Chillin'




















Its been said that I don't post enough pictures of the boys these days... I thought I'd throw one up of Eli. I suspect the last time y'all saw him he just a wee lad... not the monster you see before you here. Eli's not two yet and those PJ's are 3T. He's over the 90th percentile in both hieght and weight... hell... at least once strangers have mistaken him for a three-year-old.

Its rare enough to find him actually sitting still... but when I found him in his standard pose... foot propped up and all... I had to get a pic. Also... note the white powder on his face. He'd literally just stuffed a whole powdered donut in his mouth. The kid eats everything in a single bite. Its like living with a wee Homer Simpson.

Creepy



















I don't care what side you're on. That should give you the heebie jeebies.

An American Tradition

From the Drudge Report:

"NYT LEAD TUESDAY: Bush executive order gives president much greater control over rules to regulate public health, safety, environment, civil rights, privacy, other issues... "

I don't know if this will actually be a lead in the NYT or not... but I am confident it will be a story somewhere tomarrow. And as such... let me take a moment to discuss it.

Lets go back... Raise your hand if you no what gives the Supreme Court the Power of Judicial Review.

Judicial Review is not a power granted that branch of government. Its not listed in the Constitution. SCOTUS granted itself that power.

Now... tell me... If SCOTUS can grant itself powers... why then can the President grant himself powers? Why can't Congress?

The fact is power is not created in a vacuum. Power is a zero sum game. If you gain some, then you took it from someone else. That's how it works.

So... when you read about this story... ask yourself... who did the President take this power from? Did they give their consent? Were they even consulted?

Consider all of this... the next time you start to tell your friends about this being a country of law.

This is NOT a country of law and order. Its a country of power. Its not the Republic of Rome. Its the Empire... and I hope it quickly meets the same well deserved fate.

Barbaro Down

This is just infuriating. It didn't have to happen this way. JAC has written a lot on this over at ThreeWay and I'm sure we'll hear more soon... but for now... I just want to curse the name of those responsible for this whole disaster.

There is something else going on here... there were treatment options available that were not explored... or at least it appears that way... and it wreaks of pride. Someone saw things his way and his way was the only way... and I'll wager a damned fine horse died because of it.

And of course... as always... there is the business aspect... you end up with business men making decisions that should be made by horse men... so because a spreadsheet that some puckfaced accounted came up with said that the insurance money was more than the breeding potential... well... shit... you know the rest.

Breed 'em to look like birds... race 'em to young... then kill 'em and cash the insurance check when they break the tiny bones you bred them to have in the first place.

Yeah... that's a great plan.

Keep Your Sick Kid Home

Listen... I understand that its inconvenient. I understand that its a pain in the butt. But I don't care. You shouldn't be getting me and my kids sick for your own convenience.

Perhaps I should explain...

We had to take our boys to the denist this morning. Standard checkups. As is our way, we got the earliest possible appointment, hoping to among the first in and out... thus avoiding as much of this type of issue as possible. Sadly... when we arrived we found the office lobby full of kids... which of course is fine... we love kids...

Well... it was fine... until we realized that one of the kids had pink eye.

PINK EYE!

One of the most contageous infections* you're likely to run into!

And there he is... running around... playing with all the toys with his infected little fingers...

So... we snatched up our boys... told the receptionist that there was a weapon biological warfare loose in her lobby, and headed for the truck. A couple minutes later the bloated sow that responsible was seen taking her children out to her truck. Obviously they'd kicked her out... and of course she made sure she shot some nasty looks our way.

Of course... we're bad people... We don't want our kids infected. We should be more open and accepting of the outrageously contageous. Of course... considering that the county school system is totally shutdown because of the flu, maybe parents should you know... Keep sick kids at home.

*Pink Eye is a bacterial infection of the eyes. It makes the eyes itch.. so of course... the kid rubs his eyes... spreading the infection to his hands... then he touches something... anything.. a toy... then your kid plays with the toy... which infects his hand... then he rubs his eye... and POOF! You're off to the doctor.

Typical...


So my problem with this is NOT that the Lizard Queen can't sing. I mean come on... who knows how that forked tongue affects pitch control... no no... my problem is.. Its running for President... and It doesn't even know the damned words to the National Anthem.

Hear for yourself.

Its not... "Oh say does OUR star spangled banner yet wave." Its THAT Star Spangled Banner.

Shouldn't that be a test for the Office of the Presidency?

How much campaign money could we save if we just instituted minor pop-quizzes like this and eliminated all those who either choked or honestly didn't know?

For example... a moderator could ask... "Where is Khazakstan?" well... ok... he couldn't ask that... because then we'd have no one left to vote for...


hey... wait a minute...

ATF


Drink! For the Love of God Drink! What reason could you possibly have to be sober? The Right Wing President proposed Universal Health Care to a Congress lead by Nancy Pelosi for crying out loud! I'm amazed anyone is sober at all...

The liberals are drunken euphorics... the conservatives are in a drunken stupor... the libertarians of course are too busy shooting up to worry about booze... and the folks in the Constitution Party are just so very happy that everyone but them is going to burn in Hell.

But enough of motivation! After all... what more does a man need than a fine bottle of Bookers staring back at him... calling to him... Just a sip lad!

So be it!

Actually I've started slowly tonight... I'm just drinkin' a plain ol' American style lager. No I'm not saying more... you beer snobs make me sick. You blather on like teenagers talking about music... the only beer that's good is the beer no one else has ever heard of. Because see... if you know of a great beer... and I never heard of it... then clearly you are a more knowledgable beer drinker than I am!

Woo Hoo... I couldn't care less. Fact is I've had so many fancy micro brews I get ill just thinking about them now. The fact is they suck. Most all of them... and one should also remember that the vast majority of microbrews aren't. Its just packaging. Just like the bourbon, tobacco, and wine industries.

I'd rather listen to 14 year old boys discuss their own musical insights than listen to two thirty something beer snobs prattle on about hopps and barley they've never grown nor seen.

Sorry... Budweiser tastes better than Sam Adams. Sam Adams tastes like shit. So does Heineken. And Canadian beer is almost as bad as Canadian whiskey...

I'm sick of hearing how the only good beer is the beer we can't get in America. Bullshit. Grow up.

Now.... back to matters at hand...

Anyone else smoke a corncob pipe?

oh.. and firearms.. hrm... I purchased a new shoulder rig. Tension-Retention deal... I like it. If you've never tried one of these things I recommend it. I'm not going into specifics about the brand or whatever... just as a general rule... the shoulder rigs tend to make life easier for some folks.

Anyway... I hope y'all are havin' a good time... I'm off to watch my Preds kick some Chicago Blackhawk ass in HD! WOO HOO!

The Lamest Show on Earth

Just got back from the circus.

If you're planning on seeing Barnum's Circus this year... save your money.

My son and I left at intermission.

It was complete crap. It was a poor imitations of an old Opryland production.

There was one elephant in the whole first half of the show... and all it did was sit on a stool while some clowns had a food fight.

There was no trapeze.
There was no tight rope walker
There was no sword swallower
There was no fire eater
There were no tigers
There were no lions
There were no bears
There was no man shot from a canon
There was no death defying anyting
There was a bunch of singing and dancing.
There was a lady who trained domestic birds and cats. WOO!

There were some piss poor acrobats.. the kind that you see at halftime of midmajor college basketball games.

There were some horses that trotted around in a figure-8. WOO!

Lame Lame Lame Lame

My only explaination is that the Circus has gone PC and nothing dangerous or offensive to PETA can go on.

Well.. it may have go on.. but it didn't go on in the first 90 minutes... and my 4-year-old wasn't keen on sticking around for the rest. Frankly I wasn't either.

Its like they tried to turn it into a broadway play... they tried to tell a story.... the idea being that a family from the audiance is picked out and "transformed" into circus performers... The dad becomes the Ring Master... and runs his mouth excessively the entire show... the mom suposedly became a trapeze artist... but we aren't really sure because she never really shows up in the first half of the show at all... The teenaged daughter becomes a brat of a dancer... and the little boy... around 10 I reckon.. can't decide what he wants to be... so the whole show is him trying to decide what he wants to be in the circus.

Its every bit as lame as it sounds.

There was not one single HOLY CRAP moment in the whole first 90 minutes.

I remember the B&B circus being pure sensory overload... amazing things... impossible things... going on all over the place at the same time. I remember butteryflies in my gut while some guy did something that I hoped wouldn't kill him.

I do NOT remember singing and dancing.

I do not remember piss poor acting. I don't remember any acting at all for that matter.

What the hell has happened to the world? Isn't anything worth a damn anymore?

GreenPeace... Exxon's Best Friend

Ok... I've asked the question... Now lets answer it.

I suppose first though I have to state the claim that I'm going to abuse in more scientific terms than "The Dinosaurs Did It".... so here goes... If you know anything about thermodynamics, chemistry, or physics look away... the next sentence is going to make you ill...

The Fossil Fuel theory states that highly oxidized biogenic molecules of low free enthalpy will spontenously evolve into highly reduced hydrocarbon molecules of high free enthalpy.

