Woman Wearing Cow Suit

Woman Wearing Cow Suit Charged With Disorderly Conduct - Local News Story - WLWT Cincinnati

A Middletown woman is accused of being disorderly in public -- while wearing a cow suit.

A police report filed about the incident said Michelle Allen allegedly chased children in her neighborhood while wearing the suit on Monday evening.

Allen also urinated on a neighbor's front porch, the report said, and was warned by officers to go home and stay there.

A woman wearing a cow suit? Urinating on the porch?

She must have been really pissed off!

Utterly fantastic.

At least she lived up to her character.

Rumor has it that she had four male streakers inside the suit with her.

Family Pride

I haven't told you much about my family, mostly because it's boring to people who aren't part of my family.

But I'm going to take a long weekend (Friday thru Sunday) to visit out-of-state family, which means that while I may write on Thursday the chances are I'll be packing for my trip.

Most of my stuff is pretty boring, but if you choose to stop by here from time to time, this is a warning that there will probably be no new material for the next few days.

I don't need to tell you why. But I want to. If you don't want to hear about it, this is a good time to move on to something more interesting.



You may know that my son, the B-Geek, is in the Navy now. He has completed his A-school training (Master At Arms ... he wants to be a cop, which fills me both with pride and concern) and will soon be transferred to his permanent duty station for a 3-year tour. That station is too far away for a weekend visit, but this weekend only he will be within a one-day trip from my home while he visits his mother.

I'll be taking Friday off work and driving to where he and his wife (and the majority of his five children) are, so I can see them. I like my son, I like his wife, and I like their children.

Most important, I have brand-new twin grandsons as of six weeks ago, and this may be my best chance to see them for the first time ever.


There was a time in 1968, in a fire-fight in Viet Nam, where I found myself curled into the tiniest possible ball while I waited for a hand-grenade to go off, and my thought was a regret that I had never had children. I was 23 years old at the time, and frankly had never expected to come home, but until that moment I didn't realize how important it was that there be Little Geeks in the world.

(Then, I thought of them as "Little Sergeants", but that has changed over the years as my priorities changed.)

The grenade never went off, and I've since been blessed with two Little Geeks and they, in turn, have provided a total of seven Littler Geeks. No, I will resist the temptation to apply the title "Least Geeks". I am surprised to discover that children become even more precious in the Next Generation. I don't understand how that could be possible, but there it is.

The most recent two are twin boys. I've only seen their pictures. That I have never met them is A Darkness In The Force.

There is a school of thought which suggests that our progeny is a Narcissistic extension of our own ego. That may be true, I don't know. But to me, grandchildren are an affirmation of life.

They may grow up to be total rounders and worthless dregs on society, although I very much doubt it; their parents are too family oriented to allow such a travesty. Both my son and his wife, the Aly-geek, love children and all of their children know it.

It is important that children grow up with a sense of family. I grew up that way, and I know that the best thing I can do with my life is to pass that sense on to the twins and their siblings.

So I'll be spending some quality time with The Kids ... Jake and the Twins ... and this is hopefully only the first of many opportunities to acquaint my grandchildren with a sense of continuity.

It's difficult to do, given that career choices have taken my children, and their children, so far away from me.

But my children are determined that their children know their family, and that they learn Family Pride.

I couldn't be more proud of all of my children.

I'm gonna get ya, Sucker!"

Okay, Vinny, now you're starting to worry me.


Hat Tip to Michael Bane

(PS: For those who are "very concerned", please email me.)

Write to your Congress-Critter

I checked the votes on the $700 billion dollar ($700,000,000,000) bailout vote.

YES!

My congressman (Peter DeFrazio) voted against it. (I was not surprised that Democratic Representative Darline Hooley voted for it, but I was surprised the Republican Representative Greg Walden voted for it., and that Democratic Representative Earl Blumenauer voted against it.)

So I sent him (DeFazio) an email applauding his decision ... and I included a few suggestions.

Here's the full text of my letter:

Dear Representative DeFazio,
I want to thank you for your vote against the "Bailout" bill. I agree that this bill was being touted as a 'fix' without justification, and also that it was being rushed into place without sufficient thought and consideration.

Congress for the last week has looked like a convention of Door-to-Door Encyclopedia Salesmen. "Don't worry about reading the contract, you wouldn't understand it."

It is significant that 2/3 of the Republican congressmen went against the wishes of their party leadership (in the person of President Bush) to vote it down.

It is significant that 40% of the Democratic congressmen went against the wishes of their party leadership (in the person of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) to vote it down.

And it is telling that the Democratic-ruled House could have passed this bill without a single Republican 'Aye' ... and yet there was insufficient party unity to effect this simple walk-over vote.

Perhaps it is time that both parties put their divisive political efforts aside and begin working for America, rather than for Party affiliations. I realize how difficult this must seem in this year of Presidential Election, but considering that neither party has a viable candidate ...

This vote may be important in ways other than requiring, or refusing to require, the American Taxpayer to assume an even more crushing tax burden. It may cause both parties to step back and re-examine their role in ensuring the health of American society.

I encourage you to continue to search for the 'right' solution to our current economic situation, not for the 'quick fix'. I'm not convinced that your "No Bailouts Act" is the best solution, but it is at least evidence of your earnest attempt to find the root cause of the problem.

Surely Congress must take a look at regulation of GSE's, and at the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992.

As a rule of thumb, any bill which is supported by Rep. Barney "Nothing Is Wrong" Frank should be opposed.

And here is a video from a 2004 Congressional Hearing, which depicts Republican Representatives and Regulators begging for oversight on GSE's (Governmental Supported Entities, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) and the contempt of Democratic Representatives for the words of caution and "nothing is wrong" rejection of these cautions by Democratic Representatives:




Who did what to whom?
Check it out.

Jungle Run Slippage

I actually attended a USPSA match last weekend, Saturday. I didn't impress anybody ... I haven't been doing much actual shooting for the past year, and it shows ... but I had a lot of fun and I enjoyed the people in my squad.

In fact, I was having so much fun that I didn't drag the camera out of the range bag until the last stage of the match ... the Jungle Run.

Tell you the truth, I didn't even care very much that I wasn't filming the match, except that I missed a lot of 'funny stuff'. I decided that I would film a couple of shooters. It was sheer guilt.

Just my luck. I caught one lady shooter doing a very respectable job on the stage, and then I filmed another lady shooter in the most embarrassing moment possible: a Match Disqualification.

A bit of background is in order here.

The Jungle Run is an unimproved trail through ferns, low bushes and other moisture-loving foliage. The trail parallels a creek, and is in the middle of a small swale which traps moisture. The soil is clay, which traps and holds moisture in all but the driest summer months. Consequently, the trail is almost always a slippery surface, and in the competitors rush to move between targets it's all too easy to over-run your forward-leaning body posture. The slightest miss-step will pitch you head over tea-kettle, which is exactly what happened here.

I've seen it a dozen times. It's the kind of thing which makes the Dundee "Croc Match" an especially challenging exercise, but it's a Widow Maker.

Here's Judith, who demonstrated a classic Jungle Run stage. This version required the shooter to engage only 8 targets, but three shots were scored on each target with a final scoring 24 shots.




The video is classic, as is the stage. The first stretch of the trail is within the view of the starting point, although this is not a "Surprise Stage". The end of the trail is hidden from view, so all we know of it is that there are 'more targets'.

