Don Knotts Dies at 81

Barney Fife, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, The Love God?, The Reluctant Astronaut, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, and oh, yeah, that unfortunate Three's Company thing. One of my favorite actors, and a guy who never apologized for being a character actor.

Is it cold in here, or is it just me?

In case you've not been keeping up, there is ONE sport worth watching in the Winter Olympics: curling. Seriously, if you've never seen curling, you're missing an amazing sport, resplendent with strategy, gamesmanship, and brooms. What's that? It's not a sport? Of course it is! Here's your proof:

Any doubt that curling has arrived was removed when the event was interrupted by a streaker.

During the fifth end break (curling's version of halftime and/or a seventh inning stretch), a large and not-too-muscular guy ran out across the sheet. Nothing on except for the obligatory online gambling ad and a strategically-wrapped rubber chicken.

I guess Golden Palace is at it again, which means: this is a real sport.

Holy Shiite Tomb Attacked

Now that's a headline! Where's Batman?

Another Captured Memo...


From: Bin Laden, Osama [mailto:osama@taliban.com]
Sent: Monday, November 19, 2001 8:17 AM
To: Cavemates
Subject: The Cave
Hi guys. We've all been putting in long hours but we've really come together as a group and I love that. Big thanks to Omar for putting up the poster that says "There is no I in team" as well as the one that says "Hang In There, Baby." That cat is hilarious. However, while we are fighting a jihad, we can't forget to take care of the cave. And frankly I have a few concerns.

First of all, while it's good to be concerned about cruise missiles, we should be even more concerned about the scorpions in our cave. Hey, you don't want to be stung and neither do I, so we need to sweep the cave daily. I've posted a sign-up sheet near the main cave opening.

Second, it's not often I make a video address but when I do, I'm trying to scare the most powerful country on earth, okay? That means that while we're taping, please do not ride your razor scooter in the background. Just while we're taping. Thanks.

Third point, and this is a touchy one. As you know, by edict, we're not supposed to shave our beards. But I need everyone to just think hygiene, especially after mealtime. We're all in this together.

Fourth: food. I bought a box of Cheez-Its recently, clearly wrote "Osama" on the front, and put it on the top shelf. Today, my Cheez-Its were gone. Consideration. That's all I'm saying.

Finally, we've heard that there may be American soldiers in disguise trying to infiltrate our ranks. I want to set up patrols to look for them. First patrol will be Omar, Muhammed, Abdul, Akbar, and Richard.

Love you lots.

Osama


Something you won't be seeing on CNN

H/T to Power Line and Austin Bay. Captured communiques between Osama and his thuglets tell a remarkable story that you won't see reported in the nightly news on CNN:


STOP RUSHING INTO ACTION AND TAKE TIME OUT TO CONSIDER ALL THE FATAL AND SUCCESSIVE DISASTERS THAT HAVE AFFLICTED US DURING A PERIOD OF NO MORE THAN SIX MONTHS. THOSE OBSERVING OUR AFFAIRS WONDER WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO US.
TODAY WE ARE EXPERIENCING ONE SETBACK AFTER ANOTHER AND HAVE GONE FROM MISFORTUNE TO DISASTER. DURING (TN: THE PAST) SIX MONTHS, IT HAS BECOME APPARENT TO THE OBSERVER THAT THERE IS A NEW HAND THAT IS MANAGING AFFAIRS AND THAT IS DRIVING FORCEFULLY; EVERY TIME IT FALTERS, IT GETS UP AND RUSHES AGAIN, WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING OR AWARENESS.
I SAY TODAY WE MUST COMPLETELY HALT ALL EXTERNAL ACTIONS UNTIL WE SIT DOWN AND CONSIDER THE DISASTER WE CAUSED. *** THE EAST ASIA, EUROPE, AMERICA, HORN OF AFRICA, YEMEN, GULF, AND MOROCCO GROUPS HAVE FALLEN, AND PAKISTAN HAS ALMOST BEEN DROWNED IN ONE PUSH. I, NOT TO MENTION THE OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE ALSO MOVED AND FALLEN, HAVE OFTEN ADVISED ON THIS MATTER. REGRETTABLY, MY BROTHER, IF YOU LOOK BACK, YOU WILL FIND THAT YOU ARE THE PERSON SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THIS BECAUSE YOU UNDERTOOK THE MISSION, AND DURING SIX MONTHS, WE ONLY LOST WHAT WE BUILT IN YEARS. DOES NOT THAT MERIT THAT WE PAUSE AND SIT DOWN, NOT TO SEEK JUDGMENT, BUT TO ~ REVIEW AND IDENTIFY THE ERRORS THAT HAVE BEEN BEHIND THESE DISASTERS AND NOT TO BLINDLY IGNORE THEM AND CONTINUE WHAT WE ARE DOING AND BECOME A JOKE FOR ALL THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES IN THE WORLD. MY BELOVED BROTHER, STOP ALL FOREIGN ACTIONS, STOP SENDING PEOPLE TO CAPTIVITY, STOP DEVISING NEW OPERATIONS, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER ORDERS COME OR DO NOT COME FROM ABU-ABDALLA (TN: BIN-LADEN). OUR ADHERENTS HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE IN US AND IN OUR ABILITY TO MANAGE THE ACTION, AND THEY WONDER, WHAT HAS BEFALLEN US.

