Where is God?

Theologeans and Philosophers have talked about this forever. I've never understood why. It's rather like devoting your life to inventing a perpetual motion device. That's to say... It's a waste of time.

Let me see if I can explain this simply.

Grab a pencil and a piece of paper. Good. Now draw a circle, and on and around the circle, draw some stick-men. Yes Bane, you can give some of them guns, and it's ok if one them farts too. Now, draw some more circles on the paper, but far away from the stick-man circle.

See... The stickmen would know alot about the one circle. They may even find out about the other circles, and grasp the concept of the paper.

However, they will never be able to understand that the paper is sitting on a table. They certainly would have no way of knowing, or understanding the room the table sat in, much less the house that contained the room, or the world that contained the house.

We don't have enough information. We can never have enough information, because we can't travel off the paper while we're stickmen. We have to stop being stickmen before we can start to figure out the way things really work.

Central Planters

That's my new term to describe the boys over at the FED. See... today the talking heads have gotten to me. If I hear one more "economist" kneel and bob for Alan "Big Spender" Greenspan, I'm gonna strap a diaper on my head with a serpentine belt and shoot up an Amtrac with an AK-47.

These idiots are so impressed with Greenspan and the way he's handled this recession. How about we take a look at shall we?

Lets start off by looking at 1929.

The most accepted explanation of the woe and misery in the 1930s' is that Fed personnel screwed up when they raised rates from 5% to 6% in August, 1929 and then were not aggressive enough in lowering them afterward.

Today, the talking heads laud Greenspan for his aggressive approach. Post-2000, the drop amounted to 475 basis points, which the establishment considers as an "emergency" decline, which is little different to the 450 bps post-1929.

So... 450 points wasn't enough after the crash in 1929, but 475 was enough after 2000.

Alan Greenspan wrote essays in 1966 condemning the Fed's reckless ease in the 1920s in expanding that bubble, which expanded the consequent woe and misery. Tell me, what is the job of a reporter if it's not to ask questions like: Mr Greenspan, can you explain why you critized the FED's 1929 rate drop as to drastic, then oversaw an even greater drop in 2000?

These are the people who are attempting to run our economy.

This is why central planning doesn't work. No one has a clue what they are doing, or why they are doing it.

This is why we're going to live through the nastiest depression since England in '73.... 1873... The one that moved the financial center of the world from London, to New York.

Pictionary

There is a nasty rumor floatin' around, not unlike an air-biscuit, that I once cut a ride short to go play pictionary with a chick.

This doesn't even warrant denying. It's better to just nip this crap in the bud right now.

The thing to remember, is this blog, and those of Digger and JAC are very much like a huntin' camp. It's survival of the fittest.

Now that they have their own blogs, I'm sure you'll see us ripping each other to shreds from time to time, all for the amusement of ourselves and others.

What's relevant here is JAC's favorite tactic... The man himself once looked at me and said, "when it comes to joustin' like this... It don't matter if it's true, so long as it's timely and good. If folks want to believe it, they will, and that's good enough."

See... Ya wanted to believe that I was off playin pictionary like some sissy. Didn't even wait to see if I'd respond, or deny it.

Shame on ya.

New Truck Pic

You can see the Bad Black Bastard for yourself.

Movie Review: Dawn of the Dead

I have a confession to make. For the most part, Zombie movies don't do it for me. Zombies just ain't creepy to me. Not even really fast ones with green eyes.

I never thought I'd be writing this... but well... 28 Days Later creeped me out more than DotD did.

That's not to say that I didn't like DotD. It was great fun. But it wasn't even the slightest bit scary, or even creepy. I felt like I wasn't involved in it. The movie just never sucked me in. I sat there on the couch... and tried my damnedest not to MST3K it.

This whole super virus thing just don't do it for me. It makes no sense. You've got zombies running around like Carl Lewis on Crack... but they are missing limbs... and for some reason, they ain't bleeding.

Oh wait... The Virus is keeping them alive. They don't need blood. Ok... fine, then why does a gunshot to the head matter? I'm not trying to nitpick a Zombie movie here, but if you take the "Supernatural" out of it, and make it a "virus" then you can't play the magic card when I ask why they don't bleed to death. And why don't the Zombies eat each other? That was one of the coolest things about 28 Days Later.

On sheer fun, this movie is great. You've got every architypical character you can think of, all crammed into one movie, and you end up hating all of them.

28 Days Later is way more creepy, because it tried to be creepy, and not just splatter blood everywhere. Dotd is more fun, because slattering blood everywhere is what we came for.

I went into this movie with sky high expectations, and well... I was disappointed. It was fun, but it wasn't the least bit scary.

The Army of Darkness is fun too. Its not a horror movie though. As far as horror movies go, I'll take 28 Days Later. Flame away.

By the way... One of you called this original. I can only conclude that you have a profoundly limited library from which to draw comparison. This was about as original as the last episode of Seinfeld.

The New Truck

Julie and I were at an empasse. One I'm sure many of you find yourself at. We wanted a big enough truck to go on long trips comfortably. But we wanted something she could drive to work.

It turns out that such a creature doesn't exist.

So, we changed gears. After driving every large SUV on the planet we stopped on a dime and decided to instead, keep the Trooper and trade in my z-71 on a crew cab truck.

As bizarre as it sounds, a crew cab truck is far more suited to our needs than any SUV we could find. It seats 5 comfortably, and you have tons of storage in the bed. We picked out the truck, ordered a cab-high topper for the bed, and are now searchin' out a grille guard.

If you don't absolutely need the third row, I strongly suggest you consider this route too. JAC has an Excursion, and with all that room available, he still wishes he'd got an F-350 crew cab instead.

So after driving and comparing them all.... what did I finally get?

2004 Nissan Titan.

I cannot express how much bigger this truck is inside than the Silverado or the Ford, and the Dodge Crew is about the size of the Nissan Extended. To get a 4x4 that will outpull this truck, you have to either get a v-10, or a 454, or a Diesel, and while I desperately want a Diesel, it just ain't time yet.

The Titan is the perfect stay-at-home Dad vehicle. Nav system (never ax for directions again!), 9500lbs towing capacity (most in class), 305 hp (most in class), 400lbs of torque (most in class), DVD to keep the youngin's happy, and a Rockforde Fosgate sound system to keep Dad happy.

