...who are coming into the USA to have their babies. See: Canada's Expectant Moms Heading to U.S. to Deliver.
This time instead of illegal aliens like from Mexico, the Canadians are apparently coming here legally(?) in order to avoid the crippled health care system in Canada, and to make use of the USA's much better health care system to assure their babies are born healthy. Hmm, as I recall, folks like Michael Moore ala the movie Sicko, and folks like Hillary Clinton, Obama, and other ultra libs, have all claimed that socialized medicine like they have in Mexico, Canada, Great Britain, Germany and other places is the cat's meow. Funny though how all the illegal Mexicans who come here do not go back to Mexico for health care but risk being found out by authorities by going to US health care facilities whenever they need it. Funny how others from around the world flock here for special surgeries they cannot get in their own countries that have socialized medicine. Funny how now even our neighbors to the north, those flag waivers of the banner of liberalism, are also now coming here to use our supposedly corrupt, understaffed, broken, unfair, racist, health care system!
What is it that we have that all of them do not. We have a health care system that works. We have health insurance that works, at least for the most part. We even have free medicine that works for the underprivileged; or should I say it worked for our own citizens and legal immigrants, but is in danger of collapse because of overload by illegal aliens, and those who come here to flee their own inept system(s) of medical care.
Socialized medicine and health care, the likes of which Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and jerks like Michael Moore want to see effected in this country, just do not work in the long run. The proof is out there all over the rest of the world. Just open your eyes and read about it, or watch it on television. Medical care based upon socialized medicine sucks. Remember that when you vote in November both this year and next.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Oh the Joys of Parenthood...
...come at you like a speeding locomotive! What is mean is holy cow, where has all the time went, and how can my two little darlings be so grown up already as to both be driving, and legally at that. My daughter, of course, has been driving for years, she is about to turn 23. The thing is though, she just bought her first car, a new one at that, a Honda Fit. She picked it up yesterday, and I saw it tonight when I got home from work. She went out and bought her own car with help from her beau, got her own insurance (yippee), and will now commence joining the world of the indebted like the rest of us grownups! Did I just write grownup. I guess she is, wow. She is a good girl, or should I say young woman, with a part time job, a new car, her own insurance, and who is going to school for her Master's Degree in education. If I was into baseball I would say that is a grandslam for mama and papa, but let me just say it like this - we hit the bull's eye.
On the other hand, my son, who is about to turn 18, just got his driver's license. He took his road test on my birthday (I just happened to take the day off from work). His driving tester was a young lady, hair pulled back tight in a pony tail, reflective sun glasses, quite pretty with quite the figure despite a stern look about her. When I said good morning to her as she approached, all she said was: "Are you the father, let me see your license". I was really taken aback by her apparent crassness. Brendan was second in line to take the road test. The other tester, who took out the first guy, seemed nice, well mannered and friendly. As Brendan took off, I was worried. When they got back he pulled into the curb at about a 20 degree angle, and stopped abruptly. I was more worried. She got out, and as she passed me I asked the tester how he did. She kind of smirked, I kind of grimaced, and she said: "Very Good", and that was it, she just walked by to the next person on line. Worried about how he had pulled in, I asked him if he had passed the test. He smiled and said "yeah Man" or something like that, puffed up and said something about being legal now, and I again kind of grimaced. I asked if he messed up on anything and he said she did not tell him anything, except that he should just pull into the curb and let her out. She had even told him not to straighten it out. Again I was worried. I asked how many points she took off of his test results. Brendan handed me his test results, with a big zero in the points deducted area! He passed with flying colors having gotten 100% on his road test. I guess I had noting to worry about, or to grimace about. Well let me just say with regard to the test. Now I have another one out there on the roadways, and only time will tell if that will cause me to grimace. I hope not, and I think not, he seems to have learned well.
Man where did all the time go since they were little rug rats? I must be getting old.
All the best,
Glenn B
On the other hand, my son, who is about to turn 18, just got his driver's license. He took his road test on my birthday (I just happened to take the day off from work). His driving tester was a young lady, hair pulled back tight in a pony tail, reflective sun glasses, quite pretty with quite the figure despite a stern look about her. When I said good morning to her as she approached, all she said was: "Are you the father, let me see your license". I was really taken aback by her apparent crassness. Brendan was second in line to take the road test. The other tester, who took out the first guy, seemed nice, well mannered and friendly. As Brendan took off, I was worried. When they got back he pulled into the curb at about a 20 degree angle, and stopped abruptly. I was more worried. She got out, and as she passed me I asked the tester how he did. She kind of smirked, I kind of grimaced, and she said: "Very Good", and that was it, she just walked by to the next person on line. Worried about how he had pulled in, I asked him if he had passed the test. He smiled and said "yeah Man" or something like that, puffed up and said something about being legal now, and I again kind of grimaced. I asked if he messed up on anything and he said she did not tell him anything, except that he should just pull into the curb and let her out. She had even told him not to straighten it out. Again I was worried. I asked how many points she took off of his test results. Brendan handed me his test results, with a big zero in the points deducted area! He passed with flying colors having gotten 100% on his road test. I guess I had noting to worry about, or to grimace about. Well let me just say with regard to the test. Now I have another one out there on the roadways, and only time will tell if that will cause me to grimace. I hope not, and I think not, he seems to have learned well.
Man where did all the time go since they were little rug rats? I must be getting old.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, October 8, 2007
We Need To Find A Balance Between...
...extremes like religious fanaticism that lead to such things as jihad and inquisitions, and wanton disregard of morality that leads to shameless displays of perversity like the Folsom Street Fair in San Fransicko.
If you would like to take a look at a reported example of some extremely fanatical actions taken by religious extremists, then go to:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58015
If you really need to see even more explicit evidence of what religious fanaticism can lead to, then look at this video, but before doing so be warned it is EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IN THE VIOLENCE THAT IT PORTRAYS. It shows a real beheading with all of its gore.
If you would like to take a look at a reported example of some extremely fanatical actions taken by religious extremists, then go to:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58015
If you really need to see even more explicit evidence of what religious fanaticism can lead to, then look at this video, but before doing so be warned it is EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IN THE VIOLENCE THAT IT PORTRAYS. It shows a real beheading with all of its gore.
http://www.terrorists-suck.org/why_suck/eugene_armstrong_beheading.wmv
Now if you want to see the opposite end of the extreme spectrum, go to the below links and take a look at some pretty graphic pictures of the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. While looking at these pics, bear in mind that to folks like Nancy Pelosi this is freedom of speech. Can you imagine this being freedom of speech! I don't know what morons on the Supreme Court ever decided that speech was anything but verbal communication (or written language, or sign language), thereby making it freedom of expression; but I believe our Founding Fathers knew the difference and when they said freedom of speech as opposed to freedom of expression, and they meant just freedom of speech and nothing more. Well anyway, here are some links to those pics, but first be warned they are, in my opinion, EXTREMELY GRAPHIC IN THE PERVERSITY THEY DISPLAY. Even though they do not show actual sex acts or complete nudity, some of them do show what I believe to be public displays of totally perverse and sick behavior:
http://www.savage-productions.com/Folsomstreetfair.html
http://www.savage-productions.com/Folsomstreetfair2.html
http://www.savage-productions.com/Folsomstreetfair1.html
What is it that drives people like these at both extremes. I think it is something simple, lack of authority, or authority gone awry, in their lives making them want to become authoritarian themselves by controlling everyone with their own extreme views. That seemingly may be over simplistic, but it also well maybe the root cause of extremism. Just read one more article to see what I mean (not graphic but the pic in the article may insult some sensitive folks):
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10072007/news/regionalnews/_nazi__partys_over.htm
When reading that piece, pay special attention to this quote:
"I'm trying to tell as many students as possible that they can't do anything to us."
Sounds to me like mommy and daddy failed miserably with exerting any reasonable amount of authority over this kid. Maybe they even promoted this apparent rampant extremism, this no one is the boss of me, I will be the boss of me kind of a thing, and while at it, I'll be the boss of everyone else too because they cannot do anything to me. In order to actually effect such an attitude, you must go to extremes against the normal level of authority in your life. Think about it; wasn't that pretty much the thing with Hitler, Stalin, Genghis Khan, Cotton Mather, a few popes and many others throughout history. Isn't it the attitude of Armadenijad right now. This is, in my estimation, the attitude of extremists throughout the world. Their attitude is: 'THEY cannot do anything to us.' The THEY being the rest of us, the ones who are not extremest in whatever form of extremism is being pushed at the moment. Well that is absolute balderdash. We can do something and we must do something. Otherwise we will wind up in a world populated by extremists alone because we will either have been wiped out by them. There are many ways we can defeat the likes of them, and one way is to make sure to vote for candidates who do not fond either extreme to be within the limits of acceptability. Another way is to promote a morality that is somewhere more to the center and acceptable to those of all faiths, as well as to those who do not believe in a higher power. Yes folks atheists can live by a code of acceptable morality, you do not have to be religious to be moral. Another way is to make sure that we raise our children within a household that expresses morality, and that through the actions of the parents and other adult family members shuns extremism, and embraces a more middle of the road, level headed approach to all things. We need to live our lives in a manner that is not extreme, that is not hypocritical, that does not allow for the festering of the pustules of fanaticism. Finally if all else fails, and we are faced with the fanatics trying to overrun us and destroy us, we must defend ourselves, our loved ones, our fellow normal citizens at all costs. Yes folks I just said our normal citizens.
I am not advocating bashing anyone, killing anyone (unless in self defense, defense of innocents, or defense of our nation), but I certainly am advocating that we make sure that abnormality is not ever mistaken for normality; and I am saying we need to correct any abnormalities in society before it is too late for society to survive. Maybe it is about time we somehow band together, all of us across political, religious, ethnic, socioeconomic lines and oppose the freaks within our midst. Start doing this by by speaking about it with your neighbors, with members of your houses of worship, with people at work, with people at social gatherings. Start writing to your elected officials, whether or not you voted for them. Tell them this outlandish behavior on either side is a corruption of the fabric of a stable society, and that you are vehemently opposed to such and to those who support it. Make sure you express the idea that you are not part of a fringe group yourself, nor that you are doing this as part of any mainstream but separate group; and that you are doing it as an American Citizen or legal resident alien who is simply fed up with fanaticism and its supporters. Urge your politicians, religious leaders, social leaders to reach out across the divide between denominations, ethnicity, social status to those all around us who are longing for normality in their lives, and who seek an end to fanaticism to preserve our society and our nation. Sooner or later, if enough of us raise hell, they will listen to us and take action that opposes extremism. We are still the majority, but not by much, so we need to take advantage of our numbers now.,If we don't do at least this, then we are doomed to become raving mad loonies ourselves or perish by the blades of those on the other extreme.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, October 7, 2007
New Stuff...
