Happy Belated New Year

The evening of December 30th I was starting to feel like I was coming down with The Bug. Regardless of minor inconveniences, we (my bow and I ) went for a walk the following morning which was New Years Eve. It had stormed and there was snow on the mountain! I did not see any deer sign in the snow at lower elevations so I started to work up higher where some sign was showing. Snow was a little deeper too but not enough to bother the deer. There was a spot that was worth watching so I found a spot to hang out for while. I was feeling worse as the day went on. I heard voices from around a hilltop and from a ways away. Sounded like they were a having a moving party as they were laughing and talking. I eventually watched them cut across the face of a ridge line. It was a family (I guess) or four that was out for a walk. I just stayed tight to see if they would move anything around. Apparently they didn't find a good trail the way they were going and came back across the face and then were contouring down in my direction. They got within about 20 yards of me before I moved a little and the man in lead realized that someone was there. I could hear him whisper to his wife(?), "There's a guy there, looks like a hunter." Gee, I wounder what the first clue was that I might be a hunter. Was it the camo and bow? The lady said, "Gee, I hope he doesn't mistake us for deer." I said, "Hello. Beautiful morning isn't it? Ma'am, no one is going to mistake you for deer with all the laughing and conversation." We had a nice short visit as they were obviously out for morning adventure in the snow and did not seem anti-hunting. They hoped that they hadn't spoiled anything for my hunt. I had let them know that they had not spoiled anything and that the area was for everyone's use. We wished each other well and off they went still talking, laughing and having a grand time in general. It is always beautiful in the mountains with the snow on them.

I was feeling crappier by the minute and decided to bail out for home. I was only about a mile or so from the truck but it seemed much longer. Upon arriving at home, the gear was stowed, clothes changed and some hot food was in order. I was feeling worse still. Bed came early, I did not see the ball drop for the New Year. No complaints.

Merry Christmas - Finally

I have been remiss in keeping up the posting but offer no apologies.

I had a great time on the 12th trying to knock down bowling pins in a match set up by Kevin. I haven't shot in a little while due to many reasons. So it was only natural that I go to the shoot with a couple of guns that I normally don't shoot in competition. I did poorly but had a great time. My Frankenstein Commander (Colt slide, Essex frame, and various other parts) performed nicely. I think that it is finally broken in from lapping the slide onto the new frame along with the guncoat refinishing. No FTF or FTE. The Walther P22 worked just fine. Now I need time to get over to the bowling alley and get more pins. We were going through some pins with all the people that were there. It should be mentioned again that the tables looked like really chewed up by the end of the matches. Termites have nothing on us!

I was back in wintry MI the 17th through the 20th to get mom to sign the papers needed to establish a trust. I lucked out as I was there between storms. It has been quite a run this last 6 months. The abbreviated run down looks like this: Dad getting too weak to care for mom in July (she had a stroke a couple of years ago), doctors visits for dad, outside help brought into their house, meetings with financial advisor for VA benefits, dad in the hospital, outside help goes 24/7, hospice, dad's passing in September, taking care of dad's affairs, POA with attorney for mom, arranging and moving mom into assisted living, financial advisor and trust attorney, setting up trust so mom can get dad's VA survivor benefits for care, move house into trust so that Medicaid can't do anything about it in five years, get the house up for sale from within trust and set up estate sale. I think I have been back to MI about 6 times so far.

I fly occasionally for work also so it has been busier than I like. Heck, I am not all that fond of flying anyways what with the airlines stuffing more seats onboard. Coach should really be renamed "sardine class". The last flight was out of Phoenix as I could get a direct from there to Detroit. The drive to the Phoenix airport only takes about an hour and a half from my house so it is still better than having connecting flights. I was dreading the longer flight as I am usually squashed in. Keep in mind that I am 6'7". I went on US Airways and lo and behold they had not shrunk the plane as far as others. My knees were at least a quarter inch off the seat in front of me.

I also got to go through my first of the new scanners. I decided that I should probably go through the scanner as I was unsure that I could refrain from making kissy noises while being patted down or comment on what nice hands he has. I was waiting for the results and asked the agent, "If I give you my email, will you send me a copy of the scan?" He did not actually answer but I did receive what I call THE LOOK. I then asked him, "Have you heard this request before?" I got a one word answer this time, "Yes". He was not happy that I was even talking to him. We believe that TSA agents' sense of humor is surgically removed as a hiring requirement.