No serious scientist should get past that sentence. They should read it and laugh. One may as well postulate a theory of how Santa delivers toys. Its ludicrous. Thermodynamic testing has proven that this is inegregious violation of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics.

Now remember... that's the 2nd Law. Not the second theory. We reserve the word Law for things like Gravity... Things that are so obvious that ignoring them is justification for admittance to the Happy Ward where the nice men in their clean white coats can take care of you.

How about a history lesson?

In 1946, Uncle Joe... that's Stalin to you folks who didn't vote Democrat... looked around and realized that the world ran on oil. Unfortunately Ike didn't have the same forsight... Neither did any of his successors. While Kennedy was busy sending us to the Moon to collect useless space rocks.. Joe was pretending to give a damn about Space while he poured millions into Oil Research.

What did the USSR's 50 years of research conclude? It concluded that Oil was Abiotic.

Russia has used this research to become one of the largest oil producing countries in the world. You think they sit around and worry about it running out?

Hell no they don't. They've got decades of peer-reviewed published science that proves that oil is not a fossil fuel... and not only that... its continually renewed. They have documented oil fields that refill. They have documented oil fields that grow faster than they can pump oil out of them.

But we don't know any of this.

Why?

Because we're just as in the dark as the soviet citizens of the Cold War were.

Big Oil wants its product to be rare. How much money could they make if the world found out that their product was practically as common as drinking water?

And its not just them... How do you think the Greenies are going to feel when they realize they are being played? That they are actually Big Oil's best friend? Oh sure... we're running out! The scareder people get.... the more the price of oil goes up. What could be better? And we don't have to worry about it running out... because of two simple reasons...

1) Big Oil isn't stupid. They know when real pressure for alternatives shows up, they'll just "find" a bunch more oil and drop the price for a decade or so.

2) Science has proven time and time again that there isn't just lots of oil... its actually a renewable resource.

So Mr Greenie... keep your fear tactics up. BP loves you for it.

The Myth of Fossil Fuels

Christmas presents come from Santa. Easter Eggs from the Easter Bunny. Oil comes from Dinosaurs.

As prevelant as the myth of man made global warming is, it pales before the might of this one. Oil comes from dead dinosaurs. Everyone knows it. It may as well be 2+2=4.

Everyone knows it because on their 8th grade biology test they chose A) From decaying dinosaur matter, and got it right. The test said it was right, therefore it is. Likely they never put any more thought into it than that.

But I would challenge you to think just for a moment... about the absurdity of the claim. We know there were just as many dinosaurs in America as there were in the middle east... So why is there more oil there?

And what is it about dinosaurs that made them turn to oil... while everything else doesn't? Or does everything turn into oil over time? And if everything turns to oil over time.. then more oil is created every second of every day all over the world. And what exactly explains the abundance of oil in the deep blue?

Seriously? This is the best explaination science can come up with?

We put a man on the moon decades ago and the best we can do to explain oil is.... ummmm.... The Dinosaurs did it!?

And... IF we know where this stuff comes from... and we have known where it comes from since our grandfathers where in the 8th grade... Why is it that we can't yet make an economicly viable substitute for it?

We can produce gemstones in a lab... but not oil?

Well of course we can't... its not like we have dead dinosaurs laying around now do we?

Hey.... A few more questions... Does Gold come from dinosaurs? How about copper? Phosphates... I'll bet phosphates come from dinosaurs right?

Well... I mean come on... surely something else comes from decaying dinosaurs....

Oh I know... What about that 5 bucks under my pillow when I lost my first tooth?

Where Ranger Rests

What I'm getting ready to tell you really isn't anything to brag about. Every small town in America has some small piece of trivia that the folks pass around. Still... that's maybe what makes it interesting to me.

Back the in eighties... Before the Army vs. Navy football game, several ambitious midshipmen dressed as Army MP's... snuck into West Point, tied up the handlers in a stall, and kidnapped Army's mascot mules; Traveller, Trooper, and Ranger. The prank backfired though... as the mules had to be returned before the game... because Ranger had rebelled and was busy kicking in ever stall they could find.

Navy boys ain't fit to handle West Point Mules.

Ranger eventually retired... I think in 1995. He spent the last ten years of his life grazing on a little hillside off a state highway. His caretakers even got him a donkey named Jenny to keep him company. As he got older Jenny eventually became his eyes and ears on his long walks... and as far as is known... in all the years he was there he only saw fit to leave his retirement facilities once... when he got a wild hair and figured he'd go visit the local bar up the street.

The doorman wouldn't let him in though.

Ranger died in 2005.... he's buried on top of the hill he loved to graze so much. But if you ever find yourself around Burns, Tn... maybe heading north on Highway 96... look off to your right. You'll probly see Jenny out in her pasture...

I guess I wonder how many people drove up and down that highway in those 10 years and saw Ranger and Jenny up there... and just never knew.

Just keep an open mind about what you're lookin' at... Old Mules... and Old Men often have more to 'em then you may think. Sometimes the ordinary ain't ordinary at all.

Black Coaching Disparity

I don't know if you've heard... but both Super Bowl coaches this year are black!

Not suprising since blacks are over-represented in NFL coaching. At the begining of this season 6 of the 32 head coaching positions were filled by blacks. That's around 20%. Blacks make up 12% of the total population of the US... that's as of 2005. By comparison.. there is not a single hispanic head coach in the NFL... yet hispanics make up 14% of the US population.

See... in the rest of the world... everyone wants schools, or business, or government... or even social clubs... to resemble society as a whole.

So... if there are X% blacks... in society... there should be X% blacks in whatever position, job, or whatever is in question.

Interestingly enough that isn't at all the standard now being applied to NFL Coaches. The discussion before the AFC Championship game centered around the fact that the racial makeup of coaches is so different than that of the players.

No one seemed to mention that compared to society as a whole... which is the standard for everything else... blacks are over represented in the coaching profession.

What happens if you apply the standard applied to the NFL... IE, let the make up of the group determine the make up of the leadership... to the rest of societies organizations?

How many women would be in leadership positions anywhere?

Outside of sports... how many blacks would be in leadership positions anywhere?

The fact is good enough is never good enough. Equal isn't good enough either.

The bar keeps getting moved.

My position is that there should be no bar at all. Only performance matters. Only qualification matters. Judging by the nature of the Win-at-all-cost climate in the NFL... and the willingness to fire coaches regardless of race (Art Shell... Denny Green and believe me Kentucky's basketball program should take notes here... ) in this case blacks obviously can at least hold their own in a performance only environment of coaching... in fact they do much better than hold their own... of course they do have insentive in their favor.. but hiring incentives only go so far in the cut throat world of the NFL.

Why aren't you racists out there demanding more hispanic NFL coaches?

The Games

Colts 41 Patriots 17

This isn't even gonna be close. The Patriots have been lucky as all hell to even be here. The Colts on the other hand are a machine. They've proven they can win shootouts. They've proven they can stop the run. And they've proven they can play smashmouth football on the best defense in the NFL.

Now... Ol' Bill is gonna try to run the ball. He's not gonna believe the Colts have really changed their ways... and he's gonna pay for it. The Colts d-line is going to pinch... crushing any hope of a gap... which will force the patriots to try to bounce outside... which plays right to the speed of the colts ends and linebackers.

I know I know... the "experts" say that the patriots can run the ball better than the Ravens. They say the Patriots backs are much better than Jamal Lewis.

So are those patriots backs better than Larry Johnson?

The answer of course is no.

The Patriots don't win games. They sit around and hope the other team beats itself.

The Colts aren't gonna do that.


Bears vs. Saints

I don't care... but I think the Saints will run the ball on the Bears. The Saints have the slowest secondary in the league. Its just ugly. But Chicago has a joke of a QB.

Flip a coin. This game is largely irrelevant... as who ever wins will get totally crushed in the Super Bowl.

The 16th Street Church Bombing

On September 15th, 1963 in Birmingham Alabama... the 16th Street Church was rocked by a bomb.

4 black girls were killed in the blast.

The explosion became the focal point of the civil rights movement.. and much has been written about it.

There is one story that I don't think has been told though... though maybe its just interesting to me.

These days forensic science is the big fad. Using science to solve murder cases is so hip and trendy... all the girls... even Britney Spears say they want to do it. I suppose the funniest thing about that is that people thing this is new.

See... explosive residue was found on a Bible from that church... and it was taken to an ATF lab... where a little greek fella poured over it. He was able to learn everything about it. He was even able to determine where it was purchased. Now remember... this isn't a drama on TV. This is real life. This happened... way back in the stone age of 1963.

The evidence that little greek fella came up with finally ended up putting the guity away... though the prosecutors certainly took their sweet time.

Oh... and that little greek man?

That was my grandfather.

On the one hand I'm proud of the old coot.... on the other I'm discusted as I can be that I had blood kin that was once one of the biggest dogs in the ATF.

ATF!!!

Been awhile hasn't it? Fear not friends! I've neither given up booze nor tobacco... and I am as armed as ever. Perhaps more so.

I confess I thought about jumping head long into the comment section below and depantsing Bill with a few scriptural quotes... i don't know... something about knocking the dust from sandles... As opposed to you... running for office and reforming the laws.

