Biden Called On Bush Not to Nominate...

... a candidate for the position of Supreme Court  Justice back in 1992. He stressed that a nomination should only be made after the November presidential elections later that year. So, why isn't he doing the same with Obama right now, why isn't he telling Obama that the nomination should only be made after the election this year! How soon these political arsehats forget their own words.

Check out this video, it is a priceless gem among the not to ancient artifacts of hypocrisy:

https://grabien.com/file.php?id=79098&searchorder=date

Hat tip to Bruce McM and Chris L for this one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

All the best,
GB

The Look On A Blonde's Face At The Moment She Is About To Reassemlbe...

...the last gun in the bunch and the realization strikes her that - she put a part for this one into that one but which one is that one!

All the best,
Glenn B

Were The 911 Operator(s) Negligent in Kalamazoo?

According to this article, Mackenzie Waite reportedly posted on her Facebook page about a ride she and her husband took in an Uber cab with a driver named Jason (who reportedly it the description of Jason Dalton) at the wheel. Jason Dalton is the suspected shooter in the drive by shootings resulting in at least 6 deaths and others being injured yesterday in Kalamazoo. According to the article, she also posted this on her Facebook page: "911 was called but surprisingly they didn't seem all that concerned...". In her Facebook post, she reportedly said that: Dalton sideswiped a car while she and her husband were in the cab with him driving and that he sped away at 80 mph and was swerving in and out of oncoming traffic. 

If 911 was actually called and given all of that information, what was the 911 operator thinking if that info was not passed onto police. If it was given to the police, what were they thinking if they did not make an all out effort to find such a driver who was reportedly endangering the lives of the public by way of his reckless driving. Mind you, her Facebook post reportedly was made about a half hour before the shootings commenced. Had Dalton be puled over by the police before that half hour had elapsed, 6 lives may well have been saved and others who were injured would still be in good health.

I don't know what happened after Miss Waite made that call to 911, that she claims she made, but there apparently is more to it. Fox news also reports that another woman claimed to have called 911 about such an incident involving her. "Kacey Black said she called 911 to report the driver, but said "I felt like they didn't believe me. They just kind of laughed at me."(source). Now, they don't say if Miss Black made that call separate from Miss Waite or if she made the call on behalf of Miss Waite. In fact, the other article mentioned above only quoted Miss Waite's Facebook post as saying 911 was called, not that she called 911 herself. If however both women called 911 independently of one another, about two separate incidents involving an Uber driver, and if both of those calls came before the shooting started, then the city of Kalamazoo is going to have a lot to answer about how 911 and or the police handled those reports to 911. If it was indeed two separate calls, with both callers indicating that the 911operator did not seem to take the call seriously, it would seem to me that the 911 operator(s) will at the very least have a lot on their consciences for years to come and that the city needs to retrain its 911 operators and revamp how they handle such calls. Then again, especially if there were two calls received by the same 911 operator, and the operator did not take the calls seriously, maybe they need to fire that person and seriously think of charging him or her with some sort of negligence, after all 6 people died and others were wounded. Of course, all that is only alleged and thus uncertain right now but an investigation needs to swiftly initiated to get to the bottom of it and prevent it from happening again if that is truly what took place.

All the best,
Glenn B
 

Why Not Electing Trump May Trigger A Revolution...

"Why Not Electing Trump May Trigger A Revolution" could be an alternative title for the slightly dated article: WHO IS DONALD TRUMP (read it here). I say it is dated only because it was written in December 2015 when Jeb Bush was still in the running. You could easily substitute almost anyone else's name running on the Republican ticket for Bush's with the exceptions, I think, of Cruz and Trump.

The author of the article, Don Fredrick, while explaining who or what is Donald Trump, covers many of the reasons why The Donald is so popular at this moment. In other words, he also explains why the other candidates are not in favor. It pretty much arrives at the conclusion that the American people, a great many of us anyway, are sick and tired of the leftists liberals and of the RINOs who claim to be conservatives but who tag along with the leftist's in almost every regard. I think the author is spot on. Still though, right now, I am a bit more in the Cruz camp and I would rather vote for Cruz, at least if in fact he is actually is eligible to be elected as president.