...that I have gotten recently and that has me a happy camper is something I figured I would share with all of you in a post with pics. As most of my readers probably know by now I am into herps (reptiles and amphibians), and into guns (shooting and self defense wise, not gunsmithing or tinkering), and hunting & fishing. My recent acquisitions have to do with all of those interests.
The first thing I want to show you is a knife I bought recently. I was not too sure if I would keep it for myself, or if I was going to give it to my son on his birthday, but I have decided this one is a keeper for me, and probably eventually will become his. Who knows, I may yet get him another for his birthday, but I think I have a better present in mind right now.
My next acquisition was free. I got it tonight (Sunday night, it is now Monday morning by 5 minutes or so). It is a Thayer's Kingsnake. Well truth be told, I sold or gave this snake to someone about 4 years ago. I may have bred the parents to produce this one, I cannot recall right now. I know I had some that were jet black, and yes they can produce young that look like this. My friend Bill V dropped it off with me tonight. He liked this snake a lot. So much so that he actually saved this snake from death's doorstep one day a couple of, or a few, years back when another kingsnake he kept it with began to constrict and eat it (that is why they call them kingsnakes, they eat other snakes). The way he brought it back was by placing a straw into its windpipe and giving it artificial respiration. Bill is a NYC Fireman and knows how to save lives, even an animal's life. He recently started school for a second career, and has little time left to do anything else. So he has cut back on his snake collection. It was difficult for him to give this one up. Nice snake, to bad he did not get it to me on Friday, I could have taken it to Saturday's LIHS Reptile Expo and probably made him some money with it. If you are not into snakes you probably cannot figure how someone would want to pay money for one, but this one is worth at least $150, maybe $250 in this one's condition. These kingsnakes are also known as the variable Kingsnake because that when they are born they can be one of several color and pattern variations from jet black to orange with saddles to the one shown, to a tri-colored phase, and others in between. This phase is one of my favorites.
My other acquisitions, 5 of them, all came to me Saturday at the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. I was so busy while there that I did not even realize, until someone just about knocked me on the head, that one of my animals displayed in the judged show had won a first place ribbon in its category (tortoises), a first place trophy in the more general category of Turtles/Tortoises, and the Best of Show trophy for all the animals in the judged show. I have been an LIHS member for about 17 or 18 years now, and while my animals, and Brendan's animals, have sometimes won best in a specific category, or best in a more general category, we have never won the Best of Show before. If indeed I have been an LIHS member for 18 years now, what a nice coincidence that I won the Best of Show for the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. The sad thing is that I fell asleep early tonight, a long nap, and only woke up after my chance of playing the pick 3 number for the NY Lotto was over for tonight. I would have played 018. Maybe tomorrow. The man whose name shown is on the plaque on the trophy was a past president of the society, and a friend. A great guy, and a man who knew how to keep people interested in the LIHS. It was under him that our membership reached into the hundreds. 
Oh yeah, the trophy was for my female Hermann's Tortoise. I have had it about 3 or 4 years now. Got it as a little one from another society member. It sure has grown up to be one good looking tortoise. I must admit while I am thrilled to have won, it is also humbling. You had to see the competition; and you have to realize that the guy who has won for the last few years in a row decided to drop out of the competition to give some of us other members a chance. I owe a lot to him, to the guy from who I got the tortoise, and to the tortoise and Mother Nature. Without all of them doing their parts, then maybe there would have been no trophy for me.
The first thing I want to show you is a knife I bought recently. I was not too sure if I would keep it for myself, or if I was going to give it to my son on his birthday, but I have decided this one is a keeper for me, and probably eventually will become his. Who knows, I may yet get him another for his birthday, but I think I have a better present in mind right now.As for the knife, it is a Spyderco, Bill Moran model. I had wanted one with a drop point blade but that was not available, so I got this one. Now that I have it I like this blade more than the drop point with its more classical lines. That is about all that is classical on this knife though. The polymer handle (or whatever it is) is pretty decent in the hand. The sheath is molded plastic (or again whatever), and the knife fits into it snugly. The sheath is adjustable to be carried in several positions. Not a bad investment, I think, at only about $55. Now I have a nice accompaniment for my pistol as it sits on my belt with the knife. The blade will come in handy on hunting and fishing trips, and I hope i never need it for self defense; but in that last regard I follow the motto of the Boy Scouts: "Be Prepared".
My next acquisition was free. I got it tonight (Sunday night, it is now Monday morning by 5 minutes or so). It is a Thayer's Kingsnake. Well truth be told, I sold or gave this snake to someone about 4 years ago. I may have bred the parents to produce this one, I cannot recall right now. I know I had some that were jet black, and yes they can produce young that look like this. My friend Bill V dropped it off with me tonight. He liked this snake a lot. So much so that he actually saved this snake from death's doorstep one day a couple of, or a few, years back when another kingsnake he kept it with began to constrict and eat it (that is why they call them kingsnakes, they eat other snakes). The way he brought it back was by placing a straw into its windpipe and giving it artificial respiration. Bill is a NYC Fireman and knows how to save lives, even an animal's life. He recently started school for a second career, and has little time left to do anything else. So he has cut back on his snake collection. It was difficult for him to give this one up. Nice snake, to bad he did not get it to me on Friday, I could have taken it to Saturday's LIHS Reptile Expo and probably made him some money with it. If you are not into snakes you probably cannot figure how someone would want to pay money for one, but this one is worth at least $150, maybe $250 in this one's condition. These kingsnakes are also known as the variable Kingsnake because that when they are born they can be one of several color and pattern variations from jet black to orange with saddles to the one shown, to a tri-colored phase, and others in between. This phase is one of my favorites.
My other acquisitions, 5 of them, all came to me Saturday at the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. I was so busy while there that I did not even realize, until someone just about knocked me on the head, that one of my animals displayed in the judged show had won a first place ribbon in its category (tortoises), a first place trophy in the more general category of Turtles/Tortoises, and the Best of Show trophy for all the animals in the judged show. I have been an LIHS member for about 17 or 18 years now, and while my animals, and Brendan's animals, have sometimes won best in a specific category, or best in a more general category, we have never won the Best of Show before. If indeed I have been an LIHS member for 18 years now, what a nice coincidence that I won the Best of Show for the 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo. The sad thing is that I fell asleep early tonight, a long nap, and only woke up after my chance of playing the pick 3 number for the NY Lotto was over for tonight. I would have played 018. Maybe tomorrow. The man whose name shown is on the plaque on the trophy was a past president of the society, and a friend. A great guy, and a man who knew how to keep people interested in the LIHS. It was under him that our membership reached into the hundreds. 
Oh yeah, the trophy was for my female Hermann's Tortoise. I have had it about 3 or 4 years now. Got it as a little one from another society member. It sure has grown up to be one good looking tortoise. I must admit while I am thrilled to have won, it is also humbling. You had to see the competition; and you have to realize that the guy who has won for the last few years in a row decided to drop out of the competition to give some of us other members a chance. I owe a lot to him, to the guy from who I got the tortoise, and to the tortoise and Mother Nature. Without all of them doing their parts, then maybe there would have been no trophy for me.All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, October 6, 2007
The LIHS Reptile Expo Is Over...
...and I am home, got here about 15 minutes ago, and none too soon. I spent a couple of hours last night helping set up the hall, hours setting up my tables today, time out putting up signs on the roads, then from 10 until about 4:30 trying to sell stuff. I had a variety of things for sale, including raffle tickets to benefit the LIHS. I was hoping to sell more than I did today of everything, but I guess I just had a mediocre day. Busy mind you, but not great sales wise. I barely had time to put out my three animals for the judged show part of the event. I exhibited a Crested gecko, a Hermann's Tortoise, and a Gray Tree Frog. More on those three animals in a later post, I was surprised and tickled pink over how they did when the judging was done.
More blogging later tonight, or tomorrow. Right now I have to unload my car, put animals away, clean up the mess in my basement, and then take a break. It has been a long day, most of it on my poor aching feet.
All the best,
Glenn B
More blogging later tonight, or tomorrow. Right now I have to unload my car, put animals away, clean up the mess in my basement, and then take a break. It has been a long day, most of it on my poor aching feet.
All the best,
Glenn B
The 18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo Is Today...
...so I'll be a busy guy, which means no or little blogging today, and if any more than this it will be late tonight.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, October 5, 2007
Today In History - Well This Is Sort Of...
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Thursday, October 4, 2007
A Day Off, But A Busy One...
...is exactly how today went for me. I took today off in anticipation of receiving 20 baby Bearded Dragons by Fed-Ex. While I was waiting for them I did some chores around the house. I started with cleaning up my animal tanks; and I got about 1/2 through when I ran out of pine shavings for the mouse tanks. Then I decided to go to work in the front entry way to our house and got some sanding done of areas I plastered a few days ago. Just as I was getting ready to start that, the Bearded Dragons showed up with the Fed-Ex guy. They got all my attention for the next 45 minutes or so. I got 21 of them, one arriving DOA, the others seemingly okay except for one that looked a bit air sick (or whatever).
Once they were put into tanks and set up with proper heat and lighting, it was back to the sanding. I started that without using a dust mask. After just a minute or two, I decided that a dust mask was what anyone with half a brain would use, so the half a brain that was not thinking earlier had a good thought at that moment and I got one out of my shed. Man what a mess sanding spackle/plaster makes. Luckily it was a fairly small job, confined to a vestibule sized entry way. I finished the job with a good clean up.
