QOTD

"I don't exactly live life on the edge, but regardless of the risks, I am going to sniff my rifle from time to time."

Compensation

I am on the book of faces primarily because Youngest Daughter in Wyoming posts pics of the grandkids there.  I do have other contacts, however, and one of them opined thusly:

"I'm quite certain that many more innocent people are killed by the guns owned by people who have them for private protection than are saved ."

To which I replied, "The stats would prove you wrong."

To which she replied, "No they would not. Quite the opposite."

To which I replied, "Show me yours and I'll show you mine..."

She will not believe, of course, and nothing I can say will change her mind. Having traveled this path before I know this to be true; there are none so blind. Anymore I don't even waste my time trying.

I made the mistake of reading upthread and of course I found the usual drivel about how carrying big bad guns makes us gun nuts feel all large and threatening because we have tiny boy parts and, obviously, self-issue problems (sorry ladies, I don't know what all of you would be compensating for).

Rather than continue the "debate" there (since it seemed like it would be like trying to teach a pig to sing  - you just waste your time and annoy the pig) I would like to make my statement here.

I carry a gun because I'm compensating.

There. I said it.

I'm compensating for the fact that I am likely twice the age of my would-be assailants. I'm compensating for the fact that I am carrying 50+ pounds more than I should be. I'm compensating for the fact that as I have gotten older my eyesight has suffered and my reflexes have slowed.

I'm compensating for the fact that things hurt now that didn't before. I'm compensating for the fact that I am all too convinced of my own mortality. I'm compensating for the fact that no matter how much I have, I still won't have enough for some SOB to steal. I'm compensating for the fact that my life, and the lives of those I love, have value far beyond what little worth there is to a punk.

I'm compensating for the fact that I'm too old to fight, too fat to run, and too young to die.

I'm compensating for the fact that I will not be a victim, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Third Time's A Charmer

Once again my little corner lot in the trailer park of the Interwebs has been awarded the Liebster Blog, which means that apparently there is someone...or more precisely, three someones...out there that think my inane scribblings are not only worth reading once in a while, but passing on as well. I am humbled and somewhat amused. (Perhaps bemused would be more accurate. Bewildered and confused, that's me.)

This time the award comes from the Flying Sekrit Skwirrel herownself, Brigid from Home On the Range (where you really should be checking in regularly, and if you aren't you missed out on a decadent brownie recipe the other day). Previous awards came from blogson Quizzikle and from inside Jennifer's head. Thank you all three for popping in to check up on me and for considering my place worth referring. That in and of itself is the real honor.

So, once again, The Rules:

1. Copy and paste award on your blog.
2. Link back to the blogger who gave you the award.
3. Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received an award.
4. Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

The nominees are:

1. Erin, from Lurking Rhythmically. Little Sis has been burning up the interwebs lately, and she makes me larf and larf and larf. Go help her buy a Glock 19.

2. Angus McThag from The View From Under The Desk. It looks like that link bypasses the warning, I haven't seen anything there to warrant it. He put the warning up hisownself, so the link has been corrected to reflect that.

3. Robert from Robert's Gun Shop. I left Iowa to run off and join the Navy, but he's still holding down the fort there. (Two and three would have been nominated last time, but I ran out of nomination spots.)

4. Co-bloggers Mr. Bingley and his Tree Hugging Sister from The Coalition Of The Swilling. They may be over the 200 followers limit, I'm not good at this so I couldn't tell. I think that only counts for one...

5. Aggie Sith from Sithy Things. I usually see her stuff on H&B but the stuff at her site is different and excellent. She was not previously on the blogroll, but that oversight has been corrected. (We are Sith.)

Now I'm off to let the nominees know.

Judged By Twelve

One of the most welcomed of the new laws here in North Carolina is that of Castle Doctrine, which holds that you do not have a "duty to retreat" when met with thuggery.  Until that time if someone was kicking your door in you could actually shoot them through the door, but as soon as they were inside they could rob you blind as long as they were not physically threatening you.

