08 January 2005

Time for a new game

If you are a member of the International Defensive Pistol Association, you are probably well aware of the sh!t storm that has come down since HQ announced their new rule book is effective as of January 5, 2005. They sent out an email notification, and the rulebook was soon to be found on the internet.

The previous versions of the rulebook were notorious for being vague and nebulous throughout. The new rulebook did much to clarify some things, but was equally nebulous on others. For example, the rulebook mentions both that all rules are effective as of now, but that equipment rules will not take effect until next January. One would assume that holsters were included in equipment since for one thing, common sense would dictate that, and for another, it stated just that in the rulebook. But the rulebook also goes on to state that holsters are not considered 'equipment', only guns. Regardless, changes to the holster rules are the least of my concerns.

The major concern that I have with the new rulebook is the direction that the sport seems to be going. Courses of Fire are looking like they'll get shorter and shorter, distances traveled will get shorter, and it looks like reloads are to be done off the clock. The net effect of this new philosophy is that your weaker shooters are now competing on a more level playing field against the more experienced, and faster shooters. And not only are you hosing the better shooters, the rulebook comes out and openly states that the sport is geared towards new and average shooters. None of whom frequent this blog.

So, now we are not only essentially being penalized for our speed, but when we travel for hours to compete at large, sanctioned matches, you can expect to shoot shorter courses of fire that are not as challenging as what we would like to shoot.

Not me. I'm done with major IDPA matches. I've put in 5 years for this sport, paid my dues, worked my butt off for the organization that has effectively run me out of town.

As of tonight, I have rejoined the other, older sport shooting association - United States Practical Shooting Assocation - where the rules are the rules, they are not grey, and I can shoot a match anywhere in the country and have the rules interpreted the same regardless of where I go. I started my shooting career with uspsa, began to shoot idpa, and now I'm going back to my roots.

I'll see you at the range.

An Open Letter to Illiterates

Okay, so semi-literates.

First off, the difference between "loose" and "lose." If something is all dangly, or is easy to get into bed, it's loose. If you don't win, you lose. Moreover, the non-winner is the LOSER, not the "looser."

Next, "to" and "too." I'll skip "two," because if you're that stupid, stop reading now. "Too" much of a good thing, not "to" much. "Let's go to the movies, and rob a 7-11, too." Is that too hard to understand?

Apostrophes. Why are they such a mystery? First off, there are contractions - the combination of two(!) words, like "there is" = "there's" and "are not" = "aren't." Next, we have the possessive versus contractive. JR's take on this is that people don't look at the context. Here's a simple test: if there's more than one, it's plural, and doesn't require an apostrophe. If the sentence mentions something that belongs to the noun, then it's possessive. "A shooter's ability is measured by shooting"(that's possessive). "There are reasons that shooters don't face each other when shooting." (that's plural). Here's a full rundown on plurals vs. possessives.

Their, there, and they're:
There = at or in that place.
Their = the possessive form of they.
They're = the contraction of "they are."
They're there for their own reasons.

One more thing: "its" is the possessive form of it. "It's" is the contraction of "it is" or "it has." If you can replace "it's" in your sentence with "it is," or "it has," then your word is "it's;" otherwise, your word is "its." There's no such word as "its'"

Your and you're is another one I see a lot. "You're" is a contraction of "you are." "Your" indicates ownership or possession. As in: "You're a sanctimonious grammar nazi and I hate your guts."

That's all for now. I feel better.

07 January 2005

Congress Certifies Bush's Win After Protest

"The rare objection to vote certification, the first filed in decades, forced the House and Senate to halt their joint session, usually a routine and ceremonial affair. Each chamber then debated the objection, and rejected it, the Senate by a 74-1 vote, the House 267-31. The state-by-state certification was completed a few hours later. "
Boxer and Tubby Jones should be forced to park cars for Congress for a week, just for wasting everyone's time. I especially love the 74-1 smackdown that Boxer got from her colleagues.
But one of Ohio's senators, Republican Mike DeWine, called the complaints "wild, incoherent and completely unsubstantiated." Several lawmakers in both chambers noted that Ohio votes had been recounted and the results certified by bipartisan local election boards.
Boo-hoo, Babs. Let. It. Go.

TBIFOC - READY.MX

A little elaboration on the "Immigration Assistance" comic book from Mexico (you know, the one that shows Mexican nationals how to "emigrate" to the U.S.). A little send-up. Drink alert.

