Holder as AG

I am not going to go into the reasons why Holder should not be AG. It has been well covered by others. I would suggest that you should get out more if you are unaware of the objections to this man.
Both of our so called Senators voted yea for Holder. I expected McCain to do so as he is not conservative and never has been. The standing joke here is that some day he will change parties and become a republican.
Kyle voted for him too. That surprised and saddened me. It is obvious that he belongs to DC and is no longer represents conservative interests. I had declared a party to be able to vote in primaries but sometimes wonder why I bother.
I won't give it up as I feel the only thing worse than holding my nose and voting is not voting. I remember watching TV with my folks in the late 50's when there was some program on showing a gathering of politicians from both parties. My father commented, "Look at that line up. You could line these guys up with a bunch of mafia guys and you would never know the difference. Bunch of crooks." I remembered that as it was said with some enthusiasm. Looking back I would say that it was a very accurate estimate of our politicians then and today.

One Kangaroo Court Reminds Me of Another

Blago Is Right: His Trial Is Completely Unfair
By Tommy De Seno Attorney/Writer
The article is worth reading.

Is Blago guilty? I don't know but do believe that the low behavior exhibited here is typical of our politicians.

This type of kangaroo court reminds me of when Evan Mecham was kicked out of being governor of Arizona. I was able to listen to a lot of the impeachment proceedings on the radio. Almost every question asked of him was a leading question. The "Have you quit beating your wife yet?" type question. It was a complete farce and actually pretty entertaining to see these so called pillars of their communities acting like a lynch mob.

Keep in mind that Ev had six felony indictments by a state grand jury but Mecham was acquitted of violating campaign laws in the criminal courts. The jury returned the verdict in three hours.

Ev was live entertainment as far as the series of gaffs that came one after another. The real problem was that he would not play nice with the establishment so the kangaroo court started.

MLK was another big issue at that time. Ev had negated it as it had been created illegally. It was actually created illegally by AZ law at that time. Ooh - Ev must be racist. The holiday then went to public vote and was defeated. Aah - AZ is really racist. Actually it was defeated because people were tired of their tax bondage paying for government employee holidays. It is my opinion that government employees should have no more paid holidays than the private sector offers. It is good that MLK Day was finally set up here to honor the man. It still doesn't mean that this honor requires a cash outlay. Oh well - I diverge from topic.

It is ironic that our representatives, who are mainly attorneys, can get together for a kangaroo court and do not see any problem with it. Gives you a real warm fuzzy feeling about them doesn't it?

Quiz

Shamelessly Taken from Katey's Kafe

1. What time did you get up this morning? Got up late - 5:15 a.m.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Neither - Stainless Steel
3. Last movie you saw? I haven't been in a movie theater in about 12 years.
4. What is your favourite T.V. show? Antique Roadshow
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee
6. What is your middle name? begins with? M
7. What food do you hate? Groat clusters
8. What is your favourite CD at the moment? Jeff Beck - Who Else!
9. What kind of car do you drive? 87 Bronco, 98 Astro, 06 RAV
10. Favourite sandwich? Sardine, limburger, onion with brown mustard - Keep your distance!
11. What characteristics do you despise? Gloomy, inconsiderate, unhelpful, & rude for a start.
12. Favourite item of clothing? My hat
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Australia, Alaska, China, Freedonia
14. Favourite brand of clothing? Inexpensive
15. Where would you retire to? Arizona
16. Favourite birthday? 50th - Went fishing.
17. Favourite sport to watch? None - played a lot of sports but never got into the spectator scene.
18. Furthest place you are sending this? To the midnight springs where the hot winds blow.
19. Person you expect to send it back first? Some immigrant.
20. Are you a morning or night person? Morning - see question 1.
21. What is your shoe size? 15
22. Pets? 1 dog, 2 cats
23. What did you want to be when you were little? Martian Manhunter
24. How are you today? Good - anticipating the arrival of a Ruger SRH revolver
25. What is your favourite candy? Black licorice
26. What is your favourite flower? The one blooming
27. What are you looking forward to? Receiving the SRH revolver - I know - single minded today.
28.. What are you listening to right now? Nothing
29. What was the last thing you ate? Cheese & cracker
30. Do you wish on stars? No
31. If you were a crayon what colour would you be? Can't get by the crayon part.
32. How is the weather right now? Beautiful - sun shining.
33. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Co-worker
34. Favourite soft drink? Water.
35. Favourite restaurant? Any good sushi joint.
36. Colour of hair? Brown - what's left of it.
37. What was your favourite toy as a child? Sand - we didn't have much in the way of toys.
38. Summer or winter? In MI - summer, In Tucson - Winter
39. Hugs or kisses? Both
40. Chocolate or vanilla? Not a real sweet eater but I would take a vanilla shake over chocolate.
41. Coffee or tea? Yes - as long as it is caffinated.
42. Do you want your friends to email you back? What friends?
43. What is under your bed? Have to ask my wife as it is one of her storage areas but I am sure that there is no room for monsters.
44. What did you do last night? EA degree practice, dinner, fell asleep in bed watching some drivel on TV.
45. What are you afraid of? Getting eaten alive.
46. Salty or sweet? Salty
47. How many keys on your key ring? Alot.
48. How many years at your current job? 3
49. How many towns have you lived in? 4
50. Favourite seafood? Maguro
51. Do you make friends easily? Acquaintences - yes, friends - no
52. How many friends will you send this to? None
53. How many will respond? Same as above

