...in that beginning yesterday and working into today, I feel as healthy as a horse (a thoroughbred at that). Go figure, sick as all get out one day, and feeling wonderful the next. Almost as if about 5 or 6 weeks of being ill never happened. I cannot figure it, but I am not going to second guess it. So I'll take it for what it is worth, which is a great feeling.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
The Pack Mentality...
...can lead to some funny situations if you own a few dogs or more. Take suppertime for the dogs at my house. Each and every night the dogs get all excited before they are to be fed. All three of them go to the kitchen, whenever someone walks into it, in anticipation of being fed. As their bowls are being filled they prance around anxiously, unless I am feeding them and I tell them to sit (I have to do that several times before it takes hold as they are so excited). Then they chow down with abandon, well at least the two smaller ones do. Hexi the Dachshund just about swallows everything whole. Pepe (as in Pepe Le Pew, not as as if a Mexican name) gulps as fast as he can with a few crunches heard as he quickly chews the food. Sprocket, our old lady of a dog, takes her sweet time eating. She has dog bowl manners.
While Sprocket eats, you can easily see that the other two, both long since finished with cleaning out their own bowls, are anxiously awaiting Sprocket to finish so they can go to her bowl to eat whatever little bit she leaves behind. We have had Pepe for about 2 years now and he learned quickly from Hexi that good things await them in Sprocket's bowl once she has had her fill. This lesson took awhile though, Pepe used to try to run in and grab something right from the bowl as Sprocket was chowing down only to be snapped at by Sprocket. He learned his lesson for the most part, but now that Sprocket is so old she is slower than she was with a young Hexi years ago, and sometimes Pepe still makes an attempt that is sometimes fruitful for him. Hexi used to try but also learned her lesson after being thoroughly scared by Sprockets growls and snapping jaws.
The thing is the lesson was learned and is now being forgotten. over the past several months, Sprocket has slowed down a lot. She is about 17 or 18 years old by our best estimations. We got her when she was about 4 or 5 and have had her 13 years now. She is getting really old, and with old age comes the joys of the 'golden years', or so they are called. Both Hexi and Pepe have picked up on this big recent change in Sprocket's speed; and as I said Pepe still sometimes makes a dash for Sprocket's bowl, and he grabs a morsel before she can react. Hexi has seen this and has seen Sprocket slow down, and she has become more brazen too. I guess the pictures will show it all.
Of course, with food at stake Hexi, the canine vacuum cleaner of all things edible, can barely withhold her urges to get some more. She is a true glutton, and if we allowed her to do so, she would turn herself into something that would rival the Goodyear blimp for girth relative to length. She is no fool though, and she know that if she tries to get right into Sprocket's bowl, Sprocket will give her a quick reprimand. Yet when she sees an opportunity, she goes for it. She is no slouch when it comes to grabbing a morsel, and if you look closely at the third picture, you will see a morsel tempting her, almost as if calling her name and saying: "eat me". 
So she starts to make a move, right through Sprockets legs. I can assure you, a move like that in the past would have wound up with Sprocket giving a snarl, a snap of her jaws, and Hexi soon on the run to the safety of the living room. As it turned out tonight, yes these pics are from tonight, Hexi was able to make it all the way to the fallen crumb, and snatch it up without Sprocket doing more than looking over at her. Maybe that was because of old age, or maybe because Sprocket was just about full; she finished her supper just a moment or two later, and then took her inevitable walk to the water bowl for a long drink. Once she did that, the remaining few bits and pieces in her bowl were open for poaching by both Hexi and Pepe. 
As you can see from the final picture, they both pig out in mutual glee once Sprocket's muzzle had vacated her bowl. Funny thing is though, if Hexi or Pepe were to try to steal food from the other's respective bowl there would be trouble for sure; it's just at Sprocket's bowl where they dine in mutual satisfaction without guarding the food. By the way, any of the family can go to any of the dogs' bowls, while they are eating, and take food out of them without fear of reprisal from them. The dogs know who are the bosses. The pack mentality is a wonderful thing, and as seen, quite amusing at times.
While Sprocket eats, you can easily see that the other two, both long since finished with cleaning out their own bowls, are anxiously awaiting Sprocket to finish so they can go to her bowl to eat whatever little bit she leaves behind. We have had Pepe for about 2 years now and he learned quickly from Hexi that good things await them in Sprocket's bowl once she has had her fill. This lesson took awhile though, Pepe used to try to run in and grab something right from the bowl as Sprocket was chowing down only to be snapped at by Sprocket. He learned his lesson for the most part, but now that Sprocket is so old she is slower than she was with a young Hexi years ago, and sometimes Pepe still makes an attempt that is sometimes fruitful for him. Hexi used to try but also learned her lesson after being thoroughly scared by Sprockets growls and snapping jaws. 
The thing is the lesson was learned and is now being forgotten. over the past several months, Sprocket has slowed down a lot. She is about 17 or 18 years old by our best estimations. We got her when she was about 4 or 5 and have had her 13 years now. She is getting really old, and with old age comes the joys of the 'golden years', or so they are called. Both Hexi and Pepe have picked up on this big recent change in Sprocket's speed; and as I said Pepe still sometimes makes a dash for Sprocket's bowl, and he grabs a morsel before she can react. Hexi has seen this and has seen Sprocket slow down, and she has become more brazen too. I guess the pictures will show it all.In the first picture above, Pepe and Hexi wait patiently for Sprocket to finish her supper; their own bowls, both quite empty, can be seen in the background. Sprocket takes so much time chewing her food as she eats though that Pepe and Hexi are soon beyond the limits of remaining patient as can be seen in the second picture. Not too brazen yet, but certainly wanting Sprocket to hurry up, finish, and get away from her bowl. Sprocket doesn't even notice, she never did when they were that far away. She really never cared unless one of them got really close to the bowl. Then she would tell them what for, and remind them who was/is the leader of the pack.
Of course, with food at stake Hexi, the canine vacuum cleaner of all things edible, can barely withhold her urges to get some more. She is a true glutton, and if we allowed her to do so, she would turn herself into something that would rival the Goodyear blimp for girth relative to length. She is no fool though, and she know that if she tries to get right into Sprocket's bowl, Sprocket will give her a quick reprimand. Yet when she sees an opportunity, she goes for it. She is no slouch when it comes to grabbing a morsel, and if you look closely at the third picture, you will see a morsel tempting her, almost as if calling her name and saying: "eat me". 
So she starts to make a move, right through Sprockets legs. I can assure you, a move like that in the past would have wound up with Sprocket giving a snarl, a snap of her jaws, and Hexi soon on the run to the safety of the living room. As it turned out tonight, yes these pics are from tonight, Hexi was able to make it all the way to the fallen crumb, and snatch it up without Sprocket doing more than looking over at her. Maybe that was because of old age, or maybe because Sprocket was just about full; she finished her supper just a moment or two later, and then took her inevitable walk to the water bowl for a long drink. Once she did that, the remaining few bits and pieces in her bowl were open for poaching by both Hexi and Pepe. 
