The Problem With Socks.

I've got nothing today, but this video from Barbara Bush.



I love that woman, she had the most remarkable sense of humor.

CBS Starts Covering News

Eric Holder leads the headlines today. My post this morning about him lying to Congress gets some play.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday expressing "great concern" about the possibility that Holder lied under oath during his testimony earlier this month on the Justice Department's seizing of journalists' records, CBS News has learned.

Now, there's no doubt Holder lied to Congress, but what I find amusing is that CBS is finally covering news of Holder's corruption. However, I'd like to remind the assembled readers of this blog (both of you) that even in his undeniable guilt, Eric Holder has certain guarantees.

He has the right to remain silent.
He has the right to an attorney.
He has the right to quit answering questions at any time.
If he cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to represent him.

Holder needs to lawyer up and take the 5th.  It would be wonderful schadenfreude to see the Attorney General standing on his right to remain silent.  Especially after he perjured himself before Congress.

Holder Feels Remorse

That's the abbreviated title of the Weekly Standard article.

"[F]or Attorney General Eric Holder, the gravity of the situation didn’t fully sink in until Monday morning when he read the Post’s front-page story, sitting at his kitchen table. Quoting from the affidavit, the story detailed how agents had tracked Rosen’s movements in and out of the State Department, perused his private emails, and traced the timing of his calls to the State Department security adviser suspected of leaking to him. Then the story, quoting the stark, clinical language of the affidavit, described Rosen as 'at the very least ... an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator' in the crime," reports the Daily Beast.
"Holder knew that Justice would be besieged by the twin leak probes; but, according to aides, he was also beginning to feel a creeping sense of personal remorse."

As well he should.  The bus looms for Holder, the same bus that his boss throws people under.

I consider Eric Holder to be an unprincipled, arrogant, driven man who believes that he has a special entitlement.  He is not a public servant.  His position is directly related to his ability to interact with other unprincipled, arrogant, driven men and women, who hold the American public in great disdain.  The old saying that "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" is in play here.  Eric Holder is corrupt and his creeping sense of personal remorse is not that he did the things he did, but that he's caught.  He told Congress that he didn't know about the subpoenas, the tracking, the email hacking and now they have his signature on at least one document approving that investigation.  He's caught and he knows it.

If he lied to Congress (and there is little doubt that he did so), he should be disbarred and prosecuted.  And there is his creeping sense of remorse.  Not that he did the crime, but that he's been caught.

Summer Work

Most of you know that I work in the school-house, and during the summer, they've got to find us something to do if we don't have enough leave time.  I injured myself last January, and missed the whole basketball season at the high school, so I owe the Sheriff some time.  I went this morning to report for assignment, and they assigned me to Courthouse Security.

It's not bad duty, running a metal detector and working with some great folks.  Lots of laughter, lots of interesting facts, and lots of time on my feet.  It is 8:00-4:30, so that ain't bad either.  I'm there when the unlock the doors to the Courthouse and I'm there when they lock them.  And I look at everybody who comes in the door.  It probably won't be an assignment where I make many arrests, but I'm in air-conditioning and I enjoy the work.  Two out of three ain't bad..

Memorial Day

I'm not going to get all maudlin, not online anyway.  I'll save that for later.  There's a good article in the Wall Street Journal, about what freedom costs.

It was not the Declaration of Independence that gave us freedom but the Continental Army. America was born from conflict, delivered by soldiers willing to pay with their blood the tremendous cost of freedom.
The dead did not wish to be martyred. They no doubt longed to return to their homes and families. But they believed in the "glorious cause," something far greater than themselves. Despite knowing the dangers before them, they followed Gen. Washington into the fray even when victory seemed hopeless and the cause all but lost.

Take a minute to remember today.  For me, I'll be remembering a good friend of mine, David L.Coker.  3rd Squadron, 5th Cav.

Cold, this Morning.

Not here, but up North.  It seems that there's a frost warning out for portions of the Northeast.  I wonder if brother David got any snow up in Vermont?

However, I did learn something from reading the article.  Did you know that temperature forecasts are based on eye-level?  I had no idea.

"Temperature forecasts are made for eye-level. However, temperatures near the ground on clear, calm nights can be 5 to 10 degrees lower for several hours, especially around and just prior to sunrise," Sosnowski continued.

So, Milady asks, "Who's eye level?  If the forecaster is 6'2", and I stand 5'2", whose eye level are we using?  Good question, Milady!

Y'er A Daisy If You Do

Daisy is my daughter-in-law's pup.  When the kids came over for lunch today, they brought Daisy with them.  Daisy and Beau ripped around the yard, then Daisy took a dip in the pool, then it was lunch time.  After lunch, Daisy decided to take a nap under the swing.

Daisy seems to be enjoying that grassy spot in the shade, don't you think?

She seems quite comfortable under there.  It was a busy day for a little pup.

Sunday Morning Dawg

The dog enjoys capturing the early morning sun, wedging himself under Milady's chair on the back porch.

He'll lie there as long as she's there.  It's her favorite spot for reading her Kindle, and it's his favorite spot for catching the morning sun.  Here in the Deep South, it won't be too many more mornings, before summer hits us full force and even morning sunshine is excessive.

He's all about catching the morning sunshine.  Y'all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  Take the dog's example, and catch some rays.

