Bitmap's Miscellaneous

Not much going on here

2011-02-13T19:52:00.002-06:00

I put 3 wheelbarrow loads of chicken manure in the garden plot today. The garden is big enough that the manure is spread pretty thin. This is on top of 3 loads of rabbit manure we put in a couple of weeks ago. I'll probably put some more in tomorrow night. I think next time I'll use the garden wagon instead of the wheelbarrow.

The chicken cages are open topped and dirt floored. I just go in with a shovel and scrape about the top one inch up and then go scatter it in the garden. Most of this material is somewhat aged so I'm not too worried about over fertilizing the garden. The manure has to be removed or it would pile up to the top of the cages eventually so I may as well get some use out of it.

With the price of food expected to only go up I think this is a good investment.

Now I've got to get some more fence material to try and reduce the losses to rabbits. I think this year I may pay the oldest son a bounty on rabbits killed around the place.

How are you set up for food production?

Quote of the Day from Remus

2011-01-25T07:09:00.002-06:00

Socialism is envy and hate enabled by terror.

Ol Remus

Here is the link to the rest.

Hopefully I won't be sued for quoting it. I recommend the woodpile report.

A new version of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

2011-01-05T08:16:00.002-06:00

Here is your link.

I first read this book back in the dark ages when I was in school. I pick it up and read it again every few years. It's good for the soul.

I think I'll stick with the original. Fortunately, I've got several copies sitting around.

I'm hoping that this thing will turn into a financial disaster for the publisher, but somehow I suspect that government schools will latch onto it and it will be an artificial success.

The Constitution of the United States is confusing?

2010-12-31T08:14:00.002-06:00

Where did they dredge this idiot up?

I've found the Constitution to be fairly easy to understand. Any part that I had difficulty with or a question about was always worthy of investigation and further reading.

I guess that is too much to ask from today's spoon fed "just tell me so I don't have to think" culture.

God help us. We're going to need it.

I'm back

2010-12-31T07:57:00.001-06:00

I hope you had a merry Christmas and I hope you have a happy new year.

Random searches on trains spread

2010-12-18T06:56:00.002-06:00

Here is your link.

The most surprising part to me is that these searches weren't already standard. I'm sure they will make the sheeple feel much safer but they won't actually make anyone safer.

I guess this is a sign that the locals there couldn't afford full body scanners for everyone. Too bad for them.

Holiday terrorist warning cites small arms attacks

2010-12-18T06:48:00.002-06:00

Here is your link.

This means that you should be armed at all times this holiday season. Of course you should always be armed at all times.

I'm sure our fearless leaders would have a different suggestion for you. Something along the lines of "we should have the TSA set up security checkpoints everwhere and if you aren't happy about it then you must be a terrorist".

If being armed isn't a good thing then the police should quit carrying firearms and government officials should give up their bodyguards. I don't expect that will happen.

Stay armed. Stay vigilant. Have fun. Enjoy the holidays with the knowledge that you can help take care of your family and yourself if you have to.

UN wants internet reglations

2010-12-18T06:41:00.002-06:00

No kidding. When people rise to power they almost always want more power. Free exchange of information is a threat to people in power so it must be controlled.

Here is your link.

I loved this part:

The Brazilian delegate stressed, however, that this should not be seen as a call for a "takeover" of the internet.

I'll interpret that for you: We know we can't take over total control all at once so we'll take whatever we can get away with now and come back for more later. The standard method of nickle and diming people to death. The same method is used to attack all liberties.

There isn't enough out there to keep batf agents busy . . .

2010-12-17T12:32:00.003-06:00

. . . so they have to invent new stuff.

BATF to require "multiple-sales form" for long guns.

The short form is that government at all levels is going bankrupt the batboys want to increase the amount of paperwork that they have available to process. They are planning on doing that by requiring dealers to send a from to the batf any time someone buys more than one semi-auto rifle with a detachable magazine and a caliber greater than .22 at a time.

There is no apparent reason for this except that all the extra forms coming in will of course require a larger budget to hire more people to read and file the forms.

Nothing like overspending your budget to justify a budget increase. Doubly so when the project you are overspending on is senseless. Triply so when the people most likely to be targeted by your silly project are also the people most likely to oppose your budget increase and to oppose the direction the federal government is headed in general.

Now that I've written this I'd better go hide my dog.

Making Things

2010-12-17T10:20:00.004-06:00

When we visit my parents the kids like to make something in Grandpa's shop. It's sort of a ritual.

This year I think #3 started it by saying he wanted to build a "sniper rifle". We asked what each kiddo wanted. #1 wanted to make a plasma pistol from Halo. #2 wanted to make a Sten. #3 wanted to make a sniper rifle. #4 wanted to make a treasure chest.

First, the plasma pistol.

In case you don't know what a plasma pistol from Halo looks like, here is a pic of one you can buy for $199.

Granted, the one that Grandpa and I made with #1 doesn't have all the neat colors and sound effects, but I think I like the wooden version better.

Here is the Sten.

Here are some pics of real Sten guns.

A little bit of black and gray spray paint added to that would get you arrested in most big cities. The receiver started out as a rolling pin. We still aren't quite finished yet. We still need to add sights.

**Side note: I really need to get that couch recovered. It's been through 11 years of kids and that's the biggest issue with it so I guess it's not too bad.**

The sniper rifle proved to be a little more involved. My dad ended up finishing it himself. The results were worth the effort.

The barrel was an old shovel handle. The scope started out as a rectangular block of wood and the hole goes all the way through.

I'm waiting for my better half to send me pics of the treasure chest. It is made from a bunch of cabinet doors that were taken out of my parent's kitchen when they had it remodeled. It is just the right size for a little girl to put her treasure in and carry it around. I'll update this with the pics when I get them.

While we were working on these my dad commented that when he was a kid parents didn't take the time to make stuff like this for kids. I think that was the difference in the standard of living in those days vs. the standard of living in more recent times, plus there has been a big change in priorities. Heck, if you already own the tools, have a huge bin of scrap wood, and are retired so that time isn't such a rare commodity then creating toys like these makes sense. You can't buy the love of children and of woodworking that went into these.

Of course back in those days parents did other things with their kids. My dad told me that he and his dad went to stay at the farm one weekend. He crawled into bed to sleep and a few minutes later his dad got him up by throwing a lit firecracker next to him. They went outside and had a firecracker fight. Those were the days.

I try to keep some of that alive for my kids. Taking them out hunting and shooting is one of those things that parents don't do enough with their kids in my opinion. Building or making stuff with them is another. I do what I can.

More proof that Stephen Breyer is unfit to be a Supreme Court Justice

2010-12-13T08:00:00.002-06:00

As if any more proof is needed.

#3 Son gets his deer for the year

2010-11-28T09:27:00.005-06:00

Mule deer season opened last weekend and we went out to see what we could find. We got to the blind about 1:30 Sunday and settled in.

Right away I saw a mule deer about 150 yards away in some fairly heavy brush. There are lots of elm trees in the area with limbs all the way to the ground and even if the trees are scattered 5 to 10 yards apart the lower limbs make a screen that is difficult to see through at a distance. I couldn't tell for sure if it was a spike buck or a doe because of the limbs in front of and behind the deer.

We watched turkey and squirrels play. Deer-X hung around, bedded down, got up, browsed, bedded down again, and generally had a lazy afternoon.

#3 sat still and quiet. My dad and I are both jealous of his ability to sit quietly. Youth has extra energy but it also has the ability to sit without getting cramps or pains.

About 4:00pm he finally started to get tired of waiting. He asked "When are we going back to Grandma's house?"

I told him that it was just getting to the time that the deer would really be moving and in any case we should stay until the end of legal shooting time. I also told him that if he didn't want to get a deer then I would use his rifle and take one if it showed up. He decided to stick it out.

A bunch of turkeys showed up and wondered all over the place making all kinds of noise. We somehow managed to convince #3 to not shoot one of them and to wait for a deer.

Reward time for #3 came about 4:30pm. A mule deer doe came up through a cut in the trees that a neighbor made with his bulldozer. About 20 yards behind the doe came a buck. He had a 1x2 rack but was fair sized. I got #3's rifle up and told him that they were close enough and he could shoot the buck when he had a shot that he liked. Mule deer season here is buck only unless you have a special managed land permit from the state, so taking does is not an option for us.

There was a little bit of a slope there and the doe kept getting in the way. The deer were also walking towards us while randomly changing directions to take a sample of this tree and that weed so the shot kept changing.

I was watching through binoculars so of course they seemed much closer than they were and with electronic ears on I could hear them tear leaves off the trees. I willed the buck to stand still and the doe to get out of the way.

Finally they both cooperated.

BOOM!!

At the shot the buck's front end collapsed. His back end tried to turn and run and then followed the front end to the ground.

The doe stood and looked at us trying to figure out what the noise was all about. She must have wondered about the sonic boom of the bullet going by her as well. I was beside the little shooter so my viewing angle wasn't exactly the same as his but the bullet must have gone right over her back to reach him.

Meanwhile the turkeys were looking at us, too. They would have stood there and let him shoot one if the senior members of our party didn't start clapping and yelling and slapping the youngest member on the back. By the time I realized what we had done it was too late. The birds realized that they might just be next and departed. They weren't in full panic mode but they were walking fairly fast and the nearest were 30+ yards away so we decided that shooting at them would be a waste of ammo.

The laser rangefinder showed the shot was 104 yards. Not bad.

Here is the view from the blind.

Here is a pic of the young hunter.

Here he is with the meat. He is holding a turkey feather he picked up on the walk to the deer.

You can see the classic mule deer monobrow in this pic.

Here he is with his deer and the tool of his trade.

This is his third deer so he is an old hand at this sort of thing.

The rifle was a Marlin 336 with an Simmons ProHunter 2x pistol scope mounted on an XS Scout Mount using Leupold QRW quick release rings. The rifle also has XS ghost ring sights. A cheek rest from Fulton Armory raises the comb high enough for him to see through the scope properly. The wide eye relief range of the scope means the stock doesn't have to be chopped off for him to use it and the only adjustment I have to make to use the same rifle setup is to push the cheekrest off to the side a little so I can get my face down far enough that my eye lines up with the scope. Butler Creek flipup scope covers keep the lenses clean when the rifle is being transported

The ammo was Remington Managed Recoil .30-30. It has a 125gr. CoreLokt bullet at a nominal 2175fps. Over the years I've read many times in hunting magazines about a bullet breaking both shoulders and being recovered from under the skin on the far side of some animal but I had never actually seen that in person until this hunt. A part of the core was just under the skin under the far side.

Here he is showing the point of impact.

I had a little trouble with my scale and didn't get to weigh the buck on the hoof. I got the scale working later and the buck weighed 108 pounds field dressed.

On the way back to the truck I ran into the first mule deer we'd seen. He stuck his head out of the brush about 10 yards from me as I was walking by. Turns out it was a spike.

Here is a little wider shot. You can see the truck off to the right.

Not a bad days work. On the way out we stopped and chatted with a neighbor for about 30 minutes. As we were driving up the road towards the house I saw something on top of a rise on our place between the house and the road. Sure enough it was four big mule deer bucks. I checked the time and it was 8 minutes after the end of legal shooting. We should have quit talking with the neighbor after 10 minutes and I might have had a shot.

There is always next week.

Quote of the Day

2010-11-18T07:32:00.002-06:00

There are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous men.

The most recent source I can find is Robert Heinlein's book Starship Troopers (don't bother with the silly hollywood movie, get the book), although I believe it is much older than that.

Of course in today's politically correct, equal opportunity, "non-gender-specific" world it would have to be changed to something like:

There are no dangerous men or women of any orientation or transgender status that can be imagined, including but not limited to those who prefer children, animals, or space aliens, as well as an infinite number that cannot be imagined and quite a few that it is best not to try and imagine, but there are an infinite number of dangerous objects that may cause someone somewhere to wet their pants in panic and could easily cause an otherwise innocent person to be misunderstood and to commit crimes and therefore their possession must be banned.

The Things You See

2010-11-15T12:33:00.005-06:00

I was at the farm again last weekend. Still looking for that particular buck, or at least a nice one. With three little hunters filling the freezer I can afford to be choosy and if I don't get one at all then maybe one of the little ones I pass on will be bigger next year.

At any rate I was sitting and looking around with binos on Sunday morning. It was almost 9:00am and I was getting ready to pack it in in the next few minutes so I could get home. I hadn't looked around behind me in a few minutes so I glanced over my shoulder and was surprised to see this little one.

I've never seen one so little out so late. What were Mom and Dad thinking!?

This tyke was all alone. I wondered where Momma was. I took these pics over about a 5 minute period.

I'm not sure what the attraction was for the trailer hitch but the fawn kept going back and licking it. There was still a heavy frost on everything that hadn't been in the sun. If he'd been a few minutes earlier I might have gotten a pick of him with his tongue stuck.

Finally it went around the trailer to the water pan where Momma was getting a drink or something all that time.

Off they went.

I decided to just sit for a little while longer and see what else I could get a pic of. First up, another mule deer doe. She came by and put on a nice show for me.

