Quote of the day–Bjorn Sandberg

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These new bats are too powerful. They’re like weapons.


Bjorn Sandberg
March 26, 2010
Metal bats unsafe to swing?
[Haven’t we been saying that after guns are banned they will try to do the same thing with knives and baseball bats? And the anti-freedom people laugh and make fun of us about it.


While this article isn’t in the context of “crime prevention” the “right” words are being used. If we were to lose the right to keep and bear arms I would expect there would be “safe storage” requirements and other restrictions on baseball bats within a few years.–Joe]

Quote of the day–Robb Allen

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Free people make choices that change their status in relation to others. Can’t have that can we?


Robb Allen
December 22, 2009
Advantage, us
[Look at the health care issue, look at the graduated income tax issue, look at double taxing of corporate profits, look at the victim disarmament laws. The anti-freedom people want people equal–even if it is equally poor, equally at risk, equally sick, or equally dead.


There is are numerous very profound problems with equalizing people. Probably the most obvious, but not the most hazardous problem, is this.


I had read this shortly after Robb posted it but I didn’t give this particular set of words the independent focus it deserved. Thanks to Mike L. for bringing it to my attention.–Joe]

Private party for Ian

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As I have previously reported Ian is an intern at Microsoft from Canada. I took him shooting once and he enjoyed it a great deal.

 

Last Friday after work he and I left Redmond and headed east to Idaho where we could have some real fun. Idaho is less repressive in a number of ways than Washington. In particular the explosives law are a pain in Washington.

 

Saturday morning daughter Kim, Ian and I loaded up the van and went to the Boomershoot site. Barron, Janelle, and Ryan were already there when we arrived. We were going to put on a private party for Ian and do a few experiments to test out some ideas for a new target deployment method.

 

Some of the pictures are below see also the fireball demo pictures here.

 


Ian about to shoot his first boomer.

 


This was just after detonation. Notice the streak of something headed to the left in the tree.

 


Ian preparing for the blast of debris.

 


Ian realizing he is going to live.

 


Ian realizing that was fun (debris still falling).

 


Ian realizing that was really fun (debris still falling).

 


Ian, Ryan, and Janelle (only her shadow is visible on the far right) do a miniature High Intensity Event.

 


Ian shooting still more boomers.

 


Ian seems to like this too.

 


Ryan brought an old laptop in need of an Idaho Stress Test.

 


Ryan preparing to initiate the stress test.

 


The test is complete in a few microseconds.

 


Ryan was very happy with the test results even if he did have to pick up all the pieces.

 

Ian, Kim, and I took the scenic route back to Moscow, picked up Barb just as she got off from work and went to VJs BBQ (there was a reason for chosing this particular place) for dinner. They have a Gadsden flag and the Declaration of Independence on the wall if that gives you a hint.

 

What I wonder is what the anti-freedom people in this country have to offer interns who visit. It’s not like they have anti-gun ranges to go have fun at.

 

Update: Linoge linked to this post and claimed one of the pictures of Ian above is “Photo of the year“. In the interests of completeness I have uploaded the original, untouched, photo here.

Quote of the day–Joe Huffman

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Some forms of therapy are not covered under Obamacare.


Joe Huffman
March 27, 2010
[This is going to be the slogan on the Boomershoot 2010 t-shirts.


Photos by daughter Kim yesterday.


In the last picture, yes, it was raining debris from the explosion.–Joe]

Quote of the day–Joycelyn Elders

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If Medicaid does not pay for abortions, does not pay for family planning, but pays for pre-natal care and delivery, that’s saying: I’ll pay for you to have another good, healthy slave.


Joycelyn Elders
WASHINGTON POST
February 16, 1993
[So I wonder what she says about Obama signing an executive order not allowing government funds to be spent on abortion.–Joe]

Top twenty

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Tamara points out you may have heard of a few of gun bloggers in the list here.


I have met or talked on the phone to most of them.


Some of them will be attending Boomershoot 2010. Boomershoot Media Day is April 22nd this year in case any more bloggers would like to attend. There are currently two open positions and I expect a third will open up soon.

Quote of the day–Daniel Webster

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In the nature of things, those who have no property and see their neighbors possess much more than they think them to need, cannot be favorable to laws made for the protection of property. When this class becomes numerous, it becomes clamorous. It looks on property as its prey and plunder, and is naturally ready, at times, for violence and revolution.