But I digress. Friday Night is for merriment. Let us set aside such debate for tomarrow. For tonight... we drink.

Well.. Bill and I do. I suspect Res and UO are as well. And I sincerely hope Holli is to.

And what do we drink?

For me its Knob Creek. Its tough to complain about KC. I'm obviously not fond of the name... but the bourbon is top notch in every way. I am willing to overlook poor marketing.

I regret that I am not currently smoking anything... though there is some black cordial calling my name. Pipes are the best friends... the best.

And the firearms?

You'll be shocked to learn that I carried a Glock 36 all day today. I feel so dirty. Seriously. I wouldn't have felt more girly if I were wearing a pair of frilly pink panties. At least it was a .45... I'll beg your forgiveness... as I was caught without and a potentially dangerous run had to be made for charitible reasons (the trouble with giving is that poor so rarely seem to live in safe neighborhoods).. so I found a shoulder rig and borrowed my wife's weapon.

Any way.. a Glock is better than having nothing at all... I still felt dirty though.

Ok. enough...

Whatcha drinking? Smoking? Carryin'?

The Beautiful Holli Asks...

Wow! you've really made me think about this Pledge issue, Nate. I never even thought about it being blasphemous before. You'd probably run screaming from my church on "God and Country Day" a.k.a. the Sunday before Memorial Day. There are flags adorning the sactuary and the JNROTC from the local state-run indoctrination day-camp (high school) is there to bring in the colors. We sing the national anthem and all patriotic music in the service.

I don't know that I find the pledge blasphemous, though clearly difficulty arises when one tries to explain the difference in pledging allegence to a flag vs. praying to God to a 4-year-old. What is sickening is its recitation in church. What you describe during a sunday service would not result in my running or screaming. It would result however in my making quite a scene. That is blamphemous. Its revolting. Its evil.

I admit in the past I've felt strange about having a "rah-rah America" service on what is supposed to be the Lord's Day. DO you and your family celebrate or acknowledge the 4th of July? Is it just the use of the pledge in church or church-school that's got you upset? I truly want to know. This whole idea is foreign to me. Thanks.

We do celebrate the 4th. Though we never talk about why we're celebrating. The day is spent with firearms and explosives. The celebration of the 4th is the celebration of the People defeating the Government. It is not a celebration of the United States. After all... what's there to celebrate?

The Church opens itself up to coruption and sin on an unparalled level when it embraces politics. It takes the step to becoming like the liberals... to replace political affiliation with actual work.

"Why should I give to the poor? I vote for congressmen who take care of that stuff."

That's how the liberal mind works. They don't need to help... that's the government's job. When the Church embraces politics it simultenously corrupts its own ideals... and expands the power of government.

Evil and Evil again.

Specificly though... my problem with the pledge is the indoctrination... the psychological damage that it does. To this day I still feel the itch... to stand in a group and praise the flag... its like an amputee that still feels his long missing leg. I know its not real. I know its wrong. But there it is. And that speaks to the power of the indoctrination.

That won't happen to my boys. Damned sure not at Church.

Projects

Several months ago... perhaps even a year ago... I don't remember exactly... but I made the comment that I was working on something, and if I failed, you'd never hear about it again.

It was something that all gun guys know you just can't do... but something that Hollywood loves.

I'm talking about the myth of the two-gun-shooter.

Oh sure... trick shooters exist. But people like us don't have the time to dedicate to learning.

Well...

I've been working on this for a long time now... and finally I can report that I am servicable with two weapons. By that, I mean at tactical distance... I am tactically accurate. Specificly... two sillohettes side by side... 5 yards in front of me.

I cross draw... a berretta 92F in my left hand... my pt-101 in my right... I draw and fire both single-action. I hit center mass on both targets... every time.

The drill I am working on now... is similar to your standard 2-1 drill... except its done with 2 guns.

So nuts and bolts... what have I learned?

Trigger pull is far more important with two weapons than one. The triggers have to be nearly identical. If one weapon fires a fraction of a second before the other... you end up with a wildly inaccurate shot. I chose the 92f and the 101 because they were the two most similar weapons I had available. I suspect when my two 1911's are done I'll be much better at this game.

Also.... technique is important. I never alternate firing them like you see in movies. An ex-special forces friend of mine told me about shooting two together.... you basically let your sub-conscience triangulate the flight path of each bullet... your arms hands and weapons become extensions of your individual eyes... and the focus point of your eyes becomes the aim point of both weapons. I've had this produce 2 shots in the same hole. I've also had it produce a completely unscathed target.. but that was only at the begining.

Shooting is so much about muscle memory and the subconscience. Get your mind out of its own way and you'll be amazed at how well you can shoot.

I'm not good with two yet. I won't be good until I can run IDPA drills... not that it would be legal... and I'm a long way from that. But someday... maybe.

So... any of you trying to learn the impossible?

The Hazards of Parenting

I nearly threw up today at supper. But before I regail you with my tales of woe... indulge me... a little background is necessary.

Since we moved back to Tennessee we've allowed ourselves to sink some roots. We found a church we really enjoy... we give a lot there... financially as well as volunteering. Our boys have become quite the little rockstars there, as both are universally loved by all.

Jebidiah has even been going to pre-school there 2 days a week for the last several months.

Now... as I continue with my tale of this evening's unfortunate events... please remember... my son goes to preschool at the church we attend and support.

So.... back to today. Eli had eartubes put in this morning. The little fella (I say little because he's one. He's often mistaken for a 3-year-old by strangers) has had ear infections continuously and we'd had enough. Anyway... all went well. Nana and Papa had been here all day helping with things... and as usuall we sat down for a good family meal.

Also as usual Jeb said he didn't want to say the pre-meal prayer. No biggie. We'll just say a silent prayer. So... after everyone waits for me to take my hat off, we all bow our heads.

Then we notice mumbling... almost sing song.

I look up and see my son sitting across from me... eyes closed... hands clasped together... head bowed...

reciting the Pledge of Alligence.


DrWho later said I exhibited amazing restraint. I didn't interupt him. In fact I praised him. I gave no indication that I desperately wanted to puke.

I felt like my son had been violated.

What is a church preschool doing teaching my kid to recite something like that?

And what am I supposed to do? Apparently the whole class stands up each morning and recites this chant with their hands over their heart like the Hitler Jungen. Thats a powerful thing for a 4-year-old. Its not like I can tell him not to do it. He wouldn't understand. I'm not about to put my kid in that situation. I know full well what kind of damage that can do.

It sounds like he's getting pulled out of pre-school. Which is fine... he wasnt' there to learn anything... we just wanted him to make a friend or two and he's done that. Its not like he particularly enjoys it anyway.

But won't it be interesting around church when we become the couple that pulled their kids out of preschool because they didn't want them to say the pledge?

Won't it be even more amusing when folks assume our problem is with the Under God part? I can't wait to be accused of being a liberal. Wonder how they'll take it when I explain its the whole pledge I can't stand... but mainly its the "indivisible" part that I really can't take.

Honestly the playing of the national anthem and the pledge of allegiance only evokes anger in me. And the idea that my child has now somehow confused the saying of said pledge with prayer... just has me quite nearly blinded by rage.

I find myself in a debate that goes like this:

Keep your reasons to yourself. Just pull Jeb out and shut up.

Don't listen to that do-gooder. Blow up the church.

These people would never deliberately create this situation. Play nice.

Zip it Hippy! NATE! Blow up the church.

Don't listen to that moron Nate. You like these people.



Ah well... I'll keep you updated. I'm sure you'll all get a kick out of it.

You've Got to be Kidding

One of my all time favorite books is Point of Impact by Steven Hunter. Its a book that focuses on a hard as a rock main character named Bob Lee Swagger.... A decendant Robert E Lee... Who was, in the novel, the most effective sniper in Marine Corp history.

The ballistics are good in the book.. the gun lore is good. Its not without error... but its better than anything else I've read... anywhere. If you spot the mistakes... you're a careful reader... and you more than likely can out shoot just about everyone in your town.

Why do I bring this up?

I was surfing over at ESPN.com... and I see an ad for some moving called "Shooter"... Starring who? Marky Fucking Mark.

No. It can't be.

Apparently it can.

Those cocksuckers in Hollywood have taken one of my favorite all time characters... and cast Marky Fucking Mark to play him.

I'm gonna throw up now...

Then I'm going to start planning the destruction of the US film industry.

What We've Lost

Daniel 10: 7-12
7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
12 Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come."

Angels don't really exist. Demons don't really exist. Right? We moderns have moved beyond all of this mythology! We know that we're the ones in control. Science is our mythology and our own will and work is what determines our path.

of course... the more one tells himself that... the more passages like this slap him in the face. I wish to ask you to consider the consequences of this these verses. Daniel has been fasting and praying for understanding of the End Times. It was God's Will that Daniel be immediately answered, and He dispatched an angel the instant He heard the prayer.