Mule deer aren't the brightest creatures in the world. The bucks are not quite as trusting but aren't any brighter that I can tell. The biggest factor in getting a decent mule deer buck on smaller farms is having the buck wander across your place when you are there. Mule deer cover a lot more ground than whitetails and will hit any quarter section of land within their normal range maybe once every few weeks. If they cross your place during hunting season then great, if not, you're out of luck unless you are the kind of person that shoots them on someone else's property without permission. Even if you are that kind of person it is a felony so some people don't do it for that reason alone.

Before the doe had gotten very far I noticed some quail in the area. There has been a shortage of quail for the last few years. We saw one covey of about 10 or 12 on Saturday, then a group of 6. Could have been part of the same bunch. This bunch numbered 10 or 12 total but they wouldn't sit still long enough to count. You can see one on the dead limb at the base of the tree and 3 more spread out to the left. More of them had already started heading out.

Here is one I got a pic of as it walked under the blind.

I have videos of these as well and if I have time I'll try to upload them.

You can click the pics to see them full size.

Thank You

2010-11-11T07:11:00.005-06:00

If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go.
Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.
And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.
Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
KIA March 24, 1970 - Dak To, Viet Nam

Tales from the hunt, Part 2.

2010-11-08T12:47:00.002-06:00

I went to the old elevated blind Sunday morning. I was there extra early and once again it was dark with no moon so I was taking a short nap. The thump of a hoof on the ground woke me up. I couldn't see anything in any direction so I waited. What else could I do?

About twenty-five minutes before legal time I could see deer about 100 yards away but I couldn't identify them. I could see the bodies and the occasional flicker of white from an ear or a tail. Finally it got light enough to see that there were three whitetail does and one fawn hanging around. Then a mule deer doe and fawn arrived. Then another mule deer doe and fawn. The place was getting a little crowded.

The four whitetails came close by me again. While they were working their way towards me more mule deer does and fawns showed up. About 7 or 8 total. From the other direction a whitetail spike showed up following a mule deer spike for a little while, then he went off on his own.

No sooner had the four whitetail does left then seven more came out of the trees about 75 yards away and walked through the middle of the mule deer.

One lone whitetail fawn came walking by through an open place between two heavily treed places. A bunch of turkeys were walking right by the trees on one side. I guess the fawn's mother was inside that bunch of trees because he suddenly charged the turkeys and scattered them as he ran into the trees.

We have plenty of whitetail does but I've only seen one decent buck. Usually we see several of them before and during the season. There haven't been any bucks more than 1.5 years old on the game camera, either.

We usually take about an equal number of does and bucks each year. Last year for example we took two decent bucks, two does, and one nubbin buck that we though was a doe when #3 dropped him. This year we may only get the one buck we have and finish filling the freezer with does. There are plenty of them and some are pretty big. The one #1 shot this year was over 100 pounds on the hoof.

I guess we'll find out.

In any case I'd rather be out there hunting and watching than in here. The problem is that there isn't really any money to be made out there in the woods, at least not at my skill level.

Tales from the hunt, Part 1.

2010-11-08T07:18:00.003-06:00

I went out Friday to set up because Saturday was opening day for me. Put ladders up for the blinds, put chairs in the blinds, etc. I went to set up the popup blind in another spot near where I'd seen the buck last week. The spot I picked was in the very edge of a plum thicket on ground high enough to see over the grass out to the big plum thicket. There were some weeds and a number of little plum bushes, maybe 12"-18" high, in the area. (Note: It's not really a big plum thicket any more. It was the original plum thicket on the farm. It's about 50 yards across and used to be very dense and almost impossible to get through unless you brought a bulldozer. Then, somehow a few elm trees started growing in it. Now they have just about shaded out the plums, but we still call it the big plum thicket.) I forgot my hoe and big shovel, LOL, you always forget something. I always keep a small shovel in the truck so I started to work on the plums with it, which is slow going.

After getting a couple of plums bushes out I stopped when I heard a strange sound. Sort of like "shiiiiishhhhhhh . . . thumpthump . . . whiiiishhhhhhh . . . thumpthump" repeated several times. I looked around for the source of the sound.

You guessed it. Mr. Buck was jumping over the grass on some business of his own. The grass is 5 to 6 feet high through there and he was jumping high enough to clear the grass so he could see where he was going. The swish sound was his legs and hooves brushing through the top of the grass and the thumpthump was his hooves hitting the ground when he landed.

He went by about 30 yards away from me, going towards the northwest until he hit the road we made to and around the big thicket. Road is a generous term. It is really two beaten down paths made by years of driving over it with pickups. When he hit the road he turned and followed it right to the thicket and went inside. He wasn't alarmed or in a particular hurry. He never raised his flag. He saw me and the truck but never changed course until he hit the road. If that had been Saturday instead of Sunday I could have easily cut his journey short.

He was a fat buck. That healthy but toned fat where the muscles are all defined but they sort of jiggle. He was beautiful.

I decided that I should quit messing around and go let him get his beauty rest.

*******************************************

I went back to the house and checked the zero on my rifle. Always do that. With all the time I spent getting the kids ready I hadn't had time to check the zero before. I know, I'm bad - that's two demerits. Sue me. It's not like I was out of practice with a rifle. In this case checking it paid off as the screws on the mount had come loose.

I cannot explain why I didn't Loctite them in the first place. That's two more demerits.

Another thing to always bring along is a set of basic tools to keep your firearms working. Just a couple of minutes and I was back in the game and ready for the next morning.

Another thing I typically bring is a backup in case my primary goes down. I've seen one scope go down while hunting. The hunter didn't have backup irons and he didn't have a backup rifle. He was left begging and borrowing. Not a situation you want to be in.

*******************************************

Fifteen minutes before legal shooting time I was scanning around with the binos. There was no moon but the sky was clear. It was dark, but not quite as dark as The Wookie's Heart so to speak. I saw a deer about 50 yards out looking at me. I could see the outline and while I couldn't see antlers I could see ears moving. Then it turned and jumped over a yukka. It took two steps and jumped again for no reason I could see. I couldn't see it clearly but I'm convinced it was the big buck. He slowly worked his way up a small rise and after about five minutes he was out of sight.

Just like a guy - always showing up early for a date.

In this case he was smart enough not to come back later, but I still had plenty to look at.

*********************************************

Three whitetail does, one with a fawn in tow, showed up a little while later. I was hoping that the buck was somewhere watching and when nothing happened to the does he might make an appearance. So much for that thought, but back to the does. They walked right by the blind. I forgot to check for prints but I think one of them walked under the blind. I could hear them nibbling plants and occasionally pawing (hoofing?) the ground. They finally wandered off.

Then a mule deer doe and her fawn came by to visit. Then 18 turkey hens came by to say hello. While they were wandering around a little 2x2 whitetail buck came by. This one wasn't as big as the one #2 shot last week. This guy might have been 100 pounds on the hoof but he made up for his size in attitude.

He walked right through the middle of the hens and then decided he needed a little practice with his antlers. I wish I'd had my video camera because he put on quite a show. The hens didn't seem much impressed. I guess they'd seen this sort of thing before and just wanted to get out of the way without being trampled.

The little buck first selected a tree with a trunk about 5 or 6 inches in diameter. He faced it, charged it head on, lowered his head and butted it like a goat. I clearly heard the "whack" on impact. Of course the tree didn't budge. The little buck looked at it, decided this wasn't going to work out for him, and decided to pick on something smaller.

His next victim was a sappling maybe 8 or 10 feet high and about an inch in diameter. He worked it over good. Up one side and down the other. He would whip it back and forth with his antlers and then go at it straight ahead running his antlers up the trunk trying to bend the tree over and doing a pretty good job of it.

He beat on that tree for about five minutes while the hens went around him on either side.

I took a walk around the same time I'd seen the buck on Friday and went to the spot where I'd been planning on setting up the popup. I didn't see the buck but there were big deer tracks in the tire tracks where I'd turned my truck around.

Next week I may go back out there on Friday, lean my rifle against the truck, then take a shovel and whack it against some plum bushes a few times and see what happens.

*************************************

I'll post about Sunday a little later.

Make sure your gas block is pinned

2010-11-02T08:06:00.002-05:00

The front sight base on an AR is normally pinned to the barrel. The standard method is to drill the FSB and barrel together and then drive a solid tapered pin into place so the FSB doesn't move. For very high accuracy applications (Krieger barreled uppers intended for use in Service Rifle, or for knocking the eyes out of gnats at 300 yards with a varmint rifle) the base and barrel is sometimes drilled and a hollow roll pin or pins are used instead of the tapered pin. According to Clint McKee at Fulton Armory this is because the solid tapered pin actually displaces metal and can at least theoretically affect the accuracy. Not a problem with a chrome lined barrel but with a Krieger barrel I can see the concern. I have used a NM upper with a hollow roll pin and it never came loose, so that seems to work ok, at least for match use.

The problem is that sometimes people get the great idea that they can use a set screw and skip the pin entirely. Don't do it.

I know a guy with a DPMS LR308 AP4. It came with a quad rail from the factory and it had a standard FSB. He wanted a folding front sight so he let the shop he bought it from send it to their "gunsmith". The guy installed a railed block with two set screws and no pin.

At first everything seemed fine. He put 50 or maybe 100 rounds through it without trouble. Then it started to short stroke once in a while. Then it started not ejecting. He asked me about it and we took it apart and looked it over. The gas rings were present and it good shape. Heck, the bolt was actually tight in the carrier. The gas key was tight and the screws were properly staked. We ran a soft aluminum wire into the gas key and up the gas tube. Nothing was stuck in there. I did notice a slight gap between the back of the gas block and the front of the barrel shoulder but I've seen that before due to tolerances in gas blocks and barrels. The gap really wasn't that much so I just filed that thought away.

We oiled it and decided to try again. The first shot barely moved the carrier at all and on the second shot the carrier didn't move. I looked at the gas block again and noticed that the gap between it and the barrel shoulder was noticeably bigger than it was two shots ago.

The block wasn't pinned. Issue found.

Having the gas block drilled and pinned might cost $20 or $30 bucks but it is well worth it. If you are having one swapped out or you are custom ordering an upper be sure to have this done. If you are on a tight budget then wait another week or find somewhere else to shave $30 off the upper. You will be glad you did.

BTW this gas block was one that slips over the barrel from the front and has two set screws in the bottom to "secure" it. It must be drilled and pinned. Some gas blocks are of a split design that slides over the barrel and two or more screws clamp the block to the barrel. Some are two pieces that clamp around the barrel like a scope ring. The clamping types are better than the set screw type and if everything is degreased and roughed up they will probably work ok, but I would still prefer a pinned one. Then you don't have to worry about it coming loose at the wrong time.

Meat on the table - Warning, some blood in the pics

2010-11-02T07:18:00.007-05:00

Last weekend was youth gun preseason for whitetail and turkey. Of course we had to go out for that. No question about it.

Something you might not think about is who gets to shoot first when you have more than one little one in a blind with you. I was going to be with #1 in the blind he helped build. My dad was going to be in the old one with #2 and #3. We decided that #3 would get first shot at a deer and #2 would get first shot at a turkey. If anyone shot and missed then it was the other ones turn. Fair enough all around.

I got my dad and #2 and #3 sons in their blind in plenty of time. When I turned in towards the new blind where #1 and I were going to wait the headlights flashed across the ladder of the blind and a large deer jumped through the light and was gone. I couldn't see if it was a buck or doe and I couldn't see for sure if it was a whitetail or mule deer. The jump said "whitetail" but you can't tell for sure from that kind of jump. If it had pogo's off I would have said mule deer because I've never seen a whitetail pogo, but i guess even that isn't a sure thing.

Light was just starting to show in the east by the time I got #1 in the blind, parked the truck, and made it back to him. We had a little while to settle in before it really started to get light. We were probably there 30 minutes before legal time. I like to have a little time to relax and correct anything that isn't right or is uncomfortable.

I was scanning with the binos and at about 7:45am I saw a buck a good distance off. I couldn't tell at first if it were a mule deer or whitetail but soon it was apparent that it was a whitetail. He was watching us and obviously heard us. He was in an open spot between a plum thicket that had grown up around a few huge old elm trees and another loan elm tree. Then he walked over behind the plum thicket and out of sight. Several times he poked his head out to look at us and listen some more, then went behind or into the thicket and stayed. I measured the distance to the near side of the thicket as being 322 yards and the distance to the lone elm tree as 425 yards. Between the high grass and grass burs I wasn't going to try and drag #1 out there and didn't think we would have much luck at that in any case. Early in the morning when the deer are moving I find it is better to sit still and wait.

Shortly after that two very red colored whitetail does showed up just kind of walking around browsing a few leaves. Their heads came up and they were looking toward the heavy brush they had come out of. I was hoping it was the buck coming to join them but it was a grey colored whitetail doe and her fawn. I mention their color because whitetails are typically kind of reddish colored while mule deer are grey. Some whitetails around here are grey like mule deer. There has been a lot a speculation about mule deer and whitetail breeding and I've heard that mule deer are the result of whitetail and blacktail deer breeding. I don't know about that but the two pairs standing next to each other made the difference in color very apparent.

#1 asked why they were different colors. I thought about it and told him I really didn't know but I thought deer might be sort of like people in that some have red hair, some have blond hair, some have black hair, some have light colored skin, some have dark colored skin, and for the most part little ones will tend to look like their parents and grandparents. He seemed satisfied with that answer.