I'll grant you it doesn't sound as good as my z-71 did... but on the other hand, the z-71 had a set of after-market pipes, and this baby's stock. She sounds DAMNED good too.

I'm quite satisfied with the purchase. And, rest assured, should any of you piss and moan about it, I can always go outside and bark the tires. Rendering your howling mute.

Cry if you want. Nissan ain't Toyota. They built a truck, and they came to play.

I'm Back Y'all

Thanksgivin' was awesome, but after sleeping in 5 different places, (not always beds) in 5 nights I was to wiped out lastnight to blog when I got home.

Fear not. Today I'll be posting on a few things... like Dawn of the Dead, JACIII and his scandalous lies, and the fact that Bane calling me opinionated has me thinkin' of a pot and a kettle.

Hope y'all had as much fun as I did, and thanks to all y'all who dropped me a line on Turkey Day.

To Good

I didn't write this. But I wish I did.

Turkey

Well... Things have been a might orney around the camp fire the last few days, so let's lighten it up a bit.

Now Thanksgiving is comin up.... and now.. to me... Thanksgivin' is all about the Lord... and that means family... and family means friends... and friends means gettin' together... and gettin' together mean....

EATIN!

Now I reckon I've talked about this before, but it bears repeatin'. After all, if you're like me, you are already either packing up stuff to hit the road, or you're preppin' for cookin'. So, if you're cookin' the bird... Well brother.. We're here for ya!

If you don't have a smoker at your disposal, I recommend you trot on over to the Well. Ol' Digger has you covered over there. However, if you are blessed with a smoker, then rest assured, I have your back.

Smokin' a Turkey: The Nate Way.

Smoker: You need one. I've used charcoal (Pain in the ass), Electric (easy, but slow), and I finally settled on the Gas one. Wow. You can dial your temp in just right. Unbelievable.

Bird: You need one. 15 - 20 pounds. These dogs smoke at about 1 hour per pound, so do the math. If you got a charcoal smoker and you need a big bird, you're in for a long night.

Stuff:
- Bacon Grease.
- Garlic, (whole cloves).
- Jack Daniels Whiskey.
- Jack Daniels Wood Chips (made from whiskey barrels)
- Red Onion

So.. Prep your smoker. Fill the water basin with water, and poor MUCH jack daniels in it too. Soak 4 cups of chips in the water for about 30 minutes. While that's soakin' tend to the bird. first, get all that neck and stuff outta there and throw it away. YUCK! Good. Now peel that onion and quarter it, and chuck it in the whole. nice! Now fetch that bacon grease and rub the whole bird in it. She should be slick as can be. Now just for good measure, take a heapin' spoonfull of that grease and plop it in the hole too. Good. Now... fetch the chips out of the water and set them aside. Mince up the garlic and drop it in the water. Ok.. now you're ready.

Haul it outside, put the chips on the coals, and smoke that bird till she's a couple hours from done. Once you're there, plop you a boston butt up on the rack above your bird. All that juice from the butt will drip down over your bird.... oh lord it's to good for words...

Things to remember:

- Smoke for 1 hour per pound. If she ain't 170 degrees, she ain't done.
- Keep water in that pan. That humidity keeps the bird moist and cooks her faster.
- Keep whiskey in that pan too. If it happens to pour over your bird on the way in, so much the better.
- Mind the temperature of the smoker. It's tough to keep it good and hot on a cold windy day. Smoke in a sheltered area if ya can.
- Keep somethin' handy to beat the neighbors back. The smell brings 'em from miles.

Good luck y'all! Remember, simple is sometimes the best!

The He Needed Killin' Defense

There comes a time in ever community when it has to make a choice between peace, and the Law. What are it's priorities?

Let me pose a scenario.

A known troublemaker, drug dealer, and all around thug kills a kid. Everyone knows he killed the kid, but they can't prove it in court. Think OJ. The killer walks.

The father of the victim, then shoots the accused in the face, walks over to the sherriff's office, hands them the gun, and says, "I shot the bastard. He had it comin'."

The father is a family man, with roots in the community that go back decades. He has no prior criminal record. In fact, he is a model citizen.

The Law says he committed murder. I say... Justifiable killin'.

This is the "He Needin' Killin' " defense. It says, Yes I killed him, but killing him wasn't murder.

Of course the lawyers scoff at this. You can't take the law into your own hands! Of course not, because that would be taking it out of theirs! Citizens can't be trusted with matters as grave as this! Why it's up to the State! It's up to the hand picked brown nosed bureaucrats! Only they are competant to decide such matters!

They decide who is prosecuted. They decide what laws are enforced and what laws are ignored.

Vigilante Justice is a direct assault, not only on criminals, but on the Seat of Power.

The Justice System is broken beyond repair. Put your faith in it at your own peril. As it continues to show itself corrupt, so shall we continue to ignore it in ever increasing number.

Here's to you Bernie.

Pregnancy at Work

disability
n : the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness; "reading disability"; "hearing impairment"

Women are the worst enemy a working pregant woman has. Counter-intuitive? Not when you really think about the legality of what goes on. You see, feminists can never allow pregnancy to be treated as a disability. So, they do everything in their power to see that the condition is ignored completely in the workplace.

The interesting thing to me is how men will bend over backwards to help the mom-to-be, while women will make her life Hell. They not only will not cut the girl any slack, they'll often make them work quite a bit harder.

Medical professionals lecture women on rest, stress, and huge list of things to avoid while pregnant. To claim that a pregnant female is 100% as capable as she was before, is simply a lie.

But it's not the evil inconsiderate men who are pushing these women. It's other women, who fear the association of a normal female state, with disability, which could lead to a legal slippery-slope. Of course... Its the bottom of that slope that they fear. For what lies at the bottom is not sexist archane law. What lies there, is only the Truth.

The Truth. Women are NOT 100% men's equal in the workplace.

Wow

Gregg Comments: What if you had a brother, that was retarded? And the law had acusswd hum of somthing you new he was not capable of doing. What would you do? Other than hire the best damn lwyer around. Any thing come to mind?

I've mentioned before that my wife and I have plans. Everyone has a line, and we've spent some time talking about our line. Sometimes you fight. Sometimes you run.