As you can see from the final picture, they both pig out in mutual glee once Sprocket's muzzle had vacated her bowl. Funny thing is though, if Hexi or Pepe were to try to steal food from the other's respective bowl there would be trouble for sure; it's just at Sprocket's bowl where they dine in mutual satisfaction without guarding the food. By the way, any of the family can go to any of the dogs' bowls, while they are eating, and take food out of them without fear of reprisal from them. The dogs know who are the bosses. The pack mentality is a wonderful thing, and as seen, quite amusing at times.All the best,
Glenn B
Dedicated to Milo, a good friend of Sprocket's, who is now in dog heaven eating steaks and taking it easy.
9/11/2001 - 9/11/2006...
CARPE DIEM, seize the day! Never forget this day, live by it; and always be prepared as best you can for whatever may come next; that way you will be able to make the most of any day when it comes, whatever it may bring.
They shall not be forgotten, at least in my lifetime: not they who perished, they who were wounded, they who fought so valiantly, they who responded with superhuman effort and care, not any of them. They will always remain in my thoughts, as will their families and loved ones. There is a special place in memory for them each and everyone of them even though I will never have known most of them.
As for the others, they will not be forgotten either. They are in my mind each and every day. They are the enemy, and maybe I hope beyond reasonable hope, but I hope to one day be able to do my part to bring at least one of them down. Carpe Diem.
All the best,
Glenn B
They shall not be forgotten, at least in my lifetime: not they who perished, they who were wounded, they who fought so valiantly, they who responded with superhuman effort and care, not any of them. They will always remain in my thoughts, as will their families and loved ones. There is a special place in memory for them each and everyone of them even though I will never have known most of them.
As for the others, they will not be forgotten either. They are in my mind each and every day. They are the enemy, and maybe I hope beyond reasonable hope, but I hope to one day be able to do my part to bring at least one of them down. Carpe Diem.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, September 10, 2007
Good Eats...
...are just about all I can think about right now both because I am watching (yes as I type) Zimmern & Bourdain: New York, and because I started my daily intake with a bottle of Magnesium Citrate, followed tonight by a couple of liters of Movie-Prep (no that is not something you do before watching a movie, at least not if you want to watch it uninterrupted by your having to get up often). Off to the doc's tomorrow for some scoping from both ends - oh joy that it will be. Well yes, actually it will be a joy if they figure out what had been ailing me. It will also be a joy because I won't be drinking this ass blaster fuel anymore. Most of all though, it will be a joy because tomorrow, after the tests, I can eat again. I have not eaten since last night, and while I am not starving, watching this show has certainly fired up my appetite. I am going to buy myself one heck of a nice piece of meat tomorrow. Maybe it will be a Porterhouse Steak, maybe some ribs, maybe lamb chops, maybe roast duck - but for sure whatever it is - it will be a nice piece of cooked meat that I use to satisfy my appetite. There may be some side dishes like a salad, some clams on the half-shell, or even some octopus, along with a piece or two of good black bread, or Lithuanian Rye bread (not your packaged bread at all), or Corn Rye bread (and maybe a shot of Corn Whiskey) but the main dish, the really huge part of the meal, will be a good piece of roasted or broiled meat. A good ale to wash it all down will follow. If I get sick after that, so be it, but it will be worth it - I'd get sick just the same after anything else I would have eaten - so I may as well truly enjoy it to the max.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Mexican Pipeline Blown Up - Not one word about...
...TERRORISM was mentioned in the articles I read about the sabotage of the Gas Pipelines in Mexico (see: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296239,00.html, and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6987643.stm) and I wonder why? Is it that it would look bad for politicians here in the USA who support, or at least do not oppose, the influx of illegal aliens from that country? Or is it that Mexican authorities, especially its president, fear that the borders would be more closely watched if they referred to these acts as acts of terrorism? Or maybe it is because, the great number of illegal aliens within our borders, and the racists who support them, would be OH-fen-ded should the media indicate the true nature of these attacks; and the media just does not have the chutzpah to offend anyone on the left.
If I was the boss, the borders of the USA would have been shut down, at least for several hours, while steps were implemented to assure that our government had coordinated with the Mexican government to assure that the terrorists who caused those explosions were not able to flee Mexico over our border with said country. Of course, that does not seem to have happened, most likely because it did not happen - and most likely due to the fact that our politicians, and those in charge of the border are little more thanwhimpering butt wipes politically correct automatons. Our borders remain open, the flow of illegals, and quite possibly of terrorists and other criminals who are fleeing Mexico, is pretty much unabated from its normal course. Maybe the next attack will take place at a refinery in the USA. Who knows, I cannot tell because I cannot predict the future with certainty. One thing though that I can say with certainty is that our borders are pretty much unprotected, and off little protection from the likes of those who blew up the pipelines. Heavens help us because it seems our politicians will not.
All the best,
Glenn B
(By the way, I read at least 4 articles on the pipeline explosions; however by the tiem I wrote this poiece tonight, those articles had seemingly disappeared from the other news agencies' home pages. I guess it was not important enough for CNN to keep this posted prominently on their home page. It might have been to OH-fen-sive to someone had they done so!)
If I was the boss, the borders of the USA would have been shut down, at least for several hours, while steps were implemented to assure that our government had coordinated with the Mexican government to assure that the terrorists who caused those explosions were not able to flee Mexico over our border with said country. Of course, that does not seem to have happened, most likely because it did not happen - and most likely due to the fact that our politicians, and those in charge of the border are little more than
All the best,
Glenn B
(By the way, I read at least 4 articles on the pipeline explosions; however by the tiem I wrote this poiece tonight, those articles had seemingly disappeared from the other news agencies' home pages. I guess it was not important enough for CNN to keep this posted prominently on their home page. It might have been to OH-fen-sive to someone had they done so!)
Sunday, September 9, 2007
A Beautiful Gal...
...or at least a beautiful female Corn Snake, is something that I was lucky enough to get hold of today. I spent most of the morning and afternoon at the New York metro reptile Expo in White Plains, NY today. Yes that means I am feeling somewhat better than I have been, still not 100%; and sitting there most of the day manning the Long Island Herpetological Society and giving out info about the care of reptiles and amphibians was not all that taxing on my system. Not eating while there helped me stay, shall I say, okay.
Now you may not think much of Corn Snakes, and less of snakes in general, but just let me say this gal is a real looker. I know, you are probably thinking that sometimes even a grump like me would be easy to please in my own kooky sort of a way, and you would be right; but I'll let you judge for yourselves. Just take a look at this beauty, and if you are not phobic about snakes, tell me is she a looker or what! One of the nicer of all North American snakes. She is pretty much a normal colored corn snake, though I have to point out that there are many color phases of normal colored corn snakes. There are also many, many, selectively bred color phases of corn snakes that do not appear in the wild, but as I said this one is a natural phase in appearance.