#1 couldn't decide if he wanted to shoot a doe or wait for the big buck. I told him that on opening day I would probably wait if I wanted a buck and that there was plenty of time left in the season. He decided to wait. One red doe wandered off to the south while the other red doe, the grey doe and her fawn wandered back off to the north.

Then I heard a shot from where my dad was sitting with the other boys. Shortly after that I heard another shot. #1 said "I'll bet they shot that buck." I guessed that with two shots close together like that they probably were thinning out the turkey, or maybe they wounded one with the first shot and had to finish it.

My dad came on the radio and said that #3 had shot at a little buck and missed, then #2 connected on his turn. Everyone felt bad for #3, except for #2 that is. The little guy had been looking almost directly into the rising sun and couldn't see well through the scope. He had wanted that deer and decided to shoot instead of waiting for a better opportunity. That is understandable in an inexperienced hunter. We explained to him later that he had to decide if he could make the shot and if he wasn't sure he should have waited a little while. Who knows, the game may move, the sun by go behind a cloud or the shadow from a tree limb may come and make the shot easy.

In any case #2 ended up with the first deer of the day. It's his third deer, so he is getting to be an old hand at this.

I wanted to try out the deer scale I got for Christmas last year so we hung it up.

When we first hung it up it read 122.8. This is the reading after it drained for a few minutes. Not a huge whitetail buck by local standards but respectable.

#2 shot him with a 6.8x43mm SPC using 110gr. SSA Sierra ProHunter factory loads. Here is the exit wound.

Pretty impressive performance for the little round. I think it is because it uses heavily constructed light for caliber bullets at fairly high velocity.

After #1 heard that his little brother had taken a deer he decided he would shoot a doe if one came along. Sure enough, within one minute of saying that the lone red doe that had gone south decided to come back by us. Big boy put a round through her and planted her at about 35 yards. She was moving when he shot and he hit her in the spine above the shoulder. I thought she would bleed out quickly but five minutes later she was still breathing so I told him to shoot her again in either the neck or brain, whichever he could see better with her down in the weeds and brush. She was laying with her belly facing us. He put the round in just below her lower jaw and it took out the top of her head. Very conclusive. He has a great ability to visualize where the vital organ is and place the bullet so it goes through that organ. It didn't matter that he couldn't see her brain directly, he placed the bullet so it went to the right spot.

The boys helped with cleaning this time. #2 showed that you can use a gut hook and still split open the guts. I told him that he proved that gut hooks were not foolproof. He took it pretty well.

After cleaning and eating lunch we had to have a plinking session.

Here they are going to set the cans up again.

#3 didn't get his deer or pig this weekend. He'll have plenty of chances this season. He took two last year so I don't feel too bad for him.

Just beheading the people in America that American's won't behead

2010-10-29T13:24:00.003-05:00

Here is your link.

Just some more law abiding, hard working illegals doing the jobs that American's won't do. The difference in this case is that most American's wouldn't have done that particular job at ANY rate of pay.

This violence south of the border is kind of like African honey bees. These bees keep spreading and increasing their territory and every time some expert claims that they can't move past a certain point that expert is proven wrong.

Of course we don't need any border security and don't even broach the subject of giving up on prohibition.

If you want to stop illegal drugs then you have to go after the demand AND the source. There seems to be no way to reduce the demand for drugs and there is so much money to be made that suppliers have almost unbelievable resources at their disposal.

OK, you could go after the source by confiscating drugs, lacing them with poison, and then selling them on the street. You could use the proceeds from the sales to cover some of the costs of the confiscations. That would be very painful in the short run but it seems likely to reduce the demand one way or another. What to do with all the bodies would be a question that would require a lot of serious thought.

However, the big question is: Should we be doing this?

The so-called war on drugs has been used as an excuse to increase the power of government without any limits. Police forces with training and weapons to rival the military of all but a few nations are regularly used against US citizens.

I wasn't around when prohibition was put in place and then later repealed so I can't comment first hand on the results, but it is interesting that in that case it took an Amendment to the Constitution of the United States to prohibit the sale of alcohol and another Amendment to repeal it. Apparently, these days it doesn't take that much effort to ban substances and then allow the government to confiscate the property of anyone found with that substance without a trial.

There doesn't seem to be a way to win this. Of course with government provided healthcare controlling the substances people have access to is important. If you are paying for your neighbor's healthcare then you don't want him putting harmful substances in his body, right?

There is no end in sight as far as government expansion is concerned.

A couple of pics of deer

2010-10-29T12:31:00.004-05:00

Here is the mule deer doe that came up and bedded down near us while we were working with the circular saw. The wasp nest I sprayed is in that tree just outside the picture to the right. The doe didn't get up when I sprayed it.

Here is a nice looking mule deer buck my dad saw when he was out there a few days ago spraying insecticide on the old blind to try and keep some of the wasps away. His antlers are a little hard to see among the tee limbs but if you look just above and outside his right ear (left side of the pic) you can see them.

Hopefully we'll be seeing this guy around in a few weeks when mule deer season opens.

Compromise, muddy water and burning houses

2010-10-29T07:35:00.002-05:00

I was reading over My Book of Common Days and found this post.

It got me to thinking about our current political and social situation. I see this nation as a burning house. Two people are in the house. One sees that it is burning and wants to either put out the fire or get out of the house. The other denies that the house is on fire and is blocking the door so nobody can get out to call for help or get a hose. What compromise is possible in this situation? I suppose the one who realizes that the house is burning could offer to stay in the house as long as he gets to stand next to an open door or window so at least he can breath until hopefully the fire department comes before the whole house collapses on him. That isn't much of a deal. The denier feels the flames burning his feet and is choking on smoke and blames the other guy for trying to trick him and convince him the house is burning when it isn't.

Let's hope we can convince the deniers that the house is in fact burning before the roof collapses or we are overcome by smoke.

Member of ROP arrested for bomb plot

2010-10-28T10:14:00.002-05:00

It's not like this is news. The story is sort of like "Dog Bites Mailman" or "the President Wants to Raise Taxes".

Farooque Ahmed from Pakistan wanted to kill you and tried to buy materials to do it with.

Be careful out there.

Kagan's First Vote - LOL!!!

2010-10-27T14:41:00.002-05:00

Here is your link because you probably wouldn't believe me without it. My focus here is not on Kagan and her silly opinion, but rather on the idiocy of the appeal and the state court ruling on it.

The story, which is humorous in a sick sort of way, is that a condemned man appealed his execution by lethal injection because the state had to obtain one of the drugs that would be used to kill him from a foreign supplier and the drug might not be safe. A state court issued a stay of execution based on that nonsense. The state appealed to the Supreme Court and Kagan voted with the minority (be thankful for that) to uphold the stay of execution.

You might want to read that part in red again.

The only way the drug could not be safe is if the guy doesn't die!!

I can't believe that the judge in this state court didn't laugh at the appeal.

I am of the opinion that states should save 10 cents and skip the alcohol swap on the condemned person's arm and save another 10 cents that they would waste and just keep using the same old needle. It's not like the guy is going to get AIDS or tetanus.

Oh, and another thing about this. Want to guess who the foreign supplier was? You would think it was some 3rd world dump if the safety of the drug is an issue, right? In fact it was Britain. Now why would a socialist like Kagan think that drugs from Britain wouldn't be safe? I thought Britain had wonderful socialized medicine and everything was perfect there? How can it be that they might not have safe drugs?

If we want these creeps to go out happy why don't we just load them up on morphine until they croak? Would that be so bad?

I favor due process and a reasonable appeal to avoid the government using manufactured evidence to execute someone but this is beyond a slight stretch. The drugs that will be used to kill the guy aren't safe? What next? Maybe a guy that is going to face a firing squad in Utah will complain that the lead cores in the bullets aren't safe? Maybe a guy that is going to be hanged in Washington will complain that he is allergic to hemp? Maybe some creep will claim that he has agoraphobia so that strapping him to the gurney to perform a lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment for him?

Will this insanity never end?

A few pics

2010-10-25T12:30:00.003-05:00

Here are a few turkey dinners.

A couple of venison burgers on the hoof.

Here are some pork chops.

More pork chops. I count 14 in that pic.

We don't know what this thing is. It moved around in a number of pics over 3 or 4 minutes and then went away. We think it was a porcupine. A squirrel probably wouldn't have stayed in the same place for so long during the day and a raccoon probably wouldn't be out during the day at all. I've never seen a skunk climb a tree but I guess it's possible. A porcupine fits all the facts, although a space alien might fit the facts as well.

I can hardly wait for hunting season.

Another weekend at the farm. We're ready for hunting season

2010-10-25T07:12:00.002-05:00

The new blind is finished except that we didn't get it painted. I don't think the animals will care and it isn't supposed to rain this week so that's not a big deal.

We found interesting stuff this weekend.

We were using a circular saw in the carport of the old house when we looked up and saw a mule deer doe looking at us from about 50 feet away. She stood there for a while and then bedded down. We talked to here and took her picture, then went back to work. She napped for an hour or more before she got tired of the noise and then left. Mule deer aren't exactly afraid of people.

I checked out the remains of the two deer we found dead near the house. One skull was completely clean and didn't have any smell left at all so I brought it home. The other skull, from the deer that had been under the roof on the porch, was mostly clean but still smelled a little. I didn't want to leave it on the ground because I thought a pig or other critter might carry it off so I got some wire and put through the eye holes and went looking for a place to hang it up. There are several cedar trees in the yard and the mule deer bucks have have torn all the lower branches off them up to about 5 feet above the ground while scraping their antlers. I walked up to one and was reaching up to put the wire over the limb when I noticed a large wasp nest hanging from the branch. It was one of the paper wasp nests that have cells in them bigger than a #2 pencil. It was about 8 inches in diameter and covered with wasps. Wasp spray is an important part of civilization. My grandfather used to take several sheets of newspaper and fold them into a fan shape, then light the edge and run it over the nest. If you went at the right speed it would kill most of the wasps and burn the wings off the others so they couldn't fly. The larva would be ok so you could use them for fishing bait. I prefer using spray. Needless to say I found another place to hang up the skull. I hope to go back and get the nest next week.

I also found two snake skins in the grass. Both were fairly skinny snakes and over 5 feet long. Unfortunately, both were woven into the fairly tall grass and I couldn't get them out without tearing them up. I did get the head of one of them and it still had the eye lens covers, or whatever you call them.

The game cam showed a number of whitetails, all does or small bucks. They eat just fine. For every deer we got a picture of there were four or five feral pigs. That is unusual for us. I guess this year we will probably be putting pork in the freezer to go with the venison.

I forgot my camera this weekend so I'll have to wait for my dad to send me some pics to post.

I'm suffering from MDD

2010-10-22T07:49:00.002-05:00

Motivational Deficit Disorder

At least as far as this blog is concerned. I have stuff I want to review or discuss but by the time I get everything done and the kids to bed I just don't have the motivation. Here is to hoping that a little free time during hunting season will do me good.

Another giveaway at ASR

2010-10-19T12:32:00.000-05:00

Here is your link.

Wish me luck.

Tuned up for hunting.

2010-10-19T12:26:00.002-05:00

The boys confirmed zeroes on their deer rifles this weekend. That was fun. I let #1 try full powered ammo in his but after a couple of rounds he decided he'd had enough, so back to the Managed Recoil for him. Maybe next year. I got to play around at the range a little myself and it was fun.

I've got to get back to the farm to put the finishing touches on the new blind.

Safe Space Magnet

2010-10-13T08:26:00.004-05:00

My company recently had something they called a "Coming Out Celebration".

Great. As Shaggy once said "I don't know and I don't want to know."

At any rate, one of the things mentioned in the email announcing this is that managers would have a supply of "Safe Space Magnets" to give out. I'm not sure what a "Safe Space Magnet" is or what it is supposed to do. I went to my manager and told him I wanted one. He started hemming and hawing and wasn't sure what to make of that.

I told him that I wanted one that looked like this:
That is my idea of creating safe space. Maybe they could make it pink so it wouldn't offend anyone. How about with a rainbow camo pattern on it?

I never did get one of the company versions so I still don't know what that one looked like.

As far as my manager goes, while we are not far apart politically, there is a certain gap in communications. He doesn't seem to know how to take some of what passes for humor on my part.

A couple of pics

2010-10-11T07:15:00.004-05:00

This is #1 weekend before last while he was taking a break from working on the new blind. He looks serious.

This is the blind as we left it this last weekend. We've got to put the siding on, add some bracing for the legs, add a door, build a ladder and add a couple of small shelves inside to set things like binos and flashlights on. I've also got to go back with the pole saw and chain saw and clear some more small trees and limbs. We didn't build from a set of plans, we just started putting it together, so a real carpenter would probably cringe at the sight of it. I don't think the deer, turkeys, or pigs will care. The total cost for materials might run $200. When you divide that by the amount of use we will get out of it and the amount of meat we will get out of it I think it's pretty cheap.

I hope you have good hunting this year.