Then we see Kim's execution of the stage, and from the available footage it's impossible to see what she has "done wrong".




What happened is, Kim slipped on the wet surface and fell forward on the slippery rail. The impact jarred the pistol from her grip, resulting in a Match DQ because she lost control of her firearm. I don't know if the muzzle of her pistol broke the 180, and it doesn't really matter. As soon as she dropped the gun, the Range Officer (Brad) shouted WHOA! and took charge of the situation.

Brad did what he was suppose to do, and Kim demonstrated that she was a real Lady by accepting the consequences without Histrionics or any protest.

Well, it's a "Gun Down!" situation, what can you do?

Unfortunately, I have seen far too many competitors shift to Denial Mode at Warp Speed, but Kim was above all that. It speaks well for her competitive-but-not-excessively-so mindset that she was willing to accept the Match DQ with equanimity.

I liked Kim through the match, and I was impressed by her demeanor.

As he Common Wisdom had it;
"If you must DQ, it's best to do it on the last stage of the match. At least you don't miss out on most of the Fun Stuff".

It's worth mentioning that she had some bad luck on the first run (she was the first squad member to shoot the stage), but her score was not recorded. She was reshooting the stage when she DQ'd.

If nothing else, this serves to prove that a reshoot very rarely improves one's score.

Tough luck, Kim. But you recovered like a champion.

Kava Maga - Israeli Self-Defense stuff

I keep tripping over this Israeli Self-Defense "No Quarters!" stuff on You Tube. It looks a lot like
"300" (the guy even looks like the gentleman who plays Laertes).

Probably, the techniques they propose are do-able if you're a super-quick, super-aggressive buffed up guy who has a LOT of training.

For the Average Geek, it looks like Suicide by Mugger.

The demonstrator does not fail to pay homage to the "Give Up Your Stuff -- It's Only Stuff" mantra, and this seems responsible to me.

And certainly, breaking or burning a hand when the grab-the-gun technique is a little bit too slow to be 100% effective is better than getting shot in the face.

Still, I think this can safely be slotted into the "Desperation Moves" category for the Average Geek.

I'm not sure I'm physically capable of doing this.


The theory is good:

When you're confronted with an armed assailant, and he tells you "Hands Up!", during that process ("he is expecting you to move your hands"), you transform the motion into grabbing his pistol and twisting it away from your body, and away from his trigger-finger hand so he is less likely to reactively pull the trigger.

(Somewhere in here there is some verbiage about blocking the hammer with your other hand, but it sounds like even the demonstrator isn't all that convinced that this is going to happen.)



During this movement, you rotate the pistol over 180 degrees, so that it breaks the trigger-finger of the aggressor. After that, you relax the tension on the gun so that the broken trigger-finger doesn't interfere with your pulling the pistol out of his hand.

No, I'm pretty sure I couldn't do this without a lot of training and practice.

Maybe you're a better athlete than I am (Well, that's almost a 100% certainty), but it still smacks of desperation.

American Bail-out! (A Modest Proposal)

An Open Letter To:
George W. Bush
President of the Unites States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, District of Columbia


From:
Jerry The Geek
You Know Who I Am
You Know Where I Live

Dear Mister President;

My VISA card is maxed out, the rent is past-due, and I have some grandchildren whose birthdays are due in the next six months. I am heartbroken that I cannot pay my bills and continue to give money to my family.

I hear that you have proposed a Seven Hundred BILLION dollar ($700,000,000,000) bailout to the banks who have been obliged to follow the dictates of a Democratic congress for the past ten years, advocating the approval of mortgages to people who can't afford to buy the houses they are now forced to give up.

It occurs to me that this money would be better allocated to people who did NOT buy a house they could not afford during this period.

I don't know who these mortgagees are, nor how many may be involved, but I'm reasonably certain that you don't know, either. I've read the Patriot Act, and it doesn't appear to cover this population segment.

You don't know who they are but I bet you know who I am.

I am reliably informed that there are 200,000,000 people in this country over the age of 18; they have voted, or soon will vote in Presidential elections. Why don't you give the money to these people who pay the taxes and pay the taxes, instead of bailing out the banks who have placed them in this untenable position?

$700,000,000,000 distributed among 200,000,000 Americans would place $3,500 in the pocket of every voter in the country. Ignore the children (that has always worked for you in the past); give the money to the Families and let them distribute the wealth as seems most appropriate.

Note that married couples would receive $7,000, which buys a lot of Christmas presents ... if I can still use the word "Christ" in an email.

Please send my $3,500 Bailout Bucks to me, Jerry the Geek, post haste. I really need the money in order to avoid a Financial Crisis.

Help me to avoid a Panic!

Jerry the Geek
You know who I am.
You know where I live.

PS: Please send a Money Order. I don't trust checks. I would rather you don't tell the banks about this scheme.

Reville

Link: 11 minutes.

I was in the army, 1968-1970 (active service, RVN).

My son is in the Navy (2008 - ?)

No rivalry is involved.

I salute him, gladly.


: The Hobo Brasser

Trevormaster

"Trevor" is a Local Shooter, a Master-class shooter in USPSA (in more than one Division). He's a teacher, a hard worker, a nice guy and someone whom I love to watch while he's tearing up the cardboard and knocking down the steel at a match.

He's fast, he's accurate, and he has the moves.

Trevor has been posting some videos on YouTube this year (2008), and if he's not too shy to post them, I'm not too shy to show them.

Here are a couple of his videos, just to pique your interest.

The first one appears to be a video montage from the ARPC Single Stack Championship, 2008. I'm glad I didn't compete in that match, now, because I couldn't do as well as he did even if I was shooting with my Race Gun.

(NOTE in the second stage sequence, the door is closed at the start of the stage. It is opened when the activating target is knocked down; you can see it S-L-O-W-L-Y opening. It's important to find some other 'constructive shooting' things to do while waiting for that door to open.)



The second video shows Trevor shooting Chucks full-auto Glock. Note that Chuck is a LEO, and is authorized to possess full-auto firearms.



Frankly, I don't think the full-auto shoots much faster than Trevor shoots a semi-auto pistol. Certainly, the ration of hits to rounds fired can't be any better.

Night of Thunder: A Bob Lee Swagger novel

I've just finished Steven Hunter's newest book, "Night of Thunder".

This is a book which I was able to put down.

Once.

It showed up in my mail box, courtesy of Amazon.com, two days ago. I read the first three pages and thought I better go do my chores. When I went to bed, I read some more, but was too tired to continue. So I put it down the second time.

When I picked it up the next day, I finished it. I didn't need the bookmark because I couldn't put it down.

Yes, this is another Bob Lee Swagger book, and Bob The Nailer is in high form.

I admit, I was a little disappointed by the preceding Swagger novel, "The 47th Samurai". I read this in October of 2007, and reported that Bob "Goes All Samurai". Although I enjoyed the concept and especially the dialogue, I thought the scene where a sixty year old broke-down sniper learns The Art of The Sword in a few weeks and then beats a Master Swordsman in a fair fight was too great a strain on my willingness to suspend disbelief.

No such stretch of the imagination here. The skills and abilities of Bob are reasonable, considering that Hunter worked hard to set the circumstances to match the possibilities of our Aging Hero.