Christmas was nice. Daughter #1 is home on break from NAU so the immediate family was together. We all went to Christmas Eve service at the Thornydale Family Church. Daughter #1 likes this church. Christmas Eve has traditionally been our gift opening time after church. Christmas Day is more for play and loafing. The Sunday after was back to my usual busy self - fixed the dryer, put up a shelf, went to Caveman Warehouse to get my 2011 tags, made ham & bean soup, and went to Sunday services with daughter #1. She asked if I would go with her and I try to say yes unless there is something going on like a shoot.

Wow, I was present in church twice in three days. I could see the increased interest is the pastor and others. It is kind of like fresh meat hanging up to attract the carnivores. JK. We were sitting and waiting for service to start. I commented to my daughter that if you changed a few words that you could take Revelation 13 and turn it into the start of a SciFi movie. This time I got THE LOOK from my daughter along with the obligatory exclamation, "Dad!" Which normally means that I am being difficult and should should be quiet. Like that is going to work. So I read part of it to her.

The Beast out of the Sea
1 The dragon[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion.

OK, does it have 4 heads with one horn each and 3 heads two horns each or........
Who had the gumption to get up there and tattoo the blasphemous names on the heads?
Shouldn't the dragon be coming out of the sea and the beast on the shore? I never heard of a sea leopard but have heard of a sea dragon.

I don't understand why I get the reactions I do when I am just asking obvious questions!

And on that note - Happy New Year!

Reid, Senate Democrats Threaten to Block Obama Deal on Tax Cuts

Pelosi and Reid annoy me. I will just address one issue here from the article, the Estate Tax. Let's call it what is really is, which is the death tax. This falls somewhere into triple or quadruple taxation.

"Pelosi called the estate tax provision "a bridge too far," and Reid also singled it out for criticism." So they are arguing whether is should be 35% of anything over $5 million or 45% of anything over $3.5 million. It should be nothing, period. There is something inherently evil about this tax. Guess they need the money to pay for their endless job benefits. Oops, I guess that makes two issues.

I believe that any politician who supports any measure of death tax should become acquainted with tar and feathers. Both the republicans and democrats are bunch of leaches that still don't comprehend that it is not their money that they demand and then freely squander.

I always laugh at the quote from Grandma Florence Norris in Mars Attack, "They blew up congress. Ha ha ha ha!" She seemed to exhibit the same disdain that most hold for our so called representatives.

My Elk Hunt Sucked

I don't know how else to state it. This hunt ranks down there as one of the worst trips ever. I hired a guide for this hunt which is something I have never done before. There were several reasons involved in this decision. I don't have a hunting partner(s) at this time and my wife actually worries about me when I am in the backcountry alone. I have yet to be able to reassure her with statements like, "I won't die for lack of firepower." or "What the heck is a partner going to do anyways? He can't really can't carry me. I guess he could call and tell you I was dead" or "At least I will die doing what I like to do." She just seems to get more agitated and displays nervous ticks.

I am unsure how many more times I will go elk hunting as the fun really does stop when the animal drops. There used to be a group of us that would all put in for elk. The deal was that everyone went whether they were drawn or not. Everyone pitched in when someone got one and made short work of it. We would split up the elk meat amongst the group. People eventually scattered to the four winds and the group was no more. Elk are a lot to handle by yourself so I thought that it might be nice to get an "expert" to help with finding a nice rack and help tote. I should have stuck to looking at "racks" in magazines instead of hiring a guide.

The online site has reviews for previous clients. I know now that these must have been carefully selected for publication. Either that or they are complete fabrications. There was a questionnaire to be filled out prior to the hunt. It was missing some very important questions such as:

• Are you able to see well enough by flashlight to march through the woods at 4 AM for miles?
• Are you able to leap tall boulders in a single bound?
• If you see game, are you able to run faster than it does? (Keep in mind that an elk will walk at about 5 MPH).
• Are you able to see game while rapidly walking before they see you?
• Are you ready to march all day on six hours sleep for days on end?
• Do you fit in a Suzuki Samurai?
  

The night before opening day we were going to go glass. He told me to jump in his Suzuki Samurai - right. Keep in mind that I am 6'7" tall and there is not going to be any jumping in. I found that I could get in if the seat was all the way back, reclined a bit, put my left foot in first, held onto the grab bar and door, leaned in, sat down, put my feet just so to get the right leg in, and leaned off to one side to shut the door. I could only describe it as uncomfortable at best until we actually did some rock crawling then it was miserable. These vehicles can be worked over to become quite capable off road machines however I do believe that they were designed by a Japanese gentleman was who considered to be exceptionally short for his race.

