Author Archives: Lyle

Cap & Ball, Black Powder Freeze Frame

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Here is the moment of cap ignition, all by itself.  Note the little puff of smoke coming from the back of the cylinder– its from a supersonic explosion.  View the whole sequence here.

 

We had some fun that day.  We also discovered that 12 gauge slugs REALLY pick up and throw bowling pins off the table, but for speed shooting nothing beats heavy buckshot.

Reinstating Freedom?

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My son recently returned from a trip to the DC/NYC area.  He had a great time, other than the three hours he spent in a plane at JFK, due to an undefined “security breach” and of course having to go through several check points along the way.  Oh, and he had a pair of toy handcuffs (they have no lock and no key, among other differences from the real thing) confiscated from him at one of these checkpoints.  Somebody dodged a major threat to society there– a 13 year-old student on a trip with fellow students, smuggling toy handcuffs.

After talking with him about this at length, and remembering the fact that I had been in DC, NYC, and other places around the country years ago, complete with multiple knives, without a single checkpoint involved, I posed this question to my family:

What would it take for our society, our country, to eliminate security checkpoints within our own borders?

For some people, it is a hateful, disturbing question, not least because they like the idea of checkpoints.  For others, there will be varying, even diametrically opposed answers.  I know the answer (yup, little ol’ me) but after getting hostility directed at me in return for having said it, I’ll just pose the question and have people think about it for a while.  Hint: Joe’s April 7th QOTD.

I suppose that in order to ponder the question, you, like me, would have to actually want to travel your own country without being treated like a potential criminal, or feeling as though you’re in France and the year is 1942.

Maybe I’ll post my own short, sweet answer later.

Update: Just to make it more clear, the question is about the sort of changes we would need to make in our society, and in our government policies.

A Question For All Time

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Sorry– almost 600 words here, but I think you’ll like it.

My wife recently told me she might run for mayor of our small town.

Not being one to miss out on a good argument, I started strafing her with questions until I decided to try one I’ve been saving for a while:

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Is there anything, anything at all, in human life or endeavor that you consider to be absolutely none of government’s business whatsoever?
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She had to pause and think for a bit, because (and this is the point) few people ever consider the question.  She disappointed me slightly by blurting out what I would have predicted (I bet 90% of you have already come up with the same answer): “Sex.”  Then she caught herself, “Uh, between consenting adults, uh, of consenting age, uh, twenty-one.”

Age of consent, 21?  That was a real surprise to me, coming from her.  No matter.  I then asked her, “You don’t favor government funding for AIDS research”?

“Uh…”

“Should government be given any role in STD statistics gathering, prevention, cures, or any such related matters?”

“Uh…”

Clearly, most people, when backed into a corner thus, will eventually admit that they do indeed believe government has some business in our sex lives, and that’s even before you get to the product of sex– children, and with that– raising children, child custody, child support, compulsory education, sex education and family law.  (When our first baby was born, we were visited by a government case worker who interviewed us and inspected our house, clipboard in hand, to make sure we were fit to keep and raise our own child)

Again I asked: “Is there anything at all that should be entirely beyond the jurisdiction of government?”

“Yes– private matters.  Some things are private”

“Such as..?  We go to our neighbor down the street and buy a dozen eggs each week (they keep a few chickens).  Is that a private matter?”

“Yes”

“I agree, but that $52 has to be declared to the IRS.  Now let’s say word gets around and eventually everyone in our town goes to that neighbor and buys a dozen eggs each week.  That’s around 500 dozen eggs per week, or $26,000 per year in gross revenue.  Is that government’s business?”

“Yes, we have to collect taxes…but we could barter for the eggs.  We can do yard work for the neighbor in return for the eggs.” (this is one of the infinite variations of; ‘other people should be taxed, sure, but we can find a way to sneak around it for ourselves without getting caught.’  This particular, instant knee-jerk reaction tells us a lot about politics all by itself).

“Sorry.  That’s a taxable transaction according to the IRS, and if barter were to be made officially non taxable, you’d see a major shift in the economy as people found ways to barter and avoid taxation.  Would you support that?”

