More clarity from the other side:
Seattle usually doesn’t sustain protests this long. Don’t collaborate with the cops. Don’t snitch. Yes, even the people you think aren’t protesting right. Defund SPD. Abolish the police.
Broken Dillon XL650 indexer return spring
As I posted yesterday the indexer return spring (item 22) on my Dillon XL650 reloading press broke. Here is a picture of the two pieces:
From looking at the larger piece with the naked eye I originally thought it might have been worn then broke. After I found the second piece and looked at them closely and together I decided it probably was a defective spring.
If someone has a different opinion I’m willing to listen.
Very telling
Via SAF, BIDEN, STAFF FUEL GUN SALES BY SUPPORTING RELEASE WITHOUT BAIL, emphasis added:
The Second Amendment Foundation today said the support Democrat Joe Biden’s staff is showing to violent protesters in Minneapolis by donating to a bail fund is an “outrage,” and it demonstrates why alarmed Americans are buying more guns to protect their homes and businesses.
“After all the violence we’ve seen in major cities, Biden’s position is simply outrageous,” said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan M. Gottlieb. “No wonder gun sales surged 80 percent in May over the same month last year. People watch their cities burn, while Biden and his staffers think those responsible should be allowed to walk. That’s a bad formula for public safety, but apparently Biden and his crew don’t get it.”
A group called the Minnesota Freedom Fund reportedly received contributions from 13 Biden staffers. The Freedom Fund reportedly opposes the practice of making people arrested pay cash bail to avoid “pre-trial imprisonment,” according to Reuters.
But a Biden campaign spokesman told Reuters the former vice-president opposes the institution of cash bail altogether, calling it a “modern day debtors prison.” He doesn’t think these anarchists should pay bail at all.
“So,” Gottlieb observed, “while Biden opposes guns for honest people, he’s all for turning dangerous rioters loose on personal recognizance, maybe so they can go somewhere else and wreak havoc.
“We wholly support the First Amendment as much as we advocate for and defend the Second,” he continued. “Peaceful, non-violent protest is as much a part of the American fabric as the right to keep and bear arms, but last weekend’s violence completely overshadowed such efforts.
“What we saw over the weekend were numerous incidents of violent vandalism, arson, theft and even criminal assault and murder committed by people who have their own agenda that has nothing to do with the tragedy in Minneapolis,” Gottlieb stated. “Biden and his staff obviously can’t tell the good guys from the bad guys.”
Too close to home
Barb and I live in Bellevue. Several miles and the other side of a large lake (Lake Washington) from Seattle. Mob violence is almost common in Seattle and has been for at least 20 years.
We’ve never seen or heard of riots and looting in Bellevue. That changed yesterday:
Bellevue declared a civil emergency throughout the Eastside city and imposed a curfew Sunday evening for downtown in response to protests that began in the afternoon and turned violent after groups broke into the city’s high-end malls and started stealing items.
The crowds and looting prompted Mayor Lynne Robinson to request assistance from the National Guard for the first time in at least 30 years, and a warning from Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett that anyone caught not adhering to the curfew would “go to jail.”
The protests over police misconduct, triggered by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, have seized larger metro cities, including Seattle, but surprised Bellevue, which, as a city of about 148,000 residents, traditionally sees fewer instances of street activism. Gov. Jay Inslee activated the National Guard in response to the request, with up to 200 unarmed troops to assist the city’s officers.
…
“They became a force, a force of destruction,” Mylett said at a news conference Sunday evening. “They were not there to protest the death of George Floyd, the tragedy of George Floyd. They were there to destroy.”
Several people broke into Bellevue Square and stole items from the mall’s stores, according to the police department. Neighboring businesses had windows smashed. Outside a New Balance store, empty red shoeboxes were strewn on the ground.
The Police Department called more than 200 law enforcement officials, including all its officers, along with police from the Kirkland and Redmond and Washington State Patrol troopers.
