Thursday, December 31, 2015

Yes I think Bama is Going to Win

Lots of folks have been asking me about the game tonight.   Yes... I very much believe Bama is going to beat Sparty.   No doubt everyone will say this is because I'm a Bama fan... but I would counter this by saying that Bama is a 10 point favorite.

So pretty much everyone is a Bama fan by that logic.

I'm sure there are die hard Sparty fans out there that truely believe they are a better team than Bama is.    Objectively... that's simply irrational.   That's ok though.  Sports isn't rational.  No matter how much we pretend it is. 

I can list all the reasons Bama is better than Sparty.  I can tell you that Sparty is a great team but it doesn't matter because they are built wrong.  Sparty is going to line up and try out Bama Bama.  Well you can't out Bama Bama.  Sparty isn't the kind of team that gives Bama trouble.  But none of that matters.   There is a game tonight.

That's what matters.


And... we all know the truth.   The truth is... no bama fan....  no bama player... no bama coach... was disappointed or scared or bummed about hearing they were playing Sparty.


We also know that most Sparty fans felt a sinking feeling as soon as they heard they were getting Bama.  And there is a rather infamous video that shows at least one of their players felt the same thing.

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

The Dumbest Thing On The Internet

That's it.   Close up shop.  Hit the lights and lock up on your way out.   We have found The Dumbest Thing on the Internet.

I thought 2 girls 1 cup was the sickest stupidest thing depicted...  but after reading this... I had to reconsider.

Here ya go kids.  

50 Reasons Why I Don't Drink

Because lets face it...  when you go looking for the truly stupid... you have to find some idiot do-gooder in the Christian Ghetto.  

Lets look at some of our favorites from this gem.

3. Alcohol is a depressant.  Anything that depresses should be avoided at all costs.

So...  apparently this idiot can't tell the difference between psychology and chemistry.  We can also conclude that she doesn't take allergy medicine... or you know...nyquil.  Because apparently those things make you sad. 



Ya know what...  I can't.  I can't even do this.   I wanted to go through and destroy this idiot line by line... but I just can't bring myself to do it. 


The Stupid is Over 9000.

Saturday, December 26, 2015

The Vox Day Dance and Continual Soiree

I want you to know... I didn't make this.  I am not responsible for the content of this in anyway... shape or form.

By posting this video... I make no commentary on the quality... or political implications of this video.  It is here solely for informational purposes.


Ahem...  Its much better than cats











UPDATE:   It seems some folks are having trouble with the video on mobile devices.  So here...  Try the YouTube version.


Friday, December 25, 2015

Calamondin Whiskey Sours?





Six and Racheal clearly had a lot of fun on Christmas Eve.  Do watch all the way to the end.  You don't want to miss the dedication.


ScotteVest Quest Vest

Several years ago we started seeing tech specific gear started showing up on sites like ThinkGeek.  At first they hoodies and such... mostly for kids...  they would have a specific pocket for a cellphone or mp3 player and clips that would hold the cord for your ear buds in place.

I thought this sort of thing was cool but... I'm not an idiot... so I don't wander around with earbuds in all day.  So... imagine my joy when I learned that this type of outerwear has in fact grown up.

Sure the ear bud clips are till there... but now?  Now you have specific power pockets made for you to store your external batteries... and you can route power cords through the lining to the pockets where you keep things like cellphones or tablets.  

Suddenly this is lot more interesting eh?

And not just that but you have weight retention systems in them now to help even the load.  I have been eying these things for a long time.  And what do ya know...  Merry Christmas Nate... DrWho came through ya!

She got me the Q.U.E.S.T. vest by these folks.

The thing has 42 pockets.   And in case you're wondering... none of them are actually labelled for a firearm... but I can assure you... there are lots of places that are perfect for one.  Just as a test I put 2 steyr m40s... 4 extra mags... and a snubby 357 all in the vest.   I still had room for my phone, wallet, keys, 2 knives... a pen... glasses... oh yeah... and a freaking bottle of water.  Just to be a dick I put a laptop in one of the pockets too.

I'll allow... the laptop was over the top.  But it could be done.  That's the bizarre thing.  If I had to walk around with that laptop in there... I could do it.  No big deal.  I wouldn't like doing it all day long.. but you can definately do it.

And the weapons?

Invisible.

This is a very light vest too.

I'm impressed.  I'm gonna do a long term update on it later.  But if you carry a lot of stuff, especially a lot of tech... give these things a look.  They're awesome.



Thursday, December 24, 2015

The Holiest Night

I suppose we all find our own traditions to be the best way to spend Christmas Eve.  Indeed I cannot fathom a better way than what we do...  but I would be deeply disappointed if you didn't feel the same way about what ever it is you do.

We always make a grand feast for Christmas Eve...  its usually a giant roast... 7 pounds or so...  that's cooked all the live long day.

See our chuch has a service at 6pm... and its just about everyone's favorite service of the year.    We call it the service of light.  At the end of the service the whole congregation... everyone from the 2 year olds to the 90 year olds.. have a candle.  all of them are lit...  and the lights in the santurary are turned off while we sing Silent Night.

After that... its home... to the feast...  Fried Okra... Roast Beast... Corn Casserole... Mashed Potatoes and Gravy...  glorious.  GLORIOUS!

And the family all shows up. 

And we open presents from the extended family...  so its a big celebration...  And the kids are all in their special PJ elf pajamas.  see..  PJ elves deliver special pajamas every year for Christmas eve which are made to help the kids sleep better that special night.

and then... when everyone is ready for bed... I read A Visit From Saint Nicholas to the family.

Then the kids all peacefully drift off to sleep

And the Chaos starts.  The glorious beloved Chaos.

That doesn't end until about 5pm on Christmas Day.


Merry Christmas.   We are all blessed every one.  And I sincerely thank you for reading and commenting here.

You're the only reason I do it.

God Bless.

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Fine Art



This is called The Nativity, by Geri Melcher.   This is the Holy Family...  after the birth but before the Angels and Shepherds showed up.  Mary is exhausted.  Joseph...  looking down at the Lord.

This is to my eye... art perfected.

It is both comforting and disquieting at the same time.

I suppose it will surprise most of you, at least those who have never actually visited my house, but DrWho and I very much appreciate art.  The walls of our house are covered with paintings.  Many of which are originals.  We're not hoity toity about it.  We buy what we like.  If there is a story... all the better.  This though...this is special.  

It may be a little high brow for this blog... but I'd very much like to know what ya'll think of it.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Fisking the Idiot Star Wars Reviewer

In case you missed it... over at Vox's Game blog, Alpha Game, Vox posted some moron's review of The Force Awakens.   Its amazingly stupid... which lets face it... is pretty much what you have to expect from a game blog... even Vox's.   His comments are in italics.  My own are in bold.  Remember this is not Vox's review.  He didnt' write it.  Some idiot did.

***WARNING:  EPIC SPOILERS FOLLOW***



You’ll be glad you didn’t see Star Wars VII: The Farce Awakens. The glaring questions it begs are projections of the female imperative.

Wait what?  Female Imperative?   What the hell does that even mean?  What are you some 35 year old fat virgin from a game blog venting his sexual frustrations on a movie?


Darth Vader, Luke, Kylo Ren, Obi Wan Kenobi, and all other force using experts in any previous Star Wars story, needed training based on years of apprenticeship with a 24/7 mentor to master the force.

Oh.  You are.   Ok then.

The entire premise of Jedi powers, like all martial skills, is that they must being “learned” and they develop over time with practice. Our heroine Rey, hinted heavily as being Luke’s daughter, instantly and without training or foreknowledge gets abilities with the force that took all other Jedi, Sith, decades to develop. So with no Jedi’s around, how does she even know the force can control weak minded storm troopers, much less use the old “you don’t need to see his papers” shtick.


Oh holy shit are you really this stupid?   Its not because she's a girl you moron.  Its because of her DNA (human biodiversity remember?) and because there are no more jedi.  Luke is on the shelf, if he was ever even a jedi at all, and all the others are gone.  There are no more jedi.  People don't even believe they existed anymore.  They are like myths.  So the Force is focusing on her to rebuild them.   This idea is beaten into the brains of the audience so hard I cannot fathom how anyone could be stupid enough to miss it.  And yet here you are.  Mouthbreathing...  taking time that you could've spent licking your favorite window... to make sure everyone knows you're to stupid it to get it.