“No.  We have to collect taxes.”

On it went.  The bottom line is; my wife’s initial reaction was that, certainly, there are many things that are properly none of government’s business.  However, she would eventually say that each aspect of our lives, once I questioned her further, is actually government’s business in some way.

I ask you to consider the question, in this age wherein we have fallen to discussing (seriously, even) a ban on light bulbs, in this the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave:  Can you name anything at all within the realm of human activity that in your opinion should be absolutely none of any government’s business whatsoever?

Moonbat Posts List of Gun Owners

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Michelle Malkin has the details:

“I can hear the shocked indignation of gun-toters already: It’s nobody’s business but mine if I want to pack heat.

Au contraire. Because the government handles the permitting, it is everyone’s business.”

When we pro-freedom citizens were warning about how a gun registry could endanger gun owners, we were treated to chuckles, rolls of the eyes, and comments like, “You’re so paranoid, you nut!  We keep records of licensed drivers, and those aren’t used against people, yak, yak, yak..”

And yet we were absolutely right, because here we are:  Gun registries used as a tool of intimidation against gun owners.

Now imagine what’s going to happen if the government gets full control of the healthcare industry.  How about lists of AIDS carriers, alcohol abusers, hepatitis carriers, etc., being published in the local newspapers.  What?  Your kid came into the emergency room with a bruise to the face?  Do we REALLY know how this happened?  If the government handles it, its everyone’s business, right?

That’s why they’ve been pushing for the last 90+ years to get government to “handle” pretty much everything.

Court Overturns Gun Ban

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Baby Steps:

The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Friday overturned the city’s extensive gun ban

The court ruled that “the bar on carrying a pistol within the home, amounts to a complete prohibition on the lawful use of handguns for self-defense. As such, we hold it unconstitutional.”

Fine and wonderful, but if a prohibition against keeping a gun at home for protection is unconstitutional (which of course it is and always has been) how about saving your life while outside your home?  I guess self defense is still to be regarded as a revocable privilege in DC unless you sequester yourself inside your home?  Is human life in one location more important than human life in another, and subject to less protection??  Who is going to offer each of us a “Human Rights Map” wherein we can learn which parts of our neighborhoods allow us the right to live and in which areas we must submit to any and all criminals’ demands?

Opponents of gun rights expressed disappointment and anger over the decision.

Naturally.  It means there will be a small reduction in DC area crime which in turn will further destroy their entire premise– the idea that creating a monopoly on gun possession, reserving guns strictly for criminals, will somehow reduce crime.  The whole premise is of course insane from the get-go, that is, unless you’re a criminal or a hater of mankind, in which case it makes perfect sense as a ruse.

And if a law against being armed at home in DC is once more unconstitutional (after a lengthy “Constitutional Hiatus” in which many people have had their lives ruined as a result) lets haul out all the NYC laws and have a look-see, then move on to Chicago and San Franfreako, et al.

Questions You Won’t Hear

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The prerequisite, of course, to getting the correct answers is to ask the right questions.  Doing so, of course, will often be extremely difficult, and for a wide variety of reasons.

Regarding the Trolley Square shooting incident: We understand that the perpetrator was stopped by an “off duty policeman”.  Said off-duty policeman was also outside of the jurisdiction in which he worked as a policeman and was presumably carrying his own, privately-owned handgun (unless I’m wrong and it is in fact the policy of the Ogden Police Department that officers are allowed to carry their city-owned, issue weapons while off-duty and outside the jurisdiction).

So the questions you wont hear are:

Wouldn’t that make him just another, regular, armed citizen?

Wouldn’t he in fact have been a concealed carry permit holder, like you and me?

If so, how many concealed carry permit holders have you heard of being recommended for honors by city officials after using their guns to save lives, as has been done in this case by Ogden city officials?

Wouldn’t the normal response have been “No charges have been filed as of yet” if the defender had NOT been a policeman?

What might have happened if the perpetrator had done this in NYC, DC, San Francisco, or Chicago, where citizens cannot legally defend themselves with concealed firearms?  In that case, wouldn’t we be treated to days or weeks of demands in the media for even more gun restrictions, even though the gun restrictions themselves had resulted in a higher death toll?