Yet, I would not have a problem voting for Trump and Trump has become more and more appealing to me as the campaign rolls on. It's not because he is necessarily the best candidate, at least not in my mind yet. I believe Cruz to be better, but because I am really starting to believe that if Trump would do even half of what he has said he would do, it would most assuredly put us on the path to regaining the Great Nation status that America once held when it flourished. Yes, I too am sick and tired of the status quo of our current flock of politicians and bureaucrats who have been destroying America.

Thus, I think that Mr. Fredrick is right about most Americans being sick and tired of the same old political bullshit and I believe that he possibly may also be right that if we don't vote Trump (or at least another anti-establishment candidate) into office, that if the establishment wins, we are doomed. I'll take that a step further, I'll say that we are either doomed and that we will revolt if someone the likes of Rubio, Kasich, Clinton or heavens forbid Bernie Sanders, the free everything for everyone candidate, wins the presidency. No I did not mention Carson, who is still in the running, but the man would be chewed up and spit out by Clinton and probably by Sanders. He may have a good platform but he comes off as a weakling, a well meaning wimp at best.

My thinking is just an extension of Mr. Fredrick's - I believe yes America, as we know it is doomed if anyone but either Trump or even Cruz is elected. The thing is, I am also certain that Americans, at least a small percentage of us, will not take much more of the same old or even worse political pandering that has brought America to its current status - which is on its knees. I think that if one of those other candidates is elected, there will be a revolt before the completion of two terms and maybe even before the completion of one. It certainly is not something I want to see happen. The way I see it, only Cruz or Trump seem to be capable of stopping it while still being able to turn America around.

Maybe though, as Mr. Fredrick believes, Trump is the only one who can do it. We need a radical shift away from our present course and The Donald seems to be the only one showing any signs of willingness to take the helm and steer full steam and hard away from maelstrom in which we find ourselves today. 

All the best,
Glenn B

Just Re-Watching Last Week's Walking Dead With One Eye...

..on the TV and the other (yes I have two eyes as opposed to Carl's one) on the laptop. The show has me pondering if tonight's new upcoming episode could be any better than last week's. I have given it some thought and I have come up with the same answer I did right after last week's show was over. The answer is: Yes it could get better but only if Carl drops dead and turns into a zombie in this one!

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful (2nd one this evening)

Heck, it's Sunday night, so I figure I'd give you two this evening.

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

 

All the best,
Glenn B

Adult Situations

A hat tip to Carmen R for that one.

All the best,
Glenn B

Once Upon A Time In America...

...the police would have been more likely not to have taken this guy prisoner. I am referring to the man who allegedly drove around Kalamazoo and who allegedly shot down and killed six people at random (source). Yes, that means, that once upon a time, they would have been more likely to have shot him dead and made sure he was dead as opposed to apprehending him alive.

I am pretty certain, that even in todays age of cameras everywhere, they in all likelihood could have killed this guy and had legal, if not ethical, justification for doing so. That is unless when they confronted him he literally froze in place. Virtually any movement of his hands, after a command of "police - don't move", almost definitely could have allowed any officer to have had reasonable suspicion, even probable cause, to believe he was going for a weapon and was a threat to the officer(s).

Times certainly have changed, sometimes for the better but not always for the better. I think one of the reasons that cops get shot as often as they do is because they hesitate when they have more than enough justifiable cause to use deadly force against another; that is due, I think, mostly to lawyers and politicians. Then again, its obvious, too many of them use deadly force when extremely questionable and even when not called for at all, that is due, I think, mostly to fear or unethical beliefs or poor training. It is a tough decision to make, one that often results in the taking of a life and sometimes the wrong life is taken. At other times though, I ponder if the wrong life has been allowed to live on - and this is one of those times that has me wondering just that. I am not making a decision either way, just wondering - for all I know they got the wrong guy.

