Oh Tell Me It's Not So - Not Mr. Sulu Too!

Maybe I have been living in a cocoon, and maybe that is why I never realized that the actor who portrayed one of my favorite characters from the original Star Trek series apparently (and reportedly) was and is a man who prefers the company of men in a gay way! Go here to read the brief story about how George Takei plans to marry his partner who I am assuming is a man with a name like: Brad Altman.

First it was Rock Hudson (a he man of the film world), then the rumor was that Jim Nabors (aka: Gomer Pyle from the Andy Griffith show, and Gomer Pyle USMC) had joined the ranks (maybe just rumor?), and now Mr. Sulu too. I am in disbelief is all the rest I can say.

If any one ever proves to me that Chuck Connors (aka: Lucas McCain- The Rifleman), who was married three or four times and had at least a few kids, was also gay as I have heard it rumored, well I'll probably just shoot shit myself.

All the best,
Glenn B

We May As Well Just Push The Button & Nuke Ourselves...

...I mean just go here to look at what we have become, at where we have arrived. Beware because it is, in my opinion, quite disgusting. If anyone other than the doctor in the spotlight thinks that this is acceptable, either medically, moraly, or legally - well then one person is enough to convince me we are doomed as a society - we have just degraded too far to have any hope of recovery left for us. So, we may as well launch the nukes and wipe ourselves off the face of the earth.

I mean that most sincerely.

Glenn B

Down To The Final 4...

...firearms qualifications at my job. Well that is the way it looks right now since I am planning on retiring in July 2009. I had figured January 2009, but financial concerns will have me staying on until July. If things do not change too much, and if it looks like our economy will hold its own so I can get another job after I retire from my career as a federal LEO, then today's firearms qualifications will be first of the final 4 I will enjoy as a shooter. I miss too the days when I was also an instructor, but those ended several years ago. Oh well, even if these come to an end, I am pretty sure I will be at the range on a fairly regular basis to keep my hand in it so to speak.

I guess being that close to retirement means it is time to start saving for the retirement carry piece. I am thinking of an HK of one model or another. Fifteen bucks a week sounds about right. I will have to start brown bagging my lunches, and saving my change.

All the best,
Glenn B

An Open Apology

It seems I may have inadvertently offended Xavier with my below post:
http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2008/05/firearms-creed-regarding-concealed.html

It was never my intent to belittle his creed, nor opinion, nor to insult him in any manner. If there was a perceived insult within my words, please allow me to assure Xavier and the rest of you, that such was totally unintentional on my part. I wrote what I did as a discussion of Xavier's piece, and as an expression of my opinion about carrying of firearms, and I would hope it is viewed as nothing more that that. For any insult that was taken, or if my blog somehow conveyed to anyone that I was being disrespectful, I do apologize.

To make sure I am understood, I am apologizing for my words allowing for an apparent perceived insult or perceived lack of respect; I am not apologizing for my discussion of the creed, nor am I saying that my opinion expressed in my reply has changed; and it is a sincere apology - absolutely no disrespect was intended.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today in History - Plessy v. Ferguson

...was decided upon by the Supreme Court of the United States of America thereby upholding the legality of the policy of Separate but Equal between the races, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plessy_v._Ferguson. It is an irony that Abraham Lincoln, who would later pen the Emancipation Proclamation, was nominated to run for the presidency on this date only 9 years earlier. Of course he won the presidential race, with slavery as a hot issue of the day, the southern states seceded from the union, the states were joined in war against one another, and out of that bloody fray was born freedom for all Americans whether black, white or otherwise. It was an irony indeed that said liberty was one assuring equality, yet it was deemed that equality could somehow be doled out separately for different people. Some of each race continued hating the other, and it was soon apparent that just because all men were freemen, it did not mean they had to be seen as acceptable in the eyes of those who had hatred in their hearts (and this worked and still does work both ways).

All the best,
Glenn B

Gas Thefts - Am I The First To Wonder When They Will Start?

Heck, I am old enough to remember the gas shortages and rationing back in the 70s when Nixon was president. I also remember that theft of gasoline right of of a car's gas tank was pretty common. So in that light, with prices at an all time high, I have to ask:

Why are there no reports of gasoline thefts similar to those of the seventies?

And:

Why hasn't some enterprising young rascal, in the automotive parts industry, paid off some hoodlums to go out and start stealing gasoline, so that his company can be the first to get in on the buying frenzy for locking gas caps?

Or:

Why hasn't some slimeball reporter paid some young thugs to go out and start stealing gasoline out of folks gas tanks, in a few different neighborhoods, in a major city, to get the big news scoop?

I mean, you can bet that it probably happened just like that in the 70s. maybe not an automotive parts company employee encouraging hoodlums to steal gasoline, but do you doubt that the news reporter types did it back then? I remember riots where newsmen were accused (and I believe convicted of or at least proven to have done so) of dropping brick on the ground with a $20 bill attached to it, during race riots. The brick just happened to fall at a minority youth's feet. Guess what happened next - the reporter's camera crew got a great shot of that brick flying through the air and smashing into a window while the reporter gave the play by play. Have we become that much better of a society that none of this will happen during the current fuel crisis? (You had better believe that regular at $4.29 per gallon is a crisis.) I hope so, that is that we have improved as a society and will not resort to such petty thievery, but I doubt it. My guess is that it is just a matter of time before we start hearing reports of gasoline thefts, of someone being beaten for trying to siphon gas out of someone else's car, and of the need for protection in the form of locking gas caps, and locking fuel filler doors (remember them, virtually all new cars had them for about a decade, but not all cars have em now).

I only hope that my thinking about this, and writing about it here doesn't spur some knuckle head dirtbag into action because I certainly do not condone or promote theft of any sort, nor do I want to inadvertantly give someone the idea and then they do it. It just baffles me though that it has not already started, or that the Mud Slinging Media has not somehow stirred the pot and created the problem to make news. I suppose it is just a mater of time.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Firearm's Creed Regarding Concealed Carry

Thanks to quidni pro quo I got to read The Concealed Carry Creed that appears at Xavier Thoughts - Nurse With A Gun. I left a lengthy reply to the post over at quidni pro quo, where I first saw the creed. After a bit, I thought I would post my reply here in order to make sure this gets around as much as possible to promote some intelligent discussion on the issue. Read the creed here, then read my reply below. Hopefully there will be some good discussion and sharing of thoughts, and more of it because now it is being discussed on at least three different blogs.

MY REPLY (with a minor but important edit as noted):

"As a legitimate and legal gun owner, I have to say there is an awful lot in that 'creed' with which I disagree. This sort of disagreement usually arises whenever anyone says this is the way it must be, and the only way it must be - just like it is said in that piece.

For instance, my weapon is not only for the protection of life. if that were the case it would only ever be used defensively. My weapon could also conceivably be used not only to protect life, but to ensure the continuance of the United States of America and her Constitution.

I will not seek ‘never to have to use my weapon’; instead I will practice with it often in the event I ever need rely upon it. If I were to seek never to use it, I would put it in a drawer and lock it away, or I would surrender it to my enemy. I would indeed seek to use it as I find myself morally, logically, and justifiably able to do so - otherwise why bother having it. I will not be "forced" to use my weapon as would the author of the 'creed' I would choose to use it when I deem necessary.

