Quote of the day—Mark Karlin

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A gun, particularly assault weapons and lethal militarized handguns, are at least two things: a prosthetic dick and a sign that even unemployed white guys still rule the Western World and sit at the head of the kitchen table.

Mark Karlin
April 1, 2013
Many American White Men Worship Guns Because of Sexual Insecurity, Entitlement, and Profit
[It’s another Markley’s Law Monday!

H/T to Sebastian and Barron who both sent me emails about this post.

One might be tempted to claim this is an April Fools Joke but if you read the whole thing I’m certain you’ll come to the conclusion this guy is serious.

Even after overlooking the grammar errors that make comprehension difficult at times I had trouble figuring out what he really meant. What does “lethal militarized handgun” mean? But I don’t think it matters. It’s readily apparent the guy has no idea what he is talking about. The entire article is filled with half-truths and absurd conclusions.

I can only conclude this guy has crap for brains.—Joe]

Boomershoot 2013 conditions

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Things are looking good for Boomershoot 2013. Some years 16 inches of snow on the shooting line two weeks before the event. And we have even had snow on the hillside where the targets are for the actual event.

This year the local farmers were actually in the field for a few days last week before it started raining. Assuming it doesn’t continue like it was this weekend when Barb L. and I did some work at Boomershoot Mecca there should be good ground conditions and lots of green scenery.

Here is what it looked like today:

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The target area is still wet but it will dry out quickly with warm weather.

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The field around Boomershoot Mecca is green and in a few weeks will be very pretty.
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The fog lifting up out of Clearwater Valley looked really neat. The power lines are from Dworshak dam.

Boomershoot daffodils

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Most people attend Boomershoot for the chance to shoot at explosives. Some come for the daffodils.

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These daffodils were planted by my grandmother and her sisters when they lived on the property where the shooting line is. The daffodils survived even though the land was farmed and they have to compete with the grass for moisture and nutrients.

Each year I think, “This year I’ll move them out of the field and onto the front edge of the shooting berm where they will be out of the field. They will do better without fireballs wilting them.” I think this year will be the year it actually happens. Barb L. saw them for the first time yesterday and she instantly agreed it was a great idea and she has experience with flower bulbs. She plans to help me with the project.

I think that within a year or two we can completely cover the front edge of the berm. I think it will be awesome.

Quote of the day–Barb L.

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I think I’m getting repetitive wrist syndrome.

Barb L.
April 6, 2013
After folding hundreds of boxes for Boomershoot 2013
[I had to insist she sit down and watch me putter around arranging things and cleaning up.

We also put up another shelf and tested a new type of target.–Joe]

Quote of the day—Rich Lowry

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Gun control always founders on the paradox that it is possible to write new laws for the law-abiding but difficult or impossible to reach criminals who don’t care about laws.

Rich Lowry
April 5, 2013
Lowry: The great gun control fizzle
[Sincere gun control advocates are very shallow thinkers. They think of the good that might come of the laws but not of, or dismiss, the harm it will certainly will cause. “If it saves just one life” is based upon this shallow thinking.

When the torrents of emotional pain from the latest tragedy involving a firearm have receded from all but the lowest parts of the flood plain reason and facts reappear and clear thinking makes it’s appearance again.

It should be very telling the gun control advocates are most effective when emotions run deep and run aground when the tears have started to dry.—Joe]

Gun Song – Johnny Horton – Battle of New Orleans

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It doesn’t have the word “gun” in the title, but it’s definitely in the gun genre. I first heard it when I was in grade school, and I loved it. Loved the whole album. It is one of my son’s favorite today, along with Sink the Bismark. Clear words and singing, good story, with clean music and a rousing beat.  We fired our guns and the British kept a’comming / wasn’t not as many as there was a while ago / fired once more and they begin to run’n / down the Mississip to the Gulf of Mexico.

Johnny Horton – Battle of New Orleans

Horton sung a lot of historical stuff, about battles, wars, mountain men, gold miners and various turning points and interesting points in history. His style is called rockabilly, and would have likely produce a lore more stuff and been an even bigger name if he’d not been killed at age 35 by a drunk driver in a head-on crash while crossing a bridge in 1960.

Quote of the day—Chuck and Pat Wemstrom

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America needs to grow up. No one should need Hummers, attack dogs or assault rifles to prove himself a mensch. More important are qualities of courage, integrity and thoughtfulness.

Real men don’t need guns.

Chuck and Pat Wemstrom
April 1, 2013
The Wemstroms: Gun debate and the male ego
[I guess police officers and our soldiers aren’t real men then. Or else they don’t need the guns they carry. And even if “real men” don’t need guns how about “real women”?

The bottom line is that assault rifles have nothing to do with proving oneself to be a mensch. They are tools and like any other tool do not bestow qualities upon the owners. For the Wemstroms to believe they do or for them to believe gun owners believe they do is a serious error on their part. It’s a straw-man argument.—Joe]

The Stars Came Back -056a- Recap and open thread

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Slightly different today. I’m near one of those holes in the story I told you about, AND it’s nearly spring break, and the family is going to the coast. I don’t want to leave you hanging in the middle of a mission mid-explosion or anything, so I will give a quick recap and summary, then an open thread for you to talk about what you like, don’t like, expect, how you see the characters so far, favorites, what sort of things you might see coming up, how you interpret some minor things that might be connected, etc., etc., etc., while I patch holes and take a break with the kids. Continue reading →

Quote of the day—Stuart Rothenberg

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But the devil is in the details. You don’t have a lot of people feeling particularly pressured to do anything.

