So it's come to this

If you are a Republican, then you're obviously white, from the south and a racist.

Sessions is the personification of a party with an overwhelmingly white, Southern, religious membership.

Some observers considered racial bias too sensitive a topic for Sessions and the panel's six other Republicans - all white men - to confront.

Right. We have a liberal activist judge who has been overturned by the Supreme Court more than half the time her cases have wound up before the court. We have a liberal activist judge who has stated on multiple occasions that a hispanic woman can make better decisions than a white man.

But to question her legal mind, or her past statements makes you a racist. Ain't that grand?

I wish they would just end the farce that these hearings have become and vote the woman on the court. Stop insulting my intelligence by telling me that 2+2 = 5, and for me to say it equals 4 only makes ME the idiot. Stop insulting my intelligence by trying to make me believe the Senate will act in any impartial manner when it comes to putting this woman on the Supreme Court. Stop insulting my intelligence by making me watch the joke that our government has become and just put her on the court and be done with it.

Frankly, she's replacing a liberal activist judge as it is so we are not losing any votes on the court; the only thing we are losing is our self respect as a nation of laws - and that's happened a long time ago.

There are more important matters at stake, like the Obama administration rigging the next census to the point that the Democrats never lose control of the Congress. We've got two wars going on, Iran chasing the nuclear genie, North Korea building (and launching) missiles, the ongoing economic issues and instead of focusing on those issues, we are forced to suffer through these ridiculous hearings that are being ramrodded down our throats by a Democrat Party in lust with their power. We're getting a tax and cap bill that's going to further destroy our economy, but save the whales! We're going to get a medical overhaul that will do nothing to help the sick, but will also add to the destruction of our economy. And oh hey, lest I forget, we have a local north Texas Congressman who wants to fix the BCS system so that we have a clear national champion in college football! I would love to think that the Congress would do something useful for a change but I guess that's likely asking too much at this point.

Why is it that I keep getting the image of Nero fiddling away while Rome burned?

Swearing Makes Pain More Tolerable

That muttered curse word that reflexively comes out when you stub your toe could actually make it easier to bear the throbbing pain, a new study suggests.

No shit!!

I could have told you that 3 decades ago and saved you some money.

Classic old stuff

There's just something about a Single Action, mod 1873. This is a reproduction I picked up last week and there's just something magical about the way this wheelgun fits and sits in the hand. Classic.



I snapped this picture at the gunsmith shop in Old Salem, NC last month while I was there for a conference. I could have spent a ton more time with the two 'smiths talking guns, but there were a lot of interlopers there who didn't know the difference between a rifle and a shotgun and it would have been quite difficult to have a meaningful conversation. The 'smiths had a fantastic long rifle sitting on a table and after asking if I could pick it up, I was treated to the pleasure of a holding a piece of art that was not only beautiful to look at, but was well balanced and pointed naturally. I really wish I could have had the opportunity to put her through her paces but alas, it was not to be.

Classic. You can see a few more of these pics here if you're interested.

Catching up

I realize it's hard for many of you to believe, but other things were taking place over the weekend other than the pedophile's funeral.... I'm not saying Jackson wasn't an incredibly talented artist and singer. Or that he wasn't a trend setter for nearly a generation of music. But the fact is the dude was just flat out messed up.

But I digress....

Here in Big D, there was another tea party - and this one drew approximately 37,000 people. On the news, all you could hear were crickets, particularly since the tea parties don't follow the media's templates of angry white men mad at (the first!) black president.

For example, take a look at this video of Senator Cornyn catching a LOT of grief for his vote on the stimulus package from the tea party crowd in Austin.


Say what you want about Cornyn - I disagreed with his vote then and I disagree with it now - but the good thing about Cornyn is that he is at least man enough to show up to a crowd that he had to know was going to be somewhat hostile - and take his medicine. He's not going to tell you what you want to hear just because you want to hear it. I asked one of Cornyn's staffers what his vote would be on the hinted at "2nd" stimulus package and the answer was a resounding "against". Sadly, the same can't be said for the bulk of the remaining trolls in Congress....

But the point is, the Tea Party movement has nothing to do with angry white men and everything to do with an out of control government. A government that is more and more refusing to listen to the people it governs, and that goes across party lines and you're just as likely to see a Republican official catching hell for fiscal irresponsibility as you will a Democrat.

On another front, the messiah and his family are overseas on yet another government paid vacation, giving away the farm to anyone who will take it. In the meantime, China continues to crack down on its citizens, the deposed president of Honduras is busy making all sorts of noise and chumming up with punks like Chavez, Ortega and Castro, and unemployment continues to go thru the roof.

But hey, Obama and crowd are living large on the government's dime and life is good, right?


Yeah, that's one of the Obama girls, sporting "the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's famous symbol as her father prepared for three days of G8 talks in Italy." I can't tell you how surprised I am to see that the Obama girls would be sporting hippy t-shirts, are you?

Happy 4th

Liberty must at all hazards be supported. We have a right to it, derived from our Maker. But if we had not, our fathers have earned and bought it for us, at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood.

--John Adams, A Dissertation on the Canon and Feudal Law, 1765

Man I needed this

Police: Conn. teens mishear sex screams, beat man

TORRINGTON, Conn. (AP) - Police say a Connecticut girl overheard her mother's screams during sex and thought she was being assaulted, so she rounded up some friends to attack the woman's companion.

A 16-year-old girl who lives in the same Torrington home as the 34-year-old woman overheard her and the man on June 6 and rounded up four friends to stop what they thought was an attack, police Lt. Bruce Whiteley said Thursday.

One of the five teens beat the man with a bat and others punched him, police said. The man was treated at a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening, and was released that night.

And for the punchline:

"Apparently he didn't have time to explain himself...."

I admit it. I giggled.

IF

this doesn't infuriate you, nothing will.

It would seem that the assholes running Congress, the same assholes who chastised the big 3's execs for flying on private planes to speak to Congress, are spending a metric ass ton of our money on fun trips across the world.



Take a look at that chart, folks - that's OUR money these people are spending - 12.5 million dollars! Up significantly since the Democrats took over congress in 2006.

Lawmakers say that the trips are a good use of government funds because they allow members of Congress and their staff members to learn more about the world, inspect U.S. assets abroad and forge better working relationships with each other.

In mid-June, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D., Hawaii) led a group of a half-dozen senators and their spouses on a four-day trip to France for the biennial Paris Air Show. An itinerary for the event shows that lawmakers flew on the Air Force's version of the Boeing 737, which costs $5,700 an hour to operate. They stayed at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel, which advertises rooms from $460 a night.

That's right, dear readers. The rooms STARTED at $460 a night. How much do you spend on your vacations?

Often, lawmakers combine trips to war zones with visits to more tranquil spots. In February, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a delegation of Democratic lawmakers to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan for a day. Before landing in Kabul, the eight lawmakers and their entourage of spouses and aides spent eight days in Italy, spending $57,697 on hotels and meals.