How should we, as concerned citizens, treat our public servants when they attempt to undermine our ability to defend ourselves and our families against aggression?

Equality Under the Law? Sure, I’ll Take it!

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I thought that banks were required by federal law to have the Socialist Security numbers of all account holders.  It turns out not be true, apparently, for illegals.  I’ll choose to think of that as good news.  I’ll assume I can now open accounts all over the country, including credit card accounts, without my Socialist Security number or any other documentation of my true identity.  Cool.

Put this in your ‘Big Box’

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Every once in a while I read a dead tree newspaper.  Someone wrote a letter to the editors of the Moscow/Pullman Daily News this last weekend that could not go unanswered.  I wont bore you with its contents, but you’ll get a good idea of it by reading my response, submitted today to the same newspaper:

Dear Editors,

Regarding Mark Winstein’s letter entitled “Lets Not be a Big Box Town” printed in last weekend’s edition:  I will point out to your good and thoughtful readers that in Mr. Winstein’s opinion, the last people who should be making decisions about land use are the actual land owners, the last people who should decide what is and what is not a “sustainable approach to the economy” are those who have their own capital at risk in a given venture, and by rights, the very last people on Earth who should decide where to shop are the shoppers themselves.

Apparently, there is a new field of study at the U of I, known as “Helping Make the Economy More Reflective of Ecological Values”.  I might like to meet one of the Doctorate Professors in this new Helping Make the Economy More Reflective of Ecological Values Department.  However, between taking care of my family and minding my own business instead of advocating the use of force in minding other people’s business, it would be hard for me to justify the time.

Now I want to propose an entirely new concept– one that Winstein may not have ever considered:  Maybe we could advocate the protection of other people’s rights (even if we dislike them).  It might be interesting if people could make their own decisions in what I will call a “Free Society” (I might enjoy entertaining the Dean of a “Free Market Solutions to World Problems” College).  I understand that this is a new and terrifying proposal (for some) but it may be worth considering, given that if our neighbors have the Right to Choose, perchance it would follow that we too would be afforded the same right at some stage.

For anyone who’s been held captive in a North Korean prison camp for the last ten years:  “Big Box” means Wall Mart.

I’m going to be using the term, “Free Market Solutions” more often in the future, most especially because no one ever seems to think in those terms.  The Left, naturally, always views a free market as the problem rather than any sort of solution to anything, and naturally, they couldn’t be more wrong if they tried.

Producerism

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If I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a thousand times:  We have a “consumer based” society and as such, the more we spend, the better the economy, yak, yak, yak.  One of our recent presidents (I forget which one– it doesn’t matter as it could have been any one of them) was convinced of this well enough that he made a public statement asking Americans to go out and buy something, so as to help the economy.

 

No, Grasshopper.

 

A capitalist society (that is to say, a free socisty) gets its wealth from one source and one source only– People who dream of new things, get excited about them, figure them out, and put them into practice and/or production.  Simply put, wealth is a product of a winning combination: The creative human mind in concert with hard work and determination.  I will herein go so far as to call it love.

 

“Hah! you idealist fool” you say, “oil and gold are not produced by humans, and THAT’s wealth.”  I say, tell that to a frog.  To a frog, petroleum is a dangerous, smelly goo that is to be avoided, and gold is just harmless and worthless.  The human mind on the other hand, has dreamed up, invented and created ways to locate, extract, refine and, more importantly, make use of, oil and gold– they were not resources before the creativity of the human mind made them so.  

Other than a base, stone-age existence then (actually, remove the stones from that scenario, because humans invented stone tools) real wealth can only come from imagination, creativity, invention and productivity.

 

What the aforementioned U.S. President should have said (if he’d had a smidgeon of a clue) was, “Dream, Oh People.  Imagine something, create something, find a better way and then build a business around it.  Either that or throw your support behind someone who is doing it or has already done it.  In so doing you will be helping yourself while serving Mankind.”  To my admitedly limited recollection, the only politician I’ve actually heard speak that way was, of all people, Condi Rice.

