I was tagged by The Unforgiving Minute a week ago which was right in the middle of Boomershoot. I'm still recovering and trying to catch up on things so this is a bit late.

The rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!
2. Find page 123.
3. Find the first five sentences.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

When I read that I was tagged "the nearest book" was over a 1/4 mile away in someone else's house so I decided to use the nearest book to my bed where I do nearly all my book reading these days.

From Explosives Engineering by Paul W. Cooper.

Page 123 is page 5 of "Table 9.1 Heats of Formation of Inorganic Compounds" and is not broken down into sentences. I'm going to page 124 which has some actual sentences on it.

Hydrochloric acid, HCl, will react with sodium hydroxide, NaOH, to form sodium chloride, NaCl, and water, H₂O.

HCl + NaOH --> NaCl + H₂O

Calculating the standard heat of reaction from the standard heats of formation, we have:

ΔH_r⁰ = [ΔH_f⁰(NaCl) + ΔH_f⁰(H₂O)]_products - [ΔH_f⁰(HCl) + ΔH_f⁰(NaOH)]_reactants

I would tag my daughter Xenia Joy and a few other friends but they always ignore me on the meme thing anyway. So if you sort of think you know me and want to participate go right ahead.

Legal theatrics that deflect attention from the failure of Bloomberg’s administration to prevent crime while pursuing an agenda of victim disarmament are all flash and no substance and the people know it. Judging from today’s appeals court ruling, so do the courts.

Alan Gottlieb
April 30, 2008
SAF CHEERS FEDERAL COURT REJECTION OF BLOOMBERG LAWSUIT
[I'm frequently told it is because of a personality "defect" that I expect people to obey the law instead of openly disobey. Even though the 2^nd and 10^th Amendment are so blatantly violated that you would think I would get a clue and not have those expectations of our public servants. Still occasionally those servants who believe themselves to be masters get their wrists slapped and that is a good thing. Not as good as being sent to prison for violation of 18 USC 242 as they should be but it is better than letting them get away with it entirely as is usually the case.--Joe]

Via Scott K. we have this research confirming Dr. Joe's cure for everything:

Researchers from the Cancer Council of Victoria found that men who masturbated more than five times each week were one-third less likely to develop the cancer.

Ignoring the fact that no where in the U.S. Constitution does it allow for the Federal government to do this it's just plain stupid even if it was allowed:

President Bush called on Congress Thursday to approve $770 million to help alleviate dramatically escalating food prices that threaten widespread hunger and increasing social unrest around the world.

In a surprise mid-afternoon appearance at the White House, Bush announced he is asking lawmakers to approve the additional funds for global food aid and development programs. The money is being included in a broader $70 billion Iraq war funding measure for 2009 that the White House sent to Capitol Hill on Thursday.

If it were the case that it was some sort of rare natural disaster at a personal or business, not governmental, level I could see accepting promissory notes in exchange for food or even making gifts of food. The goodwill generated might prove worthwhile. But to feed those that can no longer afford to feed themselves and have no realistic hope of improving their economic situation will only increase the suffering.

A short story will illustrate. The essence is true but I forget the details.

A few years ago a group (I think it was a state wildlife department) decided to feed a small herd of hungry deer searching for food in the snow. There were only a few of them--perhaps 20 or 30. Nearly all the deer made it through the winter when perhaps a five or ten of them would have died had they not been given assistance.

The next winter, at the same location they again fed the deer but this time there were 40 or 50. The wintering area could only support perhaps 15 or 20 deer. If they didn't feed them again then perhaps 20 or 30 would die. If they could not allow for five or ten to die last year then certainly the could not allow 20 or 30 to die this year! A few years later the herd was in the hundreds and not only was it prohibitively expensive to feed them the deer were destroying the plant life of both their winter and summer feeding grounds. That many hooves and mouths became, in essence, a swarm of locusts that stripped the countryside clean.

What should be done now that they realized the folly they had engaged in that first winter? They had reached the point where they would have to feed them even in the summer to avoid the deaths of hundreds and still they would destroy the plant life and endanger other animal species wherever they went. I believe some were trapped and moved to other areas but increasing the bag limits on hunting season thinned the herd down to levels where the environment could support them. Most of those deer they feared would die were killed.

So what do we do about people in some distant land that cannot afford to feed themselves? I don't know exactly but the free market, if it were allowed to work, will find solutions such that most of them will not starve. Someone who is hungry and whose family is hungry will work hard and for long hours. Cheap labor attracts the capitalists. The smart ones in those areas of food shortages, if allowed to do so, will find products and/or services they can export in exchange for food and/or money. And yes, some will die of starvation. The media will show us high resolution color pictures of dying children and say it is the fault of the greedy capitalists. But giving them food without anything in exchange will only mean death is delayed and the magnitude of the tragedy increased.