Daniel Webster
Address, Massachusetts Convention, 1820
From The Great Thoughts, (but I have the first edition) compiled by George Seldes.
[Laws protecting property had a knife slipped between their ribs with the passage of the 16th Amendment. Laws protecting the possession of property mean nothing if you can’t purchase it to begin with. The government takes such a high proportion of my income that I don’t really work for myself and my family anymore. I work for the government which distributes my life energy to those people the government thinks are more worthy.


Where is Galt’s Gulch?–Joe]

More cheery news

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Chet is just full of good news today. He emailed me this tonight:


Preventing violence

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It always raises warning flags when I hear of someone wanting to prevent violence. This is no exception. They want to “figure out which people are genuinely dangerous” and “reach out” to them:



Rahr says the science to answer that question is available, and she’s asking the federal government for money to set up a pilot task-force program here that she hopes would serve as a model nationwide.


I am of the opinion that anytime the government starts “reaching out” to “prevent violence” it’s time for me to make sure my “reaching out” tools are in good working order.


[H/T to Chet who walked into my office this morning to tell me the cheery news.]

It’s a small world

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Barb called me tonight to tell me she saw a woman open carrying in the grocery store. It looked like “the woman in Moscow who reads your blog”.


I’m pretty sure there is more than one woman in Moscow that reads my blog–considering both of my daughters and Barb are women, live in Moscow, and make mention of the things I write on a fairly regular basis. But regardless, I was pretty sure I was able to disambiguate who she was talking about. It had to be Laurel.


Barb told me she approached her (Paul Helmke and friends are wrong, normal people don’t get scared, run away or call the cops at the sight of an openly carried firearm) and asked. It turns out the guess of Laurel was wrong. Close, but wrong. It was Laurel’s sister.


Further chatting revealed that sister and her husband own the local BBQ joint. Barb was absolutely thrilled. In addition to me now smiling when she spends money at Starbucks she is convinced I will spend more money on their delicious BBQ (we have been there before and found it quite good). Barb went on to say that she just wishes Michaels and Joann would do something to curry my favor such that she could spend as much money as she wanted without me developing a frown.

Quote of the day–Nicolo Machiavell

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It should be noted that hatred is acquired as much by good works as by bad ones.


Nicolo Machiavell
The Prince, Chapter XIX
[I suspect this is part of the problem people of liberty have. They don’t want to be disliked and are willing to make compromises to make other people less hateful of them. Tyrants and “progressives” have no problem with the hatred others have of them. It’s just not that big of an issue to people like leftists Bill Ayers (neighbor and family friend of President Obama), Joseph Stalin, or Pol Pot. If they have to kill a few million people in order to create their utopia and are hated by some for that, what’s the big deal? It was for a good cause.


I think a little non-violent ruthlessness in pursuit of liberty might be a good thing. Someone that doesn’t fasten their seat belt or eats the wrong foods and is injured or gets ill at an early age should be considered an example of what not to do and left to the care of those that might see some benefit in helping them. Those examples are not justification to use the force of government (the point of a gun) to take from those that played the cards life gave them more carefully. We might be hated for that but the end result is a smarter and healthier society in more ways than one.–Joe]

Spot the moron

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As Ben said in email, “Spot the moron”:



From here.

The Revolution has Begun

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Just so we’re clear; No, I’m not kidding.


I attended a rally for Idaho Gubernatorial candidate, Rex Rammell last night in troy, and spoke with him for some time.  No arrests were made.  They fed us elk spaghetti.  Afterward, I told my older brother that Rex was either the best damned actor in all the world or he is for real.  I’m now convinced he is for real.  Rammell has fought the Idaho Legislature and won, he has defied state authority over his own property rights, had his livestock killed and taken by state goons, been arrested, fought that, and won, and he is now jacked up to fight for Idaho, within Idaho and with the feds, for liberty.  His plan is make Idaho an example for the rest of the states to follow.