They are both grandchildren of Darth Vader, but for some reason her untrained ability with the farce greater than her cousin’s trained ability with the force.  Morally all the new Luke, Rey, seems to be doing is self-centered and for no greater good.  Female imperative in spades, what’s good for the princess is by default the greater good.


I keep thinking this review can't get dumber... and yet...  it does.   She is doing what she's doing because she's being lead to do it by the Force.  Exactly how many extra-chromosomes do you have rattling around up there in that giant water filled head of yours?  Taking the droid to the rebels isn't "what's good for the princess" you moron.  What's good for the princess would've been taking the boatload of cash she was offered for the BB8.   And what did she do when she accomplished that?   She tried to go home.  Which is what her parents told her to do.  Look, I'm not entirely sure what window lickers mean when they say female imperative... but I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean "obeying your parents and going back to a shithole planet you hate even though you don't want to."


Using a light saber is analogous using a sword, hence to be at a level where you are proficient, much less not hurt yourself takes lots of training and effort.  Proficiency in martial skills are always in both great stories and real life acquired the same way one gets to Carnegie Hall.

hey sugartits did you happen to notice that she was pretty good at fighting already?  And what was she fighting with?  A staff.  So yes... its just completely crazy that she'd have some skill with other melee weapons isn't?  Oh and... its also just crazy that she could manage to not get killed (which is all she did) when fighting a severely wounded and not-fully-trained Kylo... who by the way was also obviously holding back because he wanted her alive. 


How can Rey without any training best Kylo Ren, the emo Darth Vader, with a light saber, while Kylo Ren has had years of training with the force and swords? Even though Vader, Anakin Skywalker, in his youth like Rey showed signs of mechanical genius and native ability with the force, to become proficient took years of training and a mentor?  When Luke first picked up a light sabre, he couldn’t deflect a laser pointer from a training drone much less use it effectively.  Even after training with both Kenobi and Yoda, Luke got his hand chopped off by Vader.

Luke was a farm boy that had never used a weapon of any kind in his life.  Rae is not.  She is living on her own and she is obviously extremely well trained in the use of melee weapons.  You'd know this if you would bother watching the movie... instead of sitting there seething... thinking about all the pretty girls you're to chicken shit to talk to.


The whole “force” in Rey defies the entire premise of the Jedi and use of the force in the previous 6 movies. How come the only character to get the ability and skill to use the force without putting in the work and effort is a girl?  Rey’s abilities make a farce of the force.  Why unlike all the men who do battle does she manage to get through against trained martial experts without even a scratch?

Without a scratch?  The first time she tangles with Kylo she gets completely wrecked and ends up getting her ass captured.  The second time.. Kylo has taken a severe blaster shot to the gut.  Again... this kind of thing makes me thing you haven't actually.. HEY!   are you.. no.. stop picking you nose and listen...  I was saying... it makes me think you haven't seen the movie.  Because see the movie makes a huge point of just how powerful Chewie's blaster is compared to all the others.  People get shot with blasters and they fall down.  People get shot with Chewie's blaster... and they fly 10 feet backwards and smash into walls.  Kylo took a gut shot from Chewie's blaster.  And stood there.  Like a badass.   He didn't block it like Vader.  He took it.  It hit him.  He was bleeding.  He was busted up.  But it didn't take him down or take him out.  He then went on to get cut and injured several more times.. all the while leaking from that blaster shot from Chewie.  His body was falling apart on him and he was still fighting.  And he was even at the end, obviously holding back keeping from killing her.   That, and only that, is the reason the girl lived.


The only good point of the entire move is the example set by both Anakin and Kylo; self-centered whiny emo is a clear indicator of a boy who is easily corrupted and gravitates toward evil

Exactly when did Kylo whine?  No seriously be specific.   When did he whine?   When things didn't go his way, and it happened a lot in this movie, he never once made an excuse.  He never once complained.   We have a word for this sugar tits.  Its projection.  Either that or confirmation bias.  You went in expecting to see him whine and pout and so you dreampt it up in your own head.

The Farce Awakens gives girls what they want, superiority to men in all things without having to put in the effort men put in to be the best they can be. The Farce did awaken.

Yes it’s just another example of the maxim:  women ruin everything.  In this case Star Wars.

Say...  sweetcheeks...  how did the rebels get the shields down?   Why isn't you didn't mention that?  I mean are you just so stupid you didn't realize that Captain Phasma was a girl?  Or was it the fact that Phasma's giant cowardly mistake ended up destroying not only Starkiller Base... but also your idiotic premise? 

Women aren't special and powerful in the movie retard.   One girl is.  She is powerful because the Force itself is focusing on her and guiding her.  She learns a crude version of the mind trick while she is trying to fight off Kylo's mental force probes.  That was a well written scene.  He attacks her... she fights it off, because he underestimates her, and in doing so... she (with the aid of the Force) learns a trick.  She tries it on the guard and fails.   She tries it again and fails.  Only the third time does it work.  And remember... Storm Troopers are notoriously easy to manipulate with the jedi mind trick. 

What I conclude here is simple.   You're just another loser that's pissed off at women... and is desperately looking to shout Wrongfun! at anyone who dares enjoy themselves with something you don't approve of.

Well piss off Nancy.

I say to you precisely what I say to the idiots at File 770.

I don't care.



Navy Goes Glock

Hey...  Teams...   Turn in your SIGs boys.  The Navy has come out of the closet.

In addition announcing that they are switching to Glocks, the US Navy has also announced that all safety briefings on thai ladyboys and how to spot them will be stopped.  

It will be replaced with new seminars like "How to get blown buy a 15 year old boy with tits".





Smoke'em if you've got 'em boys.   Its all going to shit.

Friday, December 18, 2015

What's Wrong With The GOP

A lot of people seem to be finally grasping that there real structural problems within the Republican Party.

What they are missing... is this isn't new.

Now think hard... back to your civics or poly sci or maybe even history classes.   Do you remember a term they used to use; The Solid South?   It was political jargon that referred to the way the South was just one giant block vote for the Democrats.

Not republicans.

Democrats.

In the grand scheme of things... the Republican Party has not been the socially conservative party.  That would be the democrats.  That would be the South.  And that's why everything gets so uncomfortable when people like Ann Coulter start slamming the Democrat party for fighting against integration.   The people she's slamming  that were once democrats...  are now republicans.  So when she starts talking about how MLK was a republican... the older part of what is now the GOP base... knows she is criticizing them.

The Republican party has been a party of fiscal conservatism... at least when it suits them.  But in reality that's not the party's historical forte'.  That's just for headlines.   The GOP was founded on the principles of a very strong central government.  It was the anti-states-rights party.  The Democrats were the party of States Rights

In the 50s as the radical left gained more and more power in the democratic party... the base shifted.  Remember the Reagan Democrats?  People always ask what politician can go bring those people back to the GOP.   Umm... I have some bad news for ya guys.  Those Reagan Democrats... aren't Democrats anymore.

They are the GOP base now.  The South is still Solid.   Its just solid Republican now. 

So you have a giant disconnect between the power players in the GOP elite... and the base.

The base is made of the people who used to be the Democrat base in the 1950s.  

The GOP leadership hates those people.  I mean really hates those people.


So when you see Paul Boehner pull a compromise stunt like he pulled... remember... he didn't betray the base.  He didn't betray the party.

The Party is for European style elitist strong central government.  Big military.  Big Business.  Big Banks.  Fiscal responsibility if it means tax cuts for them or their friends.... and that's the only time.

That's the real GOP.

Stop being mad at them for being exactly what they have always been.

There is no conservative party in the US right now.  There is no nationalist party.


Its time to stop pretending the GOP is either.


Its time to create the American Nationalist Party.


Thursday, December 17, 2015

God Loves Us

We have bourbon.   We have beer.    And soon....





We will have motorcycle-jetskis

God Is Good.   All The Time. 



NWA Was Right

In a just civilization those in charge of keeping the peace are held not to the same standards as everyone else... but to an even higher standard.

Because when they abuse their power the harm they do to the civilization is the kind of thing that undermines whole governments and leads in the extremes to things like civil wars.

We do not live in a just civilization.

