Michael Howard is "Home Secretary" of the U.K., sort of a national chief of police. In his words, "Gun ownership is a privilege, not a right, and the use of firearms in self-defense is not acceptable for civilians in this country" (presumably it is okay for a soldier). So much for The Land of Hope and Glory! Die if you must but do not shoot back. 
   
Jeff Cooper
From Jeff Cooper's Commentaries
Vol. 4, No. 13
November 1996
[Brought to mind by reading this.  A woman in England gets five years in jail for a non-functional, blank-firing gun stored in her home by her boyfriend.  Guns and their owners are treated like Jews in Nazi Germany.  This woman was guilty of hiding a Jew.--Joe]

They don't even try to hide it.  They just come right out and say it, Children need to be protected:

Constitutional issues aside, consider youths: In Seattle, firearms are the leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds. In King County, an estimated 32,000 children live in homes with unlocked firearms; about 7,000 of them live in homes with loaded firearms and about 2,000 in homes where guns are stored loaded and unlocked. Does this make sense? Don't children deserve to live in a community where guns are safely stored, their purchase closely regulated and weapons clearly intended for maximum damage banned?

As one commenter said, "The phrase in this article that I find the most chilling 'Constitutional issues aside...'".  Constitutional issues are just dismissed by invoking "youths".  And ignoring the fact that more children have been killed because of gun control (start by counting the number of kids killed by the Nazis) rather than in spite of it.  In the comments I asked them my usual, Just One Question.  No response yet.  I don't expect one either.  It's not about logic or safety.  It's "for the children."

Ain't freedom beautiful?

Michael Burrows
April 30, 2006
At Boomershoot after launching an anvil 100 feet into the air.

From Scripps Howard News Service:

The test scheduled for June 2 will be of a 700-ton conventional bomb. The research could aid in development of so-called bunker-buster weapons, including small-scale nuclear devices, according to the federal official overseeing the test, Doug Bruder, director of counter-weapons of mass destruction technology for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

As near as I can tell the maximum takeoff weight any 747 is about 910,000 pounds which is only 455 tons and that includes the weight of the plane and fuel.  A semi truck is much smaller.  The only remaining thing I can think of is a train and that is rather problematic for a number of reasons.

So this "demonstration", as some are calling it, of a 700-ton bomb ammonium nitrate (Boomershoot uses AN as the main ingredient) and fuel oil bomb will be more "interesting" than just a big pile of AN detonating.  And although there may be some fuel oil in it my guess is there will be aluminum powder as well as other stuff much more interesting that just fuel oil.  This guy is openly calling it a tactical nuke instead of a conventional bomb.  Tactical nuke?  Sure, that makes sense.  You can deliver those with artillery shells as well as cruise missiles and conventional air dropped bombs.

Iran is virtually begging for someone to attack.  The Israelis claim Iran is only about a year away from having their own nuclear bomb.  Others claim more time is needed, but regardless the Mideast is a very interesting place these days.  Regardless, for us to claim there is too much sand and not enough glass in Iran before we take another hit will be a tough situation politically.  But for us to wait might mean the near total destruction of Israel.  And if we take a nuclear hit on north American soil my bet is that our retaliation will not be so "surgical" as dropping a few tactical nukes as we would prior to taking a hit.  My guess is we would turn not only massive portions of Iran into glass but Medina and few other areas as well.  Mecca would probably have a few bombers in permanent "orbit" around it for several years--just daring any Muslim extremist to set off a pipe bomb in some pizza joint on our turf.

Interesting times ahead...

Update: If you follow the links in Ry's comments (and here) you will find the people I based my post on were totally clueless.  Which means I was totally clueless when I made the post.  Idiots.  And they made me look like an idiot.

Xenia posted a little bit about her Boomershoot experience.  It includes pictures by and of Sara and Lexi.

In the 1840s Americans still thought Manifest Destiny was really cool and got the president to fight a war to get more land from Mexico including Texas and California. Texas said it was already free, but Mexico didn’t think so until after America kicked their butt.

