Heinlein

I was determined to clean out my garage last week, and I was making remarkable progress until I ran across an old printer-paper box on the top shelf, marked "HEINLEIN".

In it, I found 33 paperback novels, all written by Robert A. Heinlein, "The Dean of Science Fiction".

Need I mention that the garage is still a cluttered mess?  And so is my bedroom, as there are 33 paperback novels by Heinlein, sitting on the floor ... 25 of them yet to be read.

Oh, the frabjuous joys of Retirement!  I can read all I want, and I have.  Three books a day, about 200 pages (paperback format) each, means I can read three books a day -- six hours total --  and I only need to worry what to read after the 11 scheduled days I've put aside for 'catching up' on books I haven't read for 30 years.

To my chagrin, I went right to my favorites the first day.  "Tunnel in the Sky", "Space Cadet", and "Have Space Suit, Will Travel".

I'm holding off on "Podkayne of Mars" and "Starship Troopers", and "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress" because ... hey, I'm not some SF Junky!  (Besides, they were written ca 1963, and I've decided to sort them into copyright-date order and read them in the sequence they were written.  More or less.

Okay, I read "The Star Beast" out of order, too.  So sue me.   Discovery Day was a long one, reading 4 books.

The first book in the series (I won't bore you with titles from now on) was an anthologies; the first story there was written in 1939.  I'm tempted to list all of the 'inventions' that Heinlein predicted decades before their actual denoument, but I'll limit myself to cell phones and Skype ... both described with fair accuracy in 1939.

Heinlein was careful to state that he wasn't making "predictions" ... and those which he DID make he assigned 'reasonable' timelines.  For example, in 1941 he predicted that man would walk on the moon by 1978.  Very close .. but we beat him by ten years.

On the other hand?

1980 ... rocket ships between solar planets.  Boo, I was wanting to be like D.D. Harriman and die on the moon by now!

However, he DID predict that there would be a hiatus in 'rocketry' in the 1980's, due to cultural upheavals.  Witness Obama's defunding of NASA last year; who would have predicted that kind of Change?

A lot of the stories that R.A.F. wrote were for Boy's Life Magazine, so these early books are called his 'juveniles'.  I suppose it's significant that I enjoy them so much; many, if most of his heroes are teenage boys  (see "Tunnel in the Sky") who achieve much during their adolescence.  And even his mature male protagonist (Harriman in "The Man Who Sold The Moon") have never been able to allow their childhood dreams to be thwarted by the Adult pastimes of making millions in business.

We won't address "Lazarus Long" here, except to mention the expertise with which Heinlein managed to seque into a Timeline Which Would Not Die.

(If you don't "Grok" the cultural reference, you're probably not interested in this theme anyway.  And if you do ... I don't need to explain.)

Finish:  I have the books, you don't, and they're in such bad condition that I am NOT going to loan them to you.

But they're still readable, for those who appreciate the joys of a favorite author rediscovered.

Crazy Carry

Open Carry, Concealed Carry and Crazy Carry - Bloomberg View:
(April 22, 2014)

I often focus on the dangers of reckless people with guns, rather than criminals with guns, for two reasons. First, reckless people seem very plentiful. Second, they are invariably ignored in gun-rights rhetoric. The gun-rights movement advances a Manichean vision of criminals and "law-abiding citizens," with the latter always and everywhere in need of heavy firepower to defeat the former.

National Rifle Association Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre's rhetoric about criminals -- "so deranged, so evil, so possessed by voices and driven by demons" -- is basically pornographic at its peaks. But LaPierre is silent about the legion of gun-toting clods, bumblers, stoners, wife-beaters, fools and drunks who kill, or injure, Americans every day. (Once in possession of a gun, you don't need to be actively stupid to produce tragedy; you can be passively stupid.)

A dialogue between a bloombergview.com commentator (By Francis Wilkinson   and John Pierce, co-founder of OpenCarry.org)

A surprisingly 'balanced' discussion.  Since Wilkerson, the author (and an apparent Bloomberg supporter) seems to have presented both sides of the conversation, I'm pleasantly surprised that he has resisted the temptation to bowdlerize the exchange.