I digress, so back to the Corn Snake. I guess most of my readers know one of my hobbies is guns and shooting. Another of my hobbies, one I am just as passionate about, is the collecting, keeping and breeding of herps (reptiles and amphibians). I have been into slimy and scaly creatures as pets since I was a young child. no dogs, cats were allowed in our apartment. An uncle who bought me a turtle got me started, then 5 years at summer camp had my interest in such critters really blossom. Now I am an addict so to speak. So when I got a free male corn snake today I was quite the happy camper. Then when one of the other LIHS members at the show asked me if I wanted to buy a female corn snake to go with my new male I said sure. It wound up I actually traded a Ball Python for the female Corn Snake, and I wound up thrilled.
Now you may not think much of Corn Snakes, and less of snakes in general, but just let me say this gal is a real looker. I know, you are probably thinking that sometimes even a grump like me would be easy to please in my own kooky sort of a way, and you would be right; but I'll let you judge for yourselves. Just take a look at this beauty, and if you are not phobic about snakes, tell me is she a looker or what! One of the nicer of all North American snakes. She is pretty much a normal colored corn snake, though I have to point out that there are many color phases of normal colored corn snakes. There are also many, many, selectively bred color phases of corn snakes that do not appear in the wild, but as I said this one is a natural phase in appearance. I say she is a natural phase in appearance because she is the product of selective breeding. She laid 12 eggs this year, and I saw her 12 offspring today. They do not resemble her; and the group of them is made up of three different color phases. The male I got today is also normal in appearance, and I am curious to see what their offspring will look like, but I'll have to wait until late spring or early summer for that. First I have to fatten this gal up a bit. Then she will go into brumation for the winter (sort of like hibernation, but the snake does not sleep through the winter or most of it as would a mammal that hibernates, rather it becomes very inactive, but still active to a slight degree). Once out of hibernation, she will feed and put on some weight, then when the male is ready they likely will breed. After the breeding she will carry the eggs internally for some time, then lay the eggs, which will take about 2 months before they hatch. Hopefully they will produce some nice babies.
Well maybe you think me a nut, or maybe you agree and find her to be spectacular to behold as I find her to be. Mother nature sure has a way of making some things really nice to look at, even some things that most people seem to shy away from. I am kind of happy I find them as interesting as I do, and i guess I can thank my mom for putting up with my keeping them when I was younger. She never liked them, I can say that with certainty, but she loved me enough to tolerate them. I can also thank my wife likewise, as she puts up with my keeping them now. I guess that also means I can thank both of them because I share my interest and passion with my son; and that is a good thing indeed. If the ladies never let me get away with having these things in the house, my son probably would be keeping goldfish if he kept any animals at all!
All the best,
Glenn B
Like Good Friends, A Good Night's Sleep...
...is a wonderful thing, and if you have never suffered from insomnia, or from bad aches and pains when you lay down, you may just take that for granted. Don't - because it is one of the dearest things you will ever miss if you have not had it for a while. Last night I had one, and it was heavenly, especially since I have not had many of them, not even really a few of them, in quite a long time. I slept so heavily last night, for about 6 to 7 hours, that I don't even remember dreaming, nor remember for the first time in a long time tossing or turning or waking overnight even once. For me that is a good thing indeed, and with having been ill so much lately, it is a great thing. Now I am off to get some things done, not too much lest I feel lousy again and I am not 100% yet, but a few things that need doing. Thanks to all of you who have been asking how I have been feeling, and who have been sending me well wishes, I don't take you for granted either.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, September 7, 2007
What Have I Been Missing...
...and for that matter what have you been missing? Well, the ever expanding link list to other bloggers just keeps expanding, lest we miss too much. I did a little link looting over the past couple of weeks or so; I clicked on numerous links on other people's site, then did likewise on those new sites, and so on. In doing so I came up with several sites to which I have provided new links (looted from other sites) over on the right side of my page. The new ones, at least for me, are:
A Western Heart @ http://awesternheart.blogspot.com/
Blowing San #1 at http://agangershome.blogspot.com/
Call me Ahab at http://www.nrahab.com/
Dr. StrangeGun, or how I learned to love the odd... at http://drstrangegun.blogspot.com/
Grouchy Old Cripple In Atlanta at http://www.grouchyoldcripple.com/
Instapundit @ http://www.instapundit.com/
The Autonomist @ http://www.antiprotester.blogspot.com/
The Bitch Girls @ http://www.thebitchgirls.us/
The Dissident Frogman @ http://www.thedissidentfrogman.com/blog
The View From The Porch @ http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/
Wizbang @ http://wizbangblog.com/
I may have written up some of them before, cannot remember as I am kind of foggy about the last few weeks during my illness (and heck I am friends with Al Z. Heimer being I am 51, so please excuse me if the announcement of any of them as new links on my site is a repeat. I think though that those are all of the ones that I have added within the past few weeks. Enjoy them, I certainly will.
All the best,
Glenn B
A Western Heart @ http://awesternheart.blogspot.com/
Blowing San #1 at http://agangershome.blogspot.com/
Call me Ahab at http://www.nrahab.com/
Dr. StrangeGun, or how I learned to love the odd... at http://drstrangegun.blogspot.com/
Grouchy Old Cripple In Atlanta at http://www.grouchyoldcripple.com/
Instapundit @ http://www.instapundit.com/
The Autonomist @ http://www.antiprotester.blogspot.com/
The Bitch Girls @ http://www.thebitchgirls.us/
The Dissident Frogman @ http://www.thedissidentfrogman.com/blog
The View From The Porch @ http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/
Wizbang @ http://wizbangblog.com/
I may have written up some of them before, cannot remember as I am kind of foggy about the last few weeks during my illness (and heck I am friends with Al Z. Heimer being I am 51, so please excuse me if the announcement of any of them as new links on my site is a repeat. I think though that those are all of the ones that I have added within the past few weeks. Enjoy them, I certainly will.
All the best,
Glenn B
So What Have I Missed...
...while I've been too ill to blog?
Well, I guess I missed the whole Fred Thompson thing. Not really missed it, I read about it, I just have not yet commented on it; and yes I am about to do so here.
Big Deal! Whoopee. It is about time; actually about time would have probably been this November or later, but you know what I mean with them all campaigning early. No I am none to impressed by his announcement to run, or his little website speech. First of all, why demean a campaign for the presidency of the United States of America by announcing your campaign on the Jay Leno show? I think that was disgusting, a move that an uber liberal would take to impress those who are easily impressed by the glitz, a Clintonian move of the first order, when there is not much substance. Hopefully substance will follow. Hmm, what about the website speech? Well there was a bit more substance there, but still not more than self promotion in front of a camera. I would have been much more impressed had Mr. Thompson had the balls to jump into the campaign by jumping into the other night's Republican debate. He certainly has shown his ability to hem and haw; I hope he has more than that.
Now I am not a totally naive kind of a guy. I understand there could be, and likely are many clever reasons he has waited until now. The main one is probably something to do with campaign finances, both his and other candidates. My bet is he will now try to outspend those republican candidates who are not doing as well as the front runners in the campaign like McCain, Tancredo, Huckabee, Hunter, Brownback. In doing so, he may gain the impetus needed to gain in the polls, and if he gains in the polls he may just do it enough to bring him right up there with Giuliani and Romney. Still though he is going to need substance instead of just all the fluff before serious voters would vote for him; I would hope so anyway.
