First Halloween Frightening Figure

First Lady toy story: Michelle Obama, joins Barack, gets action figure

Okay, so it starts out very mild MO gets her own action figure.







Then it becomes a little more personal.




















Finally, we get to All-Halloween, All the time, and I discover that I should be afraid; I should be very afraid!

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NBC Video Rewind

NBC Video Rewind

This was originally intended to link directly into an early "Saturday Night Live" show, where you could see the entire show.

NBC has got a LOT of full-show videos and I picked this one because I wanted to see what it looked like. But that was last Friday night, late, and I was just to tired to finish the research. So I just built a blog-stub and went to bed.

Tonite I came back, intending to finish the blog, but I couldn't get anything other than a Rainbow Peacock to display. But try the link anyway (NBC Video Rewind", above). Maybe I just didn't give it time to load.

So I went looking, and found something called "Classic TV", and it had some 'other' video options.

I picked "The Jay Leno Show", which took me to the JayLenoGarage.Com website.

That's good enough for now. I've given you a couple of links, you can amuse yourself as seems appropriate surfing through them.

I did view one video, though. And I even embedded it here. This is a 7-minute video from Jay Leno's Garage: "Jet Bike 2"


A couple of Leno quotes from the video:
(While riding the bike on city streets and a freeway approach ramp) --
"When you're riding sitting on a jet engine, it's scary ... but it's a lot of fun."

(After ending the ride, shutting the bike down in the garage) --
"That's the great thing about riding this bike, just the fact that you're still alive is a huge deal at the end of it!"
____________________________________________
UPDATE: 05-NOV-2009
I found the workable link to NBC's archive of Saturday Night Live. See it at:

http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/categories/season-35/1162362/

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Arnie and the "F-Bomb

Did Arnie (Arnold Schwarzenegger) drop the "F-Bomb" in an official letter last week?

Never mind the details. The facts are that a Liberal jokes-meister dissed Arnie at a dinner, while sponsoring a Liberal bill having to do with the Port of San Francisco. Arnie later released a statement refusing to support the bill, and some people believe it is more than a coincidence that the first letter of each line, taken together, seem to spell out the phrase:

"F - U - C - K Y - O - U"

This is, of course, mere supposition.

You can see the full text of the letter, which essentially vetoes the bill, here.

You can make up your own mind about the significance of the clearly accidental juxtaposition of the first letter of each line.

If the shoe fits ...

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The most unproductive day

Monday Oct 26 is 'most unproductive day' - Telegraph

According to the Telegraph (see above) Monday October 26th is the "most unproductive day" of the year.

I must have blinked. I missed it. Personally, I was very productive in my work on Monday.

If I missed it, the thesis must be wrong. At least, that's my theory.

Actually, it's not entirely bogus.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) is a very real physiological phenomenon, according to the Mayo Clinic:

Seasonal affective disorder (also called SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. If you're like most people with seasonal affective disorder, your symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody. Less often, seasonal affective disorder causes depression in the spring or early summer.

Don't brush off that yearly feeling as simply a case of the "winter blues" or a seasonal funk that you have to tough out on your own — you may have seasonal affective disorder. Treatment for seasonal affective disorder includes light therapy (phototherapy), psychotherapy and medications. Addressing the problem can help you keep your mood and motivation steady throughout the year.

And I'm living proof (at least in my own mind) that this is a true, actual phenomenon.

I like summer. Sunshine. No wind, no rain, nor dark of night ... as The Supremes say. At least during the hours when my body protests that it should be daytime, except that there's no sunshine.

But when Winter comes, I tend to get a little hunch-backed, and spend too much time thinking about blue skies, walking to the office from my car without getting wet, and going to the office AND going home after work in the sunshine, rather than in the dark.

That's why, when I transferred to my new office four years ago, I chose the work station which was closest to the door ... and to the light which is always on over the door.

The rest of my colleagues prefer to work in an environment without overhead lights. When I leave my desk, I enter the TwiLight Zone. Literally. They all have their own personal desk lamps glowing, but these are pitiful zones of light. Walking down the aisle between cubicles is like driving down a country road, where the only light comes from Mercury Lamps atop tall poles which our rural brothers position at the turn-off from the dusty gravel track which wanders from one homestead to the next.

My colleagues are nice people, but they're all virtual Troglodytes. It is as if they feel agoraphobic, fearful of the boundless open areas; they prefer the artificial boundaries established by the limited glow-ring of their 40-watt Halogen bulbs. Intense sunshine where their attention is fixated; everything in the shadows just does not exist. The 21st Century Cave is not for me.

But getting back to the main theme: although I prefer sunshine on my shoulders (makes me happy!), I can still enjoy a productive day under the mere influence of a few fluorescent tubes above my desk. So did Monday make me blue? No. Actually, I did accomplish my daily self-imposed productivity goals, and the day was rewarding. Fun, even: I think a person should find work that they enjoy, and when I do my job to my own personal standards, I enjoy the day.

I believe that the theory that "October 26 Is The Most Unproductive Day Of The Year" is pure bull-pucky. Some of my most unproductive days this year were during the height of the summer, and the reasons had absoutly nothing to do with the length of the daytime, or the amount of light impinging upon my own workspace.

Still, I know that if I did not have bright lights shining on me all day, it would be a total bummer, man!


PS: Dude, do NOT build your own ultra-light airplane and fly it back and forth across the rocky shoals of the California Coast. Think: Icarus, okay? You're, like -- not high enough, and not light enough, no matter what you're smoking.

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A Note to the Court About Gun Rights: "From My Cold Dead Hands!"

Pajamas TV - The Hicks File - A Note to the Court About Gun Rights: "From My Cold Dead Hands!"

Bravely (and shamelessly) stealing from "The Hicks File" on PJTV, I offer the following observations from this six-minute opinion piece:

"The policy on guns is not driven by practical considerations -- but by ideology."

"... lawbreakers break laws. That's -- what they do! It's silly to expect that a criminal will be deterred because there are laws to restrict guns. Criminals will always find a way to arm themselves. In fact, they can do it easier than you. Assuming, that is, you're a law-abiding citizen."

"Don't you agree that it's time that the second amendment got the same respect as the rest?"

And even though I have featured this video clip before, because I cannot resist, see also the following:

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Leaping wolf snatches photo prize

BBC NEWS | Leaping wolf snatches photo prize

Excellent photo, worth taking a moment to appreciate.

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Norm!

Portland, Oregon KPTV News on USPSA/IPSC shooting competiton

Take a look at a sport that combines target shooting with an obstacle course.

It may not be "New news" to us, but Portland (Oregon) television station KPTV has a portrait of USPSA competition up on their website.

Dated October 25, 2009, the web-article features People That I know! Norm and (son) Zack Bright, Dave and (daughter) Beck Sirea, show viewers how exciting it is to shoot Practical Pistol competition in the sun.

Just the introduction of a video featuring sunshine and outdoor activities without rain is News here in the Great Pacific NorthWet, and this video has lots of sunshine and shooting.

Emphasis on the family, emphasis on the sheer joy of shooting competitively -- Run & Gun is definitely Good News for us all.

We don't have the download available, so go to the link and watch it for yourself.


We're fortunate to have such photogenic people representing Practical Pistol. More important, it's obvious that they're having fun shooting "Race Guns" beside other handguns which are not as exotic in a fun, family-oriented shooting sport.

I strongly encourage you to go look at the article, and view the video. Heavy traffic on a commercial website (especially here in Blue State Oregon) is probably one of the best ways to demonstrate to the Main Stream Media that we "Support The Sport."

H/T: USPSA

UPDATE:
Also linked through USPSA, a video article about GM Jimmy Reed from Texas

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Cemetery Escort Duty

I received this in an email today from an old friend, Bill S., whose son Adam just recently returned from his (second? Third?) tour of duty in Iraq.

I can claim nothing about the content. It looks like fiction. At best, it's apocryphal; unsubstantiated and the author is unknown.