Think about this, folks. 8 days and nearly 60 grand of OUR money these weasels are spending! That's over 7 grand a day. How much do YOU spend on YOUR vacation?

It's not just the Democrats either, folks.

In October, Rep. Bud Cramer (R., Ala.) spent two weeks in Europe on government business. Reports show that Mr. Cramer spent $5,700 on hotels, meals and incidentals. Mr. Cramer wasn't running for re-election and left office just two months later.

"Knowing that I was leaving with my 18 years of seniority, I wanted to conclude some issues that I was working on," Mr. Cramer said. He now works for a lobbying firm in Washington.

Yeah, where I come from, Congressman, that's called bullshit.

These people get to Washington and forget they work for us. They have become our country's aristocracy, and they act like it.

Our friends, the press....

What gets me is that the press is so surprised that our modern day Goebelles has been the propagandist that he is....

But I'll tell you. The look on Gibbs' face when Helen Thomas got involved was pure entertainment! I gotta give the old bat her props - I hammered her time and time again during her pestering of the Bush administration but it would appear to be she is an equal opportunity offender.

Ya know....

one of the worst things about our dear leader is that he's making Bill Clinton look good.

I thought I'd never say that.

I remember when I was but a wee lad, around 10 years old, when Carter was in office. I remember how embarrassed I was to be an American - the only time in my life I could say that. I remembered how embarrassed I was by how pathetic our country had become (I was a voracious reader and read book after book about what's now called The Greatest Generation...) with Carter at the helm. I remember gas lines, and being absolutely positively petrified that the Soviets were going to bomb us into oblivion because I knew Carter wouldn't do anything about it and that everyone in the world knew he was weak. I remember hanging my head in shame every time I heard about some puny little country halfway across the globe that had stormed our embassy and held AMERICANS hostage while our government did nothing for a year.

I also remember that same piece of shit country letting our hostages go just minutes after Reagan was elected - to my 12 year old brain, I knew that Reagan wouldn't put up with that bullshit and that the rest of the world knew it. I also recall how proud I was to be an American again, that there was someone in the Oval Office who wouldn't bow to every petty dictator in the world and who was legitimately looking out for American interests rather than bending over backwards to apologize.

I'm really hoping that someone steps up and takes on the mantle of Reagan and gets the country safely out of the mess that Obama is making. But considering the dear leader is only 5 months into his term and how much damage he's already wrecked, it ain't looking good.

Now that's leadership

So it would appear that the Honduran military has ousted its leftist thug President - a good buddy of the punks running Venezuela and Cuba.

In the good old days, the United States would have assisted the ousting of a leftist thug in our own hemisphere.

Well, those days are over and our dear leader today has issued a statement saying

"As the Organization of American States did on Friday, I call on all political and social actors in Honduras to respect democratic norms, the rule of law and the tenets of the Inter-American Democratic Charter."
The statement said that "any existing tensions and disputes must be resolved peacefully through dialogue free from any outside interference."

Never mind the fact that the now deposed thug in chief has stated he will not abide by being term limited out of government, just like his pal Chavez has already done. You will also note that our dear leader doesn't even have the balls to stand out there on his own - he has to follow in the footsteps of the Organization of the American States.

This follows our dear leader's "condemnation", if you can call it that, of the crackdown in Iran - but only AFTER both houses of the American Congress condemned the action.

That's leadership, dear readers. Express support for leftist thugs and leave those fighting for their freedom drifting in the wind.

Our media sucks

Take a look at CNN, Fox, USA Today, AP, CBS, MSNBC, ABC and you'll find the insanity that the Congress passed yesterday only on CBS, ABC and MSNBC. Other than MSNBC, you have to hunt on the front page to find it. And the reporting mostly contains the talking points from the Obama administration. Instead, it's Michael Jackson, wall to wall coverage. It's enough to make me want to vomit.

None of the reporting mentions the rush to pass this abomination - a bill that not a single member of Congress read before they passed it. I'm sure we'll see in the days and weeks ahead just how badly we have been run over. What happened to the Obama pledge that WE, The People, would get 5 days to read the bills online?

None of the reporting mentions the staggering costs that will be born by citizens of this country; they only hint that we'll only see an increase in our power bills at home - conveniently leaving out the added expense to every aspect of our lives.

None of the reporting mentioned the huge financial bonus Algore and his carbon credit companies will recieve.

It's a God damned embarrasment and frankly, I'm ready to send money to the opponents, even if they are Democrats, of the handful of Republicans that voted for this piece of shit bill.

Get on the horn to your Senators, people. This bill cannot pass in the Senate.

Fool me once ...

This is two times now in the last few months that our beloved Congress has passed a monstrosity of a bill without even bothering to read it. First we had the Messiah's stimulus bill and now the ridiculous cap and trade bill. Both times Congressional phone lines were melted down with Americans saying "NO!".

However, most folks probably didn't even know about the vote taking place yesterday, as the media was too tied up in letting us know that Michael Jackson had died.

Tell you what fellas, I've about had enough of these people.

Farrah Fawcett

*sigh*

Yep

That's Governor Perry driving a LaRue rifle.... details found here.

Gettin' out

Enough of all of the BS surrounding the attention whores that are running our government.

I've been out on the road the last few weeks, trying to get my lard ass into shape on my bike. Once upon a time, I was a pretty serious bike racer, although you'd never know it looking at me today.... It's been nice getting reaquainted with my bike, something that once upon a time I'd put 400-500 miles a week on.

Today was an easy day, trying to get rid of the lactic acid from yesterday's ride, and I took advantage of the easy level and took a little camera with me as I spun around on a short little ride.



If you're so inclined, stop by my SmugMug site here and take a look at the rest of the set.

The fellas are just a little over their limit....

And out of their league.

Or at least, that's the impression I got after reading this story.

The most telling quote in the whole piece was this one:

"Chinese assets are very safe," Geithner said in response to a question after a speech at Peking University, where he studied Chinese as a student in the 1980s.

His answer drew loud laughter from his student audience, reflecting skepticism in China about the wisdom of a developing country accumulating a vast stockpile of foreign reserves instead of spending the money to raise living standards at home.

I flashed back to my college days long ago. What this reminds me of more than anything else, really, is all of the credit card companies passing out *free* credit cards to the idiots on campus who'd take them up on it.

And what Geithner and the O-messiah strike me the most are that they are like a couple of frat boys, flush with their new found popularity on campus and overspent on those *free* credit cards. And that the ongoing discussions with the ChiComs are exactly like those discussions way back when with the frat boy's parents....

"Yes, I know I went over the limit, but it will never happen again!"

"Promise!"

"If you just help me pay this one off I'll watch my spending next semester...."

Yeah, right.

Texas in the springtime

One thing you can count on here in north Texas in the spring, and that's turbulent weather. Snapped this shot right after work last week.



Feel free to head on over to my SmugMug page and check out the rest of the shots I got from this storm, as well as other stuff I've been uploading lately....

Irony

an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.

American capitalism gone with a whimper Yes, dear readers... we get to learn just how messed up we are from, of all places, PRAVDA!