Right now, Romney and Giuliani have that substance, and I think of all the candidates Giuliani - so far has a lot of it as he has proven himself a capable leader under the most trying of times. Others have it too. I believe that Tancredo has the most substance issue wise, but Hunter and Huckabee have a good deal of it. The thing these last guys do not have that the front runners have is popularity or fluff. Fred Thompson has that, the popularity or so it seems, so at least that is going in his favor (yes you still need the fluff along with substance). Now one thing that really helps out on substance and popularity is your stance on the issues. Here is where candidates like Romney and Giuliani are truly lacking when it comes to that stance relative to the party under which they are running for office. As Independents they would be fabulous candidates. Either one of them shines as middle of the road candidates with platforms that are of an Independent nature, ergo not being either strongly Republican or Democrat. I am hopeful that a candidate with popularity, who is more Republican in nature regarding the issues, will come to be the front runner in the Republican convention. So far I believe Tom Tancredo is the man who has got the issues right, but he certainly is not among the most popular probably only because of lack of recognition, he does not have the fluff. Not many knew who he was before the campaign. Fred Thompson, on the other hand has lots of fluff, he was very popular before the campaign thanks to the television series he was in. Now if he can prove himself on the real issues, he may yet prove to be the candidate of choice for Republicans. I still keep hoping that Tancredo does it, but if not, then Thompson might well be acceptable to me, but he has a long way to go to start proving himself as a worthy candidate capable of being a leader, that is, as far as I see it. Now that he is officially in the race, I hope he starts racing.
All the best,
Glenn B
PS: some may note that I never mentioned Ron Paul above. While he maybe running on the Republican ticket, he is not a Republican by any stretch of the imagination. He is, as far as I can tell, an extremist, a crazy one at that, but those are my personal opinions of him.
Well, I guess I missed the whole Fred Thompson thing. Not really missed it, I read about it, I just have not yet commented on it; and yes I am about to do so here.
Big Deal! Whoopee. It is about time; actually about time would have probably been this November or later, but you know what I mean with them all campaigning early. No I am none to impressed by his announcement to run, or his little website speech. First of all, why demean a campaign for the presidency of the United States of America by announcing your campaign on the Jay Leno show? I think that was disgusting, a move that an uber liberal would take to impress those who are easily impressed by the glitz, a Clintonian move of the first order, when there is not much substance. Hopefully substance will follow. Hmm, what about the website speech? Well there was a bit more substance there, but still not more than self promotion in front of a camera. I would have been much more impressed had Mr. Thompson had the balls to jump into the campaign by jumping into the other night's Republican debate. He certainly has shown his ability to hem and haw; I hope he has more than that.
Now I am not a totally naive kind of a guy. I understand there could be, and likely are many clever reasons he has waited until now. The main one is probably something to do with campaign finances, both his and other candidates. My bet is he will now try to outspend those republican candidates who are not doing as well as the front runners in the campaign like McCain, Tancredo, Huckabee, Hunter, Brownback. In doing so, he may gain the impetus needed to gain in the polls, and if he gains in the polls he may just do it enough to bring him right up there with Giuliani and Romney. Still though he is going to need substance instead of just all the fluff before serious voters would vote for him; I would hope so anyway.
Right now, Romney and Giuliani have that substance, and I think of all the candidates Giuliani - so far has a lot of it as he has proven himself a capable leader under the most trying of times. Others have it too. I believe that Tancredo has the most substance issue wise, but Hunter and Huckabee have a good deal of it. The thing these last guys do not have that the front runners have is popularity or fluff. Fred Thompson has that, the popularity or so it seems, so at least that is going in his favor (yes you still need the fluff along with substance). Now one thing that really helps out on substance and popularity is your stance on the issues. Here is where candidates like Romney and Giuliani are truly lacking when it comes to that stance relative to the party under which they are running for office. As Independents they would be fabulous candidates. Either one of them shines as middle of the road candidates with platforms that are of an Independent nature, ergo not being either strongly Republican or Democrat. I am hopeful that a candidate with popularity, who is more Republican in nature regarding the issues, will come to be the front runner in the Republican convention. So far I believe Tom Tancredo is the man who has got the issues right, but he certainly is not among the most popular probably only because of lack of recognition, he does not have the fluff. Not many knew who he was before the campaign. Fred Thompson, on the other hand has lots of fluff, he was very popular before the campaign thanks to the television series he was in. Now if he can prove himself on the real issues, he may yet prove to be the candidate of choice for Republicans. I still keep hoping that Tancredo does it, but if not, then Thompson might well be acceptable to me, but he has a long way to go to start proving himself as a worthy candidate capable of being a leader, that is, as far as I see it. Now that he is officially in the race, I hope he starts racing.
All the best,
Glenn B
PS: some may note that I never mentioned Ron Paul above. While he maybe running on the Republican ticket, he is not a Republican by any stretch of the imagination. He is, as far as I can tell, an extremist, a crazy one at that, but those are my personal opinions of him.
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Lack of Blogging...
...due to illness again. It seems I just cannot kick the bug that has had me down on and off over the past 2 months or so. I'll try to write something today if I can.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Monday, September 3, 2007
Trash into Treasure (TiT)
Yes floks it is time to take advantage of the TiT concept and suck it for all it is worth; I think I may have a garage sale - a sort of Trash into Treasure kind of a thing. I decided this while out of my mind today, out of my mind with garage cleaning that is. Why out of my mind, because it involved work that made me perspire. Heck I could have hired a wet-back for that instead of getting wet myself. Oh well...
At 78 degrees Fahrenheit, you wouldn't think someone could work up much of a sweat doing fairly easy manual labor, but I sure did. I am drenched, maybe because it took a few hours of work to get here; and now I am having a Spaten Oktoberfest to cool me off (the 2nd one so far), and drench my insides. Somehow, I was inspired, by some quirk of misfiring neurons in my brain, to actually do some work around the homestead today. So I cleaned out the garage and backyard shed. I do this about twice a year if I am feeling frisky, once in the spring, once in the fall (I am early this year). This is the 2nd time this year. I almost could not believe all the mess that could accumulate since April or May when I last did this. I guess because the garage gets opened more in the spring and summer so the lawn mower can get in and out, all those little nasties like dead leaves, dust, and whatever else can blow in surely do just that - they blow in an accumulate in the corners, and under whatever is piled in the garage.