But the angel of God was delayed by the "Prince of Persia". Now the King of Persia was a human being that is mentioned at the very begining of Chapter 10. This was not talking about him. The angel was talking about another spiritual being... who held dominion over Persia. Indeed God's angel was not free to do God's will until Michael, another of God's angels, and a much stronger one, showed up to handle the Prince of Persia himself.

Later in the chapter the angel says that he must return to once again face the Prince of Persia with Michael, and he points out that the Prince of Greece is on his way.

This is but one example of many throughout the Bible... verses here and there that we've ignored quite deliberately.

See... we don't really often sit down and just read the Word. We get a study manual which tells us to skip around from here to there... so we get what the author wants us to get. Verses like this one never seem to make it into those manuals.

The questions it raises are legitmate and important though. The Western demythologized version of Christianity is the new thing. Its the isolated system. The old teachings... the old church... the orthodox church... they are still well aware of a spiritual battle between spiritual forces among us.

But we're to smart for that. Right?

Trilogy Discussion: Eternal Warriors by Theodore Beale

*** Warning: This is more of a discussion than a review. There are likely SPOILERS throughout. Do not read this if you're looking for something to help you decide to read these books. This is a discussion for those who've already read them.***

As another has stated in a similar, if more specific review, there are basic biases that some of us have, and they should be stated at the outset. I have frequented Mr Beale's blog for years and am a regular commenter there. In fact, were it not for him and his blog, this blog would not exist. That said, since I am attempting to review all three books at one time in one post... I am going to limit it and avoid the standard format. Upon request a standard format book review may be provided. Also, I did not read the books in their chronological order. I was feelin' a little Star Wars that week, so I started with The World in Shadow, then read The Wrath of Angels, then finished with the War in Heaven.

Book I: The War in Heaven

From a purely subjective standpoint this was by far my least favorite of the books. It just didn't have the hook the other two did. Honestly if I had read this one first I wouldn't have read the other two, and it would've been a great loss. The negatives:

Character: Christopher's skeptism waxes and wanes randomly. While in the other books he is rock solid and his actions are as predictable as your best friend's, in this one the author seems to know what he wants to do with him, but he doesn't know how to make him do it... consequently Christopher jumps around like a puppet with unpredictable strings. His motivations are overlooked and inconsistent, which would be fine for a teenager, if the author had convinced you that it was done diliberately. In this case he doesn't. This struck me as odd, considering that Christopher's character strikes me as almost completely autobiographical in nature. But Theo's been transformed since those days, and I wonder if the change has been so complete that it even affected his ability to relate to his past. It wouldn't be the first time. At any rate this book should've been a fantasy version of Conrad's great A Heart of Darkness. Sadly it falls way short. There is no journey to darkness for Christopher. There is a light switched that gets flipped one way for evil... then there is a journey into power... not deeper into evil... then at the end its flipped again... and poof.. he's good. Its all difficult to accept.

Character: The twins are not particularly twin like. Not at all. This at least is maintained throughout the books though again, it doesn't strike me as deliberate. For example, in this book Holly references her twinness and is a little put of when its not noticed enough. Are they twins or aren't they?

Fun Factor: I didn't know how else to head this criticism so I went with that. This is by far the least readable of the books. Its not hard to follow or overly complex... it's just irritating. For every excellent battle scene... there is a lame one. Plus the whole thing was eggregiously anti-climactic. The Lord may not be have to actually exert effort to defeat Satan... but that doesn't mean it won't happen with style! Help a brother out here. Yes... God wins in the end and all is good and well... but its not very fun.

Character: As much as I was biased in favor of this trilogy, I was biased against this book... but I didn't know it until I got into it. I hated Christopher. I can understand a teen atheist fascinated with the cool aspects of the fallen. What I can understand is, once it was demonstrated that his atheism was false... where was his critical thinking? Why, when he was moved to start to question everything, did he question nothing? Thing of this as one specific example of the same criticism above.

Setting: For an overtly Christian book, the endless droning about the beauty of satan and the glory of this or that demon or this or that demonic structure... and the almost... dismissive discriptions of Heaven and the Lord were irritating.

Plot: I understand that the constant references to various Geek Games gives this book considerable Geek Cred... but I apologize... I cannot for a second accept that the strategical mind of a 16 year old Geek is superior to that of Angelic Generals who witnessed our world's creation. There are limits to suspended disbelief.

Sky's blue, Water's Wet, First Books suck. That's just the way it is. So it is with practically everyone. One must learn on the job. From the next two reviews, I believe you will see that at least in my opinion, Mr Beale clearly did.

Book II: The World in Shadow

First let me say that it is not necessary to put yourself through War in Heaven to enjoy this one. Hints are dropped about Christopher's previous ordeal, but as I was reading, I simply vaguely aware that he'd been through some bad voodoo mess and it had all worked out, though changing him and scarring him up a bit. It made him a great deal more likeable, and the wondering made it more interesting. Think about it like the opposite of Vader. Knowing the good guy was once a Dark Side Bad Ass somehow makes him cooler. But knowing the Bad Guy was once a do-gooder kid doens't quite help as much.

I loved this book from begining to end. Except of course the soccer parts... but they were well executed. Gone are the clumsy character issues so prevelant in Christopher in WiH. I wish I had reviewed this one before reading WiH... as I am sure I had some negatives for it, but its so much better in comparison I simply am at a loss. I may have to re-read it.

If the first book is Christopher's.... then this book is Jami's. It focuses on her a great deal more, and honestly her character doesn't fit at all with the girl of the first book. I can accept the change, as like Christopher she is now a christian. Unfortunately the change is such that she's to different. Everything is different. To different to quickly. There is no development. It just instantly is. That's hard to accept. Its the same problem with Christopher in the first book, only with him it happens twice, first when he goes bad, second when he goes good. Now I only bring it up because this is a critique of the whole trilogy, not just the one book. If you've not read WiH then you won't notice this. You will only know Jami as the tomboy of the twins... so again, in the order I read the books, it worked out fine.

The two antagonists of this book, at least the human ones, are tempted and fall at a much more relaxed pace than Christopher did. Its well reasoned and the psychology fits a great deal better. Without giving anything away I'll just say that the book focuses on a high school shooting rampage and the psychological and spiritual battles that lead up to it.

The one nit I can pick is... Where is Christophers super-bad sword from the first book?

This one is way more fun that the first. So much so that I literally read it in one morning. Its edgy and dark and strikes me as anything but a Jesus-freak book.

Book III: The Wrath of Angels

By this point its clear Theo knows what he's doing, especially in a marketing standpoint. People love things that they are familiar with. In the first two it was Geek Games... in this one it is the continual reference to legend and literature. Everything from Excaliber to the Loch Ness Monster is hit and if you remember Midsummer Nights Dream you'll find yourself chuckling most of the way through this.

I dearly loved this book. The action and character aspects were not just better than the other two... they were excellent by any standard. I'll leave you with the biggest plus, and biggest minus.

Minus:
Consistancy. This is Holli's book, but a few things from the first two are either changed or ignored. Holly's angel for example describes her as being the least in tune to the spiritual world, but in the first book she was by far the most in tune. She saw and felt things her twin could not. Also... the enormously powerful artifact that Christopher wielded so often in the first book is ignored not just in this book but in the previous as well. Its referenced as only a cross around a kids neck... and yet several times when the kid really needed a weapon... it was no where to be found.

***update***
My biggest gripe of course... Where was Herne at the end? The whole intro is devoted to him.. He kicks ass in one section, or at least it is so mentioned.. Puck is ordered to go find him... and then that's it. He's never mentioned again. WTF????

Plus: As good as the action is... its the dialog in this book that Mr Beale should be the most proud of. Its clever, but not to clever. Its humorous. Its realistic. Its smooth. Honestly... its the best written dialog I've read in a fantasy novel... maybe ever.


Overall

If Mr Beale could go back and rewrite The War in Heaven... and I'd wager he'd like to... this would be a bona-fide rock star of a trilogy. The other two are that good. While traditionally the second book of any trilogy is the weak link, in this case, its clearly the first. Its just clearly not up to the standard of the others.

As a trilogy though I highly recommend it. Or at least, reading the second two, and perhaps skipping the first.

Priceless


"My big fast guys can always beat your big slow guys." - Bear Bryant

What did we learn tonight? We learned the same lesson we learned in 1992. Never... Never... Never disrespect the SEC champion.

I've thought all week that this Ohio State team felt a lot like the 1992 Miami team... the one that was destroyed by Alabama... shocking all the talking heads. Its amazing how after the games they all stand around and say things like, "How did we not see this coming?"

Lets look at the facts.

1- Ohio State didn't play a good offense all year long.

2- Ohio State didn't play a good defense all year long.

3- Ohio State has a bunch of big slow players.

4- Florida has a bunch of players who're just as big, if not bigger.. but they are also fast.

5- as always... speed kills.


And how about this... Ohio state is 0-8 against SEC teams in bowl games.

Let me repeat that.

Ohio State has NEVER beaten an SEC team in a bowl. Coincidence? No. I think not. South Carolina even dominated them twice... in back to back bowl games. Its one thing to get smacked around by Bama or Tennessee... but to drop two bowl games in a row to South Carolina? Wow... there's a football powerhouse for ya.