We drove about two miles from camp and were glassing a hillside across the canyon above a tank. There were a few other vehicles parked in the vicinity doing the same. I let him know that there was a bull on the hillside. There were actually quite a few elk on the hillside. I figured that it might be a good idea to get on the other side of the ridge where we saw the elk on opening morning. I also figured that a few of the other hunters were going to be parking in the same place and heading that way. They could move them to us.

Such was not the case. We left camp opening morning at 4:30 AM so that we could drive 45 minutes and get to another spot before daybreak. The area actually looked pretty good. Lots of older beds and sign. I only found a pile or two that was fresh within 24 hours. We marched around in a big loop with minimal time spent glassing. Heck, he would go a couple hundred yards without pause prior to taking a quick glance around. Glassing was reserved for special occasions. He said that he could always spot the elk before they saw him even while walking. We saw nothing.

That afternoon we went back to where we had seen elk before and got around to the next ridge over. We saw a nice 6x5 a little over 300 yards out. I was tempted to try to take him but it would require a stalk to get in at less than 200 yards. Keep in mind that this is muzzle loader hunt. The ft lbs of most of these weapons is getting very marginal when past the 150 yard mark. He asked how far I could shoot that thing and was informed that I did not even know the drop at 300 yards as it is not a clean kill distance for this weapon. I looked up the muzzle loader data again for my load. I sighted in for 150 yards which is at 973 ft lbs. Most consider 1,000 ft lbs to be the lower end for elk hunting. At 200 yards the drop from this setup is 13" (762 ft lbs). 300 yards gives 42" of drop and 445 ft lbs.

It was almost dark and I felt that a stalk would be difficult at best trying to get down the rocky ridge line without getting spotted. I was informed that it wasn't that nice of a bull anyways and that he could put me on a better animal. I should have tried the stalk as it was the last decent thing we saw. Heck we did not even get on a spike after that.

The following morning found us on the next ridge over, marching along as usual. We saw some elk crossing a saddle that joined our ridge above us. He took off up the hill like a jackrabbit, jumping from rock to rock, and waving for me to follow. I am not a talus runner. There were three elk, we think, of unknown sex. No identification was possible nor was there any opportunity.

The next morning found us driving to the other side of the unit. We saw a really nice bull about 5AM in the headlights. I guess that was the better bull he could show me. Personally, I would have gone back to the area where we saw elk before but I am not as experienced and have these novice thoughts. We saw nothing that day.

The following days were no better. I have not hunted like this before. Hike an hour in the morning, in the dark, to get to the "good" spot. Spend maybe 5 minutes there after it is daylight. March around hoping that the animals don't see you first. If you do see something, go like heck to try to get in front of it. I was not able to keep up being a flat lander now at 7,000 feet in elevation, I found it difficult to catch my breath. I was then informed that if I wanted to see anything that I had to keep up. I was working hard just to try to keep this a**hole in sight.

He had one of his partners with him one day. They would walk ahead, softly talking & laughing, and with waving their hands with great animation the whole time. The guide had a pair of natural elk skin choppers on. You know how new choppers are yellow and shiny bright. Once in a while they would hold up for you. It sure was nice that they were getting paid to visit with each other. I was wondering if anyone would discover the bodies. We never did see anything that day either. Probably had something to do with marching, paying no attention, and waving those bright gloves around while talking.

I informed him that I had never hunted this way before. He did not like that comment and wanted to know what I really knew about elk. I actually do know a bit about them but thought that this ought to be fun. I responded that they were a lot like deer. Well, I got the 15 minute lecture about how they were not at all like deer which lead into his description of what they were like. He proceeded to give a prefect description of mule deer habits without even realizing it. There is one strong difference. Elk travel further than mule deer when you bump them which is mainly because they can travel those distances easily.

Something dawned on me after a while. They do lion hunts and he is permanently in lion hunting mode where you are always chasing the dogs. I was also starting to believe that he was using my hunt to scout for other purposes.

His idea of accommodating this old man was to wait up every so often and then take off as soon as you caught up. I would continue to stand there waiting for my heart rate to stabilize. He would turn and see me still standing there and stop with a disgusted look on his face. I let him know on the fourth day that I was no longer going to try to pretend that I could keep up with him. I was struggling to maintain a reasonable heartbeat and that this would kill me if I attempted to keep it up. I was very tired from the previous days which made it even more difficult. I told him he could slowly take me back to the camp and that he was relieved of his obligation. This did not go over well as he was probably thinking that this was not good for his reputation. There are no refunds nor was I asking for one. I just figured that I could ditch him and go hunt by myself. He did not want to let go. The last couple of days were more enjoyable as the long marches were over. We even stooped so low, in his opinion, to watch a tank in the evening but no elk was seen. He claims that you don't see elk sitting that you have to be moving. What a crock.