But it reads good, and I admit I admire the emotional content.

So I include the entire text of the email, including the few statements at the end, which are not directly related and seem excessively jingoistic.



On the other hand, I prefer jingoism to its exact opposite, which we see far more these days than we need.

Cemetery Escort Duty

I just wanted to get the day over with and go down to Smokey's. Sneaking a look at my watch, I saw the time, 1655. Five minutes to go before the cemetery gates are closed for the day. Full dress was hot in the August sun. Oklahoma summertime was as bad as ever--the heat and humidity at the same level--both too high.

I saw the car pull into the drive, '69 or '70 model Cadillac Deville, Looked factory-new. It pulled into the parking lot at a snail's pace. An old woman got out so slow I thought she was paralyzed; She had a cane and a sheaf of flowers; About four or five bunches as best I could
tell.

I couldn't help myself. The thought came unwanted, And left a slightly bitter taste:
'She's going to spend an hour, and for this old soldier, my hip hurts Like hell and I'm ready to get out of here right now!' But for this day, my duty was to assist anyone coming in.

Kevin would lock the 'In' gate and if I could hurry the old biddy along, We might make it to Smokey's in time.

I broke post attention.
My hip made gritty noises when I took the first step and The pain went up a notch. I must have made a real military sight: Middle-aged man with a small pot gut and half a limp, In marine full-dress uniform, which had lost its razor crease About thirty minutes after I began the watch at the cemetery.

I stopped in front of her, halfway up the walk. She looked up at me with an old woman's squint.

'Ma'am,may I assist you in any way?'

She took long enough to answer.

'Yes, son. Can you carry these flowers? I seem to be moving a tad slow these days.'

'My pleasure, ma'am.' Well, it wasn't too much of a lie.

She looked again. 'Marine, where were you stationed?'

' Vietnam , ma'am. Ground-pounder. '69 to '71.'

She looked at me closer. 'Wounded in action, I see. Well done, Marine. I'll be as quick as I can.'

I lied a little bigger: 'No hurry, ma'am.'

She smiled and winked at me..
'Son, I'm 85-years-old and I can tell a lie from a long way off. Let's get this done. Might be the last time I can do this. My name's Joanne Wieserman, and I've a few Marines I'd like to see one more time.'

'Yes, ma 'am. At your service..'

She headed for the World War I section, stopping at a stone. She picked one of the flowers out of my arm and laid it on top of the stone.. She murmured something I couldn't quite make out. The name on the marble was Donald S. Davidson, USMC: France 1918 .

She turned away and made a straight line for the World War II section, stopping at one stone. I saw a tear slowly tracking its way down her cheek. She put a bunch on a stone; the name was Stephen X.Davidson, USMC, 1943 .

She went up the row a ways and laid another bunch on a stone, Stanley J.. Wieserman, USMC, 1944.

She paused for a second.. 'Two more, son, and we'll be done'

I almost didn't say anything, but, 'Yes, ma'am. Take your time..'

She looked confused. 'Where's the Vietnam section, son? I seem to have lost my way.'

I pointed with my chin. 'That way, ma'am.'

'Oh!' she chuckled quietly. 'Son, me and old age ain't too friendly.'

She headed down the walk I'd pointed at. She stopped at a couple of stones before she found the ones she wanted. She placed a bunch on Larry Wieserman, USMC, 1968, And the last on Darrel Wieserman, USMC, 1970.

She stood there and murmured a few words I still couldn't make out.

'OK, son, I'm finished. Get me back to my car and you can go home.'

Yes, ma'am. If I may ask, were those your kinfolk?'

She paused. 'Yes,
Donald Davidson was my father,
Stephen was my uncle,
Stanley was my husband,
Larry and Darrel were our sons.
All killed in action, all Marines.'

She stopped. Whether she had finished, or couldn't finish, I don't know.
She made her way to her car, slowly and painfully.

I waited for a polite distance to come between us and then double-timed it over to Kevin, waiting by the car.

'Get to the 'Out' gate quick. I have something I've got to do.' Kevin started to say something, but saw the look I gave him. He broke the rules to get us there down the service road. We beat her. She hadn't made it around the rotunda yet.

'Kevin, stand at attention next to the gatepost. Follow my lead.' I humped it across the drive to the other post.

When the Cadillac came puttering around from the hedges and began the short straight traverse to the gate, I called in my best gunny's voice:
'TehenHut! Present Haaaarms!'

I have to hand it to Kevin; he never blinked an eye--full dress attention and a salute that would make his DI proud. She drove through that gate with two old worn-out soldiers giving her a send-off she deserved, for service rendered to her country, and for knowing duty, honor and sacrifice.

I am not sure, but I think I saw a salute returned from that Cadillac.

Instead of 'The End,' just think of 'Taps.'

As a final thought on my part, let me share a favorite prayer: 'Lord, keep our servicemen and women safe, whether they serve at home or overseas. Hold them in your loving hands and protect them as they protect us..'

Let's all keep those currently serving and those who have gone before in our thoughts. They are the reason for the many freedoms we enjoy.

'In God We Trust.'

Sorry about your monitor; it made mine blurry too!

If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under!




In the words of President Teddy Roosevelt, "We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."


--
Remember, the government cannot give anything to anyone that they have not first taken away from someone else.

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Other Peoples' Chaos

Opposing Views: NEWS:Crazy End to HS Football Game; Now Bad Sportsmanship?


High school football, Michigan, Homecoming Game. With 0.08 seconds left to play, the home team in possession of the ball and down one point at 28-27, they elected to go for the field goal.

The kick is blocked, everybody is cheering for the presumed winner, the favored Visitor team, when the home coach realizes that the ball has not passed the line of scrimmage; the ball is still in play.

The ... what do they call the guy who holds the ball for the kicker? ... anyway, #87 has already reached down and picked up the ball when he hears his coach SCREAMING from the sidelines. The visiting team is already streaming off the field, so he tucks the ball against his body and sprints across the goal line.

Touchdown. The home team wins, 28-33.

Then come the recriminations.

That's the short version of the story. Click the "Opposing Views" link and read the whole thing. Oh, and be sure to read the comments.

And I still don't like football. I just enjoy other peoples' chaos.

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El Presidente - The Hard Way

A five-shot snubby at an IPSC match? Well ...



... perhaps not the most competitive choice, but at least it's "Revolver Reliable".

Congratulations to "Mikey Scribbles" for boldly going where no man has gone before. And shouldn't.

H/T: Yawn

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Fat Pride

Opposing Views: NEWS:Should Fat People Be Protected Under Hate Crime Laws?

This article helps fill my Equal Opportunity Blogging quota in three areas:

1. Cite Opposing Views while they do all the work of actually researching the subject
   
2. Sneer at Hate Crimes and other versions of Nanny Statism
   
3. Hold The Brits up to public ridicule

The theme is: should Hate Crimes include offenses against not only Race and Religion and Sexual Orientation, but also Fat-ism?

I've coined the phrase "Fat-Ism" (fatism?) to loosely address the sin of discriminating against people because they are fat. I don't want to make it sound as if I'm singling out Fat People, if only because I don't want to be charged with a Hate Crime in case I ever visit England or San Francisco. Yes, I am actually talking about Fat People, but my guess is that it soon will be the 21's Century's "N-Word". And I'm not willing to say "Obese" because I've already got an "O-word.

But The Brits are all up in arms ... which is a neutered term in Great Britain, since they are no longer permitted arms ... because they think that Fat-ism is as bad as Racism and Genderism and Ageism and all the other dash-isms describing folks who think they're special because they're different from everybody else.

The Opposing Views article talks about, if you can believe this, the "Size Acceptance Movement".

Geez, what will they think of next.

Back in London, members of the Size Acceptance Movement said they constantly face discrimination because of their waistlines. Kathryn Szrodecki said that in the UK fat people are stared at, pointed at, talked about and attacked. "I have been discriminated against - I am a YMCA qualified fitness instructor, but I have gone for jobs and been laughed off the premises."