Now... Let's talk about the specifics. So much of this depends on what the charges are, and what I know about my brother. I mean... are we talking about... someone writing a speeding ticket to someone who can't drive?

Is my brother in my personal care? can he take care of himself? All these things come in to play.

But.. Worst case scenario... Let's say there is a real possibility of jail time, and you have definitive proof that your brother didn't do it, but you fear a corrupt judge or jury.

You get your brother the hell away. You leave. Nothing here worth risking your brother for. You make a plan, and you follow it. The legal process is both slow and lenient in the begining. You need hours to cross the border. You should have days, if not weeks.

I am advocating breaking the law. Because at some point, the stakes become to high to trust a corrupt system to get it right.

Wheel Gun Questions!!!

BoysMom comments:
How many rounds should a revolver hold if it will be my only carry weapon? I'm eyeballing a couple of the Taurus revolvers, (my uncle has one) because they actually fit in my hands. But they hold five rounds. Is that enough? I have tiny hands (A 9mm Baretta, standard Army issue, is too big) and am usually packing a 25 lb. 7 month old, and hauling a toddler as well, so I really want to get something I could hold in one hand if I have to.I don't mind doing a bit of work to take care of whatever I end up choosing, though. Does anybody have any other suggestions? Also holster suggestions?I'm in Idaho, so I'm not worried about being able to get a permit.

Thanks for the question. Nothin' like a good excuse to talk guns.

So lets get to it. First things first... I don't think you should be conserned with how many rounds the gun holds. They are gonna hold enough to get you out of trouble. That's what's important. Depending on the caliber they'll hold 5 to 7.

The questions are pretty simple really. Are you sure you want a wheelgun? (that's what we rednecks call revolvers) If you are, then I strongly recommend a nice snubby .357, like the Taurus Total Titanium. It's very very light, and has grips that go a long long way towards making the shooting experience enjoyable. Firing any snubby .357 is an event. Don't get me wrong. But these grips take the sting out of it.

The great thing about .357's is, you can shoot .38special ammo out of them. That ammo has much less powder, and therefore is much easier to shoot with. You can practice with the .38 ammo, and load the .357's when you carry.

As for carrying.. Coranodo Leather. They make purses specifically designed for carrying. They are made out of some of the best leather you will ever see. Honestly, women who have no idea you have a gun in there, will be gawking at your beautiful purse. I've witnessed this.

God Bless. I hope this helps.

Out-of-the-Box Accuracy

"Only Accurate Weapons Are Interesting"- John Browning

Gregg comments: What do you guys do, go out and buy a gun, put a scope on it buy factory amunition and expect it to shoot worth a damn?

Yes.

That's exactly what we do. We expect all of our weapons to be tack-drivers out of the box. Consequently, we only buy weapons made by Winchester (Pre-64 thank you), Browning, Weatherby, Cooper, Savage, and the occasional proven varient from some other off-brand manufacturer like Remington. Who am I kidding? You'd never find a piece of shit Remington in my safe... or JAC's. WellDigger is more flexible. Or at least quieter.

So. What is acceptable accuracy for a new gun?

All rifles must function at 1 minute of angle accuracy. That is to say, 1 inch per hundred yards. At 100 yards you shoot a 1 inch group, 2 inches at 200, and so on. That is a bare minimum, and something we would be very disappointed with, but would view as an acceptable starting point.

I don't want to hear any crap about this being impossible, as I have a Savage 99 (Lever Action) that surpasses that standard quite handily. In fact, at a 100 yards, it shoots groups are way under an inch. Thats total group size. Not distance from center as the sissies over at the magazines do it.

We do not tune guns to shoot to 1 minute of angle. We start at 1 minute of angle, and tune them fractions of that.

JAC's Winchester Model 70 (with the BOSS) is a smoking hot .270 that is, quite possibly, the most accurate weapon I've ever fired.

I can hear you now... "But Nate! What if the gun you buy does perform that way?"

I'd take the damned thing back. I'd go on a crusade against the manufacturer of such a useless piece of crap. Though, this is highly unlikely as I only buy proven weapons. I never skimp. I'll buy the best gun the manufacturer makes in the caliber I want. I will however, buy the occasional project gun, just for fun. I have a 10/22 for example that I tuned up. In those cases all rules go out the window.

Ok.. but surely I understand that certain types of weapons are more accurate than others. Well of course I do. That doesn't mean I lower my standards though. I don't have too. That's why God invented the these. If you're looking for an inexpensive duty rifle, then I suggest an FN-FAL (do your research).

Everyone's standards are different. No question, that ours are extreme. Then again, we can shoot. All of us. If you go to the range with us, you're liable to find us with our laptops, chronographs, and calipers. We'll be taking data, calculating bullet drop, measuring muzzle velocity, and boasting like hung-over sailors just off leave.

As for Spacebunny's Question...

JACIII would take his .454 casull.
I would probably have to agree.... but I would take the Taurus Raging Bull over his ugly Ruger.

You can carry it. You can hunt with it. If you run out of ammo, you can beat some poor bastard to death with it. What more to you want?

Concealed Carry

Most of y'all know that DrWho and I both have licenses to carry concealed weapons. We do so at practically all times. That said, I get a lot of questions from folks about it, and most seem to consern the how cops, and folks in general, react to it.

Let's start with the cops. I have yet to have a cop react negatively towards me when I was carrying. My general hypothosis on the matter goes like this: cops hate people who don't respect authority. By jumping through the hoops required to get a ccw license, you have demonstrated that you do respect authority. Therefore, the cop doesn't expect to have any trouble with you.

When I get pulled over for speeding or something, I just hand the cop both licenses at the same time. In general he looks at them, hands my CCL back to me and gives me a knowing nod. I've heard the occastional, "If you don't show me yours, I won't show you mine." I have yet to get a lecture from a cop since getting the license. In fact, I've yet to have a cop show me anything but the upmost respect now that I think about it... Well.. you know what they say... An Armed society is a Polite Society.

As for business owners... people on the street and that sort of thing... I've never had anyone say anything to me about it. I'm pretty careful to make sure I'm not printing or exposing the gun to prying eyes, but at the same time, I'm only a buck fifty... and I carry a full-size service pistol. The thing shows up if your lookin'.

