Florida Fish Tales - All True - You Just Can't Make Up Stuff Like This

When I was down in West Palm Beach last week I got to go fishing 3 times. Not bad in 5 days considering how few times I go when I am at home. The first day out was a nice one, picture perfect as you can see from the pic of my Uncle Ken fishing off of Juno Pier. The sun was shining, well peeking out from behind those magnificent clouds anyhow, the temps were probably in the mid to high seventies, a light breeze was blowing, the surfers were acting as chum in the water. Did I mention it was picture perfect, well maybe it was just a wee bit less than that, and if you look closely at the picture you may notice why. Haven't guessed it yet - okay I'll tell - in the pic there was no fish on his line, in fact none on mine so I had time to snap away, and very few brought to the pier by anyone at all. My uncle did catch one small bluefish, barely a keeper, and I guess that was pretty good considering we had the wrong kind of bait. Yet even those with the right bait were only catching a few now and then. Still it was a nice day.

On Tuesday we went out again, this time for fresh water fish at my insistence. I even bought a 3 day non-resident license at the same cost of a yearly resident license - $17.00. They want another $17.00 for a non-resident saltwater license, imagine that. Luckily since our first trip had been off of the pier at Juno, I did not require a saltwater license. The freshwater fishing experience was also picture perfect even though the day was overcast and the weatherman promised heavy rains. My uncle, his grandson Kyler, and I figured if it rained we could always head to Juno Pier and fish from underneath the areas with pavilions. A nice touch for a fishing pier. As it turned out we headed to Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Our first stop was a pond recommended by the ranger who collected our park entry fee. He told us that this pond in particular had some big ones. We fished there for about 2 hours or so, and we caught a decent number of fish - a few each - but all were small sunfish. We moved on at the insistence of Kyler who just did not want to wait for a big one to swim by. We drove down to the other end of the park looking for fishing holes. At the far en we came to the gift shop and canoe rental set on the Loxahatchee River (this is where Brendan and I had fished back in the summer of 2005, also where we saw a good number of alligators). With those clouds obviously so full of rain we decided against renting a canoe. We milled around a bit, then headed back a short distance to a pond we had passed while driving to the canoe rental area.

It was a small dark watered pond. Lots of peat or something else was staining the water a brownish color. probably not poet since the water was not too acidic for plant life. Whatever, we decided to fish in this forbidding looking water hole. Almost as soon as our baits hit the water (night crawlers from Walmart) we all had bites. Once again it was sunfish on all lines. These were bigger and more feisty than were the ones at the first spot, though still on the small side. I also caught a Peacock Bass which looked more like it belonged in an aquarium with other exotic species than it belonged in a pond in Florida. After about a half hour or so, young Kyler got into a discussion with uncle Ken about the best bait to be using. Uncle Ken insisted that the night crawlers were the best, Kyler insisted that some frozen shrimp we had would be best. To prove a point, Kyler baited his hook with a shrimp and cast out about a whole 5 feet from shore. Now if you had an eye that was quick enough, or maybe a camera with a high speed shutter you may have noticed the glass smooth surface of the pond was broken by ripples just before Kyler's bait hit the water. You see, just as his bait was about to hit the still surface of the pond, a largemouth bass affirmed Kyler's knowledge about which bait was best as it jumped out of the water to meet his bait in mid air just above the pond's surface. I don't know how he did it, but Kyler set the hook and then manhandled that big boy to shore despite the drag on his light spinning outfit brrrr'ing away.

That was the fish of the day for sure. As a mater of fact, soon after he caught that it started to rain and we decided to head off to call it a day and go get some lunch. Now you might be thinking that the bass would have made a fine lunch, and so had we. The thing was we threw it back hopefully so Kyler can catch it again on another day. We did not necessarily want to throw it back. Had I caught it I would have regardless of its size after some pics, but Kyler understandably wanted to keep this one. Thing was I did not have the fishing regs and seemed to recall it needed to be 18 inches long to be a keeper. This one was 15 inches, or a tad more, in length. So I called the office of the park. The jerk there actually reprimanded me for not having the fishing regulations, and told me how it was my duty to have them. Well since Walmart did not have any when I bought my license, I also went to K-Mart and guess what - they did not have any either. They told me the State sent them loads of saltwater fishing regs, but almost no freshwater regs and they were all out. So I asked the guy who's fault was that! I also asked him how it was that the admin office of a state park was so lax as to not have the regs available - he shut up. I then asked for the number to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission - he did not have that either, can you imagine - government buffoonery at its best - or so you would think - but it gets better (or should I say worse). I went to the car, and I dug out the saltwater regs. I then called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission number on the regs. It was the saltwater division, and that was just how the lady answered the phone. I asked for the number for the freshwater division or if she could connect me to them. She just flatly said: "No". I asked if she knew the size limit on largemouth bass, and again I received the curt answer: "No". So finally I asked if anyone there could help me and she in a nasty tone said: "NO". In a last ditch effort, I explained our situation, and explained that the young lad who caught the fish was hoping his best to keep it. She then softened up a bit, and said give me a minute. I heard her say something to someone else, immediately heard paper rustling, then heard pages turning, then heard her say she was looking it up for me. What happened to NO and NO and NO? I remained silent. In a half a minute she told me that the size limit statewide for largemouth bass was 18 inches if caught by a minor (youth as she put it), and 24 inches if caught by an adult. I thanked her for looking even though I wanted to call her something that rhymes with witch. So on her say so as to size limits, we let the bass go, and each of us were a little sad to see it swim away (happy too that it could still swim away after being out of the pond for a few minutes).


Oh yeah, remember the guy at the park office, the one who tried to chastise me for not having the fishing regulations with me. Well we stopped to show him the picture of the fish as we left the park. He was amazed when we told him where we had caught it. He said that pond has been bone dry a few months back and that there were definitely no fish in it. Once again - government buffoonery shining through. He just could not understand how we caught a bass like that there, nor did he look all that much like he believed me when I told him we caught several sunfish and something else that looked like a colorful mini-tilapia (that was the Peacock Bass). Of course when I described the oddball fish, he also had no idea what it could have been, I had to look it up online letter in the day. Lest you think I am telling a fish tale, you too can take a look at the pic.

Once we got home, my uncle, being the skeptic of skeptics, checked the regs online off of the site of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Co mission. He was pretty upset once he did. The minimum size limit was 14 inches - Kyler had caught a keeper and we had thrown it back. The limits I had seen the night before of 18 inches up to 25 inches were for Lake Okeechobee, where I had at first planned to fish. The limits told to me over the phone by the representative of lady at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Shame on her, there was nothing we could find that even closely resembled the so called regulations she quoted us abut a "youth" limit and "adult" limit - she won the government buffoon award of the day. Oh well, at least we have the picture, and Kyler can always dream of catching the same one again.

