Quote of the day–Alan Gura, Robert A. Levy, Clark M. Neilly

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Cooley agreed, explaining that the Second Amendment “is significant as having been reserved by the people as a possible and necessary resort for the protection of self-government against usurpation, and against any attempt on the part of those who may for the time be in possession of State authority or resources to set aside the constitution and substitute their own rule for that of the people.” Thomas Cooley, The Abnegation of Self-Government, 12 PRINCETON REV. 209, 213-14 (1883). The individual use of Second-Amendment-protected arms to check despotism, “far from being revolutionary, would be in strict accord with popular right and duty.” Id.

The Second Amendment is a doomsday provision, one designed for those exceptionally rare circumstances where all other rights have failed–where the government refuses to stand for reelection and silences those who protest; where courts have lost the courage to oppose, or can find no one to enforce their decrees. However improbable these contingencies may seem today, facing them unprepared is a mistake a free people get to make only once.

Alan Gura
Robert A. Levy
Clark M. Neily III
February 24, 2008
RESPONDENT’S BRIEF On Writ Of Certiorari To The United States Court Of Appeals For The District Of Columbia Circuit.
[In part, Boomershoot is about being prepared to exercise this part of the constitution.–Joe]

Boomershoot blogger day report

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I’m sure someone else will give better reports than me. I’m way too tired. But lets just say the fire last Sunday didn’t scare me nearly as much as the one we had today. And we have a dozen people to fight this one.


Everyone seemed to have a good time and what surprised me most was that they seemed to enjoy me just standing around and telling stories as much as making explosives and blowing mud all over everyone.


And then there was the awesome picture Ry took. The target has HIGH SPEED flames shooting out of the sides just before it is reduced to it’s molecular components–and you can see the bullet hole in the target. I’m sure he will post it sometime. It’s just a question of him having bandwidth, both computer and personal, to do it.


Tomorrow we start cranking out targets while most of the gun blogger crew participates in the Precision Rifle Clinic.

Quote of the day–Chuck

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My message to my troops is if you see any Jews on the streets of Berlin, we’ll put them on the ground, take their property away and then decide whether they have a right to it. Maybe I’ll end up with a protest of Rabbis. In the meantime, I’ve got serious orthodoxy with access to Talmuds. It’s irresponsible to send a message to them that if they just study it openly no one can bother them.


Chuck
In the comments to Quote of the day–Ed Flynn
[Very nice twist to Ed’s words. It put Flynn’s words in the proper perspective for others to see it for what it was–using the force of law in a bigoted attack on gun owners.–Joe]

We Get it, Already

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This is an open letter to all the talk show hosts, pundits, party hacks, cheaters, scumbags, sick twisted freaks (you know who you are) and pro-freedom bloggers.  We could spend the rest of our lives cataloging the outrageous behavior of nasty, America-hating, ignorant, self-loathing, cultist, freedom-hating, anti-human, leftist politicians including Progressive Republicans.  We know they’re bad, OK?  If there are three or four people who still don’t get it, that’s all right.


I’d rather try to figure out how we’re going to get some principled Americans nominated so we’re not always forced to choose between bad and worse– between more socialism slower, and more socialism faster.  This last national election was a real puker.  The Republican Party is, at the moment, just as lost, dumbfounded, selfish and clueless as ever.  They’re a herd of does, staring blankly into the headlights of an on-coming truck, and the worst part of it is; they don’t even suspect that they’re clueless.  They in the Republican leadership think they have some really clever answers, which amount to more of what got us into this mess.  I recently heard it described as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.  That fits very well.  The Republicans have some really super great, super ultra smart ideas for rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.  No really, listen…  (all the while we have this simple, proven model for success, and it’s being ignored.)


We need to change that.  You need to change it.  I need to change it.  There isn’t anyone else.  I suppose, since it’s up to us, it will have to be on the local level for most of us, being as we’re not billionaires.  That’s OK.  We can still do what we can do.  A lot of people are jazzed up right now.  They just need somewhere to start.  Well, pick a place, a local issue or a local politician that needs a hand (or a very public spanking) and get to it!


That there are clueless people is not the issue.  There will always be the clueless.  They’ll sit on the sidelines, worrying about who likes them and who doesn’t, trying to figure out where the “center” is so they can position themselves in it and claim superiority for having done so, while someone else does the lifting.  Are you a sitter or a lifter?