In preparing myself to use my weapon, I will not as would the author of the 'creed' acquire superior training; however I will train with it to make myself thoroughly familiar and proficient with it in various situations. To believe that any training I receive, or any practice I perform is superior leaves me open to failure because I have unwisely underestimated the ability of my assailant.

I will never be able to know, and understand all laws regarding the possession and use of firearms, or anything else for that matter. The legislators who enact laws, the executive branch who enforces them, and the judicial branch who interprets them are constantly at odds with one another over the meaning of laws, and all three are at odds with the People over the same, so how is it that anyone can believe that we can be expected to know it all.

On the other hand, I will make every effort in good conscience to obey laws about firearms, until those laws violate the Constitution of The United States of America. When that violation is blatant, and it results in the harm to fellow good citizens, and oppression of our rights to an extreme degree, I will do all within my power to uphold the Constitution of this great land. if that includes violating unjust, oppressive and tyrannical laws to achieve preservation of the Constitution, well then, so be it. Failure to do so means the end of liberty and justice, and the demise of a nation.

I will go far beyond the so called '4 Rules of Safe gun Handling' if only because they are a poorly abbreviated version of the Rules of Firearms Safety that were taught for many, many years before someone well versed in firearms decided to shorten them to help sell his name and his book. Yes he knew a lot about shooting, but Colonel Jeff Cooper was a fool if he believed those 4 rules were what it took to handle a firearm safely. I don' t believe that is what he thought, but I do believe it helped him sell himself and his book, and maybe that made him much worse than a fool in this regard, and I say that without attempting to detract from giving him his due relative to his other knowledge about firearms and his ability to use them. (edited a bit from the original to show I defer to the man and his experience on many things related to firearms, but just certainly not the 4 rules)

The above is not my creed, I have no creed when it comes to firearms usage. Life with all its twists and turns cause circumstances to change from day to day, and I tend to be flexible when it comes to my practical applications of anything. That includes my use of firearms. There is always something else to learn, maybe something to discard that you have already learned.

Of course if I were to have a creed, it might go something like:

I, Glenn Bartley, do solemnly affirm that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

And you can bet I would be willing to use a gun to get the job done within the framework of just and moral legal system.

This may seem like semantics to some of you who read this. I think not. I think there is a definite difference between myself and the author of that creed, a basic difference in our philosophies when it comes down to the nitty gritty of it all. Not a vast difference mind you, but an essential one. Maybe I am wrong, maybe we are more alike than I imagine, and it is just the way of saying things that differs. Regardless of which, I am pretty sure our philosophies do not differ that much that we would not both strive for morality, justice, and the right way of being a responsible gun owner. For that, despite any differences, I tip my proverbial hat to the author of the Concealed Carry Creed.

By the way, I did not give my reply in order to offend the author of the creed; but rather to intelligently promote discussion about it, and to make others and maybe even the author himself realize there are a lot of other ways to look at legitimate firearms ownership. In that regard, I suppose my intent was also maybe even to get others tho think about whether or not creeds are probably much to narrow in scope to be applied to such a topic as carrying, or use of, firearms. "


All the best,
Glenn B

ARSENAL - Why Become Defensive Over Use Of This Word

"28 guns qualifies as an arsenal these days?"

The above comment was found on The High Road in this thread: http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=363817 It and all the and all the other comments in that and other threads like it about the use of the word arsenal made me scratch my head in wonder. So I penned a thread about the word and its use, and why people who own guns become defensive when they hear it, or see it, used to describe a collection of firearms. The following is a quote from my post, that can be found here: http://thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=364257. If you wish to comment, you can do so at the end of this blog; or you can go to The High Road and comment there where your comment is bound to add more interest to the discussion that is sure to follow.

"...I was pretty surprised that a comment like this one was not the first one after the initial post, but as I was reading the thread starter, I knew for sure that one or more like it were surely coming. It always seems to come up whenever anyone calls a cache or collection of weapons and arsenal. Nothing personal in my using that one, it was the firs tone in the thread, and the thought struck me to write a thread on the subject so I quoted it here.

The fact of the matter is that use of the word arsenal, in the case of 28 firearms could be quite accurate. For example, if small military unit consisting of 14 people, had a storage room in which they stored 28 firearms (all long guns) would that not be an arsenal? Throughout history such a collection of firearms for a small military outpost has often been referred to as an arsenal - were the people who called that an arsenal wrong? Similarly, if a group of survivalists had a room in which they stored 28 firearms, half of them long guns, and half handguns, would that not properly be called an arsenal? I think it would be correct to use that term to describe that room. Add to the mix ammunition, firearms cleaning supplies, tools for repairing firearms, knives, and so forth and it seems even more clear such would be a correct use of the word. If guns were also manufactured there it would be a cinch. Still though, an arsenal can simply mean a collection of weapons.

So I wonder, when an individual is arrested, by police albeit it in a restrictive state like NJ, and the media uses the term arsenal to describe the same thing - except that it was in possession of an individual - why is it that the term suddenly becomes incorrect? I believe it becomes incorrect only in as much as gun owners, and gun right advocates see this word as a negative term and believe it is being used against us and our RKBA by the anti-gun lobby. Even if that is the case, that those who advocate for gun control are trying to make it sound like some evil collection of weapons, the fact of the matter is that the definition of the word arsenal, and its historical use, both support the fact that 28 firearms, even fewer, can indeed be an arsenal of weapons. Although it can be one, an arsenal does not have to be a manufacturing plant for weapons, it can be a mere storage building or room in which a number of firearms are stored, or can be a mere collection of firearms. If a collection it can be large, medium sized or relatively small - two weapons, though a stretch, could possibly qualify as an arsenal, though a small one indeed.

Here is one definition of the word, this from Merriam-Webster:

"Main Entry: ar•se•nal
Pronunciation: \ˈärs-nəl, ˈär-sə-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian arsenale, ultimately from Arabic dār ṣināʽa house of manufacture Date: 1555
1 a: an establishment for the manufacture or storage of arms and military equipment b: a collection of weapons
2: store, repertoire "

Here is another definition, this one from from Encarta:

"ar•se•nal [ rssən'l, rssnəl ] (plural ar•se•nals)
noun
Definition:
1. weapons storehouse: a building where weapons and military equipment are stored
2. armaments: a stockpile of weapons and military equipment
3. resources: a supply of methods or resources
an arsenal of teaching strategies
[Early 16th century. Directly or via French<> "

I think that when we become so defensive at the use of a term like the word arsenal, we are missing the forest for the trees. Why not just agree and say, wow that indeed was a small arsenal of weapons. So what - there is nothing wrong with owning an arsenal. In fact an arsenal of firearms whether a collection, a storage room of firearms with repair shop, or an out an out manufacturing plants, with repair shop and storage facilities for firearms all seem perfectly legitimate to me - so why get defensive about the word that describes those things. Many of us, quite defensively, deny time after time that an arsenal is just what it is when it comes to a collection of weapons. Instead of becoming defensive, and playing into the hands of the anti-gunners, start using the word regularly to describe your firearms collection. Make people, who are gun owners, and non-gun owners alike, aware of the fact that there is nothing bad about legally owned arsenal, and that the word itself is properly used to describe a legitimate collection of firearms as well as a manufacturing plant for firearms; therefore the public should not misuse construe the word as something negative. If however, we as firearms enthusiasts continue to misconstrue that same word, then we basically agree with the anti's incorrect portrayal of an arsenal as indeed a bad thing; and in that way we help the antis win their battle against because we too are giving indication that it must be something bad. That is pretty self defeating, so why give the antis any ammunition with which to shoot down our rights, why not educate folks instead that an arsenal is something of which to be proud in your role as a free citizen who exercises his/her rights in both keeping and bearing firearms, and maybe even storing them in an arsenal? "

All the best,
Glenn B

I Shared Lunch...