If you purport to be a teacher of grammar and you demonstrably cannot parse a sentence, nobody will accept you as a believable expert grammarian, either. Should we establish a League of Incomprehensible Grammarians for your defense?

This is beginning to remind me of Monty Python and the "Silly Walks". Twenty years ago it was funny; today, it is actionable. I do believe that the sun has begun to set on the British Empire.

BUT:
the article also quotes another interviewed person:

Marsha Coupe said. "I have been punched, I have had beer thrown in my face, I have had people attack me on the train. They say 'Move out of the way fatty! Well person coming down the aisle!'"

... and you know, that sort of sounds familiar. I recall grade school (shudder!) and the kid they called "Stinky" and threw dirt clods at during recess, because his/her family was trying to survive with an alcoholic mother and father and the seven siblings didn't have much chance at the cold-water shower, or clean clothes. They were lucky to have two sets of clothes, and laundry was not a common option. But we hated them because they smelled bad, and anyone who had the seat next to them was teased because they were said to "love Stinky Alphreda Cleveland" (true story).

I remember a "Fatty", whose mother always made sure that they were as well-fed as she, and she was indeed very well fed. Biscuits and potatoes and gravy, oh my! And that was just breakfast.

And I remember the skinny kid in Junior High School, who won the annual competition for First Chair in the Tuba Section ("Double-E-Flat Sousaphone) and got beat up by the other to Fat Kids who could carry the weight in a parade, but never practiced as the skinny kid did.

(I was "the skinny kid", but no more. Bet I still couldn't beat up the Fat Kids, though.)

Sorry, bit of a Senior Moment there, what?

Anyway, it's true that children can be unbelievably cruel, especially to kids that are different from everybody else.

I have to accept that The Brits, and even San Francisco have a point: people are discriminated against because they are ... well, Fat. It isn't as obvious or as prevalent in the adult population as it is among children, but it's still there.

The thing is, it really isn't reasonable to discriminate against people for their race. Even if you think some races are lesser than others (Racism), it's unreasonable to take it out on the individual. After all, they didn't choose their parents any more than you did, and if your attitude against people of other races is the hand-me-down bigotry of one generation to its children, you probably didn't do a very good job of choosing your parents either, now did you?

When you get into the non-gene-based bigotry, then it gets rather messy. People who hold an instinctive bias against Homosexuals, for example, are often heard saying "Well, they could just change their behavior, couldn't they?" It's a slippery slope, which goes even harder against people who Body Mass Index (BMI) is higher than, say, yours. (Before you speak, visit that last link and see how far from the 'norm' you are. Then think about it.)

It's easy to say "well, they could just eat less and exercise more, couldn't they?"

Easy to say isn't easy to do, usually. There's a lot involved here, including genes, family history ("... mother always made sure that they were as well-fed as she ...") and self-image just to name a few.


If you're not already in that place, put yourself in that place for a while. We're the product of our genes (nature) and our up-bringing (nurture). All of us. If you're an Adonis or an Aphrodite, you probably had a lot of luck in both life-lotteries. You probably also have worked hard to maintain your temple-like body. Good for you, and I do envy you for your self-discipline.

I work with a fellow, and also a lady, who both have a BMI far higher than mine. They are absolutely excellent at their jobs ... both technical. Think about it: you may be able to do one-handed push-ups (yes, I have been re-reading Robert B. Parker's "Spenser" series), but can you de-bug an SQR program or define a computer application from the point of view of the user of that application?

For that matter, I know an IPSC shooter who outweighs me by a hundred pounds, and he's a gentle friend who typically out-shoots me on even the run-and-gun field courses.

I don't buy into the "Inside every Fat Person, there's a Skinny Person crying to be let out" philosophy. But I do believe that when we judge people by appearances, or by how closely their life-style matches ours, we diminish ourselves unconsciously much more than we diminish them meanly.

Both Sides Now:
Having looked at "Fat-ism" from every aspect, I still don't think that it's a reasonable solution to make "Fat-ism" a Hate Crime.

Why?

Because I believe that the entire concept of "Hate Crimes" is hateful. It's too easy to go overboard, to live life by The Rules rather than a realistic attitude toward life and behavior. It's like comparing Digital to Analogue. Digital gives us the Internet; Analogue gives us Van Gogh. I trust that's self-explanatory, and if it's not you must be a Digital person who is patently guilty of Analogue-ism.

See how silly that sounds?

...

I leave you with one more thought.

San Francisco (Open up that Golden Gate) has already passed some Fat-ism legislation. Brrrr ... the mere act of using "San Francisco" and "legislation" in the same sentence makes my teeth ache and my manhood shrivel.

This from the cited article:

... where a law bans so called "fat-ism" in housing and employment. It also stops doctors from pressing patients to slim down.

San Francisco lawyer Sondra Solway told BBC News, "The San Francisco ordinance says you may want to mention weight to the patient but if the patient says they do not want to talk about that then you are asked to respect those wishes."

Oh, okay. So I didn't invent the term "Fat-ism" after all. Whew! That's good, I feel no more need for shame.

When San Francisco passes a law that disallows my physician to nag me to stop smoking, I may begin to feel some respect for them. (I would ignore the good advice, of course, as I always do.) Other than that, this is just one more excellent example illustrating that the Nanny Statism that is San Francisco is similar to the mindless predatory actions of a rabid skunk.

It (the culture and administration of San Francisco) smells bad enough even when it's healthy. When it gets sick, the only effective remedy is to put it down, then cut off it's head so the veterinarian can examine what's left of its brain to determine whether, if you've been bitten by it, you need to take that painful series of anti-rabies shots.

Brrrrrr!

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Soldier dies after receiving smoker's lungs in transplant - CNN.com

Soldier dies after receiving smoker's lungs in transplant - CNN.com

A leading UK hospital has defended its practice of using organs donated by smokers after the death of a soldier who received the cancerous lungs of a heavy smoker.

Corporal Matthew Millington, 31, died at his home in 2008, less than a year after receiving a transplant that was supposed to save his life at Papworth Hospital -- the UK's largest specialist cardiothoracic hospital, in Cambridgeshire, east England.

Papworth Hospital released a statement saying using donor lungs from smokers was not "unusual."

The statement added that the hospital had no option but to use lungs from smokers as "the number of lung transplants carried out would have been significantly lower," if they didn't.

Apparently, organ donations are not fully screened in the United Kingdom due to minimal funding under the National Health System (NHS).

In this case, the Iraq War Veteran "...was serving in Iraq in 2005 when he was diagnosed with an incurable condition that left him unable to breathe."

So he was put on the waiting list, and they eventually came up with a pair of replacement lungs, but they didn't tell him that the lungs they had came from a 2-1/2 packs per day smoker.

Less than a year later, he developed Lung Cancer and died as a result of his wounds ... delivered by a 'grateful NHS.

This is just more example of the reasons why Socialized Medicine is Not A Good Idea. The entire program is supported by The State, and when the money runs out it's Hobbson's Choice for you, my lad. "This is what we have; take it, or leave it."

He was told he required a transplant and in April 2007 received a double lung transplant at Papworth Hospital.

Less than a year later, doctors discovered a tumor in the new lungs. Despite radiotherapy, Millington died on February 8, 2008, at his family home near Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire.

The inquest found a radiologist failed to highlight the growth of a cancerous tumor on the donor lungs.

Tests found that he had received the lungs of a donor who smoked up to 50 cigarettes a day, the inquest at North Staffordshire coroner's court heard.

[Emphasis Added] One wonders why this "cancerous tumor" was not found on the donor lungs before they were transplanted.

The answer is obvious: they didn't perform the necessary tests before the transplant, and the most obvious reason is that the NHS was reluctant to perform the necessary tests. Forget the obvious lies which blame it on a radiologist. Trust me, if you have lung cancer it CAN be detected by a CT scan.

