Hey! Wanna Win One of THESE?

That's ParaUSA's new GI Expert entry-level 1911. The specs are:

Caliber: .45 ACP
Barrel: 5 inches, stainless steel
Twist: 1 in 16 inches, left-hand
Action: Single-action, Semi-automatic
Sights: Dovetail Fixed, 3-White Dot
Receiver: Carbon Steel
Trigger: Medium length
Hammer: Skeletonized Spur
Magazine: 8-round with removable base pad (two provided with pistol)
Overall Length: 8.5 inches
Height: 5.75 inches
Weight: 39 ounces
Finish: Covert Black Para Kote™
Stocks: Checkered Polymer
Safeties: Slide Lock, Internal Firing Block, Grip
Additional Features: Lowered and flared ejection port, beveled magazine well, flat mainspring housing, grip safety contoured for spur hammer
MSRP: $599

Remember, THIS GUN WILL BE FIRED AT THE RENDEZVOUS. They will try to clean it up a bit before it is passed on to the winner!

AND NOW THE TICKET SALES ARE OPEN!!

Soldier's Angels is running the on-line ticket sales ($10 each, no limit!), and there is also a chance to win a four day training course from the Front Sight Firearms Training Institute worth $2,000!

Raffle Details:

Drawing will be on Saturday evening, September 12th at the
Gun Blogger Rendezvous
at the Silver Legacy Hotel in Reno, Nevada.

The winner need not be present to win.
(But you ought to be anyway!)

It is up to the online raffle ticket purchaser to verify that they can
legally receive and own this pistol where they live, and the winner
must be a resident of the United States. If they cannot legally own this
pistol, they are automatically disqualified from the raffle, and there
is no substitution or other prize to be awarded. All decisions are
final. Raffle tickets sold at the Rendezvous, and raffle tickets sold
online will be combined in the drawing.

Important: To win a gun in the raffle, make sure you can legally own it
before you buy a ticket.

On-Line ticket sales END on Friday Sept. 4th. at midnight!
If you want to win one of the many, many other prizes being given away, you either have to attend, or you'd better know someone who is! ;-)

All this was shamelessly lifted from Kevin's site in hoping for more sales for Soldiers' Angels. Kudos to Kevin for his efforts in supporting this group.

Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Them Away From Their Spending Spree

"Wasting gargantuan sums of money that it will take us generations to repay isn’t as easy as it sounds. Our liberal rulers have had to use their imaginations to flush so much away so quickly. The clever wild horse welfare bill will burn up the better part of a $billion:

The bill would provide 700 million dollars for the “Restore Our American Mustangs Act” for a horse census every two years and “enhanced contraception” or birth control for horses.

In typical Orwellian fashion, the mustangs are being “restored” by having their numbers reduced. Mark Stein reports that the bill also calls for government bureaucrats to inspect the homes of anyone willing to adopt a mustang, possibly requiring a new Federal Burro of Investigation."

Now that's funny right there, I don't care who you are!

Why Should WE Pay For Free Health Insurance for Illegal Aliens?

"This charlatan and seducer of young peoples’ minds does NOT have the right to just take our tax dollars that were paid to improve our country and just GIVE it away so some of these new illegal aliens will become citizens and have the power and privilege to vote for him and his crooked and corrupt henchmen and women in our Congress. Why isn’t there some one or some other government department that can stop this blatant thievery? "

I expect Jerry McConnell to get off the fence sometime and tell us what he really thinks.

Riding the Bus

My daughter flew to Dayton with one of her friends and his family. During this time she wanted to get to Toledo and then to Temperance to visit Grandma's and Grandpa's places. She booked the bus to get between the two spots. I did not comment too much at the time because the only way to truly get a feeling for bus travel is by participating in this particular form of mass transit. She would only have thought that I was trying to repress (think Monty Python) her.

She flew yesterday and was on the bus today. My wife got an email stating that, "I don't like riding the bus with all the smelly people". After our laughter subsided, I suggested that we send an email telling her to hang a cloth around her neck and spray it with Fabreeze every so often as this would dampen the smell.

There might be a few good things to remember when traveling by bus such as:

• Wear a medical mask. People don't know if you a sick or not and tend to move on.
• Sit towards the front of the bus, never in the rear. Some undesirables sit back there. The bathroom is back there and usually stinks.
• Look for the little old lady that appears clean to sit beside. Pick who you sit beside instead of hoping that some deviant doesn't sit beside you.
  

In my daughter's honor I have created some additional lyrics for the song "People".