After that it was onto the computer to contact the dealer who shipped me the bearded dragons. Sent him a pic of the dead one, and sort of complained that these were apparently younger and much smaller than he promised. Time will tell if he remedies that, maybe with a partial refund. That would be nice, otherwise next time I buy it will be from someone else. These guys will make an appearance at the Long Island Herpetological Society's 18th Annual Reptile Expo this Saturday, at SUNY Farmingdale. Hopefully I'll earn my money back, and have a few left over for a future breeding project. I have not heard anything back yet, but I'll be patient as he went in for knee surgery today. I trust he will contact me when he can.
Took a shower, felt nice and fresh, then had the oddball idea of cleaning the leaves on my sidewalk and front lawn. I guess the shower could have waited. I filled a 55 gallon drum sized bag with leaves and other debris like twigs and seed pods. Oh joy I was dirty filthy again, and sweaty too. I figured since I was dirty why not clean some weeeeeeeds (they grow just like those e's just did) out of the garden, and I did that for at least another hours or so. Yup, another clean up was in store for me.
All that aside, I was off to Costco. Now Costco near me is usually a madhouse of humanity. Today it was on the quiet side. I guess being a weekday, and being I was there at about 3:30 PM was a good thing. I was in and out of there in about 45 minutes at most; a new record for me. Once outside, I stopped at the liquor store right next to Costco where I picked up a birthday present for yours truly. Tomorrow I will enjoy some of that Stoly Vodka as I celebrate my 52nd. After Costco is was home to offload. Then I went to Queens to check out a Exo_Terra reptile tank someone was selling. Brand new, in the box, at below cost by about $25. I took it, and $160 disappeared quicker than I earned it for sure. On the way back home I stopped at a local Petco and picked up another of those tanks, though a smaller one. It was on sale for less than half price. No I am not upgrading my reptile & amphibian enclosures. I will either raffle these off or sell them at the LIHS Reptile Expo this weekend to earn some money for the society. Any profit above what I p[aid for them goes to the society. Nothing in it for me except that I know I am doing good for the society.
For the last hour or so, I have been trying to fix my virus protection software from Windows Live One Care. It keeps telling me it needs urgent attention because the virus definitions are out of date, but when I try to update the update fails. I think I'll be picking up Norton Internet Security again tomorrow. My Windows Live One care is due to expire in about 2 months, but I do not like the product at all; so back to Norton for me. Even though I did not much Norton's support policies, there product is superior. Hopefully no viruses or other nasties will infect my PC before I get Norton installed.
Tomorrow promises to be busier than today, and I also have tomorrow off. Besides getting ready for the reptile expo, I have other chores to do, and I have to take Brendan for his first (and I hope only) road test. Should prove to be an interesting day.
All the best,
Glenn B
Once they were put into tanks and set up with proper heat and lighting, it was back to the sanding. I started that without using a dust mask. After just a minute or two, I decided that a dust mask was what anyone with half a brain would use, so the half a brain that was not thinking earlier had a good thought at that moment and I got one out of my shed. Man what a mess sanding spackle/plaster makes. Luckily it was a fairly small job, confined to a vestibule sized entry way. I finished the job with a good clean up.
After that it was onto the computer to contact the dealer who shipped me the bearded dragons. Sent him a pic of the dead one, and sort of complained that these were apparently younger and much smaller than he promised. Time will tell if he remedies that, maybe with a partial refund. That would be nice, otherwise next time I buy it will be from someone else. These guys will make an appearance at the Long Island Herpetological Society's 18th Annual Reptile Expo this Saturday, at SUNY Farmingdale. Hopefully I'll earn my money back, and have a few left over for a future breeding project. I have not heard anything back yet, but I'll be patient as he went in for knee surgery today. I trust he will contact me when he can.
Took a shower, felt nice and fresh, then had the oddball idea of cleaning the leaves on my sidewalk and front lawn. I guess the shower could have waited. I filled a 55 gallon drum sized bag with leaves and other debris like twigs and seed pods. Oh joy I was dirty filthy again, and sweaty too. I figured since I was dirty why not clean some weeeeeeeds (they grow just like those e's just did) out of the garden, and I did that for at least another hours or so. Yup, another clean up was in store for me.
All that aside, I was off to Costco. Now Costco near me is usually a madhouse of humanity. Today it was on the quiet side. I guess being a weekday, and being I was there at about 3:30 PM was a good thing. I was in and out of there in about 45 minutes at most; a new record for me. Once outside, I stopped at the liquor store right next to Costco where I picked up a birthday present for yours truly. Tomorrow I will enjoy some of that Stoly Vodka as I celebrate my 52nd. After Costco is was home to offload. Then I went to Queens to check out a Exo_Terra reptile tank someone was selling. Brand new, in the box, at below cost by about $25. I took it, and $160 disappeared quicker than I earned it for sure. On the way back home I stopped at a local Petco and picked up another of those tanks, though a smaller one. It was on sale for less than half price. No I am not upgrading my reptile & amphibian enclosures. I will either raffle these off or sell them at the LIHS Reptile Expo this weekend to earn some money for the society. Any profit above what I p[aid for them goes to the society. Nothing in it for me except that I know I am doing good for the society.
For the last hour or so, I have been trying to fix my virus protection software from Windows Live One Care. It keeps telling me it needs urgent attention because the virus definitions are out of date, but when I try to update the update fails. I think I'll be picking up Norton Internet Security again tomorrow. My Windows Live One care is due to expire in about 2 months, but I do not like the product at all; so back to Norton for me. Even though I did not much Norton's support policies, there product is superior. Hopefully no viruses or other nasties will infect my PC before I get Norton installed.
Tomorrow promises to be busier than today, and I also have tomorrow off. Besides getting ready for the reptile expo, I have other chores to do, and I have to take Brendan for his first (and I hope only) road test. Should prove to be an interesting day.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Carrying Firearms...
...in a holster is the way I prefer to carry pistols and revolvers. I wrote about just that and my criterion to select a holster here. I wrote about those topics because the way you carry your pistol or revolver is important, it could mean the difference between whether or not you are the winner in a life threatening situation, whether or not you are able to retain your sidearm, whether or not you shoot yourself with your own gun. If anyone doubted me when i said that I thought a bag of just about any sort was a poor choice in which to carry a handgun, maybe when you read this: S.C. Student Shot by Own Gun in Book Bag Pleads Guilty my point of view will seem to be a little stronger. Sure the bag this pistol was carried in probably was not made for carry. Sure some handbags are made with internal holsters or carry pouches. I still contend that any bag which you pick up and put down is a bad choice for carry. I also contend that there is much more of a chance of a foreign object getting into the trigger guard and against the trigger when carried in a bag - whether or not that bag has an internal carry pouch or holster - than when you carry in a quality made hip holster. Your choice, just like it was this kid's choice. On this topic, learn from his mistakes and not from your own. That way you will, in my opinion, stay healthier.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
A Noose Around Her Neck...
as a school lesson, and all they seem concerned with is political correctness. Read this: Grambling State University Investigates Pictures of Noose Lesson, then ask yourselves "Why on earth is the school administration, and everyone else for that matter, apparently only concerned about whether or not these pictures should have appeared in a school newspaper? In fact why is that their concern at all! The fact is that school administrators seem more concerned about their image and political correctness than they do about the welfare of the young child who had the noose placed around her neck. They seem less than concerned about the fact that heavyset woman, who in another picture I saw yesterday, is apparently holding the child around the waist so she does not fall and get strangled, even though it certainly appears as if the other person is tying the noose to the tree, or maybe removing it from where it was tied to the tree. Heck why is she smiling for the camera? Though I don't have that pic available here is a Foxnews description of it:
"One shows a young girl in a school uniform being held up by a woman while someone else, mostly hidden by a tree, holds a noose around her neck and up to a branch."
Should not the main issue here be child safety? Should it not be the major concern to discover whether or not the life of the student was potentially at risk because of the actions of the two school employees who were giving this so called lesson. Should not a big part of that main issue be whether of not these two school employees are still employed, and potentially able to endanger the lives of students? If I was the parent of this child, I would not be outraged that a picture of this event ran in a school paper; however you can bet I would be screaming for an investigation into whether or not the life of my child had been at risk during this so called lesson. I would think that the school administration should be doing the same. I would think that law enforcement in the area should be doing likewise. If the facts turn out to be that these adults actually tied a rope to a tree, then put the noose end of it around this girl's neck, I would think they should face child endangerment charges. Yet, for some reason no one involved seems to get this, not the Gramblinite which ran the pics, not the school administration, not the local authorities, not FoxNews.com, and certainly not Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson whose only reported concerns seem to be whether or not the school paper was treated too harshly, and whether or not white students should suffer more because of they hung nooses from trees three months ago, but never placed any one's neck inside the nooses. Got fan the flames of racism and get whitey Al and Jesse, you are doing the only thing which you seemingly are any good at.
" Jesse Jackson have said the charges were too heavy for the actions and that three white students who were suspended after hanging nooses from a tree on the school campus three months earlier should have been expelled and prosecuted."
I don't know exactly what to do to get this straightened, but maybe some emails and phone calls to the Grambling Administration, and to the grade school would be in order. Maybe a few more to area law enforcement, and to state representatives would get this pointed in the right direction; and as I have already made clear, that direction would be an investigation of whether or not this young girls life or well being was ever at risk, and whether or not the two adults in the photo should suffer because of that. I guess if the race baiters have their way, the welfare of the girl and the responsibility or lack of it by those two adults will never be questioned, so long as they can score political and fund raising points. I think it a crying shame that people look up to folks like that as role models.
All the best,
Glenn B
"One shows a young girl in a school uniform being held up by a woman while someone else, mostly hidden by a tree, holds a noose around her neck and up to a branch."
