Ronald S. Safer is a Liar

You know what sets anti-gunners apart from the rest of the populace? They hold no compunction against repeating the same lies over and again. Yes, they are bald-faced liars that repeat nonsense often enough that the weak-minded among us merely accept these lies as facts. Let's examine the theme of this diatribe:

But the killer had a big assist from Congress and our president. In 2004, those so-called public servants let lapse the federal law that banned assault weapons like the one that evidently killed Starkesia...
...It is now lawful for companies to manufacture, sell and distribute these weapons. And it is lawful for a person to buy an assault weapon if he or she is not a felon.

Why did the president and Congress allow these weapons to again fill our streets?

I don't know about you, boys and girls, but I legally bought my so-called "assault weapon" during the hated Assault Weapons Ban. These guns have never been illegal. What this filthy liar is doing is giving the impression that weapons that look like assault weapons are, in fact, assault weapons.

Read the article. Note how he regurgitates the lies from the Brady Bunch. Polls support gun control...police favor gun bans...hunter's rights (whatever the hell those are)...self-protection doesn't require an assault weapon...and finally, yep: what about the children? And building up to the big finale:

Those drive-bys are precisely what these semi-automatic weapons--many of them convertible to automatic--are designed to execute. They're efficient, capable of quickly spraying a broad area with lethal bullets. Anyone in that area--an intended victim or a bystander like Starkesia--risks extermination.

I'm a little disappointed he didn't use "bullet hose," but "spraying" is a good substitute. And don't forget the "lethal bullets."

And why did this happen? Why, because the NRA bribed Congress.

Watch this - I caught him in a lie:

What do NRA leaders have that corrupts these politicians? Votes? Absolutely not. Their members are decidedly in the minority on the assault weapon issue.

Get that? The voters support a ban on guns. Yet, in the very next paragraph:

They (the NRA) can withdraw the grease that lubricates the re-election machine of members of Congress. They can support a congressman's opponent with impressive resources. They are disciplined, single-issue-oriented and relentless in their opposition to anyone who has the audacity to suggest any weapon or ammunition controls be implemented.

Without saying it outright, he hangs himself on the fact that votes are what get representatives elected. This creates a dichotomy: how can both statements be true? The answer: they're not - it's just another lie.

If you wonder why we're constantly battling anti-gun legislation at every level of government, it's because of these liars and their unrelenting desire to deprive you of your rights. Don't buy it.

Flesh-eating germ kills woman in three days - Infectious Diseases - MSNBC.com

Holy crap!

Man Who Weighed 1,000 Pounds Down to 400

So, if he sees his penis, is it 6 more weeks of winter, or what?

When Deuel came to Sioux Falls for gastric bypass surgery in 2004, he weighed 1,072 pounds.

He was so large (how large was he? ...ed) his bedroom wall had to be cut out to extract him from his home. He was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance with extra-wide doors and a ramp-and-winch system that had to be dispatched from Denver.

Here's my favorite part:

has lost another 81 pounds in a surgery that removed a mass of fat and skin hanging from his midsection.
...The mass, called a pannus, made it difficult for Deuel, 43, of Valentine, Neb., to walk.

A pannus. It has a name. Is that kinda like a FUPA?

Motion Denied Because You're An Idiot

You gotta love a judge that quotes from "Billy Madison." Check out the footnote.

Oscars: Second-Lowest Ratings Since '87

In my non-scientific case study of determining just why the Oscars continue to have declining ratings, I have this to say to the Hollywood elites:

You suck.

I can count on two hands, with fingers left over how many movies I went to last year. The only two that I can actually remember seeing are Star Wars and King Kong. I'm sick and tired of you trying to tell me that your freaked out view of the world is the way it really is and I'm sick and tired of you trying to force your warped values on me every time I go out for a night of entertainment. It was bad enough in the Lethal Weapon series to have anti-gun propoganda stuffed down my throat, but this year's gay film fest was trying to stuff something down there that just wasn't going to happen.

"Sunday's Academy Awards with Jon Stewart drew an average audience of 38.8
million viewers, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. That's down
8% compared with last year's show hosted by Chris Rock, and the second-lowest
tally since 1987. (The lowest was 2003's ceremony, hosted by Steve Martin, that
was marred by the start of the Iraq war; an average of 33 million viewers tuned
in then). In the key adults aged 18-49 demographic, the Oscars did a 13.9
rating, also down 8% compared with last year."

And PS:

George Clooney, you're an idiot.

Some Gitmo Prisoners Don't Want to Go Home

Holy Gitmo, Batman!

It would seem that some of the thugs we have detained in Gitmo know what real torture is and that whatever treatment they are getting now is a thousand times better than what waits for them in other parts of the world.

"If I am sent back to China, they will torture me really bad," said the man, whose name did not appear in the transcript. "They will use dogs. They will pull out my nails.... Home is China, and in China you disappear into a dungeon and no one ever hears from you again," said their lawyer, Sabin Willett. "These guys are not a risk to anyone. They should be released here."

More CNN failure to report

CNN's apparently too busy (as of 10:35 pm tonight) plastering stories about the crooked Republican Congressman (yes, he should have received more time as far as I'm concerned; he's an embarrassment to us all) and how the US was forced to release the names of prisoners kept as Gitmo (see my thoughts on those turds below) to report on something a bit more sinister and close to home.

Today at the University of North Carolina, an Iranian jihadist purposefully and deliberately drove a rented Jeep through a mass of students hanging out on campus. They weren't on the street, the weren't crossing the road - they were kicking back between classes.

I heard this story on the news on the radio this afternoon. You know what the lead point of interest was on ABC news? That an SUV drove into a mass of students. No word that an Iranian thug was behind the wheel. No word given whatsoever that this was a deliberate terrorist attack. Zip. Zero. Nada. Apparently, the evil SUV drove itself as they are apparently prone to do in the liberal's eyes. That is, unless they are being chauffeured around in one.

Now I want to ask you a question. What if, instead of an SUV driven by a crazed jihadist, this was an incident involving a white guy and a gun? Say some white kid at college got fed up with his grades and went on a shooting rampage? Think THAT would have made headlines?

Hopefully, the dickhead behind the wheel will be summarily executed as an example of what happens to terrorists in our country. I'm not counting on it, but that would be nice.

Bush arrives in Pakistan and is welcomed by riots

Now, wouldn't this be nice:

Local jackasses protest and otherwise make fools of themselves prior to and during a Presidential visit.

Said local jackasses' government happens to be the recipient of large, enormous, gigantic funding and support from the United States. Also, said local jackasses recieve massive amounts of aid from the United States in response to earthquakes, tsunamis, and other local disasters.

President returns home and immediately cancels any and all support for said country. Spend the money here in the United States, or at least have the common sense to give it to countries that support you and your policies.

I think we've made good headway in getting $30 million back from the terrorist Palestinians. I hope that's only a start.

More on the dead Enzo

Dude, something strange is afoot at the Circle K.

Force feeding = torture

Note to terrorist assholes. Yes, I'm talking to you punk - feel lucky that you are in Gitmo and that the 'fish isn't taking care of your sorry ass. After your measly brain has been sucked dry of any useful intelligence, out to the back of the barn you go and a bullet in the head you will get. Or, if I don't feel like wasting ammo on a turd such as yourself, then perhaps just hanging from the nearest tree by the neck until you are dead.

After which time you get fed to the pigs.

Stop bitching about your "inhumane" treatment in prison.

Air Support

Now this is how you should be fighing a war against radical Islam: with boobs!

Clancy must be patting himself on the back

I read this story this morning and all I could think was: "Didn't Tom Clancy write that book?"

Sheesh. It makes you wonder if anything else he's written has happened or not....

I'm Using teh Internets!!111

I was at the range the other day (pictured left: JR thinking), thinking about how I could save some money to buy more guns and ammo. I already have Verizon FiOS (that's fiber optic Internet service) that's pretty darned fast, and I read about Vonage. Called 'em up, axed a couple of questions, and next thing you know, my home phone is gonna be over the Internets!

For the cost of shipping ($16.45), I got my home phone service switched to Vonage, and they shipped me a LinkSys router/VoIP converter. I got it today.

I plugged it in, connected my phone base station to the outlet on the router, pressed the button on my phone, and started dialing and talking. It was literally that easy.