Lessons Hopefully Learned

2010-10-05T12:26:00.002-05:00

Lesson #1

#1 got to drive the pickup for the first time at the farm last weekend. It is a stick and he started it twice without stalling it, one time on a slight incline. He just drove it about a quarter of a mile down the lane towards the road. I told him to stop, put it in neutral, and put on the parking brake so we could swap places and I could turn it around before he drove it back. I guess I failed to specify that he should NOT put the brake on like his mom does i.e. barely touch the pedal as if it is going to break off. I swung my door open and started to put my foot down when I realized we were moving backwards. I yelled "Hit the brakes!!" and slammed my door. He got it stopped and I had him put the parking brake on for real, then let go of the brakes and check to see if the truck would roll or not. I always check to see if it is going to roll before I get out but I forgot to mention that to him. Hopefully he has learned the lesson. ALWAYS check to make sure that your vehicle is not going to roll away when you park it. One of my grandpas failed to check once and his truck rolled backwards down a hill in town and somehow rolled through an intersection with a traffic light without hitting anything. The road leveled out and the truck stopped itself by scrubbing the tires against the curb. No harm done but he almost learned the hard way. I'll bet he made sure the parking brake was on after that.

Lesson #2

Lesson number two came when #1 was shooting the .22. I always tell the kids that when they insert a mag they should try to pull it out again to make sure it is properly seated and locked in place, but I guess that instruction didn't stick with him. He inserted a mag, then closed the bolt, took aim, and "click". At that point the mag decided to leave the gun and start a pretty nice collection of dusty, sandy soil. No big deal, but I made sure to point out to him that if he had an 18 point buck in his sights that time instead of a can he probably would not have had venison for dinner. I didn't mention that if it was a life-or-death situation he might have really ended up with the short end of the stick.

When you insert a mag ALWAYS check to make sure it is locked in securely. Check it even if you are just plinking. You will do in real life what you do in training so start working on that habit now if you don't already have it. If you introduce someone to shooting then start them out doing this from the very first.

If you are shooting a DA revolver use version of the same rule and always make sure the cylinder is locked closed and that the cylinder is indexed and locked properly. The lint, dust, and dirt that handguns pick up when they are carried will sometimes pile up in the mechanism and may interfere with closing or latching. Sure that is a maintenance issue but it won't be a problem if you just check.

Weekend update

2010-10-05T07:11:00.002-05:00

I went to the farm this weekend with my dad and #1 son, who is 10. We started building a new elevated blind. Rain slowed us down some but we got the posts in and the outer frame built. We have most of the material waiting for us except for paint. Now we just need to build the floor, the walls and the roof. That doesn't sound like much work, does it?

#1 spent some time with a .22 rifle and pistol. His skill is coming along nicely.

I found a good spot for the pop-up blind near a spot with a lot of deer and pig activity. Hopefully I can get squared away with the bow and get out there soon. I'm debating taking a rifle with a light in case pigs show up early. The plus side is that my probability of success on the pigs will be higher, the minus side is that I might reduce the probability of seeing deer. The sound of gunfire doesn't seem to bother mule deer but it might bother whitetails, at least older, experienced whitetails.

I brought home six five-gallon buckets of fertile and sandy soil from the farm to put in the garden. It's not enough to make a big difference by itself but if I bring home six buckets every time I drive out there then it will make a big difference over time.

Until next time.

I popped up the new blind last night

2010-09-30T07:31:00.002-05:00

It is well thought out and easy to deploy and take down. No picks yet, but I may take some and post them. I'll scout for a place to put it up so we have another option. We need more blinds and this is an easy way to put one up where we want it.

Archery season for whitetail and mule deer is coming fast. I've got to get by the store and get hunting licenses for me and the kids.

Birthday Cake

2010-09-29T12:39:00.006-05:00

A while back the kids pooled their money and bought an XBOX with controllers and all that stuff. It was really pretty inexpensive and since it came from a big name book and video store it even had a warranty. One of the games they got with it was Halo. It is a pretty fun game as far as I'm concerned and as far as video games go.

#2 decided he wanted his birthday cake to be a Covenant Grunt form the Halo game. Here is a pic in case you don't know what one looks like.

That one is a little unusual as far as the original Halo game is concerned because it is carrying a gun in each hand.

When a kid wants a cake I step up to the plate so to speak and try to make one. Now he didn't specify anything beyond that the cake should be a grunt so here is what he got:

The blue stuff around it is blood. Hey, if you don't specify a live grunt you never know what you'll get.

Here are some screen shots that I based the cake on:

He liked it. I guess that is what counts.

Hunting season is coming

2010-09-29T07:47:00.002-05:00

I've got to pick up a few boxes of Managed Recoil ammo for #1 and #3. I'll probably let #1 try full power ammo this year so we'll see how that goes. I want to upgrade #2's rifle. I need to hurry if I'm going to do that.

My better half gave me some new arrows so I got out the old bow. I had to get it re-strung. When I did that I forgot to specify that I use fingers instead of a release so the guy set it up with a D-ring. He's going to fix it today if my better half has time to take the boy by the shop.

We've cleared a spot for a new elevated blind and I hope to get out there this weekend and get a good start on it. #1 son is probably going with us which will make things go a little faster.

My better half also bought me a new Primos pop-up ground blind. It is a fancy one nad Now to figure out where to put it. One advantage of multiple blinds is that game changes it pattern from time to time. It is best to have options available. The big advantage of the pop-up is that if you scout around and see sign in a new location you can just put your blind next to a pile of brush or tumble weeds and be good to go, at least for deer. Tumble weeds blow around and change positions, tree limbs and entire trees fall, so a slight change in scenery doesn't bother deer much. Especially mule deer. Turkeys notice changes more but even they get used to things quickly, especially in the fall.

Here is to hoping for lots of meat on the table.

In my great-grandfather's day

2010-09-29T07:21:00.004-05:00

In your great-grandfather's day when you went to the outhouse you took your .22 along. If you saw a squirrel on the way that's what you had for dinner.

That was from my dad while discussing his grandfather. Things weren't much different when my dad was a boy. He went to the outhouse one night and followed the standard procedure of striking a match and look under the seat for scorpions or black widows.

The next morning his dad wasn't pleased to find a hole in the back yard with a ring of ashes around it. Apparently, there was some kind of error in disposing of the match.

Among other hobbies my great-grandfather made and traded knives. He made knives out of old files. It seems to me that most files would be too hard and brittle to make good knives so he probably did some sort of heat treating but I don't know what procedure he used. Sadly I don't have any of the knives he made. My dad said his grandpa gave him one when he was a kid but he lost it years ago. Wouldn't that be a neat artifact to hand down in the family?

My dad said that his grandfather was also a collector of firearms. He said that great-grandfather kept a loaded firearm behind every door in the house and one in most of the corners. He sounds like my kind of guy.

My dad has a cane that his grandfather made. It is your basic straight piece of wood with a brass cap on the end that touches the ground to keep it from splitting. For a handle it has a large brass ball on the top. My grandfather believed it was a decoration from a bridle used on a fancy horse-drawn carriage. Great-grandpa had filled the brass ball with lead. Obviously this was not just intended for decoration.

My grandpa told me a several of stories about his dad. Great-grandpa had a pecan tree on his place that was inside the fence near the road some distance from his house. Some of the limbs hung over the fence and dropped pecans out there. One time some people pulled up in a car and started picking up pecans outside the fence which was ok with him. The trouble started when they decided that there weren't enough free pecans for them outside the fence. They climbed the fence and started picking up pecans on his property. His solution was to pick up a .22 and put a bullet through the top of the pecan tree. I think they got the message.

Another time someone started dumping trash in the ditch next to his place. After several times I guess he saw a pattern and had enough of that. He waited in the brush with his shotgun. After they dumped their trash and started to drive away he unloaded both barrels into the back of their car. The message was pretty clear to me: I was here and could have shot you if I wanted to. I guess they got the message.

I would like to have known him. I would like to have known my grandparents better than I did. Be sure to save some mementos for your children and grandchildren and be sure to write down some true stories for them. Some day they will be glad you did.

I've been busy. Here are a few headlines for you

2010-09-21T07:02:00.002-05:00

UN says wealthy nations should give money to 3rd world dictators instead of balancing their budgets.

Let's all go bankrupt together so everyone can be equally miserable. Sort of "socialism by other means".

Here is a true gem of wisdom in this article:

Rising incomes in emerging economic powers like China is the main reason for progress in tackling poverty there . . .

Really!? Did the UN just figure this out or did someone have to tell them? I wonder if our President realizes this?

Seems to me that a nation must first look out for itself first. Going bankrupt to hand out more charity is sort of like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

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The Fed considering pumping another $1.7 trillion into the economy.

This remind me of the definition of insanity i.e. doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Who knows, maybe this time they will get hyperinflation. That would be a different result.

The article seemed like a cheering section for the federal government. It went on about "the recovery" and how we've avoided a second great depression. As far as I can tell the fat lady hasn't sung yet.

****************************************************

Here is every government's wet dream: UK proposes that all paychecks be sent by employers to the state who will then transfer any leftover money to the people who earned it.

Are they serious!? Even FDR didn't dream that big, or if he did he didn't tell anyone about it. Here is a hint people: There have been a few countries that tried this and so far it hasn't worked out well. I know, I know, this time we have President Hussein and Nancy Pelosi and they will make it work out right this time. LOL and waiting for someone to propose this in the United States of America.

****************************************************

Here's to hoping it cools off enough soon that I can go cut some more firewood and work on another elevated blind without having a heat stroke.

“Firearms in Commerce: Assessing the Need for Reform in the Federal Regulatory Process”

2010-09-08T12:27:00.002-05:00

Even the title of this is unConstitutional.

Here is your link.

From the description of the meeting:

NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing entitled "Firearms in Commerce: Assessing the Need for Reform in the Federal Regulatory Process" for Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

By order of the Chairman.

The only reform needed in the "Federal Regulatory Process" as far as firearms goes is to do away with the BATF and repeal all federal firearms laws. A side issue would be to shrink the "commerce clause" back to it's original intent.

Here is a link to the senate judiciary committee so you can see the members and the chairman.

I would not count on anything good coming out of this committee. It may well be one last hurrah for the lefty loonies before they are hopefully voted out of office.

Took the kids to the range again this weekend

2010-09-07T12:56:00.003-05:00

The older boys did about as well as expected. A few reminders about trigger, sights, and breathing (mostly about the trigger) and they were pretty well doing what they should. This was little girlie's 2nd time out with real firearms as opposed to her air rifle. At 7 yards she was keeping 5 rounds in less than 3 inches on paper. After doing that four times in a row she was starting to get bored so I put a soda can out and let her chase it around the backstop for a while. I was glad when she got tired of it because we were about to lose the shade up close to the backstop. Did I mention that little girlie will turn 5 in January?

I think the boys will be tuned up for hunting season without any trouble. Little girlie will probably have to wait for next year, though, because I don't think she would sit long enough in the cold to have much chance. We'll see. She might surprise me.

Are you ready for a "lifetime income option" on your 401k?

2010-09-07T07:38:00.000-05:00

Here is your link.

The left has been talking for years about stealing your 401k money. I remember during the Clinton years some underling floated the idea of a "one time tax" on 401k funds. The uproar was immediate and Clinton came out and said that of course that was nonsense.

That is the usual method used by government officials to test the waters of public reaction to a crazy idea. Let the press quote some underling talking about the possibility of the government forcing the crazy idea on the people of this nation. If there is no reaction then the President, or congressman, or whoever, will take up the idea and start pushing it. If the reaction is strongly opposed then the President or congressman will throw the underling under the bus with a statement like "that is the underling's personal opinion and does not reflect my policy" blah, blah, blah.

Back to the press release from the government. I don't know what a "lifetime income option" is but it doesn't sound good. Probably it means "we'll take your money, then give you back as much as we think you need, and when you die your children will never see a dime of your money". Hey, they might even throw in a "good life" card to make it easier to control what you do with the little bit of money they think you deserve.

I know, a lot of people are whining that their 401k is in the dumpster. It probably is. However, do you think you will be better off giving that money to Nancy and Hussein and then living on whatever they decide you should have?

As far as government retirement bennies go, look at how well social security has turned out. That has been one of the biggest negative investments you could ever get caught up in.

I've got a better plan. How about this for a new and revolutionary idea:

The federal government should not be involved in retirement at all.

No tax deferred plans, no wealth transfer plans, nothing, except maybe the suggestion that everyone should put something aside because it's not the government's job to force other people to pay for your retirement.

I don't think the 401k and similar plans are inherently bad things as long as the government doesn't start deciding what you can invest in. If the government does start limiting your investment options then it gains huge leverage to control people and companies. Plus, most people seem to need some incentive to save ( I guess not being a parasite is not incentive enough) although that really is not the governments business.

Advice for using Loctite on a castle nut

2010-09-07T07:14:00.002-05:00

DON'T USE ANY!!!

I am specifically referring to the castle nut that holds a carbine buffer tube on an AR. I've taken off a few that were installed with Loctite. The freezing method has worked for me a couple of times. A couple of other times it didn't work and I used heat. Last weekend I got into one and ended up cutting it off with a dremel tool. Not recommended if you can avoid it.

This nut had to be removed because when it was installed the tube wasn't screwed in all the way. It just barely hit the edge of the buffer retaining plunger and needed to be screwed in one more turn.