Enough of Tuesday's trip. On Wednesday uncle Ken and I headed about 60 miles north of West Palm Beach to Fort Pierce. Once there we boarded the Captain Lew, a party (or open) boat. I had done some online checking before I left NY and saw that every boat in WPB only went out for 4 hours at a cost of about $40 - $45 for each person. This boat on the other hand went out from 0830 to 1630, a full 8 hours, and only cost about $50 per fare. They also had a $2 off coupon online, and a senior fare that my uncle could use. I made a reservation. When we got there we saw a freshly paned boat, with a crew of 2, Captain Lew and his mate Mark. There was a small crowd of fishermen and fisherwomen, about 20 to 25 including us. Just before boarding, Mark took everyones' gear and stowed it aboard so we would not have to climb aboard while toting it. Then Capt. Lew read us the rules, a nice touch to avoid any problems aboard. As we boarded, the line of went through the cabin where Capt. Lew collected the fares. He remembered me by name, from my emails, when I paid. Another nice touch (by the way he promptly and courteously answered my several emails to him). One other nice thing, both the captain and mate had great manners. It was going to be a nice trip even if we did not catch any fish.

Well it took about an hour and a half to reach the fishing grounds. I could not see land in any direction. My guess was we were 10 to 20 miles out. The day was sunny, promising to hit the mid to high eighties, there was just a hint of a breeze, the water was as calm as the surface of a small lake on a calm day, and the water and skies were blue. On the way out I got a chance to talk to Mark, and to a few of the other fisherpeople. The captain was busy getting us there, but I got to speak to him once we arrived. Not much of a surprise, but at least a few folks aboard - including Captain Lew - were originally from NY. Captain Lew even went to college just a few miles from my home, and he was born in Brooklyn as was I. One of the fares, I think his name was Mike, was originally from Brooklyn, moved to Long Island, then moved to Florida 40 years or so ago. We had a good long talk, and he was a fine and interesting gentleman. We wished each other luck, and then went fishing.

As soon as uncle ken's rig hit bottom, he hooked a fish. Same for me a second or two later. Same for just about everyone aboard. We reeled them in, I got mine on the deck before uncle Ken who was using a lighter pole, and I had a nice double header of keeper Sea bass. Mmm delicious. After that we caught some Yellowtail and Lane Snapper, and a lot of Grunts. According to the captain the Grunts were only worthy of being cut up for bait. So we caught a bunch of them, as did everyone else, and we used em for bait once the squid ran out (that was my only negative complaint about the whole day aboard the Captain Lew - they did not supply enough bait, and actually ran out of the cut squid they had been giving out forcing everyone who did not bring bait to use cut up grunt). Well after about an hours or so of steady fish on action, it sought of petered out a bit. Still we were getting fish, but only Grunts ow and then. I turned to uncle Ken and wondered out loud if the captain would move around a lot, or if we would stay put. Apparently the captain was in the wheel house right over my head when I said that, and within a second he was on the loud speaker saying reel em up, we were about to move to another spot. I guess he had heard me; but if he had or had not, he was moving to another spot to look for more and better fish, and that is a sign of a good party boat captain.

In all we hit a few more spots, 4 or 5 I suppose. We never hit as good a spot as had been the first, but we did catch fish, at least anyone who kept on a bottom rig did so. Uncle Ken changed to a rig designed for bigger but scarcer fish, and he caught fewer than me, and alas no big ones. The Grunts were king wherever else we fished. In all I reeled in 68 fish, and raised a lot of skeptical eyebrows from those who asked me how I had done. Truth is I was pulling in Grunts even when most of the others were not, but most had changed to the rigs meant for the bigger fish. We also caught some small (under the size limit) Sea Bass, Yellow Tail and Vermilion. My uncle also caught an ugly little critter - a Toad Fish that Captain Lew called a Shell Crusher, and one look at its jaws would let you know why he gave it that name. I also had a colorful little sand perch - also a throw back. Out of 68 fish that I caught, and my guess would be 30 or more that my uncle caught, we had a total of only 12 keepers. Of those 2 were Trigger Fish, 4 were Sea Bass, 4 were Yellow Tail, and 2 were Lane Snapper. Other folks caught red snapper, Mutton Snapper, a single Cobia (a throwback at 31 inches), moray eels, grouper (also throwbacks at a pretty large size), scorpion fish, and some others.

All too soon it was 1500 (3PM) and time to head back to the dock. The fish were weighed and the pool fish selected, sadly not one of ours. By the way, the woman with the actual largest fish did not win the pool, she had elected not to enter. That is why I always put up the few bucks to get into the pool. The ride back was more for snoozing than it was for talking, and I got in more than a few minutes f keeping the other fares amused with my musical snoring. Once back at the dock, the mate and the captain got to filleting fish. It is amazing how 12 good looking fish can be reduced to a pile of disappointingly small fillets in a matter of minutes; but I will admit we had a few to 5 pounds of fillets. After that it was off to home to fry some fish, well that is of course after tipping the mate. Being I was on vacation I was somewhat generous and I threw a nice tip his way for my uncle and me. I have to say, he was the best mate, and Captain Lew the best captain, that I have met on a party boat in a long time. What a nice day it was, made even nicer by these two gentlemen.

After an hour or so, we reached uncle Ken's place. We cleaned up and uncle Ken got to fish frying. He did a pretty good job too with just some salt, pepper, garlic powder and oil. Those fish were ever so delicious and Uncle Ken, Aunt Glenese and I had a small feast on about 1/3 of the fillets; saving the rest for another day.

In closing let me say that if you ever are down near Fort Pierce, and if you want to go fishing, I highly recommend the Captain Lew. A nice boat, a nicer crew, and a good time is to be had. As for the fishing, I suppose it depends, but my bet is you will catch fish. As for me, I had only one regret in three days of fishing, and that was that my son and best fishing buddy Brendan was not there with me. You can bet, if we ever get to Fort Pierce together, both of us will be going fishing with Captain Lew.

All the best,
Glenn B

I Have Returned...

...and no it is not like I am MacArthur or someone like him, but I figured I'd just let you know I am back home and that my blogging may soon begin again in earnest. I spent the last 5 days in West Palm Beach, Florida. It was supposed to be a business/vacation trip, but the business end never panned out since I was too sick over the past couple of days to go out and get any done. I had been planning on this being a reptile buying trip so I'd have something to sell at the LIHS 19th Annual Reptile Expo tomorrow, but that did not work out.

I did get a few fishing trips in while down there, but in addition to fish (more on this in another post), I also caught one heck of a cold. I am feeling miserable, but somewhat better than yesterday. Now that I am back I have to attend to family matters, my mom went back into the hospital again a couple of days ago, and she is not in good condition. She may require being put into an old age home, and it will not be an easy thing to work out. Without me getting into details let me just say it is probably goig to be absolutely necessary because of her condition. She had been living with my sister and her family but now requires care beyond their abilities and beyond the abilities of any home care giver. So today I am off to my sister's house to help work on the arrangements for that. Of course that is I am off but only after I get my laundry from the trip (and whatever else is in the hamper) done first, which I can only hope will make the wife happy.

I'll post some pics and write about the trip later over this weekend as time allows.

All the best,
Glenn B

My Part To Get Over Economic Blues...

...amounts to spending money, and trying to make some additional money. Hopefully everyone else is thinking likewise because if they are then the economy will correct itself. If they are panicked like the goobermint officials who decided to agree to the government bail out of the mortgage industry, well then we are doomed because not only do we have morons in Washington, but we have a citizenry made up of idiots. Maybe that is the case, after all who was it that put us into this mess in the first place.