I phoned several of my peeps, and it was great. On Monday, my phone number switch to Vonage will be complete, and I will be a creature of the Internets. Vonage service has a bunch of cool junk, and I can monitor and configure my phone service on their website. I can even listen to voicemail, of which I'm notified via e-mail.

It's nerd heaven.

Happy Texas Independence Day!

On this day in 1836, Texas became a Republic. Disputed pseudo-factoid: By treaty with the U.S., the Texas State flag is the only flag in the Union that is allowed to fly at the same height as the U.S. Flag.

The new Bond and the cult of the Castrato

Good God man. Could they have picked a bigger wanker for the new Bond? First, as mentioned here at the Tattler, the new Bond-boy gets sea sick and scared of his introductory boat ride. Then it comes out he's afraid of guns. In his first fight scene, he gets his teeth knocked out. And now, the poor lad gets sunburned and is "moaning to his assistants that he's got prickly heat."

What a puss.

Upon further reflection, however, I wonder if the new Bond is a sign of the times? The old Bonds - most notably Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan - were rough and tumble heartthrobs capable of doing whatever it took to get the job done; whether that job was to bed the foxy secretary of the evil villain to discover his secrets or to beat the snot out of a lower level bad guy to find out the location of the secret entrance. The old Bonds weren't afraid to shoot someone if they had to in order to complete the mission and they were capable of operating in any environment in the world.

Today's Bond looks like he has trouble wiping his own ass, can't fight, can't drive, can't shoot, can't swim and can't handle outdoor work. He strikes me as one of the new Castrato - neither masculine nor feminine, and unwilling or unable to offend anyone or take a strong position on anything for sake of not wanting to hurt anyone's feelings.

The old Bonds were what every man wanted to live up to - strong, handsome, smooth with the ladies, tough and reliable in a pinch, and capable of solving his own problems.

The new Bond? He gets the prickly heat.

An Open Letter to Illiterates (a repost)

Okay, so semi-literates. Why? Because as a nation, our grammar and spelling is pathetic. We want people who live here to read, write, and speak English, but we can't use the language properly ourselves. So, as a service to all good Americans, I am now going to provide you with a brief grammar tutorial.

First off, let's address 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." If you lose something, it's lost. If you loose something, it's been set free. Got it?

Next, "to" and "too." I'll skip "two," because if you're that stupid, your lips are moving anyway - 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 (that's possessive!) 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. Most of all, when it's plural, don't use an apostrophe. For example, when you have a cheesy sign made inviting people into the Smith's house, that's correct. However, your family is referred to as the Smiths, not the Smith's. Or, the bathroom is for "Employees Only," not for "Employee's Only." Employee's only what? Criminy.

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.

Here's another thing I see a lot, and this is a hard one, so pay attention: "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' " A simple rule to remember: it's its, not it's!

Finally, your and you're is another one I see a lot, and the one that is most egregiously abused. I'm confused by this one, because it's really not difficult to keep the two straight. "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.

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.

Ten die in Libya cartoon clash

You know, we may be on to something here. Get the fundy Muzzies all fired up, then let them kill each other. Simple, yet effective.

These people do not belong in the 21st century.

Bush's Chat With Novelist Alarms Environmentalists

If you haven't read Crichton's A State of Fear, you really should. It does a very thorough job (and is a fairly entertaining read to boot) of confronting the eco-nazis and their whacked out views on the environment. I no longer have the book as it's being loaned out at the moment, but suffice it to say that every single theory put out there by the loony eco freaks is thoroughly debunked.

"This shows the president is more interested in science fiction than science," said Frank O'Donnell, president of Clean Air Watch, after learning of the White House meeting.

Yep, the book is indeed science fiction. It also has a huge bibliography and a significant amount of factual data supporting the premises of the book. It's frankly the eco-nazi's worst nightmare - an entertaining and educational look into the quack science of their goofy religion. The very title sums up the state of our society today - one in which the news media is an active player in creating a climate of fear over practically everything they report on.

Can't wait for the movie....

The Cavalier Daily - Shooting for gun control

Ladies and gentlemen, I present your collegiate moron of the week. Marta doesn't like guns - this much is clear. She thinks that the Violence Policy Center (aka The Brady Brunch) is a reliable source of shooting data. She says things like this:
A person can buy an assault weapon as easily as he can buy a rifle.
Amazing how uninformed someone can be, isn't it?

But wait, it gets better.
These wise men gave the right to own a gun to the people in order to maintain "a well regulated militia," which is "necessary for the security of a free State." The vast majority of gun owners today are not part of militias. Thus, the Second Amendment essentially is irrelevant to the question of whether or not stricter gun laws should be imposed. Americans cannot hide behind vague statements of the great men who wrote the Bill of Rights over 200 years ago. Misinterpreting and manipulating the Amendment obfuscates the spirit of the law meant to guide, not suffocate, the American people.
There ya go, folks. Marta has declared the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States "irrelevant."

So, here's the logical conclusion:
The best way to make sure guns do not get into the wrong hands is to make sure they get into few, if any, hands. The government needs to ban assault weapons, require background checks at gun shows and all other gun purchases, and mandate child safety locks. Although gun rights advocates will complain about the hassle of safety precautions, this seems a small price to pay for the promotion of the general welfare.
Folks like this person are everywhere, and they think they're right. I urge you to visit Marta's site, and leave a letter to the editor.

Online and on the Gas

We've had gun porn, I think it's time we had some bike porn (especially for Big D). And in honor of Italy's Reform Minister Roberto Calderoli, here is a little pick me up.

This bike absolutely rocks! From the perfect shade of red, to the stance, to the trick race parts. This is a get your blood boiling race machine. Imagine showing up for your local shooting match on this monster.

Those Italians, gotta love'em.

Note from the editor: don't know what happened to this post, but it apparently got deleted (I'm looking at you, Catfish...). Fortunately, I was able to restore from an e-mail copy. Sorry about that, Dan.

Pantalaine

From the WTF Clothing department.

Hear about guy with 5 penises? His pants fit like a glove!

Here's a jewel from this site:

As always, "if you don't see it on the the floor, we'll be happy to make it"

If you see anyone wearing anything from this site, I'm sure it's perfectly legal to kick their ass.

Dallas Dem admits former work as prostitute

Seems to me that this guy is over-qualified as a Democratic candidate for the Texas House of Representatives. But maybe he's not too liberal...

Malin, who once was a member of the Dallas Citizens Police Review Board, has also worked as a Mary Kay salesman and performed in Dallas-area theater productions. His candidate Web page describes him as a managing director for the marketing arm of a Dallas electricity provider.

Um, nevermind.

Full Auto, Baby!

Ok, I'll admit it. All of this kee-rap about pictures of Muhammed, and the chicken shit liberals taking their opportunity at the microphone at CS King funeral and the constant harping over Cheney's accident have me really pissed off. Rather than rant and getting more freaking irritated and worked up than I am right now, I figured I'd talk full auto.

A few years back, several of us (JR, Dan, Big D and the Girl) were asked to go up to Tulsa, OK and help some buddies of ours demo full auto weapons. In the amount of time it took me to say lemmethinkaboutitYES! We were soon on the road to Tulsa.

Dan, Big D and myself drove up there in Big D's minivan. Well, ok, it wasn't his minivan per se, it was a previous employer's minivan. Big D doesn't have a lead foot. Take whatever element that exists that's 100% heavier than lead, and that's D's foot. Anyway, we're hauling ass through smallville Oklahoma. Speed limit 55. BD was doing 95 slowing down when the cop hit us with his radar and proceeded to pull us over. I did mention we were going to a shooting demo, right? There were at least 3-4 carbines, 2-3 shotguns, and at least 9-10 handguns, with a shitload of ammo to boot. There was so much stuff, in addition to our gear, clothes, and weapons, that the guns were pretty much in plain view as there just wasn't anywhere to put em. When we stopped, I looked around my little area in the back seat of the van. I had an AR under my feet, a shotgun riding down the middle of the van, and another rifle laying on the seat next to me. I pretty much figured that I was going to get shot by a jumpy small town policeman so I just went ahead and put my hands on my head and tried to look innocent, which frankly was harder than I imagined.