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, loses and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more then ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?

So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Now that's some hope and change, all right.

Lest we forget

the reason for our long holiday weekend.... Take some time out in the midst of your parties, barbecues and socializing to stop and think of the folks that have made it all possible for the rest of us.



Edited to add:

"Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of
men."

--Pericles

More government intervention

As if the government dictating who is in charge of an American company (as in GM... the new Government Motors),wasn't enough, the messiah, with a stroke of the pen has now killed off the rest of the car companies as well - and in the process will kill a lot of us as well.

Long story short:

The cars of the future will cost more, haul less, drive slower and most importantly, will be more dangerous. In the name of bogus global warming, we're getting ready to kill a helluva lot more Americans as they drive their minuscule (but friendly to the environmnet!) cars to and from work and wherever it is you go.

Buy those big trucks before 2010, fellas, because it's looking like those days are long over.

Get Your CHL

This is one of my rare editorial blog posts, and I'd like to take this time to exhort all Texans: go get a Concealed Handgun License (CHL). I don't care if you don't even own a firearm, or if you never intend to purchase one. Take the course anyway. I will personally loan you a firearm for the shooting portion of the class, and provide you with free instruction beforehand.

Why the generosity? Because I strongly believe that knowledge is power, and ignorance is anything but bliss.

In the last few days, I've been asked questions regarding Texas firearm laws that surprised me. I'm not calling names, or being derisive, mind you. It's just that some misinformation has been repeated enough times that people assume it must be the truth. For example, it's perfectly legal for you to have a concealed handgun in your vehicle in the state of Texas, without a CHL. That surprises a lot of people. There is no waiting period for purchasing a firearm in Texas, did you know that? Some would have you believe there is. Yes, Virginia, you can legally carry your gun in church, provided your church hasn't posted the proper signage to the contrary. Speaking of signage, what are the 2 signs that would prohibit a CHLicensee from carrying in an establishment? When are you authorized to use deadly force, CHL or not?

In my humble estimation, it's worth your time and money to find the answer to these questions firsthand from a qualified CHL instructor. Heck, if nothing else, having your CHL just makes it easier to purchase that handgun that you'll decide you DO need, after all.

I know that some rankle at the thought of any type of licensing and registration, and I certainly appreciate that position. However, the law is the law, and there are most certainly trade-offs for getting a CHL. You'll be held to a higher standard, but at the same time, you'll get proper recognition for that, particularly from law enforcement (for the most part). I've had LEOs cut me slack on the rare occasion where I might have exceeded the speed limit, solely by virtue of the fact that I've made the effort to be a law-abiding CHLicensee. They (for the most part) know you're the good guy.

More than anything else, it's learning the laws of this state, and of other states, that will benefit you most. If nothing else, you'll be the life of the party.

Just do me one favor: don't assume that having a CHL means you know how to shoot. Go learn how to shoot from a qualified instructor, learn basic gun safety, and practice. You'll be much more comfortable with that CHL once you do.

That is all.

Wanna go green?

Then live in a slum! After all, the eco-freaks at National Geographic have deemed India to be the greenest of all countries in the world!!

Indian consumers also topped the goods sub-index score. Their top status is due in part to having lower-than-average rates of ownership of large appliances and electronics. Also, the rate of those buying used goods, avoiding environmentally unfriendly products and excessive packaging, and buying environmentally friendly products is the highest.

So, give up those plasma TVs, microwaves and airconditioner units!

Indian consumers continue to rank third on the transportation sub-index, based on the fact that they are second-most likely to live close to their usual destinations and second-least likely to own a car or truck (54%). Among those who drive, Indians tend to have lower-than-average annual mileage rates. Besides, they are the most likely to own and use motorcycles or scooters and second most likely to drive a compact car, after the Mexicans. In addition, walking or riding a bike is up seven points from the past year (to 57%).

Yes, friends, give up those evil polluting cars and especially those trucks and SUVs!

As regards housing, Indians rank second only to Brazilians. Factors contributing to their high ranking include a low incidence of having home heating (41%) and hot running water (38%) and a high incidence of using on-demand electric water heating (45% among those with hot running water), and using solar energy to heat water (15%).

Yes, you read this right, dear readers! Give up heating your home when it gets cold, forget about taking hot showers (who needs 'em, anyways!!) OK - fine!!

Or, you could spend $900,000 on a whopping EIGHT HUNDRED SQUARE FT. house here in the US, and then hope your pipes don't freeze over when it gets cold. Think about it, folks. To make this ridiculous outlay of expense worthwhile, you'd have to live in the house 3,625 months, or about 320 years. (To come up with that figure, I took the avg house cost of 175,000 and subtracted that from the 900,000 cost, divided that by an avg monthly electric/gas bill of $200 and viola...)

Absolute sheer lunacy, dear readers, absolute lunacy. Eco nazis flat out crack me up.

Obama Says U.S. Long-Term Debt Load ‘Unsustainable’

I think this is called talking out of both sides of your mouth.

On one hand, you help to create (as President, and as a Senator who voted for it) the massive, record deficits our government has created.

On the other, you say that

“We can’t keep on just borrowing from China,” Obama said at a town-hall meeting in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, outside Albuquerque. “We have to pay interest on that debt, and that means we are mortgaging our children’s future with more and more debt.”

WTF??

The lies continue from the same speech:

In his New Mexico appearance, the president pledged to work with Congress to shore up entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. He also said he was confident that the House and Senate would pass health-care overhaul bills by August.
“Most of what is driving us into debt is health care, so we have to drive down costs,” he said.

Considering that the Government does not YET run the health care system, would anyone like to explain to me how the cost of health care is running the government into debt? Ummmmmm, NO, Mr. President. Health care cost is not what is driving us into debt. What is driving us into debt is out of control government spending on worthless entitlement programs and pet projects like the famous bridge to nowhere. What's driving us into debt is a budget that is "free from earmarks" - that is, if you don't want to count the over 8,000 earmarks in the budget his highness signed into law.

This is lying on a scale that would make Goebbels or any member of the Soviet Politburo proud.

Guns at college,

who needs 'em, right?

A group of college students said they are lucky to be alive and they’re thanking the quick-thinking of one of their own. Police said a fellow student shot and killed one of two masked me who burst into an apartment.

Read it all, folks...

AmEx

Don't leave home without it.

Market Hall Gun Show - Price Gouging at its Worst

Catfish and I stood in line almost 25 minutes to get inside the Market Hall Gun Show this Saturday, in a winding line that traversed the parking lot.

My first treat was that the cost of the show had increased. It's now $8/person.

We made our way back to the left side of the hall, to a table that appeared to have a fair amount of ammo. The dealer's name is Gerry C. Haight, and I think he's out of Arlington, TX.

When I asked the pretty blonde girl the price on the box of .40 American Eagle, she looked on her sheet, then told me, "47.50." I just blinked. I asked her to check again, because that couldn't possibly be right for 50 rounds (a single box). She looked again, then consulted the guy who (presumably) was the dealer - Gerry C. Haight. He looked me straight in the eye, and said that was correct. I asked if he realized that was almost ONE DOLLAR PER ROUND. He affirmed that he did.

