Monthly Archives: January 2008

Hitting on all cylinders

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In the past there has been some criticism of the NRA’s response to the current administration’s brief in the Heller case. Some thought it was a bit tepid. The latest alerts from the Apex of the Triangle of Death will quiet most critics. Here are some of the points they make:

This post was brought to you by a wheelbarrow full of cash from the Apex of the Triangle of Death.

Quote of the day–Eric Steven Raymond

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The U.S., fortunately, is still on a demographic expansion wave and will be till at least 2050. But if the Islamists achieve their dream of nuking “crusader” cities, they’ll make crusaders out of the U.S., too. And this time, a West with a chauvinized America at its head would smite the Saracen with weapons that would destroy entire populations and fuse Mecca into glass. The horror of our victory would echo for a thousand years.

I remain more optimistic than this. I think there is still an excellent chance that the West can recover from suicidalism without going through a fevered fascist episode and waging a genocidal war. But to do so, we have to do more than recognize Stalin’s memes; we have to reject them. We have to eject postmodern leftism from our universities, transnational progressivism from our politics, and volk-Marxism from our media.

Eric Steven Raymond
February 11th, 2006
Gramscian damage
[This quote is nearly two years old but with the current situation of having blantent communists having good chances of winning the White House this fall and Islamic extremists still wanting to nuke our cities Raymond’s excellent post deserves more attention.–Joe]

Bloomberg is going about it the wrong way

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As Schneier points out this is as stupid as locking the fire alarm boxes (as they were in Chicago prior to 1870–guess what happened in 1871). Bloomberg wants people to have a license before they “possess or deploy” biological, chemical, or radiological detectors. This would be to prevent false alarms, just like the locked fire alarms.

You already knew Bloomberg wants to get rid of guns and I’m thinking he is going about all this the wrong way. Rather than enumerating the objects you are not allowed to have he should make a list of the items his subjects are allowed to possess. I’m thinking that ultimately the second list would be shorter and easier to maintain than the first.

Update: Further confirmation my approach would be simpler arrives via Uncle with this story:

And in what appeared to be a direct shot at his predecessor, Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, Bloomberg described the city government he inherited when he took office in 2002 as “insular and provincial and married to the conventional.”

At first glance I thought he said, “married to the constitution”. But of course that wouldn’t make sense because he was talking about Guiliani.

He also announced that the city is challenging the private sector to create a portable device for police officers to carry that will analyze DNA right at a crime scene. A monetary prize will go to whoever comes up with the technology, he said.

Bloomberg also outlined two law enforcement initiatives that would need the state Legislature’s approval: a proposal to collect DNA from suspects upon arrest and another to make it easier to trace bullets used in crimes.

Honorable mention in the Darwin Awards

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Lots of people are having fun with this (video):

Of course nearly everyone is thinking this is a good thing. So maybe we should make this sort of thing more likely to happen. Urge your legislative critters to pass holster control instead of gun control laws. Only the good guys should have holsters.

Of course expect the anti-gun people to put this accidental shooting in the “bad thing” column.

Bobby Fischer is dead

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In high school and college I played a LOT of chess. I still have the records of hundreds of games I played and dozens of books and magazines. I had thought maybe my children would be interested in chess but kids seem to develop interests in things other than what their parents are interested in.

In any case I was a big into chess before Bobby Fischer became the first American world chess champion. Fischer winning the championship made chess in the U.S. popular for a while. And I remember walking into the high school cafeteria on the first day of school in the fall of ’72 shortly after he had won and my friend Lance Jones yelling across the room, “Yea Fischer!”.

In later years after I was most of the way through college my electrical engineering classes started sucking up the desire for challenging intellectual stimulation and I mostly dropped out of the chess scene.

Fischer made the news again a few years ago and I wrote about him then. The news about him made me sad and now that he is dead at the age of 64 it’s like another milestone in my life. A childhood hero is gone.

Quote of the day–Ben Franklin

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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.

Ben Franklin
[I have heard many variations of this and so few give credit to Franklin that I’m not certain it is he that deserves it. For example see the following quote from a (now deceased–his gun inventory is available) friend of mine. In any case, this quote is a follow up to yesterdays QOTD.–Joe]

Democracy is two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

Liberty is two wolves attempting to have a sheep for dinner and finding a well-informed, well-armed sheep.

Lance 07/SOT
Lance Haserot
gunrunnr@moscow.com
May not have been original from Lance.
He did use it as his signature in email on 10/31/97

Wonderfalls wrap-up

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Last week James and I finished watching Wonderfalls and then started Farscape this week (we found Season One in a far off, obscure video rental store and are shipping it in/out at great expense).