It's not that long.  Go, read the whole thing.

"Oh, Sorry About That"

US homeowner Byron David Smith heard taunting dying teens in audio of killings | News.com.au:

(April 23, 2014)

A HOMEOWNER can be heard calmly telling a teenage girl “oh, sorry about that” and calling her “bitch” as he shot her and another unarmed teen dead after they broke into his house.
Byron David Smith, 64, is on trial for the murder of 18-year-old Haile Kifer and her 17-year-old cousin Nicholas Brady on thanksgiving two years ago.
Smith had fitted his home in Little Falls, Minnesota, with recording devices after repeated break-ins. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune , the devices captured the chilling audio of the teens’ killings.
The paper said the crystal clear recordings were played to the court. On them glass is heard breaking then two shots then a groan from Brady followed by another gunshot and Smith saying, “You’re dead”.
Smith is then heard moving Brady’s body to a workshop, to keep him from staining the basement carpet, as he later told authorities. Some minutes later Kifer can be heard whispering, “Nick”. There are more gunshots and then the sound of Kifer falling. Smith says, “Oh, sorry about that.”
Kifer can be heard screaming, “Oh my god! Oh”. Smith then responds, “You’re dying,” and after more gunshots, “Bitch.”

The Castle Doctrine?

Or murder?

Proof that Concealed Carry permit holders live in a dream world, - VPC

Proof that Concealed Carry permit holders live in a dream world, Part One - YouTube:

Uploaded on Apr 21, 2010

The controlled study documented in these videos show that concealed carry permit holders are fooling themselves if they think they will be able to react effectively to armed aggressors. Most CCW holders won't even be able to un-holster their gun. They will more likely be killed themselves or kill innocent bystanders than stop the aggressor. For more details, see "Unintended Consequences: Pro-Handgun Experts Prove That Handguns Are a Dangerous Choice for Self-Defense."
http://www.vpc.org/studies/unincont.htm.
 CCW permit holders don't protect innocent people. They kill them.
Category News; Politics

Part 2:

The controlled study documented in these videos show that concealed carry permit holders are fooling themselves if they think they will be able to react effectively to armed aggressors. Most CCW holders won't even be able to un-holster their gun. They will more likely be killed themselves or kill innocent bystanders than stop the aggressor. For more details, see "Unintended Consequences: Pro-Handgun Experts Prove That Handguns Are a Dangerous Choice for Self-Defense."

Bring back Clean Nuclear Energy?

Energy Plant in Oregon Burning Aborted Babies From Canada to Generate Electricity | LifeNews.com:
(April 23, 2014)

An energy plant in Oregon is reportedly burning aborted babies from Canada to generate electricity. UPDATE: Local officials say they will stop the practice while they look into the situation. Following the LifeNews story below that received national attention, the Marion County Board of Commissioners issued the following statement:
Today the Marion County Board of Commissioners learned that the Covanta Waste-to-Energy Facility located in Marion County may be accepting medical waste containing human tissue from outside sources. In response to an April 21 article in The B.C Catholic, the board took immediate action to temporarily halt the acceptance of boxed medical waste at the facility.

This hits too close to home.


[update 5/1/15 - featured in SNOPES]

Drink Out; Dust In

Feds approve the sale of powdered alcohol | Fox News:

Ever tried to transport a bottle of alcohol only to give up because it was too heavy or it broke? Meet your new best beverage friend: powdered booze.

A patent for Palcohol has now been approved by the Treasury Department, reports Lehrman’s Beverage Law.

According to the product website, Palcohol is expected to launch this fall. Six versions are on tap to be released including a Vodka flavor that has been distilled four times, a plain rum powder, and four cocktail powers – Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Powderita (Margarita), and Lemon Drop. All you need is a little water to get the party started.

 The product is gluten free and has about... (obscured in the original article.