I'm pretty sure my face got red at that point, and I stuck my finger in his face. I told him that was gouging, and that it was "f*cking wrong." I told him that I'd personally make sure that every shooter on every forum knew his name, and that they all remember him as the so-called "shooter" who was taking advantage of other shooters.

I don't mind someone turning an honest buck, and I certainly don't begrudge the occasional price hike to help offset costs. But when I could literally turn around and buy the exact same ammo for $20/box (still too high, btw) at another table, it's just a little too much for me to take. He had CASES of this stuff, and he was out to squeeze as much out of you and me as he possibly could.

Remember this guy's name, and the others who are taking advantage of you and me.

And the first one of you that tries to chastise me for dogging on other "shooters," let's be perfectly clear: I DIDN'T START IT. I'm not trying to steal money from you and keep you from enjoying your sport.

I'm pissed off, and I'm not going to stand around idly while predators try to take advantage of me. If you've encountered gouging, please let us know about it. We're keeping a list of these creeps, and we'll be using it, even after the prices normalize again. I don't plan on forgetting those who took advantage of us. I also plan to talk about those dealers who aren't gouging, because they deserve your business.

Stop buying from people like Gerry Haight. Run these carpet-baggers off, and let's set things straight again.

Some gun pRon

I mentioned way back when, in January, that I had purchased a new Springer XDM, in 40SW.

Well, I finally got around to upgrading it into a full on Limited pistol, suitable for USPSA competition and I must say that I really like it. I added a Dawson fiber optic front sight (which was a royal bitch to install; and don't even get me started on how hard the original front sight was to remove...), a pistol gear magwell, some new trigger springs (and removed some of the worthless gizmos inside the gun that added to the trigger pull) and some basepads on my mags.



I've been very pleased with the platform - I'm still getting used to the trigger a little bit and that will come with time. As you can see in the vid, the gun can be run very, very hard - this was the 4th or 5th drill we ran like this in a row and the gun was smoking hot to the touch. But it ran without a hiccup... and I only threw 2 C's - both on the first shot in transition to the next target.



Liked the platform enough that I fought the Market Hall gun show crowds yesterday with JR and picked up another XDM - to act as a backup gun for the first and an IDPA gun as well, since the existing magwell is too fat to sit properly in the infamous IDPA box....

Wow

And she didn't use a telepromter, either.

NO excuse now

The NRA is offering free one year memberships. Haven't joined?? Like your gun rights? Sign up now, it's free.

I can't wait for summer

Fear and Greed Have Sales of Guns and Ammo Shooting Up - WSJ.com

Wanna know why we can't find primers and bullets?

Bubba Sanders, owner of Bullseye Supply LLC, in Brandon, Miss., said he has 'a number of doctor clients whose financial advisers have told them to invest in ammunition. Beats the hell out of money markets and CDs. You can double your investment in ammunition in a year.'

That's right - guns and ammo are now considered blue-chip investments. Worse than that, good old-fashioned American Capitalism is alive and well:

As gun-ban worries have made inventory scarce, Joshua Works, president of Mission Essential Inc., a large gun store in Hinesville, Ga., has flipped some of his own stock for a profit. Last year, he says, he sold a variant of an AK-47 for $400. He bought it back from the owner in January for $550, then quickly sold the same gun again for $750. AKs are a particularly good investment, he says. His company's sales have risen about 30% since the election, he says.
Mr. Works ran ads on local television highlighting fears of a weapon ban before and after the November election and says he's planning a new spot that promotes guns as a good investment. "You can buy gold or silver, but they go up and down," he says.

Evidently, so is good old-fashioned fear-mongering.
This, boys and girls, is why those of us who actually shoot guns are a little put out. We can't find supplies because guys like this are investing in a commodity. Nevermind that it's an artificially inflated commodity like, oh, I don't know - certain stocks in certain financial institutions. The bottom WILL fall out.

That the bubble could burst doesn't appear to be fazing buyers. "Right now even used semiautomatic rifles are selling like crazy," says Lawrence Keane, senior vice president and general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which represents manufacturers and retailers.

Meanwhile, anybody got some small rifle primers they want to sell? I actually want to use them...

Perry Says Texas Can Secede

Perry called his supporters patriots. Later, answering news reporters' questions, Perry suggested Texans might at some point get so fed up they would want to secede from the union, though he said he sees no reason why Texas should do that.

I'm down with that, and I can see plenty of reasons.

Uh-oh. I bet I'm one of those right-wing nutjobs, huh?

Top Nerf Dart Guns, Crossbows and Nerf Ball Guns

Where was the Nerf N-Strike Vulcan EBF-25 when I was a kid?

The biggest, best, most powerful Nerf gun ever. The battery-powered Vulcan is basically a fully-automatic foam-spewing machine gun, complete with a 25-dart clip that it can unload in less than 10 seconds. And if the batteries die, you can still pump and shoot the old-fashioned way. Some drawbacks: Chasing down all those darts for reloading is far from fun, and some of our commenters have noted that the belt jams easily.

Well, I'll be damned

It would appear that the Obama administration finally decided to pull the trigger. Frankly, I'm rather surprised they bothered. Nevertheless, I'm glad they did.

OK, it's been a long day

and I'm in a foul mood. So allow me a brief moment of sarcasm, will you?

I saw this title of a story about Obama's administration and couldn't help but add a word:

Obama Administration Still Full Of (ass)Holes

Ok, I feel better now.

We now return you to your regular broadcast.

I admit it

I giggled. A lot. After reading this article.... So much for Obama uniting the world behind us, eh? I thought the whole point of the O-messiah's new tone was to unite our European allies behind us??

Barack Obama: President Pantywaist - new surrender monkey on the block

President Barack Obama has recently completed the most successful foreign policy tour since Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. You name it, he blew it. What was his big deal economic programme that he was determined to drive through the G20 summit? Another massive stimulus package, globally funded and co-ordinated. Did he achieve it? Not so as you'd notice.

Then came the dramatic bit, the authentic West Wing script, with the President wakened in the middle of the night in Prague to be told that Kim Jong-il had just launched a Taepodong-2 missile. America had Aegis destroyers tracking the missile and could have shot it down. But Uncle Sam had a sterner reprisal in store for l'il ole Kim (as Dame Edna might call him): a multi-megaton strike of Obama hot air.

"Rules must be binding," declared Obama, referring to the fact that Kim had just breached UN Resolutions 1695 and 1718. "Violations must be punished." (Sounds ominous.) "Words must mean something." (Why, Barack? They never did before, for you - as a cursory glance at your many speeches will show.)

President Pantywaist is hopping mad and he has a strategy to cut Kim down to size: he is going to slice $1.4bn off America's missile defence programme, presumably on the calculation that Kim would feel it unsporting to hit a sitting duck, so that will spoil his fun.

