Cool Christmas Light Display

This is the coolest Christmas light show I've ever seen. Clark Griswold, eat your heart out.

French woman receives world's first face transplant

French surgeons have carried out the world's first face transplant, on a 38-year-old French woman.

Now they need to work on spinal transplants. The market is wide open over there.

It's a Christmas Tree, Not a Holiday Tree

While I was thinking about how to put my furor over the whole "Holiday Tree" controversy into words, I jumped over to Big Dick's Place. There is no way I can come close to matching his eloquence, so just go read what he has to say about it.
Nice rant, Dick. We pretty much park our car in the same garage.

Man receives 5,000 radio, TV channels with a dozen satellite dishes

And I bet he still flips channels and mutters, "there's nothing on."

Attention Whore's 15 Minutes Are Up

Photographers focus on Cindy Sheehan in empty tent waiting to sign copies of her new book (Associated Press)

Nothing Like Local News...

Ah, the holidays. A time for families to gather, get liquored up, and go to jail.

Here's some local fun from our sister city to the North, Denton, TX.

Bruce Willis comes out fighting for Iraq's forgotten GI heroes

I'm really starting to like Bruce Willis.

Murfreesboro firm takes heat over its armor-piercing rifle

'These are ideal weapons of terrorist attack. Very dangerous elements gravitate toward these weapons.'

Stupidity of this degree makes my brain hurt. Once again, the Brady Bunch's band of braying jackasses are after the .50 rifle. Nevermind that not one single terrorist act, not a single CRIME, even, has been committed with a .50 caliber rifle - let's scream "FIRE!" in a crowded movie theater over a nonexistent threat. I really hate these people who simply want your guns, and will use ANY tactic to get what they want. Be smart, people - don't listen to their propaganda. Think for yourselves.

More Carbines...

This is my Rock River AR-15 that I bought just about a year ago. Catfish and Pimp Daddy took me shopping at the big Market Hall gun show and helped me pick it out. I got to shoot it today in a side match with JR and several other buddies from the D/FW area, and I had a blast! Unfortunately there aren't many places in this area that let you run around with a rifle, so we don't get to shoot them very often - I had forgotten how much fun it is. Unlike everyone else, I bought my AR just like it's pictured - no mods were needed, it's perfect just the way it is. Short barrel, 6-position stock, sweet trigger and other basics came stock out of the box. And I didn't even break a nail shooting it today...

Heroes

I'm sure readers of this blog have noted the complete and total lack of any reporting in the ongoing war of anything heroic that our troops have done during the battle.

It's a continuing trend our pals in the media have followed since Vietnam - they refuse to acknowledge the bravery of our troops for fear of losing their perceived "objectivity" - and the only deeds they record are those of POW's and noncombatants that won't lead any credence to a war they despise.

If you've got a few hours, take a look to read over these stories of courage and valor.

And then ask yourself why all we hear from the MSM are stories of prisoner abuse and flushed Korans.

Former Canadian Minister Of Defence Asks Canadian Parliament Asked To Hold Hearings On Relations With Alien "Et" Civilizations - Yahoo! News

You heard it here, folks. Not only is George Bush the biggest threat to world peace, he's now the biggest threat to intergalactic peace. I just blew Dr. Pepper all over my compter screen, out my nose when I read this:

"The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning. He stated, "The Bush administration has finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the moon, which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they so decide."

Shiny side out pal, shiny side out.

2 Sisters Injured as Parade Balloon Crashes Into Lamppost - New York Times

The sad thing about this balloon fiasco is that the New York Times devoted more research and facts to this story than it has to say, the Air America Story. You know the story - where Air America (liberal iconic radio) "borrowed" almost a million dollars from a local children's charity in New York City.

I'm sure there's no bias involved.

New idea for Abortion Party: Aid the enemy

Ann's latest. I posted the entire article in case you are too lazy to go to her web site. Did I mention I love her?