 The site is even touting its potential as a condiment, right up there with salt, pepper, and a little Parmesan cheese. This is from their website, according to Lehrman: ...

Pack it in your pocket, along with your grass.   The good news is, there's no distinctive aroma to give you away at the Football Game!

"Better Living Through Chemistry"

Chicago gang shootings go on as Mayor Emanuel boasts crime at 'record low'

Chicago gang shootings go on as Mayor Emanuel boasts crime at 'record low' | World news | theguardian.com:

The gap between Gakirah Barnes’s front teeth when she smiled, whether she was celebrating on the basketball court or messing around with friends, made her look even younger than the 17 years she spent in south Chicago before being shot to death last weekend. 

“At least I don’t have to constantly worry about what’s going to happen to her out on the street no more,” said her mother, Shontell Brown, who wept as she inspected the cemetery plot where Gakirah will be buried on Monday. Her father, who was gunned down on her first Easter Sunday, lies nearby. Her twin brother, who saw his best friend murdered in 2011, will be at the funeral. 

Though mourned as a victim by her family and her girlfriend, Gakirah – one of five Chicagoans killed and 36 wounded over the city’s warmest and bloodiest weekend of the year so far – was, according to police and neighbourhood  (sic) sources, also part of the problem: a hip-hop-fuelled gang war that is raging even as Mayor Rahm Emanuel boasts that crime is at a record low.

Gakirah Barnes was shot 9 times while she was chatting on the front stoop with a friend .. who was not injured and obviously not the target.

There are two issues here:

1. WHY are children still being murdered in Chicago; and
2. WHY does Rahm Emanuel insisting that crime is at a "Record Low"?

(Yes, I'm picking on Chicago again.  As my Daddy told me: "Always take the easy ones first".  And besides, The Brits have done nothing equally as egregious ... lately.)

Flying With Guns: Things are much different today

Editorial: Guns discovered at airport checkpoints on the rise | The Herald-Dispatch:
(Apr. 18, 2014 @ 12:00 AM)

 Some readers may have been surprised to read that a loaded .32-caliber handgun was confiscated from a woman's carry-on luggage at Tri-State Airport in Ceredo this week. Passenger screening for commercial air travel has been in place since the 1970s, and with the increased airport security since 9/11, Transportation Security Administration officers search through bags for pocket knives or anything remotely resembling a weapon. 
How do you miss that memo? 
But believe it or not, the number of guns detected at checkpoints across the nation is on the rise, the TSA reports. The agency's officers found 1,813 firearms in carry-on bags in 2013, up 16.5 percent from the year before. More than 80 percent were loaded.

We've talked about this before.

Frankly, I can't understand how you can 'forget' that you have a gun in your baggage.  No more can I understand how that isn't the most important thing.

It's not the Twin Towers, but ...

New drone strike in Yemen kills 55 Al Qaeda militants | Fox News:
(April 21, 2014)

A suspected U.S. drone strike in southern Yemen killed 55 militants Monday, in the third deadly attack on an Al Qaeda training camp in the area in several days. Yemen's interior ministry says among those killed in an hours-long campaign of strikes on the camp in the rugged mountains of Mahfad between Abyan, Shabwa and al-Bayda provinces were three senior members of Al Qaeda. The ministry said the identification process for those killed is ongoing.

It's not the Twin Towers, but it's a good start.

I hope THIS was not the same strike!

Because I Don't Wancha Here! (part 2?)

Righets watch: use the first, lose the second. - Free Online Library:  (sic)
April 19, 2014

All he wanted was to talk to his representative about a political issue--something supposedly guaranteed by the First Amendment's right to petition clause. True, being an activist with the Minutemen and wanting to discuss concerns over criminal illegal alien activity wasn't exactly something he "expected" would resonate with Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), but over the years, Gabriel Razzano had established a rapport with her chief of staff, who had even visited him at his home.

(Hat tip to David Cordrea, including "The Shooter's Log" and "The War On Guns")

Welcome to New York "The Empire State"  (... if you are Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, it's your empire and you can do anything you want there).