Yesterday I also received information there is another protest planned at a different Bellevue location. It is almost within rock throwing distance from the company where I work.
This is way too close to home.
I’m preparing in case they move out into the suburbs.
Quote of the day—Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Tweeted on May 31, 2020
[It’s way overdue. But better late than never.
See also Trump announces US to designate Antifa as terrorist organization following violent protests.—Joe]
Rounds in the last month
I haven’t done any reloading since February. I was working very long hours and finally got that project done earlier this month. And with the COVID-19 thing I didn’t really want to go to the range anyway, so why spend the time reloading ammo I wasn’t going to shoot for a while? When I received the email saying the Area 1 Championship, which I had signed up for last year, was still on I decided it was time to start practicing and reloading.
Today I started reloading some 200 grain bullets in .40 S&W. I only completed round 104 when the indexer return spring broke on my Dillon XL650 press. It sort of looked like I should consider it a consumable and I ordered five of them. At $1.99 (plus $8.49 shipping) I decided to order five so I could quickly replace it when the next one dies.
After ordering I thought about it some more and realized I had never lubricated the spring. If I had it might have lasted longer (I had only reloaded 21,584 rounds when it died).
No matter. I’ll have spares and maybe they will last longer too.
This brings my lifetime reloaded ammunition totals to:
223: 7592 rounds.
30.06: 756 rounds.
300 WIN: 2,126 rounds.
300 Savage: 50 rounds.
40 S&W: 109,877 rounds.
45 ACP: 2,007 rounds.
9 mm: 21,641 rounds.
Total: 144,049 rounds
We went for a drive
Barb and I have been on the more cautious side of the behavior spectrum in regards to avoiding risk of COVID-19. We have been going on almost daily walks but haven’t gone on any hikes in the woods and mountains like we usually would have by now. Last weekend we decided we would go for a drive and at least visit the mountains and enjoy the view of them from my car.
I found a place that looked like it had good views and we had never been. It’s the parking lot for the Alpental ski area:
It’s about a 45 minute drive from our place and I figured we could get out and walk around the parking lot some without having to worry about the whole social distancing thing on narrow trails. I expected something similar to what you see in the picture above.
We were surprised to find the parking lot almost completely full of cars with lots of people. Apparently my idea and choice of locations was not all that novel.
We managed to find a parking spot and took some pictures. There wasn’t much walking though. The weather and views were great so we accomplished our mission to get out of the house and do something a little special for our current circumstances and more like the normal we are looking forward to.
It’s time to dust
It’s been months since I did any shooting. As you can see there are dust bunnies on both sights and around the ejection port of my carry (and competition) gun:
I took it apart and cleaned the internals too.
I reserved an entire shooting bay at the range for just myself and will attempt to put some holes in paper later this week.
Quote of the day—Charles M. Blow
Biden continues to commit unforced error, like the hubbub he created and later apologized for when he said at the end of an interview with The Breakfast Club’s Charlamagne tha God: “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
It was so cavalier and comfortable that it was shocking. Biden doesn’t get to define blackness nor excommunicate anyone from it.
But that wasn’t the only problem in the interview. He said just seconds after that statement that “The NAACP has endorsed me every time I’ve run.” That never happened, and the NAACP had to release a statement to clarify that it “is a nonpartisan organization and does not endorse candidates for political office.”
This is not the first time Biden has lied about his relationship to the black community. He has repeatedly lied over the years about marching in the civil rights movement, even though advisers warned him to stop it. And, he repeatedly said that he was arrested in South Africa trying to see imprisoned anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.
None of this ever happened.
Charles M. Blow
May 24, 2020
Biden Can Beat Trump … if He Doesn’t Blow It
[Don’t ever forget that this is the cream of the crop at the national level from the Democrat party.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Gila Monster
Here’s what I don’t understand: at least 13 different individuals – most of them minors – are shown in these well-circulated pictures, spanning a decade or more. Their images are included in every meme and click-bait derision of Biden…yet no one in any of those families has ever said anything. No outraged father has ever confronted him, or better yet, sent him to the deck. If he – or anyone – pulled that crap with either of my underage daughters, they’d have been picking up teeth.