Nov 24, 2005 by Ann Coulter
In the Iraq war so far, the U.S. military has deposed a dictator who had already used weapons of mass destruction and would have used them again. As we now know, Saddam Hussein was working with al-Qaida and was trying to acquire long-range missiles from North Korea and enriched uranium from Niger.
Saddam is on trial. His psychopath sons are dead. We've captured or killed scores of foreign terrorists in Baghdad. Rape rooms and torture chambers are back in R. Kelly's Miami Beach mansion where they belong.
The Iraqi people have voted in two free, democratic elections this year. In a rash and unconsidered move, they even gave women the right to vote.
Iraqis have ratified a constitution and will vote for a National Assembly next month. The long-suffering Kurds are free and no longer require 24x7 protection by U.S. fighter jets.
Libya's Moammar Gadhafi has voluntarily dismantled his weapons of mass destruction, Syria has withdrawn from Lebanon, and the Palestinians are holding elections.
(Last but certainly not least, the Marsh Arabs' wetlands ecosystem in central Iraq that Saddam drained is being restored, so even the Democrats' war goals in Iraq are being met.)
The American military has accomplished all this with just over 2,000 deaths. These deaths are especially painful because they fall on our greatest Americans. Still, look at what the military has done and compare the cost to 600,000 deaths in the Civil War, 400,000 deaths in World War II and 60,000 deaths in Vietnam (before Walter Cronkite finally threw in the towel and declared victory for North Vietnam).
What is known as a "hawk" in today's Democratic Party looks at what our military has accomplished and – during the war, while our troops are in harm's way – demands that we withdraw our troops.
In an upbeat speech now being aired repeatedly on al-Jazeera, last week Rep. John Murtha said U.S. troops "cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home." Claiming the war is "a flawed policy wrapped in illusion," Murtha said the "American public is way ahead of us."
Fed up with being endlessly told "the American people" have turned against the war in Iraq, Republicans asked the Democrats to show what they had in their hand and vote on a resolution to withdraw the troops.
By a vote of 403-3, the House of Representatives wasn't willing to bet that "the American people" want to pull out of Iraq. (This vote also marked the first time in recent history that the Democrats did not respond to getting their butts kicked by demanding a recount.)
The vote is all the more shocking because of what it says about the Democrats' motives in attacking the war – as well as alerting us to three members of Congress we really need to keep an eye on.
It is simply a fact that Democrats like Murtha are encouraging the Iraqi insurgents when they say the war is going badly and it's time to bring the troops home. Whether or not there is any merit to the idea, calling for a troop withdrawal – or "redeployment," as liberals pointlessly distinguish – will delay our inevitable victory and cost more American lives.
Anti-war protests in the United States during the Vietnam War were a major source of moral support to the enemy. We know that not only from plain common sense, but from the statements of former North Vietnamese military leaders who evidently didn't get the memo telling them not to say so. In an Aug. 3, 1995, interview in the Wall Street Journal, Bui Tin, a former colonel in the North Vietnamese army, called the American peace movement "essential" to the North Vietnamese victory.
"Every day our leadership would listen to world news over the radio at 9 a.m. to follow the growth of the American anti-war movement," he said. "Visits to Hanoi by people like Jane Fonda and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and ministers gave us confidence that we should hold on in the face of battlefield reverses."
What are we to make of the fact that – as we now know – the Democrats don't even want to withdraw troops from Iraq? By their own account, there is no merit to their demands. Before the vote, Democrats could at least defend themselves from sedition by pleading stupidity. Now we know they don't believe what they are saying about the war. (Thanks to that vote, the Islamo-fascists know it, too.)
The Democrats are giving aid and comfort to the enemy for no purpose other than giving aid and comfort to the enemy. There is no plausible explanation for the Democrats' behavior other than that they long to see U.S. troops shot, humiliated, and driven from the field of battle.
They fill the airwaves with treason, but when called to vote on withdrawing troops, disavow their own public statements. These people are not only traitors, they are gutless traitors.

Big D's Carbine

While we are at it, I thought I'd whip mine out. It's a Bushmaster A2, like JR's. It has the sweetest trigger I have ever felt on any firearm, a JP adjustable. It has a JP Bennie Cooley Compensator that reduces the already low recoil to damn near non existent. I have a halo sight that co-witnesses with the iron sights. The iron sights are tritium night sights, but just in case I need some illumination, I have my M3 Tactical Light mounted on the fore grip. It's the same light I carry every day that can mount to my carry gun, a Glock 23. It also has an Ergo grip, vertical foregrip and a collapsible stock. Unlike Catfish, I have no problem getting a cheek weld on the collapsible stock. To each his own. There are a lot of REALLY cool and very expensive rifles out now days, but this is mine, it's totally bad ass, and I love the look on the liberal sister's face every time I open the gun safe and she sees it sitting in there.
Maybe The Girl, Brad and Dan would like to share?

Forests paying the price for biofuels

Gotta love those greenies! Yep, we're gonna feel good about burning less fossil fuels and polluting the environment, but in the process, we're going to burn down the Amazon!

Mirror.co.uk - News - EXCLUSIVE: BUSH PLOT TO BOMB HIS ARAB ALLY

Fairly old news from earlier this week, but I didn't have time to discuss it earlier, so bear with me.