The Aging Hero
The Possibilities of the Aging Hero are harder to portray than are the Problems of the Aging Hero.

For years, Robert B. Parker worked hard to keep his no-first-name hero Spenser young, viral, active and strong. Spenser was a Korean War Veteran, which put his birth date somewhere around 1938 or 1939 (The war ended July 27, 1953. Spenser must have spent at least 6 months in-country. He would have been in training for six months before being posted, and was 17 when he enlisted according to Spenserian Lore. Do the math.) The Godwulf Manuscript, the first Spenser book, appeared in 1973 ... Spenser would have been about 37 years old. The last Spenser book, Now and Then, was published in 2007. Parker is struggling to get the last book out but he has moved on to 'other heroes' because the penultimate book "Hundred Dollar Baby" (2006) illustrated a 33 year timespan ... Spenser would have been at least 68-70 years old, if continuity of time had been a factor in composing the stories. Unlikely to be beating up recalcitrant bad-guys.

That's not a problem if you're Charley Brown, who stayed 10 years old for over 30 years. But if you want to depict a realistically strong hero who is a 3+ tour veteran of the Vietnam War (Bob), and you deliberately put your latest book in an action sequence which ends in 2009, you must acknowledge the effects of time on your Last Action Hero.

Hunter allows Bob to age. Bob has doubts, makes mistakes in logic, questions his competence. Hunter also portrays Bob as 63 years old in 2008 or 2009, which puts his birth date around 1944 or 1945.

What can Bob actually ... do? In a combat situation?

He can rely on his skills and conditioning. (Bob is a man who never stops 'playing with guns', practicing skills, and doesn't lose that competitive edge. He's also a hard-working rancher, who maintains a better physical condition than, for example, a same-aged Geek slaving all day over a hot keyboard.)

No, the character of Bob, as portrayed in this book, is not inconsistent with his chronicled age. I don't know what Hunter will do with him next year, but this year he's more believable than he was last year.

The Story
The pace of the story was excellent.

Some of the clues to the mystery weren't hidden so well that the reader couldn't figure out solution. Rather than detract from the story, this is the mark of the Master Mystery Writer: it is consistent with the goal that Agatha Christie always strove for, an Honest Mystery. The clues are there for the reader. It's not enough to spot them, the Amateur Detective must figure how they fit with the facts, and interpret them correctly. There are sufficient Red Herrings tossed into the fish stew to make it both challenging and fun. No, I didn't have it all figured out, it wasn't what you could call predictable. Still, I 'had a clue' and that added to the fun of reading.

One of the joys was the discovery that we renew our acquaintance with the Grumley and Pye families, who are returning characters in previous incarnations of the Swagger Saga. Not these particular Grumleys and Pyes, of course: the descendants of the (few) survivors of those books. They're just as bad, they're just as evil, they're just as degenerate as they have been for three generations ... and they continue to constitute a Target Rich Environment.

There's even a strong "USPSA" thread, which I believe makes this a "Must Read" book.

Read The Book/Own The Book
Don't borrow this book. Don't check it out of the library. Buy it! You will find yourself going back through your collection of Hunter novels and re-reading a select few which deal with the sword play, the history of Nikki (now a 24 year old journalist), and the adventures of Earl and Hot Springs.

(Note to The Usual Subjects: SWMBO gets my copy to read next. Yes, I refused to let her read it first. After all, she has been bogarting the latest J. A. Jance novel for the past 2 weeks.)

At 287 pages, this isn't the longest book that Hunter has written. But with its continuity of time and place, the tight writing, the sparkling dialogue and driving action (sorry, I couldn't resist), this could well be one of the best.

Given Stephen Hunters consistently high quality of writing, that's high praise indeed.

Navy shows off unmanned submarine-detecting craft - Los Angeles Times

Navy shows off unmanned submarine-detecting craft - Los Angeles Times

The U.S. Navy is planning to stock up with "Robot Boats" to patrol Litorral waters.

SAN DIEGO -- To the world it might be called a robot boat, but its proper name is the Unmanned Surface Vehicle, and the U.S. Navy expects it to be a major tool in countering what officials believe is a growing threat posed by quiet diesel-powered submarines owned by rogue nations.

In advance of the official roll-out today, reporters were allowed to see the boat on Thursday at Naval Base Point Loma before it took a trial run on San Diego Bay.

The goal is to greatly expand the Navy's ability to detect hostile submarines by sending the unmanned boats, equipped with sonar, to probe the nooks and crannies where subs might be hiding to ambush a Navy ship or a merchant vessel.

The boats will be controlled by sailors at a safe distance on a much larger ship.

The Navy wants to have 32 of the unmanned boats, each packed with the most-sophisticated electronic gear available.

The first of the two boats, developed and stuffed with sonar-detection gear, cost $197 million.

In the future, the price is slated to drop to $46 million per boat.

Each aluminum-hulled boat is 39 feet long, weighs 17,000 pounds and can carry up to 5,000 pounds of intelligence-gathering technology while traveling up to 35 knots in rough waters.

If all goes as planned, the first will be deployed in 2011, possibly to the Persian Gulf, where the Iranian navy says its submarines, lurking undetected, could close the Strait of Hormuz, through which tankers carrying much of the world's oil supply travel.

The boats are meant to be launched by the so-called Littoral Combat Ships, shallow-draft ships that can maneuver close to shore.

My son will complete Secondary Training in his Primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) at the end of the month ... Master at Arms. Also known as Shore Patrol, or Military Police. That is to say, he will be a Military Cop. He will be stationed at San Diego for the next three years.

I assume that this is one vessel which will not call for a MoA to be stationed on the deck.

Or however the Gobs say it.

Woman Trapped in Home by Giant Pig

FOXNews.com - Rescue Planned for Woman Trapped in Home by Giant Pig | Europe News

Caroline Hayes, 63, tried to leave her house in Uki, New South Wales, to use the outdoor toilet, but the animal bit her and shoved her back inside.

Bruce, who is the size of a Shetland pony, showed up at her home 10 days ago after his owners were unable to cope with him and let him loose in the rainforest.

Hayes began feeding the beast, but he became more aggressive, demanding more food and biting her on the leg when she tried to go to the toilet.

Local rangers tried to rescue her but could not capture the huge animal.

The case has now been handed over to the Rural Lands Protection Board (RLPB), who have promised not to put the animal down.

Hayes told how she took pity on the beast, but it soon took over her home.

"When I found it, it had 15 ticks in its eyes which I actually took out," she said.

"One of its eyes it couldn't see out of, so I put cream in it, but apparently it's actually claimed my land and claimed my place."

Cujo ... V-2.0 ??

Practical Pistol Practice: Air Gun Style

Shooting Wire: Action Airgun Competition Worldwide

Jim Shepherd, in his Monday (September 22, 2008) article, writes about the joy of practicing Practical Pistol with an Airsoft pistol.
It's actually a kit (available for 'under $300, but not by much') consisting of:

• a 1911 pistol, same weight as the Real Thing, that shoots airsoft pellets
• pellets
• gas cartridges
• targets
• "target holders"
• A timer which is especially sensitive -- it can pick up the sound of the pistol's discharge

I'm not sure what else is available in the kit, but apparently it's everything needed to simulate action pistol shooting in your garage.


