Armed Forces Bowl

For those of our regular readers here in the Metroplex, check out Outlaw 13's blog today - some neat information on the upcoming Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth on 12/23/06.

Charlie Brown Christmas - Performed by the Cast of Scrubs

Humorous.

Glock offer targets police homebuyers

Let's face it - a free Glock isn't really going to influence whether someone buys a $150,000+ home - but it don't hurt.

The only thing about this: why the focus on police? You know, other people like Glocks, too.

Except Dan.

Clients: A Contractor's Right to Choose?

Whatever happened to "no shirt, no shoes, no service"??

Once upon a time, a business owner could decide who he or she did business with.

There's a stink going on in Houston where a contractor refused to do business with a gay couple, and they're catching hell from the usual suspects.

First they tell business owners that their clientele cannot smoke in their own establishment. Now they are telling the business owners who they should be doing business with.

Where does it end?

Like It Was Yesterday

It is strange how the mind works. Sometimes I can’t remember what happened last week, and there are some major events in my life that I have no real recollection of details. Then there are things that happened 20 years ago that I remember like it happened yesterday.
It was 26 years ago today. My Mom, Dad, and I had just finished decorating the tree. My Dad and I returned to the den to watch the rest of Monday Night Football, when Howard Cosell told us of “an unspeakable tragedy”. John Lennon had been shot and killed outside his apartment on the west side of New York City. I remember the feeling I got when I heard it. It was this hollow feeling mixed with sadness and disbelief. As young as I was, I knew this was a huge loss. It was tragic, as Howard Cosell said. I didn’t really understand or even know very much about the controversies that surrounded John Lennon and his politics, anti war activism, and drug use. All I knew was I was a big fan of his music.
It was the first time I had ever uttered a curse word in front of my Father. It was an uncontrollable reaction. I said “shit”. Realizing what I had said, I looked over at my dad, and all he said was “Don’t let your mother hear you talk like that.” Although my Dad only listened to Country and Western music, and probably really disliked John Lennon because he was a hippie, pot smoking, rock and roller, he let the slip slide under the radar because he knew what an impact John Lennon’s death had on me as well as many other people in the world.
That night will forever be burned into my memory.

GO ELF YOURSELF!

Check out The Girl!

Pearl Harbor - 9/11

Robert Spencer has an excellent piece at Jihad Watch reminding us all (at least those who are paying attention) just what the stakes are.

Five years after Pearl Harbor, the war was over. The Third Reich was kaput. The Japanese were vanquished as well. But five years and counting after 9/11, there is no victory in sight. There is not even much clarity about why we are fighting, or whom we are fighting. Some of the most important victories in this shadowy twilight war have come in the form of arrests of those who were plotting attacks even more heinous than 9/11, but these arrests have an unfortunate side effect: they perpetuate the illusion that we are not seriously threatened, that there is nothing to be particularly concerned about -- after all, they haven't struck since 9/11. They probably can't. They probably just got lucky on that day.

One main reason, meanwhile, why the war is so poorly understood and controversial: the enemy is not a nation-state but an ideology, an ideology which has been spread throughout the world and can now be found in practically every nation on the planet. Because of the religious derivation of this ideology, analysts are generally reluctant to identify it properly or fully. They don't wish to examine how this ideology is advancing through peaceful means. They refuse to consider the ways in which it threatens American society, laws, and mores. And multiculturalism dins into all our ears that all value systems and belief systems are equal, and that only "bigots" oppose one or another, or dare to examine how one may be contain incitements to violence and supremacism.

Read it all.

Ultrasonic Ringtones

Ultrasonic Ringtones - The new ringtones that only kids can hear!

Okay, when I was much younger, I could hear the ultrasonic frequency motion detector systems that were popular in department stores.

A few rounds later, I don't hear those tones. Apparently, kids still do, and now they've figured out how to use that to their collective advantage with ultrasonic ringtones. Pretty cool, actually.

However, I'd like you old farts to go to this site, and tell me (in comments) what was the highest frequency you could hear. Me?

You're not a hoopy frood

You thought you were really with it and in with your younger colleagues but they just laugh at you because you can't hear beyond this! The highest pitched ultrasonic mosquito ringtone that I can hear is 14.1kHz

Find out which ringtones you can hear!

What's that, ya say, sonny? Get off my lawn!

Off with their heads!

Quotes from the executioner:

"Every person is worried when he starts a new job."

"On the personal level, I'm very normal."

"I finish the job and go home. It's all very normal."

Yep, these are the folks the Iraq study group wants us to sit down and come up with a regional plan for peace!

H/T Lone Star Times

Muslim boys urinated on Bible

Religion of peeese, indeed!

Somalia Town Threatens to Behead People Who Don't Pray 5 Times Daily

Religion of peace indeed!

Cluck

Merry Christmas - this is a hoot.

Changing of the Guard?

After many years of shooting Glocks, I decided this year that it was time to give a 1911 a try. I have been competitively shooting pistols since 97, and shooting only Glocks since late 98.

But which one? I was very leery about throwing down over 2 grand for a full on custom. Although several of my friends are/were trying to lead me there and assuring me I won't be happy unless I dive in. But I was just unwilling to take that plunge.