Watch out, France and Co, there is a new surrender monkey on the block and, over the next four years, he will spectacularly sell out the interests of the West with every kind of liberal-delusionist initiative on nuclear disarmament and sitting down to negotiate with any power freak who wants to buy time to get a good ICBM fix on San Francisco, or wherever. If you thought the world was a tad unsafe with Dubya around, just wait until President Pantywaist gets into his stride.

I really don't know that I could have said that any better myself.

Setting the tone

So we've got a hostage situation off the coast of Somalia. An American flagged ship was attacked and boarded by pirates, something that has been a rarity in the past.

However, I can promise you those days are over. For you see, dear readers, the Obama administration's refusal to do anything but "monitor" the situation is telling other folks who might be inclined to hurt American interests that it's a freebie.

Think about it. We have a lifeboat without power, floating in the sea. Nearby is an American Man-O-war - the destroyer USS Bainbridge - "observing".

You basically have an unarmed lifeboat holding off one of the most powerful ships in the world in the middle of the ocean. Can someone tell me why?

I'll tell you. It's the same thing we saw from Carter and Clinton when they were in power. We dare not make any agressive movement for fear of hurting someone else's feelings around the world. You should think about that the next time you plan an overseas trip. Because the American government is telling the world that it will not get involved and come to the rescue.

And in the meantime, the American hostage is on his own. He's already tried to swim away, only to be recaptured.

Bill Clinton did the same thing in the same part of the world with the infamous Blackhawk Down. Commanders on the ground called in for armored support and the Clinton administration turned it down. Didn't want to appear too agressive.

And this is only going to be the beginning, because Obama is proving himself to be quite weak, and afraid to take action. The only question left now is how many American lives Obama's inaction will cost us.

More Goebbels

I've blogged a couple of times on our new propaganda ministry coming out of the White House. Keeping that theme alive, the Obama White House has come out with a statement claiming that Obama's bow to the Saudi King wasn't a bow at all.

"It wasn't a bow. He grasped his hand with two hands, and he's taller than King Abdullah," said an Obama aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

This is a flat out lie. Period, end of story, full stop.

Watch the video for yourself:



At 54 seconds into the video, the King extends ONE hand. At 55 seconds into the video, Obama is CLEARLY bowing to the King. Both men are shaking hands with one hand each. You can see the King's left hand at his side and glimpse Obama's hand by his leg. Obama's head is lower than the King's, and the King is looking DOWN at Obama. At 58 seconds into the video, Obama steps closer to the King, apparently grasps the King's hand with both of his, and lowers his head in a friendly nod.

Interestingly, a columnist in the Saudi-backed Arabic paper Asharq Alawsat also took the gesture as a bow and appreciated the move.

I'm sure we'll see more out of the propaganda ministry as Obama's term in the White House continues. If they will lie about something as ridiculous as this, what else are they lying about?

It was a freaking embarrassment to have Bush holding hands with the Saudi King, but at least the Bush White House didn't try to range lawyer their way out of it.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

Texas Legislature mulls bill to allow concealed handguns on college campuses - SMUDailyCampus.com

Submitted for your consideration: the pussification of the college student, proliferated by the liberal college newspaper and the likewise predictable college professor.

Professor Rick Halperin said he was most concerned with the educational classroom environment for students.

"Classrooms are not a place people should live in fear of deranged classmates breaking in and shooting or even their fellow classmates holding weapons on them," Halperin said. "Classrooms are not target ranges."

Here's the problem: liberal college professor is scared of guns. It then (il)logically follows that guns are bad. People who have guns, by extension, are also bad.

It makes my head hurt to have to reiterate, but here it goes. Again.

The facts about concealed handgun licensees: they're educated regarding concealed carry laws, and they're carrying handguns LEGALLY, with full knowledge of the consequences of doing otherwise. They are fingerprinted and on file with the State and Federal government. They're held to a higher standard by law enforcement by virtue of this. They're law-abiding citizens who are capable of defending themselves. In short, they are the least likely members of society to risk incarceration by acting irresponsibly with a firearm.

Criminals disregard laws - that's pretty much the definition of "criminal." The lunatic at Virginia Tech was a criminal. He was not deterred by a no-gun policy on campus. Quite the contrary, in fact - it's what allowed him to conduct his insane rampage. The police arrived too late, because they can't be everywhere. Who's ultimately responsible for your safety? That's right - you, and nobody else.

The anti-gun logic? Ooh - that's an oxymoron. Let's just appeal to emotion, because, well - guns are scary. Don't take responsibility for protecting yourself? Goodness, I hope you don't have one of those dangerous fire extinguishers in your homes. In the wrong hands, they can put an eye out.

I earnestly loathe those who would try to convince you that your safety lies in the hands of someone else. It's disingenuous at best, and downright criminal at the worst.

Wilkinson Sword: Mow the Lawn

I LOL'd. H/T to Cowboy Blob.

Spring cleaning

Heading out to my car after work, I spied this little fella cleaning off after a hard day's work of whatever it is he was doing.



I managed to get quite a few pics of him floppin' around in the bird bath - you can see them here.

Hooray! It is National Cleavage Day!

From a Twitter buddy:


I'd like to know why I wasn't informed of this important day sooner. In order to keep our image of sharing useful information, I offer the following from the article:

To get great cleavage, you need two things - a good bra and a good chest. Push-up bras typically give the best cleavage and often have a low cut, plunge center to best show off cleavage. If the straps can cross over at the back, this will also give a little more lift and better cleavage. For a more lifted and rounded cleavage, a balconette bra is also a great option.

It's good to have options, huh?

Locked in Car, Woman Calls 911

A 911 dispatcher in Kissimmee, Fla., helps a woman get out of a locked car. Her advice? Try the lock. We're told this is no April Fool's joke.

It's still an awesome 911 call. Insert blonde joke here.

Hillary’s Assault on the Second Amendment

Here's an interesting read. You may recall the Secretary of State's comments recently that implied that Mexico's running gun battles between druggies and federal police is the fault of the United States. She pointed out that she believed that firearms were being smuggled into Mexico from the U.S., presumably because of our "lax" firearm laws. From the cited article:

The guns that are sold in the United States, which are illegal in Mexico, get smuggled over our border and arm these terrible drug-dealing criminals so that they can outgun these poor police officers along the border and elsewhere in Mexico. So we've got to help out here. We can't stand by and say, Well, you know, you guys just do the best you can, when we, unfortunately, are the market for drugs, when a lot of the money is laundered in the United States back into the hands of the drug kingpins, and when the weapons have come from our country. So I think recognizing the co-responsibility is just stating the obvious.

This is the second article I've read that point out the glaringly obvious errors in the position that the United States is the source of smuggled firearms. It seems that everyone has overlooked a simple fact: the government of the United States sells firearms to the government of Mexico. What's a more readily-available source of firearms? Privately smuggled firearms, or the cache of weapons available to a corrupt government, or perhaps the fact that other sources exist for black-market military-grade weapons?