I have a bad feeling that things could come to blows before this government is brought under control, and I really don’t want that to happen.  Do you?  This country is far too important in the grand scheme of things.


And with that; I don’t have much more to say on here, other than to repeat myself or talk about the weather and what I did last weekend, unless it’s to tell you what I’m doing on the local level to influence politics.  Now I think I have some calls to make.


(Note that I placed this in nearly every one of Joe’s categories. It’s relevant to everything we do and every opportunity we want for our kids in the future)

Quote of the day–Ed Flynn

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My message to my troops is if you see anybody carrying a gun on the streets of Milwaukee, we’ll put them on the ground, take the gun away and then decide whether you have a right to carry it. Maybe I’ll end up with a protest of cowboys. In the meantime, I’ve got serious offenders with access to handguns. It’s irresponsible to send a message to them that if they just carry it openly no one can bother them.


Ed Flynn
Milwaukee Police Chief
April 21, 2009
Milwaukee chief to officers: Ignore gun memo
[What if some police chief said something like this about black people walking the streets after dark? Or Christians wearing a cross in public? His remaining time on the job would, and rightly so, be measured in minutes. And so it should be in this case. It is his job to enforce the law, not enforce what he would like the law to be.


It’s a good thing I won’t be visiting Wisconsin anytime in the foreseeable future. My response to a police officer committing a felony such as this either against me or in my presence would be “messy” and probably involve compounds containing nitrogen. It would be better if you follow Sebastian’s recommendations.–Joe]

I noticed a chill

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I went to Office Depot today to pick up some supplies for Boomershoot. I bought three pounds (it annoys me they are by the pound rather than the count) of #6 rubber bands, 200 clip on name badges, and a self-inking stamp. Everyone was nice until I told them what I wanted on the stamp. Then I noticed a distinct chill in their attitude.


I’m not sure what it could have been but it must have been one of the following lines:


Extreme Danger!!
Contains High Explosives
FlashTek, Cavendish ID 208-301-4254
Lot 2009-4-      Shift 1

Interviewed for career day

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I just got a call from a 14 year old kid in Michigan that wanted to know a bunch of things about being an “explosives specialist”. The most memorable questions were:



  • Q: What is most important about your career? A: Safety. Being very, very detail oriented and being careful.

  • Q: What do you like most about your career? A: Making people happy and changing the way people think about gun and explosives.

I also told him that if he was serious about explosives as a career he should consider something other than doing Boomershoot type events. He should look into demolition, mining, and certain specialties in the military. I should have mentioned road construction but I didn’t think of it until after we had said goodbye.

Quote of the day–Nate Murray

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We are shooting what I wanted to from the beginning,…. a pilot for a new show on the outdoor channel. The show would be called “Gun Nuts”, or ‘Tactical TV”.


Nate Murray
Sound Theory Productions
April 20, 2009
[There was a change of plan on the filming for the TV show at Boomershoot 2009. Instead of filming for the Western Extreme/Adventures Abroad TV shows it’s going to be a pilot for a new show. The pressure is on!–Joe]

Private party

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As I reported yesterday due to a failure in communications one of the Boomershoot spectators showed up a week early on Saturday night. I felt so bad about it that we put on a private party for them. They got the full Boomershoot experience. From helping fold the boxes for the targets (a staff t-shirt will be delivered within a week or two), seeing the targets made, shooting boomers, seeing an awesome fireball (Caleb was some distance away and thought it had enveloped us) and even helping to put out a fire.


Son-in-law Caleb and daughter Kim starting the box folding. We ended up with about 65 crates of empty boxes.


Our guest after hitting her first boomer.


Notice there is still a smile as she prepares to engage the next one.


The second boomer in the early stages of earth movement. Notice the dirt moving outward?


Our shooter was 25 yards from the boomers. Almost Entertainingly Close.


Due to some technical difficulties I shot the fireball target and there was no one on the camera.
This is want it looked like about 15 seconds after detonation. Notice the flames to the far left.


After about 15 minutes of fire fighting. We were very glad it was near the creek and we had buckets to move water with.
Click to see a higher resolution version.