This is ludicrous. Would we have shed any tears over bombing Tokyo Rose back in the big one? I think not. The fact is that Aljazeera is a mouthpiece for islmaists and as such should be shut down. Period, end of story.

"Dozens of al-Jazeera staff at the HQ are not, as many believe, Islamic fanatics. Instead, most are respected and highly trained technicians and journalists."

Ummm, no. If you're working for an organization that supports terror, guess what? That makes you a target.

I heard some talking heads on the radio discussing this problem in the context of violating Aljazeera's first ammendment rights, but again, that's just stupid. The US Constitution only applies to Americans, dumb ass!

Any American helping Aljazeera or the terrorists should be considered an enemy combatant and treated accordingly - that is - taken out in the back yard and hung from the nearest tree.

Carbines - Me too!

This little beauty started life as a Bushmaster A2 shorty, with the AK-74-style muzzle brake. The lower on this carbine is still the same Bushmaster, but I've added the collapsible stock, and changed the pistol grip. I had always regretted getting the A2 configuration (carry handle sights, etc.), and had lusted for an A3 (flattop) style upper. As it happened, Catfish was having no end of problems with his (what is that, Fish? Colt upper?) upper that just happened to have all the evil features I wanted - flattop, bayonet lug, M4 barrel and fore-grip, and an honest-to-goodness Vortex flash hider (and buddy, does it work well). No - I don't have a bayonet - it's just the principle of the thing. Once the hated "Assault Weapon" ban expired, I conspired with Catfish on a trade of upper assemblies. I think it worked very nicely for both of us, because the upper runs great on my Bushmaster lower. If I'm not mistaken, my old upper pretty much financed Catfish's AK purchase. Smiles all around.

Let's talk about the current configuration, and detail what I want Santa to read about. I love the collapsible stock. There's so little recoil on the AR, that I'm not so worried about the cheek-weld, as long as I have my red dot on the target. I'd like to have a contoured pistol grip. I need a 1/4- or 1/2-inch riser on the flattop, though, because the red dot on the sight is square in the middle of the front sight post. I need a flip-up rear sight, and I think I might replace the front sight gas block assembly with a flip-up front sight. That configuration would make the whole red-dot/holo/whatever setup much easier to work with. I think the vertical foregrip is something I'd like to try, too. I also need some sort of light system. Finally, because of the new stock, my sling doesn't fit anymore, and I need a new one.

I like the AR a lot, and take very good care of it, in spite of not shooting it nearly enough. Incidentally, I'll be using it in a side match this weekend, so I'll try to get some action pics. I like the low recoil and excellent accuracy of the AR, and the VERY wide availability of parts and accessories, as well as milspec parts that interchange perfectly. Ammo prices have gone up since last year, and that sucks a little. I'm going to try some of the new Wolf .223 (no more icky lacquered cases) this weekend, and I'll report back on that, too.

Questions/comments?

For Cube

This post is in response to Cube, who asked about carbines.... Plus, it's just fun posting gun porn...

Cube, here's my carbine:

It's an AR-15 carbine, with some extra bells and whistles which we will detail momentarily. I like the carbine length because it's easier to carry and point than a full size AR. It also fits in the back of my car easier...

Now for those details:

I very much like the vertical fore grip. Makes the weapon easy to control and manuever during those twisty COF that you're likely to run into at a match.

I like a full length stock, in this case, an A1 version which is slightly shorter than the current A2 versions. Collapsable stocks look sexy, but I can't get a good cheek weld on one and as a result I shoot worse. It's not about recoil control, it's about being able to see the sights!

I also like having a flat top upper. You can customize (the best part of owning an AR) to your taste. Here you can see I have an EOTech Halo sight mounted in front of a standard aperture. If for some reason the EOTech breaks, or runs out of batteries, I can always rely on using the standard sights. The EOTech takes AA batteries, so if I'm out of town at a match and the batteries go down, I should be able to find a new set quickly.

Now, all that being said - AR's are fun, and I enjoy shooting mine very much. But you just can't beat the simplicity of an AK like this:

So, to me, the choice is - do you want the ability to customize, or do you want something that's simpler, but generally more reliable? I own both, shoot both, and enjoy both. However, if someone asked me the old "if you're stranded on a desert island, what would you take" question, I'd go with the AK.

Questions? Comments?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation

After reading JR's post, I thought it would be a good idea for everybody to read this, again. I will be emailing it to Robert Jenson, the douche bag that wrote the article JR was commenting on.

It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the LORD. We know that by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world. May we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people?We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.
Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to, feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.
--Abraham Lincoln - October 3, 1863