_______________________________________________

I'm so pleased to report that The Shooting Wire is now posting their ENTIRE daily (almost) articles online, including Jim Shepherd's reports.

If nothing else, that allows me to link to their website rather than to copy-and-paste Shepherd's article while worrying that I can only actually copy "this much, and no more" of the content without worrying that I am violating his/their copyright protection.

I don't know how long they have archived their three-times-a-week (Monday/Wednesday/Friday) webmail posts; it's a relief that they are doing so now. Here's a big Geek Thank You to the folks at The Shooting Wire.

WashingtonWatch.com - H.R. 6842, The National Capital Security and Safety Act

WashingtonWatch.com - H.R. 6842, The National Capital Security and Safety Act

Some people aren't happy about this. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland's 8th District), for example, isn't happy because both Maryland and Virginia have state laws forbidding the purchase of more than one firearm a month. So does D.C. This bill would disallow D.C. to have continue a similar existing law, and Van Hollen doesn't think that's fair. (The link includes both a BAD YouTube video, and the full text of his remarks.)

What this bill, the substitute bill, would do is say the people of the District of Columbia, they can’t pass the same law the people in Maryland have and the people in Virginia have. That is absolutely wrong.

He's also outraged that:

This bill eliminates, for the purpose of the District of Columbia, the ban on interstate trafficking of guns that applies to every other jurisdiction in this country, which not only puts at risk people in the District of Columbia, but puts a burden and a risk on the people of all the surrounding jurisdictions. Why would we eliminate that provision which applies throughout the country just in the District of Columbia?

He may be right. It may be that the the Supreme Court will soon be addressing similar infringements on the 2nd Amendment by states, not just D.C. It may come to that.
_____________________________________________

This is a very confusing issue ... no surprise to most of us.

One of the confusing factors it that, although HR6842 has been passed by the House, and forwarded to the Senate, there was an 'alternative' (House Report 110-843) which was reported to have "replaced" the original bill.

The "Second Amendment Enforcement Act" (HR6691 -read into the house on July 31, 2008) may be the 'alternative' which was accepted by the house.

(Full Text available here ... I think.)

[This is strikingly similar to the 2003 "District of Columbia Protection Act" (HR3193), which apparently failed aborning.]

That bill seems on the surface to address the more egregious actions of D.C., including the definition of a semi-automatic firearm as a "machine gun", and requiring registration of firearms.

And just when you think you understand what's going on, you look at the dates on the bill and they don't seem, somehow, to be ... sequential.

---

Without conducting a line-by-line comparison of H. Rept 110-843, HR6691, HR6842, and the original "Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975" (District of Columbia - I do have what seems to be a thorough reference here but I can't say that this quotes the Act directly), it's impossible to tell what existing statutes are being addressed by which 'new' bills.

(Wikipedia summary of FCRA/1975 here.)

My intention is not to act as a legal scholar by thoroughly compairing all existing and proposed legislation to provide a point-by-point evaluation of this body of legal action. I'll leave that to someone who is so inclined and who is qualified.


The purpose of this is only to caution you to not be too optimistic that the latter legislative actions are not necessarily going to result in what you may personally consider a pure interpretaion of the Second Amendment, as you understand it.

Please, do prepare yourself to be somewhat diappointed in this, the third round in the D.C. v 2nd Amendment, controversy and legalistic embroglio.

Remember, all participants are lawyers.

Or Politicians.

Almost 100% of the time, all politicians are lawyers, which constitutes the most deadly boulibaise of self-interest, drive for re-election and bias that the world has ever seen.

"First, we hang the lawyers"
-- William Shakespeare

"It ain't over until it's over"
-- Yogi Berra

Sunday Night

I love Sunday evenings. I never know what the night will bring. It is as much the ending of the previous week as it is the beginning of a new week.

Sunday is primarily a Blogging night. The best night of the week (beginning or end) because I have decided, some months ago, that I will bring the best thoughts of other, better men (and women) for the consideration of you and me.

Specifically, I use a "Random Quotes" generator to summarize my current mood and thinking, for no better purpose than to direct our thoughts to subjects which we might otherwise not consider. Because the quotes are presented randomly, I usually require myself to "Use The Force". I say 'usually, because last Sunday I tried a new approach: I published only the thoughts and words of a single author, in this case it was Mark Twain.

Sometimes I try to guide my articles using the quotes, but I fear that this has been haphazard at best. "Breaking News" has an energy all its own. I am often and easily distracted.

Tonight, I though I would spend some of our time talking about the quotes I found, and why I chose them.

One thing you should know is that the software only allows 500 characters in the area which I have chosen to publish them ... that would be the blue area with white letters at the top of the page. If you haven't yet noticed that it changes every week, now you will know to pay attention to it.

Here's how it looks this week:

If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?

- Vince Lombardi

I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way.

-- Franklin P. Adams

I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and I didn't like it and didn't inhale and never tried it again.

-- Gov. Bill Clinton

Here's how it would have looked, if it could be kept within the 500 word limitation:

If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?

-- Vince Lombardi

I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way.

-- Franklin P. Adams

When I was in England, I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and I didn't like it and didn't inhale and never tried it again.

-- Gov. Bill Clinton

The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.

-- Thomas Jefferson

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.

-- Mark Twain

The vice-presidency ain't worth a pitcher of warm spit.

-- Vice President John Nance Garner

Why did I choose as I did, and why did I edit as I did?

Interesting questions, and I'm glad you asked them.

Winning: Vince Lombardi

This blog is dedicated primarily to Practical Shooting, and I have demonstrated time and again that I am not deterred by my inability to 'win' any match, stage, division or class. Lombardi was a professional and he is paid to win. I am an amateur, not particularly skilled, and my payment is the joy of competition and the joy of shooting.

I compete because they keep score, which allows me to evaluate my shooting skills against others. When I discover that they are better than me, it's only an interesting factoid; it isn't a disappointment. I'm here for the fun and for the good people that I meet here. I'm occasionally thrilled if I win something by any measure of the game, but it doesn't spoil my day if I lose by every measure of the game.

Information: Franklin P. Adams

I don't know who Franklin P. Adams is, and I don't care. He lived from 1881 to 1960 and had a kinky way of looking at things. The thing that interests me is that in his long life, most of it lived WAY before the advent of the Internet, he researched life the same way I do. He starts an information search on one subject, and discovers that he is easily distracted by fascinating incidental subjects.

I do the same thing. I start out reading an article in the newspaper (for example) and soon discover that I'm reading other articles in the same source. I have frequently written on subjects discovered in this manner, and my original source is only infrequently recognized by a "Hat Tip".

You experience may be similar. Or not. I don't care, frankly, although I encourage you to explore the available resources 'on-line' and I appreciate the wealth of information available here.

Smoking Marijuana: Bill Clinton

I have a TON of things to say on this subject, and I've never found an appropriate venue to say them until Bill popped up on my Event Horizon. If you're a Fan of Bill, I apologize for off-putting you by revealing my prejudices. Here are my thoughts on Bill.

I like Ike. Campaign slogan, sure, but it summarizes my adolescent appreciation of President Dwight David Eisenhower. He spent his entire tenure playing golf badly. (Not as badly as Gerald Ford; as nearly as I can tell, Ike never hit a spectator with a golf ball. Ford did ... twice. Look it up.) But Ike did initiate the Interstate Freeway System to provide emergency landing strips for American Bombers and fighter planes in case of a national emergency. As it turns out, we haven't needed them for that purpose, but in the meantime we enjoy some of the best highway systems in the world.