LSU Baseball

LSU rallied yesterday to beat Alabama in a ninth-inning crunch.  Today, they take on 15th ranked Arkansas at noon.

I'll probably have to watch that game, or at least several innings.  I'd best get started on my chores so I can watch the game.

Is The 3-Day Weekend in Danger?

It's Memorial Day weekend, and time to consider the traditional opening of summer.  For the most part, schools are out, many Americans are laying-back and enjoying the privileges and comforts of life, but for many of us, it's just another day, or three days, depending on your perspective.  Police, firefighters, medical personnel, soldiers and sailors, they're all standing the line.  As are the guys who work at the myriad businesses that stay open, increasingly, on a 24/7 basis.

Meanwhile, government data from 2011 says 35 percent of us work on weekends, and those who do average five hours of labor, often without compensation—or even a thank you. The other 65 percent were probably too busy to answer surveyors' questions.

And, for those of us who are ostensibly "off work" this weekend, there is always that leash that ties us to our employer, the smartphone.  This device tugs at our belt, keeps us connected to the outside world, hampers our free time, and intrudes on our personal lives in ways that we don't often realize.

 "It's like an arms race … everything is an emergency," said Tanya Schevitz, spokeswoman for Reboot, an organization trying help people unplug more often. "We have created an expectation in society that people will respond immediately to everything with no delay. It's unhealthy, and it's unproductive, and we can't keep going on like this."

Like most of us, my smartphone is at my side almost constantly.  The convenience of having it on my belt is also a hindrance, because people can get in touch with me.  In our increasingly connected lives, finding time to decompress is increasingly difficult, because we're always connected.  Many companies and agencies buy smartphones for their employees, with the expectation that the employee will answer the phone if called.  That's a burden.  I'm fortunate that I don't have an agency phone.  I don't want the burden of being that  closely connected to the office.  Lots of folks don't have that choice.

The Rot is General

Via Instapundit, we come to this cheerful tale about the rot in our Government.

 In December 2010 the FBI came to ask about a person who'd attended a King Street Patriots function. In January 2011 the FBI had more questions. The same month the IRS audited her business tax returns. In May 2011 the FBI called again for a general inquiry about King Street Patriots. In June 2011 Engelbrecht's personal tax returns were audited and the FBI called again. In October 2011 a round of questions on True the Vote. In November 2011 another call from the FBI. The next month, more questions from the FBI. In February 2012 a third round of IRS questions on True the Vote. In February 2012 a first round of questions on King Street Patriots. The same month the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms did an unscheduled audit of her business. (It had a license to make firearms but didn't make them.) In July 2012 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration did an unscheduled audit. In November 2012 more IRS questions on True the Vote. In March 2013, more questions. In April 2013 a second ATF audit.

All this because she requested tax-exempt status for a local conservative group and for one that registers voters and tries to get dead people off the rolls. Her attorney, Cleta Mitchell, who provided the timeline above, told me: "These people, they are just regular Americans. They try to get dead people off the voter rolls, you would think that they are serial killers."

Take a look at the agencies here.  FBI, IRS, ATF, OSHA, all harassing the same folks.  It's easy to connect the dots when the dots connect themselves.  When we find that a building is rotted from the rafters to the sills, it's time to demolish the building and build anew.  Perhaps it's time to try that with our government.

If they took oaths, hold them individually liable.  Each person is accountable to his/her oath. Not just the agency, the individual agent.  As a law-enforcement officer with 30 years service, I know that I am accountable to my oath.

Did Holder Lie to Congress?

Hot Air asks the question, if Holder lied to Congress when asked about the scandals of the AP and Fox news.  It appears that Holder told Congress that he didn't have anything to do with that.  Then we learn he signed the order for the subpoena of the Fox reporter.

 Looks like a wide bipartisan consensus has formed for Holder’s resignation. The Huffington Post wants him gone, as does Esquire. A resignation at this point is probably not enough, either, if the House decides that further action is required after this false representation on a key issue.

As an old police lieutenant used to say, when talking about the interview of a suspect.  "Of course he was lying.  His lips were moving."

Fabulous Friday

The Friday before Memorial Day is normally the day we put the school year to bed, and this year is no different.  I just left the school-house for the last time before I return in late August.  The school year is officially done, my desk is clear, and the radio that I normally carry on my belt while at school is put away for the summer.

That's a good feeling.

I owe the Sheriff's office about two weeks before I can start burning the K-time that I've accumulated during the school year.  I don't know yet what I'll be doing for the next two weeks, but they have nothing to do with the high school.  It'll be a break, of sorts, something different, something that I don't normally do.  I'm looking forward to it.

Lerner Signed Letters

It seems that Lois Lerner, having recently said that she didn't do anything wrong, actually signed cover letters to conservative organizations asking for more information.

Lerner, the director of the IRS exempt organizations office in Washington, D.C., signed cover letters to 15 conservative organizations currently represented by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) between in March and April of 2012. The letters, such as this one sent to the Ohio Liberty Council on March 16, 2012, informed the groups applying for tax-exempt status that the IRS was “unable to make a final determination on your exempt status without additional information,” and included a list of detailed questions of the kind that a Treasury inspector general’s audit found to be inappropriate. Some of the groups to which Lerner sent letters are still awaiting approval.

