Beretta 92FS - New U.S. Military Contract

As you may or may not be aware, I am a big fan of the Beretta 92 series of pistols. I own one 92SB (the pistol of my Ballseye 15 minutes of fame) and two 92FS Berettas. I like em, they work well, they take a beating and keep on shooting, and they are easy to maintain. It seems that the U.S. Army agrees with me since they have just awarded Beretta a new contract to supply up to 450,000 92FS pistols to U.S. military customers worldwide. This includes an order for 20,000 pistols for the Iraqi military. I am impressed, I wish I owned stock in Beretta.

Here is a link to the Beretta 92FS site: http://beretta92.com/berettahome.htm.

I have to admit, all in all, my Berettas have been my favorite pistols over the years. From the .25 caliber Jetfire, to the .22LR model 70S, and the .22LR model 21, to the 92SB to the 92FS, I have loved em all

All the best,

Glenn B

The Anticipation Is Just About Killing Me...

...as I await the planned big announcement that is going to be made by ClassicArms.us early next month. Here is the way they put it, and I quote:

TODAY IS MONDAY 01/26/2009

TICK-TOCK... TICK-TOCK...TICK-TOCK...TICK-TOCK....

THE CLOCK IS TICKING ON A HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT AND SOME EXCITING NEWS THAT WE WILL BE BREAKING IN EARLY FEBRUARY.

STAY TUNED. GREAT THINGS LIE JUST AHEAD.

Now you tell me folks, should I be excited. Are they going to announce a great deal on some new mil-surplus rifles. I hope so, but gosh darn it, chances are that whatever it is they are getting in stock will be illegal here in the land of anti-gun nuts Schumer & McCarthy. Then again I may get lucky and find out that whatever they are getting in stock will be a gun that is completely legal here in NY as well as across the rest of the nation, that it will be selling for less than $250 apiece, and that it will be C&R eligible. If so, I am probably going to buy one. One can only hope.

Of course one can hope that maybe they are also getting in a huge lot of 7.62x39 current production commercial ammo that is stuff of decent quality, and that prices of 2 years ago have returned. In that case I'll be buying more than a case.

Now anything they may announce could all be ruined by an announcement that the House and Senate have passed a new assault weapons ban before then that was signed by the president almost as soon as it was passed. Chances are slim for that to happen so quickly, but you can bet that something miserable like that is in the works. Hopefully whatever Classic Arms is about to announce will assure we can get hold of some decent arms before a new AWB goes into place.

All the best,

Glenn B

CheaperThanDirt.com - What Do They Know That We Do Not?

I am referring to the price of Wolf 7.62x39 Military Classic Ammo at CheaperThanDirt.com. It is a whopping $399.99 per case of 1,000 rounds as shown on their website today 01/28/2009. So I checked over at Sportmansguide.com - they apparently are out of it and do not even show Wolf 7.62x39 at all on their site. I also checked at Ammoman.com, they are out of stock. I then checked at AimSurplus.com and they did not have any listed in the caliber. I also checked with CenterfireSystems.com and they do not show any 7.62x39 ammo, well not real ammo anyway, they do have blanks for sale. Nor does ClassicArms.us show any ammo in this caliber for sale.

JGSales.com has Golden Tiger 7.62x39 FMJ with steel cases available (as per their website, who knows if they actually have any) going for $239.00 per case of 1,000 rounds. I do not have the money or I would be trying to order a case from them. (Thanks to my son's college, I will be paying about $295 just for two books for one Biology class. I cannot wait to see how much the books for his other 4 classes will cost.) We have some 7.62x39 on hand, I am guessing enough to last a year of shooting if we dole it out carefully, and then some. Lucky for us I bought ammo as soon as the presidential election results were in.

If you need any 7.62x39 ammunition, I strongly recommend (where legal) that you try to find some at a decent price and then buy as much as you can afford. Then store it for a rainy day, or something like that. Chances are that things will not be getting much better any time soon with the most rabidly anti-gun administration in place in Washington in our lifetimes.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Weather Has Not Got Me Down...

...but the weatherman certainly is trying to do so. I got finished shoveling about 4 inches of wet snow an hour ago. I am a little achy since I did not only my small sidewalk but also my neighbors pretty large corner sidewalk (he is in Florida - and is apparently happier with the weather he is enjoying than am I with mine).

My wife and I need to go today to get grocery shopping done, the weekly stuff we get from either COSTCO or BJ's. We are also going to visit my mom who once again is in the hospital due to a bad fall on Monday night or early Tuesday morning (she was found unconscious in her room, but at least nothing was broken). Because we are going out, I decided to check on the weather. According to the radio weather reports we are to get continued freezing rain, sleet and more snow throughout the day and evening. Being an Internet junky, I also checked online with MSN. Their weather report said this under "Today's Forecast":

TODAY - SPRINKLES

Well, I hate to tell them but sprinkles do not deposit 4 inches of that cold and wet white stuff on the ground. Nor do sprinkles come down in the form of steady fairly heavy rain, as it has now being doing over the past couple of hours or so; unless of course the word sprinkles means something different to them than it does to me. I think though they know what the word sprinkles means, and it is not heavy snow, nor is it fairly heavy and constant rain. Then again, isn't it the folks at MSN who went right along with that pompous buffoon Al Gore on Global Warming. Yep it was them at least as I remember, them and most of the rest of the media and the companies associated with them! Maybe the globe is warming, maybe all of this snow and cold we are experiencing is a result of the ice cap melting and all that cold coming down this way - and maybe they are all full of themselves in their inability to even report the weather while it is actually taking place. Sprinkles indeed - balderdash!

All the best,
Glenn B

Still Time To Oppose The Economic Bailout Vote...

...since that vote takes place later today. Has anyone wondered what will happen if the plan does not work. I just heard a newscaster quote Representative Charles Rangel of New York when asked that question, his answer according to the reporter: "I don't know". There is not even a back-up plan in place for what will be done if the plan using hundreds of billions of dollars of tax payers money goes bottom up, not even a plan. Is that because politicians are so confident it will work, or because they believe it must work otherwise we are doomed because they are shortsighted and inept and don't have any clue as what else could be done. I believe the latter. I will again be emailing and calling my representatives and my senators to tell them to oppose the bailout. Although I feel almost sure my calls will go unheeded, they may not if enough of us make them likewise. A link to contact Congress and the White House can be found on the right side of my blog. Use it!

All the best,
Glenn B

A Comparison of Our Law Enforcement Officers To Nazis...

...is something that all too often can often be found on forums on the Internet. As a matter of fact, I recently visited a firearms forum in which the actions of police here in the USA were compared as being similar to Nazis. In the particular instance being discussed, a man was out doing yard work while legally wearing a handgun in a holster. The handgun was worn in plain view (which was quite legal where he lived). One of his neighbors called then police to report him. The police responded, detained the man wearing the gun, and after a somewhat extended period of detention decided to arrest him for disturbing the peace, or so the story is told. In the forum discussion about this event, our police (the officers in question, and law enforcement in general in the USA) were compared to Nazis in an unfavorable light for our police. I replied twice to said forum and in both posts I made sure to point out that I thought it ludicrous for people in general to say that law enforcement officers in the USA are similar to the Nazis. (Oh did I forget to mention, the man is now suing the police. Can you imagine someone arrested in WWII suing the Nazis over said arrest?)