...with a stranger yesterday. Sure that could be a risk not worth taking, especially in the heart of New York City where you can run into all sorts of weirdos, vagabonds, hoodlums and scalawags.

Yet this guest was rather an amusing one, and had only a light appetite. He came, he ate, he ran flew. Of course, he and another two or three of his finely feathered friends stopped back a time or two more for a bit of lunchtime chatter and to grab another morsel. I was making, or about to make a quick call when I remembered the camera in the cell phone deal (therefor the poor quality shot, but a nice one anyhow), and I eyeballed this guy just as he was eyeballing the crumb (Cinnamon Raisin Bagel crumb, mind you).

Despite their flightiness, and their tiny appetites, they were the best lunchtime company I have had in a while. I was more than happy to share my lunch with them, and what are a few crumbs in the grand scheme of things? Not a lot to me, but maybe the world to a sparrow.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Was Going To Ask 'What Are We Coming To'...

...but it appears I should Ask 'What Have We Become'! I took my usual look at the news on FoxNews.com this morning, and I was pretty appalled by what I read there. It wasn't just one story that made me cringe and wonder what we have become, but story after story after story told of how twisted humankind has become especially with regard to how people treat one another.

Here are some snippets from the articles that pretty much just made me wince with disgust:

U.N.: Burma Cyclone Victims Not Getting Enough International Aid - "Rainwater was the only source of clean drinking water for some of Burma's cyclone victims Tuesday as the U.N. said only a tiny portion of international aid was reaching the region. The country's military regime, which has renamed the country Myanmar, has been accused of hoarding high-quality foreign aid for itself while people make do with rotten food." ( source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355250,00.html).

How wonderful, an already repressive regime now taking the aid meant for its cyclone smashed people and using it to fatten themselves while their countrymen suffer. This is apparently a common enough occurrence throughout the world that maybe it does not shock - but as far as I go I am still disgusted by it.

Then we have this gem: Michigan Teen Gets Life Sentence for 'Thrill Kill' Beheading - "A teenager convicted of killing a man, then beheading him and setting fire to his body in what prosecutors called a thrill killing was sentenced Monday to life in prison without parole." (source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355176,00.html). Again probably what is a fairly common type of crime. The point is that it has become common, and we have allowed it to become so.

Here is yet another: Cleveland Man Pummeled to Death by 15, Urinated On and Stripped in the Street - "Even by tough, urban crime standards it was a grisly attack: Up to 15 people chased a man, then kicked and beat him to death on the street. Before police arrived, one attacker urinated on the victim's head." (source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355235,00.html)

This one reportedly a gang crime, and also a common thing in our world.

Probably the most disgusting of the stories, if true,that I read today, was this one: Man and Woman Indicted for Training Woman's Child to Be Dominatrix, Selling Her for Other Sex Acts - "Federal prosecutors on Monday unsealed an indictment against a man and woman accused of training the woman's child to be a dominatrix, selling her services and photographing some of the acts. (source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355257,00.html)

U.S. Attorney John Wood said the case is the first in which a parent of the victim has been charged with the commercial sex trafficking of his or her own minor child."

Do you think for a moment this is the first time a parent has done this? Despite what U.S. Attorney John Wood says about it being the first time someone has been so charged, it surely is not the first report we have read in which a parent has been reported to have been training their child to perform sex acts on other adults. It is not an all that uncommon thing in the Bizarro World in which we live nowadays.

It is not just the criminal, or the obvious psycho, who are committing acts that should not be allowed; but it is the everyday person who has allowed themselves to slip into a murky place within which their good judgement and any sense of decency is replaced with a desire or need to act out as powerful through some repugnant manner toward other people. For example, here possibly is one such case (I say possibly because it is alleged): Report: Man Says He Was Forced to Sit in JetBlue Flight Bathroom for 3 Hours - "...a flight attendant volunteered to sit in a “jump seat” so Mutlu could make it onto the flight headed from San Diego to New York, according to the New York Post.

About 90 minutes into the flight, however, Mutlu says he got a rude awakening when the pilot informed him that the flight attendant was uncomfortable in the jump seat and would be taking the regular seat back, the paper reported." (source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355237,00.html)

So guess where they allegedly made the passenger sit - on the toilet. If that is true, you just have to ask yourself what in Hades is going on here! What are we becoming. It is not the deranged mind of the thrill killer, not the perverse machinations of the mother who would train and then sell her daughter for weird sex, not the will of a dictatorship, not a gang mentality at its worst, but rather the mindset of people who are there to serve us the paying customer - in this case airline employees. If this story is true as told, then can you imagine the screwed up thought process that led these pompous pieces of shit people to do what they did to this poor man by making him travel in what amounts to turdthird class aboard an airline that does not have third class seating. It is an outrage, and is the type of outrage that is often overlooked by the rest of us because it has not happened to us.

That is the real pity of all of these events, not that we overlook the really bad ones, the heinous criminal ones, because we have not yet been a victim; but rather that we tend to overlook the lessor one that took place on the plane. It is because we allow ourselves to overlook degrading acts like this when perpetrated on others, that we also become too callous to things that are worse. We do not see these lessor evils that are rampant in society as a sure gin that the gateway for much worse evils has been opened, and those evils will prey upon us if they but only have the chance.

So how do we deal with it all. Well first of all we need to get ourselves in order. We need to complain about every case of abuse that a person like the airline passenger goes through of which we are aware. Why, well because doing so will accomplish a few things. First of all it will make the public service companies out there realize that we the public want to be served not abused. It will make them realize that when they abuse one of us, they stand to hear complaints from hundreds if not thousands of us; and when they realize that they will be so scared of losing business that they will change their tunes -you can bet on it. But the effort has to be there on the part of Joe Everyman, otherwise we are doomed to more of the abuse. Once we get that started in the right direction, we also need to remain courteous to one another. Yes I mean you to me, me to you, even if we are total strangers. This is the way it used to be to a great extent, and things were much better then. Besides just courtesy we also need to be responsible for one another. No not like in a socialist or communist community, but rather in a community made up of good citizens who give a damn what happens to other good citizens. There are several ways to do that. When we see someone being harassed or mugged, or harmed - we need to shout out "hey stop that" right after we have called 911 to report it to the police. We need to consider fighting to save the little old lady who is getting mugged, the young woman being raped, the bum being beaten by a band of young thugs. Why, well because it could be us on the bad end. Wouldn't you like someone to help. I would.