The new law holds that if you are somewhere you are legally allowed to be and someone else is not, you may assume that they mean you no good and you can act accordingly. This extends beyond your property line to your car, or even to a public place in the defense of yourself or others.

So far we haven't noticed any increases in sanguinity in the rivers, streets, storm drains and streams. But I digress.

Way back West in my state of birth Robert tells a tale about a man who ended up in jail for the crime of defending himself. Fortunately a jury of his peers decided there was no way he should have ever ended up in jail but before that happened he spent 112 days in the can, he was evicted, his stuff was left for the scavengers, his guns were confiscated, and he lost his job. That's a pretty high price to pay for being right. Fortunately he has his guns and his job back, but he's just starting down the road to recovery.

Sean picked up the story soon after and asked about how we can help. Here's the answer.

So here's my challenge to you, the gun blogosphere. It has been said that the gunosphere is made up of the most generous and supporting people in the whole world, and time after time we have proven it to be so. That time is once again upon us.

I'm not a rich guy, and I'm relatively new to the whole gun owner/nut scene, but I'm scraping my nickels and dimes together this payday and I'm sending along as much as I can. I'm sending it in the form of a check, because as Sean has pointed out there is nothing cooler than seeing tons of paper with postmarks from around the country pouring in to show our support.

I don't have a fancy name, and I don't have outrageous prizes to award. I have only a brother in need. I have only a challenge to be met.

And I will meet it, because there but for the grace of God, go I.

"The church, which already has arranged a used laptop and “just a big care package” for Lewis, is now setting up a fund to assist Lewis. Donations should be sent to Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4114 Allison Ave., Des Moines, Iowa 50310. Include a note or write on a memo line that the donation is to be used for “Jay Rodney Lewis.”"

Tagged

As I was scrolling through my regular blog-roll read to see what was new I saw that I have fallen victim to been invited to play the newest gun-blog game.

I think it got it's start here, JayG made it viral, and A Girl has infected me with it given me the chance to play.

So here's how it works:

 "I will write down 5 things that indicate, to me, that a gun owner or shooter maybe is an honest one; I say 'maybe' because I have known some seemingly honest gun owners to tell some really tall tales. Then I will tag 5 other gun owners who are also bloggers and I hope each will play along, each listing, in their blogs, at least 3 things that are indicative a gun owner is an honest one, then sending the challenge of this meme on to 5 other gun owner who are also bloggers."

(I find it interesting that the 3 has not been changed to a 5 yet, but there it is.)

So here goes:

1. They are always willing to learn things they don't know, even from a newby.

2. They are always willing to pass along things that they do know.

3. They won't make fun of you for the things you don't know.

4. They won't put an overpowered firearm in the hands of an inexperienced shooter for amusement (check out YouTube, some of these guys need a good beating).

5. They always make sure the wounds are superficial before they laugh their asses off at you for being an idiot.

And for the next five victims players, I nominate:

1 Grumpy Bastige, because it's all his fault that I'm into shooting to begin with (and for number 5, but we don't have to get into that)

2. Sean, because he perpetuated the madness, and because if you aren't reading his blog you are missing out

3. cmblake6, just to see if he will play

4. Jennifer, cause she's so darn awesome (and to return the favor)

5. Brigid, because it is better to live with scars than regrets.  Oops, MSgtB already tagged her. Looks like he got all of the Indy girls. Oh well, let's see then...

5. Erin, cause she did such a good job of taking this guy to the woodshed. (Do goths have woodsheds? I'll have to ask...) And because she shoots a Mosin, which is always cool.

So there it is, thanks A Girl for your continued patronage!

Beautiful Morning

Today I wanted to make some magnets, so I went out to find some suitable supplies. I had planned on making several stops to accomplish this, but as luck would have it the very first place I went had everything I needed.