06 January 2005

Tsunami

Holee Crap. These are some awesome before/after pictures of the tidal wave damage.

If you had a hard time visualizing the damage, check these pics out.

BostonHerald.com - Local/ Regional News: Eastie gang linked to al-Qaeda

I'm sure that the liberals, in all their inherent wisdom, will never *connect the dots* that this kind of thing is happening in an American city that has draconian anti-gun laws.

Sounds like we need to open up a special hunting season on these boys. No limit.

In the Pink

Another misleading headline, but at least the article's about guns. And gays.
What separates these shooters from so many others is more intimate than their firepower. Garrison happens to be a lesbian. Williams is a male-to-female transsexual, courtesy of one detail-oriented surgeon in Thailand. And Polk is proudly gay. Together they form the core of the Houston chapter of Pink Pistols, a group of concealed-pistol-toting, Second Amendment-defending sexual minorities who don't take mess from criminals, haters or legislators trying to take their guns.

Their motto: Pick on someone your own caliber.
Discuss amongst yourselves. I'll just sit back and watch.

Nation's midsection will get 1-2-3 punch

Hey, is that a popsicle in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?

Everyone should panic now, and go buy everything in the stores. I'm not saying you're all gonna die, but you're gonna freeze your noogies off.

05 January 2005

Police Chief's Gun Stolen From Parked Car

"...the police chief has put more guns on the street than the phase-out of the 'assault weapons' ban, said the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms."
D'oh.

City still grapples with the grackles

Since I figure this story requires registration, here you go...

There's an easy solution, by the way. Just start shooting the stupid birds, clean em and then feed em in soup to the homless. Two problems solved at once.

By Anna M. Tinsley

Star-Telegram Staff Writer


FORT WORTH - Ready, aim, fire.

Private business and property owners could soon join city workers with crackershot in hand in an attempt to rid the city of pesky grackles and the mess they leave behind.

The City Council is considering a proposal to expand the city's downtown "grackle relocation" program in which workers fire into the air with 12-gauge shotguns filled with cracker shells that sound like fireworks.

Under the proposal, the shells could also be used by police, neighborhood leaders and business owners, who would fire into the air across the city at the same time on designated days.

"There is great interest in a coordinated effort ... to push them into farm fields and other habitats," said Randle Harwood, acting director of the city's parks department. "But we want to do it carefully."

Mayor Mike Moncrief has said he'd prefer to use real shotgun shells, but said he knows that's not possible -- or even an especially good idea.

"We need to work on realistic approaches," he said.

The large black birds -- which typically are unafraid of people -- have increasingly become a public nuisance, settling into trees throughout the city to roost, squawk and relieve themselves on sidewalks and passers-by.

Some sidewalks have to be washed as often as five times a week, said Todd Holzaepfel, vice president of Downtown Fort Worth Inc.

Efforts to scare the birds away have been costly and unsuccessful for the long term, however.

In addition to the city's program, the downtown group has hired crews to fire paintballs and shine laser guns into the trees to annoy the birds, at a cost of about $100,000 a year.

"I don't think we're ahead of this," Holzaepfel said. "I think we are barely maintaining."

Councilwoman Wendy Davis said the grackles leave the popular downtown area dirty and unattractive.

"There are nasty, filthy piles of bird poop downtown," she said. "It's a public health issue, as well as a cleanliness issue."

The cleaning puts residents at risk for histoplasmosis, a respiratory disease contracted by those who breathe in dried particles of bird excrement. Symptoms can resemble the flu or tuberculosis.

Research shows that grackles aren't all bad, however. They eat mice and crawling insects such as crickets and roaches, which can also pose problems, officials said.

Councilman Donavan Wheatfall questioned whether the "relocation" program will simply move the problem.

"My concern is, where are we pushing them to?" Wheatfall said. "I don't want to alleviate the problem downtown and just move it to the neighborhoods."

City officials agreed to study the feasibility of allowing private participation in the program, and to develop a system for training and permits to allow individuals or groups to participate.

A formal proposal could be developed by fall, officials said.

"This is more than an inconvenience," Moncrief said. "This is a quality of life issue.

"I can't believe we can't figure out some way to get a handle on this problem. I'm serious about this. I won't let up."