People,

People who ride Greyhound

Are the smelliest people in the world

Where addicts needing a quick fix

And pretending they are just fine

Hide all the need inside

Acting more insane every minute

Drifters

Are very special people

They’re the smelliest people in the world

With one drifter,
One very special drifter

A feeling deep in your soul
Says you might not make it alive

No more water or food

The toilet is flooding and paperless

People, People who ride Greyhound

Are the smelliest people in the world.

With one driver

One very tired driver

A feeling deep in your soul
Says you might not make it alive

No more water or food

The toilet is flooding and paperless

People, People who ride Greyhound

Are the smelliest people in the world.

Document drop: Porkulus One is a failure, so let’s do it again!

As Kevin would say, "Do it again, only harder!".

Bronco Blues

Old Blue is blowing oil. I can get oil to come out the dipstick with a little revving. Ya think that there might be some crankcase pressure? I guess I am getting old as I think that $2,000.00 to pull/install and engine is way too much money. That is for engine movement not any repairs. They also found a nice short block for me. Total quoted was about $5k. I used to like these guys. I could buy a nice crate engine for that kind of money.

Dang Fords are no good. That engine only has about 120k miles on it. In all fairness, it was a factory reman so it had been rebuilt once already. The original engine was lost during a carb rebuild at the dealer. A stray stud manage to rattle past a valve. Pieces of metal are not very compressible. The cylinder wall was gouged, a piston broken, a connecting rod broken, and valve damaged during this short event. The dealer tried to tell me that the stud had to already be in the engine. That is another story in itself but ended satisfactorily.

It couldn't have anything to do with installing the Dart Iron Eagle cylinder heads on the old block, could it? I just can't see paying that much so I located an engine shop in Phx that seems to have a good reputation. They will take my engine bore, rings, crank bearings, more aggressive cam, new timing chain & sprockets, degree the cam, and put my Dart heads back for $995.00. This sounds a little better. Note that I said that they will take the engine. I did not say that they would remove/install it. I am pulling the engine in the driveway, putting in the utility trailer, and driving it up to them. I don't mind losing a couple of weekends for $2k. Pictures to follow.

NAU Orientation

My daughter & I attended the NAU orientation sessions in May. I must say that this school has put quite a program together to attempt to prepare the incoming freshman and their parents. They work very hard to try to make life a little easier when classes start in the fall. There are multiple orientation sessions to break the class down into smaller groups to allow more personalized attention, which includes a one-on-one student/advisor session, to ensure that the class schedules are correct. Parents and students were separated for many sessions and together for a few so that each group could ask questions without the other listening in.

This is a far cry from my orientation session many decades ago. Mine consisted of handing out a campus map, pointing out the gymnasium where you would get your classes, and wishing you luck.

At NAU it is almost mandatory that freshman stay on campus. Most of the freshman dorms are a male/female segregated by floors or wings. “Guests” are allowed for up to three days depending upon what your roommate says.

I had commented to my daughter that I had heard many stupid questions from parents. We have all heard the phrase, “There is no such thing as a stupid question”. I am sorry to disagree but some questions are moronic. My daughter informed me that a lot of the students were also idiots. We figured that it is probably hereditary (JK) and that it would probably be fairly easy to match them up. We could make our own version of “Match the Morons” game show!

Quite a bit of time was spent with the parents concerning FERPA among many other topics. Many of the same questions were asked again and again even though they had been covered in a previous session. The school explains something and then you ask the same question again and again expecting a different answer. I do believe there is a classic definition for repeating the same action over and over and expecting a different result. I do not believe that the definition of this behavior is moronic but we can be somewhat gracious.

Parents’ stupid questions – Answers

• When can I call and find out my child’s grades? If your student is 18 then FERPA comes into play and we cannot release that information. We suggest that you talk to your student. This is followed by another review of FERPA.

• Is there a laundry service? No, nor is there any maid service allowed into the dorms. There are laundry rooms in every dorm. It is suggested that if your student does not know how to do laundry that you teach them this summer.

• When will you call us if my child is not attending classes? Never. You need to talk to your student. This is followed by another review of FERPA.

• How do you keep the children from having sex? College students are not actually considered children and must take responsibility for their actions.

• Is alcohol allowed in the dorm rooms? Alcohol can be possessed by a student who is 21 years old. Since this is a freshman dorm it is unlikely that anyone is 21.

• My child has always gotten good grades but there has been almost no homework his senior year. How are you going to make sure that he does his homework? We are not going to do that. The student must take responsibility for his/her own actions.

• Will you call us if my child is not doing his homework? No. This is followed by another review of FERPA.

• Do you assign homework like yours is the only class they are taking? Yes.

• Can the campus police arrest my child? Yes, they are a CALEA accredited agency that has authority on and off campus.

Students’ stupid questions – Answers

• Where are the best parties? - Parties.... just happen

• How can I score drugs? - Are you serious?