Why do I think that our law enforcement, here in the USA, are not like the Nazis. I guess it can be best explained by my second post at said forum, and I have reprinted my response below:

"Some of you folks really seem to have little to no real comprehension of what Nazism was all about, or about Nazis themselves. You continue to twist the facts to make it look as if the police in the USA are strikingly similar to them. Do they use informants, yes but so have all police departments throughout history - so maybe you got it backwards - maybe the Nazis were using a technique used by legitimate authorities for their own twisted ends. As for the Nazis using words like "papers please" you have been watching too many WWII propaganda movies. They did not ask for papers please in the course of making arrests, they carted people off while the people dirtied themselves out of fear. Papers Please - you really believe that about Nazis, yeah maybe when they dealt with a delegate from another government or from the International Red Cross, or when they were being ruthlessly sarcastic, but you have got to be kidding that you think the Nazis routinely used such courtesies. No the police in this country for the great majority are nothing at all like Nazis, but you can believe what you want. Or you can try to find out what it was really like. Why not get together with a survivor of Nazi Germany, or better yet with several of them, and discuss Nazis with them. Your eyes will be opened. Being of partial German descent, living in a German neighborhood up through my twenties and often coming in contact with Germans who were in Germany during WWII, living in NY and frequently coming in contact with Holocaust survivors, and being a person somewhat interested in history, my curiosity was always seeking to be satisfied about this subject. Over the years, I have met with, and discussed Nazis and life in Nazi Germany with several survivors of the Holocaust. I have also had in depth discussions with members of the German military from WWII. In addition I have had many discussions with German citizens who lived in Germany during WWII and encountered Nazis on a daily basis in their lives; and that includes with some people who still live in Germany. I also have discussed Nazis with people who were from Poland and Russia and who encountered Nazi oppression in WWII. Our police forces are not like Nazis, and those to whom I have conversed on such maters would likely laugh at you for thinking so, or maybe they would just shed a tear that you could even think such a thing of our police for whom they have respect.

I am truly amazed that anyone would think so if they really knew anything about what life was like under the tyranny of Nazi Germany. By the way, if you would truly like to get a real glimpse into what it was like, and if you cannot find any survivors who lived through it with whom to discuss it, there is an excellent and very short book called Night by Elie Wiesel. It is well worth the few dollars to purchase it, or a trip to the library to borrow it, and is well worth the few hours to read it.

Before I close on this one, please allow me to make a final observation. I am over a half century old. In all of the years that I can remember, I have never once heard anyone who was actually brutalized by Nazis, or who was persecuted in any way under Nazi rule, complain that the police in the USA are anything at all like Nazis unless that person was an absolute ultra leftist of the card carrying commie type – and then they called everyone who did not agree with them Nazis. Yeah maybe there are a few out there who would make, or have made, such remarks who were regular Johns and Janes but they are a rarity. Then again there are or were tens if not hundreds of thousands who escaped or survived Nazi persecution and came to the USA after during and after WWII. Yet, for some reason, they do not call our police Nazis or say that they are similar; and isn’t it they who would know! It is very funny to me though how it is the American citizen, living in relative comfort and able to enjoy his rights and liberties to a great extent, who is the one to call our police Nazis or to compare our police to the Nazis in a negative light. Think about that, and think about why it is that way, and then ponder the fact that you are at liberty to do so without being rounded up, placed into a cattle car, forced to labor in subhuman conditions, experimented upon by what amounted to mad scientists, and left for dead or killed in a horrible manner such as by gassing with Zyclon-B, and then having the gold from your fillings collected to enrich the Third Reich (or maybe to just be stuffed into the commandants pockets). Our police like Nazis, even on their worst days the comparison is ludicrous. Why not really try my suggestion to get a better understanding of life under the Nazis before you even think such things about the police in the United States on the whole."

Yes I will agree that it seems all to often that law enforcement in the USA oversteps the bounds of its authority, or that police officers make all to many arrests based upon bad probable cause (which equals no probable cause), or that law enforcement comes after people they should not (but remember they are guided by the legislative and judicial branches of our governments (local, state and federal) on much of this, as well as being directed by the executive branches). Yet we usually have some sort of redress. We can have our day in court, and if found innocent we can cause the officers or departments and agencies to have their day in court when we sue them. Just imagine having tried that in Nazi Germany. We can bad mouth them too, and we can call them Nazis and therefore by implication call our government a Nazi Regime. We can get as bent out of shape as we want and keep the name calling going for a month of Sundays if we want. We can call cops pigs, we can give federal agents the finger, we can tell LEOs we hate them, and that we are going to write to our Congressmen about them. All the while they usually eat the shit some of you throw in their faces. Imagine what a real Nazi, say an SS officer would have done in response to you calling him a pig and giving him the finger. He would not have stood there taking it from you, you can bet your life on it.

Now, while crude, rude, obnoxious treatment of law enforcement officers in the USA today is no excuse for them to shirk their duties or to overstep the boundaries of law - should they do so - well the truth be told they usually pay for wrongdoings they may commit. Guess who comes to arrest them - other LEOs - other guys you refer to, or compare to, Nazis! Do law enforcement officers screw up - sure they do. Do some violate your rights while trying to enforce the law - sure they do. Do some violate the law themselves - yes indeed - way too many. Do some commit atrocious criminal acts - yes indeed. Does that make them Nazis across our nation on the whole? You have to be of another reality, a twisted and sick one, and a misinformed one (about what is a Nazi) to believe that such is the case. Do we need to be on the watch for Nazism rearing its ugly head. Yes we do. In fact we are being vigilant all the time for that and for other forms of tyranny.

You see, here in the US of A, law enforcement is ruled by something called the law, and law enforcement officers are subject to the law as are you and I. Try to remember we are the ones who voted in the legislators who write and vote on the laws, and we are the ones who elected the executives who sign the bills into law, and we are the ones who elected the executive who appointed judges (or maybe we even voted for the judges) who rule on the law and those laws are applied to our law enforcement officers as well as to ourselves. Are their some exceptions where the law is somewhat different as it applies to an LEO than it does to a non-LEO, most certainly there are some, but not many. The bottom line is that law enforcement officers in this nation are part of our government, our legally elected and appointed government that we put in place. In no way, on the whole, do our federal, state and local law enforcement officers come even close to the Nazis in similarity of purpose, in execution of duties, or in their treatment of the citizenry. Any of you who think otherwise have an awful lot of learning to do on the subjects of Nazis, Nazi Germany, their victims, and the survivors of that tyranny most despicable.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Unintentional Gecko...

...or I suppose I should say Geckos. A friend of mine dropped off 13 Leopard Geckos with me tonight hoping I could do him a favor and try to see if I can find homes for them tomorrow at the New York Metro Reptile Expo in White Plains. Heck, I had forgotten there was even supposed to be a show tomorrow let alone planned on going to it. Of course I am happy he reminded me because I always try my best to make all the shows so I can help man the Long Island Herpetological Society Table. While there, I imagine I can at least try my best to get rid of them for him. So if you are reading this, are nearby, and are interested in a leopard gecko at a very fair price, come by the Long Island Herpetological Society table at the expo tomorrow. The geckos will likely be for sale on the members table next to the LIHS table (note they are not being sold by the LIHS).