It's been my experience that people don't pay enough attention to strangers to tell if you're carrying or not. You could probably walk around with a gun on your hip for all to see, and 90% would miss it. The problem with that is... if you see 10 people, one of them will notice, and the one who notices is always the one who freaks out and calls the cops.

Keep 'em hid. You don't even have to keep 'em well hid. You won't have any trouble, and it will improve the attitude of what cops you meet considerably.

Like a Bear Foaming at the Mouth

Well... this is certainly comforting. Won the arms race did we? Perhaps someone let off the gas to soon says I. Now don't go misreadin' this though. I'm still far more scared of our own government than I am of some Red Commie freak lobbin' nukes at us, or some nutcase raghead blowing his internals up on a bus.

Call me naive but I don't use public trasportation, I don't frequent populated areas, and I don't think the Red Commies like the idea of the US nuking them in return.

And besides... it seems to me if you see a raghead walking around glassy-eyed with a coat on in the summer time... and his torso is disproportionately bloated with respect to the rest of his body... ya shoot him... and ya walk away with a clear conscience figgerin' it was self-defense.

Nate's New Favorite Charity

I can think of few charities as worthy as this. Please check it out. There's much to read, much to learn, and much to give. I'll certainly be making donations... How could I not? After all... These people aim to please.

New Truck

After much stress, research, and general suffering... we got our new truck today. I'm not going to tell you what it is though. No.... I want it to be a suprise for JAC and WellDigger. All I'm going to say is this... It's bad. I mean James Brown Supa Bad. It's butter slidin' off a hot biscuit bad.

If a minivan is an Estrogen Wagon.... this... is a Testoterone Delivery Unit.

Don't worry... After Thanksgiving I'll post pictures... and you will not be disappointed.

Christmas!

Alright.. enough of the "debate"... such as it was... let's have some fun. Our beloved Spacebunny asked about our favorite Christmas shows and Carols... So let's hear it y'all... As for me.. Christmas music for me is supposed to have an Irish or Scottish flavor... I have no idea why, it's just what I'm drawn too. I love the Chieftains Christmas music. Julie and I have spent many many nights with a roaring fire, thick hot-chocolate, and a Chieftains Christmas CD. As for the shows... Obviously I favor the old stand-bys.

Shows:
- Rudolph: Classic. I can watch it to this day and laugh my butt off. Yukon Cornelius is hilarious. "Didn't I ever tell you about bumbles? Bumbles bounce!" To Good...
- The Grinch: The animated one of course... the pet dog is SO miserable.
- Charlie Brown: Actually I love all the Charlie Brown movies. The Halloween special and Snoopy Come Home being my favorites.

Songs:
Greensleaves
Three Ships
O Holy Night
St. Steven's Day Murders - Elvis Costello
The Rebel Jesus - Jackson Brown

The Polar Express

Some day I'll learn to stop underestimating my son.

See... Jeb is going through his Train phaze. Though I suppose it's not really right to call it a phaze, since he may never out grow it. Most males don't. Anyway... given his fascination... we thought it'd be a good time to take him to his first movie.

We had a blast. The boy was mystified from the very begining. He was sitting up and pointing and talking to the screen for practically the whole 2 hours. When he wasn't, he was feeding his mommy popcorn!

We were pretty suprised at how well he did... I mean... 2 hours is an eternity for a 2-year-old... As usual we prepare for the worst, for no reason at all.

The movie itself is good, but not great. It would've been better if it was live-action and not animated. The animation was a distraction. It was so good, that the minor mistakes were very noticable.

Anyway... if you've got a little boy who's into trains, I stongly suggest you take him to see it. The train is definately the star of the show, and its on the screen most of the movie.

Symbols

For what ever reason, history has established that cultures and movements have a need for symbols. The obvious question of the day is; who defines the meaning of these symbols?

As a Southron Patriot I had to deal with this question a long time ago, and now apparently I have to deal with it as a Christian as well... Though in truth it boggles the mind that I even have to say this.

Our symbols are not defined by our Enemies. They are defined by us. If we decide that a Cross is going to by our symbol of Faith, then what that cross was used for before, and what it is used for by others now and in the future, is completely irrelavent. It means what we say it means. We're it's owners.

The best symbols come from historical events.

The Battle Flag for example, St Andrew's Bloody Cross, was chosen to lead the men of the South into battle because the First National Flag of the Confederacy was effectively the exact same as the United States flag.

Years later, a group of morons from Illinios get together and decide to start a club for jerks who hate black folks. They need a hook... so they look around... find the militia group that Nathanial Bedford Forrest started after the war, and hijack their symbols. There wasn't some incident that made these symbols relevant to the Klan. They just thought they were cool.

The Cross is a symbol of Christianity, not because someone randomly picked out a shape. It's important because of what happened on that cross.

We're not talking about spacious reasoning here people. Christ died on a cross. Christ's Death gives us eternal life. It is not a great leap then for us to claim the Cross as our symbol. What it was used for before is totally irrelevant.

History gives me claim to the Battle Flag. History gives us claim to the Cross.

Rule #1

There shall be no discussion of Peeps and Peeps shall not be discussed. Mentioning Peeps is strictly forbidden in all cases, excepting wherein one is posting regarding Rule #1; The Banning of Peep Discussion. The Sugar Demons are vile. There mere mention is unfit for the tongues of decent God fearing people. Openly supporting the injestion of, or honoring the Sugar Demons in anyway shall be dealt with harshly, resulting in the deletion of posts, and quite likely damnation and eternal Hellfire.

Christmas Trees

A scholarly and well researched paper on the origin of the tradional Christmas tree can be found here. It's even sourced. No doubt you'll be happy to see that not only is it not a pagan symbol, its roots are quite based on Christian history. If you read carefully you might even catch a little factoid on the importance of December the 24th.

Hate Crimes

Here's a shocker.

Now seriously... if you're suprised at all by this, you need to just go ahead and hang an "I don't pay attention" sign around your neck. Let's be clear on something. If rednecks were so appauled by homosexuals that they were inclined to kill them, it wouldn't just happen once or twice people.

This just in: Rednecks think alike. These boys were just plain old scumbacks looking for some cash, so they picked out a mark, and got some.

Unfortunately for them, they picked what the media has deemed the most sacred of sacred minorities... the homosexual.

If them two boys just beat some old white woman to death for her money, none of us would've heard anything about it.