Gila Monster
May 24, 2020
Comment to A picture is worth a thousand words
[It’s a good point. There are probably many valid responses. See a few of them in the link above.
And don’t think others haven’t had similar thoughts and gotten a lot close to making it reality than what you see in videos and pictures. Here is one report:
According to the source, a Secret Service agent once got suspended for a week in 2009 for shoving Biden after he cupped his girlfriend’s breast while the couple was taking a photo with him. The situation got so heated, the source told Cassandra Fairbanks, that others had to step in to prevent the agent from hitting the then–Vice President.
And via the same source:
This is creepy and eye opening. #HeebieJeebieJoe pic.twitter.com/6ynZk3SUr7
— Kristy Swanson (@KristySwansonXO) May 24, 2020
I would like to suggest that Biden could improve his chances of a win in November if he made a few changes such as this one:
I’m inclined to believe the option shown isn’t really sufficient and to maximize his odds his handlers should include similar cones for his hands and genitals.—Joe]
I’m here to make a deposit
A couple days ago I had a check to deposit. With Tamara’s words from 11 days earlier still fresh in my mind I put on my white hat to indicate I was one of the good guys:
I’m not sure it helped that much. But they did let me in the bank when the ATM didn’t want to allow the deposit so I couldn’t have been all that scary.
Quote of the day—Ryan Fournier @RyanAFournier
The Democrats started with like 20 candidates and Joe Biden was the cream of the crop.
Just think about that for a minute…
Ryan Fournier @RyanAFournier
Tweeted on May 24, 2020
[H/T to Adam McIntosh.
One might argue there are other explanations..
A rather remote alternate hypothesis is that the primary voting was fraudulent and some powerful group put Biden in as the apparent nominee so as to be able to replace him with someone who could not have won the nomination via the normal primary process. But then that would mean they implemented a complicated and risky solution when they could have just used the fraudulent voting to put in their desired candidate in place instead of Biden.
Another alternate hypothesis is that the nominating process is flawed and Biden is the candidate who happened to, perhaps by luck or skill of his handlers, come out ahead of better qualified candidates. But that means the Democrats are responsible for creating such a flawed system such that Biden became the presumptive nominee. Hence, if you accept this hypothesis you must conclude the Democrats party leaders are so incompetent that Biden came out on top via the catastrophically flawed system they created. That should give lots of reassurance when you consider voting Democrat.
I don’t see any other plausible hypothesis to explain the current situation. Hence, I’m inclined to agree with Fournier, Biden is the best they have to offer.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Rudyard Kipling
THE BEGINNINGS
It was not part of their blood,
It came to them very late
With long arrears to make good,
When the English began to hate.
They were not easily moved,
They were icy willing to wait
Till every count should be proved,
Ere the English began to hate.
Their voices were even and low,
Their eyes were level and straight.
There was neither sign nor show,
When the English began to hate.
It was not preached to the crowd,
It was not taught by the State.
No man spoke it aloud,
When the English began to hate.
It was not suddenly bred,
It will not swiftly abate,
Through the chill years ahead,
When Time shall count from the date
That the English began to hate.
Rudyard Kipling
From A Diversity of Creatures 1917.
[Via a comment from William Ashbless.
As quoted above appears to be the original version. It is also frequently seen in a modified form with the title THE WRATH OF THE AWAKENED SAXON and where “English” has been replaced by “Saxon”.
One could make the case, as Ashbless suggests, that the poem above describes recent and current events.—Joe]
Boomershoot participates in Salute Across America
At 4:53:44 in the video below is the start of a short segment which features Boomershoot:
The rest of the video is more worthwhile than my small contribution. Watch all of it.
Quote of the day—Devin Nunes
We will be making criminal referrals in the coming weeks against the Mueller team. We’re just now putting that together.