This evening I talked to SWMBO, who was diagnosed with Lung Cancer 15 months ago. Today she was scheduled for another CT scan, and informed by her insurance carrier that she would be personally responsible for about 10% of the cost of the CT scan ... which costs a total of $3,250 - $4,500.

She was nonplussed about the fact that, although she pays $600/month for insurance, she would be required to pay $350 - $450 for the CT scan. As she is unable to work, and lives on her pension, she was unhappy with the news.

Evil Private Medical Insurance Bastards!

Under NHS, Corporal Matthew Millington was not required to co-pay for the CT scan which would have detected the tumor in his replacement lungs. Under the circumstances, I suspect that almost anyone would argue that it was a necessary pre-condition to accepting a pair of lungs that a CT scan be performed. Since the article did not mention it, and because the test is definitive and WOULD have detected a tumor, it seems safe to conclude that a CT scan of the donor lungs was not performed prior to them being transplanted in the body of a young, otherwise healthy veteran.

But the choice was not offered to the veteran recipient. He probably was not even aware that the most definitive (albeit expensive) examination of the transplant organs had not been performed.

Instead, NHS rolled the dice for him and ... oh darn. Sorry, but we put a smoker's lungs into your body without thoroughly testing them and I'm afraid we put a cancer in there as well. But I'm sure you understand that we had no way of knowing about the tumor, because we really couldn't afford to make the tests. Stiff upper lip, Old Boy, and all that.

Now we in America are pondering whether to invoke Socialized Medicine upon our populace.

Perhaps it would be better to just cut our own throats and save ourselves the pain and discomfort of Bandages-On-A-Budget.

Evil Socialized Medicine Bastards!

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Slow Motion video of bullet impacts

YouTube - 1 million fps Slow Motion video of bullet impacts made by Werner Mehl from Kurzzeit

H/T: Scott F.

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Arnie Signs AB 962

Earlier this week, California's Governor Arnold "The Barbarian In Name Only" Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law. Nothing new there, but the bill defines some reasonable restrictions on buying ammunition in California.

For ammunition purchaser in California, AB 962 means that every time you buy ammunition you have to present ID, fill out a form, and leave your thumbprint on the form. (Search here for "AB 962" to read the full final text of the bill, including the history, voting and status.)

Surprisingly, the Canada Free Press published a condemnatory (aka: opposed to bill on civil rights grounds) article on behalf of the NRA, which laudes Arnie for vetoing Senate Bill 585, which would have prohibited fire-arms sales in the Cow Palace. This was obviously nothing less than a direct assault on Gun Shows.

But when it came to AB 962, Arnie Blinked:

Unfortunately, the Governor did sign AB962. This bill requires individuals purchasing ammunition be fingerprinted and registered at the time of sale, mandates that dealers keep these records and make them available for inspection by the California Department of Justice. Ammunition retailers would also have to store ammunition in such a manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. Finally, mail order ammunition sales are prohibited under AB962. Over twenty years ago, Congress abolished similar requirements because ammunition sales records were found to be useless for solving crimes. AB962 is a dire threat to our Second Amendment rights in the Golden State.

We see the word "registered" above (emphasis added) and while we are genetically equipped to oppose registration of firearms, this bill -- now law -- doesn't register firearms.

It registers nothing more than the purchasers of ammunition.

What's so bad about that? Oh, of course it implies that anyone who buys, say 9mm ammunition probably owns a 9mm firearm. In that caliber, it's probably a handgun. But anyone who purchases .22 ammunition may own either a handgun or a rifle. On the other hand, buying 5.56 ammunition suggests that the purchaser owns an AR type rifle. Buying in large quantities? You own an AR, and you shoot it a LOT.

Is that important information? Maybe. Maybe the sponsors of this bill actually fooled some folks with the descriptive text of the bill, which includes this verbiage:

   This bill would provide that a person enjoined from engaging in
activity associated with a criminal street gang, as specified, would
be prohibited from having under his or her possession, custody, or
control, any ammunition. Violation of these provisions would be a
misdemeanor.
   The bill would prohibit supplying or delivering, as specified,
handgun ammunition to prohibited persons, as described, by persons or
others who know, or by using reasonable care should know, that the
recipient is a person prohibited from possessing ammunition or a
minor prohibited from possessing ammunition, as specified. Violation
of these provisions is a misdemeanor with specified penalties.

Oh. So, the purpose of the bill is to prevent street-gangs from buying ammunition.

Strangely, there are no provisions for identifying "... a person enjoined from engaging in activity associated with a criminal street gang...", so what is a purveyor of ammunition to do, in order to abide by the stated purpose of this bill?

The actual text of this bill describes the dealer as "... a person who knows, or reasonably should know, is a person described in [various section of law, including those defining 'street gangs'] ..."

Note: no definition of "reasonably should know".

Does this sound a little vague to you? Does it put the burden on the dealer to know the un-knowable, rather than to put the burden on the Government, which has enacted this law, to provide a legal description and procedures which are reasonable to follow in order to accommodate this law? Does it strike you as generally unconstitutional?

Yeah, me to.

California Assembly GOP Leader Sam Blakeslee seems to feel the same way, as evidenced in "The Blakeslee Memo" as published in an October 14, 2009, article in "Capital Weekly: the newspaper of California Government and Politics":

To: "Assembly Republican Caucus"

Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:57:45 -0700

Subject: Governor's Signatures

Members:

Yesterday we all witnessed the public policy disaster perpetrated by the Governor's hand.

His decision to sign into law some of the most noxious legislative proposals brought before us this year is both disheartening and revealing.

Most of us have read in today's papers accounts of the Governor's shocking reversal of position on the issues about which we care most deeply: taxes, second amendment rights, family values, over-regulation, etc.

This sudden realignment of his position reminds us to remain vigilant as defenders of Republican principles: limited government, individual freedom and opportunity, the sanctity of the family, and public safety.

The SF Chronicle carries a couple of editorials about this subject. On October 5, 2009, an editorial asserts that the bill "... represents a sensible attempt to control the flow of ammunition to the criminals without constraining the rights of law-abiding citizens."

On October 14, 2009, another article describes the ramifications of the bill more fully.
According to this interpretation:

Starting in July, the law will require dealers to keep records of handgun ammunition sales for at least five years, and store the bullets securely out of customers' reach.

Like gun transactions, all ammunition sales will have to be face-to-face, a requirement that will force online buyers to arrange delivery of ammunition to a seller in California. Another provision makes it a crime to knowingly sell or give ammunition to someone who cannot possess it legally, including felons, gang members and the mentally ill.

As of February 2011, all ammunition buyers will have to provide a driver's license or other state identification and a thumbprint.

De León [the sponsor of the bill] said Monday that the bill gives police "a valuable tool to crack down on armed, dangerous criminals and gang-bangers in our communities."

Opponents said the restrictions would burden gun owners and dealers without impeding criminals.

"Ammunition or ammunition purchaser registration, in any form, serves only to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens," Gun Owners of California said while the bill was before the Legislature.

In signing the bill, Schwarzenegger said local governments that require record-keeping for ammunition sales have enabled police to arrest many illegal purchasers. Governments that regulate ammunition sales include San Francisco, Oakland, Tiburon and Contra Costa and Marin counties.

"Utilized properly, this type of information is invaluable for keeping communities safe," Schwarzenegger said.

For those of you who are not familiar with the political geography orf California, the counties cited above are clustered around San Francisco.

The article also mentions in passing:

The measure... survived close votes in both the Assembly and state Senate and strong opposition from gun-rights organizations, which succeeded in stripping a provision that would have required sellers of more than 50 rounds of ammunition a month to be licensed by the state.

One suspects that this provision was a "straw man" clause, intended to throw a bone to the Republicans who can now face their constituents, who will doubtless want to know why their representatives allowed such an egregious bill to pass, by saying "Hey, it could have been a lot worse. Look what we have done for you!"

Again: Is This Registration?