I know that the police can't think like that when in such an encounter, at least not legally nor ethically. They need to think only along the lines of whether or not the person confronting them poses a treat of serious bodily harm or death to themselves or the other innocents. It can be tough, suppressing your emotions and not being judgmental, after chasing down and catching up to a guy who allegedly has committed heinous crimes like these but the fact is they are neither judge nor jury. It's not an easy job, not at all and either way they do it, they can lose; either by prosecution for an unjustified shooting or by being shot down and killed because they were hesitant to shoot first.

All the best,
Glenn B

One More Whining Conservative Imposter Down...

...since Jeb Bush has dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination. I could not stand him and am happy I will not get stuck voting for him for the presidency.

More here.

Trump has been projected as the winner in SC with Cruz and Rubio left battling for second place.

All the best,
GB
 

Going to Alaska real soon, Gonna be a halibut fishing tycoon... (forgive me Frank Zappa)

Well, real soon is more like a few months from now but since I have waited all my life, until this year for this trip, it is real soon relatively speaking. Both Brendan and I are going. It is going to be a trip of a lifetime for me; hopefully, Brendan will make some more trips just as good or better in the years to come. I just finished making and booking the reservations for the flight. I booked the hotel weeks ago as I did the rental car. I rented a large pick-up truck for the week. Was thinking of an SUV then found out they are all only 2 wheel drive so I opted for the truck; not sure if that is 4WD or not but don't really care.

I am also not sure if I am going to book any excursions ahead of time even though we at least definitely plan on going halibut fishing. The captain of a fishing charter boat emailed me tonight and told me that it is pretty easy to find a boat with an opening during the time frame we are going to be there since it is not going to be during the peak season. He said to just to call a day ahead of time. That makes planning the trip a whole lot easier on me because we can do this or that here and there without worrying about having to go fishing on a particular day. my guess is most things will not be completely booked leaving us plenty of leeway to do what we choose once there.

As for other excursions or activities, I figure some lake and possibly river fishing but probably more in the lakes than rivers. Most of the salmon runs in the rivers don't start until at least a few weeks to more than a month after we will be there. That's okay because as I understand there are plenty of land locked salmon and plenty of trout in the lakes an some grayling too. I also want to rent a skiff for a day of fishing in the local bays. I figure we will also do some hiking but that will depend on how much Brendan's tendinitis is bothering him. If not hiking, then we will do sightseeing via motor coach in Denali or just do more fishing or river rafting or zip lining or getting sloshed in a local bar (have to do that last at least once). Of course, I also plan to take an excursion to the fjords to see the glaciers and hopefully spot some whales and other wildlife.

Three essential things to make this trip complete for me, that I don't have right now and will need before we travel are: rain gear suitable for the fishing trip, a digital camera (other than the one in my phone) and a 44 magnum revolver (just in case for defense from bears). I can probably use my wife's camera, that little point and shoot job will be good enough for me. As for the rain gear, I'll probably get something fairly inexpensive like Frogg Toggs or similar (now that I think of it I may buy them up in Anchorage if Bass pro Shops prices are not higher than their norm up in the north country). As for the 44 magnum, I have a Ruger in mind but don't think I have the funds on hand. I will have to scrimp and save some for that; hopefully I will get called in for work several times between now and when we leave for Alaska.

I am pretty excited about the trip and I am pretty sure Brendan is really looking forward to it. We are going to be in Wasilla for couple to few nights and then in Seward for the rest of the week (yep, the trip is only 8 days long in total, including travel). If anyone of my readers has been there and has recommendations as to where to go and what to do within about 125 miles of Wasilla or near Seward, or better yet can recommend an excellent fishing charter outfit in or near Seward, PLEASE do so in the comments. I know one of you recommended Sitka over Seward, and I appreciated that and thought it over, but the logistics and added expense ruled that out. So Wasilla (for some decent nearby lake fishing, close to Anchorage for a day trip and close enough to Denali for a day trip or two) will be it for the first few days. Then onto Seward for the remainder. Heck, I am already wishing it could have been 10 days but for that I would need to hit the lotto instead of just getting the second mortgage on the house (only kidding about the mortgage, at least I hope so).