All the best,
Glenn B

Bailing Out The Failed Bailouts - What Will The Lawyers Screw Up Next

I just had a thought, one that those in the media have not made comment on, one that those in Washington, DC and state governments have not made comment on either. If the current bailouts of the financial industry fail, and then banks start collapsing - as in closing their doors to customers because they are bankrupt - where is the FDIC going to acquire all the money necessary to pay off all those FDIC insured accounts?

No, I am not even going to guess where it will come from because I know that it will be demanded that the tax payer foot the bill if it is to be honored. Of course another option would be for the government to just print reams upon reams of new currency and flood the market with it by way of insurance payments to those who had insured accounts. of course that would me mega devaluation of the dollar, and all the money you had protected in just one account would probably fall to 75% or less of its former worth - if you are lucky it will not fall to 25% of its former value. There is no way the government can afford to pay; and that brings us to the third option - the government declaring itself bankrupt and defaulting on all outstanding debt. Think it cannot happen, get back in touch with me when the trillions expected to be paid toward the bailout disappear and another bailout is required and the lawyers in disguise as government executive officers, representatives, senators, and appointed staff members of them tell us we have to dig deeper than ever.

My guess is that once again we as a nation led by lawyers we will spew forth whatever rhetoric is required to allow people to take the free ride be they politicians, corporate or banking executives, stockholders, people who buy houses with absolutely no way to pay for them or the lawyers who represent them all. I think if it actually comes to something like any of the financial messes I described above, then We The People should actually consider and push for some form of new government to be instituted to take care of the problem. No violent overthrow stuff - no I am not going to advocate that - not yet any how, but we sure do need some new blood in DC and I do not mean legal hacks like the current and past administrations. What I mean is that it is about time that the lawyers who make up most of the Senate, and most of the House of representatives, and even the presidency be shown the door. In their places I would recommend that you vote for candidates who actually have practical experience in jobs other than lawyering. For example I recommend that our Congress be limited to less than 25% lawyers, and that the rest of the seats go to people in other professions or trades. I would like to see some plumbers, carpenters, dock workers, dentists, police officers, deliverymen, teachers, professors, bankers, stockbrokers, accountants, farmers, ranchers, waiters, pilots, nurses, military service people, and so on get into the House of Representatives - remember those in the House of Representatives ARE SUPPOSED TO ACTUALLY REPRESENT THEIR CONSTITUENTS so why are so many of them lawyers! I would also like to see some higher end or more experienced workers (not lawyers) get into the Senate such as: doctors, professors, executive managers from all sorts of industry, police officers of rank, nurses, dentists, union chiefs, and even some lower level managers. I cannot understand for the life of me why so many people are fooled into believing that We The People need to elect lawyers to run a Government OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE.

Do you think that too easy. Or do you think it would never work? Why is that? Are the rest of us morons, are lawyers, for the most part, capable of running things more than anyone else (if so then there is no hope we will ever get it right because they never have done so before and they only keep screwing up)! Come on folks wake up, get it right, it is the lawyers in great part who have been screwing us over and raping our nation for all it is worth. They are the ones who have run government for years. They run every aspect of our lives from way to high medical bills all caused by malpractice insurance rates caused by lawyers who sue for hundreds of millions, to our auto insurance rates, to our homeowner insurance rates (ever see those commercials for slip and fall bloodsuckers), to our criminal law, to laws that regulate our schools, to laws that even go as far as saying what type of cooking oil with which a restaurant can prepare food, to almost anything of which you can think. They have there greedy paws on everything, or so it seems. Do you really think that lawyers who become representatives, senators or even presidents will ever really change things to benefit the rest of us, or will the greatest profit always go to them and their employers? It is about time we look elsewhere for our leaders, and I think there is a good possibility if you look around you right now you may see some people with great potential to legislate for and lead us, and the great majority of them are not lawyers!

All the best,
Glenn B

BFAT 3

Six entries so far in Ballseye's Firearms Accessories Tournament 3 and all I'll say is that one guess is pretty close. The contest ends on the night of January 30 at midnight; and I'll probably announce the winner on January 31. Good luck to any who will or has entered.

http://ballseyesboomers.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-went-to-range-yesterday-to-get-in.html

All the best,
Glenn B

It's Official: Kirsten Gillibrand Named NY Senator

I suppose that for a state like New York, it is a step in the right direction. Yes she is a democrat, but yes she also has a track record of being somewhat friendly to those of us who are willing to fight to maintain our right to keep and bear arms and enjoy our liberty to exercise said right.

"As a lawmaker, she has projected a down-home image in tune with her rural
district, which stretches from Lake Placid past the state capital of Albany.
Besides the backing of the NRA, she has the strong support of the New York Farm
Bureau, which described her as ``a leading advocate for agriculture in Washington.'' Her Web site's homepage includes a picture of cows."

Source of the quote: http://www.1010wins.com/Little-Known-Congresswoman-Picked-for-Clinton-Seat/3712805.

For more info, see: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/22/new-york-gov-paterson-rep-gillibrand-clintons-senate-seat/

Maybe this guy Patterson will turn out to be a better governor for NY than I had thought. If nothing else, the selection of Gillibrand as senator for NY may cause The Honorable (by pomp and circumstance only in my opinion) Carolyn McCarthy to have a heart attack moment of pause to reconsider her own rabid anti-gun stance. Of course that will not be the case as McCarthy has already vowed to opose Gillibrand. I imagine Senator Charles Schumer will do likewise; and that pompous buffoon Michael Bloomeberg is already ranting in opposition to her appointment. The thing is though, they do not have squat to say about it that can keep her from becoming a senator as I understand. It's nice to see the antis squirm for a change here in an anti-gun state like NY. Now one can only hope that Gillibrand is a true supporter of the right to keep and bear arms and not just a fly by night friend who takes what she can get, such as support from the NRA, to further her career and then dumps what friends she has made once she is in power. Time and her legislating will tell.

All the best,
GB

No Lack Of Blogger Mojo...

...but I have had a lack of time to blog, so the blog has been lacking over the past few days. Yesterday was the worst day for time all week. My mom had an episode at the assisted living facility and had to go to the ER. Dementia is not a nice thing, especially if it expresses itself by way of a lot of fear. My sister spent most of yesterday at the ER with my mom, and I got there by cutting my day short at work and spent a few hours there myself along with Brendan and his girlfriend. I went out to the assisted living residence today to see my mom, again with Brendan and Julia, and my mom was much improved. That was a good thing, even though she was not 100%. The remainder of my day, until 5 minutes ago, was spent on bills. Making sure my credit card bill was correct took over an hour alone, and I am still none to sure the balance is correct. Then I paid a bunch of bills. I also made sure the ones left over were sorted by the date by which they need to be paid.