William Hoover, assistant director of field operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, argues that no such volume of American-made weapons are headed south. Says Hoover, “The investigations we have, that we see, for firearms flowing across the border don’t show us individuals taking thousands of guns a day or at a time flowing into Mexico.” His claim is buttressed by the fact that Mexican authorities have refused to provide U.S. law-enforcement officials with the serial numbers of weapons confiscated from drug cartel members—a likely indicator that the weapons were obtained not from American gun shops but rather from illegitimate sources elsewhere.

It might escape notice that full-auto firearms, rocket launchers, grenade launchers and grenades are not readily available to the U.S. buying public. So where did these firearms come from? Venezuela, I'm looking at you. Why would the drug cartels finance a smuggling operation when they could easily (and cheaply) buy weaponry from other sources?

So why all the hyperbole blaming the U.S. for this problem? Surely the Obama administration doesn't have an anti-gun agenda, does it?

Ah, Spring In Texas

We just got hammered by a hail storm. It was by far the biggest hail I have ever seen first hand. I haven't looked at my truck yet, but I'm sure it is beat to hell.

Sure been quiet 'round here....

And good reason for it. Several of your fearless scribes here at the Tattler have been absent and out of pocket for the past several days shooting the annual Double Tap Championship.

What a weekend!

I was fortunate enough to shoot with the match staff on Thursday - in absolutely wonderful weather. And then mother nature stepped in and hit us hard, square in the gonads. Friday was probably the worst day on the range I've ever had. Cold, with temps in the 30s, rain - HARD - and a hellacious north wind. All I could think of was "thank God I'm not shooting today."

Saturday was not much better. We woke up to scrape snow off our cars and then had to deal with biting, frigid weather for the bulk of the day. Again, thank God I was done shooting!!

Sunday was 200% better, and actually quite pleasant.

The neat thing about working this match is that you get to observe, up close and personal, some of the best shooters in the world - folks like Travis Tomasie and Emmanual Bragg. And then you also get to see some awesome local shooters, like our own Grandmaster, Adam Popplewell - and his out of control comp.



I know I'll be back again next year and ready to roll.

For the rest of the match pics, take a look here.

Ahhhhhhh..... good times

Waco USPSA

Had some fun at Waco today, both with the gun and with the camera...


Definitely re-gripping the gun here! Peace out!



Here's the future of our sport, fellas. Also known as Scott and mini me.



The Dukester hitting a reload.

Aging Charles Manson captured in prison photo

Well, time heals all wounds, I guess. Unless you've carved a swastika into your forehead, that is.

Any bets on whether Manson's gotten mellow in his old age? Yeah, probably not.

Bra maker has an eye for breasts - UPI.com

Ran Yusheng, 90, who retired from bra making last year, said in the run-up to the opening of his new online store that he learned the art of bra making when he was 20 years old and soon discovered that he had a knack for it, China Daily reported Friday.

"I just looked at her breasts and then I could make a bra suitable for her," Ran said.

And that worked for 70 years. All bow to the master.

So....

we've got a continuing problem with the economy. Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Added to the mix, Iran now says it's a space and nuclear power as their nuclear program continues unabated. And Russia is flexing its muscles in our hemisphere. We also seem to find ourselves in, at the least, a diplomatic spat with China in the south China Sea.

But hey, don't you worry about a thing. Our man in the White House is on top of it. Seems he spends Wednesday nights dancing the night away and is heavily courting socialites in the White House, making sure he's up on the latest styles in and around the beltway.

Sure glad he's on top of everything going on in the world to the point that he can waste time preparing for his book tour when he gets out of office. Man, I feel safer already!

"You want me to do WHAT?"

Over the last year I have either thought or said those words out loud countless times. I have collapsed in a sweat-soaked heap on the floor wondering if I was going to puke, die, or both. I have stumbled to my car with my legs barely responding to my instructions. I have gone back to work red-faced and shaking so badly that I scared my coworkers. And I love it. Welcome to Crossfit.

A co-worker sent me a link to Crossfit Plano (www.crossfitplano.com) – he told me to check out the crazy people and their workouts. I had heard of Crossfit from a shooter’s forum (http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=59221) and it sounded interesting, so I contacted them to see how to get started. On Saturday, February 16th 2008 I showed up at 8am for their Elements class to get familiar with the fundamentals, then I was invited to stay for the Suffer on Saturday class to see what Crossfit was all about. Here is the posted workout from that day:

Suffer on Saturday:

"Resentment" - Have to rename this "The Deceiver" as it was much harder than it looked. No one started the second round today!

2 Rounds for time of:
Row 500m
1 Rope Climb (3 climbs from the Ground)
25 Box Jumps - 24"
25 Ball Slams - 20 lb
25 Kettlebell Russian Swings - 32kg
25 Pull Ups
25 Push Press - 65 lb
25 Wall Ball Shots - 20 lb
25 Knees to Elbows
25 Overhead Squats - 65 lb
25 Thrusters - 65 lb
25 Burpees
Muscle Ups - 5 (Sub 25 Pull Ups and Dips)
25 Hang Dumbell Squat Clean - 35 lb
50 Foot Walking Lunge

Staying true to the name, I suffered. A lot. I thought it would never end. I had no idea what I was doing (and of course everything was scaled for me), but one of the trainers stayed right there with me to help and to keep me going. I left the gym, went home and slept for 3 hours. Days later I was still walking like a drunken Frankenstein and couldn’t raise my arms above my head. Two weeks later I joined Crossfit Plano.

Years of mainstream gyms, aerobics classes, kickboxing and entire collections of workout DVDs that I could recite word for word bored the hell out of me. Almost 5 years of indoor soccer was really fun, but earned me an ambulance ride to the emergency room and a large collection of medical braces and bruises. Only one year of Crossfit, plus a gradual change in eating habits (www.zonediet.com), and an introduction to ZHealth performance training (www.zhealth.net) has done what years of traditional exercise and dieting failed to do. I feel better, look better and have made a permanent change in my life that I can live with. No more yo-yo diets and gaining another 10 pounds while my sprained ankle heals. No more feeling deprived or guilty for eating (and, very important to me as a beer connoisseur, drinking) the things I enjoy. No more dreading the boredom of the same old workout. I believe this is what they call a life-changing experience.

Besides the touchy-feely stuff above, here are the facts. I have lost 30 pounds over the last year, which translates into a total loss of about 14 inches measured over 8 points along my arms, legs and torso. A year ago I couldn’t do a single regular push-up – now I can do 15+ in a row. A year ago I couldn’t do a single pull-up – now I can do 3+ kipping pull-ups (http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_Kipping1-Concept.wmv) in a row without an assisting band. (Guys, I can hear your eyes rolling already – bite me, I’m a girl, this is much harder for us, as much as I hate to admit it). I didn’t even know what a deadlift was a year ago – I hit my PR (personal record) on the deadlift of 200 pounds last month. I can back squat and front squat my body weight. I’ve almost mastered the intricacies of the snatch (http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/cfj-nov-05/snatch.wmv), and in the last year I have done more handstands, cartwheels and tumbling than I have since 5th grade. Being out of your element, out of your comfort zone, isn’t a bad thing, really – you never know when life will surprise you and that will come in handy. Crossfit isn’t about mastering a single lift or exercise, it is about being competent and efficient across a wide range of physical skills. From the main Crossfit site: "[Crossfit] delivers a fitness that is, by design, broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist”. This is Crossfit. And I love it.