Well, maybe, in a sense. But that's not the most important issue here.

The most important issue is that it continues the recent trend toward stigmatizing firearms owners.

There was a time when anybody could own a gun. That was eventually attenuated by including the proviso that convicted felons, small children, and the certifiably insane should be prevented from owning guns. This is not, I must say, an unreasonable safeguard. If you are constitutionally or proven to be unable to safely own a weapon, then you shouldn't own a weapon. Case closed, period freaking dot done.

Unfortunately, this has been warped to suggest (as does this bill) that anyone who chooses to possess a firearm, or the means to use one, must also be restricted. This is regardless of any proven history of imbalance or irresponsibility.

Essentially, it lowers all responsible citizens to the questionable status of crack dealers and gang-bangers.

They don't even bother to define "... crack dealers and gang-bangers"! The California Assembly (and Governor Arnie) just cheerfully assume that if you want to buy ammunition, you must be A Bad Guy.

What Next?

Well, if you're a citizen subject of California, you're already screwed.

But if you're a citizen of another state you need to take a close look at this bill, and then keep a close watch on your own state legislature. As in: "Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer."

Because you can bet the farm that, while California may lead the way, your own state legislatures will be quick to pounce on this new approach to gun control, and they will try to dump the same kind of backward/sideways/upside/down laws on you, too.

Remember, you heard it hear first.

As A1 Ammunition Sales says:

You are responsible for knowing your own local state laws for the purchase of ammunition.

Stumble It!

Dry-Firing Safely.

One of the things which I try always to teach the shooters at the Introduction to USPSA (Live Fire) course is the importance of practice, specifically dry-firing and magazine reloading.

Not only is it important to help build muscle-memory and safe gun-handling skills -- including the basics of knowing where the controls (safety, magazine release, slide-lock, etc.) are located and how to use them without having to think about it, but it is at least equally important to know how to dry-fire safely.

The elements are a simple four steps:

1. Practice where you are alone, with no distractions;
2. Make sure that your pistol, and the magazines, are unloaded;
3. Ensure that there is NO ammunition in the room where you are practicing, and don't touch ammunition until your practice session has been completed;
   
4. Find an aiming point which is sufficient to stop a bullet if a Negligent Discharge should occur while you are dry-firing.

It's a simple set of cautions, but sometimes I think that the folks in the class tend to discount it as "not applicable". After, they're in the class to learn how to compete. They don't expect to hear safety rules about practicing at home.

Unfortunately, there isn't time (only three hours) to present all of the material, so this bit is often "mentioned" out of context and I usually feel that I haven't emphasized it enough. It's difficult to get the Bare Essentials across in the limited time frame, so if it's even mentioned in passing, that may be the best that we can do.

And yes, not only the class members wonder if it's pertinent in the often confusing set of instructions, but sometimes I wonder if I haven't gone beyond the realm of reality when I try to offer more information than is easily assimilated ... and remembered.

That's why, when I went through my EMAIL archives tonight, I was glad to read this article by Jim Shepherd in the October 9, 2009, edition of The Shooting Wire.

[Disclaimer: I would link to the article if I could, but TSW does not typically offer permalinks to their "editorials". I've been quoted by the author, Jim Shepherd, though, and I know he is aware that I often quote his editorials in toto. As respectful as I am about intellectual property rights and copyrights, I feel safe including an entire article here, for the cause of proliferating valuable information. By the way, if you have not already subscribed to The Shooting Wire, you can do so here. I encourage you to do so.]

The Article:
The Shooting Wire (Jim Shepherd) quoted 10/13/2009 9:55PM

Taking Your Education Home More Effectively

At the end of a long day of shooting drills, Gunsite Academy rangemaster Larry Landers was sitting with us in the classroom in a debrief. Actually, we were just relaxing and chatting when Landers asked us a question: what would happen to our improved shooting skills when we went home on Friday?

The answer was obvious: if we didn't do something to reinforce the skills we'd been practicing, they'd quickly go away. At that point, we'd either revert to our previous training levels - or actually find ourselves fighting new bad habits as a result of being unfamiliar with the newly-formed good ones.

One solution to practice when time or facilities aren't at hand: dry firing. Dry firing, Landers explained, gives any shooter the ability to work on a variety of skills, from the simple repetition of working the controls of your firearm to smooth breathing and consistent, smooth trigger operations.

"But you've gotta be careful," Landers told us, "dry practice means you practice safety to the ultimate degree. Unload your weapon, then check it again to make absolutely certain it's empty. If you're going to be using magazines, check them and be sure they're empty, too. "

Then, Landers told us, we shouldgo even further in the prevention of a negligent discharge. "Take the ammunition for that firearm" he said, "and put all of it in a box and move it to another room. Don't even have ammo that will fit that firearm in the room while you're practicing dry firing. And don't start to reload anything until you're done practicing."


He also had another safety recommendation we should all know- and follow. Remember that any firearm - especially a heavy caliber one - is capable of penetrating one - or several - walls in today's typically constructed home. So, he says, put your practice target on a wall that could handle "a catastrophic accident." Believe me, if you've ever suffered a negligent discharge - especially in your home - you know exactly what Landers is speaking about.

After taking those safety precautions, he says, it's a simple bit of practice "look up, locate your target, then press the trigger smoothly."

Reset, breathe, repeat for around 18-20 minutes. Any more, Landers says, and you're going to get bored. Boredom can lead to carelessness, and carelessness has consequences when it comes to firearms.

"No matter how long you practice," Landers says, "don't ever end on a negative. End on a positive note, regardless. Don't stop with a negative image in your mind."

After all, he says, the idea of dry fire is to help you eliminate mistakes and replace them with solid shooting practices.

Sounds reasonable to me.

--Jim Shepherd

Stumble It!

ARPC October 2009 match: "Thinking 3's"

It was ... nice, getting to a Practical Pistol match when I've missed so many in the past year. The Albany Rifle & Pistol club is about 20 minutes from SWMBO's house, and I arrived before 8am. I was the first shooter to sign in, so I was #1 on the squad sign-in sheet.

That was the first and last time I was #1 at the match.

I had only about 80 rounds of 10mm ammunition to feed the STI Edge GeekGun, so I didnt expect to compete in all the stages. As it turned out, I could only shoot 3 stages before I ended my personal match experience with only eight rounds remaining. The other 3 of 6 stages, I just worked as Range Officer for the squad. I didn't really mind, though. The important thing was being at the match actually participating, and allowing myself to just let the cares of the week float away while I enjoyed the thrill of "Gunsmoke In The Morning".

(Match Scores may be found here.)

As it turned out, I was squadded with the few members of "The Usual Suspects" who still competed on a semi-regular basis: The Hobo Brasser, Whitefish, and Higgie. AJ and KJ no longer show up at matches, Norm and Harold the Barbarian were also conspicuous by their absence. SWMBO is of course, not physically able to shoot because DAMN she has to wear the Oxygen Tank on her back and hasn't the strength to move smartly between shooting locations.

So this was All About Me, and I was content to shoot a few stages, work the rest, and enjoy the company of friends.

Match Director Mike McCarter was his usual devious self; he designed some stages which challenged each and every shooter to steer clear of the Rocks and Shoals of tiny steel targets, targets at long distances, and targets bordered by white "Penalty/No-Shoot" targets. I, personally, tripped up on every challenge, even though I only shot half of the stages.

One of the most challenging stages was "Thinking 3's".

This stage was rigidly constrained by vision barriers which offered the competitor to engage targets at any of five shooting locations. The bad part was that only a few targets were clearly visible from each shooting location. The Good News was that, perhaps due to an oversight or an error in stage construction, it was marginally possible for all targets to be engaged from three shooting locations ... the three the most-uprange .

The bad news was that if you lost track of what targets you had engaged, you were forced to move to more than three shooting locations. Also, the far-right target could be engaged from the near left shooting location, but it was a test of both balance and luck to actually hit the target from that location.