Listen carefully. Ohio State was never the best team in the country this year. They probably were never even in the Top 4 or 5. USC... Florida... LSU... Auburn... hell... Boise State... Louisville... West Virginia... any of those teams would've spanked Ohio State tonight. I 'bout half think Wisconsin would've beaten them tonight.

So they beat Meeeechigan? So freakin' what? Vandy held Meeechigan to fewer points than the vaunted ohio state D... and Florida's offense couldn't do crap against Vandy's D.

What did we learn? Well... we should've learned nothing. We should've know (and some of us did) that if these two teams played 10 times... Florida would win 9 of them. Even Herbstreit admitted it. How would Ohio State beat this team?

They wouldn't. They couldn't. Ever.

So.... Take the heisman and run Troy Smith. Your career ends the same way so many hyped heisman winners ends... Like... Eddie George... Like Gino Toretta... ect ect ect...

It ends with you laying on your back... starring up at some defensive lineman from an SEC defense faster than anything you've seen in your life... wondering where you are... and what will make the pain stop.

So Big Ten Fan... here's to you... the team that dominated your league just got sodomized on National TV by an SEC team that didn't run the table, and might not have even been the best in the conference.

See ya next year.

Bitch.

Eavesdropping

I was all excited about posting a half-time update of the Championship Game... which is much more like your typical SEC administered Big10 ass kicking... when I found my brothers had apparently created a three way conversasion on MSN... and included me... even though I was not around.

When I read the conversation... I was stunned... and I decided that you folks just had to see for yourselves.

You have no idea how badly I wish I was making this up. Pay particular attention to JAC's favorite song... as well as his use of creative netspeak.

JACIII says:
me thinkx nate's just gonna evesdrop or however the hey u spell dat.
Welldigger says:
he always does
JACIII says:
shameshameshame
Welldigger says:
TouchDown Florida !!!!!!!!!!!!
JACIII says:
Woohoo?
JACIII says:
PARTY!!!!!
JACIII says:
natch.
Welldigger says:
naturally
JACIII says:
I"M COMIN @ U LIKE A SPIDER MONKEY, CHIP!!!!
Welldigger says:
girly man
JACIII says:
"mmphunumammm"
Welldigger says:
wonder if my little sister is watchin
Welldigger says:
I swear I ain't believin this
JACIII says:
ur little sister? WAHT????
Welldigger says:
well I thought I had brothers but they aren't watchin the game soooooo
JACIII says:
OHH!!! i get it! lmao. that's a lil' old.
Welldigger says:
well ...I'M a little old
JACIII says:
lol. here's lyricx from my fav song--- I'm an emo kid, non-conforming as can be
You'd be non-conforming to if u look just like me
I have paint on my nails and make-up on my face
I'm almost emo enough to start shaving my legs
'Cause I feel real deep when I'm dressing in drag
I call it freedom of expression most just call me a fag!
Welldigger says:
well I'm off here
Welldigger says:
gotta watch the game
JACIII says:
well, rude... bye. i g2g anywayz.


I'm gonna go drink this away. I can't believe this is blood kin. Shit hell... I may not even have enough bourbon to get rid of this... by 2am I'll be into the tequila reserves. Y'all pray...

And Then There Were...

I guess this was about... what... early November I suppose. I drove home with the boys from Murfreesboro. DrWho had been out shopping all day and we'd spent the day with Nana and Papa seeing what troubles we could stir up. Anyway...

DrWho says she has something for me... and hands me a suspicious looking gift bag.

I removed the contents to find...




wait for it....



























Yes. That NB stands for NewBorn. The medical community says its to early to know the sex of the wee child, but its a boy. For those keeping score... Nate Jr, third born son of a third born son, will arrive sometime in early July.

And Then There Were Three.

Resolutions...

This year I hearby and forthwith reslove to:

- Drink more, more often.

- Smoke my pipe more often.

- Shoot more.

- Ride more.

- Kick a liberal in the ass.

- Kick a social conservative in the ass.

- Kill at least 1 of God's creatures.. preferably a fuzzy cute one. Hopefully many more.

- Take my family fishin'.

- Finish building my 1911.

- Spend more time in prayer.

- Spend more time in the woods.

- Wear my Dead Che shirt to a liberal gathering.

- Avoid speeding tickets. (at least while I'm on more than two wheels)

- Make out with Spacebunny. (this one didn't work out last year... so I'll just re-hash until I succeed or die. I realize which is more likely... still... a man sets the bar high.)

- Give more.

- Horde gold.

- Horde ammo.

- Teach a woman to shoot.

- Convince at least 2 people to buy their first firearm.

- Help JAC get over his many girlish phobias.

- Convince Welldigger to buy a dirtbike.

- Flirt with DJ more.


And of course... last but by no means least... my ubiquitous resolution:

To expand the harem... by any means necessary.

Universal Healthcare Part II

In the previous post I mentioned briefly the technological differences between the US and Canada and attempted to demonstrate them by showing how much more common diagnostic technology is in America vs. her northern neighbor.

I thought I would follow that up.

See... techonolgically speaking largely Canada is 20 years behind the US. Things that the US uses MRI's for, are diagnosed with CT scans in Canada. Depending on your level of knowledge that may or may not seem particularly disturbing to you... but it definately should be.

And consider this... As of today, there are only 3 Gamma Knives in all of Canada.

So... if you are unfortunate enough to have a small brain tumor in Canada... you'll probably die before you get the MRI that shows it... but if you do survive, you'll probably die before you get your turn under the gamma knife that will zap it away. If not.. you'll be forced to travel a long long way to actually have the surgery.

By contrast... in the US... you find MRI's in tiny hospitals in tiny towns... and you find Gamma Knives in places like Morgantown, West Virginia.

The first Gamma Knife operated in the United States in 1987.

Canada got its first Gamma Knife in 2003.

Just to reiterate.... Gamma Knife surgery is available in every state in the US. While there are only 3 in all of Canada.

These are specific examples supplied to demonstrate just one of the fatal weaknesses of so-called universal healthcare. What you'll find is, they exist across the board. In every area of healthcare technology, from computerized records to anesthesia machines toMRIs to Gamma Knives Canada is almost 20 years behind consistantly.

Government Healthcare

Lets begin by calling a spade a spade. The term universal healthcare sounds better, but what it means is Government Healthcare. Proponents don't like to use that term though, because it sounds bad. Why? Because the general perception in America is that something produced by the government is inferior to that which is produced privately. Take a walk through a few VA hopsitals. Compare the US Postal Service to FedEx. You'll find the perception is well earned.

But now that we have our terms straight lets examine the real question. Should America adopt Government Healthcare?

Its a bit of a trick question of course, because we largely already have through Medicare, Medicaid, and state programs like TnCare. But lets look at it... and why don't we use our neighbor to the north, as proponents of Government Healthcare love their system so much.

Let's start with a quote:
"I spent two years and more trying to locate a regular doctor to manage my mother's declining health. I did not find one in time... the public should be aware that if we do not return to a favorable doctor-to-patient ratio in this country soon... we will be sold short and people will die before it is really their time." - Norm Richards

Canada is running painfully low on doctors. Why? Several reasons, the largest of which are time and money. Young people simply aren't choosing to be doctors in Canada because the work hours, educational investment, and time commitment don't balance out with the pay. Doctors are starting to be seen as martyrs.

There was a canadian kid that went through residency with my wife. He loved Canada and desperately wanted to go back there, but wouldn't. He told me he loved being a doctor to much to go home.

Enough of that silliness. Lets have some hard numbers.

There are 2.1 doctors per 1000 people in Canada. There are 2.8 doctors per 1000 people in the US.

Nurses in the US make an average of 50% more than Nurses in Canada. Doctors earn 100% more on average. On top of that, canadians face a tax rate that is nearly double that of the US.

Canada has 4.6 MRI scanners per million people. The US has 19.5.

Canada has 10.3 CT scanners per million people. The US has 29.5. Think about that. In terms of availability, its easier to get an MRI in the US than it is to get a CT in Canada.

American women are 30% more likely to develope breast cancer than Canadian women, but the Canadian mortality rate for breast cancer is higher. Its not just breast cancer. In every case Americans are more likely to develope cancer, and in almost every case, the American mortality rate is lower, in spite of the fact that in Canada everyone has a health insurance card.

You see in America we have more doctors, more nurses, and more technology. In Canada they have more insurance cards. I don't know about you but I've never been treated or diagnosed by an insurance card.

What compounds the Canadian problem even worse is the very thing that so many love about it. Its cost to the patient. Its free. That's great right?

Well no. No not really its not great. Because when something is free, its abused. You scraped your knee? Better go to the ER and have it looked at. Why not? Its free. Why not take an ambulance ride there? Again... its free.

Think it doesn't happen? I've got news for you, it happens here in Tennessee with TnCare patients.

The Candian HealthCare System looks great on the surface, but a deeper look reveals a rotting corpse that's bankrupting the country and threatening to finally collapse completely. The plain truth is the government just can't afford to keep the system up and running. Canadian news services are widely declaring the system broken beyond repair.