A man wants to talk to his Congressional representative about a political 1st Amendment issue.  She says he's not her constituent, quit bothering her.  He gets official confirmation (with papers to prove it) that he lives in her district and she IS his representative, and then goes back to try to get an appointment.  She calls a guard, who gives him the Bum's Rush.

Subsequently ... well, you go read the story.  Bottom line, they confiscates his firearms, revoke his pistol license, and accuse him of being a thoroughly naughty boy.

All because he wanted to talk to his Congressional Representative.


Okay, I'm incensed.

Rep. McCarthy must be The Incredible Hulk --- you don't want to make her mad!

Oh .. wait a minute.  Could it be because she's a "L I B E R A L"?

(See my March 24, 2014 article "Parasite:  I don't wancha here!")

Definition of "Liberal":  see above.

MANY States Let School Employees Carry Guns

Colorado rejects bill to allow armed teachers
 (February, 2014?)

DENVER (AP) — The targeting of a Colorado schoolteacher by an armed teen last year didn't sway Colorado Democrats on Tuesday to allow teachers to carry concealed weapons on campus.

A Democratic House Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 to reject another Republican bill to expand gun rights. The bill would have allowed school districts to decide if they wanted to let teachers, not just designated school resource officers, carry concealed weapons.

Similar Republican proposals have been made before without success, but the suggestion had additional resonance after last year's shooting at Arapahoe High School, in which a student targeted a teacher.

"I can think of no safer way at this point to address school violence," said Steve Reams, a Weld County Republican running for sheriff there.

Supporters of the idea were far outnumbered by teachers and students who packed the hearing to speak against the idea.

 
A 2013 scholastic article  suggests:

Ever since that shooting [Sandy Hook] has happened there have been five states who have allowed teachers to carry guns on campus grounds. Those five state names are Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Oregon. In this small essay I will be stating on why k-12 teachers should be carrying a concealed weapon, which has many advantages. Not only for the victims, also for their family and friends.

So, not EVERYONE in the world is convinced that allowing teachers to arm themselves in school is entirely a bad idea.

Further, the "FINDLAW" website (January 15, 2013) seems to have correlated a more extensive list:

Texas already allows teachers to carry firearms to work, so long as the principal approves it. And Alabama lawmakers have proposed legislation that would give schools the option of letting their teachers or administrators carry guns, reports NBC. One school board in Ohio has even voted to allow school janitors to carry guns, the Toledo Blade reports.
The full list of the 18 states that allow guns in schools with certain restrictions, according to NBC News, are:

• Alabama
• California
• Connecticut
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Mississippi
• Montana
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Texas
• Utah
• Wyoming

States that are considering whether to allow guns in schools include Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee. To learn more about gun laws in your state, check out FindLaw's page on State Gun Control Laws.

Mountain Biking Daredevil

Helmet Cam Captures Death-Defying Mountain Bike Ride Down Narrow, Rocky Cliff | Video | TheBlaze.com:

Geoff Gulevich’s endorphin-hyped run through the Red Bull Rampage race was captured from the racer’s point of view, and the sights are just part of the amazing video. Onlookers shout “C’mon Gully!” throughout the ride and ask the gutsy biker how the wind is treating him. With deep, shaky breaths, he responds, “I don’t like that wind.”

This is not your Father's bicycle ride.



Personally?  I wouldn't even try to walk that trail.

13-minute 911 call: 15 minute response

13-minute 911 call: Hallucinating man shoots wife in the head during 911 call - Jacksonville Top News | Examiner.com:
 (April 16, 2014)

A Denver woman's 13-minute 911 call in which she explained to the 911 dispatcher that her husband was hallucinating and that he “was talking about the end of the world,” ended with her tragic death. Kristine Kirk, 44, was killed by her husband with a gunshot wound to the head, NBC News reported today.