The weatherman said we would have warm and clear weather until about noon, and he was right. The dashboard thermometer said 75 degrees and climbing, so instead of going home I went for a drive instead.  I just kept turning off the main roads to see where the blacktops lead and ended up driving for four hours across four counties.

When the clouds started rolling in I went on home.

Who Is "Them"?

Over at SayUncle was a post about a local law enforcement agency looking to buy armor. Not the kind you wear, the kind you ride in.

Mark of a Free Man took exception, in comments, to the statement of one commenter who said "Look, 99 percent of the cops are good guys..." with some pithy comments of his own, ending with "I don’t think I’ll *ever* trust cops with this kind of equipment."

In that comment he mentioned the case of ex-policeman Harless of Canton OH, pointing out that his fellow officers and superiors were complicit in his guilt since they knew about him and did nothing (what is it that is necessary for evil to triumph? For good men to do nothing).

Another commenter, a policeman, has engaged him in debate (and I don't mean this tongue in cheek, there is an actual reasoned debate and not accusatory bomb-throwing, which is refreshing) over at his own place. Do go over there and read the linked posts, especially the comments sections.

I have often commiserated that modern law enforcement seems to not be familiar with the works of Sir Robert Peel.  To say I am following this exchange with great interest would be understating the case.

I can only hope that the boys in blue are following it as well.

On a related note, Sean over at An NC Gun Blog has a link to a post from a California policeman about the incorrect (and sometimes fatal) assumption that the police are able to protect you. "Buy a gun" he says. "Get a bat. Own some weapon and have enough skill to use it to save your own life and the lives of your family members. DO NOT RELY ON THE POLICE TO SAVE YOUR LIFE FOR YOU."

Good advice, and no I have not missed the irony of a California policeman advising citizens to engage in the sort of behaviour that would attract the interest of law enforcement.  I can only hope that he has not missed the irony, either.  I left a comment (yet to be published, but I have faith) noting that it is not so much that the common average citizen is uninterested in protecting his/her own life as (s)he has been trained not to.

This is changing.  Sometimes change is good.

Miscellany

I got a letter today from my friendly neighborhood tax assessor. The good news is the value on my property has gone up $24,000. Of course that means next year's tax bill will be higher as well.

Today was 75 degrees and the sun was shining down. I had the top dropped and was All. Up. Innit. (for all you new folks, mine is the red one in the center of the header pic)

Eldest Son is busy at work on TDP.  The number 4 bearing was definitely spun.  The good news here is I didn't have to foot the bill for the repair work, although it is spread out all over my driveway.

The more things change...

Oh, I See

THIS is what FAIL looks like!

UPDATE: I was wrong. THIS is what FAIL looks like.

First Event

We have finally had our first snowfall of the season, such as it is.  The ground is warm enough that it didn't stick to the roads (which is a very good thing) and it is expected to reach 50 today so it won't stick around anywhere for very long.

Saturday was mid sixties and sunny, Youngest Son and I had the top down in the Mustang. By Saturday afternoon the clouds had moved in, but it was still 62 degrees at midnight. It just got colder from there, Sunday night brought rain and snow mix, and this morning there is a scraggly covering of white here and there.

Thursday will be 72. It's been an extremely mild winter for us here in the Southeast.

I think next winter is going to be a rough one to make up for it.

Want Vs Need

My bank generously extended the limit on my credit card.  Now I have as much space on it as I was going to force myself to pay down to before I bought another gun.

I don't need a Glock 19. I just want one real bad.

The card is not paid down to the dollar amount I had set in my head, so I'm still forcing myself to wait until it is.  But the inner child in me is laying on the floor kicking and screaming and throwing a fit.

That little brat needs a good paddling.

Gone Silent

Troublesome Times has gone off the air.

Fair winds and following seas Matt. Sorry to see you go.

This Is News?

Man does what he does to make a living, big story. Why?

I have nothing against Whitney Houston, but lord I will be glad when she is peacefully laid to rest. Hopefully then we can get off of the whole All Whitney All The Time news cycle.