Phonesavankh’s namesake son, known by the nickname Bou-Bou, was nearly burned to death in his sleep by a flash-bang grenade hurled into his crib during a 2:00 a.m. no-knock SWAT raid by the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office on their home in Cornelia in May 2014.
The search warrant used to justify that raid was filed by then-Deputy Nikki Austin, who claimed that a “true and reliable informant” had conducted a controlled buy of $50 worth of crystal meth at the home several hours earlier from a potentially dangerous repeat offender named Wanis Thonetheva. The affidavit characterized Thoneteheva as armed and potentially dangerous, and claimed that lookouts had been stationed at the home – elements that supposedly justified a militarized midnight raid on a home where children were known to reside.

This resulted in only one officer being charged with any crime.  And that officer has been acquitted.

To say that law enforcement in the US is out-of-control is the understatement equivalent of hyperbole.  Whatever that is.  Everyone involved with this raid should either be fired or jailed.  Everyone.  From the sheriff all the way down to janitor if necessary.

As long as things like this keep happening...  police will be putting themselves more and more at risk.  The public is not going to stand for this forever.  

Its time to end the War on Drugs people.

Its time to bring an end to the militarization of the police.

Its time to end No Knock Warrants forever.


Every where you look today you see different paths leading to the same place.  Violence.  


It is time for radical measures.   if we don't take radical measures... the violence will take them for us.

Good Riddance

Oh dear...   It appears Erik Erickson over at Red State is calling it quits.


Try not to shed a tear boys.  I know it will be hard.  However will we go one without a cowardly vagina like Erik out there attacking his own side?

Where will go for idiotic GOP establishment approved articles?

Hell with Red State.


Hell with Erik Erickson.


May he never write another professional word.

New Speaker: Paul Boenher

I hate to quote the Who... because I hate the Who..

But meet the new boss...  same as the old boss.

Ok this is not how I wanted to start off my day.   Not only am I quoting The Who... I'm linking to Slate.   I feel dirty.  Never the less the article in question is not inaccurate completely.  The premise is sound.

If Boenher had done what Paul Ryan just did... the GOP would be out to hang him.

unlike Slate... I suspect the GOP base is already out to hang Ryan.   This is why the establishment GOP guys are all in the shitter in the polls people.  This is why Trump is winning.  The base hates the GOP establishment and the establishment hates its own base.

This cannot last.

The GOP will leadership will either be purged and replaced with people in-line with the base... or the base will leave, and form a new party, and the GOP will simply disappear.

And as an unreconstructed confederate... let me say... good riddance.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Liberals Always Lie.

Yes Virginia... they really do want to take your guns.

No matter how many times you hear some idiot liar liberal claim otherwise... liberals very much DO want to see firearms confiscated.  96% percent of all liberals are in fact known to think about gun confiscation while masturbating in their lilac scented bubble baths.


As always... they are to damned short sighted and ignorant to actually consider what would happen if they attempted such a thing.

There are over 200 million firearms in civilian hands and over 12 trillion rounds of ammunition.   What these morons are advocating will literally set off a huge scale civil war.  Pitting police and federal agents against gun owners defending their rights. 

The streets will run red with blood.  This is what the murderous and foolish left is asking for.


We respond as always.


Come for them.   We come for you.


45 Raptor: Big Bore AR-10

Ya know... the AR10 guys have to sit and watch all their friends with AR15s chatter about their big bore options.  such and such SOCOM...  so and so Beowulf...   always feeling left out. 

Well fret no more kids.

I give you the 45 Raptor

45 RAPTOR

There ya go guys.  and its just a barrel swap.  You can even use you're same AR10 mags as I understand it.  

But what about the performance?

How about a 200 grain bullet at 2800 fps?   I think that should get your attention.

I like this thing because its versatile.  You can load up 180 grain bullets and shoot all day with little or no recoil.  the 200 grain bullets would be ideal for medium game like deer or hogs... and the big 300 grain bullets would make this a fantastic North American dangerous game rifle.

What do ya think boys?

To late to amend that letter to Santa?

Monday, December 14, 2015

Armed Christians. AKA: EFFF You ISIS

So hat tip to our buddy Luke who pointed this out to me.

Image of "Armed Christian" Embroidered Patch

Read the back story over at the link.  Basically that letter is a pejorative for Christians amongst the goat buggering rag heads.

Own it.

Own it indeed.

You can buy them there for 10 bucks. 

Hang Him High

So.... after all this time... it appears the traitor is finally going to get his court martial

I'll be honest I never actually believed Bergdahl would be prosecuted.  I also note that we're supposed to be deeply concerned that he could get life in prison.

Life my ass.

Hang him.

It is long past time the US military started acting like a military.  Well here's a grand opportunity.

Between 1942 and 1961 the US military executed 160 criminals.  157 were US army soldiers... and 3...  were executed by the Air Force?   Figure that.

The last military execution was in 1961.  Private John Bennett was hanged at Leavenworth after he was convicted of rape of attempted murder.  He was black.  He raped an 11 year old white austrian girl.

Today liberals cry racism over it.

Well by all means... let us appease them.... by hanging Bergdahl by the neck until he is dead.  dead.  dead.


Sunday, December 13, 2015

Christmas Traditions

Happy Sunday y'all.  Hope y'all are enjoyin' the Advent Season...   Lord knows we are.

I wanted to take a bit to share a favorite tradition of mine that started way back in 2004 when we were still up in Hell... i mean...  West Virginia.

Hot Buttered Rum.

First of all...  if that name doesn't perk you up I don't know what will.  Over the years, every Christmas season I have made this and served it at at least one party.  Often more.  Now its even more fun because down here in LA no one really knows about it at all.  The recipe has remained largely unchanged... and if you want to try it... I this what I recommend:

3 sticks cinnamon
6 whole cloves
2 hard packed cups Brown Sugar
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 quarts hot water
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) (real butter dammit)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream


Put all that in your crock pot on low for about 5 hours.  You can put it on high for the first hour and then back it down to low for 1 more hour if you're in a hurry.

Once its done at 2 cups of your favorited spiced rum. 

To serve... fill a coffee cup about half full... spray some whip cream on top.. and sprinkle some nutmeg on top of that.

It is amazing.  Seriously.  It is really good.   And... I'm sure you can imagine... it smells up the whole house all day.

Friday, December 11, 2015

ATF: World War 3?

Hey kids how the hell are ya?   its about that time so before I ramble to much let me go ahead and get this link thing done.

Click here to listen to the show.

Show starts at 9 central and its live.  You can tell its live because shit screws up all the time.  there's a guest call in number if you want to bullshit with me.

its something like... umm..

(646) 668-2515

Ok so on to the good stuff.


A:  Wild Turkey Diamond Anniversary.  Look it up.

T:  Cuban.  English Market Selection.  Ramon Allones. Hunters and Frankau.    I have no idea.  Apparently its some cuban cigar you can only get in England and its damn amazing.  I have no idea how much it cost but I am certain it was crazy expensive.

F:  ok well the other two seem a little hoity toity for the bloggerblaster don't they?  how about a Mauser K98

You know the rules.   Whatcha smokin?  whatcha drinkin?  whatcha packin?

ATF Show Update

Show will be at 9pm CST as always.    Just a couple things...  Six has begged out.  Apparently bourbon and cigars with his preacher and the men from his church is better than bourbon and cigars with us.

Dick.

whatever.

So I'm rollin' solo tonight... which... is not an easy thing to do.   That means... you're gonna have to call in.  Otherwise I'm stuck listening to myself talk for an hour... and I don't want to do that.  At all.

So there ya go.  Drink.  Smoke.  Listen.  Call.    We can get through this people.  Even if I end up sing blue christmas myself.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

ATF Show Input

Ok kids...  here's the deal..

I'm gonna try to convince Six to sing christmas songs on the show.  We need suggestions.  The more awkward the better.   Right now I'm thinking Blue Christmas has just got to happen.  I mean Six has to have a great Elvis voice doesn't he?

And how about Merry Christmas from The Family by our boy REK?

Help us out.


Gun Safety

Its been a long time since I posted on gun safety... so I think its about time we have a refresher.  And as usual... this is actually inspired by a tragedy.  I'm not going into a great deal of details here... I'm just gonna say someone I know was cleaning a handgun and shot himself.  