Cop comes to the door and knocks on BD's window, and asks him to roll it down. Well, the window had earlier been shot out by a richochet or something at a big IDPA match and when it was fixed, it wouldn't roll down. So, BD opens the door and goes "NO!" That's when the cop looked in the car and that's when I figured we were all going to jail. The cop asks BD "ummmm, sir, do you have any guns in the car?" BD responds, "ahhhhhhhhhh, well..... yessir. There's one there, one there, one there, one back there, one on my hip, one in my pocket, one in the glove box..." etc etc etc. Cop goes "step out of the car sir".

Well, Dan and I both figured the jig was up. In fact, he was on the phone with our host from Tulsa, who happens to be a cop.... Before Dan and I could figure out who was going to post our bond, BD comes back to the car starts it off, and takes off!

I'm thinking - tell me you're not running from the cop! BD said, "you are not going to believe this, but when I told him where we were going, he handed me back my licenses and told me to be careful!" (or something to that effect, I'm sure BD will remember...)

So, long story short, we get to Tulsa safe and sound with no prison record, which was a good thing. Because if we'd been busted, we wouldn't have been able to do this:

JSOC to become three-star command

The structural changes in the organization, the Joint Special Operations Command, will give its chief more authority and influence in dealing with other leaders and give his headquarters greater ability to simultaneously command and control multiple task forces in the field, said several sources familiar with the report.

JSOC is about to open up a fresh new can of whoopass on the terrorist community.

JSOC, headquartered at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., commands and controls the military’s three special mission units — the Army’s Delta Force, the Navy’s SEAL Team 6, and a joint unit based on the East Coast designed for clandestine operations and what the Pentagon calls “operational preparation of the environment.”
JSOC also controls the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and the Air Force’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron.

Too bad we don't get news reports on what these folks do...

Italian minister puts Mohammad cartoon on T-shirts

"I have had T-shirts made with the cartoons that have upset Islam and I will start wearing them today," Ansa quoted Calderoli as saying.
He said the T-shirts were not meant to be a provocation but added that he saw no point trying to appease extremists.

First Italian food, then Ferrari, then Ducati, now this guy. Italy rocks!

Japanese women bitter at Valentine chocolate duty

Japanese women are fed up with a longstanding Valentine's Day custom requiring them to give chocolates to men without getting any in return. According to an Internet survey, 70 percent of working women said they would be happy if there was no tradition of giving "obligatory chocolates" to their boyfriends or colleagues.

Welcome to the party, bitches!

Happy Valentine's Day!

With love, from all of us here at The Tattler.

Gore Laments U.S. 'Abuses' Against Arabs

Former Vice President Al Gore told a mainly Saudi audience on Sunday that the U.S. government committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that most Americans did not support such treatment.
"The thoughtless way in which visas are now handled, that is a mistake," Gore said during the Jiddah Economic Forum. "The worst thing we can possibly do is to cut off the channels of friendship and mutual understanding between Saudi Arabia and the United States."
Gore told the largely Saudi audience, many of them educated at U.S. universities, that Arabs in the United States had been "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable."

My ass! What about lamenting the terror attacks committed by Saudi nationals? What about lamenting the fact that the Saudi’s are doing little or nothing to stop the terrorists that are pouring over their borders into Iraq? What about the abuses to women and children by Muslims? I for one am glad they are rounding up these people. How safe would we really be if they were left to run around and possibly plan or commit other acts of terror? If they are over here illegally or are people of interest, pick them up, hold them, question them, and then ship them back to where they came from if their freedom is warranted. Better yet, close the boarders. Gore, just does not support the United States on issues of homeland security. It's obvious who holds our safety and well being as a high priority, and who doesn't. This is just another reason I thank God this guy isn't the President of the United States.

Brokeass Mountain

This video caused me to spew.

Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter

Let's get a count of hands here. Who hasn't been peppered by birdshot on a bird hunting trip? Nobody? Me neither. Grow a set, then go find me some real news.

Range Report

Shot at Wichita Falls today. Damn cold at the start, and very, very windy. 5 fun run and gun stages and the classifier. Dan, the Pimp and I made the trek to the range, leaving at oh dark thirty, grabbing something to eat and getting to the range by about 9:45.

Stage 1 - start kneeling, "praying for a good run", get to your gun, shoot four targets through the port, then haul ass to engage two more arrays of 4 around the corner. A few of us got to reshoot this stage - what we thought were ports turned out to not be so. No biggie - more shooting is good shooting. Here's some pics of Dan and I:

Stage 2 had us starting in a box of our choice (on either the left or right side of the stage) and engage 3 paper, one popper, and then a mirror image (almost) on the opposite side. Advance into a narrowing hallway, and engage 1 paper in the middle of the bay, 1 paper on either side of the bay, and a popper next to the outside paper targets.

Stage 3 was a longish hallway type stage. Start with hands on the table, engage 4 poppers about 15m downrange, and one paper target. Advance down the hallway and two ports on the left with two paper each, then a quick step to the right with 3 paper, then about 5m down the hallway there were 4 more paper, and at the end of the hallway a paper covered partially with a no shoot and then "around" the corner a low paper target. Here's the Pimp and I at work on this stage:

Stage 4 seemed to have some bad karma. Start with your unloaded gun on the table with mag next to it. Engage 3 paper through the port, then 4 small pieces of steel in between the starting port and the door we had to run to about 10m away. Open the door, engage 3 paper targets IN the doorway, and then haul ass to the final position to engage 4 paper targets 10-12m away through a window. My camera crapped out of batteries so no more pics.... I got ultra lucky here. I wasn't paying attention to the COF and didn't hear the part about not engaging the steel through the first port. And did. At the last shooting position, my pistol decided to crap out on me (thanks to very cold conditions, very windy conditions blowing the ultra fine dust EVERYWHERE, and my pistol not being quite broken in yet after the hard chrome job...) But anyway - I earned two procedurals and the mother of all jams which cost me 20 seconds. How do I know it cost me 20 seconds you ask??? Well, that's because it turns out most of our squad, myself included, started in the wrong spot and had to reshoot! C'est la vie!

Stage 5 was a repeat of a stage last month, with a slight twist at the end. 4 big ports in a row, made of barrels. Behind each port at about 1m were arrays of 4 shoot targets with a no shoot covering 2 of them. At the end of the wall, you then got to engage a Texas Star. Fun, down and dirty stage.

Stage 6 was the classifier. 3 targets, two strings. String 1 at 15m had you shoot the 3 targets, reload then re-engage with strong hand only. String 2 at 10m had you shoot the 3 targets, reload, then re-engage with weak hand only. Gun issues for me again on the strong hand part; I think I was limp wristing with a combination of just general gun grunge. Got all my hits though, and even though the first string cost me about 10 seconds more than it should have, I still finished 5th on the stage thanks to good hits and reloads.

Wound up 3rd overall, not too shabby, Dan finished 10th with his new limited setup, and the Pimp finished well in open - having a lot of dirty gun issues himself.

The elements were pretty tough - the wind was brutal and I still haven't removed all the dust from my mouth and ears. Very very cold this morning, but hey, any day at the range is better than a day NOT at the range!

Brewer angers church with Jesus image

A Lithuanian brewer has angered the Catholic Church by using an image of Jesus wearing headphones to advertise beer.

Let the riots begin!

Police hunt late night nudists

Police in Berane say the men were fully naked and appear to emerge only at night - usually in pairs. Local media speculated the men could be walking naked either after losing a drunken bet or for health reasons.

Health reasons? Give me a freakin' break. I see two naked fags walking down the street, I'm betting it's not for health reasons. This doesn't fly here in Texas.

Man pulls car with ears while standing on eggs

His performance drew a big crowd of astonished onlookers.

I wonder what hurt worse, his ears or his eggs?

CALVIN AND HOBBES — AND MUHAMMAD

Ann Coulter weighs in on the Muslim outrage over the cartoons of Muhammad.

Muslims are the only people who make feminists seem laid-back. The little darlings brandish placards with typical Religion of Peace slogans, such as: Behead Those Who Insult Islam," "Europe, you will pay, extermination is on the way" and "Butcher those who mock Islam." They warn Europe of their own impending 9/11 with signs that say: "Europe: Your 9/11 will come" — which is ironic, because they almost had me convinced the Jews were behind the 9/11 attack.

But Muslims think they can issue decrees about what images can appear in newspaper cartoons. Who do they think they are, liberals?

