law enforcement officer, there should be a provision, in gun control laws, like the NY SAFE Act, exempting members of that group from so called high capacity (actually standard) magazine laws.
This was my reply:
The truth is that now, once retired, you are exactly "...legally a civilian..." in virtually all regards. As you can see, even groups like FLEOA (the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association) pay less attention to you and your concerns now that you are retired and are now in a smaller group - retirees – than the larger group - active LEOs - of their membership. The fact is, now that you are a 'civilian again', you have returned, in the majority of ways, to a much larger group. You are a regular citizen without any, or with greatly reduced, special privileges based on your having been a member of a special group - law enforcement. In fact, we have always been part of that larger group - the citizenry - we never left it just because we were LEOs.
Unfortunately, too many of us had forgotten that while part of the world of law enforcement we were still citizens. We separated ourselves by the ‘us against them’ mentality. Let’s face it, to some extent, every law enforcement agency or department sadly removes itself, and its officers, from feeling itself as part of the regular citizenry by way of the us against them mentality. Then suddenly, upon retirement, we individual officers are reminded once again that we are just typical citizens; granted ones who have served our nation, and defended our Constitution, but now pretty much without the special privileges we had while so employed though in some cases we do retain a few of them.
Luckily for me, I never forgot throughout my career that I was defending the Constitution, serving the people nor that I was one of the citizenry. That can be evidenced by me having had become involved in a few cases of rights violations, over the years while an LEO, wherein I spoke out about those violations and reported them to my supervisors. Mind you, I am no weeping whiner about criminals getting their due and just punishment but I never could abide by blatant criminal violations of someone's rights by the same people who were supposed to be enforcing the law, such as beating a prisoner unjustifiably or warrantless entries when a warrant was required by law. While part of the government, I was also a watchdog against government that would slip into tyranny even on the ground level. I was even more so a proponent of firearms rights because I have always known that if the government ever wanted to illegally take over, become a tyranny, or in any way suppress our rights and liberties, it would come after that right first and hardest (just as the government is doing today). So, upon retirement, from a 32 year career in LE, it was easy for me to realize, that while a member of both, I was not as much part of the group of retired LEOs as I was part of the group of United States Citizens.
Please, don't for a moment think that I have forgotten or ignore that I am part of both groups, it is just I realize which group is most important and that is not the smaller of the two. When we were working as federal agents, we were the servants of the People and not their masters. Sadly, the government, over the past several years, seems to have forgotten that. The only way we are going to survive as Americans, living in the UNITED States of America, is to remain united with one another. Just look to Missouri’s recent actions regarding federal gun control; they have voted in a law to make it illegal to enforce federal gun control within that state. Think about that, it is truly befitting of the words inspiring and frightening. It means that a single state is willing to stand up against the federal government and maybe all of the other states, in order to protect the right of the people to keep and bear arms as opposed to the state supporting special entitlements for special groups. It is inspiring because it is a good thing in that it supports the rights of everyone, frightening because it could be an indicator of an impending civil war if it goes much further. Imagine, a state that has actually realized that the rights of all outweigh even the rights of the government (a very special interest group indeed).
While it would be nice to be able to retain our law enforcement firearms privileges into retirement (and note our ability to carry firearms and standard capacity magazines instead of low capacity magazines was a privilege of the job not a right) we must not try to do so by way of giving up our right to keep and bear arms and thus the right of the People to do so. Giving up our right to keep and bear arms is basically what we are doing if we push for changes, to gun control laws, that allow us special exemptions from gun control laws to carry higher capacity magazines or certain types of firearms that the same law prevents the rest of the citizenry from possessing. By trying to obtain such a privilege, based upon our law enforcement service, we would be giving up the right to keep and bear arms for ourselves and the citizenry because we are in effect agreeing with the government that special conditions must be met to sustain such an advantage and such not be granted to every citizen because they are not in our preferred group – thus negating a right the People already possess. In other words, we have fallen into the "us against them mindset" even in retirement and we have become concerned with our welfare, as retired LEOs, more so than we are concerned with the rights of the People whom we supposedly served. All that will accomplish is to assure that the citizenry, in large numbers, will see us as part of the problem, the problem being the government today which is more oppressive of the rights of the people than any I have seen in my lifetime. By seeking special government sanction regarding the keeping and bearing of arms, we are becoming the lackeys of the same government that is destroying that right for the People by turning it into a special privilege for the few. We would be lending support for the destruction of that right for other citizens by way of our not fighting equally for their rights as we are for our 'retired LE' privileges.