Xenia Joy Huffman-Scott
4:00 AM, May 1, 2006
On the day the history project was due.
[There is other great stuff in her timeline of American history too, check it out.--Joe]

I liken Boomershoot to the state of mind when one is doing yoga. It's very peaceful.

Stephanie Sailor
April 30, 2006
While at Boomershoot.

From Ry

Boomershoot 2006 cleanup. April 30, 2006. 14 MBytes .WMV

As Ry said, "Why weren't you there?"

The first nationalization of the 21st century…. After today the hydrocarbons will belong to all Bolivians. Never again will they be in the hands of transnational corporations. Today the country - la patria - stands up…. This is a patriotic and heroic decision that takes back our soul and dignity. But it will be a measure attacked by dinosaurs, conservatives, and traitors of the country.

Álvaro García Linera
Vice-President of Bolivia
May 1, 2006
Nationalization of Gas!
From ZNet--A community of people committed to social change
[Yet another attempt of an experiment that has repeatedly failed.  It's a sad day for the people of Bolivia as this resource and source of income heads toward it's ruin.--Joe]

At Boomershoot 2005 (last year) we blew up a computer.  Watch the KING5 Evening Magazine video to see it.  Someone else blew up their computer and made a really nice video of it as well.

Most gun control advocates have mental problems but they usually avoid contradicting themselves in the space of two minutes.  Mayor Street can't even manage that:

The illegal guns - about 1,500 of them - covered most of the floor of the Mayor's Reception Room on the second floor of City Hall.

Mayor Street, who said they had been confiscated since the start of 2006, used them as a platform yesterday for launching another gun-control campaign in Harrisburg.

"This [effort] isn't going to go away," Street said at a news conference. "When the General Assembly goes back into session, we will be there. I expect to be joined by mayors from other areas."

"... If we can have gaming in the commonwealth, then we can restrict the flow of guns."

...

"When you are out on the street and someone points a gun at you, you have to do something," Street said. "We believe we have a well-managed Police Department."

...

This was echoed by Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson: "To kill or be killed often involves only a split-second decision. When cops are confronted by a person with a gun, they have to react."

The cops "have to do something" when someone points a gun at them.  But private citizens don't have the same need?  These people need some help from a mental health professional.

The mayor asks the state to pass laws that prevent firearms from getting into the hands of criminals. But state and federal laws already prohibit the possession, purchase or sale of firearms for felons, people with a history of mental illness or facing allegations of domestic violence. All commercial sales of firearms require a background check for such disqualifiers.

What else could the state do? An outright assault weapons ban is unfair and unenforceable. Manufacturers supply trigger locks with their firearms and the locks are widely available at no cost.

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
Gun Control: Blaming the state
May 4, 2006
[This is a huge turn around for the PI.  Add in their publication of the Boomershoot article on Tuesday and I'm a little weak in the knees.  This is really good news.--Joe]

Boomershoot 2006 is over but the blogging doesn't stop:

• Range Report: Missoula Special Classifier, 04/23/06 (Kitiara decides not to attend Boomershoot 2006)
• NoR Spring Rally and meetup for my birthday (The Anarchangel whimpers about Boomershoot being the same weekend as the NOR Spring Rally)
• Blowing things up (Spokesman Review blog posting about reviewing the Boomershoot video to be put on their website)
• Boomershoot 2006 (Video Journal of Colin Mulvany of the Spokesman Review)
• It Blows Up Real Good. Yup, Real Good (Notes from the Technology Underground)
• Guns and booms, what's not to like? (from Dick's Rocket Dungeon in Maryland)
• I WANNA GO DO THIS TOO!!!!!! (JeanC's Cat House and Shooting Society -- Jeez.  I can almost see her house from my house there's nothing stopping her from attending.)
• Boomershoot 2006 (leroy_brown242, one of the Boomershoot 2006 volunteers and the first shooter to connect with a 700 yard target this year)
• Only in Idaho (f-words)
• Saturday in Moscow (Ry)
• Boomershoot (Mr. Completely--who didn't show up to collect his free entry)
• The Soundboard: Keeping the depression away (Analog Kid feeling down because he was unable to attend)
• See what you're missing at 2006 (Ry linking to the Boomershoot 2005 history video)
• Some of the Love and Some of the Hate (Mention of his jealousy of someone else attending but not him)
• Boomershoot, Day 1 (Clinic) (This guy, Peter Biddle, was on a business trip in Europe and flew back for Boomershoot weekend!)
• Boomershoot, Day 2 (Clinic) (Peter Biddle again)
• History Project (Xenia whining about her history homework being interfered with by Boomershoot)
• Getting closer (Ry concerned that he may not be able to attend Boomershoot)
• Can't sleep (Ry whining about moving into his new place)
• Boomershoot in the news (Say Uncle commenting on my Boomershoot posting)
• Gallery lives! (leroy_brown242, one of the Boomershoot 2006 volunteers about to post some pictures)
• Eve of Boomershoot (William at reasonablenut--these guys drove from New Mexico to North Central Idaho stopping for only 12 minutes the entire trip!)
• Range Report / Carry Gun (Benjamin at reasonablenut)
• RNS Quote of the Day (Analog Kid--irritated that he missed the best Boomershoot ever)
• I'm off to Nebraska (David at Random Nuclear Strikes consoling himself about not being able to attend Boomershoot 2006)