This was the least amount of elk I have seen when fortunate enough to get drawn. I have been drawn four other times. I shot a 5x4 and two times have passed on spikes. Only one other year did I not have an opportunity. I should know better by now not to pass on spikes or anything else. It does not seem to matter whether I am deer or elk hunting, if I pass on any animal that it will be the last shootable game seen.

Camp wasn't even fun. The very early mornings combined with not getting back to camp until well after dark only left time for dinner and bed. You might be able to hustle up dinner and be able to get 6 hours sleep.

Things I learned this hunt:

• Don't ever, ever, ever bother with a guide unless someone you know has used him. The rest falls under truth in advertising - not!
• Try the stalk when game is seen. It is better to get busted trying than to not try. I am still kicking myself for not trying. 6x5 antlers would look good next to the 5x4.
• I hate Suzuki Samurais.
• I did see some country I haven't been in before. I know where I want to be the first couple days of the hunting season if I can get drawn for 6A again.
• Bifocal glasses are a poor choice when trying to hike in the dark with a flashlight. You pretty much have to keep your head down to be able to see over the lower lens. Get another pair of glasses without the bifocal. I used to have a regular pair but neglected to do so with the last pair. It's not like your going to be reading much. You can take them off if you can't see the map well enough.
• I really like my Big Buddy heater with a 20 pound bottle as it lasted 5 days.
• Cut morons like this loose earlier. You can't get your money back anyways, so why make yourself miserable because you paid for it.
• Just because your paying someone doesn't mean that they actually know more than you do.
• Repeat this to yourself as necessary.

The Nightmare in DC Act

Contact your congress critter and let them know what you think of yet another attempt at back door amnesty. Senator Session has put up a good synopsis of the bill.

The full text of Senator Sessions’ release:

OBAMA-REID AMNESTY PLAN BACK ON SENATE CALENDAR FOR LAME-DUCK SESSION

BILL WOULD GIVE COLLEGE PREFERENCE TO ILLEGALS OVER CITIZENS

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has placed S.3827, the DREAM Act, on the Legislative Calendar and has indicated he will seek a vote during the lame duck session of Congress.

In addition to immediately putting an estimated 2.1 million illegal aliens (including certain criminal aliens) on a path to citizenship, the DREAM Act will give them access to in-state tuition rates at public universities, federal student loans, and federal work-study programs.

Aliens granted amnesty by the DREAM Act will have the legal right to petition for entry of their family members, including their adult brothers and sisters and the parents who illegally brought or sent them to the United States, once they become naturalized U.S. citizens. In less than a decade, this reality could easily double or triple the more than 2.1 million green cards that will be immediately distributed as a result of the DREAM Act.

Ten Things You Need To Know About S.3827, The DREAM Act

1. The DREAM Act Is NOT Limited to Children, And It Will Be Funded On the Backs Of Hard Working, Law-Abiding Americans

Proponents of the DREAM Act frequently claim the bill offers relief only to illegal alien “kids.” Incredibly, previous versions of the DREAM Act had no age limit at all, so illegal aliens of any age who satisfied the Act’s requirements—not just children—could obtain lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. In response to this criticism, S.3827 includes a requirement that aliens be under the age of 35 on the date of enactment to be eligible for LPR status. Even with this cap, many aliens would be at least 41 years old before obtaining full LPR status under the Act—hardly the “kids” the Act’s advocates keep talking about.

The DREAM Act requires that DHS/USCIS process all DREAM Act applications (applications that would require complex, multi-step adjudication) without being able to increase fees to handle processing. This mandate would require either additional Congressional appropriations, or for USCIS, a primarily fee-funded agency, to raise fees on other types of immigration benefit applications. This would unfairly spread the cost of administering the DREAM Act legalization program among applicants and petitioners who have abided by U.S. laws and force taxpayers to pay for amnesty. Taxpayers would also be on the hook for all Federal benefits the DREAM Act seeks to offer illegal aliens, including student loans and grants.