Now mind you, I am not saying not to take advantage of such benefits if they are available to retired LEOs. I think you would be crazy not to take advantage of something like LEOSA or something like the waiver of a pistol license fee for retired LEO’s. We are due some special privileges but not those that seek to undermine the rights guaranteed in our Constitution. However, I do not lend support to LEOSA, and never have, without first assuring that I have given 10X the amount of support to assuring we, as regular citizens, remain at liberty to exercise our right to keep and bear arms. In fact, if it came down to a choice, and it actually has done so for me, I would abandon all support for LEOSA and dedicate all of my efforts to the RKBA for virtually all citizens. The truth is that there should be no need for LEOSA because as I remember reading: "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." Bear in mind, no matter how you read it, it does not say that in order to keep and bear arms you must be in a militia. Nor does it say, or even imply, that in order to carry certain types of weapons, or certain magazine sizes (or amount of ammunition ready for use), you must first be part of a special group such as a militia or a law enforcement group. It does say though, it is the right of the People! It also says that the militia is needed to keep a free state secure and because of that, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be reduced (infringed). In other words, something was needed for the People to be able to keep government in check and to maintain the nation as a free state all while remembering that any state is made up of its people.
Back then, the militias were made up of every able bodied man, from teen years into old age, who could carry a weapon. They were used for very few things but all involved protection of the people. The most notable use of the militias was to assist in the overthrow of tyranny, thus keeping the people free. The only way they could have done so was by having the liberty to bear arms. You will remember, no doubt, that the first battle of the American Revolution, was fought by Minutemen (militia) because the English were attempting to disarm them by seizing an armory. Special interest groups - the government and the military - were involved in trying to deny the larger general interest group – the citizenry – of its rights. To those people, who would soon become the first American citizens, such a thing as being unarmed was unfathomable and they were willing to die to protect the RKBA as well as others.
Therefore, I arrived at the conclusion that I must, first and foremost, support We The People on any rights issues and not we the special interest groups while at the same time standing for the rights of the individual. While I do and will continue to take advantage of a law like LEOSA, to remain armed in my travels throughout the United States, because I would be crazy not to make use of it, I can no longer support those efforts that want to give members of special interest groups special privileges above and beyond those of any other citizen. I have been and am even more vehemently fighting for the right of us all to keep and bear arms without infringement. Why? Because it seems to me that special preference over the People of the United States is the first way a tyrant assures that many of those to whom he grants such advantages will remain loyal to him and thus make it more likely that tyranny will raise its ugly head. So, I choose to remain loyal to the Constitution and to the People, both of which I was sworn to protect. That is especially true on the issue of the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
I strongly recommend that you do so too. I suggest that you, as a retired law enforcement officer, while remembering you are indeed also a civilian, join together with others among the general citizenry of the nation who are fighting for the our right to keep and bear arms and our liberty to exercise that right freely. Look into the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Foundation, the National Association For Gun Rights or others. Bear in mind that while they are groups, they are not fighting for a special interest to be bestowed merely upon their groups, they are fighting for a right, and the liberty to exercise that right, that belongs to all of us whether or not we choose to exercise it. Then join at least one of them and donate to their efforts to protect our RKBA. Continue writing to politicians to support that same right. Keep reminding them that yes indeed you are retired law enforcement but also remind them you, and they too, swore to uphold the Constitution and thus the Second Amendment and all other rights of the People. Keep on contacting special interest groups like the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) and the Fraternal Order of Police. Let them know that even as a retired LEO, you stand with the People on this issue and, as sworn defenders of the Constitution, so too should they.