04 January 2005

Guards provide safety, peace of mind

It's ironic this article on security guards was published today.
"'When a (nonmember) does come in, I am looking for bulges in their clothing and guns,' he said."
What if they're just happy to see you, Kevin?
To carry a gun, a private security guard first needs to obtain a firearms permit. That requires passing a test on the use of the firearm, and then being fingerprinted and undergoing the background check.

Ziegler also had to obtain permits to carry a baton, pepper spray and Mace. He said he was familiar with the weapons, having once taken classes in hopes of serving as a reserve officer for Bay Area police departments.
Ah. I feel safer already.

penisland.net

I expected The Girl to post this first...

The Mall Ninja

The recent post of Tactical Tommy reminded me of the GlockTalk thread that started the infamous "Mall Ninja" legend. Turns out there's an actual MallNinja.com, and they have archived these threads, started by my hero, Gecko_45. If you've got a while, please give it a read. An excerpt:
It's okay for me to talk about my job, as long as I'm not specific. I am the Sergeant of a three-man Rapid Tactical Force at one of America's largest indoor retail shopping areas. Although there are typically between fifteen and twenty normal security officers working the beat there, we decided a while ago that it would be best to have a specilized force for violent individuals. We use modified electric vehicles and can be anywhere on a given floor within eight and a half minutes.

Naturally, the regular security people are unarmed. We "RTFers", by arrangement with the local police, carry high-strength OC spray and batons. If we have a full tactical alert and permission from the local LEOs we also have a Mossberg 500 with less-lethal rounds and two K-frame Smith .38s loaded with 158gr. LRN.

Basically, the situation is that we get the call, we lock up the situation, put everything five by five, and cordon the area until the local authorities arrive. We're cops, we just don't get the glory.

I am not permitted to carry Glocks on duty; however, when my wife picks me up from work I strap on the "Deadly Duo" of a 27 and 23, each with Bar-Sto .357 bbl.
Priceless.

Crazy Sanity-Challenged People and the Internets (Part Deux)

This is pretty much a repost of an old article I did last year, but I've added a few new ones.

I guess crazy people have been around for as long as there have been "normal" people, but it wasn't until the advent of the Internets that I've had to put up with them. I mean, how often do you actually physically meet a bonafide loony, really? However, a casual stroll through the web will avail you of all sorts of conspiracy theorists, wannabe superstars, and just plain old-fashioned whackos who now have a medium through which they can share their lunacy with the rest of humankind.

What's that you say? You don't know what I'm talking about? Be deprived no longer. Look, linger over their particular brand of whackiness, and don't forget to buy their products!

The Nibiruan Council. You can order the Planetary Ascension Package B for only $99.00. Sounds like a deal to me. This site is so seriously crazy that I fear for my own sanity just for having read parts of it.

John Titor - okay, technically not a nut, but has inspired a generation of new nuts. John came from the future. Well, actually from the past, returning to the future, because he needed a vintage IBM computer to solve some sort of UNIX problem in the future. Um, anyway, there's gonna be civil war and Mad Cow disease all over the place, unless we do something. In all fairness, it would make a pretty cool movie, vis-a-vis Terminator.

Orbit is interesting. If by interesting you mean horribly confusing, rambling, incoherent psychotic rants about chemtrails, earthquakes, and those devil-worshipping Bushes.

Armageddon Online. Can't tell yer megatsunamis from your pandemics without this site! Did you know a wave thousands of feet high will someday hit New York? It's on the Internets, so it must be true!

Swami Sananda - one of my all-time fave loonies, and the one whose ass I want to kick the most. An aggravating website resplendent with unwanted new-age music, horrible HTML and graphics, and lots and lots of pics of Swami Bananarama. He's the coo-cookiest, man.

My Bodyweight. That's the name of the title page. Seriously. This person is one reason that I carry a gun. He is so very seriously insane that it boggles the sane part of my mind (what's left of it after looking at this site). This dude can't keep a job because someone is manipulating the timeline to change history, mess with his ability to stay married, change the climate, and generally commit shenannigans. Of course, this guy is the ONLY person who's on to this scheme. Thank goodness his sane and sober exegesis of this vast conspiracy can be perused via the wonderful WWW. Don't forget: the shiny side of the foil goes out. Update - can't seem to get to either www.evidence-timeline.com, or www.evidence-timeline.com. Pity.

The Reptilians. Who are they really? Who really cares? This crazy person does. Buy her music.

Thule makes mincemeat of Mensa! An alliterative nutball. Cool.