In that regard we need to arm ourselves legally. With what, well with firearms if legal, or pepper spray if legal, or an expanding baton if legal, or with a TASER if legal, or with a stun gun if legal, or with whatever we can to help defend ourselves and our neighbors. If you ever see something like one of these crimes taking place, urge others to help - don't try to be alone hero and get yourself killed because you were foolish; but don't depend on the police getting there in time either. Most times it takes them minutes, and the evil deed is done well before they get there.

What else can you do? Write to politicians and law makers. Get your state and locality to allow concealed weapons carry. Push for your state enact castle doctrine. Join a neighborhood watch. Push for legislation to clean up the streets of lowlife bums who commit low level crimes. Then the police will only have to worry about the real bad guys once those others are off the streets. Push for immigration reform to punish illegal aliens and remove them from the USA. Push for a border fence for the length of the border. Voe for politicians who are for legal immigration without giving amnesty to make illegals legal. You get the idea by now I am sure - it is me, and you, and your spouse, and your neighbor, and your bartender, and your barber, and your tailor, and the grocery store manager, and the deli clerk, and the car salesman, and the mayor, and the teachers at your kid's school, and the scout leaders, and your minister, preacher, priest, rabbi or imam, and your dog catcher, and your garbage man, and your police officers, and flight attendants, and on and on and on who all have to do this on an individual level. Once we all start doing it - writing to politicians, calling them, calling 911, helping people in need, fighting for our rights - guess what - we will have started the uphill climb to victory in taking back America for moral, law abiding, good hearted people who give a darn about one another. Wouldn't your neighborhood, and mine, and the next guy's all be nicer places in which to work, and live, and even just pass through - you bet they would be.

All the best,
GlennB

A Brand New Craftsman Lawn Mower,...

...that I picked up at Sears last night, meant a newly mown (or is it mowed?) lawn today. An old edge trimmer that did not work when I plugged it in, and then got a quick repair (took apart the handle and reconnected a loose wire, even I never knew I was so handy) meant that the front and back postage stamp sized lawns are now trim albeit still pretty poor excuses for lawns. Then a quick blow round the house with the leaf blower, followed by a quick sweep up of a pile of debris here and there, and the old homestead looks presentable. Now for some refinishing of the front door, a job started about a week or so ago but had to discontinue because of the weather, and it will really look a lot better round here. After that maybe some filling in of holes in the garden, our newest dog Mimi is a digger, then maybe a few dabs of hot sauce here and there where she usually digs and I am hopeful that problem will be gone. Once I'm all done with my chores, I'll be enjoying the best shower I have taken in awhile. I cannot wait to feel the cascading streams of hot water running over head, then flowing over my body till it trickles down between my toes as I take the first hot shower in our house since the new water heater was installed earlier today. Yes the new A.O. Smith hot water heater, a jumbo one at that holding 50 gallons (our last only held 30 gallons) is in place and all fired up. Utopia right here at home (even though I'll be broke for the next month or three paying for it all), but still Utopia - can you imagine that!

I had better get going if I really want to be first into the shower; I've lots of work to do before then, and Brendan gets home from school and lacrosse practice within a few hours, so time is of the essence. Later for you.

All the best,
Glenn B

A Cold Shower Tonight...

...seems to be in store for me. Our hot water heater went on the fritz, and with the price of oil what it is I have decided to replace it with a gas fired system; and I'll still have oil heat for our home heating system but only because I cannot afford to change both the hot water heater and the boiler. As it stands now, the lowest estimate I got for installation of a HWH with 50 gallon tank will be $1,275.00 (the highest estimate was $1750). That is better than the replacement cost for an oil fired one at $1,680.00, and I figure the cost of gas will be less than that of oil - but who knows what will be what in 6 months or a year. It is sort of a crap shoot, but some favorable things about gas are that: it burns cleaner, the unit itself will require almost zero maintenance (and the constant pain in the ass oil burners needed maintenance every couple to few months), one less oil appliance to leak oil from its filter (yes sometimes we have had leaks), gas is currently more efficient and less expensive than home heating oil, and I am told they last longer than oil fired heaters. I would have liked to have ordered a tankless unit, but the cost to purchase and install one of them was about $1,000 to $1,300 more depending on who gave the estimate. What with having to have a tree taken down in my backyard, and the best estimate for that being $1,500.00, and also my needing to buy a new lawn mower at about $220.00 because ours is shot, and you can see money will be tight around here - so the extra cost for a tankless unit was not even a consideration. If only that darned rebate check would show up, I sure could use it - but of course I won't get as much REBATED to me as someone who made less money than me last year, and who paid less taxes than me - but I digress.

So I await my last estimate, promised to get here by 0830 tomorrow, then I make my pick of poisons plumbers for the HWH. Hopefully they will get the job started and finished tomorrow as most said they could do, including the man with the low estimate so far. Funny, all the estimates are for the installation of the same exact HWH by brand and model. Go figure. As for tonight, no more lallygagging around, I am off to Sears to pick up a Craftsman Lawn Mower - one of their least expensive models. After that I would love to stop off an pick up a bottle of Vodka, but me thinks my pockets will be too empty for such an extravagance as that - though lord knows I could use a good belt after my day with the plumbers today. Of course they could surprise me at Sears and give me something like another $25 bucks off the price and things would then look better for that clear elixir for which I have a hankering.

All the best,
Glenn B

Happy Mothers' Day Mom, Linda, Oma and Marlene,

Dear Moms,

What can I say, except that I love you. If not for you none of my life would have been possible, I would never have been raised the way I was, and never would have wound up the best of your 3 children (jab, jab at the other two - lol). Hope to see you around for at least 10 or 15 more of these.

The pic at the left is one of the most recent I have of you (it's my mom and my nephew Daniel).

I don't have a heck of a lot of pictures of you on the computer, but figured I would post this one for all the world to see my wonderful mom on mother's day. Someday soon, I'll have to go through the pictures in the shoe boxes and pick some to scan into the PC.

Even though I do not have a lot of them, here is another, this one with you, Celina and Brendan at Christmas back in the apartment in Glendale. Plastic covers on the sofa and arm chair; I cannot believe we ever did that - can you? Look at how small Celina and Brendan were back then. Wow that had to be about 1992 when she was about 8 and he was about 3! The good old days I suppose. Remember you always told me to enjoy them then, cause they won't get any better. Well I took your advice and enjoyed them then, but they still wound up getting better, and better and better. Just look at em today, and you know that they did. Celina is going for her Master's Degree and Brendan is about to graduate high school.

Then how could they have turned out great without your influence on me, then mine on them (crazy as I can be). I guess they could not have though I'll admit I owe a lot in their upbringing, and so do they, to that other woman in my life who is both a mother and one who must be adored - their mom, my dearest (my only) Linda. Nope I could not have done a thing with the children without Linda - that is for sure. She is the one who kept both of them on the sane side while they were growing up, and that was a good thing. For that, and other things, I love her dearly. She is a great wife, and even a better mom - and I am sure both Celina and Brendan could tell you how wonderful a mom she has been. If our beloved Sprocket (the dog in the pic) could have spoken while she was still with us, she would have surely told you the same.