The only way that we are going to win on this issue and to assure that tyranny does not have the final say is by uniting. In order to unite we must defend and support the larger group whose rights are at risk and forsake the special privileges sought by the special interest groups. This is a rights and liberties issue, it is not about privilege.
All the best,
Glenn B
magazines as opposed to low capacity magazines. He acknowledged himself as now a civilian but believed that, due to service to the nation as a law enforcement officer, there should be a provision, in gun control laws, like the NY SAFE Act, exempting members of that group from so called high capacity (actually standard) magazine laws.
This was my reply:
The truth is that now, once retired, you are exactly "...legally a civilian..." in virtually all regards. As you can see, even groups like FLEOA (the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association) pay less attention to you and your concerns now that you are retired and are now in a smaller group - retirees – than the larger group - active LEOs - of their membership. The fact is, now that you are a 'civilian again', you have returned, in the majority of ways, to a much larger group. You are a regular citizen without any, or with greatly reduced, special privileges based on your having been a member of a special group - law enforcement. In fact, we have always been part of that larger group - the citizenry - we never left it just because we were LEOs.
Unfortunately, too many of us had forgotten that while part of the world of law enforcement we were still citizens. We separated ourselves by the ‘us against them’ mentality. Let’s face it, to some extent, every law enforcement agency or department sadly removes itself, and its officers, from feeling itself as part of the regular citizenry by way of the us against them mentality. Then suddenly, upon retirement, we individual officers are reminded once again that we are just typical citizens; granted ones who have served our nation, and defended our Constitution, but now pretty much without the special privileges we had while so employed though in some cases we do retain a few of them.
Luckily for me, I never forgot throughout my career that I was defending the Constitution, serving the people nor that I was one of the citizenry. That can be evidenced by me having had become involved in a few cases of rights violations, over the years while an LEO, wherein I spoke out about those violations and reported them to my supervisors. Mind you, I am no weeping whiner about criminals getting their due and just punishment but I never could abide by blatant criminal violations of someone's rights by the same people who were supposed to be enforcing the law, such as beating a prisoner unjustifiably or warrantless entries when a warrant was required by law. While part of the government, I was also a watchdog against government that would slip into tyranny even on the ground level. I was even more so a proponent of firearms rights because I have always known that if the government ever wanted to illegally take over, become a tyranny, or in any way suppress our rights and liberties, it would come after that right first and hardest (just as the government is doing today). So, upon retirement, from a 32 year career in LE, it was easy for me to realize, that while a member of both, I was not as much part of the group of retired LEOs as I was part of the group of United States Citizens.
Please, don't for a moment think that I have forgotten or ignore that I am part of both groups, it is just I realize which group is most important and that is not the smaller of the two. When we were working as federal agents, we were the servants of the People and not their masters. Sadly, the government, over the past several years, seems to have forgotten that. The only way we are going to survive as Americans, living in the UNITED States of America, is to remain united with one another. Just look to Missouri’s recent actions regarding federal gun control; they have voted in a law to make it illegal to enforce federal gun control within that state. Think about that, it is truly befitting of the words inspiring and frightening. It means that a single state is willing to stand up against the federal government and maybe all of the other states, in order to protect the right of the people to keep and bear arms as opposed to the state supporting special entitlements for special groups. It is inspiring because it is a good thing in that it supports the rights of everyone, frightening because it could be an indicator of an impending civil war if it goes much further. Imagine, a state that has actually realized that the rights of all outweigh even the rights of the government (a very special interest group indeed).