Well according to a 1999 New York Times article titled: Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending, the Clinton Administration pressured Fannie Mae to help expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people. Banks another mortgage lending institutions pressured Fannie Mae to help them make subprime loans. Yes folks this was in 1999, and it has run rampant under Bill Clinton and then 2 terms of George Bush. Both sides of the aisle, so to speak, are guilty as sin in this one; but so too are all (and that means each and every last one of you) of the people who whined and moaned that the mortgage lending industry had to offer loans to those who were extremely poor risks. That group would include the lenders themselves who took advantage of people who want something for nothing and who were in other words extremely high risks of ever paying the loans off, the people who took advantage of the scheme and who borrowed when they could not afford to do so as they had and probably still live by a sense of entitlement just because they say they are entitled (as opposed to responsible citizens who live within their means), the politicians who sought to get political brownie points and win the next election in which they would run, the sign wavers and placard holder and protest marchers who scream racism at every opportunity (most of the subprime rate loans went to or were expected to go to minorities) , the housing industry who screamed we need to build - build - build at any cost, the real estate moguls who screamed we need to sell - sell - sell at any expense, the Wall Street types who screamed buy - buy - buy in the hopes of getting rich quick at the risk of losing almost everything on extremely risky investments, the foreign bankers and market people who did likewise in our market, and on and on.


Me, I have a small amount of money in a regular bank account, less in my checking account and not all that much in my thrift savings plan at work. Why is that when I make a darned good salary? Well firs of all I live in NY State where I pay through the nose for everything like taxes on this that and the other thing and oh yeah on that too, and where prices for everything are pretty darned high. Of course I could move away, but its not all that easy when you have roots in a place. So I worked, and I lived, and in doing so I acted responsibly and I bought a house with my wife for our family, and here is where we live. If the market absolutely collapsed, if a great depression struck, well my house would be just about paid off, and that is as in paid off in just 17 years or so. Now how could I have done that? Well in the simplest terms: I worked and I paid my mortgage. The thing is though that when I took out my mortgage I was fairly certain I would be able to afford the payments. Some of that was guess work, or at least some of it was faith. Faith that I would keep my job, faith that I would stay at the same pay level, faith that I might get promoted, which eventually I did to one level higher than I was at the time I applied for my mortgage. Faith that my wife would work and help with the payments. Faith that, well gosh darn it - just a firm belief in ourselves that we would continue to do what we had been doing and that was work damned hard at making a decent living.


Of course that hard work at making a decent living came only after being brought up in a one parent home by a mom who was a hard worker, otherwise we would have been on welfare. My mom was too proud to go on the dole permanently - yeah I think we were on it for a short spell there with food stamps; but she pulled herself up out of the dumps by good hard work. It was not because she was white, not because she was a divorced Catholic, not because she was a woman (2 out of three traits which were quite negative at the time, and the other was rapidly being overcome by affirmative action to turn it into a negative also) but rather because she was determined to make it, and making it meant making things as good as she possibly could for her children. She got no help from the bum who calls himself my father. He was a drunkard who beat her mercilessly and who did not give us a penny to help us survive. She did it the only way she knew how, by working and scrimping and saving; and in all those years that she did so, from when I was 8 or 9, right up through me going through college for my bachelor's degree, we never once lived in our own house. There were no subprime loans, and had there been, well my mom would have been smart enough to say - that's crazy, and not risk what little she had to get pie in the sky.


My mom eventually got some money, she inherited it from my great-grandfather. She helped us buy our house and bought one for herself. My guess is she may have helped my brother and sister with their homes too. Mom got that money only after spending years toiling for my great-grandparents. Helping them with their business affairs, help them with their health care, helping them with just about every aspect of their live. She did this even though my great-grandmother treated her like trash; and even though she was pretty sure she would not get much out of their estate as other grandchildren were much favored over her. My mother did this for them because it was the right thing to do, to show respect and honor toward your family elders, and because work was seen as a good thing. She did all that for them in addition to working at her regular job.


So that is how I was able to buy and pay for my house. Not because of the money my mom gave me to help me out. Sure that was a big help, but I would have just waited loger to buy or bought a lesse expensive house if I did not get that help; and the help she gave did not pay the payments once they started. For 17 years I paid off my mortgage because my wife and I both have a good work ethic. We do not see ourselves as entitled to anything we did not earn. When both of us were brought up, we were led to believe that you got what you earned. There was little to no sense of entitlement - no sense of a free ride - no sense of hey you have got to give me what I want. Sure you can accept help if needed or accept a gift, but you are not entitled to it just because you do not have it. There is no just reward without hard work, the fruits you reap should be those of your labor not of the labors of other people. If the rest of America thought like that, we would be in a better spot right now. The thing is that way too many people do not think like that. They think they and others are entitled to the hard earned fruits of my labor. They think because they are of one genders of another, or because they are of one race or another, or because they practice one religion of another, or because they are in one socio-economic level or another - that they deserve the money of another. That is bullshit and it is about time people start realizing such and act responsibly.


I am absolutely opposed to the government bailout of the mortgage and banking industries today. Why? Well because it is the perfect example of what I am saying about people believing they or others are entitled to another's hard earned money. It is the perfect example of how way too many folks in the good old US of A believe that no one has to be responsible for their own actions because mommy or daddy will bail them out if things get messy, or in this case that Uncle Sam will bail them out. It is a mess caused by greed, avarice, irresponsibility, and socialistic liberal mind sets. It is a disgrace that for the past half of a century at least, all too many American have raised their children to believe they have it coming at the expense of others.

I can only hope that other Americans will begin to realize that we need to be fiscally responsible, heck that we need to be responsible for all of our actions, and that we need to live with the results of our actions good or bad. I am not saying nothing should be done about the current financial crisis, but a government bailout putting taxpayers at even more risk - putting the solvency of our government Treasury at risk, is not the way.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ed Freeman - A True Hero - Let His Memory Not Fade

On August 20, 2008, a true hero left this world. He died from the ravages of Parkinson's Disease, yet he had faced death many times before. On November 14, 1965, back when I was 10 and thought playing army was cool, Ed Freeman was going through hell in the la Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. Amazingly enough, it was Ed's choice to pass through the gates of hell, and not just once, but time and time and time again - in order to save soldiers he probably never had met before. He medivac'd 30 seriously wounded soldiers, and brought in supplies for countless others that helped change the tide of the battle, a battle which was one of the most fierce of the whole war.

Ed originally received the Distinguished Flying Cross, but men who fought on the ground that day, with help from Senator John McCain and others, fought for higher recognition for his valiant efforts, and he then received the MOH. Why did they fight for him to receive the medal of Honor, well let me begin with the words of President George W. Bush back in July 2001:

"That story began with the battalion surrounded by the enemy, in one of Vietnam's fiercest battles. The survivors remember the desperate fear of almost certain death. They remember gunfire that one witness described as the most intense he had ever seen. And they remember the sight of an unarmed helicopter coming to their aid."

Yep, Ed flew an unarmed Huey helicopter into a fire zone, and he did so after the commanding officer on the ground, in the middle of that fierce battle, closed the helicopter landing zone and ordered the medivac units to stand down because the fighting was too intense and he did not want to risk the lives of the pilots or crew members.