Yeah, she didn't know what was going on, but she was asking questions.

It also looks as if the IRS wants to fire her.  

Sen. Grassley stmt: "My understanding is the new acting IRS commissioner asked for Ms. Lerner’s resignation, and she refused to resign."

So, she's on administrative leave, pending God Knows What.

Also, there's some question that the White House knew about the targeting of conservative organizations long before they admit they knew.  So, what did Ruemmler know, and when did she know it? It's questions like this that brought down the Nixon administration.

Mail Order

I remember, as a child, saving box tops from cereal boxes, saving them for some trinket.  When I'd saved enough box tops, I 'd put them in an envelope and send them off to Battle Creek, Michigan, then wait breathlessly for the mailman every day until my package arrived.

I imagined some guy in Battle Creek looking at my envelope, counting the box tops then addressing a small package to a small kid in Louisiana, like that was the only thing in the world that he had to do that day.  It might have been the only thing he was tasked with doing.  I remember feeling very special that someone in Michigan actually knew my name, and completed my order with care and effeciency.

Fast forward to the computer age, where we regularly buy stuff online.  For example, I recently ordered some ammo from Buffalo Bore.  In short order, they sent me an email that my package was enroute, and they sent a link so that I could track the process.  It started out in Missoula, MT, then went to Salt Lake City, from there it landed in Commerce City, CO.  Those folks sent it to Vernon, TX, thence to Dallas, TX, and for some reason they shipped it to Mesquite, TX.   That box has been wandering around Texas for two days, but tomorrow they're supposed to deliver it to my house in Pineville, LA. 

I'm still waiting expectantly for my package, but these days it's a heck of a lot easier to track it.  And yes, I'm still amazed at the efficiency with which the UPS and FedEx move packages.  It's amazing to me that they manage to get everything heading in the correct direction.

Aggravating!

Last week I was mowing grass.  I've got a little 22" push mower that I use for trim work, mowing ditches, that sort of thing.  When I finished mowing, I turned off the mower and it went CLUNK!  Not a good clunk, so I bent down and grabbed the engine, and the deck is rotted.  The motor is held on with three bolts. Two of them are holding, but barely so.  I put out a call for a mower deck and second son responded with one he's kept in the grass behind his shop.

So far, so good.

Today, I went out to try to take the engine off the bad deck and put it on the good deck.  I got the blade off, easy-peasy, then hosed the two bolts holding the engine with penetrating oil.  Got out the wrenches.  No joy.  Sprayed everything down with penetrating oil.  Poured myself a drink.  Got out the impact wrench.  Sprayed some more penetrating oil, talked to Milady about my day and hers, then went back out to the garage to remove those bolts.  The first one came out just like it was supposed to.  The second one was a bit more reticent.

Sprayed some more penetrating oil, gave everything a rest. Poured myself another bourbon. Then went back to it after a half-hour or so.  Rounded that sonofabitch off.  Damn, damn, double-damn.  I put everything away before I lost my religion.  Sprayed some more penetrating oil, maybe that bolt will be loose enough to remove tomorrow.  Poured my self another drink, then pushed the mower into the front yard.  Said the hell with it.

Maybe somebody will steal the sonofabitch.  It'll serve them right.

Graduation

Just in from commencement ceremonies, and we had about 102 walk across the stage tonight.  They're off on an all-night party right now, properly chaperoned, pampered, and with activities planned for the whole evening.  They're not really adults yet, and no longer children.  After the festivities tonight, they'll sleep for a while tomorrow, then the realization will set in.  They're through with high school and it's time to do something with their lives.  And it starts today.  Many of them will try to postpone the reckoning with college, some of them will slump into laggardly habits, some of them will chose vocations.

It was different when I graduated.  The various service recruiters were salivating at the prospect of a new group of high school graduates.  The draft was still in full force, Vietnam had another four years before we left with our tails tucked between our legs, and young boys were dieing over there every day.  Many of my classmates took a senior trip to Saigon.  Of course in those days we were expected to grow up fast.  We had all the privileges of adulthood at age 18.  We could drink, we could smoke, we could vote and start families.  We could be called into the service to get our young butts shot up in some foreign land, but we had all the privileges of adulthood.

Somehow, in the intervening years, adulthood has become something that you work your way into.  It takes several years to gain all the privileges of full adulthood.  We never bothered with any of that because we were expected to grow up quickly and begin fulfilling our destiny.  We were expected to act like adults and assume the responsibilities of adulthood, and I believe that we did that just fine.  If someone had suggested, on the night that I graduated from high school, that I get on a bus and go on a safe, pampered, chaperoned trip, I would have laughed in his face.  I had a date with a cocktail waitress.  A little redheaded gal as I recall.

I really don't think any of those kids who got on that bus tonight are ready for adulthood.  They haven't earned it.

Sunday Morning Dawg

The Sunday Dog is a little late this morning.  It's been a busy week and I didn't get all done.  In another couple of hours I'll pull on my boots and go back to the school house for Baccalaureate.  We graduate the senior class tomorrow night and all the extra activities at the school will come to a screeching halt.

Still, I sent the dog out to look for the morning paper this morning.

No joy on the paper.

I'm sure it will be here before too long.  Y'all have a great Sunday.