When you install a carbine buffer tube don't use Loctite or other glue. Stake it. That is what the little notches on the front of the nut where it meets the plate are for. Look at the nut and notice that there are notches on one end that go all the way through and notches on the other end that don't go all the way through the nut. The notches that go all the way through (and give it the name "castle nut") go towards the back and those notches are for your wrench. The shallow notches go towards the end plate and you use your punch to drive material from the plate into the notch so the nut won't loosen up with use.

An auto center punch will do it. A hammer and punch will do it. A hammer and an old screwdriver would probably do it, although I haven't tried that and it seems like it could get messy. When you want to remove the tube later you can just punch the material back out of the notch and the nut comes off.

Save yourself and your buddies a headache and stake the thing instead of gluing it on. If you NEVER intend to remove the tube then this isn't such a big deal. However, NEVER is a long time.

Texan convicted of NOT racially profiling Mexicans

2010-09-05T09:33:00.002-05:00

Here is a link, which doesn't seem like a tinfoil hat website. Here is another. To be honest the story is also on infowars and prisonplanet, so it could be a fantasy, but with this administration nothing is impossible.

The short form is that Paul Copeland was selling firearms at a fun show in Austin, TX. He sold a firearm to a man who spoke Spanish and had what looked like a TX DL. Then he was busted for selling a firearm to an illegal.

Apparently, having a DL isn't good enough. If you are going to sell a firearm to someone you need to be an expert at determining their immigration status.

Of course the easiest way to avoid selling to illegals is to not sell a firearm to anyone who speaks Spanish and has brown skin. You still face some risk but that covers the vast majority of illegals.

If you refuse to sell to someone who MIGHT be an illegal then the feds will probably come and bust you for discrimination or a hate crime. If you sell to someone who has a DL showing they are a resident of the same state as you then the feds may come and bust you for selling to an illegal.

The common thread here is that the almighty federal government doesn't want you selling your private property without their permission.

The article doesn't really say if Mr. Copeland was an FFL or just disposing of his own property. If he was an FFL I wonder if the NICS check would have showed that the buyer was an illegal?

Be careful out there. The nonsense is getting thicker and more unpredictable every day. Even though the federal government is broke it apparently still has resources for stunts like this.

Venezuela introduces "The Good Life" food rationing card

2010-09-05T09:11:00.002-05:00

Here is your link.

It's a part of the never ending push for their government to control the people. "The Good Life" card will give the government an easy way to control what food you buy and how much of it.

Remember that when the government controls the food supply they control the people.

You can bet that people who are out of favor with the government will have "malfunctions" with their cards while people in favor with the government will be able to get whatever they want.

Our President and congress are probably looking at this with envy and hoping for a chance to implement the same thing in the USA. If only the left wingers can fool enough people into believing that they are actually in favor of reducing the power of the federal government and convince people to vote for them in November then they can start working on forcing this on us in January.

The more of your food that you can produce long term (as opposed to storing food which is really for the short term) the better off you will always be. Of course producing your own food isn't the perfect solution either because the government can always destroy your means of making food "for your own good", but so far the FDA is only kicking in the doors of people producing food to sell to other people.

Any time the government wants to control the supply of anything vital you can be sure that it's a bad idea.

Reduced LEO patrols aren't just for the big city

2010-09-03T06:56:00.002-05:00

You've probably seen in the news where a number of big cities are laying off LEOs or have changed policy and come up with lists of crimes that they won't send LEOs to.

I guess it should not surprise me that this trend has come to the county I live in. The Sheriff has announced that deputies will no longer patrol the county. Instead they will wait for a call to come in and then respond.

According to the article I read in what passes for a county newspaper (a combination of Thrifty Nickel, Country Living, and some gossip that is printed once a week) the reason is the aging fleet of vehicles and a reduced fuel budget. The county has not budgeted enough for new vehicles and is rapidly burning through their maintenance funds.

I have to admit that in the last 14 years I've seen a Sherrif's patrol on the road I live on twice so it's not like there has been a deputy around every bend in the road. However, I suspect that the response time for most of the county will go up significantly because the deputies will probably be at the station instead of spread out around the county.

Times are tough all over.

Reusable Canning Lid Giveaway at Adventures in Self Reliance

2010-09-02T07:32:00.002-05:00

Here is your link.

These lids are Tattler brand and made in the USA, which is one of the few things made here these days.

I sent my better half a link about them when I first heard about them but she hasn't bought any that I know of. Hint, hint. (She has been known to waste her valuable time checking out my rantings.)

Wish me luck on this.

Nothing in the trap, yet

2010-09-01T12:45:00.002-05:00

I'm betting I'll get something tonight. We haven't lost any more chickens. Whatever it is will probably be getting hungry by now and start looking for an easy meal.

Another predator after my chickens

2010-08-31T06:51:00.002-05:00

We've lost another chicken or two over the last couple of days. The kids do most of the feeding, watering, and egg collecting, so they usually have the most current news of anything going on. They discovered a place where a critter had either reached into a chicken pen and pulled out a hen or had gone into the pen to grab one. Instead of telling us the kids tried to block the opening with a lid from a plastic storage bin propped into place with a 2x4. The fix was fairly secure and probably would have worked for a while. I found out we had a predator when I saw feathers scattered over a 10'x20' area in the yard. The kids have new instructions to let us know immediately if they see anything unusual.

I put out the gigantic live-catch trap last night, baited with a raw chicken leg. The leg was in a pack purchased long ago and stuck in the freezer and it has come open so the leg was somewhat freezer burned. I hope the predator doesn't mind the freezer burn but if it goes for the bait it won't have long to worry about it.

The kids also noted a drop-off in egg production from one pen. The last time that happened we found a large rat snake living under the big plastic garbage can that is the combination shelter/laying spot for those birds. After I killed the snake the egg production went back to normal. I either have another snake or the same critter that stole the birds has been stealing eggs as well.

I'll have to take care of this problem. I've got a craving for a cheese omelet and I don't want to share with anything on four feet or no feet.

I Like Going to The Farm

2010-08-30T12:43:00.002-05:00

I like going to that part of the country because it still has that feel of being free. In the towns you aren't constantly captured on camera. There are no metal detectors. When people mention "the government" it isn't with love or awe in their voices.

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I went out this weekend to clear some limbs and open up an area where we are planning on building a new blind and also to pick up some fire wood. The saws ran great. Limbs and trees came down, and the bed of my truck was filled.

I saw a little 2x2 whitetail buck that was red like a Hereford cow is red. I saw two mule deer bucks still in velvet. One was a 3x3 and the other at least a 4x4+brown tines and he was a little asymmetric with one big tine crossing over the middle of his head. I saw lots of turkeys.

There were still a few plums on some bushes but we didn't take the time to pick them. There are still plums in my freezer waiting to be made into jelly.

The grass burs were thick in places.

I wish I had more time I could take off and spend there.

Dead deer at the farm

2010-08-27T09:47:00.003-05:00

My dad was at the farm yesterday and when he went by the house he was greeted by an overpowering stench of death. He quickly found that the source was two dead mule deer. One was in the yard near the front door. It was mostly consumed and dried out to little more than skin and bones. Some of the bones were scattered but he could see that all four legs and the head were still there. The other deer was still at the point that liquid was running out of it. The second deer was on the concrete porch by the front door and under the porch overhang. That deer also had all four legs and the head. There were buzzards around an old junk pile about a quarter mile away that may indicate another deer but my dad didn't investigate that.

The game warden asked that we not disturb the deer until he had a chance to look them over, although he admits he probably won't be able to find many clues in what is left.

We suspect one of the following:

1. Feral natives driving around looking for something to steal or vandalize saw the deer and thought it would be fun to shoot them for no reason. Mule deer are not very wary and you can often walk or drive up to within 20 feet of them. You may ask "Wouldn't the second deer run away after you shot the first one?" and the answer would be "Not necessarily." I shot a 3x5 mule deer buck one morning. While the doe was looking at me trying to figure out what all the noise was about the buck ran off into the trees. After a minute or so the doe looked around for the buck and was surprised to find him gone. Then she went back to feeding. The problem with this scenario is the difference in the decomposition between the two deer. Possibly the one on the porch decayed slower because it is in the shade almost the whole day.

2. Someone poached the deer nearby and thought they would use the flat and relatively clean porch as a place to set them while they cut off the hind quarters but they were frightened off by something like a vehicle driving by.

3. The deer could have found some cotton or wheat seed that was treated with insecticide. That will kill deer and livestock. The deer could have found the seed a week or more apart. Wildlife is attracted to the area around the porch because we have a trough set up to collect rainwater. The scary part about this scenario is that it means there is probably a pile of treated seed somewhere and more deer may get into it. It could be on our farm or some other farm or it could have fallen off somebody's trailer and be sitting in a ditch.

We'll probably never know what happened to them. The question is: What to do about the bodies?

The one in the yard is mostly gone so we probably won't do anything with it. The one on the porch has reached the point that it would be messy and probably come apart if we tried to move it. My dad's suggestion is to leave the one on the porch for another week or two and give it a chance to dry out. Then scrape the remains off with hoes and use them to drag them out away from the house. If he had gone down there a few days earlier he could have just tied a rope around the neck and drug it off with his truck.

If these deer were killed by some yahoo out wasting time then I hope the jerk brags to someone and they turn him in. If they were killed by treated seed then I hope that a bunch of wild pigs finds it and cleans it up before more deer get into it.

Will vs. Beneficiary

2010-08-25T08:06:00.003-05:00

If you have any stocks or mutual funds with a beneficiary listed then you should make sure that the beneficiary agrees with what is in your will. I found out that the beneficiary takes precedence over your will, at least most of the time.

The best advice is to go to a good lawyer that specializes in this sort of thing. A good lawyer can help ensure that there aren't a bunch of loose ends and make sure that your wishes are carried out.

If you want to make sure that certain things go to your kids instead of to your second spouse's children from a previous marriage then you need to get good legal advice on how to do it.

Another batch of eggs in the incubator

2010-08-25T07:37:00.002-05:00

They've been in two weeks now. The smell this morning indicates that we've got a bad one again. I hate getting a rotten egg in the incubator. I guess I'll have to go through and give them all the smell test so I can get the bad one out before it pops.

Received a letter from my credit card company yesterday

2010-08-25T07:33:00.002-05:00

It informed me that they are raising my limit.

What is that all about?

I guess they are just being optimistic.

Unreasonable search? How about x-ray machines mounted in vans to scan other cars on the street?

2010-08-24T14:25:00.002-05:00

Here is your link.

The short form is that government agencies in the US and other countries have purchased over 500 mobile x-ray machines mounted in vans. The purpose is to drive around and see what you have in your car or concealed on your person. If they don't already have the ability to search your house you can bet that they will soon.

The article doesn't say how many of the machines were purchased by the US vs. other countries and doesn't say how/where they are deployed. I suspect a number of the one's owned by the US may be in Iraq. Probably the SS (secret service) has a number of these to go along with the Presidential motorcades in the US and abroad.

Their use will become more widespread and the technology will become cheaper.

This reminds me of a book by Aurthur C. Clarke called "The Light of Other Days". In that book scientists and engineers working for a company discovered a way to force open wormholes anywhere and anywhen they wanted to so they could watch anyone at any time. The technology soon became so inexpensive that everyone had one and could watch everyone else.

It is an interesting read and well worth the time.

The thing that makes this x-ray machine much worse than the book is that in the book they never figured out how to use the technology to see in the dark so you could have some privacy in total darkness. With an x-ray machine you will never have privacy.

Big Brother just got a new toy.

Smith's Pocket Pal

2010-08-23T12:52:00.003-05:00

I picked up a Smith's Pocket Pal knife sharpener the other day just to try it out.

I haven't really tried it on a small knife yet but I have sharpened a number of Cold Steel machetes with it and so far it has worked great.

My method is to set the machete sharp side up, either on a table or on my lap while sitting on the couch. Then I move the Pocket Pal over the blade. This tool is much easier than using an Arkansas stone, a Sharpmaker, or a file.

The Cold Steel machetes come with a black coating and it even covers the cutting edge so the Pal will get clogged up the first few strokes as the coating is scraped off.

It didn't take long to sharpen any of the blades. When I finished with both the carbide and ceramic sharpeners these machetes would shave hair off my arm pretty well.

I tried it on a large blade that was seriously dinged up and the carbide part quickly smoothed out the damage so that it was useful again.

I haven't really tried this sharpener out on pocket knives or smaller blades yet but I think it's a good accessory for a machete. You have to keep those blades sharp so that lopping the heads off zombies is quick and easy.

I'll have to try this out on a hatchet and maybe even try the carbide part on lawn mower blades.

Lawmakers meeting to discuss banning the private transfer of personal property

2010-08-22T09:41:00.002-05:00

The economy is a shambles, yet somehow these people have time to sit around and be paid by you to think of new ways to violate the Constitution of the United States. They want to stick the big, fat nose of the federal government into your business even more than it already is.

Oh, but it's ok, because this would just bother those nasty, racist, Christian Tea Partyers. Criminals would be exempt, of course.

No surprise that this nonsense is going on in Chicago.

Here is your link. Now, let me go lose my breakfast in the bathroom.

Fortunately, from the article it doesn't seem like this "meeting" was heavily attended. They don't list attendees, which probably makes the attendees happy because this sort of nonsense might jeopardize their jobs. The article doesn't quote any elected officials, again probably because nobody wants to be quoted trashing the Constitution while the economy is melting down.

