If it ever becomes times to shoot someone, do they need to be shot a little? Or a lot? If that time comes you should shoot early and often — until the threat is over. If you shoot a “set”, such as a double tap, you may stop shooting too soon.
Greg Hamilton
Self Defense Instructor
February 5, 1997
Sucks to be the good kid.
James Huffman-Scott
2004
Referring to all the money and attention given to his sister Kim.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
Albert Einstein
Katy once got upset hearing, from the other room, the sounds of a dynamite shoot video. So when I got this call from her the other day asking how to make a particular type of pyrotechnic device I was just a little bit surprised. I always figured she just tolerated me because I was married to her husband’s sister. I keep the guns and explosives away from her and try not to bring the topics up in her presence. But she called me Tuesday and asked, “How can I make pink smoke?” Not exactly in my domain of expertise but not all that far out either. I told her I would research it for her and that I was pretty sure I could help her. But what did she want it for? How much smoke did she need? How soon did she need it, etc.? She has to have it by Monday because the local television crews were going to be there to film it. Huh? She explained–she and others think the Pope should allow women to be priests. The conclave (did I get that right?) will release smoke to announce a new Pope has been selected. Katy and friends want to release pink smoke as a form of protest. Okay, that’s a reasonable enough request. It’s probably not illegal even inside the city limits of Chicago. And certainly, if done halfway right, no one will get hurt which is far more important to me that not offending the sensibilities of the city of Chicago.
I did the research and found a safe way for them even with their short time frame–but it will be violet instead of pink. Pink is doable but they didn’t have the time and expertise to pull it off. Katy thanked me then sent an update this morning:
Joe,
Just had to tell you the latest before I run off to work!
I said “local”
Well….now it is national, CNN is coming! They want to see pink smoke!
Maybe international-maybe the boys in the Vatican in Rome will see us in Chicago.WOC national contacted Skylighter and that is what we will use.
It won’t be pink but violet and violet is the color of stoles we wear!Thanks for your contact
Let us hope it is bright and shining on Monday.
Katy
So if CNN shows violet smoke on Monday you can thank, or curse, me for enabling them.
A resolution from the Idaho State Legislature has me a bit confused. I suspect it started out ‘straight’ and amendments got added to make fun of it. But I just don’t know for certain. A sample:
5 WHEREAS, the State of Idaho recognizes the vision, talent and creativity
6 of Jared and Jerusha Hess in the writing and production of "Napoleon Dyna-
7 mite"; and
8 WHEREAS, the scenic and beautiful City of Preston, County of Franklin and
9 the State of Idaho are experiencing increased tourism and economic growth; and
10 WHEREAS, filmmaker Jared Hess is a native Idahoan who was educated in the
11 Idaho public school system; and
12 WHEREAS, the Preston High School administration and staff, particularly
13 the cafeteria staff, have enjoyed notoriety and worldwide attention; and
14 WHEREAS, tater tots figure prominently in this film thus promoting Idaho's
15 most famous export; and
16 WHEREAS, the friendship between Napoleon and Pedro has furthered
17 multiethnic relationships; and
18 WHEREAS, Uncle Rico's football skills are a testament to Idaho athletics;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, Napoleon's bicycle and Kip's skateboard promote better air qual-
21 ity and carpooling as alternatives to fuel-dependent methods of transporta-
22 tion; and
23 WHEREAS, Grandma's trip to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes highlights a long-
24 honored Idaho vacation destination; and
25 WHEREAS, Rico and Kip's Tupperware sales and Deb's keychains and glamour
26 shots promote entrepreneurism and self-sufficiency in Idaho's small towns; and
27 WHEREAS, Napoleon's artistic rendition of Trisha is an example of the
28 importance of the visual arts in K-12 education; and
29 WHEREAS, the schoolwide Preston High School student body elections foster
30 an awareness in Idaho's youth of public service and civic duty; and
31 WHEREAS, the "Happy Hands" club and the requirement that candidates for
32 school president present a skit is an example of the importance of theater
33 arts in K-12 education; and
34 WHEREAS, Pedro's efforts to bake a cake for Summer illustrate the positive
35 connection between culinary skills to lifelong relationships; and
36 WHEREAS, Kip's relationship with LaFawnduh is a tribute to e-commerce and
37 Idaho's technology-driven industry; and
38 WHEREAS, Kip and LaFawnduh's wedding shows Idaho's commitment to healthy
39 marriages; and
40 WHEREAS, the prevalence of cooked steak as a primary food group pays trib-
41 ute to Idaho's beef industry; and
42 WHEREAS, Napoleon's tetherball dexterity emphasizes the importance of
43 physical education in Idaho public schools; and
44 WHEREAS, Tina the llama, the chickens with large talons, the 4-H milk
2
1 cows, and the Honeymoon Stallion showcase Idaho's animal husbandry; and
2 WHEREAS, any members of the House of Representatives or the Senate of the
3 Legislature of the State of Idaho who choose to vote "Nay" on this concurrent
4 resolution are "FREAKIN' IDIOTS!" and run the risk of having the "Worst Day of
5 Their Lives!"
From Periodic Journal of my wandering.