Now there is, of course, another mother in my life without whom none of this stuff about my wife and kids would be possible. That is my mother-in-law - Oma. I mean, if it wasn't for her there would have been no Linda, no one to fill my life with joy, and no one to give me the best two kids anyone has ever had. Not only did she give me a good wife, she gave me a good wife who loves dogs, and therefore was also able to put up with all the other pets we would have over the years like a cat, birds, snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, newts, fish, mice and hamsters to name a few. Yes you can see from this pic that the Oma is an animal lover, but I'd bet I could never get her to pose like that with one of the other pets I mentioned except maybe the cat.

Finally, one other mother in my life needs mention, because she is the one who is taking care of Granny right now. That would be my wonderful sister Marlene. Along with Uncle David, and Daniel there are doing one heck of a good job of keeping granny happy, and looking forward to future mothers' days to come. Somehow, despite the crazy upbringing (that would be my influence in her life), my sister turned out to be alright as an adult and did not wind up in an asylum as a convicted psycho killer. Go figure, but Doctor Spock was wrong about whatever it was about how he said to raise children because that is not the way any of us were raised and my sister turned out to become a loving mother, a loving wife, a loving daughter, and a loving sister.

Of course there is always the argument that listening a bit more to quacks like Doctor Spock may have helped in the upbringing of your children. I mean just take a look at your two sons, and you could get the idea that something was just a teeny little bit askew. I am not going to give any commentary on the next pic, except to say that it is Uncle Raymond (my brother).

Well maybe just a little bit of commentary - who could love a face like that? Only a mother, and I guess a wife, and uncle Raymond got a good one in Tante Lorraine. One other comment - there but for the grace of God - go I. Ha, ha!

Tante Lorraine is a wonderful gal, she took care of the black sheep of the family and I have to give her credit for keeping him under control. They make one heck of a nice couple, nicer on her side of course!

Well moms, I guess that it is for now. Hope you are all having a happy mothers' day because you are the best.

Now I had best get my butt in overdrive because I have to be at Tante Lorraine's and Uncle Raymond's in a half hour so we can all drive out to see granny.

Love you all,

Glenn

37 to 12

That is the number of blogs - 37, to which I link over on the right side of my blog that do not provide a reciprocal link to my blog as compared to the ones - 12, that do provide a reciprocal link back to my blog. Actually that number was a bit higher on the nonreciprocating side, but I moved one of those blogs to the News Section (Michael Savage - because his is not really a blog per se), and I totally removed one or two other blogs because after long consideration I figured I could not stand them (just my personal opinion - so why keep link to them since my opinion of them has changed). Then I moved around the blogs into two categories - those who provide me the courtesy of a reciprocal link, and those who have blogs wherein I could not find that courtesy (hopefully I did not screw up). Of course if the courtesy comes my way, I'll have more rearranging to do. Note while I do not agree with everything written by all the bloggers to whom I link, I find a lot of their stuff interesting enough to link to them, or agree with them often enough to think they merit a link, and think you will find it likewise. Some of them are outright fascinating.

Allow me to say thank you to those of you who showed me that little courtesy.

All the best,
Glenn B

Today In History - Modern America Made Possible

A lot of things happened today in history that made the world a worse or better place, and that truly effected the United States of America in a big way. Today is a significant day regarding important, if not great leaders, for example on this day in 1863 General Thomas Stonewall Jackson passes onto the great beyond due to injuries and disease, in 1865 Jefferson Davis the president of the Confederacy is captured by Union forces, in 1924 (heck the year my mom was born) J. Edgar Hoover was appointed as the head of the FBI, in 1940 Sir Winston Churchill become Prime Minister of great Britain (you ca bet this effected U.S. History). There were important births on this day too: 1730 George Ross a signer of the Declaration of Independence was born in New Castle, Delaware, and the notorious (and I would hope you know why he was notorious) John Wilkes Booth was born in 1838. Some events mark this as a particularly noteworthy day for the USA: in 1775 the Green Mountain Boys led by Etan Allen and Benedict Arnold take Fort Ticonderoga from the British without firing a shot, in 1872 Virginia Woodhull is the first woman to be nominated for the presidency of the United States, the USS Triton completes the first underwater circumnavigation of the earth in 1960 (something of my early childhood); but I don't want to talk about them. All of the above listed events, with the exception of Churchill taking over in England, pale in comparison to the events and years of effort that led up to a ceremony that took place today. That ceremony symbolized something that formed the United States of America as we know her as one of, if not, the greatest nation on the earth.

Today, May 10, 1869 , was the day that the Golden Spike was driven. The Golden Spike was a ceremonial railroad spike, and it was driven into the rails at Promontory Summit, Utah. The spike itself, though golden, really means little; the driving of it home into the rails at the junction where the locomotives of two mighty railroad companies - The Union Pacific's 119 and The Central Pacific's Jupiter - met cowcatcher to cowcatcher meant a great deal. You see, that spike was the final spike put into place in what became known as the First Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad was authorized by law, backed by the federal government, and is one of the great works pushed for by Abraham Lincoln although not finished until a few years after his assassination at the hands of the notorious John Wilkes Booth (whom you may recall just so happened to be born on this day in 1838 - what irony that he drove home a piece of lead in an attempt to divide the nation, and it was a spike of gold, driven into place due in part to his fallen target, that united her eventually, though not in 1869, from coast to coast).

The completion of the railroad assured future wealth for America. It opened the west to settler as nothing had that preceded it. Yet not all was made golden with its completion. For with the completion of the First Transcontinental railroad came other things that showed a darker side of America. With it came the Buffalo Hunters, and with them came a hail of lead that would decimate the bison herds throughout the plains states. With the demise of the buffalo came the fall of the Plains Indian Nations, and the destruction of much of the flora and fauna of the Great Plains. Hordes of Chinese immigrants entered the United States to work on the lines, only later to be the only legally admitted group to be forced to leave the USA in huge numbers. Yes, the railroad was entwined with some of our darker moments. Still though, the United States grew as a result, and at a faster pace than could ever have been imagined when only stage lines, and caravans of settlers wagon trains crossed from one side of the country to the other.

With the railroad came technological achievements (steam engine improvements and so forth), architectural achievements (building bridges and the like), and the opening of the west that allowed for increased settlement and trade. Where traveling from coast to coast had once taken almost 6 months, or more, it could now be completed in only a week. The United States had stepped into a new age, at a speed never before imagined. Looking at all the good and the bad associated with it, I have to think it was good more so than bad, and though I will not belittle the bad that came of it, I certainly cannot diminish the good because of the bad. Both sides of the deeds done stand out on their own in testimony to the building of a great nation and all that comes with it.

To see where I found this information, and for more about all of it, please see:

First Transcontinental Railroad : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Transcontinental_Railroad, and http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/places/states/utah/ut_promontory.htm

Golden Spike: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_spike

USS Triton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Triton_%28SSRN-586%29, and http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t8/triton-v.htm

Fort Ticonderoga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ticonderoga

Victoria Woodhull: http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563714/Victoria_Woodhull.html

Winston Churchill: http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_1741503234/Churchill_Blood_Toil_Tears_and_Sweat_.html

Many of The Above Dates and Events: http://www.historynet.com/today_in_history (note the apparent error on this one about which submarine first circumnavigated the globe while underwater

Take a look at some of the links, something else that intrigues you may just catch your eye. For me it was the union of a nation, for you it maybe something else.