Quote of the day–Judge O’Scannlain

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We therefore conclude that the right to keep and bear arms is “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition.” Colonial revolutionaries, the Founders, and a host of commentators and lawmakers living during the first one hundred years of the Republic all insisted on the fundamental nature of the right. It has long been regarded as the “true palladium of liberty.” Colonists relied on it to assert and to win their independence, and the victorious Union sought to prevent a recalcitrant South from abridging it less than a century later. The crucial role this deeply rooted right has played in our birth and history compels us to recognize that it is indeed fundamental, that it is necessary to the Anglo-American conception of ordered liberty that we have inherited. We are therefore persuaded that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment incorporates the Second Amendment and applies it against the states and local governments.


Judge O’Scannlain
United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Nordyke case
April 20, 2009
[As Dave Hardy said, “This has got to hurt.” Let’s keep them hurting too. No quarter!–Joe]

New Shooting Range?

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The last few times I drove north to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho I noticed a sign on hwy 95 touting a shooting range.  This last time I noted the name and the location; Moses Mtn Shooting Range near mile post 391, just outside of Plummer.  Can’t find anything on the interwebs so I’ll just have to drive up there to check it out.


We sure need more shooting ranges around here.  A nice big, 500 or 1,000 yard rifle range would be sweet.

Quote of the day–Maj. John Pitcairn

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Disperse, you rebels — Damn you, throw down your arms and disperse!


Maj. John Pitcairn
Lexington, Massachusetts
April 19, 1775
[When distant rulers attempt to seize the arms of todays free people will it rate a turning point in history or just an incident report in a forgotten police record? You decide.–Joe]

A failure to communicate

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While at the Boomershoot site yesterday I didn’t have cell phone service (AT&T). Last year it was fine. Even yesterday it would, for a minute or so, have “four bars” but then it would go to zero. In one of those bursts of service, around 1330, I received notice I had a voice mail. I immediately tried to call out and retrieve it but even when there was signal indicated the call would not go through. “Oh, well,” I thought, “It probably was just the girls at the house wanting me to pick up something at the store on the way home. I’ll get the message on my way home.”

I checked the voice mail about 1715 on top of a hill as I was leaving the area. A chill went through me. It was someone from work that was, “Just leaving Seattle.” The time on the message was 1100. They expected to be in Orofino by 1700 in time for the Boomershoot dinner. Yeah, that would be in plenty of time for the dinner. Exactly seven days early. “See you tonight they said.” And, I was told, “I found accommodations at the Helgeson.”

They had stopped by my office on Friday to talk to my office-mate and then we talked about going to see Boomershoot this year. They wanted to watch and also see the explosives being made but exactly which Saturday and Sunday was apparently miscommunicated.

I called back but there was no answer and I left voice mail. There is no AT&T cell service in Orofino and I was pretty sure they have AT&T as their carrier. When I got back to Moscow I called their phone again, which went to voice mail, and then the Helgeson. They hadn’t checked in yet. I sent a text message to their cell. An hour later I called the Helgeson again. Yes, they had checked in and got my message but they had just left. I expressed my concern that they might not have cell phone service, which was confirmed. I said I would call back in an hour.

About an hour later they called me from a land-line in Orofino. I apologized profusely for the miscommunication and told them we were going back out to the site tomorrow and they would get a “private party”. They will get to see the explosives being made, get to detonate several boomers from “entertainingly close” ranges, have lunch with my parents, and maybe even test out a new fireball construction method I thought of.

Pictures tonight or tomorrow.

Boomershoot conditions look awesome!

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Both the conditions on site now and the forecast for the rest of the week look absolutely awesome. It’s a little wet right now but still easily dealt with. The forecast is for the weather to be clear or scattered clouds until Friday with temperatures sometimes reaching the upper 70s. That should dry things out. Friday night, after the High Intensity event there is a strong possibility of showers. Which would wash away any spilled Boomerite minimizing the chances of a fire. From then though Sunday night it is supposed to be cloudy with temperatures in the upper 60s with, again, a chance of rain Sunday night after the event is over. I couldn’t ask for a better forecast.


Here are some pictures from yesterday:



The daffodils are starting to bloom on the shooters berm.



All the snow in the shooting areas is gone.



The road into the shooters area is nearly dry.



Even with one of the seats removed the van was packed with equipment and supplies.