When I first heard about it, I'm not going to lie, my mind went straight to Glock.   For one thing it is always a handgun in this situation.  Its really hard to shoot yourself with a rifle.  You can do it.  but its not nearly as easy as with a handgun.  Second... cleaning means disassembling and to do that on a Glock you actually have to pull the trigger.  That just seems wrong to me.  No... not wrong...  stupid.  So stupid as to be borderline insane.   Yet there it is.

Turns out it wasn't a Glock.  It was a cheap Raven 25 caliber pocket pistol.  These pistols are known to have a problem where they accidently discharge when you release the safety.  At this point its unclear if the weapon actually did malfunction... but I am deeply skeptical of these junk handguns (George Jennings is a useless piece of trash) and I am assuming that's what happened until proven otherwise.

That said... as always these things are preventable.  The rules exist not just to keep you from shooting yourself... but to keep you from getting hurt in the case of weapon failure as well.  So... one more time...

1) Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.      all of them.  The only time you should consider a firearm unloaded is you see the slide/bolt locked back.   If you can look as see the chamber is empty... only then is the weapon unloaded.  Dropping the magazine does not unload a firearm.  Always remember that.  Dropping the mag still leaves the round in the chamber... and that's the round that is going to kill you... or someone else.  Always check safe.  Always lock the slide back.  Always remember to drop the mag AND rack the slide just in case.

2) Never point the muzzle at anything you don't want to destroy.  When we are familiar with a firearm it often starts to feel like part of our hand. It isn't. Its a deadly weapon meant for killing people and breaking things. Respect it. Always make sure it is pointed in a safe direction when you are handling it.

3) Never put your finger on the trigger until you have your sights on your target.  We call this trigger discipline. I cannot tell you how many people have a habit of keeping their finger on the trigger at all times when handling a firearm. Go to any gun show and you will see some dumbass carrying around an AR with his finger on the trigger. If you know someone like this... you should slap them every time you see them do it. The term "Glock leg" exists to describe all the men limping around out there from shooting themselves while they were trying to draw their Glocks with their fingers on the trigger. Don't do it.

There are more rules.. but those three rules right there will prevent every bad outcome.  If there is a bad outcome...  someone didn't follow one of those three rules.

Today... if I was going to mention another one... it would be this...

Don't ever buy a cheap handgun designed by George Jennings.

Wednesday, December 09, 2015

Bloggerblaster Sold Out

Ok... yes... over there on the side bar is now an amazon link.

Yep.

I sold out.   I've gone commercial.   Its all going to shit.  Next thing you know I'm gonna stop... using... ellipses... and learn to type.  Dogs and Cats!  Living Together!  Mass Hysteria!

No... no...  Its really not a big deal.  There's an amazon link over there.  That's all it is.  If you happen to use it... we, and by we, I mean me, make a tiny amount of money.   My hope is, some of you will simply bookmark it and use it when you by or search amazon stuff.  If you do... I'll make enough to help our boy Six stop drinking that Jim Beam White Label or what ever he's choking down. 

So there ya go.  If you buy a lot of stuff off Amazon... help me out.

No. I don't need the money.  But that's what's good about it.  Since I don't need it... you can trust me to use it for something awesome.  like ammo.  or beer.   or buying Six a bottle knob creek.

hell it may even help pay for the ATF Show...

and yes...

The ATF show is coming back just like the blog has.




Ol Miss Can't Say Christmas

What in the blue hell is going on here.

I knew Ol Miss was going to shit when they banned Dixie and the Reb... but holy crap man.  Now they have to change the name of their tree lighting event... because christian?

Hey dumbass... its not a holiday tree.  and even if it IS a holiday tree... what holiday is it?

No such thing as a Hanukah tree sugartits.

Maybe its a kwanza  tree...

Well.... Shit....

Ok...  this whole WWIII thing is getting a little out of hand.

Nukes?

We're talking about nukes?  And just in case you're doubting my assertion that the US and Russia are actually fighting a proxy war in Syria (ok well until Russia dropped the proxy bit and sent troops in)..  take a good look at the equipment ISIS is showing off.

Those are US tanks boys.  And ya think ISIS salvaged them?  really?  Then who trained the barbarians to use them?


This is probably a very good time to be thinking about going some place like Costa Rica.

No one is gonna nuke Costa Rica.

Hillary Clinton's War

How many times a day do you hear or read someone say that the war in syria doesn't make any sense?   Seems like all the time people are telling me its just chaos over there and they can't make heads or tails of what's going.

Given that... I thought I'd take a minute and explain it.

Tiny Qatar is possibly the world largest supplier of natural gas.  Something like 14% of the world's known supply of natural gas is Qatar's.  In the late 2000s Qatar began negotiations to build a natural gas pipeline that would go through Saudi Arabia and Syria to Turkey to compete with the Russia, who supplies virtually all of the EU's natural gas.

This fact alone should start bells ringing.

Turkey has already built the infrastructure on its end.  There the pipeline is done and ready to go.  In fact, the only thing standing in the way of this new pipeline... is Syria.

Syria has blocked the pipeline and will not let it pass through.  Assad announced he would block the pipeline in 2012.   So let's think back...   what was going on in 2012 and 2013?   When did the US start jabbering about the evils of the Assad regime?   Where and when was ISIS formed?

Friends...   We created ISIS.  And when I say we... I mean Hillary Clinton.

When thinking about foreign policy you always have to keep in mind that Hillary Clinton's hero is Charlie Wilson.  In Syria... she saw her chance to play the role herself.  She convinced the Obama adminstration to foment rebellion in Syria... and with no small amount of help from the middle east (Qatari money goes a long long way) they formed, funded, trained, and equipped the group that became ISIS.

They created them specifically to over throw the Assad regime.. and get the pipeline built.

So... why does Turkey support ISIS and shoot down Russian jets?   Its not about Islam folks.  Its about the pipeline.

Oh to be sure, for ISIS its about religion.  But its only about religion for them.  Everyone else involved... Turkey, Qatar, the US, Russia... everyone else... is there fighting over the pipeline.

If you doubt this... I simply suggest you test it.   Whenever you read or see someone doing something there... see if it lines up with the pipeline positioning.  You will see the US fighting on ISIS' side against Assad.  You will see Turkey fighting on ISIS' side against Russia.  You will see Russia attacking ISIS and defending Assad.

Because Assad has Russia's back.  And Putin isn't giving up his monopoly on the EU natural gas supply.

But that doesn't make Russia the bad guys.   Remember.. Hillary Clinton is the one that was dumb enough to create ISIS.

Maybe someday Tom Hanks can play Hillary in the movie.  

Nah... he's to feminine.

Tuesday, December 08, 2015

a new begining

Its become abundantly clear that Vox's blog just ain't what it used to be.  Its not really his fault.  The guy has gotten so big... his comment section has been inundated with idiots on par with the average youtube commenter. 

That leaves us with a problem.

Where are the OG Dread Ilk to go to hang out and enjoy the same culture and commraderie we've grown accustomed to?

Welcome home boys. 

I will officially commit to blogging at least twice a day.  That should provide you with plenty of stuff to talk about and plenty of reason to keep the comments jumping.  If I can't keep that pathetic pace up... I'll open the blog up to other Ilk to keep the content coming.  Yes.  You read that right.  I will turn over the keys to the Bloggerblaster if need be.

now... none of this is to say I am upset or angry with Vox... or unhappy with his blog or blogging.  I love the guy.  I love his blog.  But the fact is the comments there just aren't worth the pain in the ass of the storm fronters and alt-right retards.

So... here we are.

Round them up.   You wanted to a place to hangout?  Here ya go.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Well its been over a month... screw it.. Time for another...

ATF SHOW!

here's the link!   Y'all come!

A: Newcastle Brown Ale.   Knob Creek Barrel Strength.  Remember that Marrku?

T: Patargas...  1845?

F:  Wheel guns.  Lots of wheel guns.  Hell I even have a 308 rifle near by with a rotary mag.

DAMMIT

New link to a new show.

http://tobtr.com/s/8021175

Friday, September 04, 2015

ATF Show!

Yep!  We're going it tonight finally!  Long time no talk eh?  Yeah I know I know.

Show goes live at 9 central
 

here's the link.

Thursday, September 03, 2015

SPEC OPS! SPEC OPS!!!!