I guess either Ed did not hear that order, or he chose to disregard it. My guess is the latter, because surely once he landed on the ground in the middle of that fight, someone must have told him he was crazy and that the landing zone had been ordered closed. Regardless of the risk to his own life, Ed made that same trip not once, not twice, not even three times but 20 times. He ferried in ammunition, water and other supplies, and he ferried out men who were seriously wounded - 30 of them. Ed was no brash kid at the time either, he flew those rescue missions just prior to his 38th birthday. Of course he was not alone when he did this, he was the wingman for commander Bruce Crandall who also received the MOH some years later, I think in 2007. Bruce flew 22 missions into that same hell hole. Only two helicopters repeatedly flew in and out of the fire zone, those of Ed and Bruce. Bruce had asked for volunteers, I guess Ed was one of them. Bruce is still with us, Ed Has passed on.

I cannot say more about this without letting you read Ed's citation:

"CITATION: Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Place and date: Landing Zone X-Ray, Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam, 14 November 1965. Born: 20 November 1927, Neely, Mississippi. Entered Service At: Hattiesburg, Mississippi Citation: Captain Ed W. Freeman, United States Army, distinguished himself by numerous acts of conspicuous gallantry and extraordinary intrepidity on 14 November 1965 while serving with Company A, 229th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). As a flight leader and second in command of a 16-helicopter lift unit, he supported a heavily engaged American infantry battalion at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam. The infantry unit was almost out of ammunition after taking some of the heaviest casualties of the war, fighting off a relentless attack from a highly motivated, heavily armed enemy force. When the infantry commander closed the helicopter landing zone due to intense direct enemy fire, Captain Freeman risked his own life by flying his unarmed helicopter through a gauntlet of enemy fire time after time, delivering critically needed ammunition, water, and medical supplies to the besieged battalion. His flights had a direct impact on the battle's outcome by providing the engaged units with timely supplies of ammunition critical to their survival, without which they would almost surely have experienced a much greater loss of life. After medical evacuation helicopters refused to fly into the area due to intense enemy fire, Captain Freeman flew 14 separate rescue missions, providing life-saving evacuation of an estimated 30 seriously wounded soldiers -- some of whom would not have survived had he not acted. All flights were made into a small emergency landing zone within 100 to 200 meters of the defensive perimeter where heavily committed units were perilously holding off the attacking elements. Captain Freeman's selfless acts of great valor, extraordinary perseverance, and intrepidity were far above and beyond the call of duty or mission and set a superb example of leadership and courage for all of his peers. Captain Freeman's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army."

Now as it reads Ed saved 30 seriously wounded soldiers that day in 14 flights into hell, and while that is more than enough, the truth be told, he flew over 20 missions into hell that day, and flew out over 70 wounded soldiers. Yes he did - even though not stated that way in the citation which you will note only spoke of the 30 "seriously" wounded soldiers he saved. Go here: http://www.medalofhonor.com/EdWFreeman.htm, and go here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_Freeman to read more about it.

These two men are real men, real heroes, true patriots. Despite my taking the liberty to call Ed and Bruce by their first names, I have never met either of them. I hope they would not mind a guy like me doing that, but it just seemed right, that another American would call them by their first names. I guess I feel that is so because I think we should all know them, know of them, know of their heroism, and be familiar with them to some extent for the things they did for other Americans like us. Though I never met him, Ed Freeman will be missed by me. By the way, you may have heard of Ed before today, and not yet realized it. You see he was honored in the movie: We Were Soldiers in which he was called Ed 'Too Tall' Freeman. His family can stand tall now with his memory in their hearts; he was and is a real hero. In memoriam of Ed 'Too Tall' Freeman, November 1927 to August 2008.

All the best,

Glenn B

Thanks For Your Thoughts and Prayers...

,,,my mom went home yesterday. So as it turns out I'll be going to see her tomorrow for the day instead of having gone yesterday and today for a few hours each day. This way my sister and her family will get a much needed break in the action, they can get out and I'll be with her for much of the day.

All the best,
Glenn B

My Mom and My Anticipated Lack of Blogging...

I may not be blogging for the next couple of days, maybe not most of next week either. I was supposed to go to visit my aunt and uncle in Florida this coming Sunday and return on Thursday, now all of that may change as my mom is in the hospital. She probably had a mini-stroke last weekend. I had thought she would be out of the hospital by now, when I saw her 2 days ago she did not seem all that bad. My sister, whom she lives with, told me she has taken a turn for the worse over the past day, and I got a first hand idea of that when I spoke to my mom on the phone earlier today. I will be out her way tomorrow and Friday to be with my mom and to give my sister a break; maybe longer if need be. Please keep my mom in your thoughts and well wishes, and in your prayers too - she would appreciate it.

All the best,
Glenn B

Red foot Tortoises

They arrived at my house yesterday morning. The 4 of them came all the way from Brooksville, Florida so you can understand why their feet are red. I mean, walking all that way...

These guys, Red Foot Tortoises (Geochelone carbonaria) are natives of southern Central America, and mid to northern South America; although I must point out that the 4 that I just got are all captive bred. Right now they are pretty small, but they promise to grow up a bit, that would be to about 14 inches in length measured from end of carapace to end of carapace (the upper shell) in a straight uncurved line. Of course that means if you want to keep even one of them as an adult, you need to give it space as they are active creatures. A 4'x6' enclosure would be a decent sized one for an adult; free range of a backyard in the warmer months would be even better. Since they come from the tropics, you can bet they like it on the warm side. Temps in the high 70s to mid 80s are appropriate for them, with a basking spot of up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit; and of course the require UVA and UVB light (as found in natural sunlight) so that they can metabolize calcium and other vitamins. They also like it on the humid to wet side, and in nature are often most active after a rain. Babies require a water bowl with fresh water in which they can bathe, and from which they can drink, on a daily basis; and fresh water for adults is also best offered on a daily basis.

Speaking of vitamins, these guys get most of theirs from a fairly varied diet as far as tortoises go. They will, on a daily basis eat leafy greens, fruit, veggies; and on a weekly basis should be given some animal protein. Things like earthworms are relished, but other sources of animal protein such as carrion are taken in the wild. Some believe that in captivity a good idea is to supplement any diet for them with commercial tortoise chows such as that offered by Mazuri. All those vitamins keep these tortoises active all year long; what with the warm climate from which they come they do not brumate (hibernate). They are, as are most tortoises, a fairly long lived pet, and I can assure you that if you purchase one under a year old, it is quite likely that if you are as old as me, the tortoise will outlive you by a long shot. They can live until 50 years of age, and possibly longer with proper captive care.

I am pretty sure I will not be around for another 40 to 50 years, so if I decide to keep these guys for the long term I guess I'll have to get Brendan to like them as much as I already do. That way they will be assured a long and healthy life.

All the best,

Glenn B

References:

http://redfoottortoise.com/

http://www.pingleton.com/redfoot/redfoots.htm

http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/redfootcare.htm

http://redfoottortoise.com/redfoot_tortoise_diet.htm

http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/turtles/red-foot-tortoise.php

http://www.grizzlyrun.com/Pets/Reptiles/Turtles/Redfoot_Tortoise/Default.htm

http://www.tortoise-protection-group.org.uk/site/files/Redfoot%20care%20sheet%20May%202008.pdf

They Are Almost Here

Tracking number 9706-7882-xxxx

Ship date Sep 22, 2008

Estimated delivery Sep 23, 2008 by 10:30 AM

Department number
LIVE TURTLES

Destination Someplace, NY

Service type Priority Overnight - Adult Signature Required

Weight 1.0 lbs.