In addition to blogging activity the Spokesman Review article was picked up by the AP and showed up here:

• The Times-News (Twin Falls, ID)
• KGW (Portland, OR area television station)
• Seattle Post Intelligencer (Seattle, WA morning newspaper)

From Mail & Guardian online:

A rash of cases of Malaysian women being tricked into having sex with fraudulent "healers" has prompted a warning from authorities for women to beware of smooth-talking con men.

In the latest case, a 41-year-old woman was tricked into having sex dozens of times with a medium who claimed to be the "Ninth Emperor of the Kingdom of God" and said she was possessed by evil spirits, newspapers reported on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old medium said her domestic and financial problems would be solved with the sex sessions, which took place over seven months at a cost of 20-50 ringgit ($5,50 to $13,85) each, during which he moved into her house.

He was eventually turfed out by the woman's husband and has threatened to put a curse on the family.

Dr. Joe recommends sex as a cure for everything but this guy was out of line--unless he was hired by the husband in which case the couple is just too stupid be given much sympathy. Even sex doesn't cure stupidity.

Everything's better with a boom.

Lee Ellyn Frailey
April 30, 2006
While at Boomershoot 2006.

Via Ry and Wired Magazine. Take The AQ Test:

Psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen and his colleagues at Cambridge's Autism Research Centre have created the Autism-Spectrum Quotient, or AQ, as a measure of the extent of autistic traits in adults. In the first major trial using the test, the average score in the control group was 16.4. Eighty percent of those diagnosed with autism or a related disorder scored 32 or higher. The test is not a means for making a diagnosis, however, and many who score above 32 and even meet the diagnostic criteria for mild autism or Asperger's report no difficulty functioning in their everyday lives.

I scored a 23.  Ry scored 13.

Aspergers is closely related to Autism.

Wile E. Coyote's got nothing on us.

Steve Joachim
April 30, 2006
After blasted an 80-pound anvil over 100 feet into the sky, which then buried itself into the ground, for halftime entertainment at Boomershoot 2006.

Boomershoot 2006 was the best ever.  No doubt about it.  I'm way too tired to say everything I want to about it now but here are some links to what the Spokesmans Review (a Spokane area paper) had to say about it:

• Boomershoot 2006 (video Journal)
• Boom with a view (on the front page!)

The high point of the event for me was seeing 17 year-old Sara Young (Xenia's friend and one of the workers for Boomershoot) detonate a 700 yard boomer on her first shot.  Of course she was using the rifle of one the Precision Rifle Clinic's Instructors and had some expert coaching from him, but it was still quite a thrill for both Sara and I.

For some shooters, the event is all about marksmanship. Others say they're driven by politics – how the combination of guns and explosives is the ultimate expression of their constitutional rights as well as a gentle show of force for anybody watching in the federal government.

James Hagengruber
May 1, 2006
Spokesman Review: Boom with a view