For the love of God!!!   

GO!

GO GO GO GO GO!!!!

BUY!!!   BUY AND SMOKE!!!!

Tuesday, September 01, 2015

The Fat Bastard of Fantasy..

Apparently George R. R. Martin is bloviating on 2016 Hugos... He jabbers a lot... so I will save you the time of having to actually read it.  Let me sum up:


Friday, August 07, 2015

Yes... There is a Show tonight

Blah Blah Blah... Here's the link sorry man... feelin' a little meh... A: Wild Turkey Silver Anniversary. (not worth the money.) T: Gurkha overuns... some sort.. CI special. Yummy F: S&W 640 with Crimson Trace Here's the call in number (646) 668-2515

Friday, July 24, 2015

The ATF RETURNS! Again...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Church Camp... No ATF

Sorry kids...  takin' a bunch of kids to church camp this weekend.  I'll be gone till monday.  Y'all are on your own.

Sip something for me.  I'll be detoxing...  involuntarily.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Ilkmoot: After Action Report - Part II

PuppyPalooza was a great time...  but at long last I looked at my watch and realized it was 8:40 and the ATF show was supposed to kick off at 9.   Over the next 10 minutes we tried to figure out who was going where with whom... and eventually a bunch of guys piled into my truck and we bailed for Bastrop. 

I dropped larry off at the house...  or... tried too...  Larry had locked himself out of his house...  somehow.  And that sucked... because all of our fantastic booze was in there.   So now me and Clint have to drive out back to the hotel dry... and try to do the ATF show... dry.

I made it to the room late... called up Six... and he didn't answer the phone so I punted.. and just tried to do the show myself.  There was no hype or even announcement of the show so I doubt very many of you heard it live.  Those of you who did... did.  Anyway Clint realized I was doing the show with no booze... and he was deeply offended by this... so he went out and grabbed a case of Shiner Bock.  God Bless him.    We bullshitted for a while on air... and the door to my hotel room gets thrown open.. and in bursts the boys... with Marrku in tow.  

I killed the show as fast as I could... ran over gave Marrku a huge hug...  which... he was clearly prepared for  because he was not at all uncomfortable.   I was deeply disappointed by this. 

It was drinking and merriment in the room for the next several hours...   I know at one point Josh... a very polite and reserved young man of 25...  was looking at the label on my Knob Creek Barrel Strength Bourbon...   120 proof.

He pours himself a couple fingers.. and takes a drink like its no big deal at all.

Then he nearly explodes.   Face turns red...  eyes clamp down...  I thought the kid was gonna die.

He realized I saw this and he deadpanned "I thought it was gonna come out my nose."

Kid had misread the label.. he thought it said 20 proof.   Just totally ignored that 1 in the hundreds position.   Well... Lesson learned eh? anway we stayed up bullshitting and drinking until at some point we realized Marrku was gone.   Clint was sitting on the foot of the bed... but he was glassy eyed...  no one was home.   We figured it was time to pack it up... and started moving people to the door when I looked down at the bathroom door and see a black socked foot on the floor in the doorway.  We found Marrku inside.   Pictures were taken.

Me and Larry and Matthew got Marrku to bed...  I remember finding a trashcan somewhere to put by the bed...  just in case.   the boys all headed to bed... and I crashed too.

We slepted until about 10...  both Marrku and I were kind of half ass awake...  and I suggested he jump in the shower.  He thought that was an excellent idea... since he really wanted to wash the detroit off...

At some point I got out of bed and walked across the room... and I realized that was a spectacularly bad idea...  so I went right back to bed.

Eventually we got our shit together enough to be mobile... and we decided we needed to get some damn coffee.  I ended up driving right back to that same tex-mex place.. where we proceeded to stuff ourselves on coffee, fajitas, and yep..  Marrku had a beer.

Marrku dug the mexican food.  I had to point out that the next time he started thinking about how fat americans are... he should remember that we have this kind of food available... all the time.  any time we want it.

You'd be fat too.

Now... I know this is taking a while...  but I am a busy guy these days...  so you'll just have to wait.   Because we pick up next at Larry's place...  and then its off to the shooting range.  But all of that...

Is in Part III.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Ilkmoot: After Action Report

I rolled into Bastrop, TX friday morning...   I had pushed it.  I doubted the hotel would have my room ready at 11am but I decided to stop by and check.  Sure enough the room was ready and I was able to check in.  I was still dressed for driving... meaning I was wearing sloppy beat up cargo shorts...  a t-shirt of some form or another... and generally looked like crap.  It took a few trips to get all the stuff up to the room...  because I had to setup for the ATF show later that night so I had a little more stuff with me than I normally would.

I had just gotten the laptop setup and was checking the internet connection when the hotel phone rang.  Why the hell would the hotel phone ring?  Irritated...  I walked over and grabbed it.

"yeah?"

"Ummmm  this is the front desk...  ...  you have a lot of... guests down here."

oh for fucks sake...

"ok...  I'll be right down."

I grabbed the room key and headed downstairs.  Sure enough... the ambush team was there in the lobby.  I recognized my assailants instantly.  Difster and Clint stand out. I don't remember a lot about this ambush... other than the fact that I am certain I gave someone a hug.  There were several of them there... and I hadn't noticed it at the time but Difster's young son was there to...  which was an awkward realization after I had dropped a few f-bombs and questioned everyone's sexual preferences in various ways.

Apparently they were kidnapping me for lunch.  That was fine with me but I wasn't ready for that quite yet.  I had left a bunch of stuff up in the room.   I headed back up...  changed... strapped on the Steyr as always... and headed back down. 

We went off to a little tex-mex steak place that was near by.  No one had eaten there before... which was bizarre to me.  Difster doesn't eat out much?  Apparently he prefers to eat his mexican at home.   Things were comfortable though...  it was like meeting old friends.  The only really strange moment was when the waitress came for our drink orders... and Clint ordered un-sweet tea like some God Hating Communist...  everyone ordered something like... sweet tea or water with lemon or some crap.  I felt like I was out to lunch with my wife's friends.  I looked at them like they were all insane and got a beer.  What the hell is wrong with you people?
 Then things got worse.. as the guys looked through their menus trying to decide what to order.  This was greatly confusing to me.  The steak page was fairly easy to find and it just doesn't take that long to decide between sirloin or ribeye or t-bone.  And yet... here they were...  thumbing though like they were lost.

While I took this as a bad omen everything worked out ok...  even though Difster ordered his steak burned. I was taken aback by this at first but when I remembered he arrived in Texas via California and Minnesota it made more sense.  Everything was excellent... even though it was more than a little awkward when Clint order Tofu.

It turned out to be an excellent meal... improved by the fact that I was able to put Clint on the spot by asking him to bless it.   To my dismay he handled the prayer with grace enthusiam and class...

dammit.

Finishing up there is was time to ride down to Larry's place.  The ride was plenty comfortable as Larry's little boy was peppering me with questions and tales from Minecraft and Five Nights at Freddies.   Given that I have 3 boys between the ages of 8 and 12 I am used to that.  Once at Larrys I got to meet his lovely wife and we just hung out for a while until Auto_Matthew showed up.  He's not at all what you would expect.   Imagine a 6'1" 150 pound red neck Charlie Brown.   He looks like he's about 20... but he's not.

Not long after Matthew arrived Zack pulled out this board game he invented and was currently trying to market. He spent the next 45 minutes explaining the rules to us... which are about as simple as nuclear physics... and then reminded us that his was the most simple version of the game.

We played the game.. which had something to do with Gods and Empowerment cards... and... I realized if we didn't stop playing soon we'd all revert back to virgins.  Thankfully before that happened I looked up at the clock and realized it was time to head to the airport to pick up the Mad Fin... Marrku... his own self.

We split up... me and larry heading to the airport...  the rest of the guys heading to The Mean Eyed Cat for Puppypalooza.    Oh the way...  Larry got a text from Marrku:

"I am in the shit.  Plane broke.  Stuck in detroit."

Well that certainly had to suck.  After some quick googling around Larry found that the plane wouldn't be landing to much much later... so we turned around and headed for the Mean Eyed Cat.   about 10 of the ilk were already standing around in the patio area when we got there... and we basically showed up and took the place over.