Status On FedEx vehicle for delivery

Date/Time Sep 23, 2008 8:46 AM

Activity On FedEx vehicle for delivery

Location xxxxx, NY

Details

8:41 AM At local FedEx facility xxxxx, NY

7:40 AM At dest sort facility JAMAICA, NY

4:34 AM Departed FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN

1:03 AM Arrived at FedEx location MEMPHIS, TN

Sep 22, 2008 6:50 PM Left FedEx origin facility BROOKSVILLE, FL

4:51 PM Picked up BROOKSVILLE, FL

3:57 PM Package data transmitted to FedEx

The 19th Annual Long Island Herpetological Society Reptile Expo

Yes folks the time is almost upon us for the 19th Annual LIHS reptile Expo. I think I have been there for all but one or two or three of them over the years. I am pretty sure I was there for the first one way back when; but if not then I was definitely there for the 2nd.

You see, keeping reptiles and amphibians has been a passion with me since I got my first Red Eared Slider turtle back when I was a mere young lad of about 8 or 9; maybe even younger. Since then herps (reptiles and amphibians) have been a passion with me. I have collected them from the wild, bought them in stores and at herp expos, traded them with friends, adopted them from other keepers who could not keep em any longer, kept them in captivity, and bred them. Why? I guess because when I was a young kid I could not have a dog or a cat - house rules. Somehow though my mom allowed in that first turtle that my Uncle Ken let me pick out at a pet shop. Both my brother and I got one, but only I was hooked and became a reptile and amphibian junkie for life. Not a bad addiction though as things go. My passion has had me see things out in nature, heck even in the middle of cities, that other folks don't know even exists; and I have met and made the acquaintance of lots of good people through my pursuit of this hobby. Heck I have even made some great friends like those at the LIHS.

If you live on Long Island, or if you are close to the area, and you have any interest in these magnificent creatures at all, why not stop by our show on October 04, 2008 at SUNY Farmingdale, and make sure to bring along the kids. It will be held from 10AM - 4PM in Roosevelt Hall. The admission price is well worth it, there should be more herps on display than you would see at the Bronx Zoo Reptile House in a visit there. There are herps and herp keeping accessories for sale, and there is also a judged show. By the way, anyone can enter an animal into the show, you do not need to be a society member. Prizes include ribbons and some pretty impressive trophies. Who knows, maybe you will become a herp junkie too.

If you want more info about the show, go to this link: http://www.lihs.org/files/events.htm .

All the best,

Glenn B

Questions To Ask About The Mortgage Company and Financial Institution Government Buyouts

Here are some questions you should ask yourselves, then ask your elected officials.

1) Why did the government bail out these companies that are such absolutely terrible risks, and all at taxpayer expense?

2) Why did the government not allow these financial institutions to fail, thereby making them responsible for the extremely stupid risks they took with absolutely foolish lending practices?

3) Why have we not heard anything at all about how the government, as part of these bailouts, has taken control of the foreclosed real estate that these companies own as a result of lenders not being able to pay?

4) Why are these pieces of real estate not already up on the market, and being sold by the government not the lenders who went belly up?

5) If the financial institutions, that the government bailed out, fail to payback the loans, what collateral does the government receive from them?

6) You are not really trying to tell us that the government lent them billions, if not trillions, without collateral are you?

7) If these institutions cannot turn around their profit margins, to the point where they are making profits and paying back these federal loans, will they be allowed to declare bankruptcy and default on the loans?

8) If the answer to number 8 is yes, then tell us please who is the absolute idiot that will have allowed for this to happen?

9) I am a United States Citizen living in a free market economy; why has the government forced socialism/communism down my throat with these bailouts?

10) Will the American people learn any sense of responsibility for their wrong doing, for their poor judgement in business dealings, in stock market trading, when the government in the form of a Clown comes in on a Multicolored Carousel Steed trying to save the day; or will we just remain a gotta have it now, bunch of greed mongering whiners who expect the government to make it right each time we screw up?

11) Why is abject stupidity driven greed being rewarded?

12) Why does the hard working American, who played by the rules, and who made sensible loans, or who borrowed within reason, now have to suffer while those who acted foolishly - both lenders and borrowers - will now be bailed out?

This whole bail out thing is even more disgusting than the actual failures of the financial institutions themselves. George W. Bush again has proven himself to me to be the most liberal and inept president in my lifetime barring only Jimmy Carter; and he is close on Carter's heels for the number one position. It does not matter if the bailout fails or succeeds, you see he has destroyed any sense of people needing to be responsible for their actions where money is concerned. He ought to be ashamed of himself for that alone. When and if the bailout fails, when and if the taxpayer in the U.S.A. has to pay even one dime toward the bailout, well then it has failed; and you can bet we are going to pay more than our fair share's worth and much more than .10 cents worth; and you can bet that the bastards who gave out those ridiculous loans, and those who accepted them with no way to pay them off, are laughing at the rest of us because we are the fools who will wind up losing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Should We Drill For Oil - Let Facts and Common Sense Guide You

Link Lists Updates

I was under the weather today, aches, pain, more aches, stiffness (Lyme Disease) but still have have been busy. In fact I have been busy for hours, on and off between naps, cups of tea, and pain killer, updating my link lists over to the right side of my blog pages. I have added a new category, changed the name of another, and added a lot of new and interesting blogs and websites t my link lists. As you will see, the list titled: "Rootin - Tootin - Shootin Bloggers" has the most entries of all. These are all gun friendly bloggers to one extent or another. Of course I kept the: "Grumps, Geeks, Gun Guys, and Geniuses - All Worth A Read & Who Gave Me A Courtesy Link - Thanks" because those folks are all nice enough to give me a reciprocal link. It does not matter what category in which they blog (so long as i beleive their sites ethical enough to provide a link) they get a spot in that link list because they gave me a reciprocal link. Some are gun bloggers, others are not. Another list: "The Other Bloggers of Note" was also expanded. Finally, I changed the name of the 'reference' list I had, and it is now called "Font's Of Knowledge - well some of them but not all". As you will see when you visit those links, some are truly fonts of knowledge, others just pools of muck and mire made up of slime that has oozed through the mud, only one or two additions under that category.

All the best,
Glenn B

Black Hole Physics - Kiss It Goodbye Fast

No, I don't mean kiss the black holes of Physics goodbye fast, I mean kiss another type of black hole a part of your anatomy goodbye, and you had best be quick about it since it does not seem as if we have much time left. See: http://www.cyriak.co.uk/lhc/lhc-webcams.html

Great Britain Has Fallen...

...and has lost its sovereignty, see this article and note how the British government effected this "quietly". Too bad for the British people that their leaders had no backbone when it came to standing up for what was justly British; but they are now not only subject to the laws of England, but are also subject to the laws of a religion - those of Islam under Sharia Law. The Islamists have won, they have effectually defeated a nation, and a people, that they have despised for centuries and one which they have sought to conquer in reprisal for Britain having once conquered many of the nations that were under the rule of Islam.

By the way, if any of you think this is religious freedom and is wonderful, then just tell me honestly: How do you think Muslims would react if suddenly Catholic Dogma was passed as controlling civil law in a place like Detroit, but Sharia law was not. This is or should be an outrage to any British citizen, and is an absolute surrender of British sovereignty to the Islamists. Prepare for it here in the USA because they are working at it for sure.