The Trixinator Has Arrived

After 6 long months of waiting, it's finally here. I know, I know - it looks very similar to BradC's - but I'm posting pics just the same. Who doesn't need more gun porn anyway?? This has been a glorious week - new hairdo (thanks Tina!), a new pair of shoes, I leave for a week of diving on an island paradise on Sat, AND I got my new gun. Excuse me, I need a moment or two alone....




And no, you can't borrow it - yet, anyway... :-)

Brokeback to the Future

HI-larious.

British court jails radical Muslim cleric

Yarrrgh! Ye best be guarding yer booty, matey! Seven years be a long time.

'Banned' Aphrodisiac Soda To Be Sold In Stores

The soda was banned in France and Denmark, but makers insist it is safe and works as an aphrodisiac. A warning label on the can claims, "This beverage will arouse you."

Dr. Pecker, anyone?

Historical Images of Mohammed

Interesting. Just when we've all been told ad nauseum that the whole reason muslims are rioting across the world is because it's a mortal sin to depict Mohammed in any images.

Yet here you can find historical images of Mohammed going back several hundred years, up to and including the cartoons causing the current state of war and rioting.

Another interesting tidbit that's making its way across the blogosphere is that perhaps there are some imams to blame for the entire thing:

"Furthermore, when a delegation of Danish imams went to the Middle East to discuss the issue of the cartoons with senior officials and prominent Islamic scholars, the imams openly distributed a booklet that showed not only the original 12 cartoons, but three fraudulent anti-Mohammed depictions that were much more offensive than the ones published in Denmark. It is now thought that these three bonus images are what ignited the outrage in the Muslim world. The newspaper Ekstra Bladet obtained a copy of the booklet and presented the three offensive images on its Web site (though not in an easy-to-find place). All look like low-quality photocopies. "

Now, wouldn't that be interesting if these riots have been staged from the very beginning.

I think it's fairly well known that these cartoons were first published last year in September. Why the riots now? Almost makes you wonder if there's something going on that no one is paying attention to.... But that's just me being paranoid.

We are all Danes now

I think this article sums it up quite nicely.

Hindus may consider it odious to use cows as food, but they do not resort to boycotts, threats, and violence when non-Hindus eat hamburger or steak. They do not demand that everyone abide by the strictures of Hinduism and avoid words and deeds that Hindus might find upsetting. The same is true of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Mormons: They don't lash out in violence when their religious sensibilities are offended. They certainly don't expect their beliefs to be immune from criticism, mockery, or dissent.
But radical Muslims do.

Here's what Muslims seem to lack: a sense of humor.

That anything so mild could trigger a reaction so crazed -- riots, death threats, kidnappings, flag-burnings -- speaks volumes about the chasm that separates the values of the civilized world from those in too much of the Islamic world. Freedom of the press, the marketplace of ideas, the right to skewer sacred cows: Militant Islam knows none of this. And if the jihadis get their way, it will be swept aside everywhere by the censorship and intolerance of sharia.

Honestly, do you folks have to take everything so completely seriously?

Honestly, the hardest thing for me right now is realizing that I agree with an editorial published in the Boston Globe.

You people need to relax. What, I'm over-reacting? Like they say, one picture...



Heck, I'm on a roll here - let's make it two:


Wake up. Welcome to the 21st Century.

Robo Urinal: Behold Your Porcelain Master

Just one more before I head out for the day.

Hehe. Head.

the odk - o c t o p u s d r o p k i c k !

My new favorite music video. "Night of Fire." Engrish videos rule.

Anybody know who the Nissei WWF dude is?

Think I'll cut my wrists now.

Feminist pioneer Betty Friedan dies

The people at Fark say.......

Feminist author Betty Friedan dies at 85. World loses not just a decent broad, but a fine piece of ass.

Peace on You

Those wacky Sudanese sign makers.

This gives me an idea - I'm going to open up a travel service for next year's Hajj, and charter some ferry boats, and pack those suckers full. Of course, I better get them to pay in full up front.

Dear fundie Islamists: Peace on you. Peace on all of you. Hypocrites.

Big role seen for Canada oil sands

Have I mentioned lately how much I love our Canadian neighbors to the North? They're good people.

More on those outraged Muslims

This is a great post on Neil Boortz's Blog about what it takes to outrage Muslims. Here is a snippet, but go read the entire thing.

Muslim outrage huh. OK ... let's do a little historical review. Just some lowlights:
Muslims fly commercial airliners into buildings in New York City. No Muslim outrage. Muslim officials block the exit where school girls are trying to escape a burning building because their faces were exposed. No Muslim outrage. Muslims cut off the heads of three teenaged girls on their way to school in Indonesia. A Christian school. No Muslim outrage. Muslims murder teachers trying to teach Muslim children in Iraq. No Muslim outrage. Muslims murder over 80 tourists with car bombs outside cafes and hotels in Egypt. No Muslim outrage. A Muslim attacks a missionary children's school in India. Kills six. No Muslim outrage. Muslims slaughter hundreds of children and teachers in Beslan, Russia. Muslims shoot children in the back. No Muslim outrage. Let's go way back. Muslims kidnap and kill athletes at the Munich Summer Olympics. No Muslim outrage. Muslims fire rocket-propelled grenades into schools full of children in Israel. No Muslim outrage. Muslims murder more than 50 commuters in attacks on London subways and busses. Over 700 are injured. No Muslim outrage. Muslims massacre dozens of innocents at a Passover Seder. No Muslim outrage. Muslims murder innocent vacationers in Bali. No Muslim outrage. Muslim newspapers publish anti-Semitic cartoons. No Muslim outrage. Muslims are involved, on one side or the other, in almost every one of the 125+ shooting wars around the world. No Muslim outrage. Muslims beat the charred bodies of Western civilians with their shoes, then hang them from a bridge. No Muslim outrage. Newspapers in Denmark and Norway publish cartoons depicting Mohammed. Muslims are outraged.

Dead children. Dead tourists. Dead teachers. Dead doctors and nurses. Death, destruction and mayhem around the world at the hands of Muslims .. no Muslim outrage ... but publish a cartoon depicting Mohammed with a bomb in his turban and all hell breaks loose.

Woman smuggles gun into county jail

After being transferred to the Ross County Jail, officers found Lundy still had a gun on her after it went off in the holding cell. Another woman in the cell said Lundy used the bathroom several times, and when Lundy sat on the bench, the gun went off.

While checking the gun, Officer Jonathan Robinson observed "it had off white-colored liquid substance on the gun with red specks. It appeared to be consistent with vaginal fluid."

That is no place to holster a gun.

Rumsfeld Likens Chavez's Rise to Hitler's

Rumsfeld to Chavez: Suck it!

Blogstorm

There's a Blogstorm starting. Give a visit to Michelle Malkin's blog - she does a better job of summing up what's going on much better than I could.

Cliff's notes version - the entire Muslim world is in an uproar over cartoons printed in a Danish newspaper depicting Mohammed. Riots across the globe are protesting the "insensitivity". And funny, the religion of peace's protests involves flag burnings, kidnappings, and threats of violence.

The part that'll make you sick, or at least it made me want to vomit, is that our very own policy wonks at the State Department have come down on the side of the rioters, calling the cartoons "offensive" and claiming the press needs to have some responsibility about what it's publishing.

And while it's apparently offensive to Muslims to have cartoons made of Mohammed, there is no uproar by the State Department over a piece of art depicting Osama bin Laden as Christ at the National Black Fine Art Show in New York City...

Craziness, sheer craziness. Read it all at her blog.

You know what, if you take a position on something, you're going to likely offend someone. By not taking a position on anything, you wind up as part of the new American Castrato we discussed last month.

update as of 20:38 on 2/3/6: check out the pictures of the so-called religion of peace in action. And oh yeah, the first several pictures I linked to are from Europe, not the Gaza strip.

These people are getting more worked up over a series of cartoons, which they say violates their religion. I don't seem to recall seeing riots of this nature after Zarqawi blew up the hotel in Jordan not too long ago - killing innocents - which is also supposedly against the tenets of their regligion. Interesting what people get worked up over, ain't it?

NYC girl scores 113 in HS game

Eat your heart out Kobe.

Britney Spears is pregnant with baby number two

Any hope of her regaining her hotness is now completely gone.