While it would be nice to be able to retain our law enforcement firearms privileges into retirement (and note our ability to carry firearms and standard capacity magazines instead of low capacity magazines was a privilege of the job not a right) we must not try to do so by way of giving up our right to keep and bear arms and thus the right of the People to do so. Giving up our right to keep and bear arms is basically what we are doing if we push for changes, to gun control laws, that allow us special exemptions from gun control laws to carry higher capacity magazines or certain types of firearms that the same law prevents the rest of the citizenry from possessing. By trying to obtain such a privilege, based upon our law enforcement service, we would be giving up the right to keep and bear arms for ourselves and the citizenry because we are in effect agreeing with the government that special conditions must be met to sustain such an advantage and such not be granted to every citizen because they are not in our preferred group – thus negating a right the People already possess. In other words, we have fallen into the "us against them mindset" even in retirement and we have become concerned with our welfare, as retired LEOs, more so than we are concerned with the rights of the People whom we supposedly served. All that will accomplish is to assure that the citizenry, in large numbers, will see us as part of the problem, the problem being the government today which is more oppressive of the rights of the people than any I have seen in my lifetime. By seeking special government sanction regarding the keeping and bearing of arms, we are becoming the lackeys of the same government that is destroying that right for the People by turning it into a special privilege for the few. We would be lending support for the destruction of that right for other citizens by way of our not fighting equally for their rights as we are for our 'retired LE' privileges.
Now mind you, I am not saying not to take advantage of such benefits if they are available to retired LEOs. I think you would be crazy not to take advantage of something like LEOSA or something like the waiver of a pistol license fee for retired LEO’s. We are due some special privileges but not those that seek to undermine the rights guaranteed in our Constitution. However, I do not lend support to LEOSA, and never have, without first assuring that I have given 10X the amount of support to assuring we, as regular citizens, remain at liberty to exercise our right to keep and bear arms. In fact, if it came down to a choice, and it actually has done so for me, I would abandon all support for LEOSA and dedicate all of my efforts to the RKBA for virtually all citizens. The truth is that there should be no need for LEOSA because as I remember reading: "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." Bear in mind, no matter how you read it, it does not say that in order to keep and bear arms you must be in a militia. Nor does it say, or even imply, that in order to carry certain types of weapons, or certain magazine sizes (or amount of ammunition ready for use), you must first be part of a special group such as a militia or a law enforcement group. It does say though, it is the right of the People! It also says that the militia is needed to keep a free state secure and because of that, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be reduced (infringed). In other words, something was needed for the People to be able to keep government in check and to maintain the nation as a free state all while remembering that any state is made up of its people.
Back then, the militias were made up of every able bodied man, from teen years into old age, who could carry a weapon. They were used for very few things but all involved protection of the people. The most notable use of the militias was to assist in the overthrow of tyranny, thus keeping the people free. The only way they could have done so was by having the liberty to bear arms. You will remember, no doubt, that the first battle of the American Revolution, was fought by Minutemen (militia) because the English were attempting to disarm them by seizing an armory. Special interest groups - the government and the military - were involved in trying to deny the larger general interest group – the citizenry – of its rights. To those people, who would soon become the first American citizens, such a thing as being unarmed was unfathomable and they were willing to die to protect the RKBA as well as others.
Therefore, I arrived at the conclusion that I must, first and foremost, support We The People on any rights issues and not we the special interest groups while at the same time standing for the rights of the individual. While I do and will continue to take advantage of a law like LEOSA, to remain armed in my travels throughout the United States, because I would be crazy not to make use of it, I can no longer support those efforts that want to give members of special interest groups special privileges above and beyond those of any other citizen. I have been and am even more vehemently fighting for the right of us all to keep and bear arms without infringement. Why? Because it seems to me that special preference over the People of the United States is the first way a tyrant assures that many of those to whom he grants such advantages will remain loyal to him and thus make it more likely that tyranny will raise its ugly head. So, I choose to remain loyal to the Constitution and to the People, both of which I was sworn to protect. That is especially true on the issue of the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
I strongly recommend that you do so too. I suggest that you, as a retired law enforcement officer, while remembering you are indeed also a civilian, join together with others among the general citizenry of the nation who are fighting for the our right to keep and bear arms and our liberty to exercise that right freely. Look into the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Foundation, the National Association For Gun Rights or others. Bear in mind that while they are groups, they are not fighting for a special interest to be bestowed merely upon their groups, they are fighting for a right, and the liberty to exercise that right, that belongs to all of us whether or not we choose to exercise it. Then join at least one of them and donate to their efforts to protect our RKBA. Continue writing to politicians to support that same right. Keep reminding them that yes indeed you are retired law enforcement but also remind them you, and they too, swore to uphold the Constitution and thus the Second Amendment and all other rights of the People. Keep on contacting special interest groups like the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) and the Fraternal Order of Police. Let them know that even as a retired LEO, you stand with the People on this issue and, as sworn defenders of the Constitution, so too should they.