Bill's accomplishments include ...feeling our pain. He made a career out of feeling our pain, but he never contributed much toward the otherwise-laudable goal of easing our pain. He raised taxes, he initiated the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA, and what a joy that has been), and he spotted the occasional blue Dress.

During his initial run for the presidency, as "Governor Bill Clinton" (Arkansas), Bill found himself in a debate with his presidential opponents. As I recall it, the interlocutor asked the question "have you ever used drugs?". The response from William Jefferson Clinton was:

"When I was in England, I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and I didn't like it and didn't inhale and never tried it again."

I have a few thoughts on that subject. Please, act surprised.

First, my impression of a man who says "I didn't inhale" are the same as the impression of a man who says "I didn't swallow". Read into that what you will.

Second, I sometimes step outside of my office building to take a smoke break. I light up on the steps, right next to the posted sign which states: "No smoking allowed within ten feet of the building entrance". (This is intended, I believe, to prevent smokers from blocking the entrance and also to prevent visitors from dying as the consequence of inhaling 'second-hand smoke'.)

One day I thought about the wisdom of this practice, and mentally postulated the following exchange:

Visitor: "Hey, you're smoking by the door! You can't do that, it's against the law!"

Me: " It's okay, I didn't inhale."

Visitor: "But you're blowing smoke all around, and it's forbidden."

Me: "Wait a minute. Bill Clinton said he smoked Marijuana, but he didn't inhale. He was elected President of the United States based on this concept. How can you judge me differently?"

Visitor: "Bill Clinton was a Democrat!"

I rest my case.

(Note that I deleted a few words of the direct quote; this was done only to fit the quotes within the 500-character limit.)

Vice Presidents: John Nance Garner

"The vice-presidency ain't worth a pitcher of warm spit."

I find this quote particularly significant in light of the recent nomination of Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate.

The Republicans love her: She's a Republican governor with integrity, she's outspoken, and she pisses of the Democrats. What's not to like? Besides, she has only two years of experience in this Executive position, which constitutes a slap in the face of the Democratic Presidential Candidate, B. Hussein Obama (who has ZERO Executive Experience and whose limited Senatorial experience has produced ... nothing worth bragging about.)

Because of her candidacy, the Dems are currently forced to attack her 'lack of experience', which only high-lights their own Presidential candidate's own lack of experience.

Perhaps more important, Theodore Roosevelt entered the Vice Presidential race with less than 2 years of experience as the Governor of New York. And there were at least two other presidents (including Calvin Coolidge) who came into the office of President with little more executive experience than Sarah Palin.

John Nance Garner was FDR's first Vice Presidential pick, and he had little respect ("... not worth a bucket of [warm] spit") for the office. It makes us wonder whether the office is that important, sometimes, considering that the office is largely ceremonial and the office holders ... and observers ... are often so unimpressed by their duties (see here and here and here).

Reading: Twain and Jefferson

Finally, we come to the concept of "Reading" as an important factor of intelligent participation in society.

This was, in my mind, the most vital concept of today's quotes, but I had to delete the whole thing to meet the 500 word limit mentioned above. It is perhaps the reason why I wrote this article, and I promise to be as brief as possible.

The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.

-- Thomas Jefferson

and ...

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.

-- Mark Twain

The last quote was included last week. The first is (or would have been) included this week.

The point of both sources is that it is important to read. Jefferson used the concept to denigrate the use of newspapers as a primary source, which may be interpreted as a criticism of the New York Times and other Main-Stream Media.

Twain took a broader approach, postulating that ANY reading of ANY kind would broaden one's intellectual horizons, encourage us to consider new thoughts which we cannot spontaneously envision based on our own experiences, and consider concepts which are foreign to us ... but which may be valid nonetheless.

I believe that they are both correct, and that the priorities which they individually encourage are not two sides of the same coin, but entirely different in detail ... if similar in the broad concept.

Twain encourages us to read ... above all else, read as much as you can so that you can learn what other people think. It may cause us to consider abstracts which had never occurred to us before.

Jefferson encourages it seek other sources of thought than the popular media, which may be tainted by the preconceptions of the authors because there are often "hidden agendas" in the popular media.

Fortunately, the solution to these tendencies to cleave to insularity of though is readily available through the variety of conceptualization provided by the Internet. Read the thoughts of people who do NO agree with you. Avoid the comforting familiarity of those whose opinions mirror your own; you will not be critical, and uncritical reading is the balm of petty minds.

The rest of the analysis is left as an exercise for the reader.

SNL - Chevy Chase Wants Tina Fey to 'Decimate' Sarah Palin

Okay, it's National Politics Night on Cogito Ergo Geek.

Chevy Chase Wants Tina Fey to 'Decimate' Sarah Palin

I think this is one of the most timely, brilliant sketches that Saturday Night Live has ever presented ... without Dan Ackroyd, John Belushi, Land Sharks, Killer Bees, or "Wild and Crazy Guys".

Chevy Chase is, of course ... Too Retro To Live.

Change we don't need

(Must ... control ... the ... fist ... of ... death.)

Obama campaign rep STUMPED on legislative accomplishments


I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist.

H/t: Big Dawg

Ryan Frederick - Predator or Victim?

Another Drug Raid Nightmare: The railroading of Ryan Frederick - Reason Magazine

I'm "Late to the Party" on this topic, and the situation is so complex that I can't make sense of it without giving you the background in excruciating detail.

Since I've spent the last 2 hours following the thread of this story (which started about 9 months ago in January, 2008), the best I can do for you is to provide the intro, and the links, and let you follow the breadcrumbs.

The primary source is Reason, which I consider a responsible on-line magazine. A word of caution: there are under stories which you may discover, as I did, as you read. Note that I don't always agree with Reason, and my inclusion of their source material should not be interpreted as an endorsement of their position. It is, after all, an "Opinion Magazine". I'll show the links as I followed them originally, for the sake of brevity.

(H/T: Captain of a Crew of One)

Another Drug Raid Nightmare
The railroading of Ryan Frederick
March 18, 2008

Imagine you're home alone.

It's 8 p.m. You work an early shift and need to be out the door before sunrise, so you're already in bed. Your nerves are a bit frazzled, because earlier in the week someone broke into your home. Oddly, they didn't take anything; they just rifled through your belongings.

But the violation weighs on your mind. At about the time you drift off, you're awakened by fierce barking from your two large dogs. You hear someone crashing into your front door, as if he's trying to separate it from its hinges. You grab the gun you keep for home defense and leave your room to investigate.

This past January that scenario played out at the Chesapeake, Virginia, home of 28-year-old Ryan Frederick, a slight man of little more than 100 pounds. According to interviews since the incident, Frederick says when he looked toward his front door, he saw an intruder trying to enter through one of the lower door panels. So Frederick fired his gun.

The intruders were from the Chesapeake Police Department. They had come to serve a drug warrant. Frederick's bullet struck Detective Jarrod Shivers in the side, killing him. Frederick was arrested and has spent the last six weeks in a Chesapeake jail.

He has been charged with first degree murder. Paul Ebert, the special prosecutor assigned to the case, has indicated he may elevate the charge to capital murder, which would enable the state to seek the death penalty.