I suspect a lot of people realize that this is just another power grab from the federal government. Anything they can do to make owning firearms more difficult or less convenient for the law abiding while letting criminals be armed is good for the government.

Here are the mathematics behind this effort:

More crime + more difficulty owning firearms = more dependence on the government

Here is one worth reading

2010-08-17T07:22:00.003-05:00

I'm still not back into the swing of things so here is a link to an interesting article by Paul Craig Roberts.

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We're putting a new batch of eggs in the incubator today. I hope that turns out better than it did last time.

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I hope I can get my stuff together this week and provide some entertainment to someone. I take a week off and the numbers go to almost zero. At least I'm not doing this for money.

I'm back

2010-08-16T07:21:00.002-05:00

I've been a little busy. I was in a training class for work all last week. There was too much material crammed into the schedule and it ran over 3 days out of 5. The really fun part is that it was in a location that is "the big city" as far as I'm concerned. It wasn't in the down town area where the really tall high rise buildings are located, but the place had three parking decks that I think were all at least 8 levels. That is a heck of a lot of cars stacked on top of each other. I learned a lot and I hope I never have to go that far into the city again.

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We had hatched 7 chicks and we thought they were finally big enough to put out in a cage we made out of an old set of metal shelves covered with chicken wire. That was a big mistake. They found a way out and 6 of them ended up as meals for predators in one day. I guess the survivor will have to stay by itself until it is grown.

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I put rabbit poop, chicken poop, and a lot of stuff from the compost pile into about a third of the garden and tilled it in in preparation for a fall garden. I was a little hot and sweaty when I finished that.

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Two quick links and I've got to go:

Putting Government First by Pat Buchanan

An article about the Hindenburg Omen

All I can say about the first article is that it isn't going to end well.

All I can say about the second article is that from where I'm standing you don't need the Hindenburg Omen to predict a crash. The question for me is: Will the federal government crashing cause the market to crash, or the other way around?

Hussein-a-care chart

2010-08-03T12:52:00.000-05:00

We buried one of our pups last night

2010-07-27T08:01:00.003-05:00

Peanut was a good dog and a good friend. She just turned 14 years old, which is way up there for a Great Dane. I guess the "mix" part of "Great Dane mix" added to her lifespan.

We got her for free from someone giving away puppies in a Walmart parking lot. She had recently been weaned and her feet were so big she could hardly walk. She tripped everywhere she went. When she was grown she could run as fast as any dog I've seen outside of a racetrack, but she could never accelerate quickly or turn quickly, so cottontails usually evaded her. I remember seeing her catch one once. Another dog was chasing it and it made a sharp turn to avoid the first dog and ended up in Peanut's mouth.

We box trained her as a puppy so she could stay in the house. Pretty soon she was so big she crushed the box but she insisted on sleeping on the flattened remains. One day we threw out the old box and she didn't know what to do.

When she was little puppy she used to like to sit under the coffee table. We made her stay outside for a time while she was growing up (I think we were dealing with a flea problem) and when we let her back in the first thing she did was try to run and dive under the coffee table. Not realizing how much she had grown she banged her head on the side of the table and nearly tipped it over.

One time while we were on vacation it rained a lot. Everything was muddy. When we got home we went into the fenced back yard and Peanut said "hello" by jumping up and putting a giant muddy paw print on my wife's chin.

These pics are all of her later in life because the puppy pics are still on the old computer or on discs. I'll have to get some of those out and post them.

We buried her in the field in front of the house next to the driveway so she can watch over us.

We miss you Peanut. I'll bet you're catching a rabbit right now.

I just wanted to take a picture

2010-07-27T07:11:00.002-05:00

Interesting article about police and security guards preventing people taking pictures.

This isn't the first time this has been in the news and the problem seems to be getting worse. Of course "officer safety" trumps all in this nation so if an LEO feels he is in danger from you taking pictures from across the street then he can detain you. I guess he could detain you in the interest of officer safety if you sneezed too close to him.

Be careful what you photograph in public. Big Brother may not like it.

Isn't this nice - Newspapers suing bloggers

2010-07-26T09:59:00.002-05:00

Here you go.

I wondered why one of the forums I frequent has a new restriction on copying and pasting anything from another site, even if the source is given and a link provided to the original. Now I know.

I guess I knew that "newspapers" hated bloggers, and the internet in general. The internet gives people a voice and a means to talk back to the idiots in the LWM and a forum for refuting the nonsense that they spew. That ability to talk back makes them angry. So they look for a way to reassert their supremacy.

I do not think this will work in the long run. The LWM "newspapers" are sort of like a deer that runs away after being shot through the chest - they are finished but they haven't realized it, yet.

I say the LWM is finished, but the federal government could come along and force everyone who has an income in this nation to give them money to keep them afloat. That is a real possibility.

Weekend Update

2010-07-26T07:25:00.002-05:00

We had a family range day this weekend. Lot's of fun. Lot's of .22 LR ammo was used. My oldest has adopted an old Mossberg M44 US from the CMP. It is one that originally sold for <$100 if I recall and I never really appreciated it. After everyone else got hot and tired and went back to the A/C I stayed out and burned up some more ammo with the M44. I appreciate that little gem a lot more now. Did I mention that it was hot? It was hot enough that the wax on the bullets was getting sticky and they were sitting in the shade. I was hitting a 2" diameter steel plate at 25 yards offhand 90% of the time or better. That's not too bad for me using aperture sights and shooting at a mottled gray plate against a mottle gray and brown backstop using aperture sights. By offhand I don't mean the position that Service Rifle shooters use with their support elbow resting on their hip but rather the kind of offhand you would use in the woods when you see a deer or rabbit and you want to shoot it before it decides to depart. I need to spend time at the range like this more often. It's good for the mind, the body, and the soul.

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We had 3 chicks hatch Sunday and we have 3 more that have poked little holes in their eggshells but haven't broken out, yet. One of the chicks was having trouble getting out of the shell and I had to chip the shell off and tear the outer membrane. It still couldn't get out after another hour or two so when we decided that the chick was going to die if we didn't do something I took a small pair of scissors and snipped the inner membrane and got it out. That was about 8:00pm Sunday and it was wobbling around on it's own this morning so I guess I'll call that a successful operation.

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We seem to have plenty of plum and blueberry jelly and peach preserves. I like that.

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When I was a kid I sharpened knives with Arkansas stones. I had several that I got from my dad including a very fine black stone and a translucent ultra-fine stone. They were small for sharpening pocket knives and it took a lot of care to sharpen a larger hunting knife. I still have them somewhere but I can't seem to locate them at the moment. I'll discover them again one of these days. Some years ago I started using a Spyderco Sharpmaker, which uses triangle shaped ceramic rods. I like that because it is quick and easy. However, my impression is that it won't put the same kind of edge on a knife that good Arkansas stones can, so I ordered some larger (6" long) Arkansas stones. I'll keep the Sharpmaker because it is so quick and easy and can make a dull knife sharp enough to use in just a few minutes but I can't wait for the new stones to arrive. Sharpening a knife is like shooting - it is good for the mind, the body and the soul.

I told you that socialized medicine leads to rationing

2010-07-25T15:43:00.002-05:00

Here is your link to how great socialized medicine worked out in England.

From the article:

Some of the most common operations — including hip replacements and cataract surgery — will be rationed as part of attempts to save billions of pounds, despite government promises that front-line services would be protected.

This isn't a surprise to anyone with a brain. The thing I'm most interested in reading more about is how they will determine who gets the rationed services.

That is actually pretty easy to figure out: Preferred people will get the rationed services. The very rich, families of high government officials, pop culture icons who support the party in power. In England the moslems will probably be preferred people just because the government wouldn't want to deal with riots if they weren't.

I can guess who the preferred people will be, but I'd like to see if the government has the guts to put that information out in black and white.

Here are some of the restrictions:

* Restrictions on some of the most basic and common operations, including hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery and orthodontic procedures.

* Plans to cut hundreds of thousands of pounds from budgets for the terminally ill, with dying cancer patients to be told to manage their own symptoms if their condition worsens at evenings or weekends.

* The closure of nursing homes for the elderly.

* A reduction in acute hospital beds, including those for the mentally ill, with targets to discourage GPs from sending patients to hospitals and reduce the number of people using accident and emergency departments.

* Tighter rationing of NHS funding for IVF treatment, and for surgery for obesity.

* Thousands of job losses at NHS hospitals, including 500 staff to go at a trust where cancer patients recently suffered delays in diagnosis and treatment because of staff shortages.

* Cost-cutting programmes in paediatric and maternity services, care of the elderly and services that provide respite breaks to long-term carers.

Again, no surprises, but it is nice to have things I've been saying (I among others) confirmed.

Socialized medicine leads to the government having more power. In this case they have the power to decide who gets what kind of health care.

I suspect that there is no private health insurance business in England to take up the slack even if anyone had the money to spend on it after they pay all the socialized medicine taxes. In fact, it may be illegal to have a private health insurance business in England.

All I have to add is that we will face this same thing in the United States of America very soon.

I will go out on a limb by suggesting that preferred people will include members of the SEIU, the New Black Panthers, outspoken homosexuals, the very rich, and families of government officials.

We are in for rough times. Get a physical and try to get any health issues you have taken care of as soon as possible. That is good advice any time but especially now. Another thing you can do is accept the fact that the older people in your life will probably have their health care rationed.

You wanted socialized medicine. Pretty soon you are probably going to have more of it than you really want.

Another 51 bodies found in Mexico. Ho-hum.

2010-07-25T08:46:00.002-05:00

Here is your link.

Honestly, in Mexico another 51 bodies seems to be no big deal. This is the most bodies found in one place in Mexico since - wait for it - May, 2010.

The only "good" thing about this story is that most of the bodies seem to have tattoos so hopefully these cartels are mostly killing each other.

Here is another great story about Mexico.

I'll bet El Pozolero does a great job mowing and weedeating. Wouldn't you like to have that guy as a neighbor? Well, you sort of do.

Mexican cartel siezes two ranches in Texas

2010-07-25T08:34:00.004-05:00

Link 1

Link 2

From Link 1:

Word broke late last night that Laredo police have requested help from the federal government regarding the incursion by the Los Zetas.

Good luck with help from the US federal government. Hussein isn't worried about people in flyover country, especially compared to future democrat voters.

More:

It appears that the ranch owners have escaped without incident but their ranches remain in the hands of the blood thirsty cartels.

Thank God for that.

The feds must have these people held in "protective" custody somewhere to keep them away from the media.

My favorite line from the article:

The hostile takeover of the ranches has met with silence with local and national media; however sources say they could be waiting to report the stories once the ranches are back in U.S. control.

From Link 2:

The media has been silent on this incident and some law enforcement in the area says that they are furious that the media is not reporting the whole story of the continued violence along the border. Their frustrations are understandable because keeping the truth suppressed continues to hamper law enforcement from receiving the true support they need along the border.

I'm glad I'm as far from the border as I am, but I still think I'm too close. I wonder if the Canadian government will do anything when the Mexican cartels start taking over their territory.

I've got a proposal for the cartels. If they leave American's alone we'll give them Washington, D.C. There would be a pretty good market for their products there.

If anyone can find confirmation of this information please pass it along.

I thought liberals LIKED higher taxes - I guess not for themselves

2010-07-24T10:13:00.004-05:00

Look out John Kerry. Your hypocrisy is showing.

While John Kerry wants you to pay more in taxes he doesn't seem to think he should have to. This guy who is a member of what is supposedly the party of the little guy doesn't want to pay the MA state taxes on his little boat. Little boat? It's a 76 footer worth millions of dollars.

Poor baby doesn't think he should have to pay taxes on it. Paying taxes if for suckers and peons.

I like being able to avoid taxes. I like buying stuff out of state or from individuals so I can avoid paying taxes. I'd probably better hide my dog after saying that because a SWAT team will probably kick in my doors to collect what I've been holding back.

The reason I'm pointing out Kerry trying to avoid taxes is that he supports higher taxes. For everyone except himself. That is a standard liberal point of view. Kind of like one of the socialists at work who was complaining about how difficult it is to use the pre-tax health savings plan. Socialists shouldn't be in a plan that lets them reduce their taxes.

Kerry likes higher taxes so much he should not only pay the full amount on that boat but he should be paying an extra $1 million per year to the state as a voluntary personal tax increase.

I've got an idea for a new federal law. I don't generally think there should be more federal laws but it is needed in this case. Here is my proposal:

If a congressman or senator votes for a tax increase he must prove that he has paid either an extra 10% of his gross income beyond his regular income tax or 10% of his overall wealth, whichever is greater, every year for the five years preceding the vote. If the congressman or senator cannot provide this proof then his vote in favor of the tax increase is invalid and will not be counted.

As far as I'm concerned, if you want to raise my taxes then you need to pay more. A LOT more.

Giveaway Time at Wretha's

2010-07-23T07:09:00.001-05:00

I love free stuff. I'd like to cut the cord, too, so to speak, so this is of interest to me.