Puppypalooza was a blast.  Farmer Tom and his wife showed up... STG...  DeanHall and Lulabell showed up and kept it from being a total pickle party.  I couldn't even begin to name everyone that showed up there.  I counted over 30 at one point.  We got to meet a lot of folks from the blog world...  but the best thing was the three lurkers that showed up.   One was a Shannon...  and she'd been lurking at Vox's for a long... long time.  She knew all of us and knew all the old stories and was a real kick to have around...  but the other two lurkers...  they sort of showed up and said hi...  told us they were lurkers...  and then...  well...  They lurked.  They basically sat at a table and really didn't talk to anyone unless someone forced them to.

yep... you read that right.

We had real life lurkers.

A great time was had but it passed far to quickly.  I realized I had to get back to fire up the ATF show.. and someone was gonna have to get to the airport to get Marrku.

To Be Continued...

Friday, July 10, 2015

ATF: PUPPYPALOOZA!!!

Ok kids... we're running a little late due to technical difficulties.  Sorry... we're gonna kick it off at 930 central or so...

As for the weekend's kickoff events... they have been spectacular. I didn't count everyone that showed up or came through for the get together but I would say there were probably 30 people there... and we have plenty more coming tomorrow.

Big fun.

here's the link for the show

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

Road Trip

I am busy packing up for a big trip boys.  Turns out this weekend... we're all descending on Austin, Tx for the first ever Ilkmoot.   That's correct...  a great bunch of us Dread Ilk types are heading to the hippy hollow to torment the natives and drink and fuss and generally raise a ruckus.   Shenanigans are in the forecast.

There is a bit of itinerary already... 

Friday 1800 hrs:  Puppypalooza!  We're all meeting for booze and barbecue at the Mean Eyed Cat

Friday 2100 hrs: ATF Show... live from..  who knows... somewhere in Austin... or Bastrop... who knows.

Friday 2200 hrs:  Cigars and Whiskey with Nate...  somewhere in Bastrop probably

...


Saturday am:  breakfast?  somehwere...



Saturday 1300: ILKSHOOT!  Rangetime with the Dread Ilk! 


There are more festivities planned...    this is what I have nailed down right now.  Hopefully you'll at least get some good pics and get to live viacariously if you weren't able to make it.

But fret not.  Next year...  It will be in Alabama.

Friday, July 03, 2015

ATF... yet again

Yeah we're doing the show tonight.  Sorry about missing it last week.  Like I say I was on the road.  I'm here today though...  and we are ready to go.

In fact... I'm kicking things off little early with a pre show Gurkha Ghost.   Oh my...






Yes.

That'll do.

Also... Here's the show link

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The ATF Returns This Friday

My apologies guys.  I have been on the road and the fact is I just cannot do the show from a truck...  at least... not a cummins diesel.  The things are loud ok?

We will fire it up at the usual time friday night.   We obviously have a lot to talk about.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

The Briar Patch

For no particular reason at all... I direct your attention to this petition on Change.org

Enjoy.



***snicker***

Friday, June 19, 2015

ATF Show Tonight?

Listen up.  I've got three words for ya....

No.

We've been busting our asses for VBS for about 2 weeks straight...  today was the last day... and dude I am shot.  We got it all done... it was the best one we've ever done.  So...  sorry man.  We'll pick it back up next week... or do it tomorrow night maybe?  I dunno. I just know I am way to shot to do it today.

Sorry...

Never the less:

A: Dos Equis Amber.  I consider this a well earned victory lap.

T: Gurkha Warlord.  Thanks Res.

F: MSAR STG 556

I thought I would include a little story from VBS...   because well... lets face it... many of you are thinking... "my GOD what would a VBS with NATE look like?"

So...

Great Stories from VBS:

 Little girl sees the multitool on my belt and says "why do you have that?" I said, "its a tool. its better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it." She smiled and said, "My daddy says that same thing about his pistol. He takes it with us EVERYWHERE!" so I patted her on the head and said, "That's because he's a good man. And he loves you very much."   Roll Tide.

I was team lead of the Red Team... which of course was called The Big Red One all week.  I taught them this little thing...  I would yell "RED TEAM ROCKS!" and they would all yell "JUMP BACK! KISS MYSELF!" and take jump backwards and kiss their bicep.   Seeing 5 and 6 year olds do this...  there are no words to the glory of such a thing. 

Today was the last day and the kids really didn't want it to end so they asked if I could sign their shirts... and I did... but then they wanted to sign my shirt too... and I let them all.  I didn't get to read any of the "signatures" until I got home today.. but man...  One little girl... Joshlyn... she's a doll... in fact she's the girl from the first story up there.  She wrote "Jump back! Kiss Myself!" on my shirt... but my favorite...  was a little boy that wrote "you our osum"

Can't make that up.  None of it.

Friday, June 12, 2015

ATF

Yep... we're rolling again at 9 central.   gonna be a wild one... I can feel it.

here's the link

See ya there

A: Dos Equis
T: RJ   BOOM!
F: Steyr M40a1  

classics tonight.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

American Rifleman Goes Full Retard

Most of you may not realize this... but the NRA was actually formed after the War of Southern Independence. (you yankees probalby call it the civil war)  See some yankees came home from the war and were deeply disturbed because the confederate soldiers shot a lot better than they did.  The yankees had better rifles... but the southern boys shot more accurately.  Now rather than rationalizing this... they did the manly thing and recognized it and set out to fix it.   They started the NRA and started teaching yankees to shoot better.  They built rifle ranges and worked to get shooting taught in schools.  They did good work... at least if you think yankees shooting better is desirable.

Over the decades... hell a century... the NRA has changed.   Its changed so much in fact...  that now.. its own publications can do things like this.

Yes Virginia...  an organization created to help folks shoot accurately... just published 5 reasons for you to buy a mini-14.

This makes sense in a sick and ironic sort of way...  you have an anti-gun organization marketed as gun lobby...  recommending an odd piece of useless plumbing marketed as a rifle.

I think my favorite bit here is where the author starts yammering about how 2 inch groups at 100 yards "are not out of the question".    Note...   he didn't say you could expect them.   He didn't say they'd happen regularly.  He said...  "they are not out of the question."   In other words... the mini-14 is the same minute of paper plate piece of shit it has always been.

And actually its even worse.  Remember... these guys measure their groups from the center of the group out.  Meaning they look at the group they shot.. pick a center point... and measure out from there.   So you have shots that are 4 inches apart... but its a 2 inch group.  Because see each was only 2 inches from the center.

So when you see these guys calling something a 2 inch group...  that's what guys like JAC and I call a 4 inch group.  Because we find the two shots that are the furthest apart and measure one to the other... center to center.  So if the two furthest are 4 inches apart... it is a 4 inch group... and well...  maybe this illustration will help...


Friday, June 05, 2015

ATF SHOW

Yes kids we most certainly are doing a show tonight.  we have some challenges so I have no idea how it will go.. but its definately gonna happen.

Anyway...

Here's the link for the show.

Hope y'all enjoy it.  Give us a holler.

A: Dunno yet

T:  Dunno yet

F:  Lots.

Tuesday, June 02, 2015

Attention Toothy!

hey man I have something I need to talk to you about.

Look me up in the comments here... leave an email or something.   And actually... now that I think about it... if you own or work in a gunshop... or have family that does... this applies to you to.

We need to talk.

What?


...


I have no idea what I just watched.   And I cannot decide if its unspeakably awesome... or the most terrible thing I have ever seen.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Yet Another.. ATF SHOW!!!!

A:  Bourbon.  Lots.   46 to be specific.

T:  makers mark cigars...  yes... I'm in a rut... but it feels more like a groove.

F: Mauser M 24/47   Because.  It pisses off the poms.

Here's the link to the show!

And the number to call in as always:

(646) 668-2515


Y'all give us a holler

Friday, May 22, 2015

THE ATF SHOW!!!

HEY!

yes.. yes we're doing the show tonight.  We'll have Six and David the Good and God knows who calling in.  Dread Ilk Radio y'all!  Enjoy!

here's the link


LINK!

and as always...  the guest call in is:

(646) 668-2515

A:  Wild Turkey Russel's Reserve
T: CAO.. something... I have no idea.  Its good... shut up.
F: My own Spikes Tactical AR custom rig.   I would show pics but it would be X rated.