Tornadoes Blow Through New Orleans

Tornadoes early Thursday tore through New Orleans neighborhoods that were hit hard by Hurricane Katrina just five months earlier, collapsing at least one previously damaged house and battering the airport, authorities said.

It's all George Bush's fault!

In Turkish Movie, Americans Kill Innocents

You'd read this title and think that this was some low budget B movie. Looks like you'd be right based on the American "stars" in the show: Gary Busey and Billy Zane.

Looks like Turkey will make the movie with American actors (I know that's being generous) that Hollywood's too chicken shit to make.

Police shooting ruling challenged

News from England.
A High Court challenge has been launched to a verdict of lawful killing in the case of a man shot dead while holding a gun-shaped lighter.

I really hadn't thought about this until now, but the old bumper sticker that reads, "If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" is not nearly as scary as this article. The real story in England is, "If guns are outlawed, only the police and military will have guns."

That's a very bad thing.

On (shooting) competition, Part I

Earlier on these pages, I have discussed shooting styles and gun choices. Tonight I am going to discuss competition.

As should be obvious to regular readers of this page, we here at the Tattler shoot. A LOT. Yes, like many of you, we spend some time at the range working on the basics - which I will call target shooting - grip, stance, group shooting, etc. We also spend an inordinate amount of time at home dry firing, perfecting and refining our skills. Target shooting and dry firing are done to make us better competitors, and the stronger competitors we are, the better shooters we become.

I have stressed before, and I’ll stress again, if you carry a gun whether you’re a cop on the street, a CHL holder, or in the military, then you should participate in whatever kind of competition that you can get to.

Sadly, it has been my experience that the vast bulk of people who carry guns as part of their daily routine could be much better shooters than they think they are. Now, as a side note: this is not a blanket statement. I know that there are MANY shooters out there that DO compete, and if they aren’t regular competitors I know there are MANY guys and gals out there that do have a regular routine and take their training seriously. I applaud you folks and wish that there were more.

Now, if you’re not competing, why should you start?

- Competition brings out the best in you. If you don’t compete, and you learned to shoot from the gun rags or from your uncle who served back in the big war, then chances are that you are a shooter, but that you don’t know how to shoot. Using myself as an example - I learned to shoot as a kid from my Dad, who served as a SEAL in Vietnam. And pretty much everything that he taught me, with the exception of how to line up the sights, was wrong. Competition has brought out the best in everything where it has been allowed to thrive. Things that work are used, and things that don’t are discarded. By regularly competing alongside capable shooters, you will learn the way that the best shooters in the world shoot. For a more detailed description of that style, see my earlier post on shooting.

- Does your gear work? Frankly, outside of actually learning to shoot, I think the single greatest benefit of shooting in competitions is learning if your gear works or not. By competing, you’ll quickly learn if your gun works, your holster works, your mags work, your bullets work, etc etc etc. I have personally seen many new shooters step to the line and draw their holster with their gun, their mags with their mag pouches or have their latest and greatest gun break. The sad fact is that there’s a lot of junk out there that’s being sold to you - and that includes everything from guns and equipment to the oil you use.

Think about it. Where would you rather find out your equipment isn’t up to the task of defending you? On the street, in your house, or on the range where you might be embarrassed a little, but no one gets hurt. There are things that have proven to work and things that have not. Chances are, if you are not putting the stress of competition on your equipment, you’re not going to find out if your gear works while you are standing stationary at the line firing no more than 1 round per 2 seconds.

- Have you ever run with a loaded gun in your hand? Again, it would be a fair guess that if you aren’t competing, the answer is no. It’s very likely, if you have to use your weapon to defend yourself, that there will be some degree of movement involved. And standing there target shooting will not prepare you for that challenge at all. Learning how to move with a gun in your hand in a fluid environment is a vital skill that should not be overlooked. Participating in action shooting will allow you to do this and learn to do it safely.

- Speaking of safety…. As I’m sure you know, people do all kinds of stupid stuff. Largely, when it comes to shooting, it’s more a result of ignorance than willful idiocy. Partially to blame is equipment that, at best sucks and at worst is downright dangerous. Specifically, holsters that are not rigid or that require two hands to put the gun in the holster cause more problems than I’d care to recognize. Here’s a tip - if you have to point the gun at any part of your body to holster the weapon then you need to find another holster.
When you participate in a match, you will either learn good muzzle discipline and trigger control or you will not be hanging out at the match for very long. Period, end of story. If you can’t control the muzzle, and can’t control your trigger finger, you have no business carrying a firearm. Shooting competitions will help you to learn both - I can think of two occasions where I have busted my ass coming into the next shooting position and slipped on loose brass or gravel and wound up feet in the air, ass on ground and muzzle kept downrange and no AD because my finger wasn’t wrapped around the trigger. If you think something like that is not possible in the “real world”, then you’re only kidding yourself.

- Learning. If you compete, you’re going to run into shooters better than you; regardless of what level of shooter you are - members of this blog included. You’ll quickly learn who the local stud is at the matches you go to and you’ll likely be able to learn more from him than all the gun rag articles in the past 10 years. Shooting is one of the few sports where you can rub elbows and bullshit with the best people in the sport. And almost to a man (and woman), they are easy to talk to and willing to share. How many other professional atheletes are available via cell phone to discuss a technique question? How often can you participate next to the greatest in the sport and then sit down and eat lunch or drink beer after the game is done? I’ve watched Robby Leatham - The Great One - who is arguably the greatest shooter in the world, take questions for about 30 minutes after the end of a loooong day’s shooting at Nationals. The questions ranged from everything from what kind of sights he liked to what kind of springs to put in your mags to how to look at attacking a particular course of fire. He answered them all with grace and panache and it was something he clearly didn’t have to do. If you don’t learn anything from your fellow shooters you’ve got no one to blame but yourself. However, as a note of warning - be careful who you seek advice from! Pick the shooter that is doing well, not the shooter who just looks good.

- Stress. Shooting at a competition will place signifigantly more stress on you than target shooting. Between the timer and the peanut gallery, you'll face a fair amount of stress, especially your first few times. If you can't handle the stress of shooting a match, can you handle the stress of having to defend your life?

- And let’s face it. Shooting is FUN! If you’re not having a good time shooting at a match, there’s something wrong with you. Go home and drink beer.

So, to summarize - by shooting at matches you’ll learn speed, accuracy, safety, what’s reliable and what’s not, how to handle stress and get good quality advice. And the topper is, you’ll have fun and hang out with like minded individuals. If you want to take the plunge and start shooting, you can find a local club at either idpa or uspsa.

If you were paying attention, you'll see this is Part I. Part II will discuss who competes, why some won't, and what's "tactical".... stay tuned.

And, as usual, if you have questions, ask. We’re here to help, folks.

Authorities seize "bathtub cheese"

What? That's illegal? Let's see: bathtub girl okay. Bathtub cheese illegal. Nope. Nothing wrong with this world.

The rat pokes his head out

Today while I was riding the elliptical at the gym I caught the breathless CNN talking heads prattling on like the idiots that they are. Al-Zawahri speaks!! They can't believe the bravery, the strong words, the rhetoric from the man so recently targeted by the CIA. They fear what this man and his brethren are capable of! What a display of power - only 2 weeks after narrowly escaping death he sends out a video!! Yes, our pals on CNN - gotta love em.

I almost threw up. And not from exertion.

Let's be realistic here.

Two weeks after the CIA told us they didn't get this pig eater, he speaks via a video tape smuggled to the mouthpiece of the terrorists, al-jazeera. Now for some reason, CNN reports the news from al-jazeera as if it's more accurate than the news from our government....

You'll note that it is being reported as a video tape, not a DVD, not a digital recording. A tape. If alqaida was so powerful, you'd think they have the ability to digitally record something and then instantly publish it on the internets. You know, like I'm doing right now.

Now, I'm not a CIA/NSA analyst. But the way I see it, to actually publish something to the internets yourself you need 3 things. Power, a computer, and a connection. By smuggling a video tape to al-jazeera this tells me that the cowards are missing either power, a computer, or more likely, a connection. Last time I checked, caves don't come standard with dial-up or DSL.

Or, could it be that the cowards know the instant they hook up to the internets they're signing their own death warrant? Nah, couldn't be that, they're so brave.