At least it hasn't been as bad as the All Micheal All The Time news cycle was.

Some Days

you eat the bear, and some days the bear eats you.

I went to the range today to sight the Mosin in, after the last range session I dropped it and the front sight just managed to catch the stool sitting at the bar and almost came all the way off.

I found some scribed marks on the front sight, so I moved it back to line the scribe marks up. To my delight it put the rifle right back at zero.

Ten test shots at 25 yards then three 5 round volleys at 100 yards and I was satisfied with the results (25 rounds total and no need for the assistance of dimensional lumber).  The first set of five was done with the blade sight all the way down, the next two were at the first click towards the 100 meter mark. As you can see I was pulling off to the left with the second and third sets; the first set was done with the bipod and the second two sets without. The rifle is much more accurate than her shooter is, so I'm pleased with the results.

According to what I've read here I'm supposed to give her a name. Range Partner asked if I had picked one out and I had to admit I have not.  Perhaps I will call her Ivana, meaning "God is gracious" because the first time I shot her I said "Good God - this thing has a kick!"

I did, by the way, manage to get the bayonet to slip on and off as it should. I haven't shot the rifle with the bayonet attached, but I have the option now if I want it. Plus, if I ever see a Nazi I can stab him with the bayonet instead of having to shoot him, which I'm sure would be much less punishing on my shoulder.

As we were finishing up another gentleman showed up on the range with a unique little rifle. It looked just like a Mosin carbine, but when he pulled the trigger back there was just a cute little pop instead of the massive shock wave of a 7.62x54R going down range.

It was a Polish WZ48 .22lr trainer, something that I had never heard of (not that that should come as a big shock, there are lots of things I have never heard of). It looked like he was having a great time shooting it, he said his next door neighbor wanted to learn how to shoot a rifle so he was checking it out to make sure it was ready to resume performing its intended purpose. Range Partner eyeballed me sideways and commented that I was probably going to be adding another entry to the "Guns I Want" list.  Maybe.

After the rifle shooting we moved over to the pistol range where I put about 50 rounds through the Grok. I did OK, I guess, no big holes right in the middle but lots of little ones spread all around.  While we were at the pistol range there was a guy that had a pretty big collection of Glocks, including a G-26.

I told him I was still on the fence deciding between the 26 and the 19, so he let me put a mag through the 26. I think it has pretty well convinced me that the 19 is the way to go.  Nothing wrong with the 26, it just doesn't fill the hand like the G-36 does, even with the extensions on the magazine. The G-19 fills the hand quite as nicely as the G-36 with it's mag extensions, and it uses the same holsters.

He also had a G-17L, which is a long-slide version of the G-17. He let me put a magazine through it as well, and it is a sweet gun.  I did a lot better with grouping my patterns with the G-17 and the G-26 than I did with my G-36, I'm hoping the addition of the grips (if they ever get here) will help with that. I'm pretty convinced that I need a europellet slinger though, just because.

At any rate, I had a pretty good day at the range. Again.

Gun Control Advocates

John at No Lawyers, Only Guns and Money had a link to this article.

In it the author discusses the seven varieties of gun control advocates. The Fearful is the one I run into the most.

No exerpts. Go read.

And now it's off to the range with me to sight the Mosin back in.

Eagle One

Last night I got a FB message from a guy I hadn't seen in a while. We were in the USN for a while together, I retired and he moved on to Maryland and then back to Raleigh where he was from.

Today we met for lunch and then went to make some smoke and noise at the indoor range at Eagle 1 Supply. It was a nice little range, pistol and shotgun only, max of 25 yards. I did pretty good today, I got to shoot a couple of Brian's guns and he popped a few off with mine as well.