We do okay with our bills, but I have to admit we are having a tough time getting it all paid off with Brendan's college bills. I refuse to take a loan out this time around as I did for my daughter. Since Brendan is staying local, that makes it much easier to accomplish, but it is still hard paying by credit card and making sure not to otherwise go overboard with the cards. I am trying to pay the college bill of within two months of making the payment so we are being careful about what else we charge. I suppose with the holidays out of the way, that will get a little easier - knock on wood. Thank goodness for lower heating bills this year because if we were paying the same oil rates as last year it would be likely I'd need to take out a loan for his college. Not complaining about having those college bills mind you - I am quite proud that Brendan is going to college and did well in his first semester; and there is no way that I would not put him through his undergrad studies. As with his sister Celina though, when it comes to graduate degrees, they have to make it on there own. She is doing that right now and I am pretty sure Brendan will do likewise. First things first, he has to get a bachelor's degree first.

All the best,
Glenn b

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

I am sitting here listening the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Greatest Hits CD and I find myself wondering why I never saw them in concert in my younger years. I suppose it was because I went into Law Enforcement in 1979, and that kind of put the kibosh on going to concerts. Yeah I still went to some, but when I moved back to NY from California in the early eighties I soon realized that my job and rock concerts did not necessarily mix. Simply put I did not want to light up like a Christmas Tree had I been given a urine test for drugs at work. Just being at something like a concert probably would have exposed me to enough second hand smoke in the air to make me test positive for a year. That's too bad for me, I sure missed some good live performances from what I can gather by listening to them on disc.


Oh well, thank goodness for technology, I can listen to them as I please - and man are they ever so good.

All the best,
Glenn B

Am I Missing Something?

Am I missing something? Maybe they never sing it at inaugurations but somehow I doubt that they do not. They did sing a song before swearing in Biden, but not the one I am missing. Wouldn't the National Anthem have been much more appropriate than 'My Country, Tis of Thee' before the swearing in commenced? Hopefully they will squeeze 'The National Anthem' in there someplace. Of course maybe they will not since they are now performing Air and Simple Gifts a musical composition! Then again I just heard Feinstein say how much more wonderful and right it is that the vote won out over the gun or something to that effect. Damn moron forgets that the gun is what keeps the vote free in the first place, the gun and the blood of all those who bore arms in defense of our great Nation. Yet somehow she found it appropriate to show the cold shoulder to all of those who have fallen in defense of Freedom and to outright slam them with disrespect in her opening remarks.

Gosh damn they are administering the oath of office and we have not heard The National Anthem during these ceremonies. He is now president without it having played, but trumpets are blaring as is 'Hail The Chief'. I suppose now that I give it a moments reflection this should come as no surprise concerning the man who refused to wear an American Flag lapel pin and who refused to place his hand over his heart during the singing of The National Anthem. As I said, maybe it is never sung at the inauguration, but I certainly think it should be sung. Now his acceptance speech - maybe The National Anthem, and a thought for our country, will come after that.

As for now, his speech is scary already - too expensive health care, our decline is inevitable, our use of energy feeds our enemies - etc. Welcome to the Socialist States of America is all I can forsee. Heck, did he just call us childish at least by implication when quoting scripture? Heavens help us....... Well at least he is acknowledging the sacrifice of those who worked and died for our Country. I guess one has to hope, but I don't have a whole lot of it as for this administration being good for our country especially with his remaking America comment. Note he did not say imrpoving it, or fixing it, or anything that would indicate that it at least at one time had been great - he said remake it - as if it was never good enough in the first place.

Gotta go to work, no time to listen to more of his speech.

All the best,
Glenn B

The Cold and The Snow

So far this past fall, and this winter, we have had several snowfalls here and in the nearby New York metro area. It is pretty unusual to have so many snowfalls as we did before January, and the number of snowfalls seems not to be falling off. This weekend we had two. Of course we only got about a total of 3 or 3.5 inches. Now, the amount of snow is not the issue. Rather, I am just surprised, what with Global Warming and all, that we are having so many snowfalls and that the temperatures here in the New York area have been so cold. I imagine that once President Elect Obama is sworn in as president tomorrow he immediately will have his Global Warming Czar manufacture, in a green way, some ludicrous reason as to why the whole country is experiencing one of the coldest winters in memory. Of course, I figure that reason will blame it on the melting ice caps as caused by Global Warming or something like that. You can bet they will not say that the Global Warming theory is wrong, they have too much invested in pushing the theory and they stand to gain ever so much from propagating it further.

All the best,
Glenn B

Yugo SKS From SAMCO - Update

Well, if you have read along, you know I bought a NEW SKS from SAMCO awhile back. When I received it I immediately noticed repair to damage on the stock and some minor cosmetic damage to the metal parts, and one small but bent metal part. I contacted SAMCO and after quite the wait, and many phone calls, I received a return label. A supervisor at SAMCO, who was very nice and seemed right on top of the issue, told me I would get an exchange, and that was fine with me. Since it was taking so long to get that label I called American Express a couple of times and had the charge put on hold. I specifically told the folks at AMEX to take no other action than placing a hold on that charge until they heard from me but they did not follow my instructions. The rifle was delivered back to SAMCO on January 5, I ordered it on or about November 11th. An annoying amount of time for a turn around. Somewhere in there I also received a letter from AMEX saying they had convinced the seller to give me a refund. I wrote SAMCO an email saying I still wanted a NEW SKS if they could sell me one at the original price I had paid. Then, last week, I guess maybe on Thursday or so, I received a call from SAMCO saying they would indeed send me a new one, at the price I paid.

Since then AMEX has screwed up my credit card account by apparently giving me credit twice for the SKS. I have tried to take care of that to no avail, but will cal them again today. First guy I spoke to told me if they reversed the credit they would also add on another $XXX charge instead of just reversing the credit. After I hung up with him, I called back AMEX and the next person to whom I spoke said that would I would not be charged an additional $XXX if the credit was reversed, but they still have not reversed the extra credit. I know I will never wind up with a double credit in my pocket, and it would be wrong to expect such, so I have to give them yet another call and try to straighten this out before it messes up my accounting of my credit card bill.

As for a new replacement SKS, well someone is supposed to call me this week from SAMCO and tell me when it will be sent out. I was assured this one would be in 'new' condition; and I imagine they will make their best effort to assure such is the case. Time will tell, and if and when I receive an exchange I'll let you know how it turns out.

All the best,
Glenn B

Battlestar Galactica - The Final 10 Episodes Begin...

... and let me tell you they were long overdue. I for one would have been in serious withdrawal had they delayed the premiere of the final 10 episodes any longer, and it would have been even worse if I missed the first of them tonight. I am intrigued by what they found on what they think was Earth - yeah I guess you can figure from my having said that that I am pretty sure they did not really find Earth - not yet anyhow. What I am truly disappointed about was that one of my favorite characters, and one of the prettiest ones in the series, was killed off tonight - then again maybe two of the hot babes on the show were killed off - watch it and decide for yourself. That one who definitely was killed off was a shame, I figured her for a lot more in the story. Without saying more to ruin it for those of you who wanted to see it but missed it, I can only say, make sure to watch it when it is on again. This is the most awesome science fiction show since Farscape - and a bit better at that. I am anxiously awaiting next week's episode.

All the best,
Glenn B

On Its Wings, The Water and a Prayer (or a lot of em)

Now that was excitement enough to last a long time, and all I did was watch as events unfolded. I am referring to the U.S. Airways Airbus 320 that landed on the Hudson River just blocks from my office, and then floated past my office as rescuers aboard a fleet of mismatched And unlikely rescue ships and boats circled the aircraft saving the survivors. I am happy to have heard early reports that all have survived this potentially deadly ordeal.