• If I get drunk will the campus police arrest me? - Hahahaha - yes!

• What if I don’t want to go to class? - You’re an adult now...it's your choice (under his breath: dumbass)

• If this school was founded in 1899 then how old is it? - Were you honestly admitted here?

• What is the name of Louie the Lumberjack? - Ummmm..... Louie

• What grade are you in? (Says one freshman to ANOTHER STUDENT at freshman orientation) - Blank stare and a walk away

• Where are you from? (We all have name tags with our names, place of residencies) - Points to the name tag on her chest and then says, "Stop looking at my breasts!"

• Who is your orientation leader? (Once again, see name tag places visible on my chest) – Points out leader on name tag and then says, "Stop looking at my breasts!"

• When is lights out? - No lights out. This is college, not day care.

• Are there private showers? - Yes at 5 AM when no one else is in there

These were just a sampling of questions asked. Keep in mind that the NAU website is extensive and covers all this along with handouts that have been sent previously. I should have taken further notes on this topic, as I am sure that I have missed a few good ones. I was busy paying attention to other items such as tuition due date, move-in day, etc.

It was great weather with a high of 69 degrees and a low of 48 in the morning. I could take that all year long but I do believe that it gets a little colder in the winter.

NRA Hunting Policy

I would like to thank Darren Lasorte, Manager of Hunting Policy NRAILA, for taking the time to meet with the 2ABlogBash group during the Phoenix convention. Anyone who is familiar with me knows that I like to hunt as well as the shooting sports. I am one of the crossover people. It is good to see that NRAILA is making the effort to reach out to the hunting community to get the hunters educated on why they should be a part of the NRA.

A variety of topics were covered that were quite interesting. Let's start off with one that can get some of the archery crowd listening (this includes me). There is a push by NRA Hunting for crossbows to be allowed during archery season. The reasoning is that it allows older and younger hunters that are not capable of handling the required poundage bow to participate in archery season. The rules in Arizona show that the crossbow is allowed during the general (center fire) hunting season for some large game such as elk, deer, and javelina. It is not shown as being allowed in bear and antelope season. It appears to be allowed for most small game. There is an easy to use chart in the AZ Game & Fish regulations for allowable weapons. I am not sure what I think about this one. I am looking at a new bow that has about an 80% letoff as it gets more difficult to participate as I get older. I like the idea from this standpoint. Archery deer is one of the few "over the counter" tags that can be purchased. I would expect that if there was a large surge in archery deer tags purchased that the hunts would become by drawing only the next year. This is already a topic now. I have always viewed the deer archery hunt as my last chance to go out as it is becoming harder to get drawn in general deer season. I expect that G&F would combine the general/archery draw at that time and make it about as likely as getting drawn for elk in this state. It is worth discussing but results will/should vary by state.

HSUS has managed to confuse many people as to what they really are. In my opinion, they are a political organization that is very anti-hunting and have nothing to do with the animal shelter down the street. There a many people who mistake this agency to the shelter down the street and make donations to it. The HSUS donation are way up and the actual Humane Society donation are way down much to the dismay of the local shelters. HSUS is as anti-hunting as they come. This is not my opinion as it is clearly stated on their policy page. Don't be fooled into donating to this group. I wonder how Rush Limbaugh is going to wiggle his way out of his endorsement. HSUS: Fools, and Limbaugh, rush in

Another interesting topic was the discussion of shotgun slug only deer hunting in certain areas. I know that the lower part of the lower peninsula of Michigan is this way in that center fire rifle is not allow due to population density. There is a concern that the rifle bullet will travel further than a shotgun slug. This is true if the weapon is fired in the air. I don't know about you but I haven't seen any deer flying by recently that would require this type of aerial shooting. If you claim to have seen such, I would suggest that you put the gun away and lay off the Christmas punch. Seriously, there have been tests done that indicate that when fired on the level or a slightly downward angle that the slug is more likely to ricochet and travel further than the rifle bullet which tends to fragment on impact. Interesting.

We spent some time discussing Right to Hunt State Amendments and reasons for their necessity. I think most can be explained better on the NRA site.
NRA-ILA Hunting Fact Card is worth taking a look at for a quick reference sheet.

NOT ONE RED CENT FOR RINO SELLOUTS!

"The NRSC sided with an establishment candidate, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, in a Senate primary against young conservative leader, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Republicans across the country were outraged by this action, which is only the latest betrayal of grassroots conservatives by the out-of-touch GOP elite in Washington."

I haven't donated to a political party in a long time as I feel that none of them represent my beliefs. Note the quote below the title bar. Good article, go read it.