He has a Ruger LCP that has a laser sight on it, I didn't care for the mile-long trigger pull but otherwise it was a nasty little gun to shoot, very light and so it had as much kick as my .45 and only made .380 size holes. But if you are looking for something that you can just slip into a pocket that is the one, and with the laser installed you don't even have to worry about aiming the damn thing, put the dot where you want a hole and start pulling back on the trigger. Sometime in the next hour or so it will eventually go off, by that time the bad guy will have either run screaming away from the laser dot or beat you to death, one or the other.

His other gun was a Beretta 92FS, what a sweeeeeeet gun! Loved it! A bit heavier than my Grok, but nice and balanced with a smooth and crisp trigger (but whadda I know from triggers, right? I think the Mosin shoots just fine), it put the holes right where I wanted them with a minimum of fuss. I did have to put the front sight over the top of the aim point rather than put the aim point on top of the front sight blade, but once I got that correction made it was an excellent shooter.

I also got to finally put my paws on the Glock 26, it even had the magazine extension so I could see what that felt like. I'm going to have to go fondle the G19 one more time, but I think I'm leaning toward the 19.  It just feels more like the G36 with +1 extensions, the G26, even with the extension, did not fill the palm quite so well. I might even be tempted to go for the Tigerswan G-19 if I have the coin for it.

I am also still waiting on the Falcon grips I ordered a couple of weeks ago, it was supposed to have shipped via UPS over a week ago and they are not here yet. The shipping number never did register with UPS, so it looks like I'm going to have to make a phone call, I think.

Right now I'm massaging my bayonet with a file to try to get it to go on the Mosin without the use of a punch and hammer. Getting it off is another exercise in fun. I've been reading Erin's experimentation with her mad black Russian Crazy Ivan, and I've just about decided to put the bayonet on and see if it has any impact on my shooting. I don't know that it will, the gun is still much more accurate than I am.  She certainly does like her Mosin!

All in all, a pretty darn good day.

Spam!

All of a sudden I have spammers posing as real people trying to leave comments.

This, by the way, is one of the reasons I moderate my comments. All spammers must die. Horribly. By fire.

I'm beginning to like this Jason spambot, though. His latest offering:

"Louis Vuitton bag, a pioneer in more tard."

I couldn't agree more.

UPDATE: Is nothing sacred???!!! I get one comment to approve on this post and it's a $&^$#%# SPAMMER!!!

NO comment for you Anthony...or should I say...SPAM-thony!  Ask not for whom the fire burns...it burns for thee...

Happy Valentines Day

As planned I stopped by Starbucks on the way home to show them a little gunny love.

I didn't see anyone else carrying, but then again I was concealed so no one saw me, either.

Since I have to get up and go to work tonight I'm wondering if I should have got the decaf so I can sleep today...

Nah!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Guns I Want, Latest Addition

Brand spanking new M1 carbine from Auto Ordnance!  Less than seven bills!

Want!

This one goes on the same line as the M1 Garand or M1A/M14; any (or all!) of the three would suffice.

UPDATE: After looking a little deeper I am going to have to remove this one from the list. I thought it was chambered in the same 30-06 round as the M1/M1A, however it is not. I already have one rifle that I can't just walk into my local gunshop and buy ammo for, no need to have another. It's still a nice looking gun, though.

Starbucks Boycott

I don't think I've ever had a cup of Starbucks coffee in my whole life.  That's about to change.

On the 14th of February the anti-gun group Gun Victims Action Council (no linky for anti's) is going to stage a protest against their favorite vendor of overpriced over-cooked caffeinated beverages.  The schadenfreude in that action alone is enough to trigger the gigglebox, but the reason why really kicks it over.

You see, Starbucks chooses to honor local laws regarding gun control, concealed carry and the like rather than have a set corporate policy for all of its locations.  Since most of the patchouli smelling hemp shirt wearers are anti-gun for us menial plebes, that annoys them somewhat.

As is our wont, we on the pro Second Amendment side are having our own sort of protest. A buy-cott.  Our plan is for Starbucks to see an economic advantage in supporting the individual state laws regarding firearms rather than have a corporate anti-gun policy. They don't have to be pro-gun, neutral is enough for us.