Wonderfalls was a pretty good show. I think James liked it better than I did. There were some good quotes:

Jaye: [spying on a little boy customer] He’s eyeing the Slinky. You know, he has to steal, like, four of those for me to even get a dollar.
Wonderfalls Security Guard: Is this one of those stores that gives its employees a cash bonus when they apprehend a shoplifter?
Jaye: Ten percent of whatever they were gonna steal. One time, I “accidentally” left the watch case open and I got like 500 bucks!

Hale: The Blonde one’s gay. Look at her. The fingernails are a dead giveaway.
Hale: Cut all nice and short. Clean cuticle beds. Lesbians always trim their nails like that. You know why?

Jaye: [talking about Bianca] She’s nice. We should take her clubbing.
Mahandra: …baby seals?

Or noticing the bartender’s cell phone is ringing in his back pocket— Jaye says, “Your ass is ringing.” Bartender: “My ass rings a lot.” Jaye: “Have you ever thought of setting it on vibrate? Bartender: “I’m not sure I’m secure enough with my manhood to do that.” Jaye: “So, why do you have an ass if you don’t answer it?”

James lamented that too many good shows are canceled after one season. In this case I thing I understand why it wouldn’t have that big of audience. Even though had a rather flimsy premise it was well executed and witty but I think the delivery speed and the intelligence required to catch all the jokes as they came whizzing by would eliminate 80% of the population.

[heavy sigh]

Our demographic probably isn’t the best investment of T.V. talent and airtime.

Quote of the day–geekWithA.45

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They are Blue citadels and bastions of power, pure and simple, and the ultimate effect of this proposal is that it exploits the “states making side deals” blind spot in our constitution to implement a bald power grab on the part of the cities.

Having studied history carefully, I’ve got to say that this is the sort of thing that future historians may well file under chapters with grim titles.

geekWithA.45
Converting a Republic to A Mere Majoritarian Exercise…
[There are far to many history chapters with grim titles. Majority rule without “checks and balances” is responsible for a lot of them.–Joe]

Quote of the day–Thomas Jefferson

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I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

Thomas Jefferson
[And I predict future unhappiness if we continue down this superhighway to socialism.–Joe]

More thoughts on the DOJ brief

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It’s probably because I’m “different” but Sebastian’s statement here just strikes me as odd:

The gun vote was a primary driver for making sure Bush won the White House in 2000 and 2004, and the NRA endorsements he received played a big role on that. The Heller case is arguably the most important struggle gun owners have ever faced, and I don’t think its unreasonable to demand something greater than lukewarm support from The Administration on this matter.

The first thought that crosses my mind is, “Did someone think we got a receipt when we gave Bush our votes?” In other words, are people irritated because Bush was “paid off” and didn’t stay paid off? But that is probably just because I think differently than most.

Bush said, essentially from day one, that he would sign the AWB if it came to his desk. Yet gun owners voted for him because he was better (much better) than the viable alternatives. So what should we expect? He didn’t say he was our lover, he just said he wasn’t our enemy.

I’m not happy with the DOJ brief, but I can’t say that I’m at all that surprised or even particularly unhappy with it. It’s better than the alternative had Gore or Kerry been elected.

And via local (Troy, Idaho) IPSC/Steel shooter Mike Brown is a lawyer and offered these thoughts on the DOJ brief:

The Solicitor General here is defending the interests of his client (the US Government). While the brief explicitly reaffirms that the Justice Department’s position is that the 2nd amendment guarantees an individual right they are apparently concerned that the DC circuit opinion establishes a two pronged “categorical” test for whether a weapon is protected:

  1. if it bears a “reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well regulated militia,” and
  2. is “of the kind in common use at the time” the Second Amendment was adopted.

Their fear is that if the Supreme Court adopts this test then ALL federal gun control could be struck down especially where it concerns weapons that are especially suitable for militia service (i.e. full auto M4 carbine). The Solicitor General is arguing for a more wisy washy standard to be applied so that “reasonable” regulation of firearms are allowed.

As a sidebar on this topic: the Oregon Supreme Court adopted the same kind of standard for determining which weapons are protected under their state constitution- that is why switchblades are legal in OR: they are the “modern analogue” of swords which were in common use at the time of the adoption of the state constitution.

New Orange Book is available.

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The ATF has released the latest version of their book on explosives law known as the “orange book”. I haven’t received my copy yet but it can be downloaded here.

I keep my copy in my laptop computer case for easy reference. Sometimes I know the rules and the law better than the ATF inspectors they send out. If you are going to play with Tannerite or Target-Master targets you should know both local and Federal law. Then don’t do stupid stuff.