Archure (it's a copyrighted name). Turn your speakers up for this one, kids! Archure's a musical genius. Just ask him. Let's face it, there's not that many musical geniuses writing MIDI music anymore. Mostly because it sucks. Visit the Music page and be amazed! Pure genius.

Crystalinks. Ellie Crystal's a psychic! Neato! She got abducted by aliens! Sweet! She's from Brooklyn! ick. Craptacular site.

Infowars.com - Alex Jones hates everything, apparently. Especially the government. Conspiracy! Conspiracy!

Jeff Rense must have the same water supply as Alex Jones. Mercy. If the volume of crap you put out equals truth, Jeff is the mullet-wearing man!

I've noticed a disturbing trend with most of these sites - a complete lack of visual acuity and any taste whatsoever. They have dozens of pages, and each page is about a mile long. It's called "hyperlinking," people. Use it. Don't believe me? Take a look at DREAMS OF THE GREAT EARTH CHANGES. Cover your eyes, then use the scroll wheel on your mouse. A lot.

This is making me tired, and that means the rays are taking control of my mind. Must...get...rest...sleep...consume...reproduce....zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Fatality mars North Carolina gun tradition

Sounds like a great tradition.

Also sounds like these guys are idiots.

From what the story hints at, these morons are firing (blanks) out of antique, period muskets/rifles.

Let me be clear - that's just plain stupid.

For one thing, you are destroying a piece of American history every time you light one up. For another, black powder is one of the most corrosive things in the world, and if you don't take care of your weapon, it's going to rust out and do exactly what these morons had happen to them. I'm terribly sorry that one of them died, but it would appear to be Darwin at work once again.

Here's a hint, fellas. Keep the tradition going, stop drinking beer (they're German descendants, I'm sure beer was involved somewhere :) ), and use reproduction firearms.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi reportedly arrested in Iraq

Now, wouldn't this be interesting if it proves to be true??

IF so, I imagine they found him cowering in a hole somewhere, just like SH. Funny how the tough guys don't go down fighting, eh, and just give it up??

03 January 2005

North Korea reportedly sold arms to MILF

Wait a minute...according to Sarah Brady and her safety-minded pals, terrorist buy their assault weapons at U.S. gun shows. Of course, they could only get semi-autos here. So, if Korea has a yard sale on full-auto (real) assault weapons, and terrorist buy them there, then...wait - I'm confused. Do you mean the the Violence Policy Center is lying?

And what's up with this?
Between 1999 and 2002, North Korea also attempted to sell submersible vessels to the MILF, which is fighting for independence for Mindanao in the southern Philippines, the sources said.
So now Rachel Hunter is a Philippine rebel? Dang. I'm really confused now.
Meanwhile, the Southeast Asian terrorist organization Jamaah Islamiyah...is known to be training recruits in MILF training camps in Mindanao.
And there's a SCHOOL for that? I gotta get out more.

BoyoBoy

Put down your AK and drop your bazooka...

If this isn't a joke, it's the gayest thing I have ever seen.
Big D

Scott Peterson Fan Club

Join Today.

This website is dedicated to all those among us who have taken the initiative to remove someone who is not worthy of survival. Especially if you used some lame, transparent, I-don't-give-a-f&*@ excuse like, "I was fishing."

Carter Urged to Quit Fishin'

The folks at PETA are urging Carter to quit fishin' because they say fishin' is inconsistent with his humanitarian efforts. What does promoting human welfare and social reforms have to do with fishin'? If Carter is anything like myself and others that I have gone fishing with, he probably releases what he catches except for the ones he is going to have the little woman fry up when he gets home.
If Carter caves to these extremists, then calling him a weenie would be an insult to weenies all over the world.
Big D

Daisy Cutter

DC's got a new look - go check him out. You can catch details of the press conference there.

Police winning war on BB guns

Those silly Brits.
Under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, it is an offence to possess an unloaded air weapon or imitation firearm in a public place without lawful authority or excuse.
Since when is a child's toy considered "anti-social?"

Gee, no opportunity for government abuse here, huh?

Giants 28, Cowboys 24

I seem to recall saying this before, but the Cowboys have an affinity for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Last night, it was 66 yards in 6 plays, with the help of a completely stupid and flagrant roughing penalty that tacked 15 yards onto a 23-yard pass. It was a brilliant strategy, complemented by the porous Cowboy defense, which has evidently never seen a draw play before. In other words, the Cowboys suck.