Apparently the plane took off from LaGuardia Airport in Queens, NY and shortly thereafter, or maybe even during takeoff, a bird or birds were sucked into the engines. As I have heard it the pilot had a choice, try to turn around and head back to the airport or put it down in the river. It seems he chose the river. Based upon what others heard on radio reports, and from what I read on online news reports – witnesses say it looked like a perfect landing except for the fact it was in the middle of the Hudson River. As the first new reports were coming over the radio, I headed to the windows on the north side of my office and could see some of the rescue boats around the aircraft. I then headed to the west side of my office that directly overlooks the Hudson, and those of us watching saw one heck of a rescue operation staged by what appeared to be the: NYPD Harbor Patrol, Circle Line Cruise boats, Water Taxi boats, a possible NYFD boat (could have been something else, but this one had a line from it to the plane), and other small boats.

It was a tense 15 or 20 minutes, maybe even a half hour , just for us to watched the plane, still afloat, as it drifted from a point near mid river and straight out from about W. 34th Street, then continue south past our building between 27 and 26th Streets (we take up the entire block) down toward Chelsea Piers in the mid to low 20s. Imagine how those on the plane must have felt! As we watched we noted what appeared to be several orange life jackets, or maybe buoys drift ahead of the Airbus along with what appeared to be debris, luggage and the escape ramps that double as life rafts from the aircraft (those are our guesses as to what these items were). We also saw what appeared to be people on the aircraft, probably rescuers and not passengers as none had on the yellow life preservers they have on planes. Several small watercraft were circling the area possibly looking for anyone in the water. Helicopters circled overhead doing likewise, and some most likely filming for the new. We saw tens and tens of emergency vehicles heading south on West Street almost directly below us, some stopping at the piers cross from our building. One small boat came in with about 6 to 8 people aboard wearing yellow life vests, all apparently passengers from the plane. Only one was put onto a stretcher to be taken to a Hetzalah Volunteer ambulance. The other apparently well enough to walk under their own power and not needing blankets. Then again maybe no blankets were to be had in the mayhem; and I am guessing so because at least 3 of the passengers were in shirts or blouses with no jackets, sweaters or coats. Even if they had not gotten wet, which they may not have gotten, they should have been given some sort of protection from the bitter cold temps. Right now it is reported to be 19 degrees and feels like 14 degrees out there, pretty cold when you are in shock after a plane crash. Well not a crash really but a landing on a its wings, the water and a prayer.

It is a pretty helpless feeling to be so close and know there is nothing effective you can do to help, and just stand by watching it all unfold. Of course I can only imagine the feelings of those who had been on that polane when they realized they landed on the river. It was a great relief to hear all were saved, again I only imagine the relief they felt. The emergency responders were there quickly. I almost get the feeling they may have been headed there before the plane even hit the water; I mean they were there that fast to have saved all on board they must have gotten some notice from the air traffic controllers. My hat goes off to all of them be they well trained rescue teams from the NYPD, the NYFD, The Coast Guard (they seemed to be the last to show up – not a surprise considering how much they have been cut back and hopw far they probably had to go to get there) police, fire fighters, rescue teams, the crews of the Circle Line and the Water taxis, or just plain old Johns and Joans who were passengers aboard the Circle Line and Water Taxis. They sure are some folks’ heroes today. Then again, let’s not forget the men or women who piloted the plane, the rest of the crew who evacuated the plane, and those in the air traffic control tower who called for help. Someone listened, someone up high you can bet on that because as I said, the plane basically landed on its wings, the water and a prayer - then to top it all off it walked on water until everyone was saved. Just absolutely amazing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Ballseye's Firearms Accessories Tournament 3

I went to the range yesterday to get in some practice with the Glock 19. It may have been the last time I do so, since at my next range qualification I'll be turning it in and I will be issued a new Sig to replace it. Then again, maybe I'll shoot it a few more times for old time's sake - I have a month or so before I qualify. I did okay shooting it, but not as good as I can do - I seemed off a bit for some reason. The target pictured had a good number of shots fired at it from 7 yards slow fire and I would like to have seen a tighter group. Oh well, with the Sig it may never be this good. As I understand it the double action only trigger of the Sig leaves something to be desired and that something amounts to a lot to be desired. From what I have heard I would never buy one for myself, but I'll shoot it first before I make up my mind for certain.

As for the contest: Guess how many shots I fired at this target (yes all of the shots hit the target in the area shown) and the person who comes closest to the correct number will win the prize pictured below. The rules are fairly simple: look at the pic of the target in this post, guess how many shots I fired at it (all shots either hit the target or went through the holes in it), then send me an email with your guess. A link to my email address can be found by clicking on my profile link to the right side of the blog. Please limit yourself to one guess and entry per person. In case of ties I will pick winner from among tied entrants by random drawing. You must be 18 years old or older to participate in this, and will be required to prove to my satisfaction that you are 18 years old or older. I can only offer the prize to people living within the lower 48 states of the United States of America ; and I only knowingly allow U.S. citizens or U.S. legal resident aliens to participate. By entering the tournament you are agreeing that you will abide by all of the rules including the general contest/tournament rules found in the link on the right side of my blog page. Note this contest begins today, January 11, 2009 and will end on January 30, 2009 at 11:59 PM. I should announce the winner on January 31st or shortly thereafter.

Here is the prize you might win: The holster is an Uncle Mike's black nylon holster in as new condition. It has never been used, and has been hanging in my basement in its package for several years now. The box is pretty scuffed up but the holster itself is in excellent condition as can be seen in the pics. It is good for a nice sized double action revolver with 5 to 6 1/2" barrels, so if you win this and don't have that type of a revolver you just may need to buy one. At least you will have some justification for your significant other when you spend the money on a new revolver. As for me, I have a revolver to fit this holster, have no money to buy another right now, and I also have another holster exactly like it. So I have no need for this one; and I am not a holster hoarder! The prize comes with free shipping too, and note I can only ship to a winner within the lower 48 or the USA. I don't know how long I can keep up the free shipping thing, but this time around shipping is still just that for the winner - free.

All the best,

Glenn B

The American Form of Government

The following video has been making the rounds on other blogs I read. I tip my hat to Chris at the Anarchangel and to Kevin at The Smallest Minority. I figure it is worth embedding here too so that the few of you who visit my blog and not the others will get a chance to see it too. Maybe you will show it to your children - I sure plan to have mine watch it. It amazed me, when I thought of it, how often I have referred to our government as a Democracy when indeed as I have known since I was a child, our government was meant to be, and should remain, a Republic. I have not referred to our government as a Democracy because I did not understand the difference, but rather because of continued bad influences over me by the media, the left, television, movies, books and by educators who just never seem to get it right for the most part. I just became desensitized to the difference, but the truth remains the difference is great even though democracy plays a role in our Republic such as when we vote. Yet without the law, fair and just law at that, we would wind up no better off than having mob rule and tyranny. Therefore we who live in a Republic should be aware of the difference between it and a Democracy. With that knowledge we will be able to conserve our form of government, and our rights and freedoms along with it.