But hey... Killing an old white woman for her money isn't nearly as bad as killing a homosexual for hitting on you.

Some lives are just worth more than others.

Fulfilling the Law

Christ did not abolish the Law. He fulfilled it.

I hear this all the time, almost universally from women. Can someone tell me what this means? How does one fulfill a law? Laws are obeyed. Prophecies are fulfilled.

The Jews were commanded to follow 617 laws. In doing so, they retained their salvation.

Do we still need to follow these laws?

The answer of course is no. Our salvation is not based on following these specific laws. It's through our Faith in Christ and His sacrifice for us.

Before Christ... yes.

After Christ... No.

I don't know what that catchy little phrase means... However, of one thing I am certain... To many people, if it sounds good that's good enough. That phrase sounds good.

I doubt seriously that they've ever even stopped to think about it.

With Christ came a new deal. A new deal totally unrelated to the old deal. So radically different, that many rejected it as lunacy, and clung to the old deal and its perceived security.

If by "fulfilled" you mean "Rendered Irrelevant", then I agree. By that definition, Christ clearly "fulfilled" those 617 laws.

Why me?

I swear... if my wife's family get's any crazier...

Don't get me wrong... I love them. They're good people... But man... if they don't fall in for every Christian Fad that comes down the pike, I ain't a redneck.

So here's the latest... Now some of them have decided that they only want to celebrate "Biblical Holidays". Of course... Biblical Holidays actually means "Jewish Holidays". After all, God didn't command any one to celebrate anything in the New Testament. As Paul wrote, we were free to celebrate what we wish, when we wish.

We as Christians... obviously tend to focus out holidays on important events in the life of Christ. His birth, His death, and His Resurrection.

Now how does a Christian honor Christ by celebrating a military victory which took place 160 years before he was born (Chanukka), instead of celebrating the miracle of His birth?

Are we quibbling over dates again? Is that it?

When I see these little movements, I always think to myself... Self... These must be some fine Christians. Anyone who has this whole thing so figured out... anyone who has done, and is doing so much work for God, that they have worked their way down to something so trivial as this... They must truely be working miracles.

Once you've fed all the hungry... Once you've helped all the needy and the sick... Once your house is in such fine order that it is a becon to all the World... then I can see devoting time and energy to picking such a nit as this...

Until then... We have real work to do.

Great Minds Think Alike

Morgantown is populated with people given to excess in all things. Most especially alcohol. It's a dirty and despicable place. Truly there is much work to be done if this place is ever to be made tolerable. - Francis Asbury, 1790

It's good to know I'm not the only who hates this place. Obviously "much work" hasn't quite been done. Quite the opposite in fact. No question I'd have found the place far more tolerable 200 years ago.

Southern Tolerance

I'll tell ya one thing... I'm sick of hearin' about how we southrons are intolerant. You look at Florida for example... Them good ol' boys down there can't swing a dead cat without hittin' some damned Yankee retiree. By God the simple fact that the state of Florida hasn't impaled every single one of them and propped them up along I-75 proves that we're some of the most patient people around.

Now... it wouldn't improve the smell... But if it scared off the Turks, it'd damned sure scare off the Yankee Horde. Ol' Vlad knew how to deal with immigration!

Just remember... when you're tellin' a Southron how intolerent he is... He's toleratin' you.

Big Brother

This is the most infuriating thing I've read today, and yet another reason I'm glad I'm buyin' a truck now, and not 2 years down the road. Excuse me... but isn't this rumored to be a Conservative Administration???

What we are seeing is evidence of the Whatsit at work. The nameless, faceless, and unelected buraucracy that runs the country behind the scenes. Any real conservative President would've fired every idiot who supported this garbage the minute it was announced.

Whenever you start to thinking that Bush is a conservative... just think about whatever issue is being discussed... Ask yourself... "What would Nate do?"

Right. Now compare that to what Bush did.

Nate = Conservative.
Bush = Politician.

Jack Burton vs Ash

Vox has asserted that Jack Burton could take Ash. He reasons that the Ancient Chinese Divinities defeated by Burton were far more powerful than the Army of Darkness Ash fought.

Setting aside the profoundly flawed reasoning that applies the mathematical substitution and transitive properties to farcical combat, let's just examine the premise.

Jack did defeat Ancient Chinese Divinities... However, he did not do so alone. So.. aren't we comparing the accomplishments of Jack's Team to the accomplishments of Ash by himself?

Jack is a valiant fighter, but Ash is the most inventive and improvisationally gifted character in the history of cinema. He faced down the entire Army of Darkness... which while not necessarily immortal, certainly outnumbered the few Chinese Divinities.

If Jack were able to suprise Ash... you may have a close fight... with Ash eventually getting the upper hand and ending things with his chainsaw...

But given time to prepare? It wouldn't even be close. 1 on 1... Ash would make mince meat of Jack... and probably his whole team to boot.

Nate's Brilliant Thought

Very rarely I say something that is truely brilliant. I realize this is an obnoxious thing for someone to say about himself, but hey... it happens.

So... I offer you this quote... which is just as glorious as anything Twain ever said...

"When you aren't attracted to someone you need a reason to fall in love with them. But, when you are attracted to them, you just need an excuse" - Nate

Thank You God!!!!

10 years ago... Naysayers told the State of Tennessee that if it went ahead with it's plan for a State sponsored healthcare plan the sky would effectively fall. They said:

Doctors would leave the state.
Hospitals would close.
MedMal would skyrocket.
Dogs and Cats would Live in Harmony.
The State would go bankrupt.

While dogs are still chasing cats, I'd like to point out that the rest of the things we conservatives listed all came quite true. The second largest hospital in Memphis closed within 3 years of TnCare's startup. Within 5 years 6 more had closed throughout the state. By 1997 medical schools all over the state were advising their students not to go into pediactrics, or family medicine, because they knew if they stayed in TN they wouldn't make enough money to pay back their medical school loans.

Doctors fled the state like rats from a sinkin' ship. Quality of care dropped through the floor, and medical malpractice suits rapidly started climbing. As TnCare payed out less and less, finally hospitals started refusing to take TnCare patients...

And all the while, one of the most finacially stable states in the federal empire practically fell to ruin.