When I sell liquor, it's called bootlegging; when my patrons serve it on Lake Shore Drive, its called hospitality.

Al Capone
[I'm reminded of this by the apparent suicide of the "D.C. Madam" Deborah Jeane Palfrey. How sad that a provider of a desired service is convicted of a victimless crime and ends up dead. The real criminals are those that created and enforced such a law.--Joe]

I never used my anemometer more than that day -- mostly out of curiosity. We got a real bad ice pellet storm at about 1300 with full value winds from 15 - 35 mph but mostly hovering around 25. Almost a white out. The ice pellet storms let off by 1500 but we were still using four to six minutes right wind for hits at 380.

Eugene Econ
April 29, 2008
Boomershoot, or how I began to learn to REALLY shoot!
[Friday was probably the worst shooting conditions we have ever had for Boomershoot. The wind and rain at Boomershoot 2001 was bad too but not as cold as it was this year. Sunday was some of the best conditions.--Joe]

Food shortages and riots are occurring around the world and even toppled Haiti's government. In the U.S. wheat flour prices are double what they were a few months ago.

This is good news for farmers in a free market but the implications are profound. Food shortages are probably more destructive to the fabric of civil society than any other single factor. When people get hungry enough they will do almost anything.

A few years ago my brother told me the world reserve of wheat would last nearly a year even if all production were stopped immediately. Things have changed (from the previous link):

...there is now less wheat in grain bins than at any time since World War II -- only about enough to supply the world for four days.

Record oil prices, collapsing housing market, and now world wide food prices and shortages. These are interesting times we live in. Will it result in increased government involvement to "solve" the problems? Or will people realize that government interference in the free market causes the problems? Remember that for decades the Soviet Union tried to increase food production under their communistic form of government and failed. And during those same decades the U.S. with a mostly capitalistic economy was trying to reduce food production so prices would increase and they too failed.

I'm reminded of Milton Friedman quote:

Governments never learn. Only people learn.

Have people learned? When they are hungry will the remember the lessons? Or will they insist the lessons be repeated at the cost of millions or perhaps even billions of lives?

I received another wheelbarrow full of cash and notification from the Apex of the Triangle of Death that our National Parks may soon turn red with blood as shoot outs between visitors...

Sorry. I think I was channeling the VPC for a moment there. Here is the real story:

The U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), through the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, today issued a proposed rule to amend regulations prohibiting firearms in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. The National Rifle Association (NRA) led the effort to amend the existing policy regarding the carrying and transportation of firearms on these federal lands.

“Law-abiding citizens should not be prohibited from protecting themselves and their families while enjoying America's National Parks and wildlife refuges,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist. “Under this proposal, federal parks and wildlife refuges will mirror the state firearm laws for state parks. This is an important step in the right direction, and we applaud efforts to amend the out-of-date regulations.”

APRIL 27 IS COMING

LOW-FLOW-TOILET DETONATION UPDATE

You might want to leave some comments--especially if you were there and did that.

Matthew@triggerfinger.org
April 28, 2008
Boomershoot

I'm Johnny Boomer Seed right now.

Ry Jones
About 10:00 AM April 27, 2008 at Boomershoot.
[When asked if he wanted some rubber bands to attach the reactive targets to the stakes. Ry was improving the process by specializing in one activity.--Joe]

Dave Barry owes us.

Ry Jones
About 1:30 PM April 27, 2008 at Boomershoot.
[After we had put out a fire caused by blowing up at toilet "in Barry's honor" and we both got hurt doing it.--Joe]

I'm an unindicted co-conspirator.

Ry Jones
About 2:30 PM April 27, 2008 at Boomershoot.
[When I introducted him to a friend as a contributor to Boomershoot.--Joe]

It was a white Boomershoot yesterday. From inside our shelter my staff and I mostly thought it was funny. Precision Rifle Clinic instructors and participants had a different opinion from on top of the windy grassy knoll.

The sun came out at lunch time.

As we were going back to work after lunch a wall of snow came in. That isn't fog, that is snow.

We have never felt so honored.

Dave Barry
From his blog post on our plans to blow up a toilet in his honor at Boomershoot tomorrow.
April 25, 2008

So says the Newtster, pretty well verifying what I've suspected for a long time-- that Gingrich either never really got it, or he’s just tired of the fight and wants the DC culture to be nice to him once in a while.