In the end, however, gun control advocates need to get something, he says, and will have to cooperate with the NRA to do so.

The political reality is that the NRA, surprisingly, didn’t give an inch. Now the other side needs to figure out a way to negotiate.

Stuart Rothenberg
April 3, 2013
Gun Control Prospects Recede As Politics Swamp Momentum
[Why should it be surprising the NRA didn’t give an inch? If the propose laws were severe restrictions on the right to attend the church of your choice or the right to read the books you wanted do you think the ACLU would give an inch?

The right to keep and bear arms is no different. Over a hundred million people were murdered or killed in wars in the 20th Century by people who read and took to heart the works of Karl Marx. And I expect there will be millions more death in the conflict over communism in this century. Yet I have never once heard of anyone advocating for the banning of his books. 20 kids murdered by a nut case with a gun is a huge tragedy but millions of kids murdered by leftist monsters is just a number.

I want the people at large to own guns so the risk of genocide and mass murder due to advocates of communism or any other totalitarian government is pushed to near zero. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom to bear arms are a package deal. And there is nothing to negotiate.—Joe]

The Stars Came Back -056- Letter

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Fade to

INT – Day – Main cabin of intruder’s ship.

In it are eight very violently dead men in lightly armored dark uniforms, and there is a fair bit of blood splattered around. One of them is lying on his back, showing a badge on his chest. They all had carbines. Kat, Kaminski, Harbin, Horkle, and Helton look over the carnage. Continue reading →

Quote of the day—Phelps

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Given the speed of sound and how fast you’ll drop, you’ll never hear the shot.

Phelps
March 31, 2013
[I have nothing to add.—Joe]

The Stars Came Back -055- Uninvited guests

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Cut to

Int – day – bridge

Harbin walks in. Helton, Kat, Kaminski (now in space armor), and Kaushik are at stations. They looked concerned.

Kat: We may have a problem. Continue reading →

Quote of the day—Matt Brian

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Google users have blasted the company for focusing on its April Fools antics, arguing that the time invested in polishing its gags might have been better spent keeping Google Reader alive.

Matt Brian
April 1, 2013
Google and Microsoft trade insults for April Fools
[Add me to the list of Google Reader users that is annoyed they are discontinuing it.—Joe]

The Stars Came Back -054- Loading and lift-off

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Fade in

EXT – night -cargo bay loading ramp

It is dark and rainy. A beat up and obviously heavily damaged military vehicle with a light machine gun mounted on top is being loaded into the Tajemnica. One crewman drives, another ground-guides it up. After it gets into place near the ramp, and the driver hops out and starts helping the ground-guide with tie-downs to secure it into place. In the background, several more damaged vehicles and containers of cargo can be seen, secured. Some have guns, some don’t. Continue reading →

Boomershoot history article

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The editor at Western Shooting Journal gave me permission to publish the article I wrote for them the history of Boomershoot here are my blog. The .pdf files for the various pages in the March 2013 issue are:

Quote of the day—Jim of Pennsyltucky

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Vampire season

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Barb L. and I just got back from the lumber store after purchasing 1000 stakes:

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I really wanted someone to ask why we were buying so many stakes. The checkout clerk “had that look”. You just knew he was wondering but he didn’t ask.

Barb and I were ready with answers. Her answer was, “We run a tourist business of vampire hunts.”

I planned to make him work a little more and get his brain engaged before delivering the punch line. I envisioned it would go something like this:

Clerk: What are you going to do with all those stakes?

Joe: Hunting season opens next weekend in Idaho and we are going to be there for opening day.

Clerk: Okay. <pause> Uh… what are you hunting?

Joe: Vampires.

More blog posts about stake purchases and vampires are here (2006), here (2007), and here (2008). All are about this time of year and all are related to Boomershoot.

Quote of the day–Ed Pietruszka Jr.

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There is no crisis of rifle violence in this state, only a crisis of fear driven by opportunistic legislators.

Ed Pietruszka Jr.
March 31, 2013
Don’t be fooled by gun control lies
[Pietruszka was referring to Maryland but the statement is true in many other states and at the Federal level as well.—Joe]

The Stars Came Back -053- Side Deal

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Fade in

INT – day – Adelaide spaceport concourse

Harbin walks down the concourse, in uniform, with sidearm, being followed by a modest sized robot cart piles high with metal transport boxes of gear. He nods to the security guard near as he passes, and the guard nods back in professional recognition. He passes the info desk, where a woman, PAYTON SMITH (36, attractive, well-dressed, Caucasian) with a suitcase next to her is arguing with the info clerk. Continue reading →

Quote of the day—Andrew Rosenthal

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On Thursday, President Obama renewed his call for legislation, including a ban on some of the most lethal guns (so-called “military-style” assault weapons designed for the singular purpose of killing as many people as possible as quickly as possible.)

Andrew Rosenthal
March 29, 2013
What Now for Gun Control?
[Many millions of these “singular purpose” guns are in use all over the U.S. yet only a few hundred people are killed each year using a rifle of any type yet alone a “assault weapon”.

It’s long past time for the New York Times (Rosenthal works for the NYT) to openly state they are nothing more than a propaganda machine and have concern for, and perhaps no awareness of, facts.—Joe]