Today, even a Democrat sees the cold hard truth. Governor Bredeson has announced that in 7 days, TnCare will begin shutting down, and in 6 months, it will be totally gone.

In the coming days we'll hear about 500,000 people who are currently on TnCare but who won't qualify for medicare. What you won't hear, and what you must remember is, the reason they don't qualify for medicare is pretty simple. They have jobs that offer benefits.

We've been paying for these freeloaders for to damned long. They can pay for their own insurance just like the rest of us. Pardon my language ladies.

So 7 days from now we pop the cork. It looks like we may be able to live in Tennessee after all!

Virtual Beer Wench

I don't care what AlGore or the Department of Defense say... This is what the Internet was built for! Type in your orders, and enjoy. May I suggest the following: Strip, Fight, Ass, Boobs, Dance, Kiss, Lick... Ahh Hell... Use your imagination people!

Sales Pukes

Have I mentioned that I hate car shopping? I hate dealing with these moron "salesmen". I mean... How do you call yourself a salesmen, when you don't know squat about the products you sell?

Where the hell is Hank Hill? That's a salesman by God! If you have a question about propane or propane accessories, he knows the answer. Hell.. I know more about SUV's and their equipment, pricing, and financing at this point than any salesmen I've talked to. Allow me to demonstrate... off the top of my head...

GMAC is offer 1.9% on all 2004 trucks and SUVs for 72 months. They also are offering 1% at 60 months on the same vehicles. Additionally you get a 1000 bucks off if you finance through GMAC.

On 2004 you get a 4500.00 rebate... Unless you buy a diesel... then the rebates don't apply.

Option wise, you can't get a DVD and a sunrooff, unless you skip out on the side-impact curtain airbags. The Rearseat Entertainment Package (DVD, wireless headphones, rear controls, remote) only comes on vehicles that also have dual or tri-climate control.

You can get quadra-steer on all 2500's but not 1500's, unless you get a 05 1500HD, which just came out. You can also get a 05 Hybrid truck which gets 25mpg, but only if you live in Alaska, Oregon, California, or Florida.

Got all that?

I haven't even started on Ford or Nissan yet... Now tell me... if I can learn all this in a matter of days... How can a sales puke who's worked at one dealership for 6 weeks look at me and say... "The z-71... that means umm.. it comes with a bigger engine..."

No you moron. It has nothing to do with the engine. It's an off-road suspension package, and some skid plates..

I'm not frustrated or anything....

A Shout for our Sister Vette Lover

Let's face it boys, when a pretty girl has a vette fetish, she becomes a little prettier. So it is with our Miss O'Hara. If you haven't caught her blog, ya really should. She's doin' a little charity work over there. 7 weeks of different charities. She assures me that there won't be any hippy gun-grabber crap, so put your fears to rest. She's certainly started things off right. Week 1 is the Boy Scouts of America, a worthy cause indeed.

There are two things we must do with our money. We must give all we can, and we must save all we can.

The Church of Horsepower: Vol 1.

The Sermon on the Dyno
- Deliver this day by God, through Brother Red

Our text for today is Proverb 427,

Thou shalt have more than 4 cylinders in your engine. Thou shalt have the ability to go ZOOM when thou dost "punch it". Thou shalt be able Worship at the Church of Horsepower. For this, my son, thou shalt have an American Muscle car or truck. And the Lord doth Grin. Brothers and Sisters of the Church of Horsepower, I have been asked by our good Brother Nate, a true adherent to our sacred covenant, to give a few words about the need, the need I say for speed. Today, too many have lost their way, and have strayed from the true faith, of Iron and Steel and Rubber meeting the Road, of peel outs and Cubic Horsepower. There is a need to remember how we got here…. From the flathead V-8’s of our forefathers, to the coming of the power and the muscle of the American Automobile. The heritage of the 283, of the 327, of the 302, of the 340 small block, of the 350 Chevy, of the 351, of the 383, of the 396, of the 400, the 403, the 427, the 428, the 429, the 454, the 426 Hemi and the 440 Interceptor. These are the source of the power and the strength of the true faith. The breath of life, coming from Holley. And Glass Packs, to let the ignorant learn of the power we possess.

The era of the small cars and of the curse of OPEC has diluted the faithful, due to the need for practicality, but we hold true to the faith. These interlopers have mocked the need for speed, and have made gas mileage paramount in their worship. This must stop!! We have seen a resurgence in the faithful, thanks to pilgrimages to places such as Malibu, and the shine of the street, the Woodward Dream Cruise. And those that never lost the faith, them blessed good ol’ boys of NASCAR….. brothers, we love ya. New deciples have stepped forward to carry the torch, Brother Lutz of GM, and the return of Brother Shelby at Ford…. The legacy continues in the tradition of Harley Earl, and Hank the Deuce and the boys at MOPAR… thunder comes down again from on high.

Again the names from the past return, the Corvette, the Mustang, the Goat, the Charger, combined with the legacy of those that went before, the Super Bee, the Camaro, and the Cobra, and the new breed of Viper and GT, show us the way.
Remember our creed, and keep faithful to it.
The commandments, as they were given, lo, these many years ago are as follows

Thou shalt have no other engine but an American Engine, and it, a V-8.
Thou shalt have the ability to go ZOOM when thou dost punch it.

I would like to thank Brother Red for these inspired words. Now I say unto thee... Go Forth... and Drop Thy Hammer.

The Myth of Foriegn Car Superiority

The best way to explain this is through a history lesson. I have a feeling that once y'all understand how we got here, you'll have a much better understanding of where we are.

Back in the 50's and 60's people drove American cars... period. They bought big steel boats with huge engines. If you hit your head on the dashboard, they hosed the thing off and sold it to someone else. Men's cars dammit.

People thought changing your oil was a scam that dealers used to sucker you into giving them money for no reason... largely the way we think of underbody coats now.

Now... insert into this climate a bunch of cheap imports. People who are used to paying a certain amount for cars, are now being offered vehicles for half of that amount. They thought of honda's and toyota's largely the way that you and I think of Kias. They're cheap, they must be crap.

The people that bought these cars wisely figured they had better take care of them, otherwise they wouldn't last at all... so they did everything the dealers said to do. In other words.... They changed the oil.