Its true... in Canada everyone has equal access to healthcare; practically none.

This is what you want to emulate?

Christian Defense

Every once in a while I get an email from one of you folks that really strikes a nerve. Like today...

See... I started this blog because I was asked to... over and over and over by the folks over at Vox's. I was reluctant... especially since I viewed the Blogosphere with a certain disdain. See... the blogosphere is made up of millions of people with nothing to say, hell bent on saying it.

I didn't want to be one of them.

Then I realized... I had something to say.

That something is this...

Men... Christians... Parents... You have a God Given Right, and a Civic Responsibility to defend yourself. You should own, and be well trained in the use of firearms.

Guns are tools... neither good nor bad. See.... good or bad... that only applies to people's behavior. Set a loaded gun on a table and it will sit there forever. It will never harm anyone. At least not until someone comes along and picks it up.

Fun thing about guns. Someone has to pull the trigger.

And yes... turning the other cheek is a profoundly Christian behavior. Its one I support and choose often. However... its not a luxury you have when the safety of your family is on the line.

In Luke 22.... Christ is giving his disciples advice before they go out into the world... I recommend paying attention to Luke 22:36

"Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one."

What do you suppose Christ meant those swords to be used for?

There is only one conclusion a student can reach; the defense of those who cannot defend themselves.

I submit that if you are a Christian it is your duty to responsibly keep firearms in your home, if not on your person.

I submit that if you are a citizen of the State of Tennessee, or the United States, it is your civic duty to keep military servicable weapons in your home, lest you be called on empty-handed.

So... The Second Amendment Always Loses in Court?


"The provision in the Constitution granting the right to all persons to bear arms is a limitation upon the power of the Legislature to enact any law to the contrary. The exercise of a right guaranteed by the Constitution cannot be made subject to the will of the sheriff. [People vs. Zerillo, 219 Mich. 635, 189 N.W. 927, at 928 (1922)]"


Or not.

I have a legal Concealed Carry License. That fact however, does not mean I think the government has the right to require to have one.

It means in this case.. its easier just to get one and be done with it. The class was fun, and informative from a legal standpoint.

The Legend of the Rebel Soldier



In a dreary Yankee prison where a rebel soldier lay
By his side there stood a preacher ere his soul should pass away
And he faintly whispered parson, as he clutched him by the hand
Oh parson, tell me quickly, will my soul pass through the Southland?

Will my soul pass through the Southland, through Old Virginia grand?
Will I see the hills of Georgia, and the green fields of Alabam?
Will I see the little churchhouse, where I pledged my heart and hand?
Oh parson, tell me quickly, will my soul pass through the Southland?

Was for loving dear old Dixie, in this dreary cell I lie
Was for loving dear old Dixie, in this Northern State I die
Will you see my little daughter, will you make her understand?
Oh parson, tell me quickly, will my soul pass through the Southland?

Then the Rebel Soldier died.

This is a traditional Confederate song... adapted by an Irish Confederate solider held captive... perhaps at one of the Yankee Slaughter Houses that made Andersonville look like a summer resort.

Please note there isn't one line about slavery.

The army didn't fight for hate. They fought for love. And that their banner is shamed... is shame indeed.

Mr Castanza Rolls in His Grave

Note.... a company making money off of the explicitly anti-comercial Festivus!!!

Buy your Festivus Pole Here

That's Special

So folks are celebrating Festivus... No doubt they will be criticisized for celebrating a fake holiday... no doubt some of the critics will think Kwanza is authentic.

Anyway... there is no way to really know when festivus is.. seinfeld wasn't specific. We assume its the 24th but we don't know. And why did they choose the 23rd anyway? Wasn't it really just to compete with Christmas? The pole obviously pays omage to the traditional tree, and wasn't even the original symbol anyway. Originally it was a clock and a bag... and the airing of grievenses and feats of stregth have clear roots in the pagan rights of the orient and Scottland.

Its common knowledge that the first Festivus celebrations were actually in the spring anyway.

Christmas Gifts

This is the long list of Christmas prizes I'd love to give...

To...

Our Lord: Thanks

The Tennessee Titans: A trip to the playoffs.

Floyd Reese: Asante Samuels and Dwight Freeney. Both free agents this off season.

The Nashville Predators: a healthy Thomas Vokoun

Hillary Clinton: a soul.

George W Bush: A thousand paper cuts... and a gallon of rubbing alcohol.

Vox: three rounds with Al Franken.. and a well restored MG to the winner.

Spacebunny: a week off.

Res Ipsa: Buckzilla

Mrs Res Ipsa: Patience... no wait... she clearly already has plenty.

EP: A plump woman who sleeps soundly and cooks to much.. and a KLX 250.

JAC: A trip to Mexico... dust and glory.

DJ: Ducati 748... duh...

MM: A home in the South, where he belongs.

Bill: A tig... and a bottle of makers... to be used simultaneously.

Underwater Operative: How Not to Dress Like a Sissy: The Definitive Handbook.

Will: a Springfield 1911... and house gun

JamieR: Musical taste... and tolerence... alcohol tolerence... and a week in Tennessee.. where he would need it.

Kristy and Dave: USB rocket launchers!

The Rest of the Harem girls: One night...

Farmer Tom: a freshly restored John Deere 8020.

***UPDATE***

Do to complaints from the peanut gallery... I offer this addendum:

To Jeb: A BIIIIIIIIIIIIG Cotton Picker... with forks! Like a Combine!

To Eli: The Biggest Bear Ever.

And to you wife... you get an appreciative husband.

Listen Up

You. Yes You. Sit your ass down. We need to talk.

Listen... I know you're all fired up about your cause. I don't particularly care what cause it is. Global Warming... Save the Whales... Poverty... AIDs... Race... Gay Marriage... the NRA... yes this goes for the so-called Right-Wingers too... especially you nimrod charasmatics.

I swear... just listing off the causes makes me want to deepthroat a cattleprod. If it were up to me... we'd round up all these interest groups... these assinine pet causes... and we'd slow cook the folks in charge of them and serve 'em with Au Ju.

You think those folks give a damn about their cause? Oh sure... there may be a handfull of true believers... but they ain't running things. These are money-making outfits. Scams. Take the global warming groups...

They create their own demand by ejecting bullshit on a defensless public... the public, being defenseless and more than a little stupid, buys it... and starts worrying about global warming. And what do you do when you worry? Right! You send someone a check. Good thinking!

NRA? Same deal. They say the boogie man's coming to get our guns... but they sure don't seem to interested in actually defending the second-amendment. Just send the check please.

PETA? Check. Same deal.

Think about it... do you really think Karl Marx believed that crap he wrote all work being equal? He wasn't a fool. He wrote it for you because he knew you were fools. He wasn't planning a Utopia... he was manipulating you. Ya know what else? He did a hulluva job!

And what about you... Mr I-Fall-For-Every-New-Theology-That-Comes-Down-The-Pike? Do you actually think this charasmatic crap is the product of original thought? No no.. its not that its original... its that... this is the way it really used to be... and we're just trying to get back to it... right? You're just fixing everyone else's mistakes. Right.. now remember next month is our special Giving Service.. you should be there because you know... if you don't give, you'll lose your spiritual covering!

What was that I said... oh yeah... Fixing everyone else's mistakes... See? that's what they all have in common.

They're all built to cater to your ego. You're smarter than everyone else because you know we're ruining the earth... or killing all the animals... or the fish.. or worshiping incorrectly... or celebrating the wrong holidays...

See how smart you are? No sit down, shut up, and send us your money.

A Militant Merry Christmas

I don't know if y'all caught this or not... but its worth highlighting... From Vox Day's column today:

This year I'll be celebrating Christmas by decorating a tree and giving gifts to my loved ones, Hanukkah by taking eight days off work, Festivus by bitching about the Fed's decision to stop reporting M3, Saturnalia by letting Promporn and Sunisa tie me up for a change, and Kwanzaa by holding up the liquor store on Martin Luther King Boulevard using a piece of corn carved into the shape of a Glock 9mm.

Now that's funny right there... I don't care who ya are.

ATF

To be honest... at this point in my life... I am happier than I've ever been. But for some reason... tonight I seem drawn a little to the darker side. I read headline after headline... and I find myself thinking more and more about the AR-15 and the numerous 60-round clips close by...

Maybe its just left overs from responding to that email about Go-Time.

ah hell... nothing a little knob creek won't fix. I hope.

I'm working on a short story right now... of course... this has nothing to do with A T or F... ok... it has a lot to do with F... but its certainly not in the tradition of the ATF posts... but I digress. I'm working on this story about a wronged family... that ends up going at it with cops. It would be a lot easier to make it a novel though... but I just don't have the time. I don't think it could ever be a comercial success of course... which is why I'm rolling with the short story deal... because lets face it... do you really think there's a market out there for rutheless premeditated cop-killing? Probly not. We'll probably never know.

If I do follow through with my decision and make it a short story I'll post a work in progress here, and hopefully a finished version... at some point.

On a different topic I thought it would be a good time to give a bit of an update on my new carry gun. The Steyr.