Should not the main issue here be child safety? Should it not be the major concern to discover whether or not the life of the student was potentially at risk because of the actions of the two school employees who were giving this so called lesson. Should not a big part of that main issue be whether of not these two school employees are still employed, and potentially able to endanger the lives of students? If I was the parent of this child, I would not be outraged that a picture of this event ran in a school paper; however you can bet I would be screaming for an investigation into whether or not the life of my child had been at risk during this so called lesson. I would think that the school administration should be doing the same. I would think that law enforcement in the area should be doing likewise. If the facts turn out to be that these adults actually tied a rope to a tree, then put the noose end of it around this girl's neck, I would think they should face child endangerment charges. Yet, for some reason no one involved seems to get this, not the Gramblinite which ran the pics, not the school administration, not the local authorities, not FoxNews.com, and certainly not Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson whose only reported concerns seem to be whether or not the school paper was treated too harshly, and whether or not white students should suffer more because of they hung nooses from trees three months ago, but never placed any one's neck inside the nooses. Got fan the flames of racism and get whitey Al and Jesse, you are doing the only thing which you seemingly are any good at.
" Jesse Jackson have said the charges were too heavy for the actions and that three white students who were suspended after hanging nooses from a tree on the school campus three months earlier should have been expelled and prosecuted."
I don't know exactly what to do to get this straightened, but maybe some emails and phone calls to the Grambling Administration, and to the grade school would be in order. Maybe a few more to area law enforcement, and to state representatives would get this pointed in the right direction; and as I have already made clear, that direction would be an investigation of whether or not this young girls life or well being was ever at risk, and whether or not the two adults in the photo should suffer because of that. I guess if the race baiters have their way, the welfare of the girl and the responsibility or lack of it by those two adults will never be questioned, so long as they can score political and fund raising points. I think it a crying shame that people look up to folks like that as role models.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, October 1, 2007
18th Annual LIHS Reptile Expo
Now here is a subject dear to my heart, the annual Long Island Herpetological Society Reptile (and amphibian) Expo. In fact this will be the 18th annual show that the society has had. It s dear to my heart because I have been a member of the society for 17 years, maybe even all 18, during which the show has gone off. I know its been at least 17 years because the first time I went to a society event, it was a show they held at the Copiague Memorial Library, and if I got it right they only had two shows there, numbers 1 &2. By the second show, I was exhibiting animals; don't you know I have been into keeping reptiles and amphibians for well over 40 years now. I have kept em, collected em, and even bred them (no not with them, but as in animal husbandry). Brendan, my son, is a chip off of the old block, he has been to most of the events, if not most of the shows, since he was about 5 or 6; and he has been to an awful lot of the shows. 
Nothing awful about the shows themselves. They are a good thing for people who like to keep reptiles and amphibians, a good thing for those curious enough to see a large variety of herps (reptiles & amphibians), a good thing for the dealers, a good thing for the exhibitors, and a good thing for the herps themselves. Each show is set up with vendors' tables, and the vendors do what they do best - they sell things. The selling pretty much is limited to live reptiles and amphibians (captive bred much preferred, and are the great part of what animals are sold), and to herp keeping supplies and equipment. We also have exhibitors' tables set up, and we run a judged show. Anyone, not just society members, can enter herps into the show. Prizes (trophies and ribbons) are awarded for best herps in several categories, and one really nice trophy is awarded for the best overall herp of the show. Of course you do not have to buy anything to attend, but if you are into herps, this is a good show to attend if you want to find quality herps and products usually below, well below, pet shop prices.
Now you may think I forgot to follow up on why I think the show is good for the herps too. I have not, it just deserves its own paragraph. These types of shows are good for reptiles and amphibians because they promote proper care of herps, good conservation of natural populations, and reasonable laws concerning the keeping and breeding of herps. Our show also helps support the LIHS itself, it is our biggest money maker, and that in ripple effect helps support the above causes already mentioned. You may be wondering how does a show, in which people sell herps actually support these things. Well here goes:
The shows promote proper care of pet reptile and amphibians. Why - well because it makes sense to do so. if reptiles and amphibians were not understood enough to be fairly easily kept in captivity, dealers would not be selling them in fairly large numbers as they do. Of course dealers could still sell them, they could die, and you might come back to buy another; but if they sell them, tell you how to care for them, provide such support when you need it through a society like the LIHS, then keeping them becomes more of a pleasure, and you are more likely to want to get into the herp hobby with a ore vigorous and long lasting interest. The shows also promote good conservation. If you attend one you will probably see that most dealers are selling what are labelled as C/B or C/B/B this or that with regards to live animals. The C/B stand for Captive Born or Captive Bred (there is a difference, as not all captive born animals were the product of parent animals that mated in captivity - the mother could have been wild caught while gravid). It usually stands for Captive bred, and C/H is used for Captive hatched meaning the mother was caught and then laid eggs in captivity before the next breeding season while in captivity. C/B/B means Captive bred & Born, in other words the parents mated while in captivity, and the young were then produced as a product of this captive mating. This is a good thing. Why? because it cuts down on the number of animals that come into the pet trade from the wild. If there is a large supply of captive bred animals, there is much less of a demand on wild populations. This is very advantageous for dealers and buyers. It helps assure that young herps which are sold are healthy, and come from healthy stock. it also allows for selective breeding so that breeders/dealers can select traits that they think will sell. Therefore color morphs like albinos are often produced. A large interest in animals of various color morphs also helps reduce the desire for naturally colored animals, thereby again reducing the need or desire for wild caught animals. Of course every now and then, wild caught animals are a good thing as they reintroduce genetic variety into captive bred populations, but the need is reduced with captive breeding to a much lower level than it would have been without captive breeding programs. 
These shows are a further boon to wild animal populations because they support conservation in other ways. For example, the LIHS bring in most of its annual funding through this show. You may wonder how this promotes wildlife conservation. It does so because the LIHS is usually involved in a good number of live animal presentations throughout the year during which members exhibit animals to audiences from pre-schoolers up through college level students up through moms and dads who pay for that education, up through grand-dad and grand-ma. Our audiences are sometimes specific to students in classrooms, and at other times are open to the public in places like parks or science halls. We teach about herp keeping, about herp conservation, and about the natural history of many types of reptiles and amphibians. We also attend, as a society, other reptile expos where some of our members man an LIHS table. There we give out information free to the public on the same topics mentioned above. One of our main functions has been to educate the public on these topics. In addition, the LIHS and its members are usually often involved in actual conservation programs such as: scientific population counts of wild animals, rescue of stressed wild herps (such as stranded sea turtles, or turtles that have been hit by cars), and capture/release scientific programs during which herps are caught and examined by researchers in their herpetological studies. This is all of benefit to wild populations.
We have also supported reasonable legislation regarding the keeping and breeding of herps. For example when NY State was about to enact legislation, a few years back, that would have outlawed all boas and pythons from being legally kept in captivity, we protested. Not only did we protest enactment of such a broad reaching law, but we explained to our state legislators why we did not support such a law; and furthermore we explained what type of ban we would see as reasonable to some extent. We did not say that NYS should totally ignore some problems, or potential dangers of keeping captive herps- specifically boas and pythons, monitor lizards, and venomous species; but we certainly let the officials know that they were painting these types herps with the same brush when indeed thy should not have done so. So we explained our stance about why we thought the ban should not be as far reaching as they had written it - for example that not all boas or pythons pose a threat to humans as they had thought. Why not, well because many species remain very small in comparison to Anacondas and Burmese Pythons. Some such as the Ball Python usually reach about 4 1/2 feet, others such as the rubber Boa reach about 2 feet maximum. Yet legislators were quite ready, and imminently about to ban all boas and pythons as being dangerous to humans because of the fact that some of the bigger types had constricted and killed foolish owners (foolish because of how they handled them, not necessarily because they kept them). The legislation then greatly modified the law before it was enacted, and pretty much only those species seen as a real threat to human life, or limb, were restricted. Of course we were not the only herp society to do so in NY, but our collective voice was heard.
Back to the show itself - if you are in NY state, anywhere near Long Island this coming weekend; and if you have an interest in reptiles and amphibians - whether a keeper or just out of curiosity - why not stop by the show. It will be held at SUNY (State University of New York) Farmingdale just off of route 110. It is easy to access from the three major highways than run east/west on the island. For more info on the show go to this link: http://www.lihs.org/files/events.htm. By the way, if you think you saw a lot of variety in the pics above, you have not seen almost anything yet, stop by the show and have your eyes opened. I'll be there. I'll have a table or two, usualy directly across the hall from the main entrance. Hope to see one or two of my readers there.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, September 29, 2007
My Career Firearms
Yes the thought just hit me (after being up for over an hour and a half already and trying to think of something about which to write) that it might be interesting (at least for myself) if I was to list the firearms that I have carried so far throughout my career in federal law enforcement.
I started my career as a Border Patrol Agent, in that garden spot of the world: Calexico, California. That was back in 1979. The first thing I was offered as an issue revolver was a Smith and Wesson model 19 with 4" barrel, blued steel. I did not like it. I wanted one of those wonderfully heavy revolvers I had shot at the academy, a Colt Border Patrol. The guy handing out the guns gave me the hairy eyeball, and probably thought I was crazy, but I got just what I had wanted. (Sorry I don't know which one that is in the pic. My goodness was I ever really that thin, and that young - I guess I was, a long time ago.) The piece was a lot heavier than the Smith, and its trigger pull a lot stiffer, but I liked it. Why? Well because the cylinder rotated along the natural pull of the thumb so as to make reloading more efficient. More efficient because as you loaded, if only part way through and you had to slam the cylinder shut and fire, the next click would likely go bang. Smith cylinders move in the opposite direction. If you look at a Smith & Wesson revolver from the rear, as you would when holding it to fire it, and then operate it so the cylinder turns, you will note the cylinder moving in a counter-clockwise direction. The natural movement of your thumb, when reloading, is to pull the cylinder in a counterclockwise direction. This means that if you close the cylinder before being fully reloaded, as you might in a combat situation, the rounds are likely not going to come up immediately under the firing pin. Instead empty chambers will first pass the firing pin. Not good tactically speaking when a split second could be of the essence to your winning a gunfight. Now when you load a colt, this does not happen. You see the action of the Colt revolver is such that the cylinder moves in a clockwise direction. So when your thumb pulls it counterclockwise as you reload, and you then have to quickly close a partially loaded gun, the first chamber to fall under the hammer would likely be one that you have just loaded. That is good.
