So

something pretty amazing happened a couple of days ago. We will have to see how much of that gets rescinded, overturned or flat ignored, but at least a blow was struck.

Something else is coming up the pike, let's see what happens with it as well. My guess is it doesn't get out of the Senate, and if it does it gets vetoed without enough votes to override.

At any rate, looks like the gun control pendulum is swinging back this way.

uhhh...

I got an email today from FaithVoters4Hillary.

I think they may want to check their email lists against their target demographic. I'm pretty sure I ain't it.

Historical

So it was a pretty good election day for the Republicans, not so much for the Democrats.

The Republicans picked up eight seats in the Senate, sixteen additional House seats (18 new ones minus two losses), and added four new governors as well. When the new Congress is seated in January it will be firmly in Republican control once again. Time will tell if they have the sense to hold it this time.

Everyone is talking about that, but there are a few things that it seems no one is talking about. Historical things, things that are happening for the first time ever.

One of those things is the election of a black man from the South, Senator Elect Tim Scott. He is not the first black Senator from the South, there have been others that were appointed in the years following the Civil War, but he is the first one elected to his position.

In the Congress Utah now has a solid Republican bench, re-electing three and adding one, Mia Love, who becomes the first black Republican woman ever.

Elsewhere, in New York Elise Stefanik becomes the youngest woman Congressperson ever and Senator Elect Joni Ernst is the first woman veteran elected to the Senate, and with that my birth state of Iowa now has two Republican senators for the first time in as long as I can remember.

Not bad for a bunch of sexist racist mouth-breathing gun-toting sister-swapping rednecks (and those are some of the more polite names I have been called).

And on another note so long/good riddance to the junior Senator from North Carolina, Kay Hagen, who was unable to win over Republican Thom Tillis even though the Democrats poured more money into her re-election campaign than has ever been spent in any election anywhere in the US.

What makes this particularly special is...I don't even particularly like Thom Tillis, and neither do a great number of North Carolina gun owners who remember his duplicity in stalling gun related bills in the NC state house, but as long as he remembers to stay bought he should be OK.

And last but certainly not least, since it is November it is the month of Thanksgiving. In that spirit, I leave you with something to be thankful for, this month's ROTM.

Hey, Range Partner!

This Jones fellow, he sounds like a sensible sort of person.

This Womack guy sounds like he might have a clue or two as well.

How do I get them to move up here closer to the Refuge?

If we had folks like that here in Franklin County maybe that new range would have opened up here instead of over in Nash County.

And if flies carried .45's...

A Question

Do we, as free American citizens, have the right to defend ourselves against criminal actions by invaders of our own homes?

What if those doing the invading have the sanction of the State?

I am watching these shenanigans happening in Connecticut and now they are happening in a couple of other places as well (New York, for example).

(Note: It would serve lawmakers well to remember that the American Revolution started in the New England states over government attempts to seize privately owned weaponry, and while such sentiments seem to have been squashed out of most of the residents there it doesn't appear to be gone altogether. This pleases me.)

I am hopeful that calmer and cooler heads will recognize that, much like the 55 mph speed limit, Americans will ignore laws they don't feel are good ones.

I fear, however, that the point will have to be made by bloodshed.

Lawmakers would do well to recognize that "don't want to" doesn't mean "won't" but given their amazing ability to ignore every bit of evidence around them I'm not sanguine about the prospect.

Paul Ryan Can Snarfle The Garthog.

It takes a lot of stones to beg a retired military guy for money after breaking one off in all of us.  Chief Master Sergeant Wooten says all that needs to be said (although quite a bit less profanely than most of us would have said it. This, BTW, is how I knew it wasn't MSgt B in disguise).

Well said Zoomie.

Obamacare in Pictures

Apparently

50 years ago this past Friday some silly little communist shot a politician in a Texas city and all sorts of legends and bullshit was spawned. Mostly bullshit, as far as I can tell.

Spare me. The only thing of significance Jack Kennedy ever did was die.

In fact, the best of the Kennedys died in a B17 over Europe, and I suspect he only gets the "best of" award because he didn't live long enough to muck it up. The rest of them haven't been worth a tinkers damn, and the littlest one should have been imprisoned for manslaughter. In a perfect world that would have saved him from being shot for treason.

But in this world the SOB's are idolized.

The best thing I can think to say about any of them is they can do no further harm.

Taken To The Woodshed

I certainly was, in comments at Ace's, by some uber-patriotic twit who took offense to my opinion that it's going to burn, there's nothing I can do to stop it, so I'm going to sit on the porch and drink icy drinks and watch the light show cause life is way too short to be pissed off all the time.

Apparently he thinks I should be marching two by two up and down the battlements to die gloriously in combat against all enemies foreign and domestic, never mind that "our side" can't even be assed to make a harshly worded statement concerning all the usurpation of powers that has occurred in the last six plus years, much less join battle against the same.

So I'll just keep the blender busy enjoying the fireworks, and then when the fires die down I'll see what happens next. I know my downhill neighbors are of like mind, so perhaps we will sit on our rooftops pointing out targets to one other until we run out of ammo. But until it comes to that I'm not going to get wrapped around the axle about things I cannot change, which is why you won't see a lot of* ranting and raving on this page.