Read his website and his Facebook page.  That’s not the half of it.  This is our guy.  I don’t care what state you call home, Rex wants be the one to show the rest of the country how it’s done, he’s willing to push back and to defy the powers that be in order to restore liberty based on America’s founding principles.  Among the agenda items in what he refers to as “The Cause” are; eliminating the Idaho income tax and creating a welcome environment for business to grow the economy, that will in turn attract more motivated people into the state to grow the economy, massively reduce the state department of education thereby eliminating the top-heavy system and relinquishing education control back to the locals, get everyone in the state off of welfare, and (get this) returning the two thirds of the State of Idaho that’s now federal land, back to the state.  If elected, he promises to climb aboard a bulldozer and use it to rip out some Forrest Service gates in front of the TV cameras.


He’s willing to “force them (the feds) out” of the state and he has a plan for doing just that.  “Gone.”  I don’t mean he’s going to sue on Tenth Amendment gounds or whatever.  That’s just a first step.  Rex is willing to do whatever it takes.  He’s been there before, as state goons were shooting his elk (with 5.56 mm AR-15s, the dipshits) right in front of him on his own property.  Don’t let his soft looks fool you.  He’s that skinny, quiet kid who’ll nail his targets at 1,000 yards and carry the water after the loudmouth bodybuilder has quit the fight.


Rex is a Mormon, and some will be put off by that.  Don’t be stupid.  Listen; he’s convinced that fighting for American principles is his calling in life.  That’s passion.  He has courage and a sense of purpose, and those are exactly what we need for this fight.  Make no mistake about it; there will be a fight and it will get ugly.  Best we start it from inside the system, with the constitution and founding principles of liberty as our guide.


If you’re one of those people, as am I, who’s been alarmed and disgusted at the direction this country has been going, and yet frustrated that there seems to be no one to vote for who’s serious, Rex is your candidate.  For years I’ve been watching the culture war in this country, hearing talk show host after talk show host, reading blogger after blogger, all chronicling the corrupt behavior of the Evil Party, and the cowardice, capitulation and corruption of the Stupid Party.  For years I’ve been saying; “OK!  I get it already!  Now what do we DO about it?”  Well this is what you do about it– you spread the word about Rex Rammell, attend his rallies, and support his primary campaign.  If you live in Idaho, you get at least ten people out with you and you vote in the primary election in May.


The Idaho Gubernatorial election will be decided in the May primary.  Rammell is up against Butch Otter, and the winner in the primary is going to be our next Governor.  Spread the word.  His campaign is running on a shoestring right now.  This Revolution can either splutter to a pause, leading to more and deeper pain, or it can roar forward.  It depends on you.


There you go.  I’ve never said much of anything nice about a politician before.  Most of them are sub-human scum.  If you knew me, you’d understand what a difference I see in this guy, to say anything positive about him.

The male brain

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I really, really liked the book The Female Brain. So has everyone I have convinced to read (or listen to) it.


The same author now has published The Male Brain. Here is a story by the author on CNN regarding some of the results elaborated on in the book:



Perhaps the biggest difference between the male and female brain is that men have a sexual pursuit area that is 2.5 times larger than the one in the female brain. Not only that, but beginning in their teens, they produce 200 to 250 percent more testosterone than they did during pre-adolescence.


If testosterone were beer, a 9-year-old boy would be getting the equivalent of a cup a day. But a 15-year-old would be getting the equivalent of nearly two gallons a day. This fuels their sexual engines and makes it impossible for them to stop thinking about female body parts and sex.


…


All that testosterone drives the “Man Trance”– that glazed-eye look a man gets when he sees breasts. As a woman who was among the ranks of the early feminists, I wish I could say that men can stop themselves from entering this trance. But the truth is, they can’t. Their visual brain circuits are always on the lookout for fertile mates. Whether or not they intend to pursue a visual enticement, they have to check out the goods.


To a man, this is the most natural response in the world, so he’s dismayed by how betrayed his wife or girlfriend feels when she sees him eyeing another woman. Men look at attractive women the way we look at pretty butterflies. They catch the male brain’s attention for a second, but then they flit out of his mind. Five minutes later, while we’re still fuming, he’s deciding whether he wants ribs or chicken for dinner. He asks us, “What’s wrong?” We say, “Nothing.” He shrugs and turns on the TV. We smolder and fear that he’ll leave us for another woman.


I have put the book on my “Wish List” at Audible.com and will buy it the next time a good sale comes around.


[H/T to son James for the IM with the link to the article.]

Six million and one?

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Sebastian pulled the number six million concealed carry permit holders out of the MSNBC story on concealed carry.