---

It took the police 15 minutes to arrive at the home and when they did, authorities found her dead with the phone still in her hand. The fatal shot was fired at the thirteenth minute of the call, investigators say.

When Seconds Count, the police are only minutes away.

Under the current system, Police cannot protect you ... and  are not required to do so.  Your hubby goes bat-crap crazy?  You're on your own, lady.  Chances are that the police will NOT be there when you really need them.

We won't bother to belabor the already over-debated question of 911 response time; enough to mention that it is inadequate; usually, and everywhere.

But what if she was one of those rare individuals who understands and accepts that she is responsible for her own survival?
 
What if she was able to wrestle the gun away from her husband's hand?  Or find another gun in the house and defend herself?  

Lightningwear Deep Concealment Holster

Lightningwear Deep Concealment Holster:

 As you can see from the video below, holsters of this type are basically a hi-tech padded pouch that holds your weapon securely about 3"-5" below your belly-button, right at your center of gravity. The Lightningwear holster has a wide, adjustable, velcro strap across the back, and double bands of elastic on both sides, evenly distributing the weight of a weapon across your back and both hips. Because it is self-supporting, it puts NO extra weight on your belt, and can be worn with a wide variety of clothes (like jogging wear or beach wear) that don't have a belt. Have back problems? The Lightningwear holster is the BEST holster for back problems, and can often be worn when any other holster would cause back pain!

(Go to the website to watch the video)

There's a blurb on the website saying:

all of your questions are probably answered here

My (unanswered) question is:

How do you pee?

Grunts Without Guns (LONG!)

Reference "Another Ft. Hood Massacre", (which incident has been talked up much better elsewhere) ....  I'm still fuming about the practice of not allowing American military personnel to be armed "in camp".   This policy, established 20 years ago by President Bill "Willy" Clinton, actually goes back much farther.

Which explains part of my ire, which has been with me since 1969.

And which just might not be defensible.

Georgia lawmakers pass controversial 'guns everywhere' bill | MSNBC

Georgia lawmakers pass controversial 'guns everywhere' bill | MSNBC:
(March 21, 2014 .. revised March 23, 2014)

The Georgia House passed a sweeping gun bill late Thursday night that allows firearms in bars, nightclubs, school classrooms and certain government buildings that lack security personnel or devices. Lawmakers moved the bill through the House during the last hour of the night on Thursday, meeting their midnight deadline before the end of the current legislative session. If signed by the state’s governor, the law will give religious leaders the option to “opt-in” to allow guns on their worship premises, where violators cannot be arrested or fined more than $100 each. Additionally, it could grant citizens the right to carry firearms in bars, nightclubs, libraries, sports facilities, senior citizen and youth centers, and on K-12 premises by authorized administrators and teachers.

Not surprisingly, this MSNBC article presents a rather biased interpretation of the new Georgia laws, in order to present a view which accords with the author's anti-gun prejudices.


I intend to present a different interpretation, based on my own personal PRO-gun prejudices.

Now you know the "Full Disclosure", which is more than the MSNBC author allowed you; hopefully, you will evaluate both interpretations and find your own understanding to fall somewhere in the middle ground.

Kansas: Gun RIGHTS, not Gun CONTROL

Senate preparing to pull trigger on gun-rights bill | CJOnline.com:
(April 01, 2014.   The Topeka Capital-Journal:  H/T: The Gun Wire)

Kansas is preparing to eliminate all existing and proposed restrictions on Concealed Carry.

The Senate endorsed a sweeping bill Tuesday limiting authority of local governments to require employees to disclose if they hold a concealed-handgun permit and abolishing power of cities or counties to spend tax dollars on gun buy-back programs. Legislation scheduled for a final vote Wednesday would require elimination of all city or county regulations, ordinances or policies regulating the open carrying of firearms. The bill would allow municipal governments to post signs on buildings to ban open carry of weapons, but violators would face no criminal sanction for ignoring the signs. The Senate bill also would make it a misdemeanor to operate, possess or carry any firearm — not just a concealed handgun — while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Chicago CHL holder "Unclear On The Concept?"