Club Shooting Saturday

I went to my first club match with the Cenla Sport Shooters  We started the club match with about 20 shooters.  PawPaw was one of three newbies and we got a quick briefing on the operation and rules of the range. 

Evidently, there are some club gunners there.  Many of the pistols were highly modified 1911's although there were a smattering of other guns.  Safety, of course, was paramount and it was different being on this range today.  Unlike the vast majority of law enforcement ranges that I've been on.  For example, they ran a cold line, which is probably a good idea, but they really raised my eyebrows when the told me that my 1911 had to be carried in Condition 4, which I thought was odd.  You'd think that guys who run 1911s would know how to run them safely, but hey, it's their range, and their rules, so I carried my pistol in Condition 4. 

It was my first match, and I was focused on learning the protocol and trying to not get disqualified.  DQ is fairly easy to get, but many years of muzzle awareness kept me off the DQ list.  I was running the 1915 Colt and I had some trouble with it in some of the stages.  That's good to know, and evidently I've got a problem with my slide lock. 

I didn't bring enough magazines.  I actually ran out of ammo on one stage, before I was through engaging targets.  But, I had fun and I didn't embarass myself or get anyone hurt.  It was a good day on the range, I burned some powder, and I ran a gun that was older than everyone on the line. 

Friday TomFoolery

It's time for the Friday afternoon news dump, and via Instapundit, we learn that the media didn't want to cover the note in the boat. 

Do you how much media 
effort has been devoted to 
unearthing what Dzhokhar Tsarnaev apparently thought was his last will and testament? But somehow, the cops held it tight until yesterday. . . . No big surprises in the note in the boat. The Joker said his brother Speedbump was a “martyr in paradise,” and that the victims in Boston were “collateral damage” for Muslim civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. He praised Allah and said, “When you attack one Muslim, you attack all Muslims.” Tell that to the Syrians, EBT boy.
The big question is, Why the monthlong blackout on the note in the boat? Why didn’t the feds release it immediately?
And the answer is obvious. It didn’t fit the Politically Correct narrative, that the reasons for this shocking atrocity remained a mystery, a riddle, an enigma, wink wink nudge nudge.

Yeah.  Demonizing Tea Partiers is politically correct, but demonizing Islam is off limits.  I get it.

From the same Isty page we learn that the IRS didn't want to fess up to targeting conservatives before the election.   Oh, they knew about it, they just didn't want to stop it, or say anything about it until the Lightworker was safely elected.

“[I]f this fact came out in September 2012, in the middle of a presidential election? The terrain would have looked very different.”

Different indeed, Mitt Romney might be president.  We'll never know if the IRS threw the election, but it certainly looks like they were working toward that end.

I'm going to declare Happy Hour and in another hour or so, follow Milady to the auction.  Tomorrow, I'll be at the local club for a pistol match.  You can see the stages at the link here. I'll be running the 1915 Colt 1911 at this match.  I've never shot it other than function checks and it's time to see how it runs.

Can't tell Fact from Fiction

It seems that one dumbass Democratic congresscritter has introduced gun legislation based on something he saw in the movie "Skyfall".

A House Democrat inspired by the last James Bond movie has offered legislation to produce handguns with "personalization technology."
The idea is to produce guns that can only be used by the gun's owners. Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) cited the latest James Bond movie, "Skyfall," as inspiration for the bill.

I am becoming more and more convinced that Democrats live in a fantasy world, and the above quote is a perfect example of the fantasy world that Democrats live in.  It must be nice to be so out-of-touch with reality.  It's a shame that they're running the country.

Exactly!

David Axelrod made the point yesterday that President Obama couldn't have known what the IRS was doing to the Tea Party groups, simply because government is so darned big.  It's huge, got lots of moving parts, and there is no way that any man could effectively supervise all t hose employees.

A Politico piece yesterday made the same point. 

The narrative is ideological. For five years, this president has been making the case that a growing and activist government has good intentions and can carry these intentions out with competence. Conservatives have warned that government is dangerous, and even good intentions get bungled in the execution. In different ways, the IRS uproar, the Justice Department leak investigations, the Benghazi tragedy and the misleading attempts to explain it, and the growing problems with implementation of health care reform all bolster the conservative worldview.

 I don't doubt that rogue employees can cause a stink.  I don't doubt it a bit. Which makes the argument for smaller government all the mote compelling.  If it's too big to control, it's too big. 

I believe in small government, more particularly, in local government.  We know what we need in our cities, our counties, and our local school districts.  We know how best to achieve those things.  We certainly don't need a huge, bureaucratic federal government looking over our shoulders.  We're perfectly capable of managing on our  own.  Even with the snares and foibles of small government, we're better off when the feds let us govern our own affairs.

Small government is better.  Even David Axelrod is makeing the point that the federal government is too big for one man to control.  Exactly my point, David.  Thanks for making it so eloquently.

Buffalo Bore

Buffalo Bore is making ammo for the .32 SW Long, in two flavors, a 115 grain hardcast flat nose and a 100 grain hardcast wadcutter.  From their site:

 After countless customer requests for ammunition that will make this cartridge lethal to humans, Buffalo Bore is delivering. There are millions of small revolvers still in circulation chambered for this cartridge and if an ammo company was to make effective self-defense ammo, the little revolvers would have a meaningful purpose for personal defense against humans. Current (as of this writing in 03-2013) factory ammunition offerings include soft pure lead bullets of round nose configuration at very low velocity. Round nosed bullets do little terminal damage as they tend to slip and slide through mammalian tissues and the very low velocities don’t help much either.