Well, I cleaned most of everything today. I did not touch my son's hobby table, he can do that. I did pull out all of my son's sports equipment so he can sort through it and decide what to get rid of. I also pulled out old tools, a computer scanner new in the box, Franklin Mint Plates from the Sound of Music series (in the boxes with certificates), old rusty tools, beach or lawn chairs, rolls of chicken wire and mesh screening/fencing, a Flexible Flyer, a 1999 Hess truck in its unopened box, some old wood cheese boxes, a View Master with reels in its own plastic box, some fishing stuff, a fish tank or two, books (lots on photography, and some novels, ephemera (very old post cards and a box full of old sheet music), car needs, some of my daughter's college supplies - like a mini fridge, a microwave oven, a small television, a floor fan, an electric radiator, a window fan, and so forth. After pulling it all out, I swept the garage clean. Then I put it all back, but neatly this time - that is except for my son's sporting stuff - he can go through that himself. All of the things I decided we do not need will be placed up for sale at a garage sale yet to come, there will be other surprises not listed above too. So if any of you want to travel here, from let's say India, England, Canada, Texas, Tennessee, Wyoming, California, Arizona, Maine, or wherever you are when you read this, feel free to bring money to spend, and lots of it. I figure it this way, once upon a time we treasured this stuff, but now it is just about trash to us (even though a lot of it is in very good to like new condition), and one man's trash is another man's treasure. So bring money.
The tentative sale date will be September 15, from 10:00 Am until 4:00 Pm. Rain date will be September 16, same hours. It will be a one day sale, all sales final. If I am lucky I will bring in $100, if not then maybe $50. It should just be fun trying to figure out who comes by looking and only hoping to find it in my trash the next day or two if it does not sell.
That's it, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it does not rain, that I sell some stuff, and that I make a few bucks. I also am betting that my reference to TiT will get me a lot of hits for this post. Take it as I mean it, not as the pervs would like to.
All the best,
Glenn B
At 78 degrees Fahrenheit, you wouldn't think someone could work up much of a sweat doing fairly easy manual labor, but I sure did. I am drenched, maybe because it took a few hours of work to get here; and now I am having a Spaten Oktoberfest to cool me off (the 2nd one so far), and drench my insides. Somehow, I was inspired, by some quirk of misfiring neurons in my brain, to actually do some work around the homestead today. So I cleaned out the garage and backyard shed. I do this about twice a year if I am feeling frisky, once in the spring, once in the fall (I am early this year). This is the 2nd time this year. I almost could not believe all the mess that could accumulate since April or May when I last did this. I guess because the garage gets opened more in the spring and summer so the lawn mower can get in and out, all those little nasties like dead leaves, dust, and whatever else can blow in surely do just that - they blow in an accumulate in the corners, and under whatever is piled in the garage.
Well, I cleaned most of everything today. I did not touch my son's hobby table, he can do that. I did pull out all of my son's sports equipment so he can sort through it and decide what to get rid of. I also pulled out old tools, a computer scanner new in the box, Franklin Mint Plates from the Sound of Music series (in the boxes with certificates), old rusty tools, beach or lawn chairs, rolls of chicken wire and mesh screening/fencing, a Flexible Flyer, a 1999 Hess truck in its unopened box, some old wood cheese boxes, a View Master with reels in its own plastic box, some fishing stuff, a fish tank or two, books (lots on photography, and some novels, ephemera (very old post cards and a box full of old sheet music), car needs, some of my daughter's college supplies - like a mini fridge, a microwave oven, a small television, a floor fan, an electric radiator, a window fan, and so forth. After pulling it all out, I swept the garage clean. Then I put it all back, but neatly this time - that is except for my son's sporting stuff - he can go through that himself. All of the things I decided we do not need will be placed up for sale at a garage sale yet to come, there will be other surprises not listed above too. So if any of you want to travel here, from let's say India, England, Canada, Texas, Tennessee, Wyoming, California, Arizona, Maine, or wherever you are when you read this, feel free to bring money to spend, and lots of it. I figure it this way, once upon a time we treasured this stuff, but now it is just about trash to us (even though a lot of it is in very good to like new condition), and one man's trash is another man's treasure. So bring money.
The tentative sale date will be September 15, from 10:00 Am until 4:00 Pm. Rain date will be September 16, same hours. It will be a one day sale, all sales final. If I am lucky I will bring in $100, if not then maybe $50. It should just be fun trying to figure out who comes by looking and only hoping to find it in my trash the next day or two if it does not sell.
That's it, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it does not rain, that I sell some stuff, and that I make a few bucks. I also am betting that my reference to TiT will get me a lot of hits for this post. Take it as I mean it, not as the pervs would like to.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, September 2, 2007
As The Heart Warrms and My Goosebumps Subside...
...I decided to do a nice thing and made breakfast for the wife and myself. She is out walking the dogs on her daily morning walk, so I got busy in the kitchen. Not much, just some eggs, toast, juice, and coffee. Mmm wonderful coffee, if I must say so myself. Probably a bit too strong for 'she who must be adored', but since I also went out into the garden and picked some flowers, then put them in a vase on the dining room table, she will love it all. I must be in love, after all my goosebumps just came back when she came back into the house, and I sure I am not cold anymore.
All the best,
Glenn B
As the Globe Warms and My Goosebumps Grow
Even though real summer does not end until late September, it sure feels like summer really is over. This is not so much due to it being Labor Day weekend, but rather mostly because I kept waking up last night to rearrange my one skimpy blanket because I had goose bumps. Heck it was downright chilly. Seems someone left a basement window open (yes I fell asleep watching the tube in the basement), and it felt like an AC blowing directly on me all night. I only realized the window was open at about 0500, and I shut it promptly. When I let the dogs out this morning, I decided to take in a bit of fresh air. After 5 minutes outside without a jacket, I put one on when I got back into the house - I was chilled like a shucked oyster. I checked the weather forecast on my MSN homepage, and what does it say - low of 63, high of 76 expected. Then I clicked on the weather icon, and that changed the forecast to: low of 59, high of 76, but the actual temperature it showed for my village was 58. Go figure, but I guess that is about par for the course for weather people, they just cannot get it right. That 58 is chilly let me tell you, feels more like 53 to me. Global warming indeed!
I think it's time to go make a pot of java; and I have a nice pound of French Roast Sumatran coffee just calling my name.
All the best,
Glenn B
I think it's time to go make a pot of java; and I have a nice pound of French Roast Sumatran coffee just calling my name.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Worlwide Attention...
...is flattering, although I won't let it go to my head. It is also kind of interesting. I use the services of Site Meter (for free too), and the hand site metering service they provide allows me to review how many hits my site gets each day, the location they come from, the time they hit, the duration of a visit to my site, the entry page, the exit page, the referring page if any and so forth. A neat thing is that you can view the hits to your site, up to the last 100 of them anyway(more if you pay for the service, but I am tight). This includes being able to view the site hits by world map. The location of the viewer comes up as a dot on a map of the world, and if you run your cursor over the dot, the location is spelled out for you in a pop-up. of course you can also see the locations from whence someone pulled up your site on their PC in written form under the 'by details' or 'by location' options. I like the map thingy.
Over the past two days, I got over 80 hits yesterday (a great day for my blog) I have had virtual visitors from: Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, India, Italy, Puerto Rico (yes I realize it is part of the USA). I also had virtual visitors from 27 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico , New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. From a few days before, I remember someone from Alaska stopping by. Yes the Internet, and its ability to allow folks from all over the world to blog, communicate, share ideas, go explore in virtual space, expand their horizons, is an amazing thing.