All the best,

Glenn B

Shark Surfing

There go I but for the grace of God having allowed me to stand in line when they handed out the brains. If this is for real, and who knows it could be, I think the name of the website from whence came this video says it all: StupidVideos.com. The only thing I cannot figure is how he threw the pole off of the pier then retrieved it. To the best of my knowledge fishing poles with reels attached do not float - but who knows. As for the shark in close to the pier like that - I remember my visits to Pacific Beach in San Diego when I lived in CA while in the Border Patrol. There were always surfers, and always guys fishing for sharks from the pier. In fact I saw quite a few sharks swimming by under the pier, and a few caught by the fishermen. Never saw a surfer do something like this though.

All the best,

Glenn B

Balls, Balls everywhere...

...but not a rubber one to bounce. In fact I have 33 new balls - Ball Pythons that is! No I am not an eccentric kook who keeps exorbitant numbers of animals, I bought these so I can trade or sell them later, and maybe even donate a few to a herp society.

Ball Pythons are also called Royal Pythons (Python regius). There are about 15 of them in the accompanying pic, all babies, and if you click on it to enlarge it you can see about 6 heads if you look closely. They are a smaller sized python, they reach about 4 to 6 feet long maximum. Not all pythons are the giants of jungle lore, in fact most are much smaller than the Burmese Pythons that can reach fairly incredible lengths. The Ball Python comes from western Africa, and is found in such countries as Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria to name but a few of their home countries. They thrive in grasslands, and lightly wooded areas; and do a good job of keeping the local rodent population in check - as rodents are their main source of prey. They are a fairly docile and timid snake, thus they got their name from the habit they having off forming their bodies into a somewhat ball shape when threatened. What they do is form a ball, and the head searches out a hole into which to escape if possible. Of course they can also strike and bite, as my fingers could tell you if they could talk, though most don't bite.

These are one of the most commonly bred snakes in captivity; yet export of ball pythons is also a regular trade. Exportation of them occurs in great numbers at this precise time of the year. As opposed to what you may think, export of Ball Pythons probably does not currently pose a risk to their populations because of laws in place to protect them. These laws, in effect in countries like Ghana, require that captive ball python females be allowed to lay their eggs in captivity. Then a certain number of the hatchlings are allowed to be exported while the remaining percentage of them are returned to the wild. So the great majority of imported Ball Pythons appearing in any country outside of Africa are what are called captive hatched, or captive born (as opposed to captive bred and born). The ones I got came about in this manner. I do not import them, nor buy them from an importer (would be a conflict of interest with my job to do so), but rather I buy from a wholesale dealer who probably bought them from the importer. In effect I buy them only after they have entered the internal commerce of the country, and this keeps my employer happy because then there is no conflict of interest.

What I will do with them now is get them to shed, eat their first few meals, and then hopefully sell them at a small profit to help support my reptile and amphibian keeping hobby. I'll try to sell them at my local herp (herpetological) society meetings, at a local Reptile Expo, and maybe to some pet shops. If I am lucky, I will not go broke feeding them before I sell them. Some will also likely be donated to the Long Island Herpetological Society as prizes for our monthly meetings. I also may trade one of two of them for something that catches my eye, but they probably do not have much trade value. Finally, I may wind up keeping two or three and then attempt to mate them in about 3 years from now when they would be of breedable size and age (that is for ones well cared for while kept in captivity, wild snakes probably mature more slowly due to environmental conditions such as food supply or lack of it, droughts, diseases, parasites and so forth).

Ball Pythons come in many color morphs or variations. Some of these are genetic variations and are highly prized in the pet industry. Dependent upon the morph, a ball python can sell for anywhere from about $10.00 to $20,000.00 (maybe more). A few years ago, the most rare of the morphs was selling for well over $100,000.00. There is big money to be made in the reptile business if you are a specialty breeder. Then again I can make a little money too, but certainly not a whole heck of a lot; and with luck I'll make a few dollars profit on each snake. If not then hopefully I will at least break even and have had fun dealing in them.

All the best,
Glenn B

It's Nice To Know Who Returns A Courtesy...

...and nice to know who does not. I guess I do not understand the world of bloggers, although I certainly have tried; or maybe I do understand - and if I do well it just ain't no different from the rest of the world. There are people out there who when shown a courtesy and given a compliment would show a courtesy back at you, even if they decided not to return a compliment. They direct a courtesy back to you because, even maybe while they do not necessarily agree with you or maybe they just don't even like you enough to give you a compliment, they are respectful folks and they know one of life's best kept rules is that one good deed deserves another. They also see a courtesy given to them as a good deed. So it would make sense that if one blogger provides a link on his blog to the site of another blogger, then that other blogger would return the courtesy; but of course that would only make sense if the other blogger was a respectful type of person.

Of course this does not necessarily mean that someone who fails to return the courtesy of a link with a reciprocal link is a cad; there could be plenty of reasons they do not link back. Some of those reasons could be that a courteous and respectful blogger who has not provided the reciprocal link has not: realized his site was linked to on the other site, updated his site in a while, remembered to provide the reciprocal link, does not provide links as a matter of principal. Then again, the blogger who does not provide a reciprocal link could just be an out and out arrogant, disrespectful, discourteous asshole - although I will admit this type is probably the rare exception. I suppose there could also be a number of other reasons, and it is not that they elude my train of thought right now but rather that I am sure you can think of them yourselves.

I have not quite figured out yet, who of the bloggers for whom I provide a link on my list of links fits in any of the above categories - that is except for two of those categories - those who do not normally provide reciprocal links for whatever reason, and those who have had the courtesy and decency to provide a reciprocal link to my site on their blogs. I also know that out of the first 30 links I have provided to the sites of other bloggers, there are only 7 who showed me the same courtesy in return. So I think a little gardening on my side plot of linked sites is about due. Now I have to decide if I want to treat the non-reciprocating bloggers as weeds and just yank em out by the roots, or if I want to treat them as belonging in their own little brier patch apart from those flowers of respect and decency who had the courtesy grace my garden with a link to my blog. Pretty flowery analogies emanating through my keyboard, but not one word of bullshit to be found, I used all of the manure I had on hand in my real garden.

Well, I'll check the rest of the blogs to see how many others reciprocate with a link to my site, and then I guess I'll give it a good think over the next few days on how I should handle it, and if I should do anything at all. I am pretty sure I will do something, and that weeding and replanting will be taking place in the near future with some. By the way, this is not any sort of a threat to those who don't link back to my site on their own sites. I am not foolish enough to think that my removing a link to your site from my little blog has any effect as any sort of threat, and besides that why would I bother with trying to threaten someone into being courteous. Courtesy is a thing you learn, and then that you develop as your character develops. Making any sort of a threat in order to try to guide someone toward becoming courteous would be counterproductive, and is certainly not something I would even think of attempting with a grown adult who has already developed their own character to either include or exclude common courtesy. Of course, if this rant reminds you that you somehow forgot to give me a link on your site to mine, and then you do me that courtesy, that would be nice of you. A reminder it may be, a threat no - not in the least.