Cleaning up your mess

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Via Uncle.

As I said the other day, I get requests from people wanting to blow stuff up but they aren’t interested in cleaning up the mess. Some messes can’t be cleaned up. This guy’s mess may affect all gun owners:

It may have started as a goofy stunt, but tonight a 30 year old Red Wing area man is in hot water with authorities, after detonating a powerful bomb in back of his home yesterday afternoon. “When you can take a steel box, a dump truck box, turn it into scrap metal and send it 1/4 mile away… that’s a bomb,” reasoned Goodhue County Sheriff Dean Albers, whose detectives are investigating the case.

The suspect admits buying 100 pounds of an explosive material advertised as ‘Tannerite’ from an internet website. The compound is most commonly used by long range target shooters, who aim at 8 ounce cans and know they’ve hit their mark when they explode. The suspect’s device was the equivalent of 200 of those cans. “He had placed it inside of a barell inside the bed of an old dump truck, and shot it it with a 50 caliber rifle from 300 yards away,” explained Albers.

More support for Dr. Joe’s cure for everything

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Via Dr. Laura Berman from Newsweek:

Sex is good for adults. Indulging on a regular basis—at least once a week—is even better. Research links sex (with all safer-sex precautions taken) to an astonishing array of physiological benefits, from longevity to pain relief. Many studies don’t address whether the health bonus comes from the act itself or from the corresponding emotional intimacy, but the bottom line is that getting physical has some great side effects—especially for women. Here are six ways that sex boosts your health:

1. It Fights Colds and Flu. Sexual intercourse once or twice a week raises the body’s level of the immune-boosting antibody immunoglobin A by a third, according to research at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania.

2. It’s a Beauty Treatment. In a study at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital in Scotland, a panel of judges viewed participants through a one-way mirror and guessed their ages. Those who looked seven to 12 years younger than their age (labeled “superyoung”) were also enjoying lots of sex—four times a week, on average. OK, maybe they were having so much fun because they looked young. But it’s likely the sex was helping, researchers say. One reason is that it raises a woman’s estrogen level, which helps make hair shiny and skin supple.

3. It Burns Calories. A little over four calories a minute, or the equivalent of four Hershey’s kisses in a half hour of love. Think of it as part of your weekly exercise regime, and burn, baby, burn.

4. Yes, Honey, I Have a Headache. For a woman a migraine might actually be a reason for making love rather than avoiding intercourse: the increase in endorphins and corticosteroids during arousal and orgasm is analgesic.

5. It Promotes Regular Menstrual Cycles. A series of studies by behavioral endocrinologist Winnifred Cutler and colleagues at Columbia and Stanford universities found that women who have intercourse at least weekly (except during their period) cycle more regularly than abstainers or the sporadically active. (Related research found that lesbian lovemaking also smoothes out menstrual cycles.) Cutler argues that intimacy is essential, not orgasms: “Regular exposure to a loving partner has extraordinary effects on health and well-being.”

6. It Can Prevent Accidents. Women use the muscles of the pelvic floor to stem the flow of urine. As they age, they need to keep these strong to avoid peeing accidentally. The same muscles are exercised during intercourse, and as with all muscle-building programs, the benefits require consistency.

Take note women, Dr. Joe makes house calls. Contact my wife Barb to make an appointment.

Posted in Sex

Quote of the day–William F. Buckley

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We are so concerned to flatter the majority that we lose sight of how very often it is necessary, in order to preserve freedom for the minority, let alone for the individual, to face that majority down.

William F. Buckley
[Sadly the majority doesn’t want freedom for themselves let alone the minority.–Joe]

Self Immolation and the Pits of Hell

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We just received an RFQ (Request For Quotation) from a jobber here in the U.S. who supplies products to the military, along with the original U.S. Army RFQ that was sent to them.  It is for one item.  One, very well-known, standard item that has been in manufacture by one company and sold by the thousands to the general public for many years.  We all know what it is, we all know how it works, we all know that it has a model number, and it is not terribly expensive

The Army RFQ is 38 pages long– that’s 38 full, 8.5″ x 11″ pages.

There’s more.  The 38 page RFQ comes with side notes added on (and just so we’re clear; if you were to print it out it would take more than 38 pages).  The RFQ does not give the manufacturer or the model number of the desired product– just a small photo, a vague description and the overall length (which, by the way, does NOT match the length of the model in the supplied product photo).  They just couldn’t pull that off with only 38 pages plus notes, but I (as anyone in the business would) know exactly what they want.

In the side notes, we learn that “Quotes shall be limited to 40 pages”.  I’ll keep that in mind and try to really restrain myself.