Besides, this guy does it so much better.

*note that I said "a lot of", not "any", because I do reserve the right to rant and rave on my page as I wish, even though I don't exercise it regularly.

Note To Lefties

Leave me alone and live the way you want to live. Don't leave me alone and face my squirrelly wrath.

Draw me in and force me to have an opinion and I can pretty much guarantee you that my opinion will be against you.

So to recap...leave me alone and we can ignore each other till we go away, shiny?

Sequester

There has been some pain felt on the individual level, mostly with the military and military contractors (which IMO should never have been included since they are, in fact, one of the responsibilities assigned to the USG by that document that none of them even bother to read), but by and large the sequester has not touched the average American.

This is akin to the lefties chant about having a war and no one shows up.

As the stories regarding cities like Detroit roll in, and as the sequester fails to make any impact on the lives of average Americans, the panic strategy might full well backfire on the politicians who used it as a scare tactic. Not only that, but since the average American is feeling little to no pain regarding the reduction of government they might start to get the idea that it's not such a bad thing.

In my opinion the next target should be politicians paychecks.

Big Brother Is Watching You

The other than network news has been full of the revelations, prompted by the Verizon order revelation, that the Government is watching us. That the .gov is collecting domestic call logs under the dubious cover of the Patriot Act and FISA (here's a hint...the F in FISA means Foreign, not Federal) is troubling at best, and downright frightening at worst.

Here's a hint to all the would-be political masters on Capitol Hill (or Beacon Hill, or whatever snobby knob your sacred cows gather on); never grant political powers to your friends that you wouldn't grant to your enemies, because your friends aren't always friendly and your enemies will one day be in charge.

Rabble Rouser

Nice work Sean, well done.

Curious

Speaking of conspiracy theories...

Note To Congress

Will. Not. Comply.

Put me on your lists. Bring friends and ammo. This is my line in the sand.

On a related note, maybe someone can explain to me why patriotism and expressing a desire for our government to operate according to the rules that were set in place for them makes one a suspected terrorist, especially when most of the violence (with notable exceptions; notable, it seems, for their exceptionalism) seems to come from leftists?

Interesting...

We will have to see where this goes.

Off to the Dixie Knife and Fun Show (yes I know it's backwards, but the song won't work the other way). It will be my first one, so it's a new experience. Maybe I'll write about it later.

Taking Stock

When I bought the Maverick 88 it had the pistol grip stock on it, but I switched it back over to the factory stock. I don't really know why, I guess I just thought a pistol grip on a shotgun was a bit much.

But, considering what just happened in New Yawk, and considering that recent polls show that 52 percent of my fellow Americans think they should be able to restrict my rights regardless of what "that little book" says, I've decided to put the scary black pistol grip stock back on it.

The only problem is my shell sock doesn't fit the pistol grip stock since it is thinner along its length. Adjustments must be made I guess, it fits if it is pulled back over the sling swivel attach point. I don't have a sling for it anyway so I won't miss it...yet. Maybe I should put a tacticool mall-ninja adjustable stock on it, then I can hang one of these bad boys on it...and a tri-rail for the forward sling attach point...

To hell with being nice. I aim to misbehave.

What You Do Instead Of Something

One of the first things I was taught about leadership is not to issue orders you know are not going to be obeyed.

An example of this would be the national speed limit, a law that is routinely scoffed at even by those who are supposed to be enforcing it. When I first moved to North Carolina I was speeding down US1 at ten over the limit when a marked state patrol car came zooming up behind me. I was sure I would get a ticket, but he passed by in the left lane without even looking over at me.

I caught up to him at a gas station up the road and mentioned that I thought he was going to pull me over. He just grinned at me and said "Welcome to North Carolina, where everyone thinks they are Dale Earnhardt JR...and one of us is!"

The New York Senate has just passed sweeping anti-gun legislation that bans, among other things, magazines over seven (!) rounds (my Glock is OK but the Saiga, even with the 10 round magazine it was delivered with, would not be), semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines and one (!) military feature (meaning, practically all of them), and ammunition purchase tracking. None of the banned magazines are grandfathered (they must be sold out of state within one year) and registration of grandfathered rifles is mandatory and must be re-certified every five years. The bill is expected to pass easily in the assembly and of course the governor will sign it.

Proponents claim this will reduce gun violence. All I see is tragic boating accidents happening in the next year. But, the lawsuits should be epic.

For what it's worth, if there are any .223 Saiga magazines looking for a new home, my doors are open.

Put Some Iron In Their Rods

Viagra apparently requires a prescription, but is there anything comparable that does not?

I propose we in the gunnie community supply whatever supplement is legal to purchase without a prescription to our Senators and Congresscritters to give them the gumption for the upcoming fight.

I think we should probably send a double dose to Weepy Boner.

What say you?

HT: Shall Not Be Questioned, from where I purloined many of my links.

Fingers Crossed

Oh Lord, please let it be so.