Now, as to the bulk of the message, how comical. Al-Zawahari calls Bush the "butcher of Washington" for killing 18 terrorist sympathizers. What's that make his fearless leader (you know, the guy who's too chicken shit to poke his head out of the cave he's hiding in), Osama? As in, the coward who killed 3,000 people on 9/11? Does that make him a butcher too, or is that different?

Another item of amusement is that Al-Zawahari (as do other of his cowardly brethren) calls us "crusaders". Here's a news flash, dickhead: the Crusades took place more or less from 1096 to 1270. That's almost 750 years ago. And I thought my ex-wife held a grudge.

And, in spite of your repeated demands of a truce, I'm sorry to say that you're still a hunted rat. And you're going to continue to be a hunted rat until you are dead. How ya sleepin' in that cave, pal?

Now, in the past, alqaida was well known for their simultaneous attacks on innocent people. Now it would appear that they're well known for their nearly (only 2 weeks apart!!) simultaneous communiques. CNN was sure impressed!

I'm also well aware that in the past, such communications from the rats would often lead to an attack on the West - usually on innocent people on their way to work or on vacation. Will that happen now? Only time will tell.

However, I can't help but be reminded of the oldish arcade game where you stood over the tabletop where the beaver/rat/squirrel/whatever it was poked it's head out into varying holes and it was your job to pound the snot out of the rat with the mallet. For some strange reason, it strikes me that Al-Zawahari and his cowardly friends are the rats, and we're holding the mallet. But that's just me.

As a final note, is it just me, or does Al-Zawahari look a lot like Mikhail Gorbachov with a turban and beard?

Senate Clears Way for Alito's U.S. Supreme Court Confirmation

Oh, by the way: I told you so.

Hopefully, Ted Kennedy will have an aneurysm over this. I'm sure he'll drown his, um, sorrows.

The Three Stooges live!

Nyuk, nyuk!

A hapless visitor tripped on his shoelace, tumbled down a flight of stairs and crashed into the vases, smashing them into smithereens.

Aw, how bad could it be?

The priceless vases, dating from the late 17th or early 18th century, were donated to the museum in 1948 and have become one of its most recognizable exhibits.

So, priceless is expensive, huh?

Why you, I oughtta...

Guns Win

Democrats and gun control are like puppies and chewing. You can beat them time and again, but they won't stop. They will always return to gun control, like moths to a flame.

Okay, so my similes (or is it metaphors or analogies? Should've paid attention in English) suck. You get the picture.

Had John Kerry not been stupid enough to go back to Washington to help defeat the firearms industry liability protection bill and get his picture taken with Ted Kennedy, Dianne Feinstein, and Chuck Schumer in the process, many more pro-gun voters might have stayed on his side or stayed away from the polls.

Luckily, Kerry just couldn’t help showing his true colors and much of the gun lobby noticed.

I've said it before: Democrats lack simple self-protection mechanisms. They continually are shooting themselves in the foot (sorry, I can't stop now...) with respect to the gun lobby, and gun owners in general. They honestly believe that guns are the root of all evil, and in spite of their collective constituency's mandate, continue to try to ban them. What's worse is that they try to put on airs as "sportsmen" and "hunters," posing for cheesy pictures while weilding grampa's shotgun during photo-ops that only a moron would believe was genuine. I think this sums it up nicely:

Of course Kerry’s gun posturing was a prime example of what former Democrat Senator John Patrick Moynihan referred to as, "…just boob bait for the bubbas."

THAT's what politicians think of you, kids.

The new American Castrato

JR, here's the link to the article we were talking about over breakfast after you used your little teasing non-masculine voice to try and entice me out of my 8 egg omelet.

The fellow makes some good points indeed.

"...You realize that you hear this voice every day if you bounce around a bit in our larger cities buying this or ordering that, and in general running into young people in the "service" sector -- be it coffee shop, video store, department store, boutique, bookstore, or office cube farm. It's a kind of voice that was seldom heard anywhere but now seems to be everywhere.
It is the voice of the neuter ."

I think this is why women find the males here on the Tattler so damn attractive. We talk like sailors, drive like maniacs, drink more beer than a fraternity (except for the ninnies Brad and Dan), smoke cigars and shoot guns. Hell, for that matter, the Girl is more of a man than most of the rest of the guys out there.

Speaking of.... One night, she actually brought a date to one of our weekly competitions. Computer geek. Nerdy type. Exactly the kind of castrato the article above talks about . I thought that while her choice in males was entertaining for the rest of us, I didn't think she'd be very entertained herself.

This poor lad was swimming in a sea of sharks and didn't know it.

After the match we went out to eat at one of the local Taqueria type eateries. You place your order, get your food and then go sit down and eat. The Girl's date got to the table first and then politely sat with his hands in his lap waiting for the rest of us, and the Girl to come join him at the table. I was the next person there, saw him waiting and told him to just dig in, there aren't any formalities with this bunch and your food's just gonna get cold.

Big D shows up next. He throws his tray down, points at the geek, and asked in his war voice if "he was dating Trixie".

The geek's response was a mumbled, gurgled sound that came out sounding like he had just shit in his pants.

Big D took that as a yes, and proceeded to rant "well you'd better be nice you little shit because I love her and if I ever find out you were mean to her I'm ripping your fucking head off."

Now here I am next to the geek, trying very hard to not blow queso and hot sauce out my nose. I think my ears popped several times with the effort, but I managed to swallow it all without dribbling into my beer. The poor kid is now ghostly white and has made a vain attempt to disappear under the table.

Big D continues to glare at the kid, and when the Girl comes to the table, there's another round of snickers and shooting beer out of our noses laughing uncontrollably.

I don't think the kid ever even ate anything, and finally just got up and left.

None of us told the Girl what had happened, but at some point in the future, the geek told her that he wasn't coming shooting with us any more because her friends intimidated him and then told her what happened.

I don't think she's had a date since.

Range Report

Woke up at the crack of dawn this morning to go shooting in Wichita Falls. Given the radar map, wouldn't you think there'd be a match?

You'd think wrong.

So, instead of a range report, here's a review of the IHOP restaurant on Swisher Road and I-35.

Catfish and The Girl ordered some scrambled-egg, burrito-lookin' behemoth stuffed with meat, cheese, beans, animal entrails, bug parts, and probably some floor sweepings. My breakfast partners were also served 3 pancakes each with their egg castles. I can honestly say that I've never seen so much food served for a single meal to a single person. I asked the waitress if anyone actually ate all that, and she said "yes." She looked like she knew of what she spoke. My friends (much to their credit) did not attempt to duplicate this feat. However, Catfish did get a doggy bag.

I had migas. No tortilla strips in the migas, way too much cheese, and a wee bit overboard on the jalapenos. I will give it 2 thumbs up for indigestion, though. Gas factor: high.

Overall, it was a very clean restaurant, with a very friendly staff, and full of large, sweaty patrons who apparently like bacon, cheese, and gravy.

I give it 2 stars.

My restaurant rating system is based on how long it takes before you have to go to the bathroom after eating there:
* - next morning
** - within the same day
*** - within 2 hours
**** - before you leave the restaurant
***** - Why do you think they call them Depends?

Canadians Threaten US With War Rhetoric

That's it. Those French-speaking, beaver-loving, bacon-making, hoose-dwelling Canadians are asking for it, eh?

"The United States defends its sovereignty and the Canadian government will defend our sovereignty," Harper told reporters in Ottawa. "It is the Canadian people we get our mandate from, not the ambassador of the United States."

Hey, Canuck - we've invaded crappier countries than yours for worse reasons. Might wanna just get back to your hockey and faggy "football."

Huge Beaver!

...the crew put it on a scale and discovered it weighed 60 pounds. Williams said they also measured the beaver and found it to be 42 inches long.

"Whoever hit this bad boy, they knew they hit something," Williams said.

Blogger: User Profile: thegirl

Funny thing. My profile is "JR," and nobody visits it. However, the profile known as "thegirl" gets beaucoup hits. Why is that?

Perverts.

Hey, Girl - wanna generate some traffic? One word: Boobies. Say no more.

Mars Images Reveal Recent Volcanic And Glacial Activity

How can this be?? As far as I know, George Bush has yet to step on the surface of Mars, and so far, he can't be blamed for the global warming trend that's coming in Mars' future.... I'm stymied though, because according to the eco-clowns, there would be no global warming if not for mankind's (or should I say, America's) insatiable appetite for fossile fuels??