So as luck would have it, a series of events landed what I feel was a terrific opportunity to try it out. A friend picked up a used Para-Ordnance P16 Todd Jarrett model and was looking to resell it quick. So I jumped on it before JR could make his move. This was in July. So I thought I'd give my impressions of it for you.

Above you can see the old and the new. Glock 35, Vanek trigger, Dawson sights, Dawson basepads, skateboard tape - out of a Ghost holster and CR Speed mag pouches. It has been a truly terrific setup and I would happily recommend one just like it to any new shooter.

The Para comes out of the box setup really nice, Dawson front sight and magwell included. The only things I've done to it are burner grips from Jerry Barnhart, a few Dawson basepads and a new CR Speed holster. Suddenly I am in the 1911 world.

This pistol has been FANTASTIC! It is exactly what I was looking for. In 1911 terms it is relatively inexpensive. You can buy them new for about $1300. I got mine for less than that with a few extra mags.

First off, this gun is heavy. I am no longer holding a featherweight Glock. But this has really tamed the recoil of Major pf ammo. As a matter of fact, because this gun uses a standard dust cover with a metal frame most of the weight is down low in your hand, so I've had no trouble with transitions between targets due to the heavier weight.

Reliability - this was my major area of concern. The Para has been flawless! I now have run about 4000 rounds through the gun, both major pf and minor pf without one single failure. And that's using my jacked up reloads. I just started reloading on my own press this year, but that's another story. But the reliability of this gun has been outstanding, I simply cannot say enough about it. Since I'll be using this gun for USPSA, it has to be able to get through some very large stages and it hasn't let me down. I am all smiles.

Point of aim. OK, I'll say it now I must be a freak. Everyone says you should not go from a 1911 to a Glock, or from a Glock to a 1911. Well I've been doing that for a while now with no problems. I'm shooting my Para in USPSA matches and my Glock in IDPA matches. Will that change the more I shoot the Para, I don't know but until then. Keep it simple, when you see the front sight, pull the trigger. Which brings up the next subject...

Trigger. Well this is one area that still needs improving. It seems after shooting Glocks for so long I am not getting the most out of my new trigger. The Para comes in with a very respectable trigger. No I don't have a trigger gauge, but it is very nice. It's of course got that nice crisp 1911 trigger, I'm guessing in the 3 to 4 pound range. Is it a 2 pound SV trigger, no. But it didn't cost as much either. What I'm doing is not working the trigger correctly by only letting off the trigger enough to reset, but am cycling my finger just like I do on my Glocks fast and furious. So I have some dry fire work to do there. Gives me a goal for this winter.

The mags have been great, requiring little maintenance during a match. This is a major bonus if you ask me. Most of the problems I see at the range are mag related. I wipe them off with a rag to get the dust and dirt off and just reload them for the next stage. When I get home, I clean them up for the next match, sometimes. And at $50 new, they're not a bad deal.

Problems. There have been very few. Mostly centered around my grip. I shoot with my thumbs forward, with my weak hand thumb pressing the frame. On a Glock, there is a thumb pad that is built up so it is even with the side of the slide. But on the Para, the frame is actually lower (more narrow) than the slide. So I have caught myself shooting with my thumb in the air not pressing the slide, and you guessed it, my accuracy went out the window. When I concentrate and press my thumb to the slide, things are great. But it is a training issue that I will need to cure this winter also. Second item is reloading. On a Glock, my fingers are just right to be able to work the mag release and slide release without changing my grip. On the Para this is a no-go. So I have to remember to change my grip, press the control, and regrip the gun before I shoot. Not a big deal and I'm mostly out of the woods on this one.

I know I have only scratched the surface of this gun, only having it for a few months. But if this is an indication of future function and reliability, I am sold on Para-Ordnance. We will see how it holds up to a year or two of constant use and see what 10 or 20 thousand rounds do to it. I've read a lot of info on the net about them, some good, some bad. But my experience with them has been good. Very good!

If anyone out there is looking to give Limited/Limited 10 class a try using a 1911, check out the Para-Ordnance.

Flatulence, not turbulence forces plane landing in Nashville

For a minute, I thought our very own Pimp Daddy was responsible for this traumatic experience.

Cricket fan is caught with 'lethal' ball

Mr. Hurd claimed that he had been merely holding the ball as he rode the escalator at Baker Street station in London when he was stopped by a female British Transport Police officer and subjected to a ten-minute inquisition and allegations that he was carrying "a very hard object", which he should not have done in public as it was a potentially lethal weapon.

Thank goodness that England is safer now. First guns, then knives, and now...hard objects. Seems to me that half the heads there would be illegal.

BTW - Crickets got balls?

The MEMRI Blog

Great site for documenting what our enemies are saying.

As Sun Tzu has said, know your enemy....

That man's nuts!

Police say a tipster may have helped them crack a nut-nabbing syndicate.

Grab 'em!
Seems that the price of nuts has risen in California, and criminals are doing what they do. Quick, pass some legislation! Think of the children! Ban the nut-robbers!

Nut-nabbing. heh.