Also, just to make it "more fun", Mac set up the stage so that you had to over-extend your to engage the target. I fell into that trap, because I was so severely off-balance in attempting to engage this target, I was only able to actually hit the target on one of the three shots I attempted.

I realize this sounds terribly obtuse. Fortunately, I have a video showing three shooters on this stage, in cluding one who neglected to shoot is plan. It's worthwhile to note that al three outshot me.

Here's how it looked:

__________________________________
UPDATE: 13-OCT-2009
Evil Bill found a way to shoot the stage from TWO boxes, not three. It appears that the far-left target array, AND the near-left target array (behind stacked barrels) could be engaged from the center shooting location.

What a great way to game the stage!

In the actual event, the need to do multiple reloads (Evil Bill was shooting Single Stack Division ... no more than 8 rounds per magazine) may have slightly undermined the advantage of engaging the last two targets from the center, especially if only D-zone hits were possible. We can't see what the targets looked like from there.

But the point is that it was possible to engage the with a limited amount of movement, and the rest of us (at least in the two squads that I watched) never even noticed the possibility.

That's what makes this sport great. Almost 70 people walked through that stage, and shot it, without noticing that there was a way to minimize movement.

When I teach the Introduction to USPSA class (shooter certification), I emphasize that there are two ways to shoot a stage quickly: strive for accuracy, taken enough time to hit the targets without having to waste time making up misses; and eliminating time spent in unnecessary movement. Evil Bill is one competitor who has obviously learned this lesson well.



____________________________________________________
UPDATE: 14-OCT-2009
Is this The Blog From Hell? I can't go a day without posting another video version of this stage.

I love it!

"Yawn" chipped in with a comment asserting that he visited FOUR of the five possible shooting locations on this stage, and did just fine thank-you-very-much. And it's true, he did. (Video below, see the comments for the link.)

This video included all of the stages in the match. He often videos as many of the stages as he can and then posts them all together on YouTube, for which we-thank-him-very-much.

Looking at the video, you can see that Yawn has identified his shooting strength is speed in movement. Those who claim that "experience and treachery will beat youth and enthusiasm every time" are referred to another viewing of the video.

Not only does he move quickly and expeditiously from one shooting position to another, he has obviously scoped out every stage so he knows exactly where to go and when, for the most efficient solution to the shooting problem. Note that he performs beyond his15-months shooting experience in such matters of knowing when to reload without loss of time. (True, it doesn't always work out perfectly, but it saves him time more often than it does not -- and who among us can claim to perform more reliably?)

As a side note, I think it's a matter of integrity and honesty that he also includes the full video of his first stage, "Ba-da-Bing" in which he suffered an embarrassing "Failure To Feed" jam. Stuff happens to all of us, and I suspect that he cleared the jam as quickly as possible; there was a small glitch with his reload, but he covered most of it by doing a reload on the move between shooting ports. Jams do tend to rattle us for a few seconds, because when you are wired into your plan, it takes a while to get back into The Zone.

Here are the stages in the order he shot them, and the high-points of his performance:

1. Ba-da-Bing - recovery from a jam
2. Thinking 3's - quick movement
3. Guard Run - literally thinking outside the box and ammo management
4. Drum Line - masterly performance on a Memory Stage; great prior planning, and an excellent reload
5. 4 Bill Drill - great courage on a sucky Classifier stage
6. Double Up - excellent example of "Driving The Gun"

I should mention the video originality, apparently using a pre-staged camera on a tripod.

Oh, and when you watch this video, turn your speakers UP. The background scoring reminds me of the introductory scene in "Zulu" (one of the finest reenactments of a military action ever filmed).

Not bad for "C" Limited.

Someone should mention this, so I will: Yawn was StatsMaster at the match. He did all the sign up, all the EZScore crap, and all the data entry of the scores. And he drove around the range picking up the stage score-sheets. He shot the stages between sessions of statistical work. Not all of us can switch from desk-work to performance shooting so seamlessly.

Stumble It!

The Red Sparrows

YouTube - The Red Sparrows

Whether you're a Monty Python fan or a Benny Hill fan, you'll enjoy the formation flying of the Hempshire Fire Department Aeronautical Drill Team ...

THE RED SPARROWS!



(H/T: Gary "T-Man")

Stumble It!

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize!

There are two things today which I find it impossible to believe:

1. This is October in Oregon. The weather at the ARPC Pistol Match was clear and dry. Sure, it was a little chilly with the occasional gust of cold wind from the North. But if this is Global Warming, I'm all for it.
2. United States President Barrak Obama won the 2009 Nobel Prize for Peace. What a surprise, and the reaction was clear and dry. Sure, it was a little chilly with the gust of occasional gust of cold wind from the Right. But if this is Global Warming, I'm still a little dubious.

Among the "chilly" reaction to President Obama's surprising win (after all, he had been President for only 11 or 12 days before he was nominated) was the Saturday Night Live sketch as presented on The Huffington Post.

Sorry, that was the reaction from the Left.

For the reaction from the Right, here is Bill Wittle's reaction on PJTV:
Again, sorry; I can't embed PJTV videos. But I do encourage you to go view the entire 10-minute video where you will hear, among other phrases, "Groveling Apologist". You may have to register to view the video, after a few days have past and it is moved to their archives. Still, it's free and the website is always the source of fascinating political opinions.

---

To put this into some perspective which applies to shooting competition, The Hobo Brasser and I briefly discussed this startling development prior to the beginning of the Saturday (October 10, 2009) club match at ARPC. I suggested that he nominate me for the Nobel Prize for Peace next year, and I would nominate him for the same Peace Prize in the next year. He questioned me: "What have you done in the past year to improve the peaceful lot of the world's citizens?"

I had to admit that I had done "Not one damn thing!" to advance that cause. His reply was: "Great! You're qualified!"


Later in the match, we shot a stage requiring six shots in each of four targets, "Virginia Count". He fired 7 shots at one of the targets. I was the Range Officer, so after he completed that string I penalized him ten points for one extra shot, as per the USPSA Rule Book.

He was astonished, at first believing that I was adding the comment in a teasing manner. After the penalty was confirmed by the Assistant Range Officer and several members of the observing squad, and a careful review of the timer statistics, he declared that he accepted the penalty but re-affirmed that he was not aware, at the time, that he had fired an extra shot.

(During scoring, we found that he had hit the 35-yard target with all seven shots, so he was also penalized another ten points for an "extra hit".)

After the stage was competed, Gary Whitefish and I conferred and announced our decision to nominate The Hobo Brasser for the 2010 Nobel Prize in Math.

Considering Obama's win, we feel sure that The Hobo Brasser is a shoo-in for the prize.

As for the immediate reaction to Obama's being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize from the Norwegians, we can go no higher than the Wall Street Journal's reaction.

Sorry again, for the third of fourth time (or as Clint Eastwood would say, "In all the excitement I completely lost count!") we must go back to PJTV.COM for Andrew Claven -- On Culture.

Stumble It!

Gun-Rights Mom Killed in Apparent Murder-Suicide

Gun-Rights Mom Killed in Apparent Murder-Suicide - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

A suburban mother who became a voice of the gun-rights movement when she openly carried a loaded pistol to her daughter's soccer game was fatally shot Wednesday along with her parole-officer husband in an apparent murder-suicide at their home in Pennsylvania Dutch country, authorities said.

Police released scant details about the deaths of Meleanie Hain, 31, and Scott Hain, 33, but said more information would be released Friday after their autopsies.

---

Melanie Hain, who was cited for open-carrying a handgun at a soccer match in 2008 [see Geek Article here] was shot and killed, along with her husband yesterday, October 8, 2009.

Neighbors said the children ran outside and said their father had shot their mother, but Wright declined to disclose what investigators have concluded about how the deaths occurred.

Out of respect for the family, I will make no comment, other than to say that my position on the legal carry of firearms is not modified by this tragedy.

Stumble It!