All the best,
Glenn B
Over the past two days, I got over 80 hits yesterday (a great day for my blog) I have had virtual visitors from: Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, India, Italy, Puerto Rico (yes I realize it is part of the USA). I also had virtual visitors from 27 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico , New York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. From a few days before, I remember someone from Alaska stopping by. Yes the Internet, and its ability to allow folks from all over the world to blog, communicate, share ideas, go explore in virtual space, expand their horizons, is an amazing thing.
All the best,
Glenn B
One of the Most Sensible Things I Have Read About Welfare in Some Time:
"So if I have to take a drug test to make money and pay taxes, why shouldn't those freeloaders have to take a drug test in order to take my tax dollars?"
If you want to read the rest of it, go to Four Right Wing Wackos and read the post OK, one more, from August 30, 2007.
All the best,
Glenn B
If you want to read the rest of it, go to Four Right Wing Wackos and read the post OK, one more, from August 30, 2007.
All the best,
Glenn B
Bloggers I Read Each and Every Day...
...are listed over on the right, among the other bloggers to whom I link; but they are a bit special if only to me, and I read them on a daily basis. I just figured I would share with you those I read (or at least those whose sites I check) that often. No offense to those whose blogs I do not read daily, maybe you don't blog as often as these other guys. Rest assured, I read most of those others at least every third day, and I find all of them interesting enough to provide a link to their sites. Well, here goes with the list of those I read on a daily basis:
Ace Of Spades HQ
The Anarchangel
Cap'n Bob & The Damsel
Four Right Wing Wackos
Greybeard's Gripes
Grouchy Old Cripple
The Jungle Hut
My Wonderful Life (Mighty Mom)
Pen Of Jen
Random Nuclear Strikes
Rightwing Nuthouse
Rivrdog
The Smallest Minority
Straight White Guy
Target Rich Environment
Stop by their sites, enjoy.
All the best,
Glenn B
Ace Of Spades HQ
The Anarchangel
Cap'n Bob & The Damsel
Four Right Wing Wackos
Greybeard's Gripes
Grouchy Old Cripple
The Jungle Hut
My Wonderful Life (Mighty Mom)
Pen Of Jen
Random Nuclear Strikes
Rightwing Nuthouse
Rivrdog
The Smallest Minority
Straight White Guy
Target Rich Environment
Stop by their sites, enjoy.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, August 31, 2007
The Ammo Gods Have Looked Down…
...upon me and sent me their blessings. In other words, today was a great day, and it is nice to be in the right place at the right time (and that goes both for yesterday and today). While at the range for quarterly qualification yesterday, someone else who was there asked me if I could use some 7.62x25 ammo. I said sure! I explained that while I don’t currently own anything that shoots this ammunition, I have been pondering the purchase of a CZ-52. He said he had some ammo for me. Today, when I ran into the same person again, by which time I had forgotten all about the ammo, he asked me if I still wanted it! My answer: 'Sure I do!' What a coincidence, I now have 700 rounds of Winchester 7.62x25 Tokarev, 85 gr., FMJ - I guess it would pay to buy the pistol to shoot it.
I also got:
50 rounds 7.62x25 China Sports 85Gr. FMJ
125 rounds of 7.65 Browning (.32 Auto) and I already own an Ortgies pocket pistol in this caliber
100 rounds of .380 Auto Remington UMC, 95 gr. Metal case (another caliber for which I have no gun, but good trading stuff)
100 rounds of Remington .32 Win. Special, 120 grain, core-lokt soft point (nope no gun in this caliber either)
20 rounds of federal .32 Win. Special, 170 grain, hi-shok soft point
65 rounds of Ultramax .45 Colt, 250 gr., Round Nose Flat Point (nope again as to a shooter for it)
100 rounds of Ultramax 45 Colt, 200 gr. RNSP
47 rounds of Black Hills Ammunition .45 Colt, 250 gr., RNFP.
25 rounds of Remington 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 8 shot
25 rounds of Remington 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 4 shot
8 rounds of Winchester 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 1 buckshot
All of the ammo in original boxes from what I can tell. Not a bad haul for a freebie. Now I wish I knew how to tell if they are reloads or not. They look new to me, but I have little to almost no experience with reloaded ammo. Anyone have a clue – is there an easy way to tell if these are reloads? The guy I got them from was not the original source, he was a middle man who passed them onto me, so I did not bother asking, something about not looking a gift horse in the mouth, or better yet - not offending the ammo gods. Then again maybe I should have asked. I think I will ask him next week, but if anyone knows a way to distinguish between new and reloads, please let me know.
All the best,
Glenn B
I also got:
50 rounds 7.62x25 China Sports 85Gr. FMJ
125 rounds of 7.65 Browning (.32 Auto) and I already own an Ortgies pocket pistol in this caliber
100 rounds of .380 Auto Remington UMC, 95 gr. Metal case (another caliber for which I have no gun, but good trading stuff)
100 rounds of Remington .32 Win. Special, 120 grain, core-lokt soft point (nope no gun in this caliber either)
20 rounds of federal .32 Win. Special, 170 grain, hi-shok soft point
65 rounds of Ultramax .45 Colt, 250 gr., Round Nose Flat Point (nope again as to a shooter for it)
100 rounds of Ultramax 45 Colt, 200 gr. RNSP
47 rounds of Black Hills Ammunition .45 Colt, 250 gr., RNFP.
25 rounds of Remington 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 8 shot
25 rounds of Remington 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 4 shot
8 rounds of Winchester 16 gauge, 2 3/4" shotgun shells, number 1 buckshot
All of the ammo in original boxes from what I can tell. Not a bad haul for a freebie. Now I wish I knew how to tell if they are reloads or not. They look new to me, but I have little to almost no experience with reloaded ammo. Anyone have a clue – is there an easy way to tell if these are reloads? The guy I got them from was not the original source, he was a middle man who passed them onto me, so I did not bother asking, something about not looking a gift horse in the mouth, or better yet - not offending the ammo gods. Then again maybe I should have asked. I think I will ask him next week, but if anyone knows a way to distinguish between new and reloads, please let me know.
All the best,
Glenn B
Another Day At The Range...
...another day in Paradise. Getting back to work was great if only because I spent most of the afternoon at the range for quarterly qualifications. I didn't shoot as well as usual, but I guess that is sort of understandable what with my health in the dumpers over the past several weeks. I did manage to do fairly well though and scored a 138 and 137 out of 150 on both quals with my Glock 19. Then I shot a perfect score with my Remington 870, and shot a 246 out of 250 with my MP5. Those Glock scores had me a bit on the downside, but as the range officer said - he could tell I had been ill. I am sure next time, my score will be up where it belongs in the high 140s to 150. I also enjoyed some tactical exercises, and some defensive tactics training regarding defense against knives. All very informative, though I hope I never have to try to use those techniques.Work can have its good days, and range days usually are very good indeed.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Back To Work...
...for me today. Feeling somewhat better, so I figure I had better get my butt back to the job. I have been out a week and a half straight now, with about 2 or 2 1/2 weeks added to that over the past month and a half; I am running out of sick leave. Anyway, it sucks being home with not a lot to do, I am better off at work with not much to do; though I kind of doubt I'll have little to do as I'll need to play catch up on some things.