 In order to make this cartridge meaningful for self defense, we designed hard cast (not soft) bullets that will not deform on impact and will maintain their flat nose profile as they penetrate through muscle and bone and because of their flat nose, they crush (not slip and slide) through mammalian tissues, doing considerable damage along their path. We alloy and lube these bullets properly so they will NOT substantially lead foul any normal barrel. Then we added velocity by using modern powders that will give extra velocity and remain within the SAAMI pressure limits of 15,000 PSI. The result is a fairly lethal cartridge that brings new usefulness to millions of these old pistols. Depending on how much clothing must be penetrated and how much bone is encountered, expect 20 to 30 inches of straight line penetration in mammalian tissue with this load. This bullet is 15grs. heavier than any other commercial load we could find, yet it is going substantially faster than any (about 100 fps faster) commercial load we could find.

I've ordered a couple of boxes for Milady's revolver.   Interesting.

Talking Heads

The Talking Heads are going to be busy this morning, what with Benghazi, the IRS scandal that broke over the weekend and the latest revelation from Kathleen Sebelius that she's extorting insurance companies to help pay for Obamacare.

I won't watch any of it.  We're about to head to church, then coming home for a good old-fashioned cookout.  Burgers and sausage on the pit under mild, sunny temps.  The grandkids can get in the pool if they're so inclined, and Milady can sit around and watch the frolic.  It's Mothers Day and I've got better things to do than to get engaged in the news cycle.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone. 

Sunday Morning Dawg

It's scratching time at PawPaw's House.  There's nothing like a good scratching on a dog's belly before bedtime.

A good scratching keeps a dog relaxed.

Those Fifteen Years

If you're following the Manchin-Toomey debate, which still rages, we learn that the anti-gunners are preaching what the call a "pro-gun" provision that prohibits a federal gun registry.  To quote from Ms. Carlson:

At any rate, my understanding wouldn’t affect my view of the Manchin-Toomey bill. Family members would still be able to sell to one another, over the Thanksgiving turkey or over the Internet, as they prefer. There would be no regulation of noncommercial sales. The bill would prohibit a national registry and impose a 15-year felony sentence for any public official who tries to start one.

Ms. Carlson's understanding is completely flawed, but this is being pushed as a "pro-gun" provision, and on cursory examination, we might agree that a 15 year sentence for a public official that tries to start a registry is pro-gun.  Unfortunately, Manchin-Toomey doesn't require that.  Careful reading is required, and Dave Kopel provides that careful reading for us.

The limit on creating a registry applies only to the Attorney General (and thus to entities under his direct control, such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives). By a straightforward application of inclusio unius exclusio alterius  it is permissible for entities other than the Attorney General to create gun registries, using whatever information they can acquire from their own operations.  For example, the Secretary of HHS may consolidate and centralize whatever firearms records are maintained by any medical or health insurance entity. The Secretary of the Army may consolidate and centralize records about personal guns owned by military personnel and their families.

Thus, we see that Manchin-Toomey as currently written allows other agencies of the Federal government to compose such a registry.  DHS, or HHS could start a registry without fear of prosecution.  And, if the law only prohibits Justice from starting a registry, do we think for a minute that Justice would prosecute itself?  Surely, you jest!

I would remind Ms. Carlson that a simple Google search would provide the answers to her fact-checking before she publishes an article.  But, she's a professional journalist writing for Mayor Bloomberg.  Facts are important to neither she, nor her boss.

I'm still waiting for that reasonable conversation.  I doubt that Maggie Carlson will turn up in comments, or in my email in-box.

Compromise

There's this writer, Margaret Carlson, who wrote an article for Bloomberg View.  It's a standard moonbat article entitled Now it's the NRA's turn to Understand Us.  Carlson is all butt-hurt that she thinks we don't understand her.  What Carlson doesn't understand is that compromise means a give-and-take and what we've been hearing from the gun banners is take, take, take.

So, in my continuing attempt to educate the less fortunate, I wrote Ms. Carlson a nice email, which I've included in its entirety.

Ms. Carlson.
I just read your article on Bloomberg View, Now It's the NRA's Turn to Understand Us.  It is a well written piece and contain much of the frustration that we've seen in the current debate.  However, some of your talking points are highly suspect.  For example you say:
Has the gulf between the NRA and the general public ever been wider? There was a day when the NRA supported background checks. Now it has essentially killed a modest effort to close a loophole that would keep criminals and the mentally ill from buying weapons at gun shows and on the Internet.

Many of us still support background checks, but we don't think that 90% figure is accurate.  There are other studies that show that 94% of Americans want the laws left alone.  The 90% figure is higly suspect and it's quoted regularly as a talking point.  When we gun owners see that 90% figure, we cringe, because we simply don't believe it is accurate.

They and their rural-hunting-sporting-suspicious culture must always be respected. Don’t they have a corresponding obligation to understand my side, much less the specifics of the Manchin-Toomey bill? 