Somali Pirates Mistake French Military Vessel for Commercial Ship - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

Somali Pirates Mistake French Military Vessel for Commercial Ship - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com

Somali pirates in two skiffs fired on a French navy vessel early Wednesday after apparently mistaking it for a commercial boat, the French military said. The French ship gave chase and captured five suspected pirates.

Is this an argument for unarmed vessels in the high seas?

No, I don't think so.

As they do there, so might we do here

Stumble It!

Hot Sauce Teacher

Hot Sauce Teacher Sentenced - Miami News Story - WPLG Miami

A teacher convicted of child abuse after her students drank a soda laced with hot sauce will not be going to prison.Sylvia Tagle was found guilty of one count of child abuse after, prosecutors said, she intentionally allowed children at Bob Graham Educational Center to drink the spicy soda in order to teach them a lesson about not taking her drink.

Uh, is this a tempest in a teapot?

The story doesn't provide the grade-level of the students (which might not correspond to the level of maturity of the students), but apparently the teacher added "hot sauce" to her soda, which presumably resided on her desk during the school day.

Another presumption was that her students were in the habit of drinking her soda during moments of the teacher's inattention , or more likely absence.

The charges imply that she deliberately added "hot sauce" to her drink in order to "booby trap" her soda. The reason? To keep her students from drinking her soda.

The question sees to pivot on whether she deliberately hotted-up her Pepsi to dissuade her students from drinking out of her cup, or whether she 'typically' hotted-up her Pepsi because she likes it that way.

Drinking even unadulterated Pepsi (no evidence that this was her soda of choice) seems, in itself, sufficiently teeth-gritting. Anyone who regularly adulterates her soda with hot sauce for her own enjoyment is suspect in my eyes. Ey-eeeeeew!

Which undermines credence of her defense I'm thinking.

Oh the other hand, if the little ragamuffins were slurping from her slurpy uninvited, I'm thinking You Go, Girl!

The Minor Monsters ought to keep their noses in their school-books, not in Teacher's 7-11 Monster Cup. How better to bring the lesson home, other than to make it a zero-sum Moment?

"Pet my dog? Sure. Read my Cliff-notes? Maybe. Drink our of my Pepsi Mug? Only at your own risk."

If she did, indeed, deliberately booby-trap her 16 oz Pepsi by making it taste BAD, I'm thinking that she ay have taught her students a far more useful lesson than the Three R's. This is NOT "A Bad Thing" that she did.

If it were up to e, I would give her a 12% bonus this year. Ten percent for living up to the expectations of being a Teacher, and two percent for originality.

And these yahoos want to put her on probation?

Pfahh! A pox on all their houses!

I'm sure glad that I, or my children, or my children's children, don't live in Miami. Those folks are all folked up.

Bunch a little beggars -- Not only the students, but also the School Administration, and the School Board.

Stumble It!

253420

253420

That's how many "Hits" this website has received since it's inception in December 2004. Over a quarter of a million. (I've been watching the stats for the last few weeks, waiting to see the readership count top that mark.)

Actually, the blogsite started a while before the statscounter dot com statistics software was installed, but that's not important. The BIG blogs often receive that many hits on a single day.

Still, I choose to interpret this milestone as meaning that I am providing information which is of interest to more than a handful of friends and shooting buddies.

I think I could round up more "returning visitors" if I stuck to IPSC/USPSA topics, or even to "Shooting Sports" topics. However, my interests are wider than that. If you don't like to read humor, cultural or political articles, you still have the option of "voting with your feet".

I hope you stick around, though. While I write primarily for myself ("because I must!"), my original intention was to provide useful information to IPSC/USPSA competitors. It's just that I think IPSC folks are interested in more than a single topic. And so, of course, am I.

Respectfully Submitted,
Jerry the Geek

Stumble It!

New Shooter Certification: October, 2009

It has been a few months since I was able to conduct a class in Introduction to USPSA at the Albany Rifle and Pistol Club. I've had family birthdays and other family situations which fell in unfortunate conflict with the regular first-Saturday schedule, and Mac has had to take up the slack.

I hadn't realized how much I missed this opportunity to familiarize "New Shooters" in the arcania of Practical Pistol shooting in the past six months, but to my joy I discovered that I had as much fun yesterday (October 3, 2009) as I did during my first instructional experience in June of last year.

Mac only identified one student (Corbin) when he notified me that a class was scheduled for October, but one is enough.


I was surprised -- and delighted --- when Luc ("Luke") and Gerry showed up for the class. One is enough for a good class, but having other attendees allows them to get to know other people in approximately the same situation. That is to say, they're new to competition in this oddball sport, and discovering that they're not the only people who are interested in IPSC/USPSA competition allows them to share their questions and experiences.

The standard syllabus includes:

1. practicing basic range commands: "Make Ready", "Unload and Show Clear", as well as knowing when the shooter session begins and ends ("Range Clear");
2. Engaging a single target;
3. Engaging multiple targets, and mandatory reloads;
4. Engaging multiple targets, reloads, moving to secondary shooting positions;
5. Engaging multiple targets from behind a Bianch Barricade;
6. Fault Lines - "In the Box", "Out of the Box", and neither "IN" nor "OUT" of the box (stage procedure definitions);
7. Immediate action to clear jams;
8. Scoring, role of Range Officer, and Assistant Range Officer ("Score Keeper")

During and after the standard live-fire exercises, we also found time to cover:

• forward-falling poppers;
• strong-hand/weak-hand shooting;
• stage walk-through, and the value of understanding the nuances of a stage before shooting the stage.

Besides live-fire exercises, we discussed the rules, including safe gunhandling, Match DQ's, responsibility of the shooter under varying conditions (including "What do you do when someone calls "STOP!")

Two of the students had studied the Columbia Cascade Training Manual (see link to the document at the CCS website, here) and had completed the worksheet. One student had not read the manual or completed the test. That he did not have the information needed to answer the 20 questions on the test, but still performed adequately during the live-fire portion of the class, proved that reviewing the test in class helped train people who don't have the advantage of having read the preparatory materials. In fact, after an hour discussion of the test questions the live-fire exercises showed no difference of actual gun-handling or stage-engagement ability between the two students who had read the material and completed the test, and the single student who had not been exposed to USPSA training documentation at all.

I hope that the student who has not read the manual will take the opportunity to do so before the test-match next weekend. We cannot teach all of the basic concepts in class, due to time constraints. We expect the students to read the manual before the first exposure to competition, both for their benefit and because we want to make sure than miscellaneous Safety concepts have been provided even if they are inadvertently overlooked during the three-hour live-fire instruction portion of the training.

---

It was no surprise to me that I found each of the attendees to be responsible, safety-conscious and skilled gun-handlers. We saw no major safety violations no safety violations at all -- these guys knew how to handle a pistol safety, and it took no more than a few prompts to keep the muzzle pointed downrange and the finger off the trigger.

Generaly speaking this was one of the most rewarding classes I have taught, given that it was not one-on-one training and I did not have an assistant to demonstrate each stage (I was my own demonstrator, and I fired a total of 12 rounds in demonstrating the stages.)

I brought my camera with the full intent to film the attendees, for their own benefit during the class. In the actual event, I had no time to use the camera. It wasn't really necessary, but I would welcome the opportunity to film a class some time in the future. I think it is (or would be) a valuable training tool, but perhaps more usable if the resultant videos could be used during the class rather than posted on the Internet for everyone to see. It's not a way to embarrass students, but a tool which they can use to improve their performance. But that is for a future date, with perhaps a smaller class and a dedicated photographer. Perhaps I can convince SWMBO to come along to perform that function.

Women in USPSA Competition:
One of the attendees (Gerry) noted in conversation that he would like to get his wife interested in USPSA competition.

Actually, she is already interested, but she is hesitant to enter training and (after that) competition because she doesn't feel comfortable in the milieu, although they have watched IPSC/USPSA competition at the ARPC club.