Today though, I am hopeful they will have room for me at the range for our quarterly qualifications. I have already missed two range days I scheduled because of whatever bug has been keeping me down. I think I'll be able to shoot today, and hope I do it well. Regardless of how I do, I do need to get my qualifications finished.
No blogging for the rest of the day; probably some tonight.
All the best,
Glenn B
Today though, I am hopeful they will have room for me at the range for our quarterly qualifications. I have already missed two range days I scheduled because of whatever bug has been keeping me down. I think I'll be able to shoot today, and hope I do it well. Regardless of how I do, I do need to get my qualifications finished.
No blogging for the rest of the day; probably some tonight.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Yesteray In History: Proving The Negative Image of the USA to be Wrong...
...has been difficult for the Bush administration in Iraq and Afghanistan, though I think somewhat easier in Afghanistan. Then again, the united States of America has had a negative image throughout the world once we attained a place of strength among nations, once we became a power, let alone once we became a world power. I think some of the main reasons that the image of our great nation has suffered is because: they from the rest of the world, both civilized and not so civilized, throughout history, have been envious of what we have attained while they have not attained such, have misconstrued that we have done so always at the great expense of others and therefore are a threat to them, have rushed to judgement based in great part upon what detractors of the USA and her principals have told them (such as political, religious, and military leaders, and naysayers within our own borders), and because in our Republic we have a form of government, a lifestyle if you will, wherein our citizens, even aliens within our country, can speak out against the government. Other nations do not understand the the rights we enjoy through our various liberties. These things are as foreign to a Chinese rice farmer, as they are to an Afghan goat herder, as they are to many within countries that were once within the Soviet Union, as they are to the citizens of Venezuela or Mexico, and even as they are to those in countries like Germany and England. None of these people share with us the full array of liberties that we here in the USA are free to enjoy.
Yet the USA, and her people, have often been able to overcome most of the negative images that have been portrayed about her by they who would demean us unfairly. A perfect example of about that which I speak started to take place on August 28, 1945 when at an airstrip near Tokyo, American forces began to land. Thus began the actual occupation of japan by armed forces of the USA. Prior to WWII, and all throughout WWII, the Japanese people had an extremely negative image of the people of the United States. They believed us to be barbarians of the worst order, they believed we had little to no morality, they believed us to be physically and mentally inferior to the Japanese people, they believed the USA was intent on dominating Japan and conquering (this before the war broke out). Why, all because of propaganda of the worst sort. Well, it was with the occupation of Japan, that the man on the street in Japan began to realize that such was not the case. of course this was a hard image to overcome, especially in light of the fact that we had bombed both Hiroshima, Nagasaki with nukes, and had fire bombed Tokyo; but it was an image that was eventually overcome. In fact it was overcome so much, that Japan shortly had become, and remains, one of our staunchest allies in the world.
Now if all of those negative things that people imagined about the USA had been true, then how was it that the Japanese became our allies, how was it that our nations got on friendly terms and maintain that friendship so many years later? Was it that the rumors of our horrendous barbaric peoples and customs were true, but we suddenly changed once we occupied Japan. No of course not! The fact is that most if not all of those rumors about how terrible we were were simply proven to be false by the actions we took with those we had defeated in battle. Yes, even though our enemy had been cruel, even though our enemy had provoked the fight, even though they had attacked us in a sneak attack, even though the badly mistreated prisoners of war, even though it was they who often acted barbaric by almost any other nation's standards of decency - we treated them better than fairly after we defeated them despite the fact that we fought them with all we had while they remained combative.
There is a lesson to be learned from all that, and the lesson is applicable today. We need to fight our enemies with all we have in order to win, and I do mean whatever it takes to preserve the Republic. Once we have defeated our enemy we can get down to the act of doling out sympathy for them, but not until that time. They are still kidnapping and beheading people (people who are not combatants), they are still sending suicide bombers against there own kind to provoke sectarian violence, they are fighting as dirty as one can fight; and what are we doing. We are trying to play politics and gain political brownie points by doing things in a politically correct manner. We are winning, but all the while we are dragging our armed forces through the mud because we have weighted them down with political correctness. These are wars which we wage against terrorism, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan and other places; they are not political forums.
We need to get serious, and kick some ass without bothering to stop to see if we have offended anyone. War is offensive - live with it, or lose the war. Then once our enemy has been defeated we can ask him how we can help him to come back into the developed world in a peaceful manner. That is exactly what we did in Japan, exactly what we did in Italy, exactly what we did in Germany, and all of these countries who once were our avowed enemies are now, at least to some extent, our allies. What we did in 1945 is what we we should be doing now.
All the best,
Glenn B
Yet the USA, and her people, have often been able to overcome most of the negative images that have been portrayed about her by they who would demean us unfairly. A perfect example of about that which I speak started to take place on August 28, 1945 when at an airstrip near Tokyo, American forces began to land. Thus began the actual occupation of japan by armed forces of the USA. Prior to WWII, and all throughout WWII, the Japanese people had an extremely negative image of the people of the United States. They believed us to be barbarians of the worst order, they believed we had little to no morality, they believed us to be physically and mentally inferior to the Japanese people, they believed the USA was intent on dominating Japan and conquering (this before the war broke out). Why, all because of propaganda of the worst sort. Well, it was with the occupation of Japan, that the man on the street in Japan began to realize that such was not the case. of course this was a hard image to overcome, especially in light of the fact that we had bombed both Hiroshima, Nagasaki with nukes, and had fire bombed Tokyo; but it was an image that was eventually overcome. In fact it was overcome so much, that Japan shortly had become, and remains, one of our staunchest allies in the world.
Now if all of those negative things that people imagined about the USA had been true, then how was it that the Japanese became our allies, how was it that our nations got on friendly terms and maintain that friendship so many years later? Was it that the rumors of our horrendous barbaric peoples and customs were true, but we suddenly changed once we occupied Japan. No of course not! The fact is that most if not all of those rumors about how terrible we were were simply proven to be false by the actions we took with those we had defeated in battle. Yes, even though our enemy had been cruel, even though our enemy had provoked the fight, even though they had attacked us in a sneak attack, even though the badly mistreated prisoners of war, even though it was they who often acted barbaric by almost any other nation's standards of decency - we treated them better than fairly after we defeated them despite the fact that we fought them with all we had while they remained combative.
There is a lesson to be learned from all that, and the lesson is applicable today. We need to fight our enemies with all we have in order to win, and I do mean whatever it takes to preserve the Republic. Once we have defeated our enemy we can get down to the act of doling out sympathy for them, but not until that time. They are still kidnapping and beheading people (people who are not combatants), they are still sending suicide bombers against there own kind to provoke sectarian violence, they are fighting as dirty as one can fight; and what are we doing. We are trying to play politics and gain political brownie points by doing things in a politically correct manner. We are winning, but all the while we are dragging our armed forces through the mud because we have weighted them down with political correctness. These are wars which we wage against terrorism, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan and other places; they are not political forums.