 

The next time you hear someone decrying the distastefulness of our “Consumerism” you can correct the major error in their thinking by stating this obvious fact:  Production is a prerequisite to consumption.

 

Therefore what we have, to the degree that ours is more successful than others, is a society built on “Producerism”.

 

I find it more than a little telling that the word “consumerism” is in the dictionary, but the word “producerism” is not.

 

Socialist societies get their wealth from consuming (consuming other people’s property) by plunder– extorting from their own (all for very good reasons of course) and from conquest and enslavement.  Socialists are unhappy, defective, paranoid, upside-down individuals– they have no imagination, which makes them unable to see or comprehend anything other than extortion and fraud as the primary means of getting things done.  This would certainly explain their hatred (even self-hatred) for the wealthy.

Update:  I forgot blind luck.  In addition to extortion and fraud, a socialist sees blind luck as the other means of enrichment, as in “Winners of Life’s Lottery”, etc..

2LT Mark Daily: Why He Joined

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I found it posted on Michelle Malkin’s blog:

Trust me– you’ll want to read the whole thing.  You might also want to print it and hang it on your wall, framed, next to the Bill of Rights (you do have a copy, don’t you?).  Though the term is over-used, I will say that this man was in fact a “Real American”.  The kind of American that made America in the first place.

This man was more articulate at the age of 23 than I am at 48.  His parents, teachers, and home-town folk must be some pretty great people.  Now excuse me, I can’t type anymore.

Human Nature and Mechanics

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Have you ever noticed that in winter driving conditions there appears to be a disproportionate number of four wheel drive vehicles in the ditch?

I’m pretty sure there’s a lesson there.

Now there’s a technical issue that I never considered until I got a 4WD pickup and experienced it myself.  When the old-fashioned 4WD is engaged, the front and rear drive lines are locked together– they cannot rotate at different rates.  That’s pretty much common knowledge (you can’t turn a corner without one or more tires slipping) but it has another implication:  When you hit the brakes it is impossible for only one wheel to lock up.  Since the two drivelines cannot rotate differently, you either lock up one wheel on each axle or you lock up all four, i.e. your braking ability on ice is better with 4WD than it is with 2WD and no ABS.

Just a Reminder

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From our friend in Israel:

Friends:
The terrorists have begun killing each other.  The U.S. is racing to infuse millions of dollars into the Fatah terrorist group.  So whats new?
 
Have a good weekend.
Howard

The U.S. has been supporting Jihadist organizations in the name of “Middle East Peace” for decades, as has Israel, by the way.  Can there be any doubt as to why this problem goes on and on, with no end in sight?  What would have been the result if the Allies had adopted this same policy toward the Nazis, or the Imperial Japs?  Does anyone doubt what needs to be done to secure peace over there, or are we still trying as hard as we can to convince ourselves that the Jihadists just want to get along?

One Tyrant Down, Many to Go…

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Watching the Saddam hanging, I experienced Three things:  First, a little bit of empathy for the idiot, which soon passed and is nothing to be ashamed about because its just human.  Second, a lot of empathy for his untold thousands of innocent victims– men women and children.  Third, the conclusion that they went awfully easy on him.  Had the table been turned and Saddam been the executioner, the condemned would have been beaten with rebar until he shit himself, had his ears cut off and fed to him, had his tongue ripped out, his knee caps shot, his face kicked in and covered with feces, then he’d be dragged through the dirt, spat on and hanged slowly in front of his wife and kids, all while Saddam watched, smoking a Cuban cigar with a great big giddy grin on his face.  But civilized people are better than that, I suppose.

Just Ask Hamas

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When faced with important decisions, it helps to understand the situation as completely as possible.  In light of all the facts, and with an understanding of history, one can usually see the right choice, or the right set of options, with little difficulty.  Knowing Hamas and their ideology, it then becomes impossible to understand why anyone would want to compromise with them without coming to the conclusion that it is only because of an overwhelming desire to avoid reality.

