Doctor No Has Left The Island

Statement from Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber announcing his resignation | Fox News:

I am announcing today that I will resign as Governor of the State of Oregon.

Personally, I'm delighted that Dr. John Kitzhaber has left the Oregon political scene. The reasons for his oh-so-timely retirement are unimportant compared with the resumption of good government to this state.

Why do I assume he will be replaced by "good government"?

It couldn't possibly be any worse.

(Expanded Fox News background available here)

Grin and Bear It

Video: Grizzly vs. Electrified Deer Carcass | Field & Stream: If you've ever considered electrifying your meat pole to keep bears off your deer, this video will make you think twice. For the Grizzly, a Youtube channel dedicated to grizz clips, posted this video of a bruin outsmarting a test set up by researchers. From the video description: "A Montana grizzly bear attempts to retrieve an electrically charged, road-killed deer. The deer is electrified as an experiment to protect hunters’ game kills and, in turn, to minimize bear-human encounters."

URL: http://youtu.be/pdM9YOYrcbs


(Hat Tip: Gary the T-Man)

Well .. isn't it?

CT Senator Says Anyone Wanting A High-Capacity Magazine Is ‘Arming Against The Government’ - Downtrend:

 It is absolutely irresponsible to even suggest that wanting to exercise one’s Constitutional right equates to a desire for armed insurgency. He’s saying that having a 30-round mag is the same thing as joining ISIS. The truth is nearly every gun owner in America is a responsible citizen, including the millions who own modern sporting rifles (AKA assault rifles) and 30-round magazines.

"Minute Men Much?"

I take exception to this blogger's suggestion that the Second Amendment completely disregards the possible need to take up arms to resist a dictatorial government.

(No, I'm not suggesting that firearms owners are ipso facto insurgents, or that equipment equivalencies are unconstitutional;  I'm just saying that quibbling about technical details are just one way of taking public attention away from Constitutional Rights and pointing that attention toward Political Differences .. which are nothing more than a lot of hot air.)

"Pay Per Mile" Vehicle Tax

Central Florida leaders to vote on pay-per-mile study | www.wftv.com

 ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Paying to drive may one day become a reality in central Florida. MetroPlan Orlando board members are considering a new pay-per-mile tax system. It’s a controversial proposal that’s getting attention from lawmakers. Instead of being taxed at the gas pump, drivers would pay a mileage fee.

Oregon tried to enact a similar tax plan several years ago.

It failed .. miserably!    And for many good reasons, not the least in that the vehicle owners objected to the intrusion and the fiscal overhead imposed on vehicle owners.

Oregon and New Jersey are (or were, last time I checked) the only two states in the Union which do not impose a State Sales Tax.

Legislators were desperate for new tax revenue, in addition to the State Income Tax.

The bill was defeated in Oregon, partly because it looked a LOT like a Sales Tax.  These taxes hit the low-income earners hardest, because their personal daily mileage are often a larger percentage of migrant, agricultural and low-income earners than of those whose "commute" is often off-set by urban transport.  Taking the bus to work may include the same amount of mileage, but is not taxed at the same level as these new 'personal vehicle mileage' measures.

Buy-A-Gun Day came early this year

I found an ad on my local gun club website offering a Marlin Model 60 rifle.  Ten-round tube fed magazine, offered at $195.

I bought it, and I'm glad!

I know the gun retails for $170, but it also included a Simmons 3-9x Variable scope (over $130), mounted and sighted in.  And a like-new soft case to carry it in.  The owner threw in a half-brick (500) rounds of Remington Thunderbolt HS ammunition.  Total value over $350, so it looked like a bargain.

When I actually saw the gun, it looked like new out-of-the box.  Bore was shiny, finish was perfect, the stock showed no signs of dings or dents, scrapes or scratches.  (It actually had some figure, which was a pleasant surprise to me!) As far as I could tell, I was the first one to actually fire it.

I met the seller at the range and shot five rounds of my own (Thunderbolt) ammunition at a tennis ball which happened to be propped up on the berm 50 feet away.  The scope was set at about 4.5x, so I took an offhand stance and nailed the ball first two shots.  It disappeared.  So I spent the next three rounds on shards of clay pigeons I could see.  Broke them all.  Off-hand.   It wasn't necessary; I had already decided that I had to have this pleasant little rifle.  It shoots better than I do; it was a bargain I couldn't afford to pass up!

Yes, I've read reviews which gave the M60 (unforgivable gun-pun) thumbs down on the trigger.  This one broke true and crisp.  No, it didn't compare with the STI pistols I use for USPSA competition, but it was crisp and non-creepy, and the trigger-pull weight was lighter than I had expected.  Apparently, SOMEONE had shot it enough to 'break in' the trigger, at least a little bit.

It has been 40 years since I shot a Model 60, and I had forgotten how much damn fun it was to shoot a scoped semi 22.

This one goes into the gun safe, and I'm hoping that The Hobo Brasser and I can go for a Sage Rat hunt this spring.  We had to cancel the one last year, due to Honey-Dew issues.

I've got a new bush-bunny gun, 1500+ rounds of high-speed ammunition, and a blood-thirst for varmints like I haven't felt for decades.

It isn't easy being Geek .. but it's a helluva lot of fun!