SWMBO has been available for the past several years to introduce women to USPSA, and to help make it clear that "Girls Can Do This". Although SWMBO will not, in the near future, be able to provide an active role-model in USPSA competition (because she has Lung Cancer, and cannot 'move about' without an oxygen tank on her back), she may be able to fulfill the duties of a "Demonstrator" for this very limited set of scenarios.

More important, she can server as a Role-Model to show prospective women competitors that competing in USPSA is a viable proposition for women as well as for men.

I know that SWMBO loves USPSA competition, and misses it more than you may imagine. Perhaps it would be valid to set up a class with only prospective female USPSA attendees, with a contribution by SWMBO to be limited to one or two demonstrations, and perhaps an opportunity for female attendees. to discuss the USPSA experience.

---

This last concept is very much off-the-top-of-my-head, but I am confident that we can define a situation in which she will be not only capable, but willing to participate.

It depends on her physical limitations, and the demand for a lady instructor. It may not be possible to set up until late next spring but I know that new lady participants are more likely to be convinced by another lady shooter than by anything I can say.

What about it? Are there men out there who would welcome an "Introduction to USPSA" class which was oriented toward Lady Shooters if there was an established Lady Shooter available to take an active role in the training?

Stumble It!

ASBO Revisited

Back in mid-august of 2007, I wrote an article about "ASBO", which is shorthand for the "Anti-Social Behavior Order" which The Brits hand out like parking citations rather than to arrest hooligans for -- well -- hooliganism.

The Brits call hooligans "YOBs". It's "Boy" spelled backward, and generally refers to "a thuggish young male".

It's suppose to be a form of a social contract. The police identify a "Young Boy Behaving Badly", speak to him firmly so he supposedly (a) knows what part of his behavior is unacceptable, and why it is unacceptable; (b) draw up a document in which the YOB promises to never never act badly in that specific way again; and (c) if the YOB once again is found to behave badly in exactly the same way, he is subject to criminal penalties.

My thesis is that if the YOB misbehaves in a manner which is not legal, he should be subject to punishment for a criminal action the first time. This may not change his mind, but at least it gets him off the streets for a while. It serves the further purpose of suggesting to his victims that if they are the object of his mis-behavior, the police will respond with alacrity.

The problem with ASBOs is that the victims feel -- and with good reason -- that their demand for equal protection under the law is NOT taken seriously.

However, the way it works is that the YOBs get an ASBO each and every time they act out, and they routinely ignore them. And the police ignore the repeated cycle of lawlessness.

In point of fact, my original article served to initiate a dialogue with a British citizen who claimed that he was a police officer and was proud to be one of the most prolific writers of ASBOs.

My thought was that, if his area of responsibility was so inundated by YOBs, the public might be better served if the police took a few of the off the streets, instead of merely giving them a stern talking-to and accepting their solemn promise to go and sin no more. The YOBs are demonstrably without honor, or any concept of honor, by definition.

The resulting exchange of email between myself and "The ABSO-Monger" continued for a couple of days. The most telling contribution was from the research I did, which found a statement from the Britsh Home Office that "ABSOs Work".

In fact, I can point to a comment by "The ABSO-Monger" in which he categorically states:

No one is a bigger fan of ASBOs than street cops. They know that they work. I have put quite a few wrong ‘uns in jail through ASBOs who were otherwise untouchable by the criminal justice system. Believe me – if you had something similar in the States you’d like them too. (In fact I’m surprised you don’t have something similar.

(See also: "David The ASBOmonger on Gun Control".)

No one is a bigger fan of ASBOs than street cops.

This statement may not be absolutely correct. If anyone is a bigger fan of ASBOs that street cops, it must be the YOBs. They just love it ... it's a license to steal! Also bully, harass, mug, intimidate, rob, maim, mutilate and drive their victims to a dispair that the only relief is suicide. (I'll get to that in a minute.)

Certainly the honest British citizen is no fan of ASBOs.

Case in point:
Thanks to Kevin at The Smallest Minority.
In his October 2, 2009, article ("Get Out. Get Out NOW"), Kevin links to the tragic case of Fiona Pilkington.

Fiona Pilkington had two "seriously disabled" children. The local YOBs chose these children, their mother and their home, to be the object of their continued abuse and assault. Pikington complained to the police ... 33 times ... that she and her family were being assaulted by rock-throwing children sometimes as young as 10 years old. Their home was literally surrounded by gangs; her children pummeled by thrown rocks as they biked home from school.

The police responded sporadically, never arresting anyone, never charging anyone. One time when a policeman was spotted leaving the Pilkington home, her house was surrounded by rock-throwing children; one parent even challenged her on her doorstep.

During the last of the seven years during which this harassment went on, Pilkington made 13 calls to police asking for help. They never responded. Finally, in 2007, Pilkington loaded her severely disabled 18-year-old daughter in her car, drove to an isolated spot, poured petrol (gasoline) in her car and torched it while mother and daughter were inside the car. Their bodies were identified by DNA.

The continued assaults on the Pilkington family lasted seven years; it must have become a tradition, almost a 'cultural climate' in the neighborhood to abuse the family. The neighbors knew about it, and they didn't do a thing to stop it.

The police knew about it, and they didn't do a thing to stop it.

Her MP, David Tredinnick, knew about it, and didn't do a thing to stop it.

During the Coroner's Inquiry subsequent to the death of Mrs. Pilkington and her daughter, Francecca, questions were asked of the police:

On the second day of the inquest, Olivia Davison, the assistant deputy coroner for Rutland and North Leicestershire, repeatedly asked why

“common sense and basic old-fashioned policing” had not identified the family as extremely vulnerable. She said that their human rights were being breached because they were victims of a campaign at their home in the village of Barwell, Leicestershire.

During four hours of intense questioning from the coroner, Chris Tew, then the acting Chief Constable of Leicestershire, admitted that his force had failed to recognise that the family’s 33 pleas for help were all linked. The force classified the offences as antisocial behaviour rather than as a crime. [emphasis added] He said that things had changed in the force and by the end of this year 2,000 officers would have been trained to spot vulnerable people who were either physically or mentally disabled.

"The force classified the offences as antisocial behaviour rather than as a crime."

Let's go back to an earlier statement by David the ABSO-Monger:

No one is a bigger fan of ASBOs than street cops. They know that they work.

No, ABSOs do not work. The street cops like ABSOs because they remove responsibility from the street cops to make the hard decisions to actually arrest someone.

When people surrounded the home and broke windows, why wasn't someone arrested?

When children pelted the Pilkington son with rocks as he rode his bicycle home, why wasn't someone arrested?

Why were a vulnerable mother and her vulnerable children driven to the most painful suicide of all? Could it be because they despaired of ever receiving protection from the mob which the police are presumed to offer to their most vulnerable people?

Certainly, British law allows no options for them to protect themselves. Still, would they not be better off in prison because they defended themselves against a mob rather than allowing themselves to be driven to a horrible suicide? Can't a civilized nation even protect its citizens from such an extreme 'solution'?

The Answers:
Britain is no longer a civilized nation.

British citizens no longer exist; the remnant are British Subjects, who cannot even depend on honest Imperialism to enforce a minimal semblance of civilization ... of humanity.


Two years ago I used the British National Health System as a mechanism to define a descent from civilization to Socialism ... which has failed in every attempt recorded by history.

I was dismissive of British Socialism, naively assuming that such drastic measures would never become a measure to which Americans would never resort.

Today, I sadly admit that Americans seem as liable to accept draconian Governmental measures to resolve undefined "problems" as were the Brits. Considering our current one-sided debates, I despair of the ability of Americans to resist the temptation to allow our country to descent into "Nanny-Statism", resulting in the undermining of support for the common citizen.

Anti-Social Behavior Orders - coming soon to an American State near you!
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UPDATE: 08-OCT-2009: "The whole thing is madness."
Kevin at "The Smallest Minority" has an article which is the perfect followup on this. Read it here.

Stumble It!