The Taj was over crowed after the van was unloaded.



The target prep area was dry.



I “paved” the work area where we walked in mud last year.



I found three small patches of snow on the property. This was the largest at 1:21 in the afternoon.



The same patch of snow three hours later at 4:18. I suspect it will be gone when I visit the site today.

The things I put up with for Boomershoot

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Just after Boomershoot 2008 I received the following email:



Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 2:46 PM
Subject: boomershoot


Joe,


Once again I want to thank you for ruining another fine Cavendish springtime weekend; as you well know, they are far and few between in this “quiet” North Idaho community. I spent the weekend caring for my dog who is absolutely terrified of the noise generated by your idiotic activities of one quarter of a mile away. I also spent fifty dollars at the vet for tranquilizers to get him through the ordeal.


Too bad you can’t direct your intelligence to a more constructive cause.


XXX XXX, a resident of Cavendish for 37 years.


I forwarded the email to a friend who works with dogs and asked for advice. I then procrastinated for nearly a year before attempting to address the issue in a polite manner. My attempt was:



From: Joe Huffman [mailto:joeh@boomershoot.org]
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 11:52 AM
Subject: RE: boomershoot

I’m very sorry you and your dogs are upset by the noise. I have consulted someone who has worked with dogs who had problems with loud noises and she had some suggestions. I thought she might be able to attend again this year. She had offered to stop by and work with you and your dogs some. It turns out she will not be able to attend. Her comments:



Tell him that one of the range safety officers is disabled woman, and has a service dog who can be at close range and the dog is practically unfazed by the sounds of close-up gunfire/explosives.* This dog was once-fretful/skittish dog at the slightest sound — even that of a falling leaf (no joke). The dog is a survivor of brutal beatings due do gang-related pit bull abuse but has overcome most of the sound-related trauma, thanks to training and desensitization, so the dog can now handle loud sounds.


Every dog is different. We’ve had other people w/ their dogs attend Boomershoot in the past and their dogs seem unfazed by the sounds. In fact, the neighbor dog is so unfazed by Boomershoot sounds, he sometimes playfully runs through the field (aka shooting range), and we call a “cease fire” to ensure the dog’s safety. We’ve waited up to 30 minutes before, until the dog playfully ran back home.


I have to disagree with you on the view that the activities are “idiotic”. Thousands of people think otherwise. The Seattle KING5 television station did a very positive video of the event which was nominated for an Emmy award in 2006. Newsweek and Outside Magazine and others have had positive articles on it as well. People travel from all across the country and sometimes (including this year) even from Europe to participate. This year, as nearly every other year, we have spectators driving from the Seattle area just to watch. All have found it to be a constructive cause.


Again, I’m sorry our once a year activities cause your dogs so much anxiety. We are having another event next weekend with a few boomers going off on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and hundreds of them on Sunday the 26th. If it would help I would be glad to compensate you for the problems with your dogs. I would be glad to send you a check for $50 to cover the medications or for you to take them someplace else. If this is agreeable to you please give me your mailing address and I’ll get the check in the mail as soon as I can.


Regards,


Joe Huffman
Boomershoot Event Director
P.S. It’s over a mile away, not 0.25 mile.


The email bounced so I forwarded it to my brother Doug asking if he had a current email address for our neighbor. He did not but offered that I might be able to find his work email address. Then a couple hours later I received the following email from one of my cousins in the area:



Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 2:34 PM
To: Joe Huffman
Cc: Doug Huffman
Subject: dogs

Hey Joe,
Our German Shepherds are becoming very anxious and even upset in anticipation of the upcoming boomer shoot. I think the cat maybe disturbed also, however all three say that fifty pounds of T-bones would probably settle their nerves.


He had me going there for the first half of a sentence but I figured it out and fired off the following reply:


From: Joe Huffman
Sent: Friday, April 17, 2009 3:09 PM
Cc: ‘Doug Huffman’
Subject: RE: dogs

Would that be 50 pounds each or 50 pounds combined?


And since you didn’t specify I will assume any bone tributes can be delivered in powdered form.


-joe-


The things I have to put up with for Boomershoot…

Boomershoot 2009 status

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Things are looking really good to me. I delivered about a half ton of supplies to the Taj Mahal this morning without getting stuck or even cutting into the ground much with my van.