Suddenly people are getting 150 and 200 thousand miles out of these little jap cars. More and more people conclude that the Jap cars are better than american cars, and they are largely ignoring the fact that the people who own jap cars are taking way better care of them than american car owners.

This continues to this day. A typical Camry owner will take the car back to the dealer every time he hears the slightest ping. Contrast this with the typical owner of a malibu who hears the same ping and thinks.. "bah... american cars just make pings... it's ok."

I can go buy a Kia Sorrento... and never get it close to the redline. I can keep synthetic oil in it, and never let it go more than 2000 miles between changes. I can use the best Bosch filters money can buy... I can get 300 thousand miles out of that car...

That doesn't mean Kia makes a better car than anyone else though.

On the other hand we can take Chevy's 5.8L 350... and Toyota's biggest V-8... we turn them on and let them run. No oil changes. No coolant changes. Just let them run.

The Toyota will blow up weeks before the Chevy will. *

*That scenario applies to just about any foriegn engine. Mercedes and Volvo excluded.

The Irrefutable Stupidity of Consumer Reports

I realize that this is a magazine that is produced to help women, and lazy men, decide what to buy and what not too. I realize that when marketing to women, and lazy men a company is best served by telling them what they already think they know.

I also know that that's pretty much all that goes on at Consumer Reports.

The biases in this magazine are plain to anyone who reads it objectively. Objectivity... Now there's something you won't find in Consumer Reports... I'll guarantee you that. In order to demonstrate though... Let me point out some of the stupid things that CS has done and said in the last few years:

1) They Rate the Reliability of the Nissan Titan as Very Good, while they complain about "early reliability problems" with the Nissan Armada. Please note that the Armada is built on the Titan frame, get's power from the Titan's engine, which twists gears in a Titan Transmission to spin wheels connected to a Titan suspension. The only difference between the Titan, and the Armada is the independant rear suspension of the Armada which has no reports of any related issues. In other words... They are the same truck. Idiots.

2) In one article about the Chevy Vortec 5.3L (327) they refer to numerous mechanical issues that plague the motor, and in another article they refer to the "Rock Solid Reliability of GMC's 5.3L". So... the 5.3L Vortec that you get in your Tahoe is bad... but the 5.3L you get in your Sierra is good. This wouldn't bother me so much if I didn't know that they are the exact same engine and come off the exact same assembly line.

3) Speaking of Chevy Trucks... This just in... According to Consumer Reports the suspension on the Z-71 is a little stiff. Stiff? Ya think? It's an Off Road suspension package you idiots! It's supposed to be stiff! They pick the stiffest suspension that GM offers, then they use it to judge the ride of whole lines of GM products. Which, again, wouldn't bother me so much if they actually judged the standard "smooth ride" suspension, and not the optional Off Road suspension.

4) Troopers fall over. Remember that? The special report that showed the Isuzu Trooper dropping over on its side? For years they had women believing that the truck would suddenly tip over while they were trying to park it. Of course... We now know that Isuzu won a multi-million dollar lawsuit, and that the tests were rigged, and the outcome was pre-determined. The main piece of evidence in the case being Consumer Report's own test video. Notice they don't test Isuzu's anymore?

5) Honda Passport: Recommended. Isuzu Rodeo: Not Recommended. Huh? Same truck you morons. And yes... this particular gem came out before the law suit about the Trooper.

6) Their two major complaints about the previous generation of Covettes: 1) No place for gorceries. 2) Feel every bump in the road. The is rather like complaining about a pick-up coming with that wierd looking 8-foot box on the end.

7) Dodge's V-8 had massive reliablity issues in the late 90's. They were blowing up left and right, just out of warranty, and no one was fixing it. Through out the span and the years that followed, consumer reports recommended several vehicles equipped with that engine, and they still do.

Consumer Reports markets to the kind of people who drive Honda Accords... and I mean that in the most insulting way possible. The best kind of car, is one that doesn't feel like a car at all. So by all means... If you want someone to tell you to buy a Toyota, you should go pick up the latest issue. Of course... Why would you though? You already know it right? Everything Honda and Toyota make is good. Everything that Ford, GM, and Chrysler makes is bad. Because you know... those Japanese engineers are just smarter than us dumb ol' Americans.

Just once.. I'd love to pick up an issue of Consumer Reports, without being able to correctly predict the outcome of every test.

We Apologize

Sorry Y'all. Jeb's birthday was Friday and I've just been to busy to play blogger. Well Digger came up with our parents so things have probably been quiet over at his place too. Hopefully Gregg, JACIII, and the Flannel Avenger have taken up our slack. I know you just can't make it without a good dose of redneck wisdom.

Either way, things are starting to quiet down and you can expect me to spin a yarn or two this evenin'.

Y'all keep 'em straight.

HA!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!

The Political Muligan

Wouldn't it be fun to have a do over? You know... We require that all ballots have a "None of the Above" option. If more than 30% of the country chooses that option, then we start over. New Primary elections... new everything...

And just for fun, the candidates are banned for ever running for the Presidency again.

Hey... it would be cumbersome... But don't tell me it wouldn't have come in handy yesterday.

How did Bush win West Virginia

It's pretty simple really... West Virginia is a rural state. It's 95% white. It's by and large a church-goin' state, and per capita, it has more sons and daughters in the military than just about any other state. I don't know if its the absolute top, but rest assured, there are a lot soldiers over in Iraq that call WV home.

Now... considering all that, you'd think West Virginia would be about as close as Wyoming. Unfortunately you'd need to remember that 40% of the population is on sometype of government income, be it SSI, Workman's Comp, or plain old Well Fare.

The democrats have controlled this state for 70 years, and they've worked hard to create a group a farm crop of "D" voters who's income depends on having D's in office. They're crops, and every so often, at election time, they are harvested.

In state and local politics, Dems normally kill. 2 out of ever 3 voters are registered Democrats.

So in the end... it's pretty predictable. This is a state church goin' white folks with strong military ties. This was seen as a war time election. The outcome was determined long ago.

Local democrats disassociate themselves with National Party Politics alot. They make their living off "head-in-the-sand" conservatives who pull the D lever because they've always pulled the D lever. Split tickets in WV were the norm, as they were 4 years ago...

R for president. D for everything else.

Truck Shoppin'

So... we're buyin a new truck...

We've pretty well got it narrowed down to three... Nissan Armada, GMC Yukon, Toyota Sequoia.