Yeah, you know us rednecks, we're awfully suspicious of you guys.  Especially when we know that online sales of guns are already subject to bacikground check.  Did you know that?  Online sales are already regulated heavily.  Yet, you tolks keep talking about regulating online sales.  Perhaps you should become familiar with current law before you accuse us of being ignorant about Manchin-Toomey.

If you want a reasonable conversation, fine.  I'm always ready to be reasonable.  I'm also open to compromise, when we define compromise as each side giving up something.  My question becomes, what is your side willing to give up?  Something that you have already that you're willing to forgo, something that you have now that you're willing to put on the table?  What is that thing?

You see, that's the problem with compromise when we start talking about gun rights.  You're asking us to give up something, but you have nothing to offer in return.  That's not compromise.  That's tyranny.  

All this is academic, simply because we're mobilizing faster than you can imagine.  We're already inside your decision loop.  Gun rights are ascendant in the United States.  Even if you get Manchin-Toomey through the Senate, it'll never pass the House, it will never become law.  It's done, it's over, it's finished.  You're trying to resuscitate a dead horse.

However, just for the intellectual exercise, I'd really like to hear what you're willing to give up in a reasonable conversation.  I, for one, would like to see a repeal of the 1934 NFA.  Those guns are never used in crimes.  If you're willing to work towards repeal of that law, we might be willing to compromise on background checks.  Until then, you don't have anything to offer, so there can be no compromise.

In full disclosure, I"m a blogger with about 15,000 discrete page views every month, and I'll be highlighting your piece in tomorrow's blog posting.  Feel free to stop by and watch the hilarity.

I doubt I'll hear from Ms. Carlson, but the point is made.  There is no compromise with my rights, and there is no compromise on other matters until the other side is ready to give away something as dear to them as what they suggest taking from me.

The ball is in Ms. Carlson's court.  We'll see if she wants to have a reasonable conversation, or if she's simply blowing smoke up our asses.  She's got both my email address and this blog's URL.  We'll see, but I'm not holding my breath.

Thursday Mail Order

During some slack time today, I was surfing around and came to the site of El Paso Saddlery.  Their home page tells us that they've been making holsters since 1889, and if that's the case, they have bound to made a holster for a Colt Pocket Positive.  I've been looking for a holster for Milady's gun and while it's easy to find holsters for Glock 19s and Smith and Wesson 19s, finding a holster for a pistol that hasn't been made since 1940.  I figured that if anyone had a holster for that revolver, then El Paso Saddlery might have one.

So, I gave them a call and a fellow answered and I asked if he could make me a holster for a Pocket Positive.  I could hear the gears clicking in his head, and he told me to hang on.  So, I sat on hold while he asked one of the old-timers.  He came back on the phone in just a minute.  "Yes sir, we can build you a holster for that revolver.  Which holster do you want?"

I told him that I wanted the Model #77, Tortilla holster and he told me that it would be no problem.  This holster is a classic pancake holster and I've always liked pancake holster.  If Milady decides to visit the lease, or if we're tromping the woods during snake season, she can carry her pistol and I won't have to worry that it might be insecure.  Pancake holsters are very secure, especially those with thumb snaps.

Their FAQ page tells me that the holster should ship in 4-8 weeks.  They're a custom shop and we have to expect to wait for good custom work.  That's no problem.    I can strike "Find Holster" off my list, and I'm sure that Milady will be very happy with it.  When it comes in, we'll review it.

Wednesday Song

It's been a great day and I'm sitting back with a drink, listening to old songs.  This is one of my favorites from the late '70s.  Great lyrics and a killer saxophone.  I never knew that he did a video.

Gerry Rafferty, Baker Street.



That's good stuff.

Gun Violence Drops

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, it's been dropping for twenty years.

 WASHINGTON–Firearm-related homicides declined 39 percent and nonfatal firearm crimes declined 69 percent from 1993 to 2011, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. Firearm-related homicides dropped from 18,253 homicides in 1993 to 11,101 in 2011, and nonfatal firearm crimes dropped from 1.5 million victimizations in 1993 to 467,300 in 2011.

Well, that's good.  Fatal homicides declined 39 percent, and non-fatal incidents decreased 69 percent in those 20 years.  With more guns in circulation than ever.  Imagine that.  However, the bigger statistic is where the illegal guns came from.  Not the gun show loophole, or flea markets, or even yet the internet (which is another huge lie told to us by the banners).

 In 2004 (the most recent year of data available), among state prison inmates who possessed a gun at the time of the offense, fewer than two percent bought their firearm at a flea market or gun show. About 10 percent of state prison inmates said they purchased it from a retail store or pawnshop, 37 percent obtained it from family or friends, and another 40 percent obtained it from an illegal source.

Two percent of state prison inmates got their guns from gun shows.  37% from family and friends, and 40% illegally.  That sorta puts the lie to the gun show loophole, doesn't it?

Then, Pew gives us another study, directly on point.

 Compared with 1993, the peak of U.S. gun homicides, the firearm homicide rate was 49% lower in 2010, and there were fewer deaths, even though the nation’s population grew. The victimization rate for other violent crimes with a firearm—assaults, robberies and sex crimes—was 75% lower in 2011 than in 1993. Violent non-fatal crime victimization overall (with or without a firearm) also is down markedly (72%) over two decades.