A Politician That I Like - Too Bad He's Not In AZ

IRS Penalties and Interest Eliminated for All U.S. Taxpayers under new “Rangel Rule” Legislation

(WASHINGTON, DC) – All U.S. taxpayers would enjoy the same immunity from IRS penalties and interest as House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Obama Administration Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, if a bill introduced today by Congressman John Carter (R-TX) becomes law.

Carter, a former longtime Texas judge, today introduced the Rangel Rule Act of 2009, HR 735, which would prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from charging penalties and interest on back taxes against U.S. citizens. Under the proposed law, any taxpayer who wrote “Rangel Rule” on their return when paying back taxes would be immune from penalties and interest.

“We must show the American people that Congress is following the same law, and the same legal process as we expect them to follow,” says Carter. “That has not been done in the ongoing case against Chairman Rangel, nor in the instance of our new Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. If we don’t hold our highest elected officials to the same standards as regular working folks, we owe it to our constituents to change those standards so everyone is abiding by the same law. Americans believe in blind justice, which shows no favoritism to the wealthy or powerful.”

Carter also said the tax law change will provide good economic stimulus benefits, as it would free many taxpayers from massive debts to the IRS, restoring those funds to the free market to help create jobs.

Fables, Myths, & Other Tall Tales About Gun Laws

Now is a good time for everyone to refresh their memory. Visit the NRA ILA site to brush up on facts. I feel that it will be needed during this next presidential administration.

Why Arizona Electricians Are So Expensive

This comes to us from Tucson Electric Power. Look for any opening in breaker boxes as they are likely to house something we do not want to come in contact with. The pictures show what one of our lineman came across the other day while checking a meter. The critter had climbed
up through the knockout hole and was after a mouse. Needless to say, neither he or the mouse made it.

This is Funny!

Pop on over to Wasted Electrons to view FW: Awesome Craigslist Ad for a quick chuckle.

Area under wind chill advisories and warnings

I just thought it was getting cold where my folks are at before. -14 Deg.F Brrrrr.
I like Tucson better.

Archery Hunting

It is only reasonable that I take the bow for a walk since I did not get a deer during the rifle season. I saw a very nice buck the day after Christmas. It was raining, cold and in general a miserable day. My better half asked the usual rhetorical question as I was getting dressed at o-dark thirty, "Are you going out in this weather?".

It was at about 7,000 feet in elevation in the Santa Rita Mountains. No, I won't say exactly where. I saw a doe walking away but she had not seen me and here comes another deer down the hill. Dang! No wondering if it was a buck. You could tell what this bad boy was at 30 yards in the rain and cover. His motion downhill kept him at about the same range. I had to move to place my feet for a shot as he moved behind a tree that obscured his view. Naturally, he heard me but still could not place me. I had that mantra going in my head, "I am just a funny looking bush, keep walking into the next spot". I thought I had him as I got away with drawing on him. Don't you know that there was one twig between us that I missed in my tunnel vision watching the buck. I was saddening when the arrow clipped the twig and sent the arrow awry. Clean miss! He bounded away as I stood there with a little tremble. Buck fever always seems to come to me after the shot. I waited a while and started to follow after him. I gave it up as the weather front continued in and the rain went to snow. The wind kicked up and it was snow blowing sideways. I would say that visibility was about 20 feet and time to head down off the mountain. What a great day!