"James Head, professor of geological sciences at Brown University and an author on the Nature papers, said the glacial data suggests recent climate change in Mars’ 4.6-billion-year history. The team also concludes that Mars is in an “interglacial” period. As the planet tilts closer to the sun, ice deposited in lower latitudes will vaporize, changing the face of the Red Planet yet again."

Yet here we have a scientific journal telling us that Mars' ice deposits are going to be melted away! Perhaps the CIA has secretly been developing industries on Mars that are wreaking such havoc on the red planet?

The Countertop Chronicles: The Gunnies

Hey, lookit us! The Texican Tattler has been nominated for a Gunnie Award, in the category of "Best Range Reports". Pop on over there, and give us a vote. Heaven knows we could use the support...

Official site of the Pittsburgh Steelers - Article

Official site of the Pittsburgh Steelers - Article

OK, for those that missed it, I thought I'd let everyone know the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to the Super Bowl.

Jerome, The Bus, Bettis is going home to Detroit for the biggest game of his career.

Just wanted to throw that out there for everyone.

Pittsburgh.

Super Bowl.

Go Steelers!

A Cellphone Powered by Urine

Pissed when your cell battery dies? Urine luck!

The Michael Bane Blog: Proof Positive That Michael Doesn't Know Everything

The Michael Bane Blog: Proof Positive That Michael Doesn't Know Everything

Just when we were all having a good laugh at non-shooting experts and new guns and such. Mr, no dare I say, Sir John Moses Browning is rolling over in his grave at about 5,600 rpm.

Yes folks, that's Kimber, a major player in the 1911 bastion of all things really old and heavy. Is introducing a striker fired, polymer full sized gun in, are you ready for this, .40 S&W. With what it looks like a possible entry into the US Military trials.

I will pause now so all JMB followers can take a deep breath and get their heart to start beating again. I guess it's going to be an interesting SHOT show this year.

Jess: I love my breasts

So do we.

So, you wanna buy your first pistol?

As a public service to our readers, I thought I’d take a moment to tell you what you should do when you’re out looking for your first pistol. The usual disclaimers apply - you may buy one of the pistols I recommend and wind up with a piece of crap built on Friday afternoon when all the builder wanted to do was go out and grab a beer. And, you and you alone are responsible for your behavior. Don't come here whining to us because you did somthing stupid.

But, if you take my advice, chances are you’re going to be in pretty good shape.

Now, to the good stuff.

In my opinion, if you’re carrying a pistol for personal defense, there’s a few characteristics to take into consideration:

- Reliability. Probably the most important quality in your new pistol. Buying a reliable pistol will cost you more than a Saturday night special but hey - how much is your life worth? Your pistol should reliably feed a variety of ammunition - including ball ammo (cheap to shoot) or self defense ammo (more expensive to shoot but again, how much is your life worth?) The pistol should function whether it’s clean or dirty, wet or dry, etc etc etc. It should also do so with no or a very minimum of reliability work done to it. A bare minimum of maintenance should be required so that if you were to leave your pistol sitting on your bed stand for a month or two, it would work the first time you picked it up.

- Ergonomics. You want a pistol that you can comfortably carry and shoot and one that fits your hands. You also want a pistol that has simple, easy to understand and use controls. The controls such as your slide release, mag release, and any safeties need to be where your fingers naturally fall without any second guessing on your part. Another ergonomic feature that is of vast importance to the performance of the pistol is the height of the bore over your hand. You want a pistol that doesn’t raise the bore (the barrel) high over your hand. Generally speaking, the higher the bore is over your hand, the more the muzzle will flip when you shoot making rapid aimed shots difficult.

- High magazine capacity. Let’s face it. More bullets are good. Make sure your first defensive pistol has the capacity to carry 14-17 rounds. Hollywood has created the mythology that one shot from a pistol will kill or debilitate an attacker immediately. Sadly, that’s just not true folks. Statistics show us that over 80% of all people shot with a handgun live. So, if you have the ability to put multiple rounds into an attacker, you’re going to be better off. Period. That’s why I rely on carbines for my main defensive weaponry.

- The ability to mount a light. If you’re using your new pistol to protect your house, chances are if you ever have to use it, it will be at night. Having the ability to mount a light directly onto your pistol is an option you don’t want to be without.

Ok, so I’ve listed a few characteristics here. To review, you want something that’s reliable, fits your hand, has a high mag capacity, and can mount a light. That cuts out a LOT of pistols that the gun shop commandos will recommend.

For starters:
Sigs. Sigs are extremely well engineered guns. Over engineered would be a better way to say it. While Sigs ARE reliable, their controls are not intuitive and the bore sits way high over your hand. You’ll hear a bunch of smack about how this group or that carries Sigs blah blah blah but I’ll ask you: when was the last time a shooter using a Sig has won a pistol competition of any kind? Out of decades of action pistol shooting, I can think of ONE. Extra credit for you if you know who and when.
H&K. H&K’s tend to be very reliable as well, but again - controls are in the wrong place and the bore sits high over your hand. Also, the bigger calibers (as in .40 and .45) are simply huge pistols that won’t fit most people’s hands.
Beretta. For one thing, Berettas tend to blow up fairly early in their service life; they are also big and bulky and have awkward controls. Yuck.

There are more that I would never spend any money on, but I don’t want to lose you here….

That leaves you with basically two choices that I would not hesitate to recommend to the first time pistol buyer:
Glocks and the newish Springfield XDs. I’ve shot thousands of rounds through Glocks and about 2000 (so far) through my XD. Both meet all the requirements I detailed above. If I were you, and were picking my first pistol, I’d go to a gun range and rent them both and see which one fits your hand the best.

Disclaimer: I love 1911’s. I carry and shoot 1911’s a LOT. Buy in my opinion they are not necessarily suited to the first time shooter and I would not recommend one to a newbie.

As to where to buy your new pistol. I would at all costs generally avoid gun shops unless you know someone at the shop, or you know that the owner is a shooter. That’s an important concept. Guys that are shooters and not just salesmen will know what works, what’s most likely to work for you, and won’t try and sell you the latest and greatest piece of shit to come down the pike. Your average gun store salesman will only know what he’s read in the gun rags, or what the salesmen have told him when they’re dropping off product. If you’re not sure, ask the guy (or gal) behind the counter if they shoot any competition. If they don’t shoot any uspsa, idpa, bianchi cup, steel challenge, etc - then that store’s not worth your time. If the guy behind the counter talks trash and says something like “I shoot a lot - last year I shot over 500 rounds!” (true story I actually overheard) 500 rounds a year is squat. There are some days on the range we’ll shoot that many rounds before lunch. So keep in mind that the average gun shop guy likely doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. Some DO, but it has been my experience that most DO NOT.

A cheaper option is to (generally) buy your new pistol at a gun show. Word of warning though - gun shows are great (usually) for buying a new gun at a discount - but only if you know what you want and what it would cost you at the gun store itself. There are deals to be had, but you need to find them and be an educated shopper.

After you buy your new gun I would run as fast as you could to the range and find an action shooting club to begin shooting with. Chances are that someone will be there to help you learn to shoot your new wundergun and help you from doing stupid things that you learned from TV. Or, you can always drop us a line here at the Tattler. We’re here to help folks.

Now, any questions?

Cool Person Test

See if you are cool.

CIA confirms speaker on tape is bin Laden - International Terrorism - MSNBC.com

Oooh. Let me put on my boots, so I can shake in them.

I'm more surprised that the CIA believes UBLs dusty ass is still alive. All that aside, it does smack of the old UBL dependence on traditional American mainstream media's penchant for hyperbole:

Bin Laden said he was directing his message to the American people after polls showed that “an overwhelming majority of you want the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq but (Bush) opposed that desire.”

A NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll from last month does not support that. Two-thirds of Americans surveyed opposed an immediate withdrawal. But 60 percent believed the United States should reduce its troop levels in Iraq.

(Editorial: funny how the MSM uses the MSM to refute this claim, huh? Ah, the irony.) Considering that this goat-smelling, hut-dwelling mud-eater probably hasn't been out of a cave in a while, he might be surprised to learn that not everyone in the USofA buys the MSMs crapola anymore.

“The delay in similar operations happening in America has not been because of failure to break through your security measures. The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your homes the minute they are through (with preparations), with God’s permission.”