We've got more people, we've got more guns in circulation and the murder rate is dropping.  Precipitously dropping.   It makes you wonder why Congress wants to do something about gun violence, doesn't it?

It's not about guns, people, it's about control.   Hat tip to Hot Air.

The Benghazi Lie

The Benghazi lie.  That four Americans were murdered over a video.  That lie has been hopelessly discredited, revealed as a craven political act, and is being investigated by Congress.  It's also finally being covered by the mainstream media, after months of ignoring it, hoping it would go away.  Today, Instapundit takes us to the funerals of those brave Americans and reminds us that no less than Hillary Clinton pushed the video lie while standing over the coffins.

Clinton comments occur from 16:25-17:45
“This has been a difficult week for the State Department and for our country. We’ve seen the heavy assault on our post in Benghazi that took the lives of those brave men. We’ve seen rage and violence directed at American embassies over an awful internet video that we had nothing do to with. It’s hard for the American people to make sense of that, because it is senseless, and it is totally unacceptable. The people of Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Tunisia, did not trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob. Reasonable people and responsible leaders in these countries in these countries need to do everything they can to restore security and hold accountable those behind these violent acts. And we will, under the president’s leadership, keep taking steps to protect our personnel around the world.”

Clinton knew, she had to know, that the video story was a lie.  Yet she made that statement anyway, knowing that she was lying to the American people.  That is probably the most craven act of political misdirection since the Tonkin Gulf incident.

Instapundit has the video at the link.  Go see for yourself.  Clinton deserves to go to jail for this lie.

That 90% Lie

We've been hearing for months that 90% of Americans support expanded background checks.  Supposedly from a Gallup poll.

PBS put up a poll, online.  over 44,000 Americans have responded to it, and 94% say to leave Federal gun laws as they are.  Isn't that interesting?  I realize that online polls don't have the methodology that Gallup uses, but I'll bet that the PBS poll is as representative as the Gallup poll.

How to reconcile the difference?  Don't do anything until you have a clear consensus.

Safariland 6377

The holster came in today, and I've been wearing it for a couple of hours.  It's on my belt right now as I make this post.

Several years ago, the idea of weapons retention came into play as correctional officers at the larger prisons were watching inmates practicing weapons grabs on the exercise yard.  That made us ponder our weapons retention, and the various manufacturers came out with holsters designed to help keep the weapon in the holster, but release it easily when the officer needed it.  Some manufacturers came out with levels of retention, (Level 1, Level II, Level III and Level IV) and those were routinely adopted, although not always strictly defined.

Most recently, weapons retention came into focus as the Vermin from Boston killed an on-duty MIT police officer in an attempt to get his pistol.  Officer Sean Collier was killed in his cruiser when the vermin walked up to him and shot him in the head.  They didn't get his pistol, though, because they couldn't work the retention device to release the pistol.  They gave up rather than stand over a dead police officer, and Officer Collier's pistol was in his holster when the brethren found him.

If I had to bet, I'd bet that Officer Collier was using a holster like the Safariland 6360 ALS Level III holster.  That holster is fairly common in police work, and it's the very holster that I carry on my duty belt.  The holster takes three distinct motions to remove the weapon, but with just a little practice, it is very fast.  I like my 6360 a lot, but it's a duty-belt holster, not conducive to plain-clothes work, and not very concealable.  So, I started casting about for a good retention holster that I can wear in plain clothes.

I bought a Serpa, and while  lots of folks think that it's a great holster, I'm not convinced.  The single thing that I don't like about the Serpa holster is that it uses the trigger finger to release the pistol.  There's a viral video going around showing a guy shooting himself while using a Serpa holster.  I've never shot myself using a Serpa holster, but I can see how that might happen, so I kept looking.  I'm not one of those guys who is "down" on Serpa holsters, I'm simply not convinced it's the best system.

Gun guys are always looking for a better holster, and if you play this game very long, you'll find yourself with a box, or drawer full of holsters.  They seemed like a good idea at the time, but after a while they get dropped in the drawer for one reason or another.

I was surfing around the Safariland website, and stumbled upon their Model 6377 belt holster.  It's the concealment version of the holster I carry on duty, less the SLS system.  It does have the automatic locking system (the little thumb giz that's hidden between the holster and the roll of fat I carry on my side). It's a Level II, which is perfectly acceptable for plainclothes work.  I bought the first one for my 1911, but you can bet there will be more of them on the UPS truck.  The draw is effortless, once you figure out where the release is located, it takes the same muscle memory as my duty rig, and it's Safariland quality.

If you're going to carry a weapon for a living, or for pleasure, make sure you buy a good holster.  It might make the difference between having your weapon, or not having it.  PawPaw likes Safariland products and recommends them to everyone.  Buy a good holster and you won't regret it.

Retention Holsters

Michael Bane makes the point that the reason the Vermin from Boston didn't get a second pistol during their terrorist escapade is that they didn't know how to operate a retention holster.

Instead, they went to the one firearms superstore where they were sure guns would be in stock...they walked up to the police car of MIT Officer Sean Collier, killed him in very cold blood and tried to grab his gun. The reason those lovable Holden Caulfield-esque urchins failed on that task was that apparently the Islamic Terrorism 101 class on the Internet doesn't include retention holsters, disabling of. Don't worry...I'm sure the curriculum will be updated any moment now!