I submitted a comment to Starbucks corporate headquarters on their website and got a reply that I'd like to share here.

To: Starbucks Coffee Company, Public Relations

SUBJ: Corporate social responsibility

I have never been into a Starbucks before, nor have I ever bought any Starbucks products, but I will be stopping into my local store on the 14th of February to show my appreciation for your support of the law.

I am one of the over 228,000 (Sean informs me that the number is closer to 250,000 as of the end of the year) North Carolina residents to have a Concealed Carry permit. While I understand that your company policy is not specifically pro-carry, it isn't anti-carry, either, and for that you will have my support while others boycott you.

Thank you for supporting the individual laws of each state.

The reply:


SUBJ: Thank you for contacting Starbucks.

Thank you for your feedback regarding Starbucks' policy on open carry laws. I am truly happy to hear that you support and appreciate our gun policy!

At Starbucks, we deeply respect the views of our customers and recognize that there is significant and genuine passion surrounding the issue of open carry weapons laws. We comply with local laws and statutes in the communities we serve. Our long-standing approach to this issue remains unchanged and we abide by the laws that permit open carry in 43 U.S. states. Where these laws don't exist, openly carrying weapons in our stores is prohibited.

As the public debate around this issue continues, we encourage customers and advocacy groups from both sides to share their input with their public officials. We are extremely sensitive to the issue of gun violence in our society and believe that supporting local laws is the right way for us to ensure a safe environment for both partners and customers. (emphasis added)

Hope to see you in our stores on February 14th! Thanks again for your support and have a beautiful day!

If you have any further questions or concerns that I was unable to address, please feel free to let me know.

Christina M
Customer Relations
Starbucks Coffee Company

 Where there are so many companies who will voluntarily restrict essential liberty for the illusion of safety, it is refreshing to see one that will not. Please join me on the 14th of February, and show a little love to Starbucks on Valentines Day.

Anti DVZ Signs

And no sooner do I pen (type?) the last post than I read this in Jennifer's head.

I love these stickers! If I had a business I'd have one. Or a dozen. Of course I'd have trained and armed employees, too, but that's just me. (Think about it...if all of your employees had concealed carry permits you would have the most law-abiding employees in the nation!)

I tried to put a picture of the sticker here, but apparently it's on a clear background...so it didn't show up so well.

Defenseless Victim Zone: Wake Forest GCF

To: gcfinfo@goodwillenc.org

SUBJ: Corporate Policy

To Whom It May Concern,

I recently had some items to donate and intended to take them into the Wake Forest location. However when I arrived there I saw a "No Weapons" sign on the door.

Since I was at the time legally carrying I did not go in. I do not do business with corporations that do not trust me.

I don't know if this is your company policy or not, but since it is the policy in Wake Forest at least I will not be patronizing any of your stores.

I am one of over 228,000* North Carolina residents who are permitted to carry concealed weapons. National statistics prove that as a group Concealed Carry permit holders are among the most law-abiding citizens in the nation, moreso even than police officers. Suffice it to say that someone who has paid out their money for the required classes and permits and consented to be fingerprinted like a common criminal in order to exercise a Constitutional right is not going to be a source of trouble.

It is not necessary as a corporation for you to be pro-carry. All I ask is that you remain neutral on the subject and honor state law.

V/R
Larry
Last Refuge of a Scoundrel


* Sean informs me that the number, as of the end of the year, was up to 248,848. Too late to change the email of course, but gratifying nonetheless.

UPDATE: The reply -


As a concealed carry permit holder, pistol instructor, NRA Life Member, and veteran, I appreciate your compliance with state law by not carrying a weapon into a posted facility. 
 
Your respect for our lawful organizational policies, exemplifies the behaviors the general public has come to expect from concealed permit holders, state-wide. 