Now to do some more checking and planning on what else we can have fun doing.

All the best,
Glenn B

Everyman's Evening Eyeful

A little something for the men that may become a regular feature of the blog. No, not her in particular but an evening eyeful of armed women for the typical hetero everyman to enjoy.

All the best,
GB

Man Openly Carrying Robbed Of His Pistol

Read the story here: http://www.dailypress.com/news/crime/dp-man-open-carry-gun-hip-robbed-newport-news-story.html

My guess is that the 'victim' had zero training in weapons retention, that he used a holster that begged for someone to grab his gun (in other words one that held the pistol in place with friction only and no retention devices such as thumb break snap) and that he had absolutely no clue about situational awareness or at least was not exercising it at the time he was robbed. Of course, I could be dead wrong on all of that. He might have had a holster with a retention device, been well versed in weapon retention and been totally aware of his situation at all times but I doubt it very much and regardless of all that - he was advertising that he had a handgun to be stolen by open carrying.

Not only is this person tempting fate by open carrying in a holster, apparently
without additional retention devices, but he is also advertising his wallet.

I think the victim's biggest problem was that he advertised that he was carrying. Even though I tend to exercise situational awareness (as opposed to what my wife would tell you) and even though I have been trained in firearms retention and have successfully utilized it more than once, and even though I was a firearms instructor (and still am so certified) and defensive training officer, and even though I carry in a holster with at least one retention device over and above mere friction - I  rarely carry openly. For the record, rarely meaning usually only when at a range, hunting or walking around in my house. It makes no sense to me to open carry except when hunting or shooting at a range or in my home. 

I live in NY, where open carry is mostly forbidden. Yet, even if I lived in Arizona, Alaska, New Hampshire or other places where it is legal to carry openly, I probably would not do so. I prefer that pistol be my ace in the hole and a big surprise that gives me the winning hand when I show it and if need be shoot it. I don't need to advertise to the world that I have it, at any given time, nor do I want to show it off and tempt others to take it away from me or to act like arsehats because I am carrying. That's because anyone can be jumped at any time and caught unaware, especially in urban situations where you are used to a lot of people around you. Even those of us with weapons retention training, who have a holster with a retention device or two, sometimes could have a weapon taken away from us if accosted by surprise, and or by someone stronger, and or by multiple assailants. Why give them an advantage or the temptation by letting them know you have a gun with you. I seriously doubt that you walk around with hundreds of dollars in plain view just begging to be robbed so why do likewise with a pistol.

Keeping your handgun concealed when legal, as opposed to open carrying and letting the world see it, is not always going to keep it from being taken away from you but it goes a long way toward them not trying to take it simply because they don't know you have it. Concealment is not the only thing that will help assure you retain your firearm but it is a good one. While there is no perfect solution, no end all be all method of perfect weapon retention, there are some other things that will help assure you keep retention of it. They are: carrying it in a high quality belt (not a clip on) holster with at least one or more retention devices, securing the holster to your person with a strong high quality belt, getting trained in (and practicing) weapon retention, and learning about and trying to maintain situational awareness so you can either avoid potential dangerous situations or at least be ready for them if you cannot avoid them. Having the right mindset, one that will actually lead you to accomplish all of the things I just mentioned is a good place to start.

Now, if you want to have a different mindset and whine, bitch and moan that all this is not for you but is just bullshit being spouted off by me - well, that's okay by me. If you wind up like Joe Knowitall Arsehat and have your gun stolen, or worse yet have it taken away and are then killed with it, I may shed a tear. Then again, you could have saved me that tear and you might have survived if only you hadn't known better. 