Just one more tax cheat

telling us how we should live our lives.



Nice.

173 years ago today

a small band of brave men gave up their lives at the Alamo. Robert has been blogging the Texas Rev for the past couple of weeks - head on over and see what all the fuss about being a Texan is all about.

Is it just me,

or do you get the feeling this is like rats jumping off a sinking ship?

Treasury nominee bails out.

The person Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner wanted as his chief deputy withdrew from consideration Thursday, dealing a setback to the agency as it struggles to address the worst financial crisis in decades.

Surgeon General nominee bails out.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, has withdrawn his name from consideration as surgeon general of the United States, he said Thursday.

And I'm sure we all remember the Commerce nominee bailing out.

New Hampshire Republican Sen. Judd Gregg has withdrawn his name from consideration as President Obama's commerce secretary, a major blow to an administration seeking to put a series of Cabinet problems behind it.

I guess none of these guys wanted any more Hope and Change?

Conference Call with Senator John Cornyn Today

I got a late invitation this morning to attend a conference call hosted by Senator Cornyn this afternoon at 1:15. What's cool about his conference calls is that they're real conference calls - open mike, basically. No muting or stuff like that, and you can hear the chatter in the background. Someone was listening to Rush Limbaugh - that cracked me up.

He was a few minutes late, and things sounded really busy there inside the Beltway. He opened with a couple of statements regarding the situation on the border and the spending frivolity in D.C. He is very (and rightfully so) concerned about the situation with the drug cartels and the running gun battles between the Policia Federal and the druggies. He invited the President down to get a first-hand look at the situation. I'm curious to see if the President cares enough or knows enough to worry about a potential war on our borders. In case you've not been keeping up with the news, it's a very bad and potentially catastrophic situation there. 7,000 people have died in drug-related killings since the beginning of 2008. Thousands of Federal Police have been rushed to Ciudad Juarez (across the Rio from El Paso) to help quell the violence. It's bad. He did mention that he's glad it's President Calderon in charge, and not his Chavez-sympathetic opponent from the last election. I thought that was an interesting and revealing comment.

Next topic was about spending, and the ludicrous amount of money being thrown about not only in the so-called economic stimulus program, but now in the equally ghastly $410 BILLION omnibus spending bill. At least they have the decency to call it what it is.

Finally, the "fairness" doctrine was discussed. Don't know what that is? I'm going to do you a favor: LOOK IT UP. Stupid is as stupid does, people.

The Senator then opened the line for questions and comments, and I was the first to chime in. I took the opportunity to express my concern over Attorney General Eric Holder's exploitation of the current situation in Mexico as an opportunity to introduce anti-gun legislation and to attempt to resurrect the so-called assault weapons ban. I opined that it was quite a stretch to blame the current situation in Mexico on the legal sales of semi-automatic weapons that looked scary. The Senator pledged full support of our Second Amendment rights, as he has in the past.

There were a couple of other questions, but nothing of note.

Here's what I took away from the meeting: the Senator sounded a bit...exasperated. I think he's a bit frustrated as a senior Senator in Washington, who's typically correct in his position, fighting against an irrational, emotionally-charged Senate. He's in the minority in more ways than one. Nonetheless, he was positive and clearly energetic.

I certainly appreciate his taking the time to talk to his constituency, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to particpate in that process.

Salvation

Looks pretty damn good.

Independence Day

Happy Birthday to Texas and General Sam Houston.

I'll be having a drink for ya tonight, General.

baaa baaaaa baaa baaaaaa

"Grandmother, what big teeth you have got."
- Little Red Riding Hood

Kenneth Davis swapped two rifles that he inherited and a handgun. "They're just taking up space around the house," he said. "So, I brought them in.

"It's a worthwhile cause," said donor Cal Nunnally. "They were sitting around. It's in my best interests just to bring'em down."

"We weren't using it. Too much crime out here anyway," said donor Roy Collier. He and his family gave up a sawed off rifle.

"Got my grandkids staying with me," said donor Wayne Lovell. "I don't need them messing around with the gun, and I've got no use for it."

Bryron Goebel has daughters aged 3 and 6, and now no longer owns a rifle. "Too many guns out there that are not properly protected from kids or from society, so this is a great event," he said.

So, you've got some folks who would give up their right to self defense and others who are too lazy to teach their children how to act responsibly around firearms.

What a bunch of retards.

There's just

something about log cabins that I like....

More Waco

Some more pics from some weekend fun:

JR on the draw, perfect form!



A rare picture of Rhonda's pistol working!



Smokin' a reload:

Waco

Fun match today, and I got to break in the new camera....

Here's JR scootin' and reloading:



Yours truly with a nice double working:



Sadly, Rhonda's day was not so good.... But her gun was fixed, right?

Submit, or else

A few days ago, I quoted Goebbels:

If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.

A key part of the quote is the section that states:

It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.

So, flash forward to 2009. You have an anti Obama sticker on your car. You get pulled over and your sign/sticker is confiscated by the Police because the officer believes your sign is a threat to the President of the United States.

And to cap it off, you're then visited by the Secret Service:

''The Secret Service called and said they were at my house," Harrison said.

After talking to his attorney, Harrison went home where he met the Secret Service.

''When I was on my way there, the Secret Service called me and said they weren't going to ransack my house or anything ... they just wanted to (walk through the house) and make sure I wasn't a part of any hate groups."

Harrison said he invited the Secret Service agents into the house and they were "very cordial."

''We walked through the house and my wife and 2-year-old were in the house," Harrison said.

He said they interviewed him for about 30 minutes and then left, not finding any evidence Harrison was a threat to the president.

I'll say it again, because I think it's important:

It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State

How special.

Police: Dead man jumped or fell from taxi on I-35

From the other JR.

I'd think a dead guy would have less ambition.

Doesn't

this look entertaining??

New shooter day!

Took a new shooter to the range today. We worked on quite a few pistols, letting her get a feel for what she liked, and finished up with some fun time on my GSG-5.

Until today, she had never fired a weapon before in her life.... Do note the nice little group on the target!

Now it's your turn, folks. Introduce a new shooter to the fun of shooting as soon as you can. Get more shooters out there and vested in our future because frankly, there aren't enough of us out there!

Obama's Rhetoric Is the Real 'Catastrophe'

As pointed out here and elsewhere, all among the producers and nowhere to be found amongst the ever growing popluation of looters... despite what the chose one and his minions state, we are not in the worst economic crises in the history of mankind.

President Barack Obama has turned fearmongering into an art form. He has repeatedly raised the specter of another Great Depression. First, he did so to win votes in the November election. He has done so again recently to sway congressional votes for his stimulus package.