This from our friend in Jerusalem:

Friends:
The Palestinian Authority’s President, a Hamas member, is in Iran.  He says Hamas will never accept the State of Israel.  More, the only acceptable way to be rid of Israel is by force of arms. 
BELIEVE HIM.
Howard

Land for peace anyone?  I’ve spoken with several Leftists who either don’t know what the Jihadis are saying, or do not believe them, or do not believe that their words are actually their words.  They instead attribute their hatred for the West to silly things like U.S. foreign policy or our “taking” (like we never pay for it– to the tune of billions) of mideast oil (the fact there is, America is their best customer– they should love us).

I suggest that if you want to know why they hate us, you might try listeneng to them.  Oh, but I understand that that wouldn’t let you blame the U.S. and the Jews, or G.W. Bush, which seem to be the main goals for some Americans.

Currency of Hatred

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One of our employees found this gem a few years ago at the local food co-op– a place where they charge high prices for food that’s “non-corporate” and where they promote anti-capitalist politics and ideals.

It reveals much of the driving force behind the institution of Socialism– pure, unadulterated, white-hot hatred for Mankind, marketed to us as “compassion”.  This rare glimpse into the mind of a Leftist is what I call the “Hate Dollar”.

I believe I can speak with some authority in this area, having been one of “them” myself, growing up as I did among people of similar attitudes and beliefs.  Let me know if you want any part of this work explained:

Check out the high resolution version and you’ll see the exquisite detail and the care with which the artist spills out hatred for America, for Liberty, and for most anything that smacks of human achievement and advancement.  Note also that President Clinton was far too Right Wing for them, having been something of an open-trade president.

Incidentally, I can find nothing in the hate dollar that would be at odds with what the current crop of jihadis has been saying– The overlap of the two ideologies is worthy of note.

Another Normal Day in Israel

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From my friend in Israel this morning:

Friends:

Breaking news is that in the morning’s barrage of Kassam rockets on the northern Negev towns (it is a regular going-to-school-time event) there were killed and wounded. So far the count is 3 rockets overnight and 8 rockets this morning .

Today is, “What you may not have heard on CNN or FOX News.”

Today’s word is “Insanity.”

Three separate parts of the same terrorist organization, Fatah, declared open season on anything and everything American because the USA vetoed the “UN resolution condemning Israel for the Massacre in Beit Hanun.” If they were not firing rockets into Israel there would be no fire returned from Israel. Fatah is the PLO Chairman’s group. They are the ones being armed and trained at breakneck pace by the USA as well as being armed and supplied with ammo for the AKs and M16 they are receiving from Egypt, Jordan and even Israel (Israel’s leadership is no better than anyone else’s) with America’s blessing, if not at America’s behest.

The Iranian President just announced he is willing to talk to the USA (if the USA behaves correctly), but in the “fine print” of his speech Ahmadinejad proudly proclaimed he will have his nuclear fuel production ready by Spring. Someone in the West better start a countdown that ends before Iran’s countdown ends.

Enormous amounts of arms (more advanced and of enhanced ability) are pouring into the Gaza Strip. That what happens when you let the “policing” to someone other than yourself, in this case the Egyptians. Now our leaders are taking it one step further. There are discussions to further open (full-time) the Rafah Crossing (Egypt-Gaza). This continuing US State Department brainchild would have the PLO Presidential Guard (you may know them as Force 17, exceptionally good at conducting terrorist operation) deployed to secure the border crossing. That is like putting the drug deal[er]s in charge of the security at the border crossing between Mexico and San Diego.

I worry about my kids getting hurt on the way to school– from traffic, fights, strangers, and such.  I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that some people worry about getting hit by rockets every single day.  I wonder what happens to the American intellectuals (the Leftists and journalists who want us to believe they have a monopoly on compassion, and another on understanding) when they hear about these things.  No, they can’t mention it, can’t even think about it, if it doesn’t further their political goals.

In a Nut Shell

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I think this is the most accurate statement I’ve found since the election:

The Republicans lost, and the Democrats won, for the same reason — they distanced themselves from their base.

Those of You With AKs Will Understand

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Proof of concept installation.  Yes, its an AK (AK-74 semiauto, but it could be any AK– The principles are all the same).  Video – Less than 1MB.