Update: I fixed the link to the bill.
A couple minutes before midnight (Mountain Time) Kim called to ask if Othello was on highway 26 going the right direction. She didn’t remember it going the other direction. It was there and she was on the right road going the right direction. She just needed to stay on 26 until she gets to Colfax. Colfax is “home territory” and close enough that Barb can rescue her if necessary.
She should be home by now.
That the said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of The United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms.
Samuel Adams
Hi Dad. The pass was bare and dry. No problems at all. I got a late start but I would have been stuck in traffic if I had left earlier anyway. I was wondering… Does I-90 turn into highway 36? Or is it 26?
Groan. I-90 goes until it turns into Chicago. And she needs to turn off I-90 at Vantage to get on highway 26. She accepts my correction gracefully and goes on:
Is Wenatchee between home and the Tri-Cities? Because I saw a sign and wondered if that would be a quicker way to get home.
Wenatchee is way north of where she wants to go. I reply, “No, that is Washtucna you are thinking of.“
Oh, that’s right. Okay. Well, I’m doing just fine. Love you Daddy. Bye.
I’m over a 1000 miles away from my namesake (Kimberly Joe versus Joseph Kim), who has no concept of impending doom, and now I’m supposed to sleep? At least we have two kids in reserve who probably will live to see their 25th birthdays.
The trip from Pasco to Albuquerque was pleasant enough considering all the violations of my 4th Amendment rights in the process. Ben and William met me at the range and I put 50 to 60 round down range with my Microsoft Gun Club Object Embedding Tool (a special edition Olympic Arms PCR-1). AKA an AR-15. We are at about 5000 ft above sea level here and the setting on my scope for 500 meters is about right for 650 yards. The wind was just about head on and even with the 50 grain bullets I didn’t have to compensate for the wind but the tiniest bit. I was shooting at a steel plate that was about 18 inches square and once I got on target I could hit it every time. It was a bit boring so I started practicing shooting faster. Could I get off two accurate shots before the sound from the first one came back? Just barely. Cool!
I shot Williams Garand too. I’ve never had my hands on one before. Odd that it kept shooting low for me. The first shot was close and thereafter even though I kept raising the point of aim it would hit way too low. I must have been flinching or something. Very odd.
Ben and William took me out to dinner afterwards and we talked about guns, Henry, and Boomershoot.
The supposed quietude of a good man allures the ruffian; while on the other hand, arms like laws discourage and keep the invader and the plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property. The balance of power is the scale of peace. The same balance would be preserved were all the world destitute of arms, for all would be alike; but since some WILL NOT (original emphasis), others DARE NOT (original emphasis) lay them aside… Horrid mischief would ensue were one half the world depraved the use of them;… the weak will become a prey to the strong.
Thomas Paine
Literature
Thoughts on Defensive War (1775)
Kim is off to Seattle in her car you would have trouble trading for a family meal at nice restaurant. She should arrive about midnight. She ‘needs’ to help out her roommate who was visiting her ex-husband when she had a miscarriage of someone else’s baby. Or some such thing like that.
I’m off to New Mexico tomorrow morning and can’t hang around to rescue her if she has problems on her way back.
I wish she wouldn’t worry her parents so much.
Henry, my “opponent” on a variety of subjects from government mandated ID cards to gun control, shows up on this page. At least it is his name — “Henry Boitel”. His name is among the “Special Thanks“ credits for a movie called “Inside Deep Throat” along with well known (in some circles) actresses Marilyn Chambers, Nina Hartley, Candia Royalle, and others. He’s a lawyer so it’s possible probable that he did some lawyer type work for them rather than contributing “original material“.
It’s also interesting that my website gets the highest ranking by google for a search on his name. I could do “interesting” things with that if I wanted too…
An explosion may be defined as a loud noise accompanied by the sudden going away of things from the places where they were before.
Joseph Needham
Science and Civilization in China
His alternator did something odd while he was delivering the Tannerite. It probably had something to do with the Duke’s of Hazard type driving across the creek or out through the scab patch to the Taj Mahal. Anyway, about 1:30 AM this morning he made it back to Redmond and posted a summary of his lazy Sunday.
The tank, the B-52, the fighter-bomber, the state-controlled police and military are the weapons of dictatorship. The rifle is the weapon of democracy. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military. The hired servants of our rulers. Only the government — and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws.