I still love it. No problems at all. The accuracy and reliability top the glocks in the safe. Both of them... in fact they top all of the DOA weapons. The accuracy is on par with my PT-101 which is significantly larger... but the reliability is still an issue. Lets face it... I've shot that Taurus for over a decade trouble free. The Steyr has a ways to go to match that. Even still if I had to call it one way or the other, I would call the weapon proven.

Now... lighter topics... watcha drinkin' tonight? For me... Knob Creek. Oh I know... Everyone has something they like better than Knob Creek. Ya know what else? I don't know of another bourbon that's so high on everyone's list. Maybe its not your number one... but I'll wager its in the top-5 or 6. In a country where 80% of the population can't agree on the date, that's saying something. I don't know, aside from Russel's Reserve, Rare Breed, and Bookers... of a single whiskey that is as consistant as Knob Creek. Every ounce tastes the exact same. I suppose Makers is still better for the money... but it don't stay with you like Knob Creek does.

Speakin' of fine bourbon... Whiskey Girl called me the other day. See... I'm a GOOD brother-in-law. For no reason in particular I bought her a Wild Turkey Rare Breed Gift Set. It came with 750ml and a couple nice tumblers. Well the other day she calls me up... out of the blue.

"Nate... I've got a problem..."

"What's that darlin'?"

"This Rare Breed is really good... and I may have to work tomarrow."

I don't know if you've ever sprung for Rare Breed. If not... For the love of God go now. Its like everything that's good about Russells... but more of it. Sipping a little to much Rare Breed is like having to much sex. You feel it in the morning... but regret is not the right word.

And smokes???

I'm curious for your thoughts on CAO. I like them. They aren't the best... but so what? Does everything have to be the best? They're good cigars. I enjoy them. Sure... Aruto makes some better ones. But that doesn't mean the CAO's aren't good. It just means Arturo makes fantastic cigars. JAC said it the other day.. and I agree... Neither of us has ever had a bad Arturo. I've had bad cuban cohibas... but I've never had a bad Arturo.

What about you pipe guys? Are we still recommending local blends? If so... what do we have to share? There is a blend called Black Cordial... and I'm curious as to its consistancy. I've seen it in jars at several differnt shops in several different towns... but it didn't strike me as the same. There were slight differences. Always awesome... but different.

I'll end this with a very non-traditional ATF question. If the Shit Hit The Fan last Wednesday at 1:30pm... where would you have been? and how would you have handled it? Think about it. Are you prepared?

A Pagan Holiday?

Everyone knows December 25th is actually a pagan holiday that Christians stole.

Right?

After all... Rome celebrated the birth of the Sun on December 25th. That festival dates back to around 270ad when Aurelius created the holiday. But check this out...

The definitive "Handbook of Biblical Chronology" by professor Jack Finegan (Hendrickson, 1998 revised edition) cites an important reference in the "Chronicle" written by Hippolytus of Rome three decades before Aurelian launched his festival. Hippolytus said Jesus' birth "took place eight days before the kalends of January," that is, Dec. 25.

So... a beloved roman historian wrote that Jesus was born on Dec 25th... 30 years before the pagan holiday was invented by Aurelius.

Well? That certainly throws a monkey wrench into things. Want another?

Christ's birth has been celebrated on Dec 25th since the 4th century. And the 12 days of Christmas? That's because Epiphany occured on January 6. 12 days after the Birth.

But but but!!! Winter Solstice has been celebrated by pagans for 4000 years!!!!

So what? You think the Jews and Christians of Isreal knew or cared about what the cannible hordes of germany were celebrating? Correlation is not causation people.

So... according to Yahoo! Answers... Christmas is on the 25th because the Roman Catholic Church wanted to compete with the pagan holiday. Someone should really clue those poor dolts in. Christians had been celebrating Christ's birth on the 25th of December for centuries before the Catholic declaration.

Read more here.

Black Privilage

Every once in a while I make the rounds at some local Nashville blogs. Today I came upon some rant by someone calling herself Aunt B. She was upset about White Privilage... well... This is the Bloggerblaster... we don't do PC here. So how about we have us a little rant the other way?

Black Privilage is...

Being admitted to medical school in favor of whites who scored better on the tests than you did... and made better grades than you did.

Getting the job that you really aren't qualified for.. because after all mommy government says every company has to have so many black folks.

Getting to keep your job... even though you suck at it... you're lazy... and you show attitude to every co-worker you have... beacuse they can't fire you.

Whenever someone doesn't like you... its not because you're a jerk... or anything else about you... its because they're racist.

Always having a scapegoat.

Always having an excuse.

Going to school for free... just because of your skin color.

Being insanely over represented on TV.

A free pass to say blantantly racist things on TV, and not get fired. (Michael Irvin)



Well... that's about all I can think of right now. The comments section is below. Direct your hate mail there. I may even read it.

Damn You Rachael Carson

Raise your hand if you know of the book Silent Spring?

You should.. its the book thats killed more people than any other. And Rachael Carson... is the woman who's killed more people than Stalin, more than Mao, and many times more than Hitler.

What few people realize is that Malaria was controlled in the 1950s. DDT eradicated Malaria in the US and Europe, and was fast doing so in Africa.

Ahh... but dear Rachael needed a career boost... and if that meant killing millions of people... oh well. The environment must be saved!

Just some quick facts:

- 1 african chld dies of malaria every 30 seconds.

- After Malaria cases had increased 1000% South Africa began using DDT again. Cases were reduced by 80% in less than 1 year. Cases are now at an all-time low.

- 1.5 to 2.7 million people die each year of Malaria.

- Children aged one to four are the most vulnerable to infection and death. Malaria is responsible for as many as half the deaths of African children under the age of five. The disease kills more than one million children - 2,800 per day - each year in Africa alone. In regions of intense transmission, 40% of toddlers may die of acute malaria.

- In the early 1960s, only 10% the world's population was at risk of contracting malaria. This rose to 40% as mosquitoes developed resistance to pesticides and malaria parasites developed resistance to treatment drugs. Malaria is now spreading to areas previously free of the disease. None of these mosquitoes are resistant to DDT.

- Malaria kills 8,000 Brazilians yearly - more than AIDS and cholera combined.

- DDT prevented 500 million deaths by 1970.

- No one has ever died of DDT poisoning.

- After 40 years of intense scrutiny, not one case of cancer has been related to DDT.

- If America was affected by Malaria, we'd be using DDT to stop it.

- Alexander King, founder of the Malthusian Club of Rome, who wrote in a biographical essay in 1990, “My chief quarrel with DDT in hindsight is that it has greatly added to the population problem.”

And that last bit... there's where the real doosie lis. Why is it that the Left... which is so hell-bent on ramming ever cause down our throats... lets this one lanquish when the fix is so easily available?

Becasue they don't want it fixed. To them the world's over populated as is... who needs a few million more Africans running around?

You say 10 bucks will put a net over a kid's bed? I say 10 bucks worth of DDT will protect a whole neighborhood for a year... and Mosquitos bite in the day time to ya morons.

Its now universally accepted that Silent Spring was based on shoddy science at best. There was a well known professor who toured the country lecturing on DDT... and before every lecture, he would eat a teaspoon of the stuff... pure. He lived a long and happy life. But isn't it fitting... that the environmental movement... that is so plagued by pathetic attempts at science... was actually started by a book based on crappy science itself?

I'll tell ya what... how about we worry about curing AIDS after we go ahead and handle the much more deadly disease.. that we already know how to stop?

NateMail: Put It In Its Place?

There's a downside to having a massively read blog. The people who read it sometimes email you provocative questions to which there are no good answers. Like this one on putting the government in its place:

How? There are so many who are aware of the problem, the travesty, yetnone who offer a solution, to say nothing of action! I don't want you to take it the wrong way, as I'm sure you're notwho's only full of talk. I'm just so tired of it. Tired of being relatively informed and pretty darned upset at the form our Republichas taken, yet not seeing any recourse. What can one do? Vote? Ha!I know you'd never suggest such a thing. Is the answer to simply sit and wait for something to happen? Something so drastic or terrible that it motivates?

Still... you have to try. So here goes...

What is being asked here.. is simply... is it Go Time?

The answer is obviously no... because if the answer was yes, we wouldn't be reading silly things on the net right now... we'd be shooting, looting, hiding, being shot at, blowing things up, and generally having a great time. These things are not happening... so clearly its not Go Time.

Yet.

But when is Go Time? To answer the emailer, we really do need to sit and wait. Its coming... for sure. The dollar is rapidly falling to hell. Big Oil is converting their pricing to Euros. China has made it clear that they are getting out of the dollar. At best, recession is on the way... at worst?

The Fed is screwed. They can't raise rates fast enough to save the dollar... but the low rates are the only finger left in the dam holding back the recession. They're damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Well... ask yourself.. what will President Rhodam's response to a recession be? Tax cuts? Probly not. How do you suppose modern america would react to a socialist mommy-in-chief in the midst of a depression?

Waco almost tore the country apart doing great economic times. What do you think would've happened if people were already pissed?