Another reason I liked the Colt was that if I ever ran out of bullets, I could use it as a more effective club than I could the Smith & Wesson. Man it sure felt a lot heavier. It was built to last for sure; and at the time, or within a year or two of that time, I discovered that Smiths were not being built that well. One thing not so great abut the Colt, beside the heavy trigger, was the fact that it was unforgiving if you decided that you were going to do something like take it apart and give it a really good cleaning in paces no one had looked at since it was manufactured. I soon found out that putting it back together was nowhere as easy as was reassembling a Smith Wesson. In fact, my first and only attempt to do this resulted in my sheepishly going to see our armorer (or the agent who passed for such) and begging him to make it new again. After he replaced one of the springs I had mangled it was just that good. That was quite embarrassking, as Popeye would have said.
Somewhere along the way, my Colt Border patrol was replaced by a S&W model 19. If I recall correctly, they collected all the Colts to get rid of them, too old or so I remember. The thing was, those Colts would have lasted another 50 years. The S&W 19 turned out okay for me. I actually got to shoot better with it than I did with the Colt, and I could actually take it apart to clean out its innards, and then get it back together and it still worked. I wound up buying a couple S&W model 66's when they came out with a Border Patrol commemorative. I got one with a 4' barrel and one with a 2 1/2" barrel. This was when I discovered that S&W quality control was not all it was made up to be. These revolvers actually clinked when you dry fired them. I took mine and shook them, and pieces of metal shavings fell out of them. What a sorry state for a brand new gun. I sold them quickly.
As for long guns, I was not issued one while in the BP except on a requested daily basis. In other words, I had to ask for one if I wanted it, and had to ask each day then return it at the end of my shift. We had Remington 870 shotguns in 12 gauge. I liked them a lot. I had quite some fun with them at the academy, and when we shot trap (or was it skeet) I hit every clay, even when they did doubles, and I sure don't shoot that well today (ah the adeptness of youth). We also had Remington model 760 rifles in .308 caliber, they were a pump action. They were fun rifles. I took one out now and then, but I preferred the shotgun for the type of work we mostly did, though I will say while out of town in the desert those rifles were my choice. It was sort of a nice thing to see they had the same basic action type as did our issue shotguns. No chance to forget, while under stress, which one you had, and therefore operate it incorrectly.
Now while I was in the Border Patrol, I was not allowed to carry a back-up handgun. I would never intentionally break the rules, so I was sometimes quite upset with myself when I reached into my pocket only to find a Beretta Jetfire in .25 Auto. I guess that happened now and then because I was a gun sort of a guy, but as I said, never intentionally! The slingshot I carried, a wrist-rocket or something with a similar name, now that I carried intentionally, but only for use on animals like sunks or stray dogs that would have otherwise interfered with my duties while out on patrol.
After 4 years inhell Calexico, the garden spot of the world, I was able to land a job with the U.S. Customs Service as a Customs Patrol Officer in new York City. Yes I am a New Yorker, and I wanted to get home, so badly in fact, that I took a job for which by then I was over qualified. In fact I never even looked into becoming a Customs Special Agent at the time, thinking instead the patrol officer job would be my foot in the door so to speak. Well the door slammed on my foot, and it took me many years to become an agent, but that is another story. As for my sidearms when I was a Customs patrol officer, I was issued a Smith & Wesson model 19 for uniform carry. I also got issued a S&W model 36, a 2" snub nose revolver in blue steel. Only a 5 shot, but that was okay by me, a back up piece that was issued was a big change from the Border Patrol. At sometime in my career with Customs I was issued a Colt detective Special, in .38 special, with a 6 shot cylinder. I liked having that extra shot, but that piece was not long lived, it was too old and worn to be shot as much as I liked to practice, so it was back to a S&W, this time a model 60 in stainless steel.
Within a few years, my job with Customs had changed to that of a Customs Investigator, basically the same job as a Customs Special Agent, but at lower pay that the high grade for an agent (later this job as found to be an illegal position by the OPM and all of the CI's had a position change to special agent). I was issued a S&W model 459. It was, in my opinion, apiece of junk, they all were. Later on (maybe when I became an agent) we were issued S&W model 6906's. (My backup with those was a S&W model 60, and the primary was the S&W, that is until they allowed us to carry personally owned firearms.) The 6906's were an improvement, but not by much as far as I am concerned. We had catastrophic failures with those that likely would have gotten you killed in a shootout.
Somewhere in there, I think when I was a Customs Investigator, they allowed us to carry our personally owned firearms at work. I decided it was time to take out the Beretta 92SB in 9mm. This was the precursor to the 92F series later used by our military. It was and is one heck of a great firearm. In fact, I owe my life to it. It is the only pistol with which I ever shot someone, and that guy was someone trying to mug me when I was off duty (again that is another story, and if you want to read it, go to the links on the right side of my page, for the article about Ballseye - What is in a Name (or just click on this link). Later on, while still authorized to carry personally owned firearms, I bought a brace of Beretta 92F's. I carried both of them for awhile, then decided to carry only one, and preserve the other for my retirement gun.
Of course my love for the Remington 870 was not abated by the fact I now worked for the Customs Service. I shot one at every qualification, and I shot one whenever I had a chance as range officer. Yes Customs sent me to an NRA Firearms Instructor school and gave me those duties as collateral duties. I was a firearms instructor for about 14 years, and enjoyed the heck out of it, until they punished me for something and told me not to report back to the range. Nothing to do with the range as far as I am aware, but they will not tell me what it was for which I was being punished, so I think it was my big mouth with a boss. Oh well, I again digress, so let's get back to the long guns I used while in Customs. As to the 870s, I often carried one from work, but I also was able to carry my personally owned one for quite a few years before they changed the firearms policy. (The pic is of my son shooting the personally owned one I used to carry at work, yes we still have it and shoot it frequently.) It was nice to be able to carry my own since I knew my own gun was in excellent repair, and shooting it as much as I did kept me in good shape for the hunting season.
The other long guns I shot while in Customs were the Colt Ar15, the Ruger Mini14, and H&K MP5. As to the rifles, I much preferred the Ruger. It was a simpler rifle, much more reliable than the AR15, easier to disassemble and reassemble, and therefore easier to clean and maintain. Don't get me wrong though, I liked both of them very much. Now I cannot recall if it was while I was a customs investigator or as a special agent, that I was invited to attend H&K MP5 training; and after which I was immediately issued an MP5 sub-machine gun. I also became certified as an MP5 instructor. What a fun gun, and it is one heck of a weapon.
Sooner or later, Customs decided that personally owned firearms were not a good thing. I was then issued an 870 shotgun, and I was issued a Glock model 19, and later a backup of a Glock model 26. Of course I had to give up my issued S&W model 60 for the Glock 26, but it was well worth the change. The Glocks were much easier to shoot with more accuracy that any issue revolver I ever shot. Those extra rounds were also a plus. I wound up turning in the Glock 26. To this day I do not know why I turned it in and just held onto the model 19, but at least I do have the MP5 or shotgun if I am going out on an operation.
When I was transferred to ICE (Customs Agents and Immigration agents were all brought under DHS when that department was created, and they were combined into one agency under Immigration and Customs Enforcement - egad what a mess), I brought my assigned weapons from Customs with me. As for the MP5, I still carry that - well sort of anyway. I had the original issue they gave me for several years, turned it in after I was in ICE, then missed it so much that I had another issued to me. The shotgun I had under Customs was traded in a few years ago for a newer model 870. The newest Remington 870 I was issued has ghost ring sights. Man they are sweet. I do love the 870, but I think I said that already. I would have a rifle too, except you cannot be issued 2 long guns at the same time under current ICE firearms policy. For some reason, the MP5 is not within that restriction, and that is good for me. I would hate to have to decide between having only an 870 or an MP5 for a long gun. I still carry the Glock 19, I guess I've had that over 10 years now, maybe 12 or more. I do not carry a back-up handgun nowadays, but as I said, when I go out on an op, I can take either the MP5 or 870 in addition to my sidearm. That is a comfort to me.
Where does that leave me right now; well the pic at the left shows what I carry on a daily basis right now. The shot includes my issued Glock 19. I am also left at the point where the issued firearms I have now are probably the last firearms that I will be issued as a government agent. We are due to start being issued Sigs sometime in the future, but that could be as far as two years away. I doubt very much I will still be in government service in 2 years as I plan to retire in January 2009. I think I have covered all the firearms they have issued me in my 28 years and one day (so far) in government service, and all the firearms that were personally owned which they allowed me to carry. Of course, I have owned and shot many other types in all that time, but I'll save those for another rant.
All the best,
Glenn B
I started my career as a Border Patrol Agent, in that garden spot of the world: Calexico, California. That was back in 1979. The first thing I was offered as an issue revolver was a Smith and Wesson model 19 with 4" barrel, blued steel. I did not like it. I wanted one of those wonderfully heavy revolvers I had shot at the academy, a Colt Border Patrol. The guy handing out the guns gave me the hairy eyeball, and probably thought I was crazy, but I got just what I had wanted. (Sorry I don't know which one that is in the pic. My goodness was I ever really that thin, and that young - I guess I was, a long time ago.) The piece was a lot heavier than the Smith, and its trigger pull a lot stiffer, but I liked it. Why? Well because the cylinder rotated along the natural pull of the thumb so as to make reloading more efficient. More efficient because as you loaded, if only part way through and you had to slam the cylinder shut and fire, the next click would likely go bang. Smith cylinders move in the opposite direction. If you look at a Smith & Wesson revolver from the rear, as you would when holding it to fire it, and then operate it so the cylinder turns, you will note the cylinder moving in a counter-clockwise direction. The natural movement of your thumb, when reloading, is to pull the cylinder in a counterclockwise direction. This means that if you close the cylinder before being fully reloaded, as you might in a combat situation, the rounds are likely not going to come up immediately under the firing pin. Instead empty chambers will first pass the firing pin. Not good tactically speaking when a split second could be of the essence to your winning a gunfight. Now when you load a colt, this does not happen. You see the action of the Colt revolver is such that the cylinder moves in a clockwise direction. So when your thumb pulls it counterclockwise as you reload, and you then have to quickly close a partially loaded gun, the first chamber to fall under the hammer would likely be one that you have just loaded. That is good.Another reason I liked the Colt was that if I ever ran out of bullets, I could use it as a more effective club than I could the Smith & Wesson. Man it sure felt a lot heavier. It was built to last for sure; and at the time, or within a year or two of that time, I discovered that Smiths were not being built that well. One thing not so great abut the Colt, beside the heavy trigger, was the fact that it was unforgiving if you decided that you were going to do something like take it apart and give it a really good cleaning in paces no one had looked at since it was manufactured. I soon found out that putting it back together was nowhere as easy as was reassembling a Smith Wesson. In fact, my first and only attempt to do this resulted in my sheepishly going to see our armorer (or the agent who passed for such) and begging him to make it new again. After he replaced one of the springs I had mangled it was just that good. That was quite embarrassking, as Popeye would have said.