Edward Abbey
The Right to Arms
[New York, 1979]
Kim didn’t show up on time and was some place other than her house because of some dispute with her roommate or her roommate’s boyfriend or the seven cats or some such thing. We couldn’t even find her. She left her cell phone in our living room so we couldn’t call her. This was very much unlike Kim and I was worried about her. James had spent the night and of course Xenia was there so the three of us picked up Sara and left nearly 40 minutes later than we planned. I asked Barb to keep calling people and asking about Kim. Kim called about 12 minutes later. She was very apologetic. Someone had borrowed the cell phone she had borrowed to use an alarm. It was in another room and no one heard it go off or had turned it off. I told her to just meet us there. We arrived on site and found the ground wet and very soft. I nearly got stuck going through the wrong part of the creek on the way to the Taj Mahal. The creek was completely dry five weeks ago. We starting setting up. Xenia and Sara pounded the stakes in the ground. James and I setting up to make explosives. Kim showed up still in her pajamas. She hadn’t even gone to the bathroom yet this morning and she had her toothbrush and toothpaste with her. She and I went to my parents place to get ten gallons of gasoline for the fireballs and we both used the bathroom. Dad wanted to show me the new tractor and so I lost another five minutes there. We got back to the Taj Mahal and still had more setup to do. It probably took another 30 minutes before we actually started making targets. We are at least an hour behind what I had planned. Kim forgot to take her medicine and had to walk back to her car and walk back out again, we were probably 20 minutes without her. Once she came back however she really cranked out the targets. If it hadn’t been for her we would have been very, very late getting the targets done. As it was we were about 20 minutes later than what I had told Dave.
I did the shooters meeting while Kim took Xenia and Sara to my parents place then came back to blow the air horn for the ceasefires. Xenia and Sara had homework to do and had their jobs completed. Dave and ten others set up and started shooting. After ten or fifteen shots a boomer detonated. It wasn’t as powerful as I expected. People started saying they were hitting them without getting a detonation. I was worried. Something wasn’t right. We called a ceasefire and James, Kim, and I examined the targets. There was a problem. They were getting solid hits without detonations. A closer examination showed why. We took apart each target, while crouched in the mud, fixed the problem and remounted the box on the stakes. The wasn’t something Kim or James had done wrong while packaging the material. They did it exactly as I had told them. It was one of those things you never would have thought of until you did the tests. Moving the targets 300 yards and a few hours in the space time continuum had screwed us. I’m so incredibly glad we did this real world test three weeks before the big event. We only had 50 targets we needed to rework while 11 people were waiting on us rather than 600+.targets while there was 100 people waiting. The boomers started going boom. Frequently there would be ‘smoke’ (water vapor actually and powdered lime) from multiple boomers in the air at once. They eventually stopped shooting about 15:30. They said all the targets were gone. James, Kim, and I started setting up the fireball targets. There were still several targets left. Some completely untouched. This is tyipcal. It’s tough to see everything from 375 yards away. Dave and his gang drove across the bridge and walked out to the target line. They lined up about 25 yards from the berm and I ignited 11 flares behind the 11 gallons of gas behind the 11 reactive targets. If you look closely in this picture (click on the picture to get a hires version) you can see the flares. In this next picture the hot spots have grown some:
The second guy from the right is dodging some material that came back his way. Kim said she got hit with some dirt. Everytime we have shot stuff up close she gets hit with something. Always before it was a prill of ammonium nitrate. No AN prill this time but at least she has her 100% hit record intact. There were lots of big grins on the people’s faces when they left. A couple of them signed up for the event on May 1.
The complete photo album of the adventure is here. Click on the pictures to get a larger version.
Ry showed up as we were almost comletely done with clean up. He was delivering some Tannerite. We did some very quick tests and found it was no more senstive to impact than our mix and couldn’t really tell it apart in terms of power. It’s far, far more expensive however. It’s a binary explosive and can be shipped via UPS so it’s a great product for a lot of people but it’s not a market I want to get into with our mix which has four ingredients. Ry’s alternator light came on just as we were about to leave at 18:00 and he still had 8 hours of driving ahead of him as he has to go back to Redmond and Microsoft tonight. He figured he could make it to Moscow on his battery and figure out things there. I brought the kids back to a nice meal Barb had prepared for us.
I’m tired and it’s been a long day. Enjoy the pictures and start planning a Boomershoot for your future.
The weather forecast (Orofino which is a little warmer) is fantastic.
Gusts of 2 MPH. There have been boomershoots where the wind never went below 10 MPH.
The van is packed, I’m ready to go. Pictures and report sometime after we get back.
I feel the earth move under my feet
I feel the sky tumbling down
I feel my heart start to trembling
…
Carole King
I Feel The Earth Move
From the album Tapestry
[Today is a Boomershoot Adventure day]
You will never succeed in getting at the truth if you think you know, ahead of time, what the truth ought to be.
Marchette Chute
Those of you already signed up for Boomershoot 2005 should have the email about this, but for those that haven’t signed up I’ll mention it here and when I get around to it put it on the Boomershoot 2005 web page too. Stephanie has arranged for a group dinner on Saturday night, April 30th. The plan is that this year we will have all the targets made earlier and we be able to sit down and have a nice dinner with everyone the evening before we crater the field and shake up houses for miles. Of course if it’s anything like most years I’ll be back on site building targets again later than night. I’m also going to give a little speech titled Past, Present, Future: Boomershoot and Freedom. I don’t have much more than the title so far but I figure I can start work on it “real soon now”. I’ll put the details of the dinner up on the web site soon so spectators (we have spectators drive as far as 350 miles some years) can RSVP and attend as well.
I haven’t posted it on the web site yet but another three shooting positions have been taken. The reduces it to 13 shooting positoins still available. I’m receiving about one call or email each day asking if there are positions still available so I expect there will be less than ten by next weekend.