I figure most of the bloggers who visit my site are nice folks. I can sort of tell that from what they have written about in their own blogs, and from the quality of comments they have sometimes left on my blog. I would hate to inadvertently offend any of them by having them think that I believe them to be less than nice people, or that I am making some sort of ludicrous threat when I am not. So please, if you are one of the folks who has not linked to this site on your own site, just take my current rant and any action I take concerning weeding or replanting of non-reciprocating bloggers as me being me, and as me blogging about something that is important to me.

One last thing. If you are a blogger, and provide a link to my blog on your own and I have not given you the courtesy of which I have written - well it is most probably because I am not aware you link to this blog. If that is the the case, please let me know you have extended a courtesy to me, and I will gladly return it to you. Thanks.

All the best,
Glenn B

I toned down the above, the morning immediately after I first posted it. Why? Well because I don't want to be offensive to those who read it and are not among the disrespectful type of bloggers who do not give the least bit of concern to common courtesy. I know my fellow bloggers, the ones to whom I have linked on my blog, better than that. I believe you are rather nice people, and would not have wanted to have you believe otherwise because of the way I had previously phrased some things above.

Out Of Touch With The Voters...

...is how I see the candidates on the Democrat side, and I am just talking about them being out of touch with the voters in their own party. I heard this morning, on Fox News, and I believe again on CNN, that no matter how the Democrat primary elections pan out from here until they end, the fact is that Hillary Rodham-Clinton will trail Barack Hussein Obama by more than 150 delegates. If that is correct, then there is no possible way that Clinton can win the primaries. In fact, it means she has already lost and that Obama is the choice of those who have voted in the primaries. Yes I know all about Florida, and was it Michigan, the states in which Clinton apparently broke her pledge of record. They should not, and do not, as far as I am aware, count in this primary. At least they should not count unless done over, and a do over in either state seems unlikely. Even if Florida counted, Clinton would trail. So it appears that when things were run fairly and evenly, the Democrats who voted picked Obama.

Yet the race is not over. Clinton, who has always been on her high horse and out of touch with the people, has decided to stay the course (hmm - where have I heard that before). She decided on that despite her staying the course being in opposition to the will of the people (boy that really rings some bells of familiarity). She apparently is going to go to the Democrat convention and hope that the SUPER delegates give her the nod and select her as the candidate of the Democrat party over Obama! Can you imagine that - SUPER delegates - like what - supermen? Like people who are better than the rest of the Democrats who voted, like delegates who know better than the rest of the Democrats who voted, like some sort of bygone elite class of wundermen (boy that sure sounds familiar too, in a really scary sort of a way)! If they actually bully the whole Democrat party, and disregard the decision of the voters to give Clinton the nod, and she becomes the candidate, well all I can say is it will be time to stock up on guns and ammo. No, not so much because of the pending bans that will come if she is elected, but rather because the USA will have started to look all to much like a Western European nation in the early to mid 1930s (lest you chide me, remember they started out by looking like a rather benign, even whimsically foolish political party and probably less foolish than do these super delegates look today). I for one intend to protect the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies - foreign and domestic; though I must admit - I hope it never comes to that - and I hope this will all blow over and the will of the people - even if Democrats - be honored at least in regard to their own political primaries. You know I want to see the Dems resoundingly defeated in November; but I sure do not want to see an appointed class of self righteous supermen trying to wrest power from whence it truly comes, and that is from We The People whether we are Democrat, Republican, Independent or yet of another political party!

All the best,
Glenn B

New Addition - A Face Not Even A Mother Could Love...

...but somehow a lizard lover certainly could become enamored over this mug. This my friends is the latest addition to my herp collection, albeit only a temporary guest among the many critters that inhabit or stopover at my home. I picked it up from someone who could no longer give it the care it needed, and promised to find it a good home and care for it until I did so. Well I have already found it a good person to care for it, in a home it will share with two others of its kind, but just have not had the chance to deliver it yet.

I guess that by now you must be wondering exactly what kind of lizard it is, that is if you don't know already. My guess is that some few of you may know, and others like Jungle Mom are sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to find out, yet being grossed out every moment you spend staring at it. It is a Sudan Plated Lizard, or in the scientific lingo: Gerrhosaurus major.

They come from eastern and southeastern Africa (like The Sudan) and live in semi-arid grasslands, deserts, and rocky areas. Despite this one mugging it up for the camera, in nature they are quite shy and often spend great parts of a day hidden in termite mounds and animal burrows. They are fond of a variety of insects, bugs (like millipedes), fruits and some other vegetable manner. In general they are opportunistic omnivorous feeders. My guess is they would eat anything that crawled small enough for them to easily overcome, and also add whatever fruits they can devour to their diets in nature. They are not an endangered species, and are readily available in the pet trade. Most are wild caught individuals, and while usually easily acclimated to captivity - captive bred specimens would be the preferred type to keep. Most tame very easily, and become regular family type pets. Brief but specific care requirements can be found here: http://www.reptileallsorts.com/basic-spl-cs.htm.

Now I almost cannot wait for the next additions due on this Thursday - 33 Ball Pythons! I guess that is another story in the making.

All the best,

Glenn B

The Weekend - The Get Together - The Gun Show

Saturday May 3rd has come and gone. As I had promised myself, my son, my friends Charlie and Pete and Charlie's brother-in-law Rob, I drove up to the gun show in Middletown to meet all of them except Brendan there. Brendan was supposed to come with me but could not get out of Lacrosse practice since he came with me and Linda last weekend when we visited my mom. The coach is pretty strict and I figure if Brendan is willing to go with the discipline - good for him.

So there I was driving my wife to the auto mechanic on Saturday morning at 0800 to pick up the Ford, so she could take that to work. Yep the old piece of shit Ford needed $411.00 of work pretty much precluding me buying any guns at the gun show unless I sold something first. When we got there, Linda hopped into the Taurus, and I went inside to pay. Then I was off in the Toyota (saving gas instead of using the Ford for the 85 mile, each way, trip). The Corolla made it without a hitch and before I knew it I was getting off exit 120 in Middletown (Route 211). Good thing that that was my exit, because right there near the bottom of the ramp was a Lowes. I made a quick stop, picked up a can of stain for my front door, and decided to kill two birds with one stone and also bought a couple of wood dowels, a length of yellow nylon 1/4" rope, and a Sharpie marker. Then I drove the couple of miles to the Orange County Fairgrounds and the gun show. Once parked - very close to the entrance despite the crowded parking lot - I popped the trunk and went to work.

What I was doing bent over my trunk was getting to work with marker, paper and dowels. It went something like this: Marlin Model 56 Levermatic, .22LR $150 plus NICS fee, J.C. Higgins Model 43 .22LR $100 plus NICS fee (I was told the fee could run anywhere from $10 to $45 - what a rip off). I cut three pieces of rope, tied the one piece onto each of those two rifles, keeping a piece in reserve in case I later got out the Mosin Nagant M44. I stuck the dowels down the barrels of the two 22s, and made flags at the end of the dowels protruding from the barrels with the little for sale signs I had just made up. Now I knew for a fact that I could sell these legally inside the show; but being respectful of the show promoters and the police I did something first before walking right inside with them slung over my shoulders.