Others have tried to get this across, so it's old news, but I'll give it another go:  As one who upholds the founding principles of the U.S., I could not give a rat's behind if someone running for office is a black, white, Asian, Hispanic, one-armed female homosexual midget named Butch Hussein Ahmadinejad.  If that person has a track record of strenuously upholding and defending the founding principles of this country, she has my vote.  I do not care about personality (except she has to be a confident fighter or nothing's going to improve).  I do not care about looks, I don't care about slick marketing or any of that BS.  She's got my vote.  This is why Reagan won two landslides- he tried to uphold the founding principles of this country.  He understood and embraced those principles and (and this is key) he was therefore capable of articulating them.  He was far from perfect, but he did it better than any president in my lifetime, even with a solid Democrat majority in both Houses, and that's why he was popular.  It's also why he was, and is, so hated and maligned by the Left (clue: You cannot embrace America’s founding principles and expect to get along with the Left.  They will never, ever tolerate you, so if you're going to do it, expect to be attacked ruthlessly.  Ruthless attacks, however, can go both ways).

If you think it is a matter of hero worship, or cult of personality, etc., you are not capable of understanding Reagan's success.

Therefore, to say that the era of Reagan is over is to say that the era of upholding America's founding principles is over-- that we are to abandon our principles in favor of "getting along" with those who would further undermine them.  No, Little Grasshopper-- let them feel they must strive to "get along" with us in order to stay in the game.  It's a choice.

Now we have three conservative-hating, anti-Constitution leftists remaining in the presidential race-- two calling themselves Democrats and one calling himself a Republican, so this election no longer interests me.

To anyone else who wants my vote; it's really easy-- Just show the track record stated above.   For now, I will vote on state and local issues. (Yeah, I know-- I could vote for Paul, but...)

Yesterday Scott, Kim, Gene, Monte and I prepped the Boomershoot site for the Precision Rifle Clinic which takes place today and tomorrow. It was nice in the morning then at lunch time it started snowing. It just barely stuck on the grass and you can see a bit of it in some of the pictures below.

As I write this at a little at 7:00 AM it's snowing as well. The current temperature is 31F. Shooters Bob and Mike spent the night in a tent on site last night. I hope they brought winter gear.

The weather forecast is for warming weather as we go through the weekend with Sunday reaching the low 70s.

Part of the shooting line.

Kim in the sheltered work area for target construction.

Monte and Gene prepping steel for placement on the hillside.

Gene and Scott about to place steel at the 700 yard line.

Has Al Gore been in the area?

Scott Keszler
April 24, 2008
[After seeing the snow on the Boomershoot hillside.--Joe]

Taken at 9:00 AM April 24, 2008.

This is the point where I leap off into total consumption by Boomershoot for several days.

I printed the badges last night.

Today a couple staff members and I will prepare the shooting line, prepare for the Precision Rifle Clinic, and prepare the Taj Mahal to be an assembly line for making explosives and targets.

Tomorrow more staff shows up and we crank out hundreds of reactive targets as Eugene and staff conduct the rifle clinic.

Saturday is more target construction, another day of the clinic, and the Boomershoot dinner (Boomershoot spectators are welcome and get a free In Search of the Second Amendment DVD).

Sunday is the big day with my staff arriving early to place 1400 (if everything goes well) targets in the field. Another 180 targets will have been consumed during the clinic.

Interesting--I just realized that the Precision Rifle Clinic alone will consume as many targets that the first two Boomershoots in '98 and '99 combined.

The weather is looking great. A chance of a few showers (and maybe some snow) tonight but the days should be pretty good with it warming up on Saturday and Sunday. Some forecasts are even saying it will be in the low 70's on Sunday. The wind forecast is for 4 MPH winds on Sunday. It's looking very good indeed!

In other news there have been a number of people cancel at the last minute. Most notable are the guy from England and media representative Brian Doherty. There are now five positions available.

Blogging will be light until this is over.

Other commentators have likewise observed that "gun control is an essential precondition for genocide." Jay Simkin, Aaron Zelman, and Alan M. Rice, Lethal Laws 9-12 (Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership: 1995). Children are as much the victims of genocide as adults, and a right to bear arms protects both against that horrendous evil. Armed citizens are less likely to submit to removal and murder of their children, and their dictators are less likely to try.

Andrew L. Schlafly
February 7, 2008
Brief for amicus curiae association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Inc. in support of Respondent.
[I'm consumed by Boomershoot from now until Monday. I didn't have any unused quotes from previous Boomershoots but this is Why Boomershoot.--Joe]