One side note, about vocabulary. I am an old timer now. I am familiar with a word used in the video that I guess would not be all that familiar to younger folks. I wonder, if you ask your children to give you the definition of the phrase "on the dole" how many of them would understand it? It is one of the biggest problems of our time, having too many on the dole, and we need to address it and get those who refuse to work to work hard to support themselves instead of sucking the rest of us dry. Having everyone on the dole is the ultimate goal of socialism, and assures that We, the People, will always be under the thumb of the government as opposed to ruling over it by way of law.

All the best,
Glenn B

Holster Hoarders...

...what is it about them that causes them to buy many more holsters (or other accessories like gun belts, handcuff cases, magazine pouches) than he or she will ever need? I suppose I just don't get it when it comes to holster hoarders, I mean me, I buy one for a gun and use it. If it turns out to be a piece of junk, well I usually get rid of it. I don't put it away in the closet like placing it into a shrine where it will remain forever entombed to be eternally adored by me, then by another, and another and yet another for the same gun as if they can be had at 75% off Christmas Eve accessory sales at Macys' Department Stores. Nor do I put them into a box or on a rack just waiting to see if I can someday become known as the Imelda Marcos of the gun leather world! Just like I don't need more than a few pairs of shoes, I don't need more than a few holsters. Well maybe I need more than a few holsters, but that is only because I own more than a few handguns. I don't even own a holster for some of my pistols, or some of them share a holster with another similar pistol I own. Then again, for one or two of them, I may actually have 2 holsters each but I am nowhere near the extreme that some others go to when it comes to holsters and as I said, I just don't get it.

I mean why would anyone keep an old worn out holster that they used and maybe even abused for years. Take for example a friend of mine way back when I was in the Border Patrol, he was an Accessorizer Holster Hoarder. He had a fine collection of handguns, probably 15 or more. He also had holsters for each of them. No not a holster for each pistol, but multiple holsters for each. Why - who knows. I do know though that when he would carry something like his S&W model 66 he would wear it in a strong side high rise hip holster when wearing a jacket, but then would wear it in an old west style quick drawer holster rig if going out on a picnics or something like that, and if he carried it to a poker game you could almost bet it would be in a shoulder rig of some sort. He was that way with all his handguns. Now that I think of it he was sort of like a woman with her handbags. He had more than one holster for every gun and more than one for every occasion, just like having a purse for each occasion, and of course he had a source of income other than just that of his job as a Border Patrol Agent to afford them. If I remember rightly mommy and daddy were rich. He fits right in with the next type of holster hoarder.

Besides the holster for every occasion type, we also have the 'gotta have the latest and newest type' hoarder, also known as the 'Rodeo Drive Holster Hoarder' (if you do not understand the reference to Rodeo Drive - well Google it or check Wikipedia). You know that kind of person, the kind with money to burn, and I mean that literally, and who just has to have it when she sees something new. It's not so much a fashion statement, like it was with the gun owners described above, but is more of a 'I am better than you' kind of a thing. Yep these are the type of persons who have to flaunt their wealth at every opportunity. If a rhinestone studded cross drawer shoulder holster rig comes out for her Colt Anaconda, you can bet she will own one before they hit the stores.

Then we have yet another type of holster hoarder - the Tactical Tacticool Guru. Don't confuse this type with the Mall Ninja (yet to be discussed). The Tactical Guru is the type of gal or guy who just has to have the most tactically and technologically advanced holster system that is out there - no matter what. it does not matter if they can afford it or not, they are going to get the most advanced tacticool rig they can wear so that they can show it off at the range. Why? Well because it will just go to show others how tactically aware they must be. After all how would it look if they preached tactics day in and day out to the rest of us while wearing last year's tactical rig? I mean to whom are you more likely to listen:

A guy with classroom, range and practical experience who knows what he is talking about, but who wears a tee shirt and jeans along with a sturdy well made holster that he has owned for years

or

A guy dressed in military fatigues wearing a tacticool nylon holster rig with holster strapped to his thigh and secured by Velcro - and who has about 8 or 9 different accessories attached to his gun belt.

I mean isn't it really the smarter guy who keeps buying all that new gear as soon as it comes out? Smarter because he takes advantage of every new fangled piece of junk tacticool piece of equipment out there. I mean he has all that neat gear - and since he has it all - he must know how to use it right? Well that is the way the Tacticool Guru thinks anyhow. Ever wonder what happened to all that other gear he used to wear, the stuff he had before he bought his latest holster? It winds up in his closet because no one else will buy it, and because he is so knowledgeable as to know that it never hurts to have extras even if it was made in a basement do it yourself shop in China. Yep some guys dress like that and also know their business too, although most are not more than one step removed from our next variety of holster hoarder.

Nest up is the Mall Ninja. Do you know the type? These are the wearers of the square badge, and often of the smoky hat. They patrol your local malls, and while in most places they are unarmed, in some they do carry handguns. This type of guy starts buying holsters long before he even owns a gun. As a kid, when playing cops and robbers, or cowboys and Indians, this was the kid who always dressed the part and that included a holster - and yes the holster he owned back then were real. When this kid was a little older he learned the art of spit shining and also learned about patent leather. He then went out and bought holster in both for the guns he someday hoped he would own. He keeps all of this gear in meticulous condition hoping and praying that maybe someday, just maybe, he will wear a uniform and carry a gun. Then either when a senior in high school, or more likely when trying to work his way through a criminal justice degree at college, he gets a job as an armed security guard. The first day he shows up to work he brings along 5 of his holsters all with a high gloss finish either spit shined to perfection or patent leather, and he is shocked to learn that yes he will carry but in a nylon rig! Of course this does not deter him and he runs out and buys everything they have on the shelves at his local gun store to go with that rig such as: the holster and belt, an ammo or magazine pouch, a mace/pepper spray holder (whether or not he will be authorized to carry pepper spray or mace), a handcuff case, a baton holder (whether or not he will be authorized to carry a baton), a radio holster, belt keepers, a key ring holder, a key ring, and a few extras of each so as to always be neat and presentable. Of course in his excitement he probably buys a lot of the wrong things and has to go back and buy more. Does he turn in the stuff he bought already as an exchange - heck no because he knows what he bought is better than what work wants him to buy or what they issue. As time goes by he will try to sneak a piece, one at a time, onto his rig until slowly but surely he will be using the stuff of his choice at work. Being that his job security is tenuous at best, especially with his being such a kook, he winds up at job after job and continually adds to his collection of Mall Ninja accessories - and that of course includes holsters. He is very much like the Tactical Guru, and if he actually visits the range now and then he can usually morph from Mall Ninja to Tactical Guru at ease. As a matter of fact mall Ninjas often grow up to become Tactical Gurus to one extent or another.