Right now it looks like the Yukon LT is in the lead... The Armada and the Sequoia are battling out for second. I really don't like the Toyota. I'm thinkin' it's underpowered compared to the other trucks... not to mention over-priced... The Armada is puttin' out 400 foot-pounds of torque... So well... you can imagine that there is a soft spot in my heart for a motor like that... DrWho loves OnStar though... and ya can't get OnStar on an Armada... dammit...

We've decided that we have to have a DVD, either OnStar or a Navigation System, and second row captians chairs...

For now the gas milage and OnStar of the Yukon give it the edge over the power and cool factor of the Armada. We'll keep ya posted... and I may even post a picture or two.

UPDATE

So.. tonight we drove a Sequoia and the Yukon.

Sequoia: Julie loved it. Loved the smooth as silk ride. Drove like a car. I hated it. It's build like a straw house. It has a shitty little frame that looks about sufficient for a go-cart. You have to take the skid plate off just to get to the oil filter. It's underpowered. It strikes me as a big minivan.

Yukon: Julie didn't like it. I'm stunned by this. I thought it rode very smoothly, she thought it sucked. The power delivery is very good. The truck is solid as a rock. The frame is huge with huge cross members. All the mechanicals are easy to reach. It doesn't have a distributor at all. It has a wired in Jump-Point so you don't have to worry about frying the computer chip or screwing up your batter if you should have to jump it. It's little things like that which impress me. The truck is very very well thought out. Now if you are the kind of guy who never pops the hood (pussy) the Sequoia may be for you.

Well... Here's hoping the Armada turns out to be the best of both.

No More.

You know... I was all fired up to kick around Bill's comments about tyranny and voting in America... But I ain't gonna do it. I've spent to much time already talking about this loathsome "election". Just because it's not rigged in the antiquated way of Saddam and Stalin doesn't mean it's not rigged. American's are smarter and more professional about such things. We shouldn't be surprised that the American Government uses more lubrication.

See... it's November... and it's sunny and 75 degrees outside. I just took Jeb to the park. I frankly have no desire to talk about this crap any more.

I didn't abstain to send a message. I didn't abstain our of laziness. I am not participating, because my participation would mean that I believed there was some level of legitimacy to the process. I do not, therefore I will not participate. My hypocrisy is not without bounds... Believe it or not...

I simply have better things to do people. Like for example... Takin' my son to the park.

So...

Which flavor of Socialist are you votin' for? I would mention the third party folks... but lets face it... more people will write in "Mickey Mouse" than will vote for either of them... so what'll it be, diet, regular, or green socialism?

Of course... I can already hear the wailing now... "If you don't vote, don't complain!"

Such stupidity. Months ago I asked someone to defend that statement intelectually, and to date, no one has. I often imagine it applied like this:

Vote Police: Stalin or Mao! Vote!
Me: Umm.. No.
Vote Police: If you don't vote, don't complain when you are murdered by the state.
Me: But they're both going to murder me. Where's the "He won't kill you candidate?"
Vote Police: Stalin or Mao! Vote! Many differences.
Me: But they're both going to kill me.
Vote Police: Yes. But they will kill you differently.
Me: Couldn't we save a lot of time and just have you shoot people when they show up to vote?
Vote Police: Ahh.. You must be from Chicago.

Can We Fix It?

One of Jeb's most favorite toys is his dancin' Tigger. I'm sure you've seen it. When the paw is squeezed it sings and dances about. He dearly loves the thing.

Of course... like so many toys... It's just obnoxious. Consequently it spends a lot of time turned off. Well the other day Jeb comes carrying Tigger into the living room, plops him up on the couch, and squeezes his paw.

Nothing.

Understand that play to Jeb greatly resembles work. The boy is dead serious when he plays. He's very very focused. Anyway, he tried the paw a couple more times.... glared intently at Tigger... and then ran out of the room.

Julie and I just figured he was off to play with something else. Wrong.

We heard some rustling in the kitchen... and suddenly here comes Jeb trottin' back with a screw driver he'd just pilfered out of one of our cabinets. He turns Tigger over and starts working the screw driver on Tiggers feet.

See... Tigger was broken... You fix broken things by turning screw drivers...

Anyway... somehow the screwdriver must've hit the on/off switch... Because after some more twisting and turning, Jeb finally tried Tigger's paw again... and this time it worked!

I don't know that anyone's face has ever lit up like that boy's did right then...

Ain't nuthin' like youngin' y'all. That's a fact.

Somethin's in the Water

Blogs are poppin up all over. First JACIII, now WellDigger and our Darlin' Joy! Take a stroll over by the Well and throw a penny in if you please. Hopefully ol' Digger can use it to buy a clue on this votin' deal.

And of course.. if between the three of us you get your fill of "redneck wisdom" for the day, you can always check out the new goin's on at Joy's place. The address says all ya need to know.

Needless to say I'm a little concerned about people who know as much about me as these three do takin' up a place in the public forum... I'll just hope that they remember, that I know as much about them, as they know about me...

and just in case...

I ain't above liein'!

Duty, Lemmings, and horror in the Well

Few things irritate me like the misuse of the word "duty". A prime example being that of my own dear brother, who somehow manages to boldly state that it is "duty" to vote. I can't think of a better way to cheapen the meaning of the word, "duty" than by association with the men and terms of this election.

Just as irritating is the use of the word "lemmings" to describe me, and the two other people who will chose not to soil themselves with this ridiculous exercise. It boggles the mind that a thinking individual can actually call us lemmings... while they run off to vote, for no other reason than the fact that everyone else is doing it, and they always have before.

Have you ever noticed that when the subject of not voting comes up, those who support voting always start throwing around words and phrases like "duty", and "Soldiers Died", and "Rights"? Wouldn't it be nice if they'd spare us (us.... me, Fred, and Will) this silliness and actually make an argument?

Why is it important that we vote?

While we await the answer from ol' WellDigger, and JACIII, allow me to postulate.

It's important so the Federal Government can make sure that it has you over the barrel. It's important, because as long as the People believe that they can enact honest change from the voting booth, the Federal Government never need fear real change.

Have fun at the polls tomorrow. Just remember, no matter what happens, you voted for a socialist. Don't cry when I point and laugh at you for it.