..
This started as a dirty campaign operation run by the Clinton campaign. At some point they got dirty operatives involved, including the dirty cops.
…
Now, remember, in the middle of 2016, the dirty cops that are involved, it’s almost impossible to believe it didn’t reach the highest levels of the Department of Justice, when they opened so-called Crossfire Hurricane.
Devin Nunes
May 25, 2020
GOP ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee
Top GOP Lawmaker Says There Will Be ‘Criminal Referrals’ Against Mueller Team
[We live in interesting times.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Don Kilmer @donkilmer
Obama might have started out as a likable, naïve socialist.
But he became the inevitable state-worshiping fascist that is always necessary to sustain socialism in the face of its inevitable failure and devastation.
Don Kilmer @donkilmer
Tweeted on May 21, 2020
[This may be giving Obama more benefit of the doubt than he deserves, but that doesn’t change the correctness of the conclusion.
As my friend Eric E. once described it, “Socialism is like a piece of candy which, years later, causes terminal cancer.”—Joe]
Achievement unlocked
My USPSA Range Officer certification expires on June 30th. I took the test today to recertify and passed:
Shortly after I started the test I received the following email:
2020 Berrys Bullets Area 1 Championship
Area 1 WILL CONTINUE AS SCHEDULED! There will be some protocols in place to help ensure current governing social distancing guidelines. The most notable, for competitors, will be assigned schedules for gate entry and walk through opportunity. Competitors will receive a future email with the assigned schedules and printable gate entry pass that corresponds with schedule. We are asking that competitors limit guests to one guest per competitor. We are looking forward to forward to seeing everyone and there are still rooms available at the following match hotels, which have graciously extended the cut off date to June 19th…
I signed up for the Area 1 Championship several months ago but due to working extremely long hours at work for several months, combined with the Corona virus lockdown, I haven’t practiced since about the first week of January. I’m going to have to remedy that in a big way or else plan on an extremely dismal performance if I participate in the Area 1 Championship Match.
Quote of the day—Tim Pool @Timcast
Trump did not create it, Trump was the product of it.
As the media lied and pushed absurd attacks on common people the collective anger pooled until it eventually found its champion.
Trump is the collective anger of the people tired of media elites spitting on them.
Tim Pool @Timcast
Tweeted on May 16, 2020.
[Truth.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Mika Brzezinksi
I think the dangerous edges here are that he’s trying to undermine the media. Trying to make up his own facts. And it could be that while unemployment and the economy worsens he could have undermined the messaging so much that he can actually control exactly what people think. And that is the job, that is our job.
Mika Brzezinksi
February 22, 2017
[H/T to Computer Colonics @FerfeLaBat via Tim Pool @Timcast..
Good to have what you think explicatory stated. Thank you Mika. Now we can advocate for complete dismissal of everything you say without the slightest bit of concern that we might miss something of importance.—Joe]
Quote of the day—Nicolo Machiavelli
For among other evils which being unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised, and this is one of those ignominies against which a prince ought to guard himself, as is shown later on. Because there is nothing proportionate between the armed and the unarmed; and it is not reasonable that he who is armed should yield obedience willingly to him who is unarmed, or that the unarmed man should be secure among armed servants. Because, there being in the one disdain and in the other suspicion, it is not possible for them to work well together.
Nicolo Machiavelli
1513
The Prince, CHAPTER XIV
[Before choosing this as QOTD I had a nagging feeling I had already post it. I searched for the fragment “nothing proportionate between the armed and the unarmed” and found nothing. I schedule it for May 21. I still had the nagging feeling and searched for ‘Machiavelli’. I found a shorter version I had posted on May 23, 9 years ago. I changed the posting date for this version to match the anniversary of the previous.
Machiavelli correctly points out that it is not reasonable that the people can be secure if we are unarmed and our public servants are armed. They already despise us. You know what will happen if we ever become unarmed.—Joe]