Somewhere along the way, my Colt Border patrol was replaced by a S&W model 19. If I recall correctly, they collected all the Colts to get rid of them, too old or so I remember. The thing was, those Colts would have lasted another 50 years. The S&W 19 turned out okay for me. I actually got to shoot better with it than I did with the Colt, and I could actually take it apart to clean out its innards, and then get it back together and it still worked. I wound up buying a couple S&W model 66's when they came out with a Border Patrol commemorative. I got one with a 4' barrel and one with a 2 1/2" barrel. This was when I discovered that S&W quality control was not all it was made up to be. These revolvers actually clinked when you dry fired them. I took mine and shook them, and pieces of metal shavings fell out of them. What a sorry state for a brand new gun. I sold them quickly.
As for long guns, I was not issued one while in the BP except on a requested daily basis. In other words, I had to ask for one if I wanted it, and had to ask each day then return it at the end of my shift. We had Remington 870 shotguns in 12 gauge. I liked them a lot. I had quite some fun with them at the academy, and when we shot trap (or was it skeet) I hit every clay, even when they did doubles, and I sure don't shoot that well today (ah the adeptness of youth). We also had Remington model 760 rifles in .308 caliber, they were a pump action. They were fun rifles. I took one out now and then, but I preferred the shotgun for the type of work we mostly did, though I will say while out of town in the desert those rifles were my choice. It was sort of a nice thing to see they had the same basic action type as did our issue shotguns. No chance to forget, while under stress, which one you had, and therefore operate it incorrectly.
Now while I was in the Border Patrol, I was not allowed to carry a back-up handgun. I would never intentionally break the rules, so I was sometimes quite upset with myself when I reached into my pocket only to find a Beretta Jetfire in .25 Auto. I guess that happened now and then because I was a gun sort of a guy, but as I said, never intentionally! The slingshot I carried, a wrist-rocket or something with a similar name, now that I carried intentionally, but only for use on animals like sunks or stray dogs that would have otherwise interfered with my duties while out on patrol.
After 4 years in
Within a few years, my job with Customs had changed to that of a Customs Investigator, basically the same job as a Customs Special Agent, but at lower pay that the high grade for an agent (later this job as found to be an illegal position by the OPM and all of the CI's had a position change to special agent). I was issued a S&W model 459. It was, in my opinion, apiece of junk, they all were. Later on (maybe when I became an agent) we were issued S&W model 6906's. (My backup with those was a S&W model 60, and the primary was the S&W, that is until they allowed us to carry personally owned firearms.) The 6906's were an improvement, but not by much as far as I am concerned. We had catastrophic failures with those that likely would have gotten you killed in a shootout.
Somewhere in there, I think when I was a Customs Investigator, they allowed us to carry our personally owned firearms at work. I decided it was time to take out the Beretta 92SB in 9mm. This was the precursor to the 92F series later used by our military. It was and is one heck of a great firearm. In fact, I owe my life to it. It is the only pistol with which I ever shot someone, and that guy was someone trying to mug me when I was off duty (again that is another story, and if you want to read it, go to the links on the right side of my page, for the article about Ballseye - What is in a Name (or just click on this link). Later on, while still authorized to carry personally owned firearms, I bought a brace of Beretta 92F's. I carried both of them for awhile, then decided to carry only one, and preserve the other for my retirement gun. 
Of course my love for the Remington 870 was not abated by the fact I now worked for the Customs Service. I shot one at every qualification, and I shot one whenever I had a chance as range officer. Yes Customs sent me to an NRA Firearms Instructor school and gave me those duties as collateral duties. I was a firearms instructor for about 14 years, and enjoyed the heck out of it, until they punished me for something and told me not to report back to the range. Nothing to do with the range as far as I am aware, but they will not tell me what it was for which I was being punished, so I think it was my big mouth with a boss. Oh well, I again digress, so let's get back to the long guns I used while in Customs. As to the 870s, I often carried one from work, but I also was able to carry my personally owned one for quite a few years before they changed the firearms policy. (The pic is of my son shooting the personally owned one I used to carry at work, yes we still have it and shoot it frequently.) It was nice to be able to carry my own since I knew my own gun was in excellent repair, and shooting it as much as I did kept me in good shape for the hunting season.
The other long guns I shot while in Customs were the Colt Ar15, the Ruger Mini14, and H&K MP5. As to the rifles, I much preferred the Ruger. It was a simpler rifle, much more reliable than the AR15, easier to disassemble and reassemble, and therefore easier to clean and maintain. Don't get me wrong though, I liked both of them very much. Now I cannot recall if it was while I was a customs investigator or as a special agent, that I was invited to attend H&K MP5 training; and after which I was immediately issued an MP5 sub-machine gun. I also became certified as an MP5 instructor. What a fun gun, and it is one heck of a weapon.Sooner or later, Customs decided that personally owned firearms were not a good thing. I was then issued an 870 shotgun, and I was issued a Glock model 19, and later a backup of a Glock model 26. Of course I had to give up my issued S&W model 60 for the Glock 26, but it was well worth the change. The Glocks were much easier to shoot with more accuracy that any issue revolver I ever shot. Those extra rounds were also a plus. I wound up turning in the Glock 26. To this day I do not know why I turned it in and just held onto the model 19, but at least I do have the MP5 or shotgun if I am going out on an operation.
When I was transferred to ICE (Customs Agents and Immigration agents were all brought under DHS when that department was created, and they were combined into one agency under Immigration and Customs Enforcement - egad what a mess), I brought my assigned weapons from Customs with me. As for the MP5, I still carry that - well sort of anyway. I had the original issue they gave me for several years, turned it in after I was in ICE, then missed it so much that I had another issued to me. The shotgun I had under Customs was traded in a few years ago for a newer model 870. The newest Remington 870 I was issued has ghost ring sights. Man they are sweet. I do love the 870, but I think I said that already. I would have a rifle too, except you cannot be issued 2 long guns at the same time under current ICE firearms policy. For some reason, the MP5 is not within that restriction, and that is good for me. I would hate to have to decide between having only an 870 or an MP5 for a long gun. I still carry the Glock 19, I guess I've had that over 10 years now, maybe 12 or more. I do not carry a back-up handgun nowadays, but as I said, when I go out on an op, I can take either the MP5 or 870 in addition to my sidearm. That is a comfort to me.
Where does that leave me right now; well the pic at the left shows what I carry on a daily basis right now. The shot includes my issued Glock 19. I am also left at the point where the issued firearms I have now are probably the last firearms that I will be issued as a government agent. We are due to start being issued Sigs sometime in the future, but that could be as far as two years away. I doubt very much I will still be in government service in 2 years as I plan to retire in January 2009. I think I have covered all the firearms they have issued me in my 28 years and one day (so far) in government service, and all the firearms that were personally owned which they allowed me to carry. Of course, I have owned and shot many other types in all that time, but I'll save those for another rant.All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, September 28, 2007
28 Years - Where Have They All Gone?
It has been 28 years now (as of yesterday the 28th) since I started my career as an LEO in government service. Wow time sure flies, when you're having fun on the job, and even when the job sucks. Of course, that is time seems to have flown by when you look back on it if only because memory is so quick in going through or grasping the past. As for my remaining time before I retire, and I intend to retire in January 2009, my bet is the next year and 3 months seemingly will take forever.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
There I was...
...talking about a lack of blogging, and I neglected to do a rant yesterday. I got home from work at about 7:30PM, and was asleep by about 9PM. Just woke up, and figured I had ought to write something. This is it, albeit small.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Is It The Blooging Blues...
...that causes a lot of people who blog to not blog that frequently? Or maybe I should ask is it the blues that makes them not blog as frequently as they once did. Now maybe it is just my imagination, but I would have sworn that some of my favorite bloggers used to blog a lot more than they have as of late. Some of them have not entered a word into their blogs in weeks! What gives?
I fall into it sometimes myself, that is into a slump where I cannot get myself inspired to write about something; but when that happens I try my darnedest to get at least a little spark fired up over something, and then write about it. Of course I also miss days when I am just too tired because it was a long one at work, or because other obligations or things kept me from the computer; but I almost feel an obligation to blog as often as I am able to. Besides that I like doing it, I like writing, and I like having my stuff read by folks who seem to enjoy it (that gives one a nice feeling of a job well done). I guess that helps keep me at it pretty regularly. So if any of you are out there, just feeling the blogging blues, and therefore not blogging, let me give you at least one reason to get back to it: Your readers miss your stuff. Sure we can live without your blogs, but life is much more interesting with them; so please start tapping away on those keyboards again, it is always nice to hear from old friends again.
All the best,
Glenn B
I fall into it sometimes myself, that is into a slump where I cannot get myself inspired to write about something; but when that happens I try my darnedest to get at least a little spark fired up over something, and then write about it. Of course I also miss days when I am just too tired because it was a long one at work, or because other obligations or things kept me from the computer; but I almost feel an obligation to blog as often as I am able to. Besides that I like doing it, I like writing, and I like having my stuff read by folks who seem to enjoy it (that gives one a nice feeling of a job well done). I guess that helps keep me at it pretty regularly. So if any of you are out there, just feeling the blogging blues, and therefore not blogging, let me give you at least one reason to get back to it: Your readers miss your stuff. Sure we can live without your blogs, but life is much more interesting with them; so please start tapping away on those keyboards again, it is always nice to hear from old friends again.