Next in line we have the LEO as in Law Enforcement Officer. Yes they too have many among their ranks who are holster hoarders par excellence. Some LEOs who are holster hoarders started off as Mall Ninjas and many will become Tacticool Gurus too it is just natural progression though it does not happen to everyone. (Even I worked in department store, hospital and hotel security while in college, although I never quite made it to becoming a mall Ninja or Tacticool Guru.) The thing about LEOs though is this, they have reached the point of having a career. Unlike most Mall Ninjas, most LEOs a bit more mature (heck the male LEOs can for the most part grow facial hair and actually need to shave whereas most Mall Ninjas still have pimply secretions instead of whiskers). Those who have jobs as police officers, sheriffs, corrections officers, game wardens, federal agents and so on have found themselves in a career. Most have completed college (at least a 2 year degree nowadays), and many already are married with families. They own a car, maybe 2, have health plans, pay rent (no longer living with mom and dad like most Mall Ninjas and some Tacticool Gurus) or pay mortgages, have car payments, auto insurance payments, food bills, utility bills and so on. Do you see where this is going as far as holster hoarding is concerned. LEOs, for the great majority, own every holster they ever paid for or that was issued to them by their agency or department. Why? Because holsters, good one anyway, are expensive. It wind up that most of them, with all their other bills, cannot afford new ones as can the Mall Ninja or the Tacticool Guru or the Rodeo Drive Hoarders. So every time a cop buys a new holster, the old one goes into a draw, a closet on a shelf or into a box in the basement. (After a few years the guy with his holster in the box in the basement usually learns to move them, or at least newer ones, into a closet upstairs thanks to mold and mildew.)

Even the department issued holsters get the same treatment since most departments don't ask for old holsters back. Yep that means that even bureaucrats who run those departments realize that old holsters are just so much worthless junk. of course the cop who is working out on the street, and who may have his holster literally ripped off of him in a fight for his life, is fairly wise to keep an older one in reserve until he can replace the lost one with a brand new one - and that costs money and money takes time to save when you have all those bills a family man or woman has. How often does it happen that holsters are replaced by a department or agency? Well let's see, in my thirty year career I have probably been issued at least 15 holsters by my agencies, and I probably have bought at least several holsters to replace some that I was issued when I thought I could do better than what I was issued by the gooberment. My agencies issued holsters for each weapon they issued, and sometimes replaced holsters with better and safer designs, or simply because a holster was worn out. I also have received at least one or three holsters as gifts for my issued guns. If I kept em all, I'd have quite a few, but that would not be all the holsters I would have, not even for just my issued guns. You see the regular LEO who carries while off duty often goes out and buys an off duty holster - something in which he can carry concealed. If it is a good one - great it can last for years. If she made a bad choice the officer probably will head out and buy a better one sooner or later as she can afford it. The thing is that officers, with all those bills that Rodeo Drive types never worry about, have to feed their families and often wind up buying less than the best, or even less than good quality holsters when they need one. Even when they realize they were a bad choice they go into the drawer for later use if ever, it is all part of a back-up ideal by which officers protect themselves and one another. They are taught to have a back-up handgun, back-up ammunition, back-up handcuffs, a partner for back-up, to call for back up before going in, and a back-up provide for the family life insurance plan in case they ever are taken down - so why not a back up holster. In addition many LEOs keep their first holster, or their lucky holster, or their best ever holster, or the one in which they carried a gun with which they shot a bad guy saving another life, and they keep em for whatever superstitious reason you can think of. Then one day, maybe just before retirement, the officer gets nostalgic and look in the holster drawer and is shocked to find out just how many holsters he had stashed away. All those holsters, just like dust bunnies under a bed, seem to multiply all on their own unless you clean em out now and again. If only he had sold em all, maybe he could have afforded one that would have lasted 10 or 15 years without needing replacement, or maybe he could have afforded to have taken that fishing trip he had wanted to with his son when his son first learned about how expensive things are.

The truth be told, there is yet another type of holster hoarder, and this type is the Eternal Optimist Holster Hoarder. This is the type of person who incessantly plays the stock market and loses money instead of taking a more secure route to seeing his finances grow - no matter how bad the market. This is the holster hoarder who despite seeing the value of his holster decrease as they get older, hold onto them in the hopes of someday getting back most if not all of the money he paid for each of them, and maybe a little profit too. So those holsters, needless to say, just keep piling up somewhere in the house. The fact is I have never seen a used holster sell for more than it did when originally bought in a store; as a matter of fact I have never seen one sell for anywhere close to the initial retail price. Holsters, once bought, whether used or left in the package, seem to depreciate in value as fast as rail road bonds, or as fast as ponzi schemes once discovered to be frauds. Of course the Eternal Optimist does not want to believe that his hand tooled kangaroo leather holster, lined with silicone impregnated buffalo suede, and custom fitted for a high gloss Browning High Power will never sell for more than a mere fraction of the original selling price, so he keeps it stashed away waiting for the day he can sell it on an online auction for 5 times its original value. Thing is that day isn't coming in this lifetime!

Now that brings us to a practical reason as to why holsters build up in that drawer or on that closet shelf. They are worth more than that for which they will sell. Well at least to they who own them. Well truth be told, not to all of us who own holsters. Recently I threw out a few holsters. I also sold a few. The ones I threw out were the ones I could not sell, trade or give away. Heck I almost decided to give away the holsters I sold because they went for so little, but then again I figured why be a knucklehead - getting something for them was better than getting nothing. As for giving away the others, well I actually had to throw some of em out to make room for other things for which I simply needed the space. Yes folks, even when trying to give away used holsters it is not easy so I threw some away. You see, either the person you are trying to give it to already has one or more holsters for they type of gun it fits, or just sold that gun and no longer needs a holster for it, or the person figures why take your junk (the last reason being the one as to why used holsters are rarely if ever bought by Rodeo Drive, Mall Ninja and Tacticool Guru types of hoarders). Yep they look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak and are suspicious of you for trying to give it to them and figure why would you give away something if it was not junk. Now after all, are they wrong in being suspicious, I mean in today's who among us in his right mind would give away, as in free, a holster that may have cost $50, $100, maybe even as much as a few hundred dollars just because he was having a hard time selling it for $5.00, and he figured a friend was more deserving! I would that's who, and I wound up throwing out a few holsters just because of that type of thinking after I offered them to friends because I could not sell em first.

No, I am not a holster hoarder, though I do have a few stashed away here and there. Maybe that makes me weird, my getting rid of them for chicken feed or less, but I need more room for ammo than I do for holsters. Right now my ammo cache is just about bursting out of the containers in which I have it stashed away and space is at a premium so out with the holsters and in with the ammo it was. I wonder, does that make me an ammo hoarder? Nah - couldn't be. Anyway, ammo hoarders are a whole nuther sought of people - aren't they? More on them later, enough said on that subject for now, nod - nod - wink - wink - know what I mean.

All the best,
Glenn B

They Promised The Worst Snow Storm of the Season...

...but all we got was about 1/4 inch of snow and frozen rain as far as accumulations went. I suppose that is a good thing too, especially since I have to drive into work today. Of course, plenty of you got hit by much worse in the storm of yesterday and the day before. Chicago and Cleavland and surround areas seem to have been whacked badly as it seems so too was northern PA. With more snow promised for some places tomorrow and Tuesday, it sounds like getting to work then will not be a joy. For me today, it should be pretty easy on the highways. The local streets will be another story as they are pretty icy - yes even a 1/4 inch of ice can make it tough to drive. I always get a kick out of the nuts in their SUVs. They think they can drive faster because they have 4 wheel drive. As my brother pointed out years ago, these folks in SUVs seem to forget that they may have to stop on dusty, wet, snowy or icy conditions and it just will be harder, much harder, to do so because they were driving too fast. So if you ever wondered why you hear about so many accidents involving SUVs, well it's probably not the fault of the vehicle.