Well, I guess you don't have permission, donkey-balls. Suuuuure - you're not kicking our ass because you don't want to. Right.

“We do not mind offering you a long-term truce with fair conditions that we adhere to,” he said. “We are a nation that God has forbidden to lie and cheat. So both sides can enjoy security and stability under this truce so we can build Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been destroyed in this war.

“There is no shame in this solution, which prevents the wasting of billions of dollars that have gone to those with influence and merchants of war in America,” he said.

Take your "truce" and shove it, goatherd. The only peace you're going to get is the one that comes with death.

U.S. Strike Killed al Qaeda Bomb Maker

Good news on the war front. Looks like the Pakistani strike earlier this week was pretty useful after all. Took out a major al qaeda bomb maker; all in all not a bad day's work.

For those sniveling whiney liberals who will lament the loss of so called "innocent" life in this strike, here's a little message - you don't want to get killed when we take out scumbags like this? Then perhaps it would be in your best interest to not associate with known scumbags.

Self-proclaimed vampire running for governor of Minnesota

See what happens? First they elect (of all things) a pro wrestler for governor, now look who's coming out to play:

“Politics is a cut-throat business,” said Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey, who said he plans to announce his bid for governor on Friday on the ticket of the Vampyres, Witches and Pagans Party.

Freakin' weirdos. Must be all that cold weather.

N.Y. Man Gets Corvette Back After 37 Years

What a great story. The 68-72 Vette has always been a car I have coveted. I can't imagine getting something stolen like that and getting it back 37 years later. Hell, I was ecstatic when I got my $100 bicycle back after being stolen. Check out the picture. The car is a different color than it was originally, but it is beautiful.

Poster was living in New York in January 1969, when the car he'd bought for $6,000 three months earlier was stolen from a parking garage. Poster had not insured it against theft because he could not afford to do so.

The Hildabeast on the attack

Over the MLK/Bash Bush holiday, the Hildabeast came out swinging. In typical libby style, she wants us all to believe that history started today.

She screeched:

''I predict to you that this administration will go down in history as one of the worst that has ever governed our country.''

Wow. How soon we all forget. Or, should I say, how soon she'd like us to forget:

Travelgate.
Waco.
Ruby Ridge.
Mogadishu.
Brady Bill.
Elian Gonzales.
Whitewater.
Chinese fundraising.
Loran giving technology to the Chicoms.
Rwanda.
No controlling legal authority.
North Korean Nukes.
Passing up a chance to bag Bin Laden.
The Kole.
Kohbar Towers.
Socialized Health Care.

I could go on. And on. And on.

If you want to see a fairly comprehensive list of scandals belonging to the scumbag otherwise known as President Clinton, check out this link.

And Hillary just wants us to forget it all.

Tom Daschle considers bid for president

If the Democratic party calls, I'm going to give money to Daschle's election campaign. If the Democratic Party can do for Tom Daschle what they did for John Kerry and what's-his-name (you know, the Vice-Presidential candidate...what IS his name?), then I want to do my part for America.

New Orleans Mayor Apologizes for Remark

On Tuesday, Nagin said his comments about God were inappropriate and stemmed from a private conversation he had with a minister earlier. "I need to be more sensitive and more aware of what I'm saying," he said.

Oh, Ray. Don't be so hard on yourself. Let me break it down for you: you simply need to pull your head out of your ass, resign, and apologize to the City of New Orleans. Then, go jump in Lake Ponchartrain with pork chops tied around your neck, and let the sharks eat you. I think that would pretty much set things right for most people.

Brittany Murphy Is Reportedly Engaged

It's old farts like Bruce Willis, bedding down young things like Brittany Murphy, that make normal, everyday, ordinary guys go buy red corvettes, have comb-overs, and use Viagra. Has Hollywood no shame?

I heard the Olsen twins turned 18 recently...

MSM: "What, us lie?"

In another typical week for the MSM, (and it's only Monday night) two major media outlets are caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Story #1 involves our old friend the New York Times. I'm sure you're surprised. The NYT attempts to use a lovely picture to capture our heart strings and feel the pain of a Pakistani family ruined by the recent American airstrikes that were hunting an alqaeda thugs. The problem is that the image shows us not a missile, as the Times originally waned, but an old unexploded artillery shell. I'm sure the picture was not staged. You kind of have to wonder if the Times was not caught with its pants down (again) would they have offered the retraction?

Story #2 involves CNN. Again, I'm sure your surprised. I mean, after all, the network that stayed in Iraq at the whim of Saddam can't be expected to do anything else but get the little details wrong. After all, they've made a business out of stretching the truth. In this case, while covering a speech by the thug in chief of Iran they confused the word "weapon" for the word "power". Oops. Minor detail, right? Kind of like "10,000 dead in New Orleans"....

And oh yes, should anyone be confused of where I stand: to the thug in chief of Iran, you're still a punk ass thug.

Wow, I wonder what they'll screw up by the end of the week!

Mayor Nagin: New Orleans Will Be 'Chocolate' Again

Ow, my tongue. It hurts from biting it.

My Suicide

As the regular readers of this blog know, I took the plunge over the holidays and bought all the requisite equipment to start loading my own ammunition (read my saga). I've made about 500 rounds so far, and all is well - I'll reach ROI on this baby in no time. But I digress...

I live in an adorable little apartment - it's a 2-story, with my own 1-car garage downstairs and the living quarters upstairs. So this morning I go downstairs and load up about 150 rounds of ammo, then I throw some cases in the tumbler for cleaning while I come back upstairs to case gauge my picture-perfect rounds. Then it's back downstairs, where I decide to use the bullet-puller to dismantle a few not so perfect rounds. It's the kinetic kind, where you put the round in the thingy then pound it on the floor to dislodge the bullet and recover the components. Over all the noise of the tumbler I hear pounding (other than my own) - sounds like it's my front door, so I go out to the front entryway and look through the peephole (safety first!) - I see nothing. Then I hear my garage door going up - WTF? I go out the front door and come face to face with my new neighbor - an elderly woman who has a horrified look on her face. I look in my garage, and the leasing lady is in there opening my car door. I'm like "Hellooo, can I help you?", and she's got that same horrified I've-just-seen-a-ghost look that my neighbor was sporting.

Turns out that my new neighbor thought that I was trying to kill myself by running my car inside the garage, and that I had changed my mind and was banging on the wall for help. At least she just called the leasing office and not the police. They were both so shocked to find me alive and well that neither one ever asked me what the hell I was doing in there, or what all the strange equipment was for. I'm still expecting the police to come by and check out my "meth lab". Oh yeah - not once did they ring my doorbell or try to call me on the phone.

As I'm writing this, I'm hearing a strange arrhythmic thumping noise coming from one of the other apartments. Ohmygosh, someone has taken the entire family next door hostage! They're being systematically dismembered by a band of axe-wielding psychopaths! Call someone quick!! Or maybe it's just tennis shoes in a dryer. Nah....

P.S. JR gets credit for the title of this post - thanks!

Florida 8th-grader wielding pellet gun shot down

Leave it to a California news source to dance in the blood of children.

Make no mistake - this is a tragic story. A kid brought an air-soft gun to school, apparently to impress, intimidate, or whatever. He took it WAY too far, as evidenced by painting over the orange barrel tip in an effort to make the pistol appear real.

It worked.

The kid created a situation. He waved the gun around like it was real. A SWAT officer had to shoot him. I read an account where the officer even rode in the ambulance with the kid, talking to him all the way. The kid died today. I expect that police officer will have a very hard time of this.

Now, enter our media. Look at the hyperbole they put on this:

Last week, a fourth-grader in San Bernardino brought a similar gun to school and sprayed plastic pellets at his classmates during recess. No lives were lost, but some of the students hit had bruises.

There's no waiting period, no background check, no license needed to own one of these guns -- but even retailers say they should not be considered toys. They look, feel and operate like the real thing. The difference is, these guns aren't lethal -- although some say they are still dangerous.

"No lives were lost." Mercy. They are toys that shoot plastic pellets. Plain and simple. They sting a little, but are not capable of lethal damage.

There's no doubt that some toys can look like the real thing. However, bad intent is just that: bad intent.

This incident will serve as the nexus for a much more insidious movement: let's ban toy guns. It'll make banning the real thing that much easier.

Don't be fooled, folks.