First thing, I secured the trunk. Then I went to the front to look for my buddies; not there, so I paid the $8 entry fee (would have been $9 but I had a dollar off coupon - funny how the price has gone up each time I go to a gun show, but that dollar off coupon always stays only a dollar off), and I went inside. As I went in, I asked the guy taking tickets at the entrance if it was legal to sell guns in a private transaction at the show - he answered yes. Then I saw a couple of state troopers talking to a suit. I also asked them. I already knew the answer but wanted to make sure to keep it on the up and up. They said it was legal and confirmed I would have to get a dealer to do a NICS check on anyone who was not a dealer to whom I sold a firearm (I think that is technically wrong, holders of a 01 FFL or of a pistol permit don't need the check as far as I am aware). Then I took a quick walk around to look for my buddies. I did not see them, but saw a guy walking out of the show with several .50 caliber ammo cans in great condition. So instead of heading right back to the car, I asked him where he had bought them. He told me and I grabbed 4 right way since they sell out fast.

I brought them out to my car to put em in the trunk. Funny thing was those two state troopers followed me. I saw them behind me and did not realize they were actually following me at first, they made it look nonchalant. Yet after I got to my car, and had been bent over my trunk a minute or two arranging the ammo cans and other stuff in there, I came up for air and there they were about 25 feet away, both craning their necks to watch what I was doing. They both snapped their necks so fast into the other direction when I looked up I was surprised their heads did not come off. I guess those two officers should have figured I was going to sell my rifles inside, instead of illegally in the parking lot, since I had the respect to ask them if it was okay before just walking into the place with them slung over my shoulders, but there they were. Oh well, doing their jobs I suppose. I closed the trunk and left the rifles inside of it. I wonder if they were disappointed.

Then back into the show, this time to look around with a keen eye for my pals. This time I only showed my stamped hand for reentry. Once inside I kept an eye out for the guys, and suddenly there was Charlie. I called him over to me, and he let me know Rob could not make it. We both wondered where Pete was since neither of us had seen him, and I told Charlie about Brendan not being able to make it because of his lacrosse practice. We talked for a few minutes, and I decided to go back tot eh car to grab my rifles for sale. This time no police escort. I made sure the makeshift slings were secure, slung the two 22s one over each shoulder, and went back inside to meet up with Charlie. We made the rounds of all the tables. Not bad as gun shows go nowadays in this neck of the woods. I saw lots of guns for sale and that was somewhat of a surprise. Now you might think, hey wait a minute - why wouldn't you see lots of guns at a gun show? Well in recent years with all the restrictive laws put in place for gun shows, there had been a decline in sales. What wound up happening is that you would go to a gun show and see more tables of knives, beef jerky, gadgets, and books for sale than you would see of guns and ammo. My guess though was that this sale had about at least 75% of the tables showing guns for sale, maybe even 85%. That was a good thing, though I will admit the prices were sky high. No great deals at this show, well except for those two on my shoulders.

Charlie and I kept up our search for Pete as we walked around (he never showed up much to our dismay), and we kept an eye out for things we wanted or needed. Besides the ammo cans, I picked up a cleaning kit for an M1 Garand (for a buddy at work), a camo back pack (for a grab and go emergency kit), and was on the lookout for a couple of bricks of .22LR ammo. Sadly there were only two vendors selling any good amount of ammo, one was selling collectible stuff, the other shootable stuff. The one with the shooting ammo did not have even one box of .22LR ammo. Go figure - the most popular cartridge ever, and this moron gentleman was not selling any of it! As we walked around, I had a few people stop me to ask about my rifles, but only one seemed really interested. He went off to look for a dealer for a NICS check or so he said, and he said he would look for me again if he could find one. Sure enough he stopped me again later, but had a newly purchased rifle in hand; but this time he had a buddy in tow. His friend looked at the marlin, but decided against it. Charlies was off still walking around and I was looking at my Marlins big brother in .22 magnum on a table when suddenly the dealer at that table asked: "How much do you want for the Marlin?". Heck he had seen the sign, I would have thought so, but I just said $150, and he immediately and much to my delight said "sold". I completed the transaction and now had $150 for a rifle for which I paid, well let's just say, for which I paid less. Sure I could have probably asked $200, maybe even $250, but I was happy to get a fairly quick sale and be rid of it and its two after market magazines.

After the sale, I looked around for Charlie and spotted him near the front door. He was talking about picking up a pre-ban AR15 (yes NY State still has the ban). He had been holding my other rifle for me since my shoulder had been hurting, and I took it from him and brought it back to the dealer who had just bought the Marlin. He showed no interest at all in the J.C. Higgins. After having asked, it no it did not hurt to ask, I looked around for Charlie. He was one row of tables over from me, eagerly looking at a pre-ban AR15, for which the dealer wanted $1400; but for which Charlie would only go a grand. The dealer would not budge on price, not even a few bucks. Soon after that we decided to call it a day, having spent a few hours at the show. We exited, and took stock outside of what we had purchased. Then Charlie remembered something he wanted but failed to buy, so back inside for him as I waited outside. He picked up some ammo cans himself; and he also grabbed one for me as a gift. That was nice. Then just as he got back, I remembered I wanted some strike anywhere matches they were selling at a table near the front door. I picked up three boxes and a couple of waterproof match cases. Did I mention they sell survival gear at these shows besides just guns and ammo?

Then we were off, but not yet apart. We headed out to grab lunch, stopped at McDonald's,
and actually enjoyed a coup,e of Big Macs (one apiece). As we did I told Charlie again about something I had brought up inside the show - Gander Mountain. He had not wanted to take the extra time to stop there, but I explained again it was only about 1/2 mile away, and it was a store he should not miss if he had never been there. He reluctantly agreed to go with me. Once inside he did not seem impressed. Charlie is not a hiker, camper, backpacker, fisherman, boater; and we passed ost of those departments on the way to the gun department. Once there though his eyes opened wide and a huge smile broke out on his face. He pulled me aside and said 'this place is great'. Charlie got some ammo he could not find at the show and was very pleased. I picked up a rifle cleaning pad, and then went to the bait department and got 15 crayfish (food for my pet Musk Turtle). I would have also bought a brick of .22 ammo there but they wanted $19.95 for a brick of ammo that was worth about $12.00. After that we split up, Charlie headed home and I drove to Wal-Mart just up the road a bit. There i picked up a box of 550 rounds of loose federal 22LR, and 100 rounds of Federal shotgun shells for trap at a much better price than offered at Gander Mountain. While gander Mountain is on the expensive side for ammo, I will admit they probably have the caliber for which you are looking and if you need it you would probably pay the price. Of course while at Wal-Mart, I also picked up a little something for Linda. Not my usual place to shop for gifts for anyone, but on the way to the sporting goods department, I saw a nice garden figurine of a boy with fishing pole over his shoulder, pulling a wagon, the wagon holding a puppy and a bucket with a trout in it. When I got home and showed it to she who must be adored, she loved it.

So I never bought a gun at the gun show, though I did sell one, and i did have one heck of a fun time with my good friend Charlie. Too bad the others could not have made it, it would have been so much more fun had they been there. We had also wished our buddy Don could have been there, but since he lives in Wyoming now, I guess it would not have been a cost effective trip for him. We missed him too since we had been to a few shows together when we used to work with him years ago. Still though it was good to have been there with at least one good friend; and nice to think that there will be other such shows in the future when the other guys may be there too; I hope so.

All the best,
Glenn B