If you think it cannot happen here in the USA you are far from wrong, the enemy is within the gates of Freedom's Walls. The 1st Amendment will not protect you from Sharia law, only the 2nd Amendment will do that. Remain vigilant, be prepared to fight and die for your freedoms under our Constitution, otherwise you are sure to lose them as are the people of many nations throughout Europe. I see it this way: Let religion remain religion, and not become the state, and be prepared to fight for that principle otherwise be prepared to worship another man's god.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Firearms Training and Tactics - Breaking In A Pistol (and Glock 26 Range Report)

Old timers probably remember, in years gone by, that when you bought a new car it came with a break in period. During that period you were supposed to drive the car moderately with regard to speed, distance, and braking. It was new and it needed to get settled or broken in. Cars today are not the same. You drive em out of the showroom ready to go. Still though, I think there is a break in period for new cars, and that would be the first several hundred miles (driving here in the NYC area) or maybe the first one thousand miles elsewhere with less traffic, less stop and go, less potholes, and so on. Its not a time when I baby the car either, but rather one wherein I give it a good long once over test drive to see if it is truly road worthy for say a vacation trip, daily commuting and so forth with my family in it. What I am driving at is that if it does not show itself as having problems in that time, well then nothing catastrophic - like a wheel falling off, the brakes failing, the steering failing - is likely to happen afterwards when I am driving it with my wife and kids in there with me. My testing it like this is a prudent thing to do with a new car instead of just blindly depending on it as being truly road worthy for all road conditions.

I do likewise with guns, especially with firearms that are meant for self defense purposes. If I am going to trust my life to a pistol, or revolver, or shotgun, or rifle, well you can be darned certain that I have tested it before betting my life on it working when I need it to go bang. Of course that goes out the window in an emergency when I might just grab any gun at hand, but my regular carry pistol or revolver, or my regular home defense shotgun or rifle, has had a good deal of ammunition run through it before I will use it to defend my life or that of another.

Now many a shooter buys a new gun, and buys a box or three of ammo, then takes the gun to the range to shoot it. They shoot up a box or two and save the other box to have enough ammo to load up the gun for self defense purposes with some left over. So it turns out that maybe they fired 50 to 100 rounds through a new pistol or revolver, and probably less through a new rifle or shotgun. If they encounter repeated failures to feed, to fire, to extract or to eject - they usually guess that there is something wrong with the gun. That is a good guess, but not always right. On the other hand, if they had just a jam or three they usually attribute them to the firearm being new, and to it needing the kinks worked out of it. They, like on the other guess with more jams, may or may not be right on that one too. Some of them may even guess it is the ammo that is at fault, and they too could be right. On the other side of the coin, they may have no malfunctions at all, and therefore arrive at the conclusion that the firearm is in perfect (relatively speaking) working order. Again they may be right, but again they may be wrong.

As far as pistols go, the thing is though that running just 50 rounds, or even a hundred, through a pistol to run it through a break in period, is just not enough ammunition to test its reliability. Sure it may seem like a good amount of ammunition to shoot, but it is often not enough to make something go kerplunk when instead it should have gone click, bang, rack, click, bang, and so on. What I am driving at here is that I have, in my almost 35 years of pistol shooting, seen many a pistol fail, and most of them that I have seen fail have either failed after having many thousands of rounds of ammunition fired through them, or have failed after only having a few hundred rounds shot through them at most. What that translates to is this:

A pistol, that has been fired again and again with proper maintenance will usually fire many many thousands of rounds before it fails. When it fails, it usually fails due to things like a broken part, metal fatigue, a worn piece, a weakened spring and so on. This is actually to be expected as a pistol gets older and older and is fired more and more. Parts need to be checked and replaced as needed. Of course all of this relates to a pistol that has been broken in and that has proven itself reliable from the start.

There are problems that arise with pistols, like all of those I mentioned above, that can start happening anywhere from the first round fired through the first hundred rounds fired, or in fact anywhere after that. While I just mentioned they can happen at anytime, they are less likely to happen, to a pistol that has proven itself reliable during a break in period, before you have reached the point where several thousand rounds have been put through it. What I am saying is that the break in period is the time during which many a problem due to faulty manufacture of the pistol's parts, or due to improper assembly, will become evident.

So what does one do to properly break in and test fire a pistol to check its reliability. Well first of all, and I am talking a newly acquired pistol that is either new in the box or used, you get the manual for it and read it. After doing that you ascertain that the pistol is safe, then disassemble it as recommended by the manufacturer for a good cleaning. After cleaning it, lubricate any parts that the manufacturer recommends lubricating, then reassemble it. Now the fun begins because now you take it to the local range with at least 400 to 500 rounds of ammunition to test fire it; and that ammunition should be the same ammunition you plan on carrying in it when you use it for self defense purposes.

Why so much ammo? Well because firing that many rounds through a pistol usually makes something go pppffffzzzt or kerplunk, or splat when it should being doing otherwise. If there is a weak part, something that is likely to break, well then that many rounds through the pistol will likely bring that problem to your attention whereas 50 rounds may not be enough. In other words, from my experience in over 35 years of shooting pistol and 14 years as a firearms instructor, and from what I have been told by other instructors, putting 400 to 500 rounds though a new pistol is a fairly reliable way to make it break if it was manufactured in a faulty manner. Another thing about using that much ammo is that the gun gets kind of dirty with that many rounds through it. So if it was put together to specs that were to tight and the guns starts to action slowly after say 300-400 rounds, it may also be a good indicator that the gun will not tolerate dirt and fouling as well as one would hope. Now while you are shooting 400-500 rounds at a single range session to break in a pistol, you can bet that if you were firing at a good steady pace, the gun is prone to get hot. This will also provide another indication of if it will function properly when needed in a tight spot. Some pistols begin to seize up when they get hot. If you fire this many rounds through it and yours does not, well bravo. One other reason to fire this many rounds, doing so will smooth out the operation of almost any pistol that was properly manufactured. What I means is that when a standard commercial pistol is manufactured there are bound to be tool marks and burrs on the metal. maybe not ones visible at first glance without magnification but they are likely there. Firing a pistol several hundred times, after having cleaned and lubricated it properly will smooth off many of these imperfections. This will allow the pistol to operate more smoothly. In addition if the pistol was finished to very tight specs, firing 400-500 rounds through it should also help to loosen things up just enough to help assure smoother and easier functioning.

Besides using that many rounds, you maybe wondering why I said to use only the ammunition you plan to use in the gun when you actually use it for self defense purposes. If you were wondering, well good for you, it is a good question. The reason I recommend not mixing ammunition, or simply using a cheaper ammo for practice and a better one for self defense, is this: You want to be absolutely sure that not only does your new pistol shoot, and that it shoots reliable, but YOU WANT TO MAKE DARNED SURE IT SHOOTS RELIABLY AND ACCURATELY WITH WHATEVER YOU PLAN TO USE TO DEFEND YOUR LIFE AND THE LIVES OF YOUR LOVED ONES. You can take a pistol to the range, and then shoot Winchester White Box ball ammo (an inexpensive type of ammo sold for plinking and informal target shooting) though it for the 400 to 500 recommended rounds. The pistol may handle it flawlessly. They you leave the range, clean the pistol, and then load it with 115 grain Speer Gold Dot Plus P ammunition. You put the gun up on the closet shelf in the bedroom and that is that.