Friday, May 15, 2015

ATF SHOW

Almost that time boys.   here's the link for the show:

ATF SHOW LINK

And what are we having tonight?

A:  Makers Mark 46

T:  Gurkha Spec Ops

F: The 1911 I build myself.


What can I say?   Its a night for the classics.

One more time here is the call in number:  (646) 668-2515

The Return of the ATF Show

And....

We're back.  

That's right kids.  The ATF Show makes its return at 9 central tonight.  This was all pretty last minute.  No time to hype it or anything.  I doubt we'll even have Six... or Seven... or even Viidad with us.  Its like just gonna be drunken bloviation from my own self...  but you can rest assured... Make Me A Sandwich will definitely get played at least once.

So...  if ya have nothing better to do...  give it a listen.

And if ya have a question about... guns.. or booze... or business... or economics... or women... or.. well anything at all...  or even if you just want to call me an asshole... you can.  At this number:


(646) 668-2515

Thursday, May 14, 2015

In Defense of IMR 3031

Ya know...  seems like everything has a fancy new version out of itself these days.  Cars... trucks... phones.. computers...  everything.  Every year there is some new hot shit feature or totally new concept that everyone goes gee gaw over.   And hell... I gee gaw right with them.  But I can't help but think that even in 2015... there is a place for a proven versatile classic.

Nobody talks much about IMR 3031 anymore.  Its not the new hottness in the reloading world... and really never was.  See its a long grain stick powder so it doesn't meter all that well (so they say) and it burns fast.  And its not the cheapest powder either.

Well I don't have a problem with measuring it accurately... but then I'm careful about this stuff.  And fast burning is fine with me... given that I'm partial to carbines anyway... and I really don't care about the money.

What I love about it is...I can sit there at the shooting bench...  with my IMR 3031 and my lee handloaders... and I can reload both 223 and 308... with same powder... and use the same casings for each group I shoot!  Sure there are better 223 powders... and there are better 308 powders... and there are better 30-06 powders and there are better 45-70 powders.

But I don't think there is another powder out there that performs well at every single one of those.

So that's my case for IMR 3031.  I say there should be a pound or two on every reloader's shelf.  Because it may not be the best at anything.. but its damn good at almost everything.  I mean maybe you're out of you new hotshit fancy 30-06 heavy bullet powder.  You can go buy more and wait... or you can grab the 3031 and get to work.  Maybe you couldn't find your fancy hot shit .223 powder.  Same thing.  Wait....  or....  just grab that same 3031.

Plus...

Little known fact...

3031 tastes great on french fries.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Rabid Puppies Update

It has come to our attention that folks in the comments over at File770.com are quite upset with our success.  Apparently their feelings are just so hurt... and of course... they will not tolerate our intolerance.


I thought I should probably post a response... just in the interest of clarity.  With accusations like racism and sexism and homophobia and all going around... I wouldn't want anyone to misunderstand the Rabid Puppy position.

So...  In that spirit....  here is the Rabid Puppy response to the butthurt crying commenters at File770 who are just so upset.. and hurt.. and mad at us:



Friday, May 01, 2015

Grab and Go Rifle

Ok... you get a call from your buddy.  Its a last second deer hunt and he wants you to go.  You don't have time to fuss over gear to much.  What do you grab to go?

For me... there's really no question.  I'd grab the Savage 99.  It's never let me down.   I grab it almost without thinking no matter what we're hunting.

What's yours?

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Slight Design Change

I am Number 1.


I am Nate... and I approve this message.  

Dammit.

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

We Don't Care


Someone designed this.  I have no idea... but in honor of my wordy fisking of Mr Gerrold's butthurt rant... it was sent to me.  I can't help but think it would look fantastic on a tshirt.   hrmmm..... gives me an idea...

by the by...  if you share the RabidPuppie sentiment....  if you... like me... simply do not care...  Then post this on your blog.  Use it as your avatar... profile pic...  anywhere you choose.  Do as thou wilt.  

Ultimately that's what this is about.  We don't care.   We don't care about your politics.  We don't care about your biology or sexual orientation or fetishes.  We don't care what you look like or who you know.  We don't care.   We don't care how hurt you are.  We don't care how mad you are.  We don't care if you hate us.  We don't care about your threats.

We.

Don't.

Care.


Thursday, April 16, 2015

Dear Mr Gerrold...

This is an open response to Mr Gerrold's heart felt facebook post.   This post represents the Rabid Puppies official position on the matter.  Word for Word.    Mr Gerrold's words will be in italics.  The Rabid Puppies response will be in bold.  It is my sincerest hope that this dialog will provide some insight to those who seem so confused by the Rabbid Puppies actions.

I'm going to get very personal and candid here.

We don't care.
 
In 1995, I won a Hugo award for "The Martian Child." The story was about how much I loved my son. Because so much of the story came from him, the award was his to share, so he came up on stage with me to hold it proudly. That award meant a lot to me. It still does. It was a validation of that thing we say -- writing is easy, sit down at the keyboard and open a vein.
That's where that story came from. And that's one of the reasons why I hold the Hugos in such high regard -- it was a joyous validation of what for me was not only an ambitious experiment, but also a personal breakthrough in my own storytelling. It went someplace I didn't know I could go. It went someplace I didn't know a science fiction story could go. 

We don't care.
 
To me, the Hugo has always meant excellence, but since then I think it also had to represent the most ambitious efforts to stretch the genre in whatever direction an author wants to soar. This is a unique genre. It's the only genre that asks, "What does it mean to be a human being?" It's the only genre that reaches for the stars and asks, "What's next? What are the possibilities in front of us?" It's the only literary form that functions as the Research and Development Division of the human species. So the Hugo is special.
I'll come back to that in a minute.

We don't care.
 
At that convention, I was told by someone in the know that I was on the short list to be a Guest of Honor at a Worldcon. That was nice to hear. The list gets passed from each convention committee to the next. So for a few years, I expected the invitation would happen soon. After a few more years, I stopped expecting. It was okay -- I noticed that those who were being selected as a Worldcon Guest of Honor were fully deserving -- and some were long overdue. So I never took it personally. After a while, I just slipped into that nerdvana state of enjoying myself as an oldfart in the field. I even stepped away from writing for a few years just to give myself a chance to recharge before coming back, with the intention of coming back stronger than ever. Just because I wasn't finished yet. 
 
In 2013, I was asked by the Orlando bidding committee to be their GoH. The committee had some ambitious plans. I said yes, hoping also to have some time left over for Disney World. Then, a few weeks later, I was asked by a member of the Spokane committee. At that time, nobody expected Spokane to win, so I kinda just shrugged and said, "Yeah, okay."
Silly me.
But wow. Two invitations the same year! (I never heard from the Helsinki bidding committee.)
I didn't get to LoneStarCon. Texas in August? <shudder> Knowing my own luck, I expected Helsinki to win the bid and I would get to laugh at myself and my own hubris.
As it happened, the Orlando bid lost (anti-Disney sentiment?) and the remaining votes put Spokane over the top. I was surprised. Even a little disappointed at first that I would miss the trip to Disney or Universal -- but then after I thought about it, I was quietly pleased that the Spokane bid had won. From a strictly fannish point of view, it made sense.
Spokane is a quieter city with not a lot of big touristy distractions -- Orlando would have been competing with the theme parks -- so it was very likely that the Worldcon would be exactly the kind of con I wanted to attend -- an old-fashioned Worldcon with the emphasis on readers writers and artists and science fiction in all its marvelous incarnations. 

We don't care.
 
Now I've been writing SF professionally since 1967. (That's when the first check cleared.) So that's almost half a century. And being GoH at a Worldcon is a lifetime achievement honor. It's an acknowledgment of excellence -- it's the invitation to stand in the same place as Heinlein and Pohl and McCaffrey and Sturgeon and Clarke and Willis and Sheckley and Spinrad and Asimov and Ellison and Silverberg and Zelazny and Bova and ... and all the others I've admired for so many years. Many of these are the people who informed my childhood, shaped my adolescence, gave me dreams and role models, inspiration and ambition. It's the opportunity to be told, "Yes, your work has been excellent too, and you have earned the right to stand with these men and women as someone who has contributed value to our genre."

We don't care.
 