Shooting gloves

I visited the GripSwell Ergonomic Shooting Gloves booth at the NRA Convention a couple of times. The first time I was just looking over the gloves with little hope that anything would fit. The XXL pair actually fit well. I went back Sunday morning to pick a pair of the GS-33 Pistol Palm Swell in natural white. I am really not fond of black gloves in the Tucson sun. The natural white in that size were gone so I ordered a set of these on the website.

The people at the NRA Convention booth were very friendly and helpful.

We will see how these perform in a match and with full tilt 44 Mag loads for a review post.

Bloggers I Met at the NRA Convention

I would like to thank all the bloggers at the NRA convention for a kind reception. It was nice to see everyone was very friendly to one of the new guys.

I believe that this is a fairly complete list of the bloggers I met. I did not do a perfect job of getting everyone's name but there is always another time.

• The AnarchAngel
• Another Gun Blog
• Atomic Nerds
• Ballistic Deanimation
• Bitchin’ in the Kitchen
• The Breda Fallacy
• Cowboy Blob’s Saloon and Shootin Gallery
• Days of our Trailers
• Exurban League
• Great Satan, Inc.
• Handgun Podcast
• Michael Bane Blog
• N.U.G.U.N. Blog
• One Sensible Progressive
• Found: One Troll
• Pennsylvania Firearms Owners Association
• SandCastle Scrolls
• The Smallest Minority
• SnarkyBytes
• Snowflakes in Hell
• The Ten Ring
• Traction Control
• The Unforgiving Minute
• Void Where Prohibited
• The Volokh Conspiracy

More NRA Convention

I only got one decent photo at the Friday night happy hour sponsored by Michael Bane. Kevin (Smallest Minority) was speaking with Michael long enough for me to fumble around and snap one off. Thanks to Michael for the happy hour.


The Sharps rifle is certainly a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. I would love to have one and I am not going buffalo hunting. I think that the only buffalo hunting now is on ranches. I have no desire to drive out in a vehicle with the rancher to have him pick the one I am supposed to shoot. This is not my cup of tea. Elk hunting would be more my style.



Is it really pretty in pink? I would say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. All these traditionally feminine colors really do appeal to my wife. I wonder if I should have her Colt Government 380 refinished. I wonder how pink grips (if you could find them), a nickel frame and pink slide would look. I do not seem to see anything colorful in the way of grips for this model. Maybe a pearl grip, black frame and purple slide would be best.


Another picture of Mr. Bane at a book signing (Trail Safe) in front of the Tactical Solutions booth.

Have Tactical set you up with a nice Raptor stock for your wife or daughter. I know - more purple.









The Bowtech display might seem unusual at a gun show but I find it more closely related than, shall we say, jewelry. I like to archery hunt so stopped and chatted. They actually have a bow that I am interested in as they are one of the few that make a 32" draw bow. With most manufacturers, you are lucky to get to a 31" draw. I need a 32" even with a release as I actually use 33" arrows. Keep in mind that I am 6'7" tall and actually do have need for the longer draw length. No, I am not going to use an overdraw for hunting. There is just something inherently wrong with having a broadhead behind the riser. Being primeval, I don't adapt well to new toys. It has only been a couple of years since I started using a release. Prior to that I was strickly a glove shooter.
Who can name all three singing pro-gun spoofs?








OK - who did we PO to end up at this table at the Banquet?








Crimson Trace gave us a presentation and then brought us to their booth prior to the floor opening up to the general public. There was a gift certificate donated that we had a drawing for a set of grips. Very generous of them. I was also impressed with their involvement in HAVA (Honored American Veterans Afield) .
"As the number of injured men and women returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan grew, members of the firearms industry initiated a non-profit partnership called HAVA to aid disabled soldiers as they transition to their lives back in the United States. The ultimate goal is to increase their confidence and hope for the future by reconnecting with their love of the outdoors and the American traditions of hunting and firearms. Each HAVA veteran is a national hero that has earned our respect and support through valorous service in defense of our way of life.

Please join us in assisting the thousands of courageous soldiers that these photos represent in regaining their optimism for a promising tomorrow."
They deserve our support. Hat tip to Crimson Trace and the other manufacturers involved.

I was surprised to get to handle the TAPCO stock for the Yugo SKS. I had assumed (you know what that does) that the stock would be too short as every adjustable I had handled up to this point was way too short. Nice job. I think I found my next mod to the Yugo SKS. The only question now is whether to leave the grenade launcher on of replace with a muzzle brake. The launcher does have a certain attitude about it.