I know what you are thinking about now. Why is there a picture of a mountain lion? I will get there. I have been going out taking that bow for a walk every time I get a chance to see if I can pattern this buck. So far no luck. He is in the area but not when I am. I imagine that is how he got to mature status. Saturday was another trip to field. I was getting a little bored and went for still walk. There was one area about a half mile away that had a small flat spot about 20 feet across that is near water. Not much grows in that flat spot as it is mostly clay right there. Perfect for checking tracks after a rain. There were a lot deer tracks, some coyote, and a lot of lion. I started to cast around looking to see if the lion was a one time visitor. I found other tracks that were only a day or so old. That lion is there regularly. I always carry a lion tag just in case I get lucky but really hadn't thought about taking one with a bow. Would you find yourself looking over your shoulder and getting creepy feelings? Me too and I like the thrill. I was thinking that I would need to carry a more substantial sidearm if I were to try a lion with a bow. The 9mm just doesn't seem adequate for an angry lion. I would expect that you will get one shot with the bow. The lion will either run or charge. I haven't made up my mind if I should try with a bow or just wait until the end of archery deer and take the rifle for a walk. You never know, I could have my mind made up for me as I will continue to hunt that area but take the 44mag.

What would you do with a lion? I have always told my wife that I would like to take a lion once. She says, "Could we get a full body mount on one of those limbs and put it over the fireplace in the living room? There's room". Bless her heart. I like her!

I Will No Longer Support eBay

eBay can pucker up and kiss my hairy, old, wrinkled.....


I was told that eBay wouldn't sell guns, gun parts and ammo. I never before checked to see just what else may go crosswise with their PC operation. I had a listing removed that was a magazine for an SKS. It was on the banned items list because it was necessary for the firing of a weapon. Really? I could have sworn that I could take the mag out of just about anything and fire it one shell at a time. Upon further consideration I thought that maybe that made some sense due to the hi-cap restrictions in some states.

Then I got another item banned. It was a holster! Part of the email exchange is below. It would appear that even an image of a weapon sparks great fear into them. Naturally the email reads on the normal reverse order.

You should go back and remove one more that is running as a relist also, 220339922289. The evil image is on this one also. The only thing pending on this account will now be the clown that bid but hasn't paid or made contact - 92141rita. You can inactivate that one also. Now that nothing is pending - you can close my account. I am not going to pay any more money to any organizations that are rabidly antigun. Please get your December payment from Paypal asap. I will decide if this account stays open later.

Do you realize how ridiculous you sound when you talk about banning IMAGES of LEGAL items.
Sincerely,
Don



-------------- Original message --------------
From: eBay Customer Support

> Dear Donald,
>
> Thank you for writing eBay in regards to your ended listing
>
> I would like to apologize if there was any confusion or if this has
> brought you any frustration. I will gladly explain why the listing was
> removed.
>
> Unfortunately, your listing was removed because it contained an image of
> a firearm in the listing.
>
> Listings that contain an image of a firearm are not allowed on eBay even
> if the firearm is not the item for sale. This policy is part of our
> effort to maintain a safe trading environment and prevent the sale of
> firearms on eBay.
>
> All fees associated with this listing have been refunded to your
> account. If your item otherwise complies with our firearms policy, we
> invite you to relist the item with a revised image that doesn't show a
> firearm. You will be able to list the case without the mention or the
> image of the firearm.
>
> For more information on the eBay Firearms, Weapons and Knives policy and
> to review the list of permitted items, please visit:
>
> http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/firearms-weapons-knives.html
>
> Click the "Show" link to see examples.
>
>
> If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this
> email and let us know.
>
> Sincerely,
> Alyce
>
> eBay Customer Support

I am waiting to hear their response but expect nothing but a "sorry you feel that way and goodbye" email. That is OK as I just really, really don't want to support this type of group. I will post up their next response later.

Region reeling from bitter cold, power outages

One of the reasons I left this area many years ago! I never did like single digit temperatures with wind. Wind chill there is now about -20 Deg.F. Brrrr.

Obama's Senate Seat Could Stay Vacant for Months

"Present" votes decline but no meaningful CHANGE noticed in Senate.

Fall Deer Hunt

I was drawn for the a whitetail hunt from 11/28 through 12/4 in an area that includes the Santa Rita Mountains. This is one of my favorite areas but I am not inclined to say exactly where.

My old knees sure take a toll in the hills. Swelling, cracking and creaking noises make me wonder how much longer I can do this before submitting to knee replacement surgeries. It may be worthwhile to try some of those fancy braces to try to limit lateral movement. Too many years of basketball, tennis, and running have taken a serious toll on a lot of body parts. I was told many years ago to quit the b-ball if walking was important to me. Back to hunting....