2. The DREAM Act PROVIDES SAFE HARBOR FOR ANY ALIEN, Including Criminals, From Being Removed or Deported If They Simply Submit An Application


Although DREAM Act proponents claim it will benefit only those who meet certain age, presence, and educational requirements, amazingly the Act protects ANY alien who simply submits an application for status no matter how frivolous. The bill forbids the Secretary of Homeland Security from removing “any alien who has a pending application for conditional status” under the DREAM Act—regardless of age or criminal record—providing a safe harbor for all illegal aliens. This loophole will open the floodgates for applications that could stay pending for many years or be litigated as a delay tactic to prevent the illegal aliens’ removal from the United States. The provision will further erode any chances of ending the rampant illegality and fraud in the existing system.

3. Certain Criminal Aliens Will Be Eligible For Amnesty Under The DREAM Act

Certain categories of criminal aliens will be eligible for the DREAM Act amnesty, including alien gang members and aliens with misdemeanor convictions, even DUIs. The DREAM Act allows illegal aliens guilty of the following offenses to be eligible for amnesty: alien absconders (aliens who failed to attend their removal proceedings), aliens who have engaged in voter fraud or unlawfully voted, aliens who have falsely claimed U.S. citizenship, aliens who have abused their student visas, and aliens who have committed marriage fraud. Additionally, illegal aliens who pose a public health risk, aliens who have been permanently barred from obtaining U.S. citizenship, and aliens who are likely to become a public charge are also eligible.

4. Estimates Suggest That At Least 2.1 Million Illegal Aliens Will Be Eligible For the DREAM Act Amnesty. In Reality, We Have No Idea How Many Illegal Aliens Will Apply

Section 4(d) of the DREAM Act waives all numerical limitations on green cards, and prohibits any numerical limitation on the number of aliens eligible for amnesty under its provisions. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that the DREAM Act will make approximately 2.1 million illegal aliens eligible for amnesty. It is highly likely that the number of illegal aliens receiving amnesty under the DREAM Act will be much higher than the estimated 2.1 million due to fraud and our inherent inability to accurately estimate the illegal alien population. Clearly, the message sent by the DREAM Act will be that if any young person can enter the country illegally, within 5 years, they will be placed on a path to citizenship.

5. Illegal Aliens Will Get In-State Tuition Benefits

The DREAM Act will allow illegal aliens to qualify for in-state tuition, even when it is not being offered to U.S. citizens and legally present aliens living just across state lines. Section 3 of the DREAM Act repeals Section 505 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1623) which prohibits giving education benefits to an unlawfully present individual unless that same benefit is offered to all U.S. citizens.


6. The DREAM Act Does Not Require That An Illegal Alien Finish Any Type of Degree (Vocational, Two-Year, or Bachelor’s Degree) As A Condition of Amnesty

DREAM Act supporters would have you believe that the bill is intended to benefit illegal immigrants who have graduated from high school and are on their way to earning college degrees. However, the bill is careful to ensure that illegal alien high school drop-outs will also be put on a pathway to citizenship – they simply have to get a GED and be admitted to “an institution of higher education,” defined by the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Under the Higher Education Act, an “institution of higher education” includes institutions that provide 2-year programs (community colleges) and any “school that provides not less than a 1-year program of training to prepare students for gainful employment” (a vocational school). Within 8 years of the initial grant of status, the alien must prove only that they finished 2 years of a bachelor’s degree program, not that they completed any program or earned any degree.

If the alien is unable to complete 2 years of college but can demonstrate that their removal would result in hardship to themselves or their U.S. citizen or LPR spouse, child, or parent, the education requirement can be waived altogether.

7. The DREAM Act does not require that an illegal alien serve in the military as a condition for amnesty, and There is ALREADY A Legal Process In Place For Illegal Aliens to Obtain U.S. Citizenship Through Military Service

DREAM Act supporters would have you believe that illegal aliens who don’t go to college will earn their citizenship through service in the U.S. Armed Forces. However, the bill does not require aliens to join the U.S. Armed Forces (the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard); instead it requires enlistment in the “uniformed services.” This means that aliens need only go to work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or Public Health Service for 2 years to get U.S. citizenship. If the alien is unable to complete 2 years in the “uniformed services,” and can demonstrate that their removal would result in hardship to themselves or their U.S. citizen or LPR spouse, child, or parent, the military service requirement can be waived altogether. Such claims will likely engender much litigation and place a huge burden on DHS.

Furthermore, under current law (10 USC § 504), the Secretary of Defense can authorize the enlistment of illegal aliens. Once enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces, under 8 USC § 1440, these illegal aliens can become naturalized citizens through expedited processing, often obtaining U.S. citizenship in six months.