NRA Convention & Masonry - Not an Odd Couple

Wow - what a weekend. I had a very enjoyable 1st time experience with the convention, 2A Blog Bash, and meeting people. I think that most gun bloggers might be surprised at the percentage of Masons that are gun owners and 2nd Amendment supporters. The Masonic organizations are typically a conservative group highly opposed to tyranny of any sort. You will find quite a few law officers and military personnel involved in the organization. I was pleasantly surprised by people noticing the square and compasses belt buckle I was wearing and greeting me with the common phrase of, "Hello brother". I did not keep accurate track but I would venture about 7 or 8 people greeted me and struck up conversations. That would indicate that there many, many more in the crowds.

One young man manning the "sausage grinder" booth immediately stood up and introduced himself as a newly initiated Entered Apprentice. I took about five seconds to impart my knowledge on the topic - JK. We spoke at some length about Masonry in general. I apologize that I forgot the manufacturer's name of the equipment but did get literature and will correct the oversight later by posting up the name and link.
Correction - the company is Thunderbird who makes a fine line of food and bakery service machinery.

Now for some Masonic information:

From American Masonic History - What Are America's True Roots?

"Some of the greatest names of the American Revolution were Masons: Ethan Alien, Edmund Burke, John Claypoole, William Daws, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, John Paul Jones, Robert Livingston, Paul Revere, Colonel Benjamin Tupper, and George Washington. Of the 56 signers of The Declaration of Independence, eight were known Masons and seven others exhibited strong evidence of Masonic membership. Of the forty signers of the Constitution, nine were known Masons, 13 exhibited evidence of Masonic membership, and six more later became Masons.

"There were many other Masonic influences in early American history: (1) Lafayette, the French liaison to the Colonies, without whose aid the war could not have been won, was a Freemason; (2) the majority of the commanders of the Continental Army were Freemasons and members of "Army Lodges"; (3) most of George Washington's generals were Freemasons; the Boston Tea Party was planned at the Green Dragon Tavern, also known as the "Freemasons' Arms" and "the Headquarters of the Revolution"; (4) George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States by Robert Livingston, Grand Master of New York's Masonic lodge, and the Bible on which he took his oath was from his own Masonic lodge; and (5) the Cornerstone of the Capital Building was laid by the Grand Lodge of Maryland." (2)

There are quite a few book on the founders and Freemasonry. You might even find some of them an interesting read.

NRA Convention

Woohoo! Made it to the convention this afternoon. I am having a great time meeting bloggers and roaming the display floor. Hat tip to Bitter for getting this setup so we have media passes. We had happy hour at Majerle's Sports Grill hosted by Michael Bane (Down Range). Thank you Mr. Bane. Also present were Insight and Tactical Solutions handing out t-shirts and ball caps. Very nice. NRA Media Relations popped in and I am sure that I have missed some other manufacturers. What a great bunch of people. I will post up everyone I met later as it is past my bedtime and I am fading fast.



The Bison Bull is my kind of revolver, large caliber and large.














I need to show my wife the purple (her favorite color) finish on some of the pistols but I need to be prepared to purchase it on the spot.

President's "Adopt a Detainee" Program

I know this old (2002) but I need to put it up as it is still a current events topic today.

President's "Adopt a Detainee" Program...

Thank you for your recent whiney-assed letter criticizing the treatment of the Taliban and El Quieda detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. As part of the Administration's Liberal Retraining Program, you'll be pleased to learn that the Administration has decided to place one detainee under your exclusive care. Your detainee is scheduled to be delivered to your personal residence on Monday. The detainee is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you strongly recommended in your letter of admonishment.

It will be necessary that you hire your own caretakers. We will also conduct weekly inspections, of course, to assure that your detainee is actually being cared for in the manner you personally prescribed.

His meal requirements are simple, but we strongly suggest using menus that do not require utensils. While he does bite, the rabies test was negative, although he does have a bad case of body lice that we haven't completely remedied.

Although he is sociopathic and very psychotic, we do welcome your promised efforts to overcome that "attitudinal problem" with your promised counseling and home schooling.

He's extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or light bulb. We do not suggest that you ask him to demonstrate these proficiencies at your next bridge party. He also has the ability to make a variety of lethal bombs from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, notwithstanding that it may conflict with your moral values or disrupt your maid's daily routine.

Please heed the large orange notice attached to your detainee's cage. "Does not play well with others.

Your detainee generally bathes quarterly, with the change of seasons, assuming that it rains, and washes his clothes simultaneously. That should help with your water bill.

Be assured, your detainee absolutely loves pets of all kinds, but is especially fond of cats and dogs. He prefers them roasted.

You take good care of our detainee now.

25-year police veteran to Toledo residents: "Buy guns. Invest in precious metals: lead, gun power and brass."

"For the past several weeks, the Toledo Blade has been reporting on a severe budget short-fall that the City of Toledo has spent itself into.