The whole point to CHL (Concealed Handgun License) is that if you apply for and receive a CHL, you understand that you represent the Responsible Gun Owners who deserve the trust of --- well, people who are frightened by people who carry guns.

NW Side man is first concealed carry permit holder arrested in Chicago - Chicago Sun-Times:
(March 30, 2014) 

A 54-year-old Northwest Side man who allegedly pulled a gun during a property dispute is the first concealed carry permit holder arrested in Chicago, police officials say. William P. O’Connell, of the 7200 block of North Oleander Avenue, lost his permit as a result of the arrest, said a spokeswoman for the Illinois State Police. In January, a new state law kicked in allowing people to carry concealed weapons as long as they have a permit. O’Connell was involved in a quarrel over rent money with a 52-year-old man on March 23, police said. O’Connell allegedly pointed a handgun at the man and threatened to shoot him.

The sad truth is, some people just cannot live up to the expectations.

The "Shall Issue" rule in Chicago is .. what, less than four months old?  (Effective January, 2014 ... Who can keep track of Chicago?)  And already it is being abused by a man who presumably met the necessary background checks and references to aver that he was qualified to responsibly carry a concealed handgun.

I'm disappointed.  Embarrassed for him, and for the people who have fought for so long to get Illinois into the "More Guns/Less Crime" mindset.   His only job was to prove himself worthy of the trust, and he mucked it up the first chance he got.

He has, of course, been deprived of his license to carry a gun.  I hope they charge him with every felony they can think of, from 'brandishing' to felony assault.

There is no excuse for pulling a gun on a person, unless it is a matter of defense of self, or others.  Property?  Maybe, under special circumstances; I don't think so highly of most of the 'things' I own that I deem them worthy of a life.  On the other hand, if I'm present when I'm being robbed, I would be concerned that the robber would prove to be a threat to me, personally.  It still comes down to "Things" vs "People", and I can't fault people who decide that they are at risk during felonious assault.

But .. arguing over RENT?

Geez, think of all those judges who aren't getting paid to settle property litigation!

On the other hand, now the Chicago Judiciary has a juicy "Menacing"  (or better, "Assault") charge to try.

Chicago.  There's always something.  Maybe it's the Mercury in the lake waters.

You think?

  [Hat Tip:  "Say Uncle"]

Another Ft. Hood Massacre

Four dead, 14 injured at Ft. Hood, Texas congressman says - latimes.com: KILLEEN, Texas —
(April 2, 2014 @1718)

Authorities are investigating a shooting at Ft. Hood that left four people dead and 14 others injured, according to a Texas congressman. The sprawling military base was on lockdown as investigators tried to determine whether there was a second gunman.

The shooter was among the four dead soldiers. Count of wounded has not been confirmed yet.

Ft. Hood remains on lockdown and everyone at the Texas Army base is to "shelter in place."

The 1st Cavalry Division, which is based at Ft. Hood, sent a Twitter alert telling people on base to close doors and stay away from windows.

 That Base Sign is beginning to look like a tombstone.

It only lacks one more shield:

The Legacy of Piers Morgan: A True Believer!

Bottom line on GUNS in America : Guns in 21st Century America : Naples Blogs : Naples Daily News: Local Naples, Florida News Delivered Throughout the Day.:

• By Joe Yurko
• Posted March 30, 2014 at 5:18 a.m.

Love him or hate him this man always went to the bottom line and said what he believed. He let those of different views say thier [sic] piece too, without the cut-offs, shout-downs and bullying you see today on the Fox cable show. Piers Morgan even took his show into the lions den in the largest gun and shooters shop in Texas. The owners demostrated [sic] thier [sic] best, most popular guns and ammo. At that time it was the AR-15 Military style assault rifle, 100 plus shots in less than a minute, wonderfull [sic] . Killing made fast and easy. Piers words speak for themselves. I agree with most of them and the respectfull [sic] way he says them and proves his point.

Oh, where to start.