Sean Collier was ambushed and killed in his police cruiser because the killer vermin needed another pistol, so it's easy to ambush a police officer and take his pistol.  Except they couldn't figure out how to get it out of the retention holster.  Officer Collier gave the last full measure of devotion without even knowing that he was keeping his gun out of the hands of vermin, simply because he used a good holster.

Which is exactly why I ordered a new retention holster last week.  It should be in early this week and after I wear it a week or so, I'll review it.  Gun retention is very important and a good retention holster helps keep the gun on your side.  Even if you are dead.

New Gazebo

Milady and I like having a shady area on the deck, especially in our hot Louisiana summers, a spot where the breezes blow and the sun can't find its way to the chair.  We've been through several gazebos and the learning curve has taught me that hurricanes are hell on them and freak snowstorms (any snow in Louisiana is freakish) are tough on them.  We plan to remove the cover before winter, but winter seems to catch us unawares.  The last gazebo we had lasted several  years, but the cover finally succumbed to UV rays and a heavy accumulation of snow.

I was just about to pull the pin and order a new cover when Milady found this one on sale at Big Lots.  It's bigger than the last gazebo and this whole  thing cost less on sale than a replacement cover for the old one, so we bought the new gazebo and I assembled it this afternoon with help from the boys.

I plan, one day, to have a nice wooden gazebo with a steel roof installed, but in the meantime, this should meet our needs for entertaining and having grandkids in the swimming pool.

Thank You

I'd like to thank The People of Rapides Parish for the vote of confidence they gave the deputies of the Sheriff's Office yesterday.  I don't often talk about local politics on this blog, because I work for the Sheriff and the proper place for those discussions should emanate from the Sheriff's Office.

However, this tax renewal was bigger than the politics.  It was about funding the Sheriff's Office and the nameless, faceless deputies who toil every day in the public service.  We work 24/7 to serve the people of the parish, and we never close.  There is always someone around to answer the phone, to count offenders in the jail, to answer calls for service.  Each of us toils daily on our shift to do what The People need us to do.  The vast majority of us are faceless, out of the public view, trying every day to make sure that our streets and properties are safe and that The People can live their lives unmolested.  We have families and lives ourselves and are simply trying to make it on a paycheck that is often stretched pretty tight.

So, when The People go to the polls and confidently pull the lever to help us do our jobs, we'd be remiss if we failed to say thanks.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sunday Morning Dawg

Sometimes the dog looks quizzically at me, like he's wondering what I'm doing.  You'd think that as long as I've been publishing the Sunday Dawg, he'd have figured out by now that his fan club awaits every Sunday morning.

And yet, most of the time he looks at me like I've lost my damned mind.

Orb

It's a horse called Orb, in the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The revelers were sloppy, the grounds were sloppy and the racetrack was sloppy. Yet, Orb, ridden by the red-hot Joel Rosario, found a way to win despite his lack of experience on a wet track, trudging to victory in the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Orb held off Golden Soul to win the mile and a quarter race. He paid $12.80 on a $2 bet to win. It was the first Derby victory for the Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey and the esteemed Phipps family. Revolutionary finished third.

I understand that Orb went off at 7-2 and that the track was sloppy.  It'll be interesting to see how he runs at Pimlico and at Belmont.  I'll remind the readers that we haven't had a Triple Crown winner since 1978, when Affirmed held off Alydar.

Thursday Thud

If you're looking for big news today, I don't have any.  It's Thursday, and the best political news comes out on the Friday afternoon news dump.

PawPaw's got no insight on anything that's happening today.  The school-house is winding down for the year, which means that every thing they haven't done yet, they're trying to get done in the next two weeks.  I haven't pulled my boots off yet, because in just a few minutes, I've got to strap on my duty belt and go back to the school-house for a talent show.  Oh joy, oh frolic.  I am smitten with the idea.

However, I have been home long enough to re-fill the hummingbird feeders.  Those little hummers are hungry this week, and PawPaw likes watching them buzz around.

Y'all have fun, and play nice.  I'm headed back to the school house.

Colt Revolver

I've been looking at an old Colt revolver in the showcase at the pawn shop, and today I managed to make a deal on it.

It's a Colt, I know that for sure, and it's been chromed.  The fellow that polished it before he chromed it didn't do me any favors.  He polished the rampant Colt off the left sideplate and he polished the caliber marking off the barrel.  I'm sure that it's a six-shot, .32 caliber revolver. It's got a 3.5" barrel, and when I did the Jim March checkout on it, it seems to be tight and in good working order.

From the serial number, it's either a Pocket Positive from 1922 or a Police Positive from 1915.  I admit that I'm fairly ignorant of Colt revolvers, especially from that era, but I'm willing to learn

Of course, you can clicken to embiggen, and if anyone can better help me identify this revolver, that would be a big help.

Still, it's a sweet little revolver, and one that I've been looking for, for quite a while.  Milady has always said that the first pistol she ever shot was a .32, and the pistol that her Dad had was a .32 and if I ever stumbled across one, that's what she wanted.  The single-action isn't as good as my Smiths, but the double-action pull is as sweet as anything I've felt in a while.

I'll tell you this about the price.  I got it for a lot less than similar models are getting at the online houses.  And, I dealt with a local dealer and kept the money in the local economy.