Believe me when I say this, I do not give advice like this lightly, nor as a know-it-all gun guru or as a smugly superior former LEO nor as an elitist firearms instructor. I am none of those but I do give advice like this as someone in the know who has been there and done that - more than once. In other words, I have been lucky enough to have been in fights for my life, multiple times, where gun retention was the key to my survival because the bad guys were trying to take my gun away from me and kill me with it. I know that for a fact in one instance because that is what the defendant told the judge when he went to trial and then received time served and was deported by a leftist federal judge out in CA. I know for a fact in the other case because they kept telling me they were going to kill me and they tried their best to get that done. 

I have the bite scar on my arm where the one tonk bit me after he failed to get my revolver away from me in my Border Patrol days. Another time I had at least five assailants kicking the crap out of me (they fractured my sternum and probably snapped my zyphoid process) as they took a handcuffed prisoner away from me and almost dragged me into Mexico because my arm somehow got tangled in the cuffs. That I am still here to write about it should tell you something and I am telling you it is because I held onto my gun.

Why is it I was able to hold onto my revolver in each of those instances? Well, because I was wearing a retention holster, was trained in firearms retention and practiced it, and had the mindset to fight like a mule and come out as the winner. Had my attackers not known where my gun was located because it had been concealed, I probably would have been even better off to begin with but I was obligated to open carry for my job. Man that was way back when and I am here today because they couldn't get it away from me. I've had other encounters where criminals and arsehats tried to take it from me even though it was concealed and in each of those  cases they never came really close to getting it because it had been concealed.

So, as far as you taking my advice goes, don't take it as perfect. Anything I can say on the subject is not a failsafe and bad shit can still happen to you even if you do everything I recommended. The thing about it is though - that advice can also give you the winning edge.  Take it or leave it, it is up to you. If you don't take though, and are ever accosted where a bad guy gets the drop on you, you may wish you had taken it; by then though, it likely will be to late to do you any good.

A hat tip to Wisco Dave for this post, over at Knuckledraggin My Life Away, where I first read about the guy losing his gun to the robbers.     

All the best,
Glenn B

Suds, Suds And More Suds And Then Some

These are a couple of funny videos. The first one is funny and I included it here for obvious reasons other than it being just funny; the men will appreciate that.



The second one is absolutely hilarious and all else I will say about it is that the are lucky that the fat body did not have a heart attack or break his neck.



All the best,
Glenn B

I Would Much Prefer Cap Guns, Cork Guns and BB Guns...

...for my kids, if I still had young ones, to anything Nerf. Yet, even I have to admit that the Nerf Battle Racer looks pretty cool and like it's lots of fun. I would probably have to buy one for my son if he was still that young - that is if I was independently wealthy. Despite the fact that it can hold four weapons, has storage for extra Nerf darts, has ball bearing wheel hubs, can turn on a dime - I would not shell out almost $700 for it before taxes. Yes, that is just about the going price on Amazon as per this article.

Sure looks like fun though:



All the best,
GB

 

The Seeds Of...

...yumminess.

 

 

Hat tip to Cheryl L.

All the best,
Glenn B

Mossberg 44 U.S. - U.S. Property

Tonight, I finished cleaning up the Mossberg 44 U.S. (a) rifle that I bought recently. While the rifle is in pretty nice condition, there were some disappointments I found when stripping it for cleaning but I'll hold off on that for another post. What I really want to post about now is a little info on my other Mossberg 44 U.S., the one marked U.S Property that I got from the CMP several years ago.

I took it out this evening to compare it to the newer one. There are some marked differences between them. Regarding the bolt assemblies, it was especially notable that there were different firing pins and different cuts in the bolt. The trigger assemblies were also different. The newer one, the 44 U.S. (a), which is a civilian market gun, has an adjustable trigger pull. The older military trainer, 44 U.S. marked U.S. Property does not have an adjustable trigger. The military trainer also has a serial number while the civilian or commercial version does not; Mossberg reportedly only started putting  serial numbers on all of their guns in the 1960's, prior to that they only put serial numbers on military versions of the Mossberg 44 U.S. rifles.