While I am disheartened to discover that you have decided to no longer support our organization through your donations, I respect your views concerning such a sensitive subject. 

Kind regards,

thanks for writing, have a nice day, blah blah blah.

Feature, Not Bug

Speaking Of Awards...

The 2012 Mustang GT convertible is Maxim's "Sexiest Car".

Of course it is. And the 2012 is virtually identical to the 2011. Just saying.

They only missed it by one. It should have been the GT/CS.  But at least they got the color right.

Strive To Deserve It

Tam had a post up today that consisted, in Tam fashion, of a thought-provoking statement (in this case a quote) with a link and not much more. The desired outcome, of course, is for you to follow the link and draw your own conclusions.

The link lead to a gun board discussion about situational awareness, which included a link to a personal experience story, which contained a comment from Weer'd containing a link to this story.

Within the comments of that story lies the title of this post.

The bad guys are out there. Just because you carry does not make you ready. You have to pay attention, too.

It frightens me just how much I sometimes fail at that last bit. I've been getting better at paying attention to my surroundings, but the more I start paying attention the more I realize how lucky I've been so far.

Which, obviously, is the purpose of this whole exercise.

D'oh!!!

It happened again!

This time it was Jennifer, who took it into her head to grace me with this.

The rules are:

1.  Copy and paste award on your blog. Done. Twice.
2.  Link back to the blogger who gave you the award. Done. Twice again.
3.  Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received an award. I guess that since I have two of them now I get to pick ten of my favorites to grace with it as well.
4.  Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs. I wonder how long it will be until everyone has gotten one?

And, without further ado, here goes!

1) An NC Gun Blog

2) No Lawyers, Only Guns and Money

3) Knightbane Manor

4) A Kind Word And A 2x4

5) Arms Are The Mark Of A Free Man

6) Baboon Pirates

7) Cmblake6

8) Gunslinger's Journal

9) Newbie Shooter

10) The "O" Word

Five of them were fellow bloggers at Tigerswan, and the other 5 are ones I have followed for some time now. I would have liked to nominate more, but rules is rules after all, and besides I think that most of my favorites (the Indy trio, for three examples) may be large enough to have more than 200 followers, and others have already gotten one (although AKGRRL has yet to claim hers).  But if I was going to nominate two more, they would be:

11) McThag

and 12) Robert's Gun Shop.

Guess I'd better get to work on leaving comments as per Rule Number 3. (Isn't that the one about keeping your booger hook off of the bang switch?)

End Of An Era

Florence Green, the last WW1 veteran, has gone to her final muster.

Godspeed Mrs. Green. Thank you for your service.

I Had To

This post, as it was written, insinuated something I did not intend and in so doing made it easy to miss the point I was actually trying to make.

AGirl asked me not to change it, but I felt as if I had to. It just seemed unfinished otherwise.

Hopefully the additions serve to clarify the post and make the point I intended to make, without the slights that I certainly did not.

Gah.

I've been tagged.

I'll try to do it justice when I have the time.

Thanks a pantload Q.

Interesting

My new neighbor has three vehicles parked in his driveway at this very moment.

They are: a Ford F150 4WD Supercab Earthcrusher, a sweet little Mercedes SL Class roadster, and...



a Prius.

I have to admit, I'm giggling at the combination.

Dear Spammers

No, I'm not interested in Newport cigarettes, or any other kind either. No I don't care about their history. Die in a fire.

This is one of the reasons my comments are moderated.

What Is Your Life Worth?

*EDITED FOR CLARITY*

A Girl And Her Gun has a post up about a reply she got regarding a story she wrote here.

She tells for the first time some details about the attack that started her on the road from being anti-gun to being an avid shooter and Second Amendment supporter.  The detail she had consistently left out was the fact that her attacker had her on the ground.*  She doesn't know what would have happened next because of the fortuitous arrival of a couple of cars in the parking lot where the attack was taking place, causing her attacker to flee.