8. Despite Their Current Illegal Status, DREAM Act Aliens Will Be Given All The Rights That Legal Immigrants Receive—Including The Legal Right To Sponsor Their Parents and Extended Family Members For Immigration

Under current federal law, U.S. citizens have the right to immigrate their “immediate relatives” to the U.S. without regard to numerical caps. Similarly, lawful permanent residents can immigrate their spouses and children to the U.S. as long as they retain their status. This means illegal aliens who receive amnesty under the DREAM Act will have the right to immigrate their family members—including the parents who sent for or brought them to the U.S. illegally in the first place—in unlimited numbers as soon as they become U.S. citizens (6 to 8 years after enactment) and are 21 years of age.

Additionally, amnestied aliens who become U.S. citizens will be able to petition for their adult siblings living abroad to immigrate to the U.S., further incentivizing chain migration and potentially illegal entry into the United States (for those who don’t want to wait for the petition process overseas). When an adult brother or sister receives a green card, the family (spouse and children) of the adult sibling receive green cards as well.

9. Current Illegal Aliens Will Get Federal Student Loans, Federal Work Study Programs, and Other Forms of Federal Financial Aid

Section 10 of the DREAM Act allows illegal aliens amnestied under the bill’s provisions to qualify for federal student assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) in the form of federal student loans (Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans, Federal Direct Stafford/Ford Loans), federal work-study programs, and other federal education services such as tutoring and counseling.

10. DHS Is Prohibited From Using the Information Provided By Illegal Aliens Whose DREAM Act Amnesty Applications Are Denied To Initiate Their Removal Proceedings or Investigate or Prosecute Fraud in the Application Process

When an illegal alien’s DREAM Act amnesty application is denied, the bill states that the alien will revert to their “previous immigration status,” which is likely illegal or deportable. The bill, however, prohibits using any of the information contained in the amnesty application (name, address, length of illegal presence that the alien admits to, etc) to initiate a removal proceeding or investigate or prosecute fraud in the application process. Thus, it will be extremely hard for DHS to remove aliens who they now know are illegally present in the U.S., because illegal aliens will be able to claim that the legal action is a product of the amnesty application, and DHS will have the nearly impossible task of proving a negative.

Bill Whittle on Gun Rights

This is one the best explanations of the reasoning behind gun rights I have seen considering its relatively short length.

Justice Elena Kagan's first vote is against an execution

This vote is because the drug used for LETHAL injection might not be SAFE! Well go figure. If it were safe it wouldn't be lethal. I know that is not the argument used but you would think that logic would laugh this out of court. Maybe we should go back to hanging. Is that rope comfortable enough for you? It isn't chaffing is it? I hope it doesn't give you a rash!

How does a case like this even get before the SCOTUS? Oh, I had a momentary lapse of thought. We have a federal judge in Phoenix and the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to thank for momentarily halting the execution for this reason. That's how ridiculous cases like this get to the supreme.

Is Hunting Becoming Dead?

Pop on over and view Snowflakes in Hell's "Why Hunting is Doomed".

I agree with Sebastian’s analysis in that if something does not change in the way hunters view the anti-2nd and anti-hunting groups actions that they are doomed. There are too many hunters that still buy into restrictions not realizing that the intent is to shut them down. Evil black rifles, let’s have coyotes/wolves brought in for herd management, the poor little cute doves, etc. All these hide the main agenda of complete bans on all hunting and fishing. I have some hope for the states that are getting the right-to-hunt in their constitutions. This will provide a better footing in the local courts.

I am pleased that the NRA has opened the hunter liaison group but it is a little late in the game. The NRA has done a poor job of recognizing the need for this branch even though they had been complaining for years about how some of the hunters did not support them. This should have been started decades ago not a couple years ago. Oh look, a fire. Perhaps we should buy some shovels and hoses. The NRA has missed out on a large group that would provide a sizable percentage that could actually be educated and become allies.

Hunters need to realize, as most 2nd supporters do, that the little regulation that seems innocuous is truly the camel’s nose under the tent.

My Father and Friend is Gone.

Sorry for the lag in posting but.....
Dad passed away Monday night at 10:15 PM MI time. There have been multiple trips back as he was weakening so I have been a bit busy. I am back in MI taking care of business and trying to keep it all together. He was my father but he was also my friend as I grew older. We spent a lot of time fishing, hunting, and just talking. I need to post some pictures of us at the Blue River deer hunting etc but need to get back home to my CD library first. Darn it all. Men do have tears in them.