The snow is essentially all gone. I was able find a little bit of snow but I had to look for it and it is likely to be gone by Boomershoot time.


I’ll post pictures tonight or tomorrow.


Update 1453: Live blogging from the Boomershoot site.


I’ve verified the problem with our “well” is that it doesn’t have any water in it rather than a problem with the pump or the pipe. I put about five gallons in it and I was able to pump water out just fine.

Quote of the day–perlhaqr

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I knew that the battle was futile when I couldn’t convince a girl I know, hell, a girl I love with all my heart–American, but of immediate Jewish Russian extraction, who herself had fled the Soviet Union as a child–that private ownership of arms was of vital importance.


After that, well, what else do you say?


perlhaqr
April 12, 2009
Comment at Hell In A Hand Basket
[I think it depends what one means by “battle”. I’m certain there are people that can never be convinced. Evidence is irrelevant to their beliefs. But I do believe that enough people can be convinced that we can live our lives relatively free with only a few bigots who rant at us on special occasions. But they will be relegated to a status like Fred Phelps or the Grand Wizard of the KKK who are recognized as kooks by nearly all thinking people. It may take a generation or three but I think it can be done.–Joe]

It’s official

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I won’t be attending the Second Amendment Blog Bash and NRA convention next month. I just sent my regrets to the organizer.


Xenia’s getting married in June and there are a lot of other things that are sucking up time and money this year so I just can’t make it happen.


Last year I had a wonderful time (see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here for examples). Nearly every time my wife or kids talked to me on the phone they commented on “how happy you sound”. I think Barb got a little jealous that I sounded happier to be with other bloggers than be with her. Yeah, I had a really, really great time.


Maybe next year. For this year the Boomershoot Gun Blogger Day next Thursday, with 11 gun bloggers attending, is going to have to be my main fix for the year. Even the Gun Blogger Rendezvous in September is out.

Quote of the day–Jeff Cooper

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I have never been taken with the idea of selling a gun. When you possess a firearm, you possess something of importance. If you trade it for cash, you have lost it – and the cash in your hand will soon be gone. Sell something else! 
   
Jeff Cooper
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries
June 11, 1993
[I posted this once before but it likely wasn’t noticed much in the collection of 146 other Cooper quote.


I’m selling a gun today. Other than a few guns I bought with the specific intent to resell this is the first time ever. It’s not because I want the money, it’s because the other person wants it and I don’t really have a use for it. I haven’t shot this one in years and I have another gun that fills this niche better than the one I am selling that I do shoot sometimes. Still, it makes me sad.–Joe]

Homeland Security Assessment

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To be completely transparent about the Homeland Security Assessment titled “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment” which I first saw at Kevin’s place. I didn’t see what the big deal was about it. The left has been saying I was a threat to humanity since I purchased my first gun, a SKS, back in December ’93 right after President Clinton (and her husband) were elected. I live in Idaho, so of course I’m considered a sexist, racist, bigot who would get violent now that we have a president who is of (one quarter) African descent. Never mind I would have cheered until I was hoarse if were Condoleezza Rice who had been elected President.


The “assessment” looked perfectly reasonable to me. What’s the big deal? It’s politics as usual. I’ve read enough garbage DHS reports and draft reports and given feedback on reports that never made it to the public that I don’t have any illusions about their ability to think their way out of a paper bag let alone be able to connect with reality.


But some people figured it was a forged document. I looked at it and didn’t see anything which indicate forged to me. Sure, the best lie is one that you want to believe. But the left wants to believe that too. They could just be lying to themselves. [shrug] Whatever. It’s kind of amusing. The irony is a bit funny.


I haven’t been paying all that much attention to what people have been saying about it. I’ve been very busy working on domination of the galaxy and planning to make a couple thousand pounds of explosives and gathering up a couple hundred people with guns for next weekend. Why should I care about what DHS says? It doesn’t really apply to me doesn’t? Surely they couldn’t have been thinking of me when they wrote it.


I did get an email from CCRKBA on the topic which I think is worth sharing. The came out with a news release with a line that made me smile:



“It’s ironic,” Gottlieb concluded, “that President Obama’s friend, William Ayers, is a leftwing terrorist bomber, but nothing in this report suggests monitoring his activities.”