This fearmongering may be good politics, but it is bad history and bad economics. It is bad history because our current economic woes don't come close to those of the 1930s. At worst, a comparison to the 1981-82 recession might be appropriate.

The latest survey pegs U.S. unemployment at 7.6%. That's more than three percentage points below the 1982 peak (10.8%) and not even a third of the peak in 1932 (25.2%). You simply can't equate 7.6% unemployment with the Great Depression.

Mr. Obama's analogies to the Great Depression are not only historically inaccurate, they're also dangerous. Repeated warnings from the White House about a coming economic apocalypse aren't likely to raise consumer and investor expectations for the future. In fact, they have contributed to the continuing decline in consumer confidence that is restraining a spending pickup. Beyond that, fearmongering can trigger a political stampede to embrace a "recovery" package that delivers a lot less than it promises.

Let's see, what did Goebbels say?

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

Hmm, could the recent interest in a new version of the Fairness Doctrine be a sign of what Goebbels called for?? Nah, that could never happen here, right?

So

what better way to end the day at the range than get out the ARs and put some rounds downrange with the EBR.

Now

this is change we can believe in, right?!



God help us.

Babe-Raham Lincoln

I'll be darned. She's a little vapid and blonde, though:

"(Lincoln) was one of the greatest presidents in our history," she said. "People still recognize that today. We have so much to be thankful for because of him."

But she's hot.

Coupla stories

caught my eye today.

First up:

Angry survivors blame council 'green' policy

It would appear that the same lunatics that refuse to let you cut out and clear up deadwood and underbrush in our country are running amok in Oz as well. Everyone remember the fires at Tahoe in '07??

Well, one of the victims gets the Texican Tattler gold star award:

During question time at a packed community meeting in Arthurs Creek on Melbourne's northern fringe, Warwick Spooner — whose mother Marilyn and brother Damien perished along with their home in the Strathewen blaze — criticised the Nillumbik council for the limitations it placed on residents wanting the council's help or permission to clean up around their properties in preparation for the bushfire season. "We've lost two people in my family because you dickheads won't cut trees down," he said.

That's what happens folks, when you put your environmental policies over humans and their well being. Heart goes out to all the victims of environmental radicalism in Oz; hang in there, folks!

Story #2:
I've joked with friends about not sending me any emails or phone texts making fun of the chosen one. It would appear that we're seeing one of the first documented cases of someone getting busted for passing on an email joke about BHO.

Iowa Trooper Suspended For Obama E-Mail

An Iowa State trooper who was investigated after it was shown that he forwarded an e-mail showing mug shots of people wearing Obama t-shirts has been suspended for 30 days.

Sgt. Rodney Hicok was at home and off-duty when he forwarded the e-mails, said an official with the Iowa Department of Public Safety Bureau and Professional Standards.

The e-mail made disparaging remarks about 15 people in the photos and referred to Obama as having "quite a fan base."

So, even at home and off duty, better watch those BHO jokes, folks! The brown shirts are watching! Sieg Heil!

Schumer. Sucks.

Here's good Ole Chucky Schumer. Telling us that we don't care about all the money they are pissing away on "porky amendments."

Well, we try pretty hard to maintain a certain level of decorum on the Tattler, but with all due respect - eat shit and die, asshat.

BHO's first presser

Well read and written speech to kick it off - most of it is rubbish, but he sounds good anyway.

But dear God is he sucking ass on the questions he's been asked so far. Absolutely hideous and I think if I said "deer in the headlights" it would be appropriate.

So far he's managed to seriously insult Iran by stating that they "attacked", and then clarified with "funded" terrorist attacks. He's basically said that disagreeing with him and his policies, debating what he wants to do is a "bad habit" that has to be fixed!

He's stated that "unequivocally there is not one, not one earmark in this bill", referring to the stimulus package. Hmmmm, wanna bet?

Several times now he's blamed Bush on the current economic crises... without recognizing that a Democrat run Congress has had the reins the last two years....

All in all, his Q&A is sounding much like a rube in the woods.

So much for walking on water.

Edited to add:

hmmmm. Just noticed that he's reading the reporter's names off of a sheet on the podium for the questions that he's going to take. I wonder if he was made aware of the questions ahead of time and picked the reporters accordingly??

Also, did he just admit that the "worst crises in our history" was created by the housing market failing by giving out bad loans? Funny that he didn't point the finger at his Demo pals in the Congress! The Dodds and Franks of the world who refused to make any regulatory changes in Fanny and Freddy....

Speaking off the cuff now... it's like watching a train wreck, I can't take my eyes off it!

Spending question - mentions Treas Sec TG - but doesn't mention how the market tanked when TG didn't submit the White House's economic plan on time - will be laying them out in "great detail" tomorrow.

7:37pm - shots of the press corps and they all look bored as hell. Has Obama lost the press already?

"unprecedented crises"? You mean, we've never had a recession before? Huh?

Another foreign policy question - Afghanistan now... "Can we see the flag draped coffins now?" Oh, how special! Let's make it a media circus!

BHO's answer a waffle - basically that "we're evaluating that policy..." Dude, you're the President of the United States! Make a decision!

"Rooting out safe havens" in Afghanistan for the terrorists will be a "success"... Wasn't that what we've been doing in Iraq? Was not Iraq a safe haven for terrorists? Does that mean that Bush's policy in Iraq was a good one???

Again, the press corps almost looks like they're on lithium or something.

Major Garrett hits him between the eyes - "30% failure"? BHO has a nervous laugh, echoed by many in the press corps.... What's an "unprecedented problem"? We've had recessions before, we've had the Great Depression, we've had wars, so what exactly is unprecedented? Still not answering what the 30% was in reference to....

A question about A-Rod? You've got to be shitting me. What a moron.

No "shortcuts"?? Isn't this what he's trying to do with the stimulus??

God Helen Thomas looks like death warmed over. "So called terrorists?" What a dumbass. Do any countries in the middle east have nukes?? Let's see - Pakistan, India and Israel? Great question, Helen! Dumbass.

Keep Pakistan a stalwart ally? Didn't BHO suggest bombing the shit out of Pakistan during the camgpain?

If we reduce OUR nukes, then everyone else will follow suit! Oh splendid. Blew off Helen's secondary question. Watch your back, BHO!

If there's clear instances of wrong doing, people should be prosecuted... (in reference to the Bush admin). So, does that mean Tom Daschle and our new Sec Treas will face the piper for dodging taxes... just like you and me, right?

Another "old habits are hard to break", in reference to what can he do to work better with Republicans.... Submit!

Yes, the Republicans were brought in early and then told to piss off! "I won, so I'll trump you on that!" Submit!

Awww, working in DC on the "fixes" is hard. Poor baby.

Gotta admit, he's spot on in smacking the spendoholic Republicans in running up the current deficit.

Bad teachers should be fired? Ohhhh, now he's pissed off the teacher's unions! Watch your back, BHO!

Pretty lackluster performance, really. I think we're really in deep doo doo.