OK, cite me for the gratuitous grin.

The Fruits of “Peace Talks”

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While we’re making plans for the holidays, and while we’re listening to political ads about which party will fight the most politically-correct war against the Jihad (no, wait, no one is saying anything about Jihad in Washington.  Its “terror”– they’re fighting a war against an emotion) the missiles are landing regularly in Israel, and the Israelis are bracing for more violent attacks.

 

Decades of “peace talks” and “summits” and trading “land for peace” have led us to this point.  They’ve led to an enemy that has increased confidence and increased capabilities.  For this I place the blame squarely on the Left.  I also blame the “Conservatives”, for being too much like the Left.

 

What we need are warriors, not politicians.  When are we going to learn that our enemies must be defeated before we can “negotiate” peace with them?  They must be thoroughly convinced, beyond all hope, of their total defeat.  Only then will we have any hope of peace.

 

This is from my friend (I call him a friend, though we’ve never met) a marksmanship instructor in Israel:

Friends:

 

Basically this entire week is considered the Id al-Fitr Moslem Holiday.  Wonderful for those of us living in northern Jerusalem because it would appear that through this morning, there is virtually no rush hour traffic.  Hard for me to believe, but if the horrendous rush-hour traffic jams renew once the holiday is over, then one can conclude the congestion is caused by an unreal number of vehicles coming from the villages and towns north of Jerusalem.

 

The signs of impending conflict are growing.  Everyone is waiting the holiday’s end as if it signals the start of the terrorism season – a new, improved terrorist violence with the terrorists possessing new, advanced weapons, huge stockpiles of ammunition and munitions and a year’s preparation time well spent.

 

Hamas and the other terror groups want to “Lebanonize” the Gaza Strip.  They are well on their way.  During the last few days Israel has certainly “upgraded” its operations against the terrorists in the Gaza Strip.  There have been some successes, either the terrorists were preoccupied and got sloppy or the IDF got lucky.  Or there is simply so much terrorist preparation and activity going on that it was inevitable an IDF patrol would bump into a terrorist force.

 

It may all be brinkmanship.  There is a lot of talk of a Hamas “preemptive” strike across a wide front, employing everything from West Bank based cells, to barrages of missiles and commando style raids with terrorists emerging “behind the lines” from underground tunnels.  Who knows.

 

Avigdor is now a government minister and deputy prime minister.  The government is going from left to right faster than the Labor party can make excuses for why it remains in the government.   The Chief-of-Staff made a surprise visit at 07:00 yesterday morning to a base on the Golan Heights to “check alertness.”  Syrian positions all along the Golan Heights are preparing for an Israeli attack.

 

I probably should start figuring out where I would like to be (and cover as a reporter) if violence renews.  Interesting thought. One which I shall ponder.

 

Have a good day and stay safe,

 

Howard

Equal Time for the Uninteresting

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Fox News did a report a few days ago about Jay Leno having Kah-Lee-Foe-un-yuh Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appear on his show.  It was all about the “equal time clause” and whether Leno should be forced to have Arnold’s opponents on for some “equal time”.

Maybe Hollywood should be forced to cast Arnold’s political opponents as the stars in several hit movies, too.  It makes every bit as much sense, what with all the pre-election exposure all those movies are giving to Arnold.  Alternatively, We could force Blockbuster to quietly pull all of Arnold movies until after the election.  Its sickening to think about it, but I’m sure there are more than a few U.S. Congresswhores in both parties who would be willing to consider doing just that.

Update:  I though I was making a joke, but alas, no.  This has already been done by some broadcast stations.

Television stations also stopped airing Schwarzenegger’s movies after he declared his candidacy to avoid violating the equal time provision.

I found it striking that at no point in the fox broadcast, or in several others I found, did anyone ever mention any possibility that Leno might have a right to invite anyone on his show anytime he feels like it.  Freedom, I guess, isn’t worth discussing anymore.  Instead, we’re to argue in detail only about how and when we are going to exercise coercion and how thoroughly justified we are in doing so.  Apparently, fairness demands more Stalinism.