Wretha and her husband have lived off grid full time since December 2007, there have been ups and downs, but all in all it's been a great adventure. Now Wretha and her husband have been immortalized in an off grid book, click here to learn more about it.
http://wretha.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-wonderful-guest-book-giveaway.html

Al Gor's Favorite Come-On's

2010-07-22T07:16:00.002-05:00

Can you imagine Al Gore's favorite come-on's?

Hey baby, how about you and me get together for some 'global warming'?

Honey, you're making my sea level rise.

Did you know that I was the VICE President?

Let me show you something Bill Clinton taught me.

You're hotter than the earth will be in 20 years.

You look so good that if I hadn't already invented the internet I'd invent it now just so I could post your pic.

This idiot is going to be fun to watch, but I hope he doesn't distract the masses too badly from the wonderful job the federal government is doing with Hussein, Pelosi and company in charge.

Al Gore and Bill Clinton

2010-07-22T07:11:00.003-05:00

Can you imagine the kind of locker room discussions Clinton and Gore had when they were together in the White House?

I'm waiting for someone to pull a blue dress with Al Gore's DNA on it out of the closet. Deja vu all over again.

I wonder if the LWM is scraping the bottom of the barrel looking for things to distract the public from what a lousy job President Zero is doing.

Prepping Recommendations for Liberals

2010-07-22T06:51:00.003-05:00

In case of emergency, disaster, riot, or societal collapse:

1. Lock your doors.

2. Call 9-1-1.

3. Wait helplessly for FEMA to rescue you.

4. Hope for the best.

5. Be secure in the knowledge that any bad thing that happens is Bush's fault.

Plum Pic

2010-07-22T06:47:00.004-05:00

That's a few plums.

We've now got about 25 pints of wild plum jelly. The ripest plums were starting to go bad so we froze the rest. We'll probably make a batch of 5 or 6 pints per week until they are used up.

I picked some wild plums this weekend

2010-07-19T08:10:00.002-05:00

I went out to the farm and picked three buckets of wild plumbs. I came home smelly, exhausted, and scratched. My better half has the much more difficult job of converting them into jelly or something else tasty.

I didn't have the camera when I was picking which is a shame. Only about half the bushes had plums but the ones that produced were heavy with fruit. They looked like bunches of grapes on the limbs. I hope to post pics of the harvest later.

If you go after wild plums you need some basic gear.

buckets

work gloves and heavy clothes including a hat

snake boots or chaps

limb trimmers or some other method of making a path through the thicket

eye protection is a good idea because the limbs will come up and slap you

insect repellent

lots of liquids to drink

sunscreen

My grandfather's method was to back his truck into the thicket as far as he could go (no doubt hoping he didn't get stuck and have to use the tractor to pull it out), then climb into the bed and pick from there. One benefit of that method is that you don't have to carry the buckets back to the truck when they are full. I didn't use that method because I figured that Murphy's law would dictate that the wiring for my tail/brake lights and possibly my brake lines would get snarled on a plum bush and ripped out.

Another entertaining possibility when picking plums is running into wild pigs. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to reduce the local population although they had been rooting around under the bushes. Next time I plan on staying an extra day so I can stake out the place at night after picking. I always drop plenty of plumbs when picking and it is impossible to pick most of them up. Pigs love plums so the one's I drop can become great bait for them. Sausage and wild plums would make a great combination.

Firms Cancel Health Coverage - What did you expect?

2010-07-19T08:04:00.002-05:00

I think I, among others, predicted this.

When the government forces people with an income to pay for health insurance for other people that don't have private insurance, pretty soon there won't be any private insurance. Companies will drop insurance as a cost saving measure and employees will go on the socialized plan. As more companies drop coverage the private health insurance companies will start going out of business which puts more people out of work and on the socialized plan. Revenue goes down while costs go up. Soon there will be a "crisis". Of course the federal government will be happy to step in and "solve" the problem it created with higher taxes, more regulations, while the quality of care goes down.

There is nothing so bad that a large dose of federal government can't make it worse.

Ammo Giveaway from Lucky Gunner and The Firearm Blog

2010-07-17T21:35:00.002-05:00

I can't resist a giveaway, especially ammo, so this one is great for me.

Lucky Gunner Ammo and The Firearm Blog are giving away 1k rounds of .380 ball ammo. This caliber is easier to find than it was for a while but 1000 rounds for free is still the best deal around. If you follow the link to The Firearm Blog you can find instructions on how to enter the contest.

Good luck.

Did you know that your BMI will be included in your MANDATORY electronic health record?

2010-07-16T12:32:00.002-05:00

Here is your link.

You mean you didn't know that you have a mandatory electronic health record? You may not now but you will. Among other information it will include your body mass index.

From the article:

The obesity-rating regulation states that every American's electronic health record must: “Calculate body mass index. Automatically calculate and display body mass index (BMI) based on a patient’s height and weight.”

Well, isn't that special?

Part of me sees the absolute need for this. When everyone pays for everyone's health care (actually, people with jobs will pay for everyone's health care) then everyone's lifestyle and health is everyone's business.

Maybe this data could be used to determine the kind of health care you will get when you are ill. Should a person who has been grossly obese and smoked for 30 years be as high on the list for a heart transplant as a normal sized person who doesn't smoke?

In case you haven't figured it out I don't actually think the government should be allowed to collect this kind of data. I'm just playing Hussein's advocate, so to speak. When the nation is accelerating towards bankruptcy then we may have to take measures like that to try and push out the date that we have to pay the Piper.

Back to the article:

The law also requires that these electronic health records be available--with appropriate security measures--on a national exchange.

I just love that part about "with appropriate security measures". LOLBIDWTSSATMHO (that is Laughing Out Loud Because I Don't Want To Start Screaming And Tearing My Hair Out). APPROPRIATE SECURITY MEASURES!? Sort of like the security we had surrounding nuclear weapons technology? Like the "security" at commercial airports?

Does anyone believe the government can secure this information?

Even when (NOT if) the data is compromised nobody in the government will be held responsible for the damage, but that breech of security will be used to justify another expansion of the power and size of the federal government.

Here is an interesting link from this article.

Another bit from the article:

The new regulations are one of the first steps towards the government’s goal of universal adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) by 2014, as outlined in the 2009 economic stimulus law.

New regulations. New regulations. Everywhere I look I see new regulations. Give it a rest for a while.

According to the CDC, “BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems.”

This is a picture of the US Surgeon General Regina Benjimin. She looks like she needs to be screened for these kinds of health problems.

Another "benefit" of these electronic records is that the government will already have a huge and detailed database for the mandatory national ID card. Doesn't that make you feel secure?

The New Bank Bill

2010-07-16T06:54:00.003-05:00

One thing that is holding the economy down is the uncertainty about what the government will do to us next. This bill isn't helping as far as I can tell. Any time the government does anything people are worried.

Link 1

This bill would create a "Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection" whatever that is. It sounds frightening to me. Something out of 1984. I'm sure the government will do all sorts of things for us for our own "protection".

From the article:

One of the candidates often mentioned for the top consumer spot is Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard Law School professor who was among the first to suggest the creation of an agency to safeguard consumers in their financial transactions.

If the part I highlighted in red isn't enough to disqualify her from having any position in government then I don't know what would.

This entire bill is rooted in the idea that the vast majority of people in this nation are too stupid to look after their own affairs. After seeing how many people voluntarily signed up for ARMs to buy more house than they could afford (and paid more for the house than it was worth) there may be some truth to that. However, it is not really the government's job to make financial decisions for people.

Here is another frightening part:

The Fed has until April to derive standards to measure the fairness of fees charged by banks to merchants for customers who use debit cards.

Seems to me that the standard for "fairness" should be that if a bank tries to charge me more for a service than I think it is worth I'll either find another bank or stay at the same bank but not use the service.

I've got a great idea. Why don't we have a new federal bureau that would derive standards to measure the fairness of how new and used car dealers treat customers?

On a more serious note, how about a new federal bureau to derive standards on how fairly the IRS and BATF treat citizens of the United States of America?

Probably the most frightening part of this is contained in this quote of Senate Banking Committee Chris Dodd:

"This bill directs the regulators to do things," he said in an interview. "We leave to the regulators how best to achieve the goals, but the goals are clear. Congress is not a regulator."

Like most federal legislation which authorizes someone to create regulations there seems to be no limit on what the regulations do. After this goes horribly wrong congress can sit back and say "It's not our fault. We didn't write the regulations."

Now for comments on another article on this scary bill. Here is link 2.

This one pulls no punches. First paragraph:

Congress approved a rewrite of rules touching every corner of finance, from ATM cards to Wall Street traders, in the biggest expansion of government power over banking and markets since the Depression.

Every time I turn around this administration and this congress are pushing for another expansion into every aspect of our lives. Enough already!!

I've got a new goal for congress:

Don't do ANYTHING!!!

I figure I'll start small and work my way up to the big things like undoing most of the federal laws past over the last century.

I don't think this bill is going to improve anything, except the for the people who are hired by the federal government to design and implement this monstrosity. Those people will get their money from your paycheck.

Ridding the country of illegals is the federal government's job

2010-07-15T07:47:00.002-05:00

The director of ICE actually said that. LOL. Then why don't they do it?

Here is your link.

From the article:

The director of the nation's immigration enforcement agency says states should not follow Arizona's lead and enact strict new immigration laws because ridding the country of illegal immigrants is the federal government's job.

Director John Morton says he doesn't think 50 different immigration enforcement laws is the answer to the nation's immigration troubles.

Evidently this John Morton is another one who hasn't read the AZ law but wants you to think he's an expert on it. He thinks you are too stupid to know what he's full of.

Are you angry, yet? Will you be able to hold on to that anger until November?

For that matter, will the federal government grant permanent amnesty to anyone that can get across the border by the end of December? That would be one way of "fixing" the AZ law, from the point of view of the current congress and current Presidential administration.

I'll bet if they announced that in July then we could have another 20 million new democrats by New Year's on top of the 20 million we already have here.

Record Rate of Home Repos

2010-07-15T07:31:00.002-05:00

Here is your link.

Not really much news in that article but I liked one statement in particular:

The root problems of job losses and wage cuts persist, making a sustained U.S. housing recovery elusive.

Did you get that? The housing recovery is elusive. I love that. It sort of rolls off your tongue in such a way that everyone listening is stuck dumb for the moment and by the time they recover you've moved on to something else.

Let me try that out in some other situations.

"Relief from the lion's chomping teeth and slashing claws was elusive."

That doesn't sound so bad. Let me try again.

"The people of New Orleans found frostbite to be elusive."

That sounds pretty good to me. Let me try one that is a little closer to the current economic situation.

"After the rope tightened around his neck the condemned man found oxygen to be elusive."

There was one other interesting statistic that the article threw out and I didn't take the time to try and verify. According to the article one in 78 homes received at least one foreclosure filing in the first six months of this year. They defined foreclosure filings as including notice of default, scheduled auction, and repossession.

Recovery seems to be elusive alright.

Have you seen a bunch of new road signs around lately?

2010-07-15T07:19:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago we took a road trip and and my better half commented on all the new road signs. Every old sign showing the highway number, speed limit, or warning sign about an upcoming curve had a new sign planted within ten feet of it. We saw a couple of crews out installing the new signs. The old signs weren't damaged that I could see and they still reflected.

I told her it was probably federal money that had to be spent so the budget wouldn't be cut for next year.

Looks like I was close to the mark. Seems that lots of signs are being put up with the so-called "stimulus" money.

According to this article there was one sign put up that cost $10,000. For one sign!!!! The signs I saw weren't so extravagant. They were normal signs but it looked to me like the state was spending a lot of money to replace every sign whether it needed to be replaced or not. This at a time with large budget deficits predicted.

My suspicion is that the money spent on these signs is coming from you and me by way of the federal government and it is specifically for signs. No signs, no money. So the state pays it's sign crews to put up signs.

I've got a great new idea. Why doesn't the federal government pay a bunch of SEIU creeps to go around and break every window in every city and town in the USA? That would stimulate the economy wouldn't it? Maybe while the federal goons are at it they could just burn all the vacant houses to the ground. That would solve the issue we have with surplus housing driving home prices down.

I think I might get into this whole "obamunism" thing after all.

Sanctuary Cities Safe from the Feds

2010-07-15T07:06:00.002-05:00

You've heard of sanctuary cities, right? Cities that so love being overrun by illegals that they refuse to do anything to help enforce our immigration laws. The federal government says that is ok while at the same time suing AZ for actually trying to enforce federal laws.

I forgot that it isn't nice to call them "illegal aliens" these days. The proper term is "future democrat voter". Maybe AZ should declare itself to be an illegal alien state. Then they could say "We are just enforcing the immigration laws that the federal government won't enforce."

Here is your link. If I were President I would call the head of ICE and tell him to track down that illegal in the picture shown with that article and have her out of the United States within 24 hours. If that didn't happen and the event wasn't caught on video for distribution to all news networks then that guy would be out of a job. Fired. No resignation accepted. Prohibited from having any job with the federal government.

I guess I don't have to worry about ever being President.

Here is the first paragraph from the article:

A week after suing Arizona and arguing that the state's immigration law creates a patchwork of rules, the Obama administration said it will not go after so-called sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with the federal government on immigration enforcement, on the grounds that they are not as bad as a state that "actively interferes."