I took a good look at the serial number on my 44 U.S.. It is a difficult to read because of the Parkerized finish of the rifle; however it is plain enough to see if your eyes are good. I had to double up two pairs of reading glasses to see it okay. The serial number is 101911. The neat thing about that is that as far as I can determine, that number means my 44 U.S. was manufactured in the first year of production for these rifles - 1943. Not only was it made in the first year of production but it was among those in the first contract for these rifles. The serial number rage in that first military contract for the 44 U.S. was 100,001-114,500 (source) which also means that my rifle was within the first 2,000 produced. I have no clue if it being manufactured with the first contract run, in the first year of production, makes it more valuable but I am guessing that to a diehard collector such might be the case. That really does not matter, I do not plan to sell it, it is a tack driver.

I can only hope that those in our military who trained with this rifle became deadeye shots because of it and that their shooting skills helped them survive WWII.

All the best,
Glenn B

So, Her Shoulder May Wind Up Hurting...

...but the hot brass sure as hell isn't going to get stuck between them.

Source: http://i.imgur.com/AMcwG0o.jpg

All the best,
GB

So Why Is Trump Still In The Lead...

...in the race for the Republican nomination? Many Republicans, who claim to be conservative, rant and rave against Trump saying he will be the end of the Republican Party and scratch their heads in wonder as to why he is doing so well. Sadly, they just don't seem to grasp the point that they, those RINOs (as in the ones doing the complaining), already put an end to the Republican Party as we knew it. It was they who allowed Trump to step right in and scoop up Republican votes with Cruz a fairly close second (another outsider if you listen to the RINOs).

Picture source.

How the RINOs can be so dumbfounded about Trump being so popular, mostly because of the ineptness of the Republican Party, is beyond me. I imagine it is that RINOs are just like liberals and leftists and find it difficult to accept responsibility for their shortcomings. Anyway,I can not say it as well as Ann Coulter said it, read what she said here:

http://freedomsback.com/ann-coulter/gop-baffled-as-voters-rally-to-popular-candidate/

I'd much rather see Cruz in the White House but even I have to admit, Trump is a better choice than any other candidate besides Cruz. I will have no problem voting for him if he wins the nomination and I will then just hope and pray he keeps half of his campaign promises. As for those among you who say they would never vote for Trump al I can say is that you had best wake up if he wins the nomination because otherwise it is going to be Clinton or Sanders taking the top spot. Heaven help us if so because then we may be left with no other recourse than prayer or revolution and prayer has not been working all that well over the past 7 plus years.

All the best,
Glenn B

New Blog on The Blog Roll...

...it's Livin to Ride's Stuff n Things at:

http://livintoride65.blogspot.com/ 

It's listed under TAKE A SHOT WITH THESE SHOOTIST BLOGGERS, NOT AT THEM over under the red zone to the right on my blog. Lots of pics of bikes, lots of women and some gun stuff so far.

All the best,
GB

I Never Knew An AR15 Kicked That Much...

...and I had to watch this video again and again and again to make sure she wasn't faking recoil. Heck, I am still watching it.



All the best,
Glenn B

Signs of Spring

The grass is getting green and the flowers are...well they are blossoming.

All the best,
GB

Hey President Obama, Still Think Your Deal With Iran Was So Great?

Iran is doing almost everything imaginable to violate the terms of our deal with them and to violate the latest UN resolution forbidding them from making purchases of military hardware. The Russians seem ready to sell to them. Who would have thunk that a country that made a deal with the Obamessiah would violate it before the ink was dry! See more here.

Makes me wonder, should we nuke them now or wait until they are capable of nuking us and we (or Israel) have incoming ICBMs from them.

All the ebst,
Glenn B

It's A Well Used AK From The Look Of It...

...and I would guess that the woman holding it knows how to use it.



I wonder if this pic ever made the cover of National Geographic.

All the best,
GB