I wonder if that number is the sum of all the permits currently issued or the number of people with permits. I doubt that anyone was able to get a complete list of all the people with permits from all the states and remove duplicates. But they might have made some estimates.


In any case, daughter Kim called me up today to tell me she received her Washington State Concealed Pistol License (CPL) today.


So depending on how the numbers were tallied it could be six million and one licenses are now issued.

Quote of the day–Rep. John Dingell

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Let me remind you this has been going on for years. We are bringing it to a halt. The harsh fact of the matter is when you’re going to pass legislation that will cover 300 American people in different ways it takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the legislation together to control the people.


Rep. John Dingell (D-MI)
March 23, 2010
Via Ed Morrissey at Hot Air (after hearing the audio on the Rush Limbaugh Show).
[I am reminded of something I said a long time ago:



Does it ever strike you as odd that some of our servants demand that they have a monopoly on certain types of weapons?


I keep thinking that they must have either forgotten they are servants or intend to change the relationship.


I think the selection of which conclusion is correct should now be obvious.–Joe]

Dilemma of Federal gun laws

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Sad story:



Being commander of the Catholic War Veterans Post 370 on Illinois 159 south of Belleville hasn’t been particularly trying for Mike Anthony — until they found the machine gun.


“In January, when they found it, the guys called and said they needed to talk to me,” Anthony said. “They showed me what they had. I thought it was a beautiful relic but I wondered what we could do with it.”


What they had was a Lewis .30-caliber machine gun, manufactured in 1917 by the Savage Arms Co. in Utica, N.Y., according to markings on the gun.


…


“I found out it was illegal to have it,” he said. “Not only that but there was a $250,000 fine and 10 years in prison. So I thought, ‘Well, it doesn’t work but previous cases showed that if it could be made serviceable, you still could get in trouble.'”


Some guys thought maybe they could give it back to the Savage company, which wanted it for its museum. But that isn’t legal either.


Instead, Sheriff Mearl Justus was able to take it off their hands, legally. But the sheriff’s department’s options are limited as well.


“We can register it and keep it, we can send it to Alton to have it melted down or we can give it to the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosive) and it will be destroyed,” said Sgt. John Fulton, administrative assistant with the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department.




Also from the article:



Capt. Charles Chandler with a Lewis gun and Lt. Roy Kirtland, seated in a Wright Model B Flyer in 1912 after the first successful firing of a machine gun from an airplane. Chandler was the first leader of the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, which would later evolve into the U.S. Air Force:



The ATF should be a convenience store–not a government organization that destroys historical artifacts.

Quote of the day–Davidwhitewolf

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For me, Boomershoot’s a bit like sex. You never forget your first sexual experience, and if it was good, you keep trying to approach or exceed that rush every time. Similarly, every shot at a Boomer has the potential to be just as exciting as your first one.


Davidwhitewolf
March 22, 2010
2010 Will Be The Best Boomershoot Yet
[I agree there are some similarities. If you have ever heard my little lecture on the definition of fun you will understand. I (and many other people, but especially Ry) put a lot of thought into making Boomershoot fun.


This weekend we will be doing some alpha testing of a new target deployment system. If it goes well there will be a beta test at Boomershoot 2010 and then perhaps a full roll out for Boomershoot 2011. If you listened to Vicious Circle 42 you’ll have a hint of just how “evil” Ry is.


If things go as planned at the end of April Boomershooters will get to experience the Evil of Ry for themselves.


I just wonder if Davidwhitewolf will think the new Boomers are a big tease or do they actually “put out”.–Joe]

More Boomershoot 2010 positions available.

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We have had several positions open up. I will formally make the positions available at 18:00 on Wednesday March 24th. Until then existing participants will be able to trade their current positions for one of the open ones. So the currently open positions may not be available on Wednesday.


You will be able to sign up at http://entry.boomershoot.org/


The positions becoming available are:



In case you have forgotten or didn’t hear, Michael Bane will be attending and filming for his T.V. show on the Outdoor Channel. He will also be the speaker at the dinner on Saturday night.


Update: The positions available now are:


Quote of the day–Thumper242

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I was just told my JPFO “life preserver” shirt is “shameful and inapropriate”.


Thumper242
March 21, 2010 Via Twitter
[This shirt is going “out of print”. Only sizes “Small” and “Medium” are still available. Piss off a bigot and buy your own today.–Joe]