Here's the background, and remember that this is almost single-source:

Ryan Frederick is a single man, living alone in a rented house home that he owns. He comes home from work and after going to bed he hears someone breaking through his front door. He see nothing he can interpret logically, he hears nothing apart from the sound of breaking wod, but because his garage was broken into 3 days ago ("they stole nothing but messed around with his stuff") he immediately assumes that this is a Home Invasion.

He retrieves his bedside gun and fires through the door. He hits the intruder, killing them.

The intruder is a detective on the local (Virginia) police force.

The detective is part of a LEO team engaged in a "No Knock" entry on the home of a suspected drug dealer.
________________________________

The police have a warrant, based on a confidential informant who, 3 days earlier, had entered Ryan's detached garage and reported that he had "grow lamps, digital scales" and other Marijuana-growing supplies and equipment. The police were under the impression that Ryan was a Marijuana grower.

There is no documented evidence that the police had made an effort to establish that Ryan was Dealer. They found no equipment which is specific to Marijuana cultivation: Ryan's neighbors confirm that he is a "gardener" and has, among other plants, a Japanese Maple (which, in early growth stage, exhibits green leaves suggesting a Marijuana plant. The small tree is found planted in his yard.

The police have a dead officer (body armor was worn by all police); the dead policeman was found to have been hit by a single shot through the arm and under the arm, into an area which was not protected by the body armor.


A .380 pistol was found on the premises, along with three (?) empty cartridges. Also, as a recent development, an empty cartridge case in .223 caliber was found. This has not as yet been satisfactorily explained.

The police contend that they announced that they were police. The neighbors, some of whom were outside and observing he entry, state that they did not hear the announcement. Because Ryan stated that he was in bed, going to sleep, could/would he have heard the announcement?

We don't know this, and we don't know a lot of the nuances of the event.

One recent development (June, 2008) is that the 'confidential informant' was a man named 'Stephen'. He was dating the sister of Ryan's fiance', and seemed to have "issues" with Ryan. Stephen is also a felon, and he seemed to have effected the earlier entry in company with another felon, 'Reggie', who has a record of prior arrests.

Ryan has no record of prior arrests, but his family and neighbors admit that he was a recreational user of Marijuana ... although no evidence (other than a small amount of Marijuana on the premises) exists to support the supposition that he either grew Marijuana nor sold Drugs of any kind.

Here is s summary of links from Reason; the latest entry is in June of 2008.

May 29, 2008: testimony in the case.

September 10, 2008: the latest commentary I can find on the case.

September 16, 2008: A blog article on the case.

September 17, 2008: GOOGLE search results on "Ryan Frederick"
_____________________________________________

What's the Real Story?

I don't know. The courts don't know. The courts don't know. The police aren't telling. The dead policeman is a victim, but a victim of what? We don't know.

The 'perpetrator', Ryan Frederick, is a victim, but a victim of what? We don't know.


Before today, I wasn't even aware of this situation. I have no perspective to offer.

You'll just have to choose whether to ignore it, or to follow it. That's what I'm doing, too.

That's the same situation we find ourselves in the Olofson Case (see here and here).

That's also the same situation we find ourselves in the Campeos and Ramos Case (see here and here.)

For that matter, that's the same situation we find ourselves in Akins Accelerator case (see here and here.)
_________________________________________

Before we go overboard listing similar cases, it seems reasonable to ask what are the common denominators in these situations?

The common denominator is that these are situations where a private individual finds himself overwhelmed by a Public agency ... the ATF, a local police force ... whatever.

Somehow, we (the citizens) have found ourselves the victims of them (the government). This wasn't the way it was suppose to be, but we now must of necessity defend ourselves against the predations of our own 'public servants'.

I'm not even going to try to justify the awkward situation of "Red's Trading Post". (search here, see denouement here?)
_______________________________
UPDATE: 19-OCT-2008
Rick of IFAQ has more current information about the Prosecutor requesting a change of venue.

Also, applied the correction about home ownership provided by Don Tabor

Science Proves Exotic Cars Turn Women On

Science Proves Exotic Cars Turn Women On | Autopia from Wired.com:

"A study commissioned by a phallically named insurance company proves beyond all doubt that the unbridled roar of an Italian supercar turns women on but the soft purr of a fuel-efficient econobox doesn't stimulate anyone's MPG-spot.

David Moxon subjected 40 men and women to the sounds of a Maserati, Lamborghini and Ferrari, then measured the amount of testosterone in their saliva. He found everyone had higher levels of the stuff -- a measure of their arousal -- after hearing the revving exotics, but the amount the women had was off the charts.

The econobox, however, left everyone colder than a January day in Nome."

We didn't need "a study commissioned by a phallically named insurance company" to know this. We knew it when the 1963 Chevy Impala SS came out with the 409CI inch engine in deep red convertible models with the four-on-the-floor ... and impressive rolled-and-tucked Naugahyde in the roomy back seat.

Nice to know that our intuitive understanding of 'what makes chicks sing' is confirmed by The Industry, though.

Intolerance thrives in Palin's PNW

Intolerance thrives in Palin's Pacific Northwest | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/14/2008

The Philly Inkky has a fascinating opinion piece by a "Catherine McNicol Stock".

Catherine McNicol Stock is chair of the history department at Connecticut College and author of "Rural Radicals: Righteous Rage in the American Grain"

Among her quotes in this 1000-word ... article:

There is no evidence that Palin was ever affiliated with white-supremacist groups during her years in Idaho or at home in Alaska. On the other hand, the beliefs of ultraconservative, evangelical churches like her family's come dangerously close to those of the Christian Identity movement of those years. Likewise, Palin's husband was a member of a political party whose members favored secession for Alaska, suggesting an affiliation with radical antistatism. [emphasis added]

The theme here is, that there are Radical Militants in the six states of the Pacific North West (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington) and since these are Bad People, anyone who lives in this area is tainted with the extremism which they exemplify.

Go read the article and find a more lenient ... or at least less accusatory ... interpretation.

Then read the comments (106 comments during the 3 days since it was published, as of this date).

Even the Liberals are opposed to the tone and conclusions of this article.

If you don't like that, watch "How Modern Liberals Think" ... 45:55 minutes on
YouTube. But generally worth the time.

(H/T - Kim: Lennonism I and Lennonism II)

Catherine at Albany: September, 2008

Last weekend I went to a match.

How many times have I started an article this way? Not enough times. There are never enough matches, never enough variations on the theme. I love this game, and my friends are usually the people who enjoy it with me.

This is no different from many of the preceding articles. The weather was perfect for IPSC competition ... sunny, warm, a slight breeze enough to keep the climate temperate (as opposed, I guess, to "enough rain to keep the dust down" considering that this is, after all, The Pacific NorthWet. Sometimes late summer is sufficiently similar to late Spring to extend the desirable shooting season.)

I can use any available excuse to declare any given day "perfect shooting weather", without apology.

It wasn't raining, the wind wasn't blowing down the steel targets, the masking tape stuck to the cardboard targets (which weren't shrouded by plastic bags to keep the rain out), and the competitors weren't similarly shrouded in rain jacket and trousers. What more could I ask?

We like to find the 'different things' to make one match stand out.