We need to get serious, and kick some ass without bothering to stop to see if we have offended anyone. War is offensive - live with it, or lose the war. Then once our enemy has been defeated we can ask him how we can help him to come back into the developed world in a peaceful manner. That is exactly what we did in Japan, exactly what we did in Italy, exactly what we did in Germany, and all of these countries who once were our avowed enemies are now, at least to some extent, our allies. What we did in 1945 is what we we should be doing now.
All the best,
Glenn B
Ah, The Ammo Arriveth...
...at my front doorstep today, and this time UPS even knocked on the door to get a signature from someone in my house. Much better than when they delivered the tree stand I had ordered, and then had to send back because it was damaged in shipping.
Well, now I have a bit more 7.62x39mm in my ammo locker, 500 rounds more. No not a great deal of it, but a good little addition to my stock, so we can continue to enjoy shooting our SKS, and that is a good thing indeed. The price was much higher than what I paid the previous time I purchased some, almost double if I remember right; and I imagine it will only be going up again in price in the near future. I couldn't afford it now, but I figured I surely would be even less able to afford it in the future. I'll have to skimp a bit somewhere.
Now I need to get away with Brendan for some quality range time. Maybe in a week or so, I hope I am feeling up to it by then. Of course I may just let him drive, and I'll go along for the ride and supervise his shooting.
All the best,
Glenn B
Well, now I have a bit more 7.62x39mm in my ammo locker, 500 rounds more. No not a great deal of it, but a good little addition to my stock, so we can continue to enjoy shooting our SKS, and that is a good thing indeed. The price was much higher than what I paid the previous time I purchased some, almost double if I remember right; and I imagine it will only be going up again in price in the near future. I couldn't afford it now, but I figured I surely would be even less able to afford it in the future. I'll have to skimp a bit somewhere.
Now I need to get away with Brendan for some quality range time. Maybe in a week or so, I hope I am feeling up to it by then. Of course I may just let him drive, and I'll go along for the ride and supervise his shooting.
All the best,
Glenn B
Political Poll - Where do you stand?
Here is a little political poll for those of you who lean toward the right, or even those of you who have fallen over the left edge. I found it thanks to The Anarchangel, and I figured I would share it with you here too; but make sure to visit The Anarchangel now and again, he has some good stuff to read up on on his blog.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
I am Thinking About A Doctor...
...getting a new doctor that is because mine have still not figured out what ails me. I have been sick so often lately, I actually miss going to work. Still waiting for the results of a CT scan though, maybe that will make the difference in my diagnosis. One can only hope, but if not, then maybe you want to consider buying stock in Scott Paper Products, because we sure have been spending a lot on joy rolls lately.
The darnedest thing is I start to feel better, then wham I am sick again big time. Saturday during the day, I felt much better, not 100% but at least 80%; then Saturday night I was on the throne more times than I could count. I just don't get it; but I sure hope the docs will figure it out soon.
One other thing: Sorry there was no blogging from me yesterday; I may do some tomorrow, but not likely today. Just too out of it, and I have to try to rest to be able to attend traffic court later for some parking tickets.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, August 26, 2007
The Most Ridculous Quote...
...that I have read in a long time is, in my opinion, this one:
"You see powder connected by arrows and chalk, you never know... It could be a terrorist, it could be something more serious. We're thankful it wasn't, but there were a lot of resources that went into figuring that out."
This comment was reportedly made by New Haven Connecticut Mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga regarding a trail of "flour" (as in the stuff with which you bake bread) that was laid out by some runners who were part of a group for whom they were marking a running trail; see: Race Planners Charged for Causing Bioterror Scare at Connecticut IKEA. But wait, it gets worse, not comment wise by action wise.
So what happened, someone saw them doing this through an IKEA parking lot, and they called police, apparently as I see it, in a panic. The next thing you know IKEA is evacuated. (Now, I wonder, why evacuate the store when the powder is outside?) The police begin a "massive" full scale investigation of suspected chemical or bio-terrorism, instead of looking into this sensibly. Even police from surrounding towns responded.
Someone else responded too. Once the guy who left the trail heard about the commotion, he returned to the scene and told police it was a trail made out of flour so other runners could follow. I guess that means it was biodegradable, not bio-terrorism. Now the guy and his sister, who helped him leave the trail, have been arrested on first degree of peace felony charges. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that the police who handled this matter are the ones who should be charged with breach of peace. To evacuate a store, to call in other police departments, to cordon off the whole area, and to do whatever else they did without first seeking the guy who left the trail for an explanation was totally outrageous as I see it. Apparently all they would have had to do was follow the trail - and would you think they would have done that in order to see if the guy and his sister were still leaving a trail! Hell if they were terrorists, wouldn't the police want to catch them at it, and prevent them for doing more of it! Well it was not reported that that is what the police did since the guy had to come back to explain his actions of his own accord. This seems, on the reported facts so far, to have been a totally blown out of proportion response by New Haven Police officials. Now to save face what do they do, charge the powder sprinklers with a felony, and expect restitution from them for the overblown police response! An amazing piece of police work in its seeming lack of professionalism, and apparent out and out incompetence.
All the best,
Glenn B
"You see powder connected by arrows and chalk, you never know... It could be a terrorist, it could be something more serious. We're thankful it wasn't, but there were a lot of resources that went into figuring that out."
This comment was reportedly made by New Haven Connecticut Mayoral spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga regarding a trail of "flour" (as in the stuff with which you bake bread) that was laid out by some runners who were part of a group for whom they were marking a running trail; see: Race Planners Charged for Causing Bioterror Scare at Connecticut IKEA. But wait, it gets worse, not comment wise by action wise.
So what happened, someone saw them doing this through an IKEA parking lot, and they called police, apparently as I see it, in a panic. The next thing you know IKEA is evacuated. (Now, I wonder, why evacuate the store when the powder is outside?) The police begin a "massive" full scale investigation of suspected chemical or bio-terrorism, instead of looking into this sensibly. Even police from surrounding towns responded.
Someone else responded too. Once the guy who left the trail heard about the commotion, he returned to the scene and told police it was a trail made out of flour so other runners could follow. I guess that means it was biodegradable, not bio-terrorism. Now the guy and his sister, who helped him leave the trail, have been arrested on first degree of peace felony charges. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that the police who handled this matter are the ones who should be charged with breach of peace. To evacuate a store, to call in other police departments, to cordon off the whole area, and to do whatever else they did without first seeking the guy who left the trail for an explanation was totally outrageous as I see it. Apparently all they would have had to do was follow the trail - and would you think they would have done that in order to see if the guy and his sister were still leaving a trail! Hell if they were terrorists, wouldn't the police want to catch them at it, and prevent them for doing more of it! Well it was not reported that that is what the police did since the guy had to come back to explain his actions of his own accord. This seems, on the reported facts so far, to have been a totally blown out of proportion response by New Haven Police officials. Now to save face what do they do, charge the powder sprinklers with a felony, and expect restitution from them for the overblown police response! An amazing piece of police work in its seeming lack of professionalism, and apparent out and out incompetence.
All the best,
Glenn B
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