Me I plan to be careful driving today. Stay safe.

All the best,
Glenn B

Smuggling It's More Than A Job...

...It's An Adventure. Well at least anti-smuggling was for me. This is a pic of me way back when in my early years with the U.S. Customs Service. I stationed in New York City at JFK Airport, but this is a shot of me while on temporary assignment to Key Largo, FL. The weather was not too hot, it was the off season, but the smuggling was hot enough to keep us busy. Me and my buddy Lou B were there with others from NYC for 2 weeks and Lou and I spent out time out on a go fast boat with a Florida Marine Patrol Officer. When we extended to a third week, the boss told us to go out and find drugs since we would not be going out on the boat again. He only added that wherever we go we stay away from Dynamite Docks. I was driving - where do you think I went, disregarding the bosses obvious BS and over Lou's objections!

Over several hours that night we listened to a boat come into shore and go back out to sea several times. We could not see it even though the Atlantic Ocean was virtually feet in front of us - it was dark - pitch black at that. A good night to smuggle I suppose; but not with two Customs Patrol Officers like us on the scene. We called in the activity and the search began just before sunup. The guys from the local office found a nice speed boat with tens of pounds of marijuana strewn about its deck. We figured we were in for a promotion after this seizure, but the station boss said he gave the boat to the sheriff's office. Go figure, we did not even get to do the paperwork!

A short while later, another local Customs guy saw three Cubans walking out of a Mangrove Swamp toward the main road. He stopped and questioned them, they were all wet and so was their story. He soon found many bales of marijuana in the swamp from whence they had come. Seems they got their truck stuck in the mud trying to get in there to pick it up. They were arrested, and the grass was seized, but not without some ball busting work. We had to walk into the swamp, and carry each bale not to a waiting truck, but out into the water, over a reef, and load it onto a Custom's boat. Then we had to off load it later at a pier where it could be picked up by tuck. The second shot shows me and Lou after a hard night's (and morning's) work. Way on the right side of the pic, the guy walking to your right as you look at it was Charlie (can't recall his last name). He was the Customs Patrol chief who told us not to go to Dynamite Docks. A couple or few years later, Charlie was on America's Most Wanted. No not as a fed telling about a case, he was the target of a manhunt. Seems he had been telling smugglers when and where to drop off their loads on Key largo, and he was also telling his men to patrol in other places when those loads came in. Yep, just like he had told me and Lou that under no circumstances were we to go to Dynamite Docks that night because we would be killed, raped or otherwise molested by crazy people who hung out there. I knew on that night that all of it was BS, I just never imagined even for a moment that it may have been him attempting to keep us away from a load that he may have arranged to have been dropped of there. Of course that is the way I figure it now.

As for me and Lou - we never got one iota of recognition for that seizure. If I remember right it was 119 bales of marijuana at about 50 or 60 pounds each. I would have appreciated at least an atta boy in the form of a letter of commendation, but we got squat. Of course there were some perks to these temporary details. We got away from NY to have an adventure, we stayed at a nice hotel, we ate well, we drank even better, and well then there were the other perks - the local gals. This fine young lady was Deena Demero (if spelling and memory serve me right). She was the barmaid at the Tiki Bar at our hotel. It was the best bar on the island, and she was the best barmaid down that way for sure. You should see the shot of us in chains! Of course, that was all before I got married.

Yep - Smuggling, It's More Than A Job, It's An Adventure - well at least my job has been one!

All the best,

Glenn B

Maybe I Have A Twisted Sense of Humor...

...but this is funny, very funny, in a macabre but completely right and just sort of way:

5 Somali Pirates Drown With Share of $3M Ransom

It appears that after receiving 3 million dollars ransom for a Saudi Arabian oil tanker the pirates made a hasty retreat from said ship with their booty. The thing is they were so hasty as not to have checked weather reports and they ran into a storm and their boat was capsized. 5 drown like rats, 3 made it to shore, and the share of the ransom of all 8 was lost at sea - or so say the extremely reliable and honest source who gave up the info for this story - the other pirates with whom they took the ship.

Now either they are looking for a way to take the heat off of 5 of the pirates and their loot by pretending they are dead and the money lost at sea, or they really drowned and the money was really lost, or they were murdered by their thieving brethren for their share of the treasure and those other pirates are now all that much the richer! Who knows, who cares so long as it is not the first one. If they are dead - good for the rest of us.

Ha, ha, ha, ha, hardy, ha - HA!

All the best,

Glenn B

I Failed The Obamite Test...

...and all I can say is thank goodness that I did!

I'm an embarrassment to Barack!


I only scored 15 on the Obama Test

eBay & Ressling Books Paying To Help Defray College Costs

eBay has always been a way to sell something for professional dealers making a living, to folks hoping to sell off some unwanted items cluttering up their garages, to guys like me hoping to be able to recoup a little cash spent on college books to defray the cost of more college books needing to be bought. Well after what I found out this morning, I can say that without a doubt in my mind, eBay is screwed up big time and not the seller/buyer friendly place it once had been.

I spent about 15 to 20 minutes putting a book up for sale. That included scanning the front cover for a pic to be included in an eBay listing, then signing onto eBay and listing the book. Well - I almost listed. I got all the way through to the last step or so and found that ow eBay requires you to put in an amount for postage. Mind you this needs to go into a separate little postage fees box and not just be placed in the item description as you once could have done. So I put in the amount for Priority Mail Flat Rate Shipping as per the exact U.S. Postal Service rate of $12.95. This for a college textbook weighing about 7 pounds. eBay rejected that amount and told me I could not put an amount of more than $4.00 into that box because that is what others have charged for similar items. Whom are they trying to kid? The USPS charges a flat rate of $12.95 for a certain type of priority mail and this is the box I checked off - flat rate priority mail! Yet, eBay only allows a seller to charge $4.00 for that shipping! Amazing.

I then went to eBay and searched for similar items. As I did the realization dawned on me that almost every seller was offering FREE shipping. It only took me a moment to realize why. They had all added the shipping costs to their lowest acceptable bid price. After all, you would have to be an idiot to sell and item to someone for a going price of, let's say, $50.00, then ship it for $4.00 when the actual shipping costs you $12.95. So what to do - well you offer it at a starting bid price of $63.00 with free shipping. I will do just that, and the item will sell though I think I will get less for it than I had wanted. When FAIR shipping prices were listed separately from the acceptable low bid price, people would look at the bid price and say, that is a good -price for the book. They expected shipping to be added on. Now even though I will offer free shipping, they will see my book offered at a higher price, not want to bid much higher, thereby leaving me to have to take the shipping from what I make on the selling price of the book instead of a separate fee. That is how people think from what I can see from online deals I have done before, and that sucks, and eBay sucks for having pulled this boner. Then again eBay does not care about the buyers or sellers, all eBay seems to care about is eBay from what I can tell.

Oh well, if anyone wants/needs a copy of Precalculus, 8th edition, by Sullivan, I will have it up for sale on eBay starting at $65 with free shipping including mandatory insurance and delivery notification.

All the best,

Glenn B