This weekend, the "different thing" was that Catherine was carrying a 5" 1911 in an IWB holster, shooting in the Single-Stack Division (8-round magazine limit, holster and magazine carriers receded). As everyone knows, IPSC will get you killed because we don't typically compete in a defensive mode.

Catherine has been competing at local USPSA matches for less than a year now. She and her Partner, Jerry (not me, Some Other Infidel), are always friendly and eager to chat.

Sometime when talking to Catherine, you will hear her say: "Do you carry?" I can't say that she/they use USPSA matches as training for Concealed Carry skills, but this is the first time when I've seen Catherine in CHL mode.


When I noticed her IWB (Inside Wast Band) holster, I asked Catherine about it. How comfortable was it to carry on a daily basis? (Note that this image and link are included as "typical" IWB holsters; I have no reason to believe that this specific holster was the one she used.)

"I use to carry a 4" pistol, but I wanted to try the five inch. It turned out that it was no more difficult to carry than the four inch. With the shirt-tail out, you can't see it" she said, as she un-tucked her shirt-tail to demonstrate.

"Yes", I commented. "It adds a little bulk to your hip silhouette on the right side, but a casual observer would have to be looking very closely to notice the difference. It seems effective, but what about the extra weight?"

Catherine didn't seem concerned about the weight, and we didn't have time to really discuss topics such as fatigue generated by all-day concealed carry of a five inch 1911, because she asked "do you carry?" ... and I was on the defensive. (I have the CHL, but I don't carry ... it's an Academia thing, you wouldn't understand without a long discussion. I suspect that Catherine wasn't buying my apologia.)




I watched her on several stages, and the IWB holster carry didn't seem to affect her performance significantly. Note that she is still in the competitive level where she shoots slowly and deliberately, with much emphasis on accuracy.
(In the excellent match presented this weekend by Mike McCarter, this was an exercise in tactics as many stages required accurate shooting in preference to 'fast shooting', as the video demonstrates.)
The photos illustrate the holster. The video illustrates the use of the holster only at the end of the stage, since the starting position requires the pistol to be placed on a table, loaded (not propped.)


Sorry, I don't have match results yet. However, the video has been loaded on YouTube and is presented below. Also, it is available as a 10mm download here.

Texas Star behind No-Shoot Targets: A Bad Thing

Texas Star behind No-Shoot Targets

Generally speaking, this stage truly sucks.

(Sorry, I can't embed the video here ... the owner has forbidden it. And for good reason. Just ... click on the link to watch the video.)

Essentially, here is a stage where the Texas Star (rotating array with five small plates) is mostly obscured behind three No-Shoot Penalty Targets.

This is really, really Bad Stage Design.

Why?

Using no-shoot penalty targets to mask ANY moving target will inevitably, if enough competitors shoot at it, result in a mandatory reshoot ... at the competitor's option.

Because 'all stages must present the same shooting problem to every competitor', and because 'all targets are considered impenetrable', if you shoot at a target which disappears when hit (such as the plates on a Texas Star target array), it is possible to game the stage by knocking down a plate when it is obscured by the No-Shoot.

If this happens, the competitor is obliged to reshoot the stage, due to 'range equipment failure'. Specifically, you are legally (de jure) unable, but practically (de facto) able to do this thing, and there is nothing the Range Officer can do to stop you.

[There are considerations of "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" here, but it is excruciatingly hard to prove in such a situation; if I was on the Arbitration Committee, I would find for the competitor and require the clueless Match Director to throw the stage out.]


Here's the point:

If you are a Match Director, responsible for vetting the stage designs used in a match, you should never EVER allow any kind of physically penetrable barrier to be positioned between the competitor and a moving target. Especially if the moving target is a steel target, which is not available for re-engagement after first being hit. It may lead to a controversial scoring call when the Range Officer judges that the steel has been knocked down by a shot which passes through and (impenetrable) target or prop, and is then not available for subsequent re-engagement in a 'legal' aspect.


I have deliberately avoided citing rules here, but if you care to research them you should first look at:

• 4.1.4 - use of hard or soft cover
• 4.3.1.5 & 4.3.6 (especially 4.3.6.1) "Range Equipment Failure"
• 9.1.5 & 9.1.6 - "impenetrable"
• 10.6.1 - Unsportsmanlike Conduct

___________________________
UPDATE: 13-Sep-2008
I have removed some incomprehensible sentences and some more nonsensical paragraphs. I would have removed more, but I thought I should leave something behind to justify the existence of the title.

Darn Computers!

The Texas Geek Squad (no relation) demonstrates the best way to deal with your recalcitrant computer.

Blown

help center | e-mail options | report spam

Dear jerrythegeek, Your video "TCGC 9/07 Stage 2: Madness" has been identified by YouTube's Content Identification program as containing copyrighted content which UMG claims is theirs. Your video "TCGC 9/07 Stage 2: Madness" is still available because UMG does not object to this content appearing on YouTube at this time. As long as UMG has a claim on your video, they will receive public statistics about your video, such as number of views. Viewers may also see advertising on your video's page. Claim Details: Copyright owner: UMG Content claimed: Some or all of the audio content Policy: Allow this content to remain on YouTube. Place advertisements on this video's watch page. Applies to these locations: Everywhere UMG claimed this content as a part of the YouTube Content Identification program. YouTube allows partners to review YouTube videos for content to which they own the rights. Partners may use our automated video / audio matching system to identify their content, or they may manually review videos. If you believe that this claim was made in error, or that you are otherwise authorized to use the content at issue, you can dispute this claim with UMG and view other options in the Video ID Matches section of your YouTube account. Please note that YouTube does not mediate copyright disputes between content owners. Learn more about video identification disputes. Sincerely, The YouTube Content Identification Team

_____________________________________________

This is the complete content of an email I received today.

1. The content of the actual video (see below) is original, flimed and edited by me, except;
2. The background music (Bachman Turner Overdrive, "Blown") is credited at the end of the video

This is the SECOND 'warning' I've received from YouTube regarding the content of videos I have posted. The first was similar, with credit for a Little Richard song.

Note that I bought the CD from which I untimely ripped the music for my private usage. Apparently, this usage was insufficiently 'private'.

Henceforth I will not credit dubbed music using the "Credits at the end of the video" option of Windows Movie Maker. If you are creating videos for public posting, I encourage you also to eschew such an attempt to give credit to the original musical artist.

The Music Nazi's are among us. Run!

"For the love of God, Montresor!"
__________________________________________

_______________________________

(See the entire library of videos from Jerry the Geek on YouTube here.)

Who Was Behind 9/11?

International Poll: No Consensus On Who Was Behind 9/11 - World Public Opinion

On September 11, 2001, 19 young men from foreign countries effected the horrific Attack on America.


The attackers, three groups of 5 and one group of 4, hijacked American planes which had taken off from American airports, and flew them into iconic American buildings. The sole exception was the group which attempted to hijack Flight 93, which was overcome by a counter-attack by passengers on the plane.

That airplane augured into a field near Shanksville, PA. Its target was never definitively identified, although some suggested that it was intended to destroy a Federal Building in Washington, D.C. -- perhaps either the White House or the Capital Building.

We will never know for certain, but one thing is sure: the successful attacks turned the Twin Towers in New York City into smouldering grey heaps of rubble and billowing clouds of concrete dust; and one quadrant of The Pentagon into a funeral pyre.