She details the fact that she was compliant, just like the anti's say. She did not resist, she gave her assailant the money he wanted, but he did not break off the attack until he was faced with the possibility of being caught. That, and only that, made him break the attack off and flee.

(beg. edit) So you see, doing what the anti's told her to do did not produce optimal results. Fortunately this story has a happy ending, she escaped serious harm and rather than wrap herself in the cloak of a victim she chose to use this event as motivation to change her life. She decided to never again be a victim, and to that end acquired the equipment and the skills needed to produce a different outcome if she should ever find herself in a similar situation.

But what of those who choose the other path? What of those who would rather curse the darkness than light a candle? (end edit)

You hear it all the time, just give them what they want. Don't struggle, don't fight, don't resist. Your money isn't worth a life, your property isn't worth a life, it's just rape/sex, it isn't worth your life...but what if it is?  At what point do you decide "this is worth fighting for"?

What if, after the money and the property and the rape, what your attacker wants after all is your life?  Is your life worth fighting for? Is your child's life worth fighting for? Her innocence? What is worth fighting for?

If your answer is "none of the above" then let me ask you one more question.

Why bother?

Why bother getting up in the morning at all if there is nothing in your life worth fighting for?  If nothing is really worth it, why bother existing at all? If your life is truly that devoid of purpose, of meaning, why struggle to keep it going? Why not eat that handful of pills, why not fill that tub and grab the razor blades, why not tie that rope around your neck and jump off the chair, the bridge, the cliff?  Why not, if there is nothing that is truly worth fighting for?

Why bother?

If this is you, then you have my pity. I can't imagine feeling this lifeless and empty. I pray that you will find something to fill that void.  Your life does have meaning. It's up to you to find what it is.

(add) AGirl has chosen her path. Which will you choose?

*When I first read this I had to get up and stomp around the house for a while. I'm not related to her, I haven't even met the dear lady, but whenever I read or hear about a woman being knocked around like that it wakes up my inner berzerker and I have to stomp around for a while to put him back to sleep.

The guy that did it is fortunate she left that detail out when she told her hubby about it. He's a Marine, and there is no doubt in my mind that he'd have been out hunting within minutes of hearing about it. IMO he showed amazing restraint not going out anyway, even though he didn't know the gory details.

For my concealed carry class they played the 911 audio of a woman on crutches who was brutally attacked and raped in her own kitchen, after the guy had killed her dogs to get to her. It was all I could do to sit there and listen to it, very disturbing to say the least, and my inner berzerker was in a rage for a while after that; we were in class after all and you just can't go around stomping and cursing at someone else's place.

So if you really think you gotta smack a woman around I'd appreciate it if you didn't do it in my presence. It will just end better for the both of us. Thanks.

This Just In!

Boxin' Bob "Who ere ewe?" Etheridge, former Congress critter from NC District 2,  has thrown his hat in the ring for North Carolina governor.

No, he won't be getting my vote.

He didn't get my vote last time he stood for an election either.

HT: Sean, An NC Gun Blog

North Florida

I said that as soon as I was back on the home network I would publish some photos. I'm a couple of weeks late in delivering on that, but here they are.

 A1A in a still relatively undeveloped area

 A1A in a more developed area

 Castle Otttis Home used to be out by itself, but now is surrounded by other houses

The Bridge of Lions, St Augustine. The poor quality photo is a combination of low light, a cheap camera, and the fact I was shooting it from the car sitting at a red light. I got a picture over my shoulder of the fort, too, but it's not fit to print.

The St Augustine lighthouse.

The Difference

between me and Robb Allen is when I post a list of guns I want I get very little interest, and when he posts a list of only 5 that he wants he creates an internet meme.

FML.

Bet he gets more trolls than I do. Although I have gotten two spam comments of my very own lately.

February

A new month, a new header pic.

Seventy degrees this afternoon. Of course I was riding around with the top down.

Too bad it won't last, but spring is on its way.