That is some doubleplusgood doublethink and doublespeak. Enforcing the law is interfering with the law and not enforcing the law isn't interfering with it.

I'll stop here.

Cop reaches for taser, draws gun by mistake and shoots unarmed suspect, but no charges filed

2010-07-13T09:43:00.003-05:00

I'll bet you thought this was a dupe, but it isn't.

Thanks to Accept the Challenge.

This previous incident happened in California. The suspect was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car. The LEO reached for a taser and came out with a handgun and shot the suspect. No charges filed.

Do you notice the important aspect that led to no charges being filed?

Never Bring Another Lawsuit Against . . . .

2010-07-13T08:52:00.001-05:00

Black.

Wow.

Public's Faith in the President Hit's a New Low

2010-07-13T08:10:00.001-05:00

LOL. Here is your link.

My faith in him hasn't changed. I rate him as "Meets Expectations".

Sharpening Cold Steel Machetes

2010-07-13T07:18:00.002-05:00

I've sharpened several of these machetes that I bought during the 4th of July sale. I've been using a Spyderco Sharpmaker. At first it seemed a little awkward because I usually use it to sharpen a 4" blade instead of a 12" or 18" blade, but with a little practice it works ok. I do have to clean the stones a lot more often than when sharpening smaller blades.

I found that one of these machetes had a consistent edge over the entire length of the blade and it sharpened up easily over the whole blade. Two others had dull spots 2" or 3" long on them. On one barong style the dull spot was in the middle of the curve a few inches back from the tip. On a sax style the dull spot was about 3" nearest the handle.

I think they just weren't ground consistently along the edge. With a bit of work they sharpen up nicely. For the price these can't be beat, but I would really like to have a Marine Corpman's knife. I just haven't wanted to spend the ~$100 to get one.

Sorry, no pics at this point. I've been too lazy or busy to take any.

Fiscal Cancer

2010-07-13T06:52:00.002-05:00

Here is your link.

Erskine Bowles, White House chief of staff under President Clinton compares the debt this nation is piling up to cancer. I am thinking a freight train coming downhill is closer, but maybe liver or pancreatic cancer would be accurate. Definitely not benign.

This nation has overspent it's way into a huge financial hole. I don't think we can grow our way out of this hole.

First, because the debt scares people. When there seems to be risk of the government declaring bankruptcy most people want their money safe instead of risking it on a possible future business success.

Second, because the actions of government at all levels in this nation scare people. People are willing to gamble with their money when they believe they can accurately assess the risks involved. That requires a stable and consistent playing field. With this congress and this administration there is a proposal for a bunch of new taxes and regulations every week. A person can decide that they can succeed in a certain venture this week but the rules and regulations could change tomorrow so that they will fail. When government gets involved then all bets are off.

Third, because if the economy started to really recover then this congress and this administration would react by saying "Hey, everthing is great so we can increase spending even more" and that sort of thing. Government spending tends to be like highway traffic capacity. No matter how many lanes you add to the road the traffic will increase until the road is over capacity.

The federal and state governments need to take the time to read Dave Ramsey's books. That might prevent the collapse of the government. The decision to only spend what you have, to spend on necessities instead of luxuries, and to keep some in reserve would mean pain for everyone, but I don't see any way around that. If you have ever listened to Mr. Ramsey then you know what I mean. Sometimes people call his show and tell how they gave up their fancy car for a beater, gave up their boat, gave up the wide screen TV, gave up going out to eat every night and took a second or even a third job so that they could pay off some ridiculous debt. It is a painful process but in the end they are free. This nation needs to do that, but I don't think it will happen. The other alternative is for the government to declare bankruptcy. IOW to just come out and say "We aren't paying our debts. Too bad for anyone that holds any of our bonds because they have just become worthless."

The best we personally can do is get out of debt and have a plan B. A plan B for income. A plan B for food, clothing, and shelter. Having a plan C, D, and E wouldn't be a bad idea.

Russian Spy's 38 year old son has to go begging

2010-07-11T12:16:00.002-05:00

Here is your link, now go cry me a river.

I have some sympathy for the 17 year old. As for the poor little 38 year old who can't make it on his own, all I have to say is:

GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY!!

This crybaby would be better of in a socialist country so the government could make better people support him. Part of the spy exchange deal should have been that Russia had to take this guy, too, so his mommy could keep taking care of him.

Somehow I suspect that ICE won't go Elian Gonzolas on this loser. Too bad for us.

Only a small riot

2010-07-09T07:19:00.002-05:00

I'm glad things didn't get really bad. It could have been much worse.

I heard on the radio there were 50 to 100 arrests. Some stores looted. A lot of places in downtown were boarded up. Funny that the news this morning mentioned that " . . . windows broken last night were boarded up this morning . . . " and that sort of thing. I saw plenty of pics from yesterday showing buildings boarded up then to prevent looting.

Here are some pics of buildings boarded up Thursday before the verdict was read.

I didn't take the pics. They were posted by 44regular on arfcom and I shamelessly borrowed them.

Here are some links.

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

There is so much wrong in this story that I don't know where to begin.

Remember that this could happen near you. Even if you live outside the big city you probably go into town once in a while, right? Best pay attention to the news and make sure you avoid this kind of situation.

Johannes Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter

2010-07-08T19:22:00.000-05:00

Will there be riots?

Searches without warrants

2010-07-08T07:07:00.002-05:00

Isn't this pleasant.

In Oakland they have something called a "Specialized Multi-Agency Response Team" or SMART search. Basically, building inspectors, fire safety inspectors and police come into your apartment without consent or a warrant and search it.

This is United States of America, where your home is . . . well . . . it is whatever the government allows on any given day.

Are we nuts!? More Afghans AWOL in US.

2010-07-07T12:53:00.002-05:00

Here is your link.

The number is up to at least 46 and the latest was last week, July 1, 2010.

Here is a favorite line of mine from the article:

FoxNews.com quickly found at least 11 of the 17 AWOL Afghans on Facebook.

If 11 of 17 can be found on Facebook but they are still out there then that is a strong indicator that the government really isn't interested in finding these guys.

Two articles on the economy

2010-07-05T18:59:00.002-05:00

Link 1

Link 2

From the first article:

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is repeating a pattern that appeared just before markets fell during the Great Depression, Daryl Guppy, CEO at Guppytraders.com, told CNBC Monday.

From the second article:

Let us be honest. The US is still trapped in depression a full 18 months into zero interest rates, quantitative easing (QE), and fiscal stimulus that has pushed the budget deficit above 10pc of GDP.

The share of the US working-age population with jobs in June actually fell from 58.7pc to 58.5pc. This is the real stress indicator. The ratio was 63pc three years ago. Eight million jobs have been lost.

The average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks. Nothing like this has been seen before in the post-war era. Jeff Weninger, of Harris Private Bank, said this compares with a peak of 21.2 weeks in the Volcker recession of the early 1980s.

Now, for the quote of the day:

Your stunned silence is VERY reassuring.
Roz, on Monsters, Inc.

How to fix the polypropylene grips on Cold Steel knives

2010-07-04T22:08:00.008-05:00

I recently took advantage of the 4th of July sale at Cold Steel. I felt like I was lacking in fixed blade knives so I picked up a few machetes and some other knives, all of them from the "economy" end of the Cold Steel line. If you have any of these you will probably agree that the grips leave something to be desired, because they are slippery to the point of being dangerous.

Here is a pick of the grip on one. I don't know how anyone could get a grip on that. I have a couple of knives that I've been using for cleaning game and both of them have more traction when covered with blood than this does clean and dry.

I thought I could improve them without spending much more money on them. My first attempt was to use grip tape.

Grip tape works ok on the straight parts of the grip but didn't seem to stay well on the curves. Then, after the tape comes off it leaves a sticky residue which gets on your hands and picks up all kinds of dirt.

There has to be a better way and I think I found it. I borrowed a method used to modify the grips on Glocks. I probably won't be trying this on $400+ handguns but on a <$20 knife, sure. Here is my high-tech tool. I used the wide flat tip intended for soldering large connections that require a lot of heat. Here is a closeup of it. You could use the standard pointed tip just as well but it would probably take more time.

Here is what the grip looked like when I first started.

Here are some pics of a couple of these after I finished.

Now for a couple of details.

First, do this in a well ventilated area. The fumes are probably hazardous and they don't smell good.

Second, be careful with the soldering iron. Obviously, it is hot and can burn you badly. Also, the material on the grip can melt and it can stick to your skin and burn you. Use the same common sense and caution that you use when soldering wires and you will be fine. I recommend eye protection.

Third, be careful of the temperature on the soldering iron. Be sure to let the temperature stabilize before you start. As the temp changes the effect on the grip changes. The iron I used was inexpensive and does not have adjustable temperature. When this iron stabilized it was a little hotter than I think would be ideal. The ideal temp depends on how fast you operate and for my speed the iron was too hot and a couple of times I got the material too hot and it made strings. If that happens then move to a different area on the grip but don't touch what you just worked on or you will mash the grooves and have to do it again.

Forth, when you finish the grips will probably be too rough and will hurt your hands. I took a small piece of sand paper and went over them when I was finished. It didn't take much. I just handled the knife, then sanded a little, and handled it again until if felt right.

These knives are much easier to handle now and I don't have to worry about one slipping when I open up an animal and stick the knife inside to take out the organs.

Overall I'm pleased with the results of my efforts.

The only problem I see is that the scabbards were intended for use with knives that have slick grips. The rough grip snags on the inside of the scabbard and pulls it out. You can see the results here.

I haven't come up with a solution for this yet. Perhaps using the soldering iron to melt the cover onto the lining. Shoe Goo might be another solution.

I will probably give a review of these knives in the future after I've had a chance to use them a bit.

A Declaration

2010-07-04T08:46:00.002-05:00

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

— That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

— That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

— Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.

To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.

They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare,

That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

— And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

These men were declared criminals and traitors for these words. Make no mistake, we would be treated the same today.

Iranian Robot - Anyone want to bet that it has integral bomb mounts?

2010-07-04T08:39:00.003-05:00

I also wonder if it's a robot or just a short guy in a costume.

Here is your link.

According to the article it is named Soorena-2, after an ancient Persian warrior. At least it wasn't named "Muhammed Atta".

The article also quotes a press release in Iran:

"Such robots are designed and developed to be used in sensitive and difficult jobs on behalf of a person or as help."

I guess that there are some parts of assembling atomic bombs that are dangerous and a robot would be perfect for that.

BART Shooting Trial Goes to the Jury

2010-07-02T20:44:00.001-05:00

Everyone needs to keep an eye on this one. Especially if you live in or near the big city.

Getting on a comercial airliner just became more of a pain in the behind.

2010-07-02T13:07:00.002-05:00

Here is your link.

Basically the DHS issued a warning to law enforcement agencies that they believe terrorists have a renewed interest in planting bombs in luggage among other places.

A bomb may never be set off but we will all pay the price.

For that matter there doesn't have to be a bomb. Just continuous threats phoned or emailed to airlines or authorities. Fake threats don't cost anything and don't have to be directed at airlines. Malls, concerts, movie theaters, parades, sporting events, and almost anything else would be shut down as certainly as an airport would be.

The creeps could make it more realistic. Some camel jockey could pull the guts out of an old stereo or PC that he found in a dumpster, add a few pieces of PVC pipe, wrap the mess of junk in a walmart bag and drop it at almost any public place. Then use a prepaid phone to call in a threat. If the perp wants to spend even less money he could ask to borrow a phone in a store claiming that his phone battery died and he needs to call his wife and tell her to pick up the kids from school or whatever. If you did that at a big concert or sporting event there really could be casualties if the crowd panicked trying to get out.

If these wackos are ever successful at setting off a bomb in the checked baggage of an airline I wonder what the chances are that they will come into this country illegally across the southern border.

EPA shuts down oil refineries in TX

2010-07-02T10:31:00.002-05:00

Great. Hopefully this won't last long.

Link 1

Link 2

With the air quality in the Gulf region from the BP spill and the chemicals they've been pouring into the spill I can't imagine that these refineries would have a measurable impact. I suspect that part of this may involve people in the federal government wanting to show how vital their jobs are.

Terrafugia Flying Car Moving Ahead in the US!!

2010-06-30T07:09:00.003-05:00

Here is your link.

The summary is that the FAA made an exemption and classified it as a light sport aircraft even though it couldn't get under the normal weight limit for that class of aircraft. That classification means it will be easier to get a license to fly it.

Not that I could afford one at an expected price of $194,000, but I can dream, can't I?

Does this look like a person who should be telling anyone else what to eat?

2010-06-30T06:54:00.003-05:00

She seems to think that a federal law telling Americans what to eat would be Constitutional.

Here is the video:

She says in the video that she thinks a law requiring Americans to eat vegetables would be stupid. Looking at pictures of her I suspect she wouldn't think a law requiring Americans to eat donuts would be stupid.

The question that matters and that nobody has asked (at least I haven't heard about it) is this:

Which of the following do you agree with:

A. The Constitution is a restriction on government power and must be preserved.

B. The Constitution is an obstacle on the road to paradise and was written by a bunch of old , patriarcical, white guys who are dead anyway.

The answer to that question would be more useful than any of the questions I've heard asked in the hearings.

From what I've read and heard so far I think it is pretty clear what her answer would be.