On this, the 7th anniversary of the vicious and cowardly surprise attack, we know only a few certifiable facts. Primary among these facts is the identity of the perpetrators, who were all fanatics of the radical Wahhabi [cf] sect of the Muslim religion, and their motivation was to deal a blow to the United States of America, which they considered "The Great Satan". (And you can believe as much of Wikipedea as you like.)

But a recent poll by worldpublicopinion.org suggest that not all -- in fact, not even half -- of the World Community accepts this interpretation of events as fact.

A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll of 17 nations finds that majorities in only nine of them believe that al Qaeda was behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

In no country does a majority agree on another possible perpetrator, but in most countries significant minorities cite the US government itself and, in a few countries, Israel. These responses were given spontaneously to an open-ended question that did not offer response options.

On average, 46 percent say that al Qaeda was behind the attacks while 15 percent say the US government, seven percent Israel, and seven percent some other perpetrator. One in four say they do not know.

Given the extraordinary impact the 9/11 attacks have had on world affairs, it is remarkable that seven years later there is no international consensus about who was behind them," comments Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org.

In fact, in some countries less than a third of the polled residents believe that Islamists were behind the attack.

Some do believe that Al Queda was the villain. A large number believe that the United States Government deliberately destroyed its own public buildings for a variety of nefarious reasons (which do not explain the failure of Flight 93 to cause destruction to the American infrastructure).

A significant number think that Israel was the author of the American Tragedy, presumably to encourage Americans to 'hate' Islaam.

A varying percentage of polled respondents said they "Don't Know' (DK), and a smaller fraction suggested that "other" agencies were to blame.

On this sad day, there remains (in Europe and the Middle East) a large number of people who think the United States Government has pursued some arcane agenda and slaughtered almost 3,000 (and it could easily been ten times as many fatalities) of its own citizens for the sole purpose of discrediting Islam.

And even more people, world-wide, are unconvinced by the evidence of the religion of the authors ... they just "Don't Know" (DK) if that's significant.


H/T: Geek with a .45 -- see the comments section

Picture Gallery Temporarily Not Available

"Jerry the Geek's Video Shooting Gallery" (see link on sidebar) was yesterday temporarily unavailable.

This had been identified as a "Broken Link".

WebMaster Brian B. worked hard to restore the service last night and it is once more available. That's a great big WHEW! for me, because I have a ton of articles which link to photos and videos.

However, I can no longer add new content to the website. Brian's hosting provider has announced that he will have to find a new host; Brian will no longer be able to host the gallery.

I'll have to establish some other method of storing online files for your access. I haven't had time to begin making other arrangements, and it may take a while before the situation is corrected.

For now, the best I can do is post videos directly to Blogger, and to YouTube (from where I can embed them in posts).

Thank you, Brian, for your three years of patience and support, and for restoring access to existing files on this photo gallery. I still have the originals of everything I've stored there, and even though it is impossible to move comments and format to whatever new resource I find I hope eventually to find a new home for it. Brian will be happy, because that will allow him to re-use the 5GB+ of storage space which he has so generously donated to this project.

BobALoo in Paradise

At the 2008 Croc Match, I wandered onto Bay 5 (stage: "Paradise Island") just in time to watch Grand Master Yong Lee shoot an absolutely brilliant stage in Production (9.2 stage points ahead of 2nd Prod Chuck Anderson, also a GM in Prod). I didn't have my camera ready, darnit!

When he came off the stage I talked to Yong Lee and expressed my disappointment at not having captured his run. (In fact, I missed his every stage performance for the match.)

Bob "Bob-A-Loo" Loo was "In The Hole" to shoot the stage, and Yong suggested that I film him. That sounded like a good idea, so I did. I've squaded withBob-A-Loo in a couple of Crazy Croc and Section matches, and I have always enjoyed watching him shoot.

The YouTube video (see here, and see below) demonstrates the importance of pace, confidence, accuracy and rhythm in shooting, especially in these high-round-count stages. Watch his reloads.

I think what we can best learn from this video is the importance of having a certain sense of urgency, without becoming frantic. Too many shooters concentrate on pushing themselves to 'go fast'. Bob is one of those excellent shooters who, in Brian Enos terms, 'focus' on what they are doing.

When I watch Yong Lee shoot, I'm reminded of a prize-fighter: float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Bob's technique is subtly but significantly different: he's a ballroom dancer, who flows from place to place and is never off-balance.

When I grow up, I hope I can shoot like Bob-A-Loo.

Enjoy.


[PS: excuse the frenetic background music, "Robin's Egg Blues", by Neal Hefty -- from the Television Series "BATMAN". I thought it captured the rhythm of the shooting, not the rhythm of the movement, and would work better with the soundtrack. Also, some of the change-ups choreographed well with the action.]

USPSA Nationals

USPSA National Underway in Tulsa, Oklahoma

EDITOR'S NOTE: The USPSA Nationals are underway this week in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Throughout the week, we'll be updating you on the competition. As of deadline last evening, here's the recap of scoring to this point. All scoring incidentally, is in match points. Like all matches, the scores and leaders will change until the final shots are fired.

Production Top Five
Mike Hughes 677.6331
Bradley Hoit 671.9080
Robert Romero 664.0826
Kevin Insco 618.4581
BJ Norris 612.0388

Limited Top Five
Jay Mackey Sr. 812.6919
Matthew Cheely 795.4906
Jay Mackey Jr. 742.9048
Ron Avery 603.8836
Keith Garcia 581.1825

Revolver Top Five
Ricardo Lopez 668.8645
Jerry Miculek 490.0000
Cliff Walsh 404.3729
Allison Verico 387.4486
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From The Shooting Wire

Tim Holm Update

Tim Holm is an Oregon IPSC competitor (and Salem, Oregon, Police Department Law Enforcement Officer) who was gravely injured in a motorcycle accident six weeks ago. The following is an email from a representative of Tim's Department to Mike McCarter, reporting on Tim's condition:

Morning Mike,
I was able to get up to Portland Friday evening and spend some time with Tim and Karen. Tim's spirits are really good. He's in a motorized wheel chair and Tim can zip around on it quite well. He's been out and about learning to maneuver it on the sidewalks and was talking of a trip to PGE Park with others to catch a ball game.

Tim is continuing his physical and occupational therapy sessions and they have gotten him into weight training.

Tim has really improved his arm strength, control and range of motion. He is still working on the fine motor coordination in using his fingers, but it is coming along slowly.

When I got up there Friday, Tim had just finished an afternoon workout, during which he spent 20 minutes on a recumbent bicycle which straps in his feet and has power to the wheel to assist with the leg motion. Tim said he was able to feel his feet and leg muscles from the exercise, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that with the workouts, that it is helping his spinal cord recover and send control signals.

Tim's attitude is really up, we talked a lot of getting back to a point where he'll be able to shoot and this is one of Tim's big motivational tools.

Overall, Tim is busting his tail to do everything he can to get back to where he was. Time will tell. Its really good to see him bucking up to the challenges as opposed to just sitting around.

But you and I both know Tim and that's not the type of person he is.

Take Care,
Jim

Lt. Jim Anglemier
Community Response Section
Dept. Range Master
Salem Police Dept.

Those of us who know Tim from his ISPC competition are looking forward to his full recovery. He has been an aggressive competitor, and with God's help will be again.

We'll keep you informed.