Well that was that at least until a few days later when you are awakened in the middle of the night by strange noises downstairs. Your wife is awake too and she is scared, she says she heard glass breaking and footsteps crunching the broken glass. You are sure it is a burglar. You have the wife call the cops and you get the pistol loaded with the hollow points (yes the ammo I described is HP ammo). Suddenly the bedroom door is hit and an armed intruder bursts into the room in a rage. You see him pointing a shotgun at your wife and you fire, the first shot going god knows where, and you try to squeeze off another shot, but for some reason the pistol has gone kerplunk instead of bang/rack/bang. When the police arrive they find you dead in a pool of your own blood. You wife has also been shot but she has survived. The bad guy has fled. When police examine your pistol they discover that the hollow points you were using would not reliable feed into the pistol and the somewhat rather rough feed ramp caused the jam. Too bad for you. that you tested your gun with ammunition that you did not depend upon to save your life; and too bad you assumed that if cheaper ammo fed in your pistol then more expensive ammo would feed too. Think that was too dramatic? Don't believe it could happen to you? I have seen it happen, that is the jamming thing, with many people's guns at the range. I'd rather not see the results, firsthand when it happens in a bad situation - though I have read accounts and seen photos of guns that have jammed for various reason, all when they were needed most. That is why I highly recommend using only the ammo with which you will defend yourself as your break in ammo for a new pistol, and why I recommend a break in test in the first place. Of course you can fire other types of ammo through your gun, but be darned sure you can fire the ammo with which you plan to defend yourself, that your gun operates reliably using that ammo, and that you can shoot accurately with that ammo.

There is another reason to go to the range and fire off about 400-500 rounds of ammo with any new pistol. It helps to assure that you are familiar with the pistol, and it should let you know whether or not you need to correct any bad shooting habits or if you need to adjust the sights to achieve accuracy with the new gun. Yes new guns are sort of like new cars, they are both machines, each make and model of both a car and a gun have a distinctive feel about them that you need to get used to, and they can offer quite the fun experience to use - as in drive or shoot while at the same time can also offer pure utility to the user.

Did I just mention fun, why yes I did. Shooting is good old American style past time that is lots of fun. The more you shoot, the more fun you have, well up to a point and dependent upon caliber anyhow. If you go out and shoot a .454 Casull 400 to 500 times in a day - well either you are a man of steel or are out and out nuts. Why? Well because you are bound to be hurtin bad if you are a mere mortal like me and fire that many of those big rounds in one day. Some pistol and revolvers require a few days break in period to shoot that many rounds, and those days may be spread out over weeks. With the lowly 9MM round however, it is a different story. You can probably easily shoot 400-500 rounds in a single trip to the range if you are a shooter of average build and strength.

Heck I did it today even though I have not been feeling my best lately. The truth is I had fun, and I was quite satisfied with my new Glock 26's operation at the range. I fired at least 400 rounds, and think it was actually 430 rounds I put through her today. I had a blast both figuratively and literally. I found out the new Glock 26:

1) Is an accurate shooter, probably more accurate than I can be with it.

2) Was probably made well, and will probably go a long time before breaking, since it fired every round with which it was loaded without a failure to feed, to fire, to extract, or to eject. (I had once failure to feed but only because I had not fully inserted a mag - shooter error - no fault of the Glock. I did have about 4 or 5 ejections where the shell casing came back at my face, and one or two that actually went to the left of the gun, I need to check on the ejector and make sure it is not bent at all; though most shell casings ejected properly.)

3) Can cause a blister on my trigger finger after firing 430 rounds within an hour.

4) Gets my fingers really dirty. I have to check into that, I don't remember that happening with other Glocks I have fired.

Here are the pics of some targets I shot. The one at 7 yards is the second magazine ful of round I fired from my new Baby Glock. The first 7 were shot into an already used target, I had been shooting my Ortgies Pocket Pistol in .32 ACP also. That first group looked to me to be a slightly better group, but a pic of that would have made a poor pic with .32 caliber holes and 9mm holes mixed together. All the targets are annotated to show at what distance they were set, and all have a U.S. quarter to sow scale for group size.








































As you can see, there was probably some shooter error. I don't mean as to group size, that was more than good enough for me; but you can see I am shooting a tad to the left of center of paper (where I aimed) when shooting at anything further out than 7 yards. I'll have to work on that.

All the best,
Glenn B

Out Of The Box, Examined, A Few Pics Taken...

...examined some more, cleaned, reassembled and put back into the box ready for the range. My brand spanking new Glock 26 is ready to be test fired and then broken in. I have it and 500 rounds of Speer 115 gr. Gold Dot ammunition ready for a quick trip to the range tomorrow. I had been thinking of going to the outdoor range, but since tomorrow promises to be one of those sultry summer days near 90 with lots of oppressive hum-a-didity, I figure a trip to the indoor range will be in order. I seem to remember they have A/C, but that could be my muddled middle aged memory and wishful thinking playing tricks on me. Anyhow, the indoor range is better for test firing a pistol, I can shoot when I please not needing to wait for a firing session and not needing to stop for intermittent ceasefires as at the outdoor range.

I figure 400-500 rounds through it tomorrow should pretty much let me know if there are going to be any problems. I don't anticipate any, but I think it pays for me to be on the safe side with something I may later use to protect my life. I would rather find out it is going to fail at the range, than when I need it in the clutch. Of course, putting a few hundred rounds through it at the range is no absolute guarantee that the pistol will not fail when I need it, but if those 400 rounds go through it without a problem, then chances are the pistol was made right and will be dependable. That many rounds through a new pistol is usually enough to cause any potential bugs to crawl out of the woodwork and show themselves. It is a prudent expenditure of ammunition when you consider the alternative of bringing into the field not sufficiently broken in and then having it fail when you need it. Since I get the ammo for free it is not much of an expenditure for me at all - some free ammo - but little cash - just the local range fee.

Now I just need to make sure I make the time for me to get to the range. That should be on the easier side on a Sunday, but heavens know sometimes things don't turn out as we hope. I am hoping though that all will go well, and that I'll be able to come back here to post a great range report with a smile on my face.

All the best,
Glenn B

No Pity For Assholes Idiots

Yep, I said it and I truly mean it. You see, after hurricanes Andrew (remember that one), Katrina and any others to hit the USA within let's say the last 25 years, it should have become apparent - even to the mildly to moderately maybe even to severely brain dead - that hurricanes and there aftermaths are things that one should take seriously, and are things that one should respect and fear. So when ample warning is given that a big one is on it way, and when government officials decide that it is time to issue mandatory evacuation notices days before the hurricane, yet thousands of assholes decide to weather out the storm in defiance of both the evacuation order and the wrath of Mother Nature - then I say to hell with them. I mean it too, and if not literally then at least with regard to paying any attention to them at all once the storm has gotten close enough to make it dangerous for rescuers to try to remove them out of harm's way.