There is no cell phone service in the bottom of the canyon where we were camping. I just had to hike up to a ridge line to call out on Saturday. I needed to get an update from my better half. My mother was having her hip replaced so I was curious as to the status. This was going to be a couple of trips in a row for me. There was the hunt, a couple of days at work, and then pack to go to MI to get Mom settled in when released from the hospital. Back to the ridge line. It is one of those that is about a mile (as the crow flies) from camp. In reality it is about double that with an elevation gain of about 500 feet. Nice little hike that takes its toll on the old knees.

My buddy went up to the ridge line the next day to check with home (they have a 4 month old baby) and left his cell phone on. He was back in camp roaming around and the darn thing buzzed at him. If you stand in exactly one spot, facing the correct direction, on one leg, holding your other hand in the air you can get out. The signal was very weak as it turns out that it had to be reflecting off of a shear rock face. Dang! Really didn't need to hike up to the ridge line.

This was one of those years where you see a lot but can't grow antlers an any of them. My hunting buddy did pass up on one spike and then decided that passing up two was not a good idea. He shot a nice spike. I tend to agree with that sentiment as every time I have passed up a buck looking for a better one was usually the last one I would see that year.

The weather was beautiful with the lows being about 30 and the highs about 55. Too warm to hang a deer in the daytime. My friend had never skinned or sectioned so the morning after was fun. We skinned the buck and sectioned him down far enough to fit in his cooler. This is one of the few times that I got to skin and quarter one that wasn't mine. He was appreciative of the help/lesson but I find this to be fun and not a chore.

My friend took off on Tuesday morning but I had decided to stay at least one more day even though the knees were telling me that I was done hiking all over. I sat in camp one afternoon watching a hillside with an intermittent stream at the bottom. I was just hanging out sitting in my good folding chair all comfortable. I saw eight doe that afternoon over a period of about 3 hours with some actually coming into camp. Still never got to find that buck that you just knew had to be running in the thicker stuff.

I believe that I will need to take the bow for a walk in January to try again. Maybe I should just sit in a chair in that same spot!

Steel Shoot

Yesterday was another steel shoot and a chance to try out the EAA Match. My first error was that I did not know that it was a "regular" shoot versus the challenge match. The regular shoot is set up as a fun shoot with a variety of targets and lots of them. I did not take enough 9mm with me. One stage had two plate racks, Texas star, and six dogs. One rack was missing a plate so we had a total of 22 targets. The other stages had 12 targets each.

The EAA did not like having 17 in the magazine. It is supposed to take 18 but it is so difficult to get that last one in, even with a loader, that I went with 17. It did not want to load the first one. I dropped to 16 and all was fine. Guess that I will leave them loaded up and see if that improves. Other than that, it was a pleasure to shoot and my times were better. Maybe I can start to push Kevin.

I shot one pass on the last stage with the EAA and second pass with the Commander. I was two seconds off with the Commander but there was an extra magazine change. I also had a hot one eject right down my shirt. Darn that was hot on my tummy! I probably lost a little more time pulling my t-shirt out to get rid of the hot brass. The RO was amused. He commented that a couple seconds off wasn't bad with the extra mag and undressing!

The Taurus is Gone, Long Live EAA

I received the 24/7 Pro back with a quick note that said, "Replaced firing pin and grips." I take it that means that they had to break the grips off to get inside to free the slide? I went back to the range and it functioned perfectly again but still shot as low as ever. This was mentioned when it was sent in. It is assumed that Taurus figured that I was not using the straight 8 sights correctly. You could cover the target with these sights at ten yards and still be shooting eight inches low. I gave up on it. Over a thousand rounds and still can't shoot it well and I hate the sights.

I traded it in for an EAA Elite Match 9mm on Monday and was off to the range. This handles better than my Commander! It probably doesn't hurt that the barrel is an inch longer. I settled down, after a bit a practice, and found that I could shoot a 10 round 3.5" pattern at 10 yards. Not a bad turnout for my limited talents. It ate a variety of ammo without a hiccup. I even fed it a couple of CCI's shotshells and Magsafe scorchers. Nice.

I guess that I like the 1911 style pistols the best. Switching back and forth with the Commander was no problem. The EAA Match is one smooth operator.

The Elections are Over - Groan

I am curious to see if anyone will admit to voting for our new president in a couple of years.