We can't make this stuff up, folks

In today's Denton Record Chronicle:

Staff report

Denton police Tuesday completed an investigation into a shooting incident and added several charges to a list against the shooting victim. Timothy Paul Havens, 19, called 911 on Feb. 9 from his car on Interstate 35E, saying he'd been shot at a service station nearAlliance Airport and needed medical attention. He said he heard gunshots and realized he'd been hurt but did not know who shot him. He was treated for a gunshot wound to the leg. Officers impounded his car and obtained a search warrant. Hidden inthe car, they found a bag of marijuana, $2,200 cash and a revolver with two spent shells. Officers questioned him and learned that he lied about the shooting. He said he felt suicidal and tried to shoot himself in the chest in Denia Park but somehow missed. Then he tried to fire at the ground to see ifthe gun was working and accidentally shot himself in the leg. He admitted that he has been dealing marijuana, according to the police report. On Feb. 13, he was arrested on a parole revocation warrant. On Tuesday, charges of false report to a police officer, unlawfully carrying aweapon and possession of marijuana over 2 ounces were added.

Are people really that stupid?

Ferrari Shattered

Pictures of the crashed Ferrari.

Speaking of someone who needs to be shot

I'm at a loss for words. Guy tanks a Ferrari Enzo on an apparently drunken binge. I'm hoping that the cops beat his ass when they find out who was behind the wheel, then throw him down the stairs and then break a finger or two or three.

Crashing an Enzo. Sheesh. That should be against the law all by itself.

Risk of Robbery Raising Stakes Of Poker Nights

Now this is funny. The last time we sat around the table to play Texas hold 'em I think there were more guns than people at the table! A couple of us had brought in our ARs that had new stuff on em and wanted everyone to see the new toys.

I can't imagine the look of shock on the wanna be robber's faces at that poker night....

A Rant - .40 Caliber Controversy in IDPA

This was a big discussion over on the IDPA Yahoo Groups list, and there were several things that really steamed me about this.

First, I fully expected this to become a big deal, as we had discussed this very topic not 2 weeks before this all started. Why? Because it makes a slightly larger hole (the difference between 1 down and 0 down is small), and it's a different kind of recoil than 9mm (more of an impulse than a snap). Heaven forbid!

Now, if you load down to the power floor (125pf), it IS a bunny fart. However, I don't load down to the floor, and I don't know many who do. I use a lighter bullet, and the same amount of powder for IDPA (155g bullet over 4.1g TiteGroup). It chronos at 149pf. It's a sweet load, very manageable (as most .40 loads are), and (MOST IMPORTANTLY) extremely economical. Just by changing the bullet, I use the same setup for my USPSA load that makes 170pf. Very convenient.

Secondly, most of the boneheads bickering over power factors are pretty much the same Freudian "man" gun owners that think the world should be CDP. For the most part, they're stiff-legged marksmen that are spending a lot of energy trying to figure out why they're always getting beat. Must be the ammo. Right.

Third, the reason I shot 9mm for so long was that Blazer 9mm ammo was cheap (about $80/1000). As several of us found out last year at the Double Tap Championship (a USPSA major match), factory ammo ain't always the hottest. I recall my factory Blazer ammo not being able to knock down steel (as does Dan), and having them recalibrate the steel so we could get a reshoot. Once I got the Glock 35 (.40 caliber), and started shooting Limited, well, the economics of shooting .40 became hard to overlook. Compound that with the fact that Blazer ammo prices have apparently gone up a dollar a box, well, there ya go.

Fourth, did I mention reloading is cheaper?

Fifth, when presented with the FACTS from the rulebook (125pf is the RULE, and it can be measured with a chronograph!), these folks wrap themselves in the "Purpose" section of the rulebook that uses terms that are subjective at best. When someone presses for WHAT the power floor is, well, it's 125! Like I said, THAT can be measured.

Finally, and this is the thing that really gets me seeing red: there are divisions and classifications in IDPA. Most of these self-righteous protectors of the "spirit" of IDPA are no longer content to compete against shooters of like skill, using like weapons (gee, sounds like something in the "Purpose" section of the IDPA rulebook). They're seeing other divisions (ESP, mostly) that are faster than they are, and consistently faster than they are. Why? Well, it must be that cheater ammo. Either be content to compete against those in your class or division, or move to another class or division. Then, take your time and energy invested in complaining and go get some training!

Some have even proposed that we all use factory ammo. Have you priced self-defense factory ammo lately? Try about $1/ROUND! That would run many out of the sport right there.

You want a division for .40 caliber? Then make one. Until then, just go by the rules, and shut up.

Shooters in this sport need to spend more time quantifying their rules, and stop using "feelings" and "spirit" to justify their silly positions. I could never chronograph "spirit" anyway.

Ah, the good ole days...

I say this is a man's man! 84 years old and still scoping out the chicks!

"That's so goddamn dumb, I can't believe it," Schaefer said when asked about the appropriateness of his remark. "She's a pretty little girl."She "ought to be damn happy that I observed her going out the door," Schaefer said. "The day I don't look at pretty women is the day I die."

Amen brother!

Not looking good for the new Bond

First, the new Bond-boy gets the sheeit scared out of him in his introduction by the Royal Marines. Then he tells us that he's afraid of guns. Now he gets his ass kicked in a fight scene.

They never should have tossed out Pierce Brosnan.