According to the mud slinging news broadcasting company MSNBC at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26637482?GT1=43001, there were 250,000 morons people who did not flee the path of Hurricane Ike over the past couple of days. Well, as those people were probably betting, Hurricane Ike did not hit land as a category 3 hurricane as was predicted by goobermint government officials. No sireee, thems was schmart peepels, da goobermint were wrong and dey waZ rite. Well only to an extent. You see although Ike was weaker than expected when it reached landfall, it was powerful enough to dump tons of rain, and to push lots and lots and lots of water. There has been a lot of flooding already, reportedly thousands of homes are flooded, just check the news. There are other problems too such as fires breaking out, and roads washing away. Imagine that you good citizens jerks who stayed behind - floods and fires at the same time - houses submerged, roads washed away - what were you all thinking when you stayed. I bet I can guess. You were probably thinking the government is full of assholes idiots and that once they said it would be "certain death" to remain behind, well you just had to prove them wrong. Okay, I'll agree they were wrong. It was not certain death if you stayed behind, and it never turned into a category 3 hurricane as it hit landfall as they had predicted. Now what? Who knows, maybe some buildings will be blown down, just collapse, or wash away too; maybe some of you will get yourselves killed. You see they were at least also partly correct - there has been a lot of flooding.

One thing is for sure about the 'now what' question I just asked. Many of you who remained behind have added to the flood problem by wetting your pants and by crying. You, the big bunch of macho meatheads, who made a conscious decision to defy the evacuation order, are now frantically calling for help. Yep, maybe it was not as bad as those idiotic goobermint officials told you it would be, but it sure was a heck of a lot worse than many of you self proclaimed meteorologists thought it was going to be - wasn't it! If not, then why are so many of you flooding the telephone lines and airwaves (in the case of cell phones) with your frantic calls for help. Why are you looking to be rescued. Why are you, who were so absolutely foolish in the first place as to have remained within the path of the storm, now 100 percent prepared place the lives of rescue workers in danger to save your own sorry behinds? There is no sound reason within the realm of logic that these rescue workers should come to your aid before the storm has subsided completely. While there is no such reason at all, you can bet they will come. Most of them will be from that very same government who's call to evacuate you did not heed, that very same government that you believe to be full of idiots, that very same government you loathe and detest and mistrust. Yet my bet is: that until they come you will cry for help again and again; once they arrive you will scream "here I am, here I am, save me, save me" while you ignore others who need help too; and after they save you and bring you to safety and give you food, water and shelter - you will curse them as if there is no tomorrow for what you will claim to be their incompetence, their sloth in rescuing you, their racism in deciding whom to rescue, their floundering in overall organization, and whatever else of which you can think with which to slam them; and you and the mud slinging media will do so in a harmony that could rival the majesty of any choir with voices loud enough to be heard in heaven.

If I were in charge though things would be different. There would be no rescues; and I mean that. At least no rescues while there was any remaining threat from the storm to the rescuers. Once that threat had subsided, then a roundup could begin. Yes I said a roundup, and I do not mean it as a rescue as much as a mass arrest. Sure, those injured or in need of medical treatment would be rescued. All others would also be taken out of the area. Then all of them would be arrested to face any applicable criminal or administrative charges. Time and time again, it has been assholes people like those who defy such evacuation orders who cause other lives to be put at jeopardy. There is no reason that any first responder should have his or her life jeopardized because of another person's consensual, preplanned, defiance of proper government authority. Now don't get me wrong. Yes I work for the government, but I am no advocate of big government, nor of government sticking its nose where it does not belong. I do however believe that one of the main purposes of government is to protect the people. In that regard government builds up and maintains the military, and they also build up and maintain rescue forces such as the Coast Guard, police departments, fire departments, ambulance corps, search and rescue teams and so on. In that way, the government is 100% justified and right in issuing evacuation orders when the evidence suggests a major natural catastrophe is about to befall its citizenry. If you do not heed the government at times like that, well then you should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

The truly sad thing though is that the government is not likely to prosecute you unless you rape, rob, pillage or plunder during or after the storm. Even then, prosecution seems unlikely because those in government apparently have 250,000 defiant assholes citizens with which to deal. Officials will send out rescuers, yes even into still stormed upon areas, to seek out those in need; those who placed themselves into a situation, and now pull others into a situation, that presents a major threat of death or serious bodily injury. What a friggin shame. And do you know why politicians and other government officials will send in rescuers? They will do so because they are afraid of the yammering that will take place if they don't. You knew that, and that is one of the things that consciously or unconsciously swayed many of you to stay behind - that is you bastards uncaring as to consequence of your actions types.

You also knew that if told to do so, the rescuers would come for you. With the rescuers though, for the great part at least, they do not come because they are afraid of the yammering. You see, they realize that you will yammer, bitch, moan, and complain no matter what, so if they do a good job or a poor job they will still face your wrath after the rescue. They know that most of you will in some way hold them, at least in part, responsible for your self induced ills. They know that the politicians and other officials who ordered them into harm's way are just a bunch of old windbags themselves, and that the windbags will wag tongues at them too. Yes, they know all of this, but yet they come for you. They come for you the defiant, you the moronic, you the foolish, you the complainers, you who put their lives at risk in the first place. They will come because they are brave, because they are ethical, because they are moral, because they are good, because they for some reason, beyond the grasp of most ordinary men and women, see you as being worth the effort, worth the sweat, worth the risk even though it was you who put them at risk in the first place by your own choice. Can even you imagine why they come for you since it was by your decision to remain in the path of the storm and to defy the evacuation order that they will be put at risk.

If it was up to me you would cry for help until the flood waters subsided, until the winds died away, and until the sun had been shining for at least a couple of days. You see, in my opinion, you, and I mean all 250,000 of you combined, are not worth one life of one rescuer or first responder. You are not even worth a single drop of blood that one of them may shed due to a scratch received in the effort to save you. Yet I, and thousands of others no doubt, have already volunteered to come if needed. Why? Well because it is not up to me, at least not up to the purely logical side of me. No, there will be no one forcing me to come if I am needed, as I said I volunteered. Yet as I said, it is not up to me. You see, I live by something called a moral code, and ethical lifestyle, a belief that it is worthwhile to save my fellow Americans of all creeds, etnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, political parties and leanings and so forth. Heck I'll even save, without hesitation, those who are not Americans. Yet those same beliefs make it a gut wrenching experience anytime that I see even one rescuer lose his or her life or get injured while trying to save someone who made a determined and conscious effort to keep themselves within harm's way and just be an out and out asshole trouble maker.

Yes, if it was up to the more logical side of me, the first responders would not be coming for you today, and probably not tomorrow either. It would probably not be until the next day that you would have a chance of being rescued. You see, we would all be better off if the rescue was withheld until there was minimal danger presented to the rescuers. We would be better off if you had to wait days for saving, possibly even a day or two without food and clean water. We would be better off if you suffered for your sins transgressions against logic, law and authority. We would be better off because if the politicians had the balls temerity to do so, well you might just learn a lesson this time around. Then maybe the next time you, and others like you, would not be so ready to put others at risk to save your sorry asses people like you who don't think about the consequences of your actions or who just don't care about those consequences. If so much as one rescuer loses his or her life during the sure to come rescue operations, well then all of you should be held accountable. It is a shame there are people like you out there, and more shameful yet that there are those who bend over backward to kiss your asses bottom ends, and most shameful of all is that someone will be put at risk may lose a life or be seriously injured trying to save YOU. Yet they will come, you know it and I know it; and they will save lives, lives that foolishly put themselves and others at risk. It is one of the great ironies of our times. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves so much so that you never purposely do anything as foolish again, but again we both know it, that is we both you will not be shamed into a change of your ways. Isn't it ironic! You can bet it is.

With hope for the best,
Glenn B