All the best,
Glenn B
Democratic Flip-Flop...
...continues to slap us in the face, but yet somehow not manage to make liberals see the reality about their candidates. See: Dems Discuss Iraq Withdrawal at New Hampshire Debate.
From Hillary Clinton's overwhelming support of the invasion of, and war in, Iraq to her vehement dennunciations of those who support the war efforts, to her and Obama's, and Edwards' saying we should get the troops out NOW, to them all of a suddenly saying they don't know if they could accomplish a troop withdrawal by 2013. Simply amazing is the amount of doule talk they spew out to plactate each an every member of the Democratic Party, and to tryb to satisfy Independeants, and even more amazing still that people buy into all the double talk. I guess it is much the same on the Republican side, such as Romney's and Giuliani's stance on the Right To Keep And Bear Arms; but I see the Democrats as truly being the masters of the flip-flop.
Hopefully we will awaken to find out we as a nation became smart enough to nominate those who shoot the straighest when it comes to what comes out of their mouths; and therefore we will be left with pretty decent candidates on each side for whom to vote.
All the best,
Glenn B
From Hillary Clinton's overwhelming support of the invasion of, and war in, Iraq to her vehement dennunciations of those who support the war efforts, to her and Obama's, and Edwards' saying we should get the troops out NOW, to them all of a suddenly saying they don't know if they could accomplish a troop withdrawal by 2013. Simply amazing is the amount of doule talk they spew out to plactate each an every member of the Democratic Party, and to tryb to satisfy Independeants, and even more amazing still that people buy into all the double talk. I guess it is much the same on the Republican side, such as Romney's and Giuliani's stance on the Right To Keep And Bear Arms; but I see the Democrats as truly being the masters of the flip-flop.
Hopefully we will awaken to find out we as a nation became smart enough to nominate those who shoot the straighest when it comes to what comes out of their mouths; and therefore we will be left with pretty decent candidates on each side for whom to vote.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Digital Photography...
...frustrates the heck out of me. I can take a pretty decent to excellent photograph with a 35mm SLR film camera; I know the basics of how to use f stop, shutter speed, film speed and so forth; I know the basics of how to use lighting with and without and filters, how to use backgrounds, how to use fill flash, how to use reflected light and so forth. The thing is, I cannot figure out the gosh darned Canon Power Shot 520 that I bought for my wife a few years back. I figured it would be our entry into digital photography. She hardly ever uses it, I try again and again, and I get some good shots - snapshots that is. I have no clue how to do anything with this camera that would require a level of digital photography know-how or skill. When I use manual focus it comes out blurry, when I use auto focus it sometimes comes out 
blurry (as when through glass), so I go back to manual, it looks sharp in the view finder, then comes out blurry anyhow. The pic accompanying this rant is a fine example of how badly I screw up. The Gray tree Frog, the focus of the shot, came out rather burred, while the flowers and the cork bark came out fairly sharp. I think I'll just go back to my Nikon FM2 and film, that is until they do away with film processing altogether. As it is now I can hardly find a lab to do color slides, or custom prints. All they do, for the most part, is 1 hour photo crap, and they ruin a lot of good film with the set-up they use. Still though, I am better at that than this digital stuff which just confounds the heck out of me.
blurry (as when through glass), so I go back to manual, it looks sharp in the view finder, then comes out blurry anyhow. The pic accompanying this rant is a fine example of how badly I screw up. The Gray tree Frog, the focus of the shot, came out rather burred, while the flowers and the cork bark came out fairly sharp. I think I'll just go back to my Nikon FM2 and film, that is until they do away with film processing altogether. As it is now I can hardly find a lab to do color slides, or custom prints. All they do, for the most part, is 1 hour photo crap, and they ruin a lot of good film with the set-up they use. Still though, I am better at that than this digital stuff which just confounds the heck out of me.All the best,
Glenn B
Turban Bomb
Thanks to the folks at Four Right Wing Wackos I have been introduced, in a round about way, to Turban Bomb - Reports From The Danish Frontline another blog that looks like it will be well worth a read on a frequent basis. The guys at 4RWWS linked to this: To Whom it May Concern over at The Ghost of a Flea. The rant To Whom It may Concern was based on, or was a copied part of, a rant Surrender? Up Yours! at Turban Bomb. I was quite interested and amused by that one, so I read some more of the rants at Turban Bomb. Quite interesting, and very eye opening indeed to see how it is on the front lines of a European country in which the Muslims are attempting a religious and national takeover of power as they spread the insidious cancer of Islamic rule across the world. It may be too late for the Danes, but maybe not, they are fighting back to some extent; and hopefully it will be enough for them to persevere and to maintain Danish sovereignty, culture and nationality. It is becoming apparent that those who believe there really are no other ways to combat the Islamo Fascist than to throw all Muslims out of a country may be correct because it seems if you allow them in, and then to remain, the cancer spreads - slowly at first - heck slowly for years, then suddenly it rages out of control. Hopefully the Danes will have the smarts to remove it surgically before it is too late.
By the way, if this offends any Muslims who may read it, then why are you not offended by the Islamo Fascists who try to conquer the world in the name of Islam. If you do nothing to deter them, then you support them as I see it, and you yourself are an offense to your own god and your own faith. If you think otherwise, then maybe it is true that the true goal of Islam is to conquer the world. What say you?
All the best,
Glenn B
By the way, if this offends any Muslims who may read it, then why are you not offended by the Islamo Fascists who try to conquer the world in the name of Islam. If you do nothing to deter them, then you support them as I see it, and you yourself are an offense to your own god and your own faith. If you think otherwise, then maybe it is true that the true goal of Islam is to conquer the world. What say you?
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, September 24, 2007
The Check Is In The Mail...
...and on its way to the taxidermist in Eustis, Maine. After just over a year, the taxidermist shop called us to let us know that the rug and skull mount from the bear that Brendan shot last year (on his first ever big game trip) was ready to be shipped to us. With me having been ill for a while, and also with me being the great procrastinator, it took about another few weeks before I got the check in the mail; but I did get that done today. I am anxious to see the finished product, something I hope will have been prepared well enough to last a lifetime or longer, it sure costs enough. I think though the cost will have been well worth it, what with all the good memories that the rug will invoke over the years to come.
Once we get it, we will post pics of it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Once we get it, we will post pics of it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Maybe No Blogging Tomorrow...
...since I have to be at work at 0430 hours. At least it is not the middle of the winter, with cold temps, and driven snow; but it still stinks.
All the best,
GB
All the best,
GB
Ballseye's Firearms Tactics and Training - Selection of a Holster
When you carry a handgun, for defense purposes, you want need it to be readily accessible to you at virtually all times. Not only do you need it to be accessible to you, but you need it to be defensible by you, or in other words - it need be difficult for the bad guy to take it away from you by taking it out of your holster - it need be secure. It also has to be inherently safe to use. I find only one general type of holster fits the bill, and while I may be putting myself out in front of the firing line as far as the great gun gurus go, I will stand fast on that point once the shooting starts.
The type of holster about which I am speaking is a strong side hip holster with at least one retention device. Inside or outside the belt does not matter, that is so long as you can easily draw the weapon with one hand (either one regardless of on which side you keep the holster) for firing, and you can easily re-holster the sidearm with one hand (either one regardless of on which side you keep the holster), and then engage the retention device (if not automatic) with that same hand. So what does that mean in holster selection. Well first of all it means quality. Don't by a cheap nylon or leather holster and expect it to remain good as new after using it for awhile. Do buy a quality leather, nylon, or plastic holster made by a reliable manufacturer. The specific traits you want to look for in a holster are as follow:
1) Quality - stick with a good name brand of holster, one that is fair to higher priced. Don't go bargain basement shopping when your life may depend upon the quality of your holster.
2) Material - leather, or ballistic nylon, or plastic (possibly polymer). I prefer a leather holster. From what I have seen in based on holster I and others have used, a quality leather holster is king. Nylon is okay, but ones I have had always wear out before a good leather holster. Plastic holsters are the latest thing I guess, but I do not like em at all. They are noisy and can click on things when you are trying to move with stealth. They are also noisy on the draw, and you may just want to be quiet sometimes when you draw a gun. Some of them, even ones believed to be of the highest quality, have been shown to be easily torn from a belt. A leather holster, with proper construction, is something that will last many years. With proper belt loops it is almost impossible to take a gun away from a shooter by ripping off the holster. It needs some care as in cleaning, and conditioning over the years, but leather is well worth the small task of doing such. They are also repairable.