I Like My SKS

I was plinking at the range with my Yugo after the Steel Challenge match. I had bought one of these a year or two ago that was unissued with all matching numbers. I have resisted making it into a bubba. The only mods so far are to replace (extend) the butt plate and put in the firing pin with spring assembly to remove the slam fire possibility.

I have noted some differences since changing the firing pin. The Wolf Military Classic ammo is no longer reliable. There is a FTF about every 8 rounds or so. The primer is dented but no bang. I wait a while, eject it, reload it and it goes bang the next time. I expect that these primer are a little hard and the strike has been weakened by the new setup.

It seems to shoot the other ammo I have just fine. I will have to count and see how much of the Wolf I have left and sell it off. Aside from all that, it is fun to shoot. It is as described by others - minute of mule deer at 100 yards.

October Steel Shoot

Yes, the Taurus is still broken but I did receive a nice letter saying that I might get it back in 7-8 weeks. We are jokingly referring to this as the limited lifetime warranty. It is under lifetime warranty if you live long enough to get it back.

A friend of mine wanted me to take his newly acquired pistol and abuse it. What a deal!! He had purchased a Commander from a retired officer that has been modified a touch. The previous owner apparently shot a little. It has had a trigger job, compensated barrel, magwell, extended mag release, ambidextrous safety...you get the idea. It worked flawlessly.

I shot an average of mid sixes for all stages. This an improvement of 4 seconds per stage over the Taurus and put me in the middle of the pack instead of riding drag. I have not decided what to do with the Taurus when it gets back but its Steel Shooting days are over.

My Taurus Broke

Last months Steel Workers shoot did it in. I was on the fourth stage. "Make ready" That was as about as far as I got. I loaded a magazine and gave the 24/7 Pro (45cal) a rack but it did not go into battery and actually popped back open a little. It was determined that I was hosed after an attempt or two. I did not have a spare weapon so stated that I was done.

A gent I was shooting with offer the use of his gun. I was hesitant but this was a "friendly" shoot and not a true competition so I used his pistol. We were doing a standard setup of four black plates and red stop plate. I have put about 3000 rounds through the Taurus and still have difficulty with the sights (shoots too low) and fitment. My best round for the first three stages was 10 seconds. Very slow by most standards. It usually takes me six or seven shots to hit five.

I was asked if I ever shot a 1911 style pistol before as this was the style I was borrowing. I have a Commander so the answer was affirmative. I shot a 4.7 second which is quite good for me. I only heard silence from behind me. The RO asked if I thought that I could speed it up a little on the second pass. Not much - 4.6 Seconds.

I voice from the back says, "You can't have it". Those STIs are smooth guns. I promptly announced that I would have a nice double stack 45 for sale in a few weeks.

Back at home I could not even dismantle the weapon for inspection. The slide will go all the way back, snap forward , and then pop open about a half inch. The opening is under spring pressure. Something is lodged/broken or whatever. Sent it to the factory. They claim they will let you know within two weeks. What they mean is that they might let you know that they received it within two weeks. I never heard anything. I called customer support and was told it was there but not opened yet. Taurus has had it for over two weeks and has yet to open the package. They also never sent anything saying they received it. I was told that it would be another couple of weeks before that happened so I still do not know what it broken.

These guys must be really busy. I think it is trade time. Wonder how the Springfield XD is?

Dove Season !!!!!

Dove season here runs September 1st through the 15th. I took my .410 out on Labor Day (opening day). I shoot this shotgun in skeet occasionally and have hunted with it in years past. I have limited out many times with it.

You would have thought that I had never shot it before. A box of shells was gone and I had one bird. Ouch! I went back to the truck and changed for my 20 gauge coach gun and shot the remaining birds in an hour.

The 20 became the go-to gun for a while. I have been going for a little each morning and arriving at work just a little late. The family has to keep eating doves so that I have a legal possession limit in the freezer. Good thing they like them!

I took the 410 for a walk again Saturday and shot 10 but couldn't find the last one. That was good enough as it was getting hot. I have heard people comment that it must be really easy to shoot those doves with a shotgun. This is usually from the non-hunting types that have no concept of trying to shoot something that zig-zags at up to 55 MPH. It would be a lot of fun to get one of these folks to the field for some of that easy as pie bird shooting.

Some days I can shoot better than 50%. I have been known to have a serious case of CHS (can't hit stuff) other days. I need to decide on barbeque or casserole tonight - yumm!