After weeks of back-and-forth debate between Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, Toledo city council, and unions representing police and firefighters' unions, the Finkbeiner administration has announced plans to issue layoff notices to as many as 350 city employees. While not yet being specific as to who will be laid off, Councilman Frank ­Szollosi has introduced legislation that would eliminating the jobs of 151 police officers, 100 firefighters, and 90 nonsafety personnel."

I post this one up as Toledo is close to my birth town. I am sure that this comment went over like a lead balloon with some of the anti-gun bunch there.

When I was a wee lad, we would go to the big town for items that could not be purchased locally. We thought that Toledo was huge! Temperance, at that time, had one gas station, a drug store, a small general store with a fountain, post office, small grocery, and three churches. No alcohol was sold and there were no bars.

I remember going to downtown Toledo around Christmas time to go to Tiedtke's Department Store as they had everything anyone could ever want. It seemed that way anyways. We couldn't afford much but window shopping was an event in itself. The toy department went on forever - couldn't afford that either. Have you ever stood in front of a window watching a chicken grilling on the spit? We thought it was a good time just to watch it turn but if you wanted chicken you could just wait until you got home and go catch the one pointed out to you.

Going back today to Toledo is a bit different. Tiedtke's is long gone and downtown is really nasty. You can't roam the streets anymore. The decrease of police officers is really going to be bad news in this town.

Governor Brian Schweitzer (D), signs revolutionary new gun law in Montana

I would say that Montana has thrown down the gauntlet. What this boils down to is:

• Guns andammo made, sold and used in Montana does not require any federal forms.
• Silencers made in Montana and sold in Montana would be fully legal and not registered.
• There would be no firearm registration, serial numbers, criminal records check, waiting periods or paperwork required.

Moving to Montana soon.
(wasn't that a song?)

City Council Proposed Tax Increases Get Blasted

"The Tucson City Council proposed a myriad of tax increases, including a 2% tax on renters, increased utility, garbage, and water fees, a doubling of the hotel bed tax, and others.

The first of three public hearings on the issue was held on April 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center with May 5 and June 2 being the next hearings.

The Tucson Tea Party, Arizona Multi-Housing Association, as well as the Tucson Realtors’ Association encouraged their members to attend a rally beginning at 4:30 p.m. and wear red to protest the City Council’s proposed tax increases.

More than 1000 people turned out for the rally, with at least 2/3 of them wearing red, and 120 turned in cards to speak to the council. "

The Tucson Tea Party site may be worth keeping an eye on as they seem to be very active in tracking local government actions.

Arizona bill would bar gun bans for parked vehicles

"A Democratic leader opposing the bill said overturning employers' weapons bans could set the stage for deadly workplace violence."

Same old hue and cry with no facts to back it up. I wonder which Democratic leader uttered nonsense this time.

The one's that go "postal" don't worry about these little technicalities anyways.

Busy Weekend

The Scottish Rite Reunion was held on Friday and Saturday. This is when the degrees for the new people are put on. I work in the Property Department which means that I move stage and floor furniture/props around for a couple days. Fun but tiring.

So to rest up......I went to the York Rite installation of officers on Sunday.
I am the tall, handsome guy on the end. Well...one out two isn't bad! I like being involved in the Masonic organizations. My wife seems tolerate my activities pretty well and even seems to enjoy herself at many of the functions. Bless her soul. I am involved in the Blue Lodge (Sr. Deacon), Chapter (EHP), Council (PIM & Steward), Commandery (Generalissamo), Scottish Rite (32 Deg KCCH), and last but not least I joined the Shrine. I do not think that there is much in the way of further light in Masonry in the Shrine but there is fun and one can help raise money for the children's hospitals. Thank heavens that most of the organizations only meet once a month with a few events in between. Otherwise it would be difficult for other important things like family, shooting, hunting, fishing, shooting, archery, and blogging about stuff! did I say shooting twice? Good, I like shooting.

See all you folks at the 2A Bash!

Minuteman Co-Founder Announces Run Against McCain for Senate

Chris Simcox, founder of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, announced on Wednesday that he's running against John McCain in next year's Republican primary for U.S. Senate. "We're not at all satisfied with the representation that we have in Washington, DC, especially with our senior Senator. Unfortunately, the time has come for someone to challenge him,"

I am glad to see McCain have primary opposition. The standard joke around here has been that McCain was going to switch parties and become a Republican. I have not been a fan of his since McCain/Feingold shut down grass roots free speech. It is still amazing to me that the SCOTUS didn't find this unconstitutional. The first amendment is all about political discourse.

He then jumped on the amnesty for illegals bandwagon until it became a political hot potato. So much for being a "maverick". That feisty determination disappeared with the polls. It is still baffling that he could not see that coming like a freight train in a tunnel.