Just in case you’re wondering; I am not kidding.

Quote of the day–Alexis de Tocqueville

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Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.

Alexis de Tocqueville
[Kevin’s post reminded me of this. And how ironic that Kevin’s inspiration for this post, Markadelphia, claims corporations oppress people. Governments have a near monopoly on force while corporations have can only use force, via the court system, to enforce contracts and monopolies (such as patents) granted to them by the government. The more power that is granted the government the more oppression that is possible and inevitably occurs. People that advocate more government control are, by their very nature, advocating oppression.–Joe]

Good question

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The last line of Donald Munro’s article brings up a good question, but the previous paragraphs have the answer. From Airport security is a theater:

But the effectiveness of the security isn’t the only factor at work here. One of the reasons we’re so willing to endure the elaborate rituals we enact at the airport is because it makes us feel as if we’re doing something.

You might debate whether that something has a real impact, but the important thing is that when we act this way, it makes us feel safer.

That’s what theater is all about: creating a different world and transporting the audience there, if only for a moment.

The question is why we’ve so passively agreed as a culture to the roles we play without questioning the need for rewriting the script.

As Munro already knows, we as a culture aren’t rewriting the script because it makes some people feel safer. It’s irrational to expect people to behave rationally.

In closely related news Kevin is now apparently a suspected terrorist.

Indoor golf NOT miniature

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Via Phil and Craig C.

 I enjoy playing miniature golf, but when playing indoor golf “miniature” is going to be frowned upon. Here are the rules for Indoor Golf:

The Rules of Indoor Golf:

  1. Each player shall furnish his own equipment for play, normally one club and two balls.
  2. Play on course must be approved by the owner of the hole.
  3. Unlike outdoor golf, the object is to get the club in the hole and keep the balls out.
  4. For most effective play, the club should have a firm shaft. Course owners are permitted to check shaft stiffness before play begins.
  5. Course owners reserve the right to restrict club length to avoid damage to the hole.
  6. Object of the game is to take as many strokes as necessary until the owner is satisfied play is complete. Failure to do so may result in being denied permission to play again.
  7. It is considered bad form to begin playing the hole immediately upon arrival. Experienced players will normally take time to admire the entire course, paying special attention to well formed mounds and bunkers.
  8. Players are cautioned not to mention other courses they have played or are currently playing to the owner of the course being played. Upset owners have been known to damage a players equipment for this reason.
  9. Players are encouraged to have proper rain gear, just in case.
  10. Players should not assume that the course is in shape to play at all times. Players may be embarrassed if they find the course temporarily under repair. Players are advised to be extremely tactful in this situation. More advanced players will find alternate means of play when this is the case.
  11. Players should assume their match has been properly scheduled particularly when playing a new course for the 1st time. Previous players have been known to become irate if they discover someone else is playing what they considered a private course.
  12. The owner of the course is responsible for the pruning of any bushes, which may reduce the visibility of the hole.
  13. Players are strongly advised to get the owners permission before attempting to play the back nine.
  14. Slow play is encouraged, however, players should be prepared to proceed at a quicker pace at the owners request.
  15. It is considered an outstanding performance, time permitting, to play the same hole several times in one match.
Posted in Sex

Just doing her job

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Anytime someone says a government employee was, “Just doing their job” my head nearly explodes with instant anger. It doesn’t apply in all cases but the first thought that comes to my mind is, “That defense wasn’t allowed at the Nuremberg Trials.” If their job is violation of constitutionally protected rights then they are criminals. One doesn’t defend criminals with a defense of “They were just following orders.” Or “They were just doing the job they were hired to do.” There are very few crimes that I would be allowed to defend myself with the claim of “I didn’t know it was a crime” or “I was just doing what my boss told me to do.” The standard should be no different for government employees.

All this was brought up by reading some posts and watching a set of videos I came across via Sebastian. A Canadian publisher is being questioned by “The Human Rights Commission” over the publications of some cartoons (yes, those cartoons) that offended some Muslims. The relevant links are:

Some might only see some middle-aged lady doing her job. What I see is that she is backed up by men with guns–as many as it takes to enforce her decisions. She may be a very nice person but when someone works for the government to enforce laws and regulations they are exercising force. Dozens or even hundreds of “rough men with guns” will enforce their will upon the violators of those laws and regulations. That a “Human Rights Commission” would give more than a few milliseconds of thought to an expression of speech that did not advocate illegal violence tells you all you need to know to conclude this isn’t about human rights. It’s about the repression of human rights.

If she were doing this in the U.S. I would be advocating for her prosecution under 18 USC 242.