The vultures circle - my a-hole cousin wants to know if he can have my dad's Winchester side-by-side model 24. Think the business end is appropriate?

Immigration Video

"Watch and Seethe"

Fishing in the Monsoon Season

My wife, daughter and I went down to Parker Canyon Lake again last Saturday morning. It was perfect with a nice overcast sky so that we were not frying in the heat. Fishing was a little slow. We would get a couple of bites and then end up moving to another spot. We would get a few bites there and then it would go dead also.

About 10:30 AM it started to drizzle but there was no lightning or high winds. I informed the girls that this was perfect fishing weather but they did seem reluctant to accept this advice. That might have something to do with not bringing rain gear. We tend to forget it as it is almost always sunny. They started to complain when the rain started to come down harder. There must be correlation here between bigger rain drops and the female of the species' desire to remain outside. Bigger rain drops came along but still no lightning. Still perfect fishing weather in my mind.

I was persuaded to return to the dock. A weed cutter was at the dock at the time dumping a load of weeds so it would be busy there for a little while. I decided to troll on the way back and did pick up a few bites and a nice sized sunfish. My wife was looking around as asked if we were even moving. She then noticed that I was trolling and urged greater speed toward the dock.

About the time we docked and brought the trailer down for the boat the sky opened up and it poured. I was soaked through and through by the time the boat was buttoned up for the road. I actually did enjoy myself as it wasn't that cold. I learned to fish in the rain in Michigan growing up. If you weren't willing to fish in the rain, you cut your available time in half or worse.

I let the girls know that I had a good time and thanked them for coming. I am not sure what they said aside from the few words that I did catch.......cold, wet, ponchos, umbrella. I did go to Caveman Warehouse and get some ponchos to keep in the boat along with an old rain jacket of mine. I am now positive that there will be no reason to quit fishing because of a little rain.

Oh yes, I wanted to post a picture of the sunfish.

I think it was a sunfish anyways. Sure didn't look like a Bluegill, Bass or Trout.

Summertime in Michigan

I needed to go back to MI to take of a few items for my parents. We (daughters and I) drove out. My wife was discussing my sanity as I announced that it was a two day trip as it was only 2000 miles. Our route went through NM, TX, AR, TN, KY, OH, to MI. It is not actually the fastest route but I refuse to go through Illinois and give them any money. The current laws surrounding concealed carry (none) or any transport in general (difficult) convince me to go elsewhere. Besides, the other states are lush and green this time of year. It makes for a very pretty ride.

There was a fine hail storm in New Mexico that made things look like it had snowed.

I would say the the cell phone picture does not do justice to the conditions.

First stop Salisaw, Oklahoma. We got to the Days Inn about 1 AM local time. We were not staying at the Hilton so that we could keep the traveling costs down. We were losing time traveling East.

The rest of the trip there was fairly uneventful. My daughters asked what you call someone from each different state. I gave them the first answer that came to mind.

NM - Lobos

TX - Texans and BSers. I always figured that all Texans would be able to ski if BS was white.

AR - Razorbacks

TN - Vols

KY - Wildcat or Hillbilly

OH - Buckeyes

MI - Wolverines or Morons if they still live anywhere near Detroit. My nephew was a parole officer in the Detroit area. He referred to it as the Peoples Republic of Wayne. This reference is do to Detroit being in Wayne County and looking like a third world country.

My daughter then asked what you were called if you were from AZ. I told her, "Racist". We had a little laugh about that.

I had the opportunity to teach my daughters about some of the distinguishing features of Michigan such as:

The state bird.

State flower

State statue.

One interesting sideline was on the way back. My older daughter was driving and we stopped at a rest area in Arkansas. A gentleman pulled into the parking space next to us and motioned for me to roll down the window. The conversation went like this:

Are you fer or agin it?

I am for it.

We are too.
It is the same as the federal laws. We are tired of the invasion.

That's what we figured. We are all fer it down here too, bunch of stupid politics.

Yep.

Nice talkin to you.

You too.

I imagine that he noticed the AZ plates on the vehicle and just had to ask. Note that he didn't ask about the legislative number but we both knew what he was asking.

Link to Daily Kos?????

A very nice post on "Why Liberals Should Love the Second Amendment".
The comments are hilarious as one would expect. I wonder how long the Kos will leave it up?

Happy 4th!!!!

Or as friend told me today - Have a fifth on the fourth but don't drive!