We will have to wait to see if Chris Simcox can truly make this more than a one issue campaign. I am not a fan of Democrats or Republicans (see top line quote) and look forward to any new blood that did not vote for the slimulus package.

I will support any person who believes the Constitution of the United States actually means what the founders intended it to be - especially those pesky amendments.

Space Aliens Are Real

We have known this for a long time. Heck, those little UFO's make great targets.

The border for dummies

"Can someone please tell us how U. S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano got her job? She appears to be about as knowledgeable about border issues as a late-night radio call-in yahoo."

Way to go and PO the Canadians, eh? Another group to add to the vets, conservatives, and anti-illegal immigration crowd.

The question we always asked in AZ is why does she get elected? This type of deep thought prior to answering questions is no big surprise to us.

Americans Largely Silent as Their Nation is Systematically Destroyed

" After trillions in taxpayer debt has been foolishly poured into the bottomless black hole of leftist wealth redistribution programs, under the guise of economic “stimulus” or “stabilization” legislation, the new “ONE World” government running Washington DC announces; Geithner, Bernanke Call for New Wind-Down Powers After AIG… and the people still sit silent as they watch Obamanation grow in unbridled power. "

Another good article by JB Williams in the Canada Free Press. Yes - I did say the Canada Free Press. Click the title link and enjoy the whole thing.

B.A.G. Day Addition

Time to post a few pictures for the BAG Day addition.













The baby Single Six joins his bigger but newer big brother.

Add the Hogue grip to try to make it fit a little better. One size fits most!

New Shooter!

A co-worker who had never shot was becoming interested as he listened to some of us talk about Steel Challenge shoots etc. I offered to take KT to the Pima Pistol range to try out a weapon or two. That offer was accepted and I picked KT up at 7:30AM yesterday morning. We reviewed some basics (TAB+1) and range rules on the way there. We set up at the pistol range for a morning of target shooting.
I set him up at 7 yards to start. We started with a Rossi 22 pump just to get used to the idea of sighting and range noise. He proceeded to shoot a Walther P22, Ruger Old Model Single Six, EAA Witness Match Elite 9mm, Commander 45acp, and a Ruger Super Blackhawk. The target was moved out to 15 yards during the 9mm session as it was obvious that he really did not need to shoot at 7 yards. I have some plinker load for the 44mag (900 fps) that are easy to shoot. KT shot some of these and then a few factory few tilt loads to end the session. Good job KT! I had fun, he had fun, and all range rules were followed.
Favorite gun? Commander.
Slap my hand as I forgot to take a camera. This can be rectified as he wants to go again and we shall remind each other about taking the camera.

Old Model Single Six

I just bought the Old Model from Tiny, a friend of mine from Blue Lodge, which I actually did not want. I previously owned a New Model in stainless and traded it off as it was very inaccurate with the 22 mags. The New Model had been purchased to go chase some jack rabbits using the 22M, so I really didn't care how it shot the 22LR. I wasn't impressed with the trigger either.

I went to the range yesterday morning (see New Shooter post) and I LIKE this Old Model. The trigger is great and it shoots the mags better than the long rifles. This was exactly what I wanted out of that other one I had.

When Those Who Don’t Pay Taxes Run the Nation

Very accurate article out of the ?Canadian Free Press? Why don't we see this out of our own press? That's a rethorical question. Read the entire column as it is quite good.


"According to the IRS, as of the 2006 federal tax reports, 97.01% of all federal taxes collected are paid by the top 50% of income earners in the nation. The bottom 50% of income earners pay only 2.99% of the federal tax haul, most paying nothing at all or getting “tax refunds” for taxes they never paid to begin with.
The break point is only $32,000 annual income. Below this income you are considered too poor to pay taxes, and above this income, you are one of “the rich” who is expected to pick up the tab for the half of the country that do not pay taxes.
Half of the nation (the greedy), pay for the other half of the nation, (the cheated.)
This item alone is what divides America today and it is the only significant difference between the political right which represents the taxpayers, and the political left which panders only to those who have come to believe that they are entitled to the earnings and private property of others. "

"If you remove all of the voting blocs that are attempting to vote themselves gifts from the public trough, Democrats couldn’t garner more than 20% public support in any national election today. But add all of those groups together and offer to buy their loyalty with the property of others and you have yourself a political juggernaut that will win political power for the next generation or two. "

March 7 & 8 Gunshow

Crossroads of the West is one of the gun show sponsors in this area. I have never been to a gun show that was this busy!

We went Saturday morning as I was interested in getting some primers for reloading. I had thought that I would get there at opening time (9 AM) and all would be well. It became obvious that many people had gotten there well before the opening bell. There had to be a couple hundred people in line to get tickets for entrance. The line progressed nicely but we were about halfway there at 9:10 and people were leaving with their two-wheeled dollies loaded with ammo.