The key ingredient to the coming of Go Time is a significant economic downturn. Another key ingrediant is a nut case, gun grabbing, certified commie in the white house.

Both are on the way.

Clean your guns. Horde ammo. Pray for Peace. Prepare for War.

But if you're like me... and you've got a family to protect... better investigate in off shore real estate.

Rights?

Everything is a right these days. You have a right to health care... a right to education... a right murder your unborn child... and if you believe sports radio... a right to get the NFL Network on basic cable.

How about no.

Rights require no action on the part of others. For example, you have a right to free speach. You can say what you want. This requires nothing of me. You have a right to bear arms. Again... this requires nothing of me. This is basic. The widespread lack of understanding is an indictment on our so called education system.

But imagine if someone decided the Right to Bear Arms meant the government had to provide you with a high quality firearm free of charge. Suppose we had lengthy government studies about what firearm type was the best, and formed massive government agencys to direct the distribution of said firearms?

Well it would be bloody daft wouldn't it?

Strangely enough if there is no Right to Education enumerated within our constitution, but do we not do that very thing?

And what of the Right to Work?

Well... lets examine it. It can only be a right if it doesn't require the action of another. Your right to work obviously requires someone somewhere to hire you. Obviously, its not a right.

Work is not a right. Its a property, a very basic property which is covered by the most precious rights we have... which are property rights. In fact, all of the rights we have are based on property. You have a right to free speach because your thoughts and your words are your own.

So yes... work is property... but its not a right in and of itself. No one is required to buy your property. No one is required to hire you. There is not right to a safe work environment, because that would require someone else to alter the terms by which they purchase your property. Rights, as I said, confer no obligation on others.

There are all sorts of good things out there that are not rights. The government can't be continually expanded to deal with every pet peeve that someone may have. It can't because if it was, we'd all end up living in sterile cages.

Its time to grow up. You don't have a right to be comfortable. You don't have a right to be safe, or happy, or to live in a smoke-free non-offensive environment. God didn't grant you those rights. You have a right to life... but only in so much as you can sustain it for yourself. You want the NFL Network? Go get Direct TV.

Down With Madden 07?

Oh yes. Yes I am.

Merill Hoge vs. Vince Young


Man... what a moron.

Global Warming and the Liberal God Complex

The Liberal Position on so called "Global Warming" is directly related to their own world view. In their minds... man controls everything. Humans are perfectible and the end all be all of existence. Liberals are in general secular humanists... and there major dogma insists that Man is in fact God. Its just like their view of economies... which in their quaint little minds are best controlled by governments.

Nevermind that the results have been uniformly disastrous.

This attitude... The GodMan syndrome... it makes liberals assume that everything that happens must be because of Man. Much in the same way that the grub eating aboriginees of south America must assume that everything is caused by their many gods. Birds of a feather and all that.

Consider this article, and rock solid case it makes about the lunacy of man-caused global warming. We all know that the middle ages were warmer. Its been accepted forever... until recently when the global warming nutcases realized it made their theory look a little silly. So of course... they just decided to omit it from their studies.

Note this section from the article: I had another interesting experience around the time my paper in Science was published. I received an astonishing email from a major researcher in the area of climate change. He said, "We have to get rid of the Medieval Warm Period." "The Medieval Warm Period (MWP) was a time of unusually warm weather that began around 1000 AD and persisted until a cold period known as the "Little Ice Age" took hold in the 14th century. ... The existence of the MWP had been recognized in the scientific literature for decades. But now it was a major embarrassment to those maintaining that the 20th century warming was truly anomalous. It had to be "gotten rid of."

"In 1999, Michael Mann and his colleagues published a reconstruction of past temperature in which the MWP simply vanished. This unique estimate became known as the "hockey stick," because of the shape of the temperature graph. "Normally in science, when you have a novel result that appears to overturn previous work, you have to demonstrate why the earlier work was wrong. But the work of Mann and his colleagues was initially accepted uncritically, even though it contradicted the results of more than 100 previous studies. Other researchers have since reaffirmed that the Medieval Warm Period was both warm and global in its extent.

In a word... ouch.

Its a little assinine to talk about Global Warming when you consider that in 1975 we were warned by these same nut balls about Global Cooling... not to mention the fact that many of our yankee neighbors live in states that were covered by glaciers no so very long ago. There were no SUVs 10,000 years ago... but the world was warming up just fine on its own.

Props to Vox.

Politics is a Team Sport

I've talked about this before. You end up rooting for the team you associate with, and because they are your team.. you end up blinded to the evils that they may do. Today though... I'd like to try to expand on this a little.

When I say its a team sport you probably think in terms of two teams competing. In fact.. its just different units of the same team. Its like a football team. You have offense and defense... and they're never on the field at the same time.

The ultimate goal of each is to secure power for themselves... which in actuality means securing power for the government. The Offense, which we'll call the Democrats, is more geared toward openly expanding government as fast as possible.

The Defense... Republicans... they are there to insure that what gains are made, are not lost... and to occasionally pick up a large gain.

Just like football... the biggest turning points usually come from the defense. EPA? No Child Left Behind? The Patriot Acts? All big moves made by the defense.

Some of you are fans of the Defense... some are fans of the offense... but me?

I'm rooting for the other team.

Us.

See that's how it works. There are two sides. The People and The Government. You pick a team. If you're a democrat... or a republican... then you're on the Government's side. If you would use the power of the government to outlaw things that you don't agree with... outside of Common Law... then you are on the government's side.

Would you outlaw homosexuality? If so... you're a bootlicker.

Would you outlaw marijuana? If so... you're a bootlicker.

Would you restrict firearms ownership? If so... you're a bootlicker.

Would you ban smoking? If so... you're a bootlicker.

Would you outlaw racism or sexism? If so... you're a bootlicker.

Think about it. Nationally... if the Dems were in power when the Patriot Act came up before congress... how do you think the average Republican would've felt about it?

He would've hated it... because his team didn't do it. And that is why things like that... things as eggregiously offensive to freemdom as that... have to be handled by the Defense. Because the folks that cheer for the defense have the guns.

See the folks with the guns watch the offense pretty close. If they are gonna start shooting... its gonna be because of something the offense did. But the defense? Why would they start shooting over them? That's their team!

That's the way it works in America boys and girls. Red or Blue. Grab your pom poms and grab your ankles.

Consider This...

There has been an average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths. That gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000 for the same period.

That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U.S. Capitol, which has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, than you are in Iraq.

*** UPDATE ***

in the comments Bill provides a link to a study that shows that 60 per 100,000 is actually the total death rate including all causes. So actually, our soldiers in Iraq are actually safer there than in many major metro areas in the US. Thanks Bill!

I've Got Nothing


I just can't improve on this headline:

Flatulence, not turbulence forces plane landing in Nashville

Islamophobia

One of the great examples of liberal projection is the way they invent pyschological disorders to describe those who's political, religous, or cultural beliefs differ from their own. I've written at length about the absurdity of the use of the word "homophobia". Well... they just can't help it. They've done it again.

So... those of you who insist that Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords... the Son of God... Its not that you just happen to hold particular religious beliefs. Nope. You're crazy. You must be. You disagree with the liberals.

I do not respect Islam. I do not appreciate the poetry of the Quran. As a Christian I am told to judge by fruits... and Mohammad's fruits are evil and vile. Islam brings torture, poverty, suffering, and death everywhere it goes.

There is no grace in Islam. There is no mercy. There is no love.

As a Christian I am required to hate evil. Islam is evil.

Do the math.

Stay Away from Taco Bell

Ecoli in several stores in New York. Its also happening at a Taco Bell in Nashville.

Not good.

Its not a coincidence y'all. Lay off the Fast Food for a while.

Say What?


Let me get this straight... 50 years ago a bunch of guys with a slide rule and fish bowl helmet landed on the moon, stayed there a while, and came home safely... all with computer technology that's the rough equivelent of a $20.00 casio watch... but its going to take us another 13 years and untold billions before we can go back.

Ya know... I don't know about y'all... but going somewhere the second time is a lot easier for me. Seems like it should be the same deal here. After all... the moon hasn't moved. Its still in the same orbit it was 50 years ago... mostly.

Titanium ain't exotic anymore. We don't use slide rules either.

Sorry. I don't buy it.

Why do we have to spend millions learning about the radiation on the moon... when we've already been there? We should already know... in fact, NASA has been insisting that we've known since way back to the first time they landed up there. They've been doing so to cast doubt on all the skeptics out there who think the whole thing was staged.

Well.. I'll tell ya one thing.. the economics of this don't make sense.

Someone name me one thing.. one technological achievement that is so hard to recreate. Hell... we won't be going back to the moon until 2020. We didn't need that long to figure it out and get it done the first time!

Sorry... read about the mission. Read about the whole thing... how it supposedly happened... read the NASA stories on it. You tell me if you can get through it with a straight face.

Oh.. and one more thing... this initiative was started in 2004. NASA has stated that it will plan to land in 2020. Meaning they need 16 years to plan and execute this mission.

The first mission... which was planned with slide rules and draft boards.... instead of Crays... was planned and executed in 8 years.

Sure... but computer power doesn't mean that much right?