Printer problem in Iraq

Printer problem in Iraq - Watch more Funny Videos

Fishing Some More

We went to Parker Canyon Lake again this Saturday. The fishing wasn't quite as good if you talk to the ladies. I kind of liked my four trout and the one bluegill that I actually kept. We left the lake early so as to not fry in the sun. This gets the boat a new record for 5 times in the water this year. We are still planning on improving on that but will have to start watching the weather soon. Monsoon season is coming shortly and really don't like being out on the lake during lightning events. I would say that we will have to limit our time to morning only and get off the lakes by 11 AM or so.

We have caught a few sunfish that were decent sized but had a lot bigger mouth than a bluegill and little more greenish. I new that all the sunfish in the lake were legal with no size or number limit so we kept a two. I looked them up and they are the Green Sunfish.

Native to the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and the Mississippi River basin. Introduced into Arizona in 1926. Large mouth with blue-green striations on the cheeks. Opercle flap is black with reddish or orange border. Bodies olive-green in color, dark vertical bars are faintly seen on sides. Pectoral fin short and rounded. Caudal fin and lower fin margins are white or yellowish with dusky spots at rear of dorsal and anal fins. Length: 3 to 12 inches. Weight: 3 ounces to 1 pound 8 ounces. May live to nine years.

I would love to find one of these that is 12" long. That would be a fun fight. Most sunfish put up more fight than a trout ever thought of. You even get to the point that you think that you have a medium sized bluegill on when it turns out to be a 13" trout.

Run for the Hills!!!!!

Is it time to panic?

Is the sky falling?

Should we scream and shout?

Are we to run in decreasing radius circles until you can only rotate? (its an engineer thing)

Daughter #2 has her temp driving permit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!













I do so love Ed Roth's Rat Fink images!

Just a bit of followup. We have gone driving twice so far and all goes well. Saturday afternoon was sith the RAV. Sunday morning was out with the mighty Bronco to play on some dirt trails. One of the first comments was that the Bronce sure was a lot different than the RAV. We had to stop and clean the Bronco windows as it is not a daily driver and sit collecting dust when it isn't hunting season. She said that her hands were getting sore from the death grip on the wheel trying to figure out a path through the ruts. Woohoo!

More Fishing

We have gone two more Saturdays since the last post. These times we left the dog behind as it is getting too hot for him. I do believe that we will set a new record this year for the number of times the Lion Paw (boat) gets wet this year. The previous Saturday we had 1 trout, 1 bass and a ton of bluegill. This time we had 3 trout and even more bluegill.

The Forest Service required that we move from our secrete fishing spot as choppers were coming in to pick up water to fight a fire. We could see the smoke about ten miles off. It was interesting to see the choppers hover to snorkel up water and watch them drop it on the fire. They kind of looked like this one.

We watched them from about 200 yards away. I would have been willing to be closer if the authorities would have complied. Heck - you just get blasted from the air and water spray. Refreshing!

We continued our fishing in another spot that turned out good, also. I must go again this Saturday. The bass should be lighting up any time now.

Fishing Time!

Daughter #2 and I went to Big Lake the weekend after Memorial Day. Can you say gale force winds? Normally it would be nice and calm at daybreak. Not this time! It was gusting to 10-15 MPH already. I would estimate that when we got off the lake we were have gusts to 40 MPH. Too much. The wind could take you off your feet when on land.

We went out in the morning but could not troll as you had to put too much into the speed to control direction. The wind could turn you right around at low speeds. Anchored off in a couple of more protected areas and had some bites. We got off the lake about 10:30. I was glad that I had the gas motor as you weren't going anywhere against the wind with an electric. There were more boats on trailers than on the water. I only saw two other souls braving the whitecaps.

My daughter had experienced enough adventure for the day so we called it good. The boat did well and we enjoyed ourselves so it was a successful trip. She is now talking about the next fishing event. Maybe a day run to Parker or Roosevelt.

So......
the 5th found us (wife, daughter, dog and me) on Parker Canyon Lake. Weather was hot but with just a little wind. They had a blast! We went out looking for panfish. The bluegills did not disappoint us. I have no idea how many we threw back in. We kept 8 of them along with 2 trout and a nice bass. It was calm enough out that I was even able to smoke a nice cigar in between releasing fish and baiting hooks.

I had fun too, so we will head out again this next weekend.

It's All Bush's Fault

It's All Bush's Fault...an interesting read

It gets real nasty when your own folks start turning on you!!

Chuck Green is stating some very obvious facts here...but...the irony is that The Denver Post and Chuck Green are very far-left-wing liberals. Gee, I can't imagine what might have made him change his mind?