3) Design -
a) As I said, I prefer a strong side (right side if right handed, left side if left handed) hip holster. When you draw from a strong sided holster, with your regular shooting, or strong side hand, you do not cross your body in any manner, you do not cross a field of fire that need not be crossed with the muzzle of the gun; you pull it out, and if facing your adversary, you have it on target almost as soon as it clears the holster.
b) I also prefer it to have at least one retention device. The retention device that I prefer is a thumb break/snap (not Velcro), although I will readily admit there are other holsters that have more secure retention devices. My reasoning is this: I want the gun to remain in the holster is I run, jump, climb, fall, grapple and so on. I want something to prevent immediate removal by a bad guy who tries to take my gun from my holster, something that gives me enough time to make a defensive retention move, but not something that slows down my draw. This is a thumb break holster.
c) I want a holster that remains in an open position after I have drawn the firearm from it. In other words, I do not want a worn out old holster in which the slides sort of close, or collapse inward, once the gun is out of the holster; nor do I want a new holster that does the same thing. Cheap nylon holsters are notorious for this. My reasoning here is that I want to be able to re-holster my sidearm with one hand, and then secure it with the same hand. Why - well because it keeps the other hand free for close in defensive moves if needed; and another thing is that is one hand is disabled, you can still secure your weapon with the other hand. Now mind you, I do not want a loose fitting holster, I want one with a snug fit, that is form fitted to the model of gun I am carrying, but it must be one in which it is easy to re-holster one handed.
d) Angle of the holster - I want a holster that rides high on my hip/belt, and wherein the firearm sits in an almost perpendicular position to the ground when I am standing up erect on level ground. I do not want a holster that tilts to the front, or to the back. Such holsters are not as defensible during gun retention moves. I can also draw from just about any position in which I find myself with such a holster. This includes prone on my belly or back, lying on either side, standing, sitting (even while seat belted into a car), or standing on my head if need be.
e) Belt Loops - these should be large enough to accommodate the type of belt you will be wearing. In addition they must be strong enough to withstand the gun take away efforts of a really big guy who grabs the whole holster, with pistol in it, and then tries to tear it off of you. Don't think it can happen, well then think again. I have witnessed this more than once. While on this subject, think too of the belt on which you secure your holster. Use a good quality belt, nothing fancy, but one that is made well and strong, with a secure buckle.
f) Lined or Unlined - this is a question that arises only in regard to leather holsters as far as I am aware. I prefer lined holsters as they are easier on the finish of the gun, and they are a bit thicker than unlined holsters that would otherwise be the same. This extra thickness seemingly adds to the durability of the holster over the years, and helps keep the holster open when the gun is removed.
g) Trigger covering - any holster should cover the trigger and trigger guard when the gun in in the holster.
h) Open or Closed Bottom - I prefer an open bottom holster. This is mainly because I do not want foreign material building up inside a closed bottom holster which could eventually plug the muzzle. Things like dust and lint (lint is a bad little booger in winter months when you wear sweaters). I am the forgetful type at times, and while I usualy check my equipment, one thing I would likely be to forget is to see if a closed bottom holster had debris init each time I put it on. With my open bottom holtser, I see if it is clear each time I pick it up because light comes right on through. Just simpler, closer to foolproof.
Holsters such as shoulder rigs, ankle holsters, thigh holsters, all may have one or two advantages over a strong side hip holster. For example an ankle holster may be more easily concealed. A shoulder holster rig also may be more easily concealed, and a thigh holster may give you a speedier draw. The thing is, that each of them falls short in more than one way or another. Ankle holsters are very difficult from which to draw while running or even walking fast towards something like cover, they are also the lest defensible when it comes to weapons retention. How do you hold onto a gun in an ankle holster if someone grabs your leg and tries to take it away. Sure you may do it, but you are much less likely to retain it than would you be had the firearm been in a strong side hip holster. A shoulder holster rig can be a blessing, especially if traveling in a plane in those tight seats for an LEO. The thing is though, when you draw from a should holster, you telegraph that you are reaching for a weapon. You also are performing a cross draw, drawing from weak side, and bringing the gun across to the strong side. It is a slower draw than from strong side, and such a draw causes the muzzle to cover things it quite possibly should not be covering. As for a thigh holster, you know the ones I mean, the ones SWAT guys wear. They are just about useless from what I can tell except they add speed to the draw in most cases. The thing is though, they are not as defensible as is a strong side hip holster, and they apparently often cause guns to go flying. I have seen guns routinely come out of these (several brands) while LEOs were training in tactical shooting that required running. If you feel it start to go, and this often happens, chances are you likely will not reach it in time to retain it on your thigh. if you feel a hip holster open, the body often keeps the gun retained, and just putting your arm against your body can do the rest.
All the best,
Glenn B
The type of holster about which I am speaking is a strong side hip holster with at least one retention device. Inside or outside the belt does not matter, that is so long as you can easily draw the weapon with one hand (either one regardless of on which side you keep the holster) for firing, and you can easily re-holster the sidearm with one hand (either one regardless of on which side you keep the holster), and then engage the retention device (if not automatic) with that same hand. So what does that mean in holster selection. Well first of all it means quality. Don't by a cheap nylon or leather holster and expect it to remain good as new after using it for awhile. Do buy a quality leather, nylon, or plastic holster made by a reliable manufacturer. The specific traits you want to look for in a holster are as follow:
1) Quality - stick with a good name brand of holster, one that is fair to higher priced. Don't go bargain basement shopping when your life may depend upon the quality of your holster.
2) Material - leather, or ballistic nylon, or plastic (possibly polymer). I prefer a leather holster. From what I have seen in based on holster I and others have used, a quality leather holster is king. Nylon is okay, but ones I have had always wear out before a good leather holster. Plastic holsters are the latest thing I guess, but I do not like em at all. They are noisy and can click on things when you are trying to move with stealth. They are also noisy on the draw, and you may just want to be quiet sometimes when you draw a gun. Some of them, even ones believed to be of the highest quality, have been shown to be easily torn from a belt. A leather holster, with proper construction, is something that will last many years. With proper belt loops it is almost impossible to take a gun away from a shooter by ripping off the holster. It needs some care as in cleaning, and conditioning over the years, but leather is well worth the small task of doing such. They are also repairable.
3) Design -
a) As I said, I prefer a strong side (right side if right handed, left side if left handed) hip holster. When you draw from a strong sided holster, with your regular shooting, or strong side hand, you do not cross your body in any manner, you do not cross a field of fire that need not be crossed with the muzzle of the gun; you pull it out, and if facing your adversary, you have it on target almost as soon as it clears the holster.
b) I also prefer it to have at least one retention device. The retention device that I prefer is a thumb break/snap (not Velcro), although I will readily admit there are other holsters that have more secure retention devices. My reasoning is this: I want the gun to remain in the holster is I run, jump, climb, fall, grapple and so on. I want something to prevent immediate removal by a bad guy who tries to take my gun from my holster, something that gives me enough time to make a defensive retention move, but not something that slows down my draw. This is a thumb break holster.
c) I want a holster that remains in an open position after I have drawn the firearm from it. In other words, I do not want a worn out old holster in which the slides sort of close, or collapse inward, once the gun is out of the holster; nor do I want a new holster that does the same thing. Cheap nylon holsters are notorious for this. My reasoning here is that I want to be able to re-holster my sidearm with one hand, and then secure it with the same hand. Why - well because it keeps the other hand free for close in defensive moves if needed; and another thing is that is one hand is disabled, you can still secure your weapon with the other hand. Now mind you, I do not want a loose fitting holster, I want one with a snug fit, that is form fitted to the model of gun I am carrying, but it must be one in which it is easy to re-holster one handed.
d) Angle of the holster - I want a holster that rides high on my hip/belt, and wherein the firearm sits in an almost perpendicular position to the ground when I am standing up erect on level ground. I do not want a holster that tilts to the front, or to the back. Such holsters are not as defensible during gun retention moves. I can also draw from just about any position in which I find myself with such a holster. This includes prone on my belly or back, lying on either side, standing, sitting (even while seat belted into a car), or standing on my head if need be.
e) Belt Loops - these should be large enough to accommodate the type of belt you will be wearing. In addition they must be strong enough to withstand the gun take away efforts of a really big guy who grabs the whole holster, with pistol in it, and then tries to tear it off of you. Don't think it can happen, well then think again. I have witnessed this more than once. While on this subject, think too of the belt on which you secure your holster. Use a good quality belt, nothing fancy, but one that is made well and strong, with a secure buckle.
f) Lined or Unlined - this is a question that arises only in regard to leather holsters as far as I am aware. I prefer lined holsters as they are easier on the finish of the gun, and they are a bit thicker than unlined holsters that would otherwise be the same. This extra thickness seemingly adds to the durability of the holster over the years, and helps keep the holster open when the gun is removed.
g) Trigger covering - any holster should cover the trigger and trigger guard when the gun in in the holster.
h) Open or Closed Bottom - I prefer an open bottom holster. This is mainly because I do not want foreign material building up inside a closed bottom holster which could eventually plug the muzzle. Things like dust and lint (lint is a bad little booger in winter months when you wear sweaters). I am the forgetful type at times, and while I usualy check my equipment, one thing I would likely be to forget is to see if a closed bottom holster had debris init each time I put it on. With my open bottom holtser, I see if it is clear each time I pick it up because light comes right on through. Just simpler, closer to foolproof.
Holsters such as shoulder rigs, ankle holsters, thigh holsters, all may have one or two advantages over a strong side hip holster. For example an ankle holster may be more easily concealed. A shoulder holster rig also may be more easily concealed, and a thigh holster may give you a speedier draw. The thing is, that each of them falls short in more than one way or another. Ankle holsters are very difficult from which to draw while running or even walking fast towards something like cover, they are also the lest defensible when it comes to weapons retention. How do you hold onto a gun in an ankle holster if someone grabs your leg and tries to take it away. Sure you may do it, but you are much less likely to retain it than would you be had the firearm been in a strong side hip holster. A shoulder holster rig can be a blessing, especially if traveling in a plane in those tight seats for an LEO. The thing is though, when you draw from a should holster, you telegraph that you are reaching for a weapon. You also are performing a cross draw, drawing from weak side, and bringing the gun across to the strong side. It is a slower draw than from strong side, and such a draw causes the muzzle to cover things it quite possibly should not be covering. As for a thigh holster, you know the ones I mean, the ones SWAT guys wear. They are just about useless from what I can tell except they add speed to the draw in most cases. The thing is though, they are not as defensible as is a strong side hip holster, and they apparently often cause guns to go flying. I have seen guns routinely come out of these (several brands) while LEOs were training in tactical shooting that required running. If you feel it start to go, and this often happens, chances are you likely will not reach it in time to retain it on your thigh. if you feel a hip holster open, the body often keeps the gun retained, and just putting your arm against your body can do the rest.
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The following paragraph was added on October 9, 2007: I did not mention carry in a pocket holster, but I will say here I do not like the form of carry because of how long it takes to draw, and how inaccesible is the firearm if you are in certain positions such as seated. Pocket carry without a holster is even less preferable than with one because of the potential for forgotten foreign objects in the pocket to interfere, jam or plug up the firearm, or to possibly even cause it to fire.
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There may be more that I will add later on, but for now that it is. Whether you carry openly or concealed, this is the type of holster I recommend. About the only consideration that I would go beyond on suggestion I made above is if you might want a holster with additional retention devices, or with a different retention method. Of course, whatever you get is up to you, take my opinion or leave it, it does not matter to me. Just do yourself a favor, carry safely and practically.All the best,
Glenn B
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