That's how important I hold the Worldcon invitation. And it's also how much I admire the people who dedicate themselves for years, preparing a bid, campaigning for their bid, preparing for the Worldcon, taking care of the Hugo mechanics, program books, guest accommodations, programming, security, tech (a lot of tech!), online presence, selling memberships, managing volunteers, guest wrangling (I'm looking forward to being wrangled), dealers' room, art show, masquerade, and so much more I'm exhausted just thinking about it. The Worldcon exists because fans create it fresh every year -- and it's a challenge of enormous proportions. Anyone who comes to a worldcon and does not come away impressed with what this community is capable of is missing the point.

We don't care.
  
To put the great big fat cherry on top of the whipped cream of being a GoH, I was asked if I would like to host the Hugo ceremony. You betcha. Hosting is an honor. It says you can be trusted with a microphone. (I can't, but don't tell the committee that.) It's the opportunity to be the cheerleader for the evening. "Yay, us!"
I did host a Nebula banquet back in 1976, and I got to be a Nebula presenter once -- but the only time I ever got near the Hugo podium was (as mentioned above) in 1995, and then I was too flustered to think straight.
So I was excited and enthusiastic and excited and enthusiastic. And even excited and enthusiastic. It's an honor and a privilege to represent the community by hosting the ceremony.


We don't care.
 
I was asked if I wanted to do this thing alone or if I wanted a co-host. And as much fun as it would be to own the spotlight -- it's more fun to have a partner. Tananarive Due is the perfect co-host. Aside from her being intelligent, funny, accomplished, she's also better-looking than me. So I won't have to worry about the gravy stain on my shirt, nobody will be looking in my direction. (Dying young and/or leaving a good-looking corpse are no longer options on my bucket list.)
And all of that is preamble. 

We don't care.
 
I am heartsick about what has happened to our Hugo awards this year. It hurts. It's not the party I wanted to attend. 

We don't care.
 
I admit it, I'm angry.

We don't care.
 
I'm angry at the slate-mongers. I'm angry at the divisiveness they have deliberately created. I am angry at the disruption of something that was supposed to acknowledge excellence in our genre. And I'm angry at the self-serving weaselly justifications -- easily disproved -- that the architects of this are hiding behind. Oh, and did I mention that I'm angry?

We don't care.

For the past several months, I have been toiling over an outline for the Hugo Award Ceremony. I had some really nice stuff written. I had planned a statistical analysis of the nominations -- can't do that now. I had planned to tease Connie Willis and Mike Resnick about all their awards and ask them to leave something on the table for someone else. That joke won't work anymore. I had written some witty banter about how Tananarive and I, as co-hosts, represent diversity in the field. A young black woman and an old gay man, we touch all the bases. Even that joke seems pointless now.

We don't care.

I had asked Connie Willis to present the Campbell award -- she declined. Because she cannot pretend that this year's awards are business as usual.

We don't care.
 
In fact, none of us can. And as the host of the award ceremony, I can't either. 

We don't care.
 
So, Brad, Larry, Vox -- congratulations. You've spoiled the party. Not just mine, but everyone's.
I waited nearly a half century to get here, and when I do get here, there's ashes.
It hurts.
Not just me. Everyone. 

We don't care.
 
And I don't care how you dodge and weasel, how you rend your garments and play the victim game, how you pretend it's everyone else's fault -- that's bullshit. You've made it impossible to have a Hugo ceremony that is a joyous celebration of the best in our genre. 

We don't care.

I haven't figured out how we'll manage the Hugo ceremony yet. I'm still soliciting advice from the smartest people I know -- people with experience, regardless of their politics. Right now, mostly what I'm hearing back is, "I'm so sorry this has happened to you, you deserve better, but I know you'll figure it out." (Plus a few suggestions on what to do if this or that or the other happens.)

We don't care.
 
I do have some ideas. (One of which is, "You won't like me when I'm angry." But you don't like me already, so why should I give in to anger?) 

We don't care.
 
There is another way to go. It's something I learned watching Harlan Ellison. Did I mention he's one of my role models? 

We don't care.
 
So I have a choice. I can pretend it's business as usual --
It isn't.
Or, I can recognize that I've been trusted with the microphone for a reason -- that the committee thinks I know what I'm doing -- and use that responsibility in a way that serves the Hugos, the Worldcon, and most of all the generations of fans, thousands and thousands and thousands, from all over the world, who still respect our traditions and our awards.

We don't care.

The suggestion box is also open.

We don't care.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Requiem for Equus Pallidus

Selig sind, die da Leid tragen


 I've known Greg... Outlaw X... for man...  15 years now?  He was a long time reader of Vox's column at WND and like me... the very day Vox started his blog...  Greg was there commenting.  To say he was Ilk or Dread Ilk doesn't go far enough.  He was the oldest of the old school.  As LL says...   He was OG Dread Ilk.  the funny thing is...  he would have no idea what OG is and if he googled it... he'd be mortified of the title.  Being a redneck gun guy... Greg and I hit it off immediately... and I will go so far as to say that Greg was instrumental in the creation of the gun culture as it exists at that blog... this blog... and countless others around the web.

Die mit Tränen säen, werden mit Freuden ernten

Early on my brother... JACIII and I made contact with Greg outside of the blogs.  He and his dad had written an absolutely brilliant ballistics calculator which he shared with us.  Outlaw would take no credit for this... but that's his way.  He gave all the credit to his dad.  Never the less his finger prints were all over it as well.  I cannot express how advanced this program was for its time.  Sure there are better ones available now... but this was written in the late 80s... and was available in the 90s.   We were using it in the early 2000s and it was, at the time, the only ballistics calculator we ever found that predicted our own real world results.


Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras

So many memories from Outlaw over the years...   his fascinating views on Catholic Prophesy... which I know most of us never even knew existed were endlessly entertaining.  And I won't lie... when he told me Benedict would step down I laughed at him.  The kind of men who rise to become Pope don't step down.  But sure enough he did step down.   Outlaw called it over year before it happened.  That did not pass without notice.

Aber des Herrn Wort bleibet in Ewigkeit

And for all his bluster and fuss...  and lord he could get riled...  Greg had a giant heart of gold.  I knew it.  Bane knew it.  Vox knew it.  Most of you knew it.   If a friend was wronged he simply couldn't abide it.  He would go out of his way to mend it... to make it right.  The same guy who offered to fight Vox... would call into radio shows to defend Vox... and honestly guys... Medved's wasn't the only one.   My own example came when somehow Bane got the crazy idea that I had insulted his wife.  This rankled Outlaw something aweful because he knew I would never do such a thing.  We all know how Bane could be... but rather than simply accepting that Greg pestered him... over and over about me.  Then finally I remember one night I had read about Johnny's troubles and I had posted a brief prayer for him and put up a link to the paypal account.  I've never told anyone but I had been donating to help out with Bane's little boy for a long time... somehow Greg knew and asked Bane to go check and see the donations and see if he could spot a pattern.  Not long after that Bane emailed me... thanked me... and while we were not friends like we were in the beginning... we were definitely civil.   I still have no idea how Greg knew I was giving.  This is the first time I've told anyone as far as I know.

Die Erlöseten des Herrn werden wiederkommen

I guess it was the mid 2000s when Greg and I started regularly communicating outside the blogs.  Email mostly but the occasional phone call from Texas was always welcome.  I wish I could dredge up all the old stuff he sent...  I've got videos of his crazy redneck antics that aren't fit for human eyes...  and yet I will cherish them for ever.  The man was an absolute riot.  Every bit the character in person he was in the digital world.

Freude, ewige Freude

When we started the blogtalk radio show... I knew Outlaw would be one of the guys I had to get an interview with...  but as always...  even when he was in the worst of health... he went far beyond what we hoped for.  He made himself a regular contributor on the show and I can honestly say... any episode that had Outlaw involved... was instantly a great success.


Greg.  I said it many times... but not enough.  I love you.   I love you as a friend and as a brother.  I live with very few regrets from my time on this wretched rock... but one... is that I never had the privilege of shaking your hand.

I will remedy that one day.

Until then...  I am planning to take your lesson to heart.  After talking to DrWho for a while I've decided to make a list.  There are friends around this world I've never met... and I will not make the same mistake with them.  I will shake their hands.  And when we do we will raise a glass to you Greg.

Rest well.

You ran your race well.

God bless you and your kin.