The only way that we are going to win on this issue and to assure that tyranny does not have the final say is by uniting. In order to unite we must defend and support the larger group whose rights are at risk and forsake the special privileges sought by the special interest groups. This is a rights and liberties issue, it is not about privilege.
*************************************************************
I hope it helps gets the message across to others who are retired from law enforcement and to those who are still active LEOs.All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, May 13, 2013
How Much Difference Does 39 Years Make?
Apparently not much if you are Hillary Clinton, she is still an uber liberal!
Hat tip to Bob C for sending me this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
Hat tip to Bob C for sending me this one.
All the best,
Glenn B
NJ Firearms & Politicians = "Confiscate, Confiscate, Confiscate"
Watch the video, then read about what he is talking about at the below link.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/pro-gun_advocates_angry_over_n.html
All the best,
Glenn B
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/pro-gun_advocates_angry_over_n.html
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Hope You Had A Happy Mothers' Day - My Mom Did
I visited my mom at the assisted living facility where she lives. It is really a very nice place. She has her own apartment, this is not a nursing home and she shares a community room, a dining area and a fairly nice garden. I visited her today and when she saw me, she was brought to tears, happy ones - go figure. We took a walk to the marina at the end of the block on which she lives, she rode in a wheel chair and I pushed. It is about a half mile from her front door to the end of the pier. Once there we sat there, enjoyed the nice day, and talked for about an hour or a bit more. Then back to her apartment. My sister and sister-in-law visited her yesterday.
Our visit today was a short one, only about an hour and a half in total but I had to get back home because my mother-in-law was coming over. Sadly my mom cannot visit our house because it is just too inaccessible for her; she cannot do stairs and the only bathrooms are on the 2nd floor and in the basement plus there are entry stairs.
The next visit will probably be longer as they usually are and I may take her out to eat somewhere local to her place. There is a nice seafood restaurant at the marina. Today, I considered stopping in there with my mom and forgoing the visit with my mother-in-law and brothers-in-law but saw it already was way too packed at half past noon to have an enjoyable time there. There was a huge crowd of Mothers' Day revelers. I figured another day would be nicer, less hurried and no reservations required. Then again, I also bought her a gift card for Friendly's awhile back, she loves ice cream, that we still have to use. If it was up to me, I think the seafood restaurant would win out but she does love ice cream and I will have to leave the choice up to my mom.
All the best,
Glenn B
Are You A Tax Payer - Then You Should Be Furious...
...once you watch this video. Granted this video is about California's welfare system but you could easily extrapolate to wind up at the conclusion that this is the same basic thing happening in any state in the USA that hands out welfare. They all hand out way too much of our money to those useless pieces of crap on the dole. I say make them work, make it work-fare not welfare or give them no support at all. If they do not want to work, banish them to an island and feed them on old stale bread, cheese and peanut butter with only water to drink. You would see them become productive citizens really quickly if that were put into effect.
A hat tip to Wirecutter for having posted this on his site from whence I shamelessly lifted it.
All the best,
Glenn B
A hat tip to Wirecutter for having posted this on his site from whence I shamelessly lifted it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Hey Al Gore, Was it Global Warming...
...or cooling or the catchall of climate change that was responsible for this event; see:
Let me just say: Fuck you Al Gore, you egregiously repetitive deceitful sack of shit.
Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/12/18213239-giant-sheets-of-ice-creep-onto-minnesota-shore-surge-toward-houses?lite=
All the best,
Glenn B
Let me just say: Fuck you Al Gore, you egregiously repetitive deceitful sack of shit.
Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/12/18213239-giant-sheets-of-ice-creep-onto-minnesota-shore-surge-toward-houses?lite=
All the best,
Glenn B
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