Once inside, we worked our way over to the ammo booth that was very busy with people about three deep all the way around it. I was able get over to where the primers were. It was fortunate that most of the people standing in this location were looking for ammo, not primers. I was able to hold on to some until it was my turn about 25 minutes later. My friend found that the 7.62x39 was gone in the first fifteen minutes. Too late, as that was the guys with the dollies first thing in the morning.

It was almost impossible to look around as it was just too crowded. We decided to leave and come back the next morning. I was talking to a parking lot attendant on the way out. They had already parked 1400 cars by 10:30. Sunday morning was actually enjoyable as you could walk around and look at things. I should have bought those .44 240gr SWC at Billy Bullets on Saturday as there were none left on Sunday.

Next weekend is another one, McMann Roadrunner Gun Show, at the Expo Center. This place has less parking than the fairgrounds so it should be interesting. Go about an hour early, take a two-wheel cart and lawn chair if you want to get any ammo as it will be gone in short order!

Mention of AK-47s, 'sweetheart deals' spice opening of Valley gun seller's trial

We will see if this dealer is innocent or guilty. There is always some suspicion that there may be political motivations for the prosecution but that is not the point here.

The point is that there are laws on the books already that make the alleged behavior illegal. It would appear that additional laws are not required if the existing ones are enforced.

Judge tosses case against Phoenix gun-shop owner.

Will the Owner of a White Ford Pickup Please..

Stand up and take a bow!

NHRA 2009 - New Fan

Once again, I went to the Nationals at Firebird! I love the smell of nitro-methane in the morning! My usual drag racing buddy could not make it this year so there I was with two premier seating tickets and just me. I contacted a young man (18 years old) that we know to see if he was available. He had never been to the drags before and was interested.

I drug him around for my usual routine. We cruised the pits. I saw a young lady standing out in front of some trailers and encouraged my guest to get his butt over there for a picture. We got a nice picture with Ashley Force. He had no idea why I was pushing the picture.

I fed him and then went back to the pits when they were starting to fire up the top fuels for tuning. This allowed him to get up close and personal with the nitro fumes and the sound level.

We went to our seats for the first pass of qualifying for pro-stock & top fuel. I believe he came about a foot off the seat when the first top fuel launched off the line. He never did get over jumping every time the light went green. I was pointing out to him that the one car on the line belonged to the young lady he had his picture taken with. He was surprised that she was a driver. Live and learn.
We were then off to roam the stores, and then back for the second qualifying pass of the pro-stock & top fuel.

I believe that there is a new drag racing fan now!

SRH

I received the Ruger from my nephew a couple of weeks ago. I had shot this one in the early 80's with my brother while on a hunting trip back in MI. My brother hunted the rifle season with only the handgun. I believe that he really never did care if he got a deer and went just to be out. I had hoped, at some time in the future, that I would be able to purchase this one from my nephew and here it is!
Now, I may just customize my SBH by cutting it down to 4 5/8 and getting it refinished.

Wall Street CEOs humble before lawmakers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wall Street bank executives submitted to a public scolding in the Congress on Wednesday over how they used $176 billion in bailout money without making a noticeable impact on the anemic economy.
By Steve Holland and Kevin Drawbaugh

OK - I want to know who gets to give the public scolding to our politicians for spending $176 billion of our (the taxpayers') money without making an impact on the economy?

Firearm Refinishing

My old Colt/Essex had so little bluing left on the slide that a change in humidity (slight exaggeration) could start a fine patina of rust if there was not enough oil present. So off to MAC'S SHOOTIN' IRONS it went. I left the frame stainless and everything else went to black. He does fine work.

Slime-ulus Package

"And now is the time to create the jobs that remake America for the 21st century by rebuilding crumbling roads, bridges and levees; designing a smart electrical grid; and connecting every corner of the country to the information superhighway.
These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay. They're patient enough to know our economic recovery will be measured in years, not months. But they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide."
Barack Obama

Sounds good but how do the following create jobs? 50 De-Stimulating Facts I seem to see every porky's dream except for what is mentioned above.

We all can live with the delay decried above. The only hurry here is to get us to accept this package without scrutiny. I am not convinced that this package, or any other, is needed at all. Everything will stabilize again if the government doesn't mess it up too badly. We didn't see this type of interference during the dot.com bust and amazingly enough recovery took place. We did see this type of interference just before the Great Depression which was all promoted as fending off depression. Worked good didn't it. What has government ever done efficiently?

Partisan gridlock is a good thing. Government and taxes increase every time these politicians get together and agree on anything. I still stand by the Will Roger's quote on this blog's header.

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.