Now, Irma

Just about the time that Harvey wanders off toward Tennessee, we look at the National Hurricane Center and see Irma forming in the Atlantic.

Oh, joy.

It's too early to tell where it's going, but this hurricane season ain't over by a long shot.

Harvey's Demise

We listened to rain all night, as Harvey moved out of Texas to the northeast, which means us. Schools are closed today, more out of a concern for flooding and what Accuweather is calling a "tropical downpour:  The school system doesn't want to move kids in this mess.  Winds are out of the southwest at about 20 mpsh.  It isn't bad at all.

Our CFDA family in southeast Texas took a huge hit.  In one way or another, the storm affected each and every one of them. Some lost property, some lost income and jobs due to businesses flooded.    There is no telling what the long-range impacts of Harvey might be, but it will take weeks, if not months to get a final tally.

Don't worry about PawPaw, we're high and dry.  Here is what Harvey looks like this morning, as shot from my garage.



Things should get back to normal around here tomorrow.  Harvey is moving off to the northeast and by tomorrow should be nothing more than a squall line and a memory.

Oh, Really?? (You Worthless Sonsabitches)

Right on cue, the media frenzy is clawing its way to madness..  According to Politico magazine, Hurricane Harvey is something special, (drum roll please), due entirely to global warming.  I shit you not.

In all of U.S. history, there’s never been a storm like Hurricane Harvey. That fact is increasingly clear, even though the rains are still falling and the water levels in Houston are still rising.

Really?  You dumb sonsabitches?  That's the nature of the beast, and I talked about it earlier today.  The water is probably going to rise for at least a couple of days. Everyone knows that but the author.  Then it really gets weird.

But there’s an uncomfortable point that, so far, everyone is skating around: We knew this would happen, decades ago. We knew this would happen, and we didn’t care. Now is the time to say it as loudly as possible: Harvey is what climate change looks like. More specifically, Harvey is what climate change looks like in a world that has decided, over and over, that it doesn’t want to take climate change seriously.

 Here, the author is showing both his ignorance and stupidity.  He might recall studying the great hurricane that sunk the Spanish Treasure Fleet in 1715.  Or more recently, the hurricane of 1900 that wiped Galveston island off the map.  They didn't name hurricanes back then, but Google is your friend.  More currently, the ones that I can remember were named (in no particular order) Audrey, Camille, Andrew, Ike, Katrina, Rita, and Gustav.  I remember each and every one of those, because they affected me personally.  Again, Google is your friend.

But, the author, being young and stupid, probably doesn't understand that hurricanes are a fact of life in Louisiana and south Texas.   I can't believe that the editors at Politico would make this idiocy such an easy target, but they did all it to publish.   They should still be slapping him around the copy room, picking apart this idiocy line-by-line.  I won't do that because I've already established the full dumb-ass-idness of his hypothesis.

Harvey was bad, no doubt, for the people caught in its path. I have people who were in the path, and my heart aches for them, but Harvey is no more proof of climate change than any other data point.  Harvey was bad, but it came ashore as a weak Cat 1, got stuck between two high pressure systems and dumped unbelievable amounts of rain.

Politico simply wants to make points with a bullshit theory.  The evidence does not support the hypothesis.  Politico is populated with dumpb sonsofbitches, and that's all you need to know about that.

The Left Unwinds

I'm seeing a bunch of this around the itertubes.    The left is showing that they are ust a bit unhinged.  For example:

I don't know how to tell them this, but the area that we're reading aout (Houston, or Harris County), went blue in both the 2012 and 2016 elections.   The mayor of Houston is a Democrat.  The US Representative is a Democrat.  Houston is one of the reliably blue areas of Texas.

The left is wishing death and destruction on their own people.  In the midst of an  epic disaster, there are no Republicans or Democrats.  There are just people helping people.

Harvey - The Best is Yet to Come

As bad as it's been around Houston (and it's a whole hell of a lot more than Houston.  Multiple counties affected, many of them rural.), there is a whole new challenge awaiting folks who live near the coast of Texas and Louisiana.  Harvey is fixing to move north.

Somewhere in that area, a little stream is flowing.  It's been getting a little rain, but it's okay.  Later today, it is going to get a deluge and try to absorb all the water that is falling from the sky, but suddenly it will have nowhere to go, and will start swelling, covering its banks, and become a flood.  All that water is still backed up on the coast, and the little stream is flooded, and it will start covering flat areas, like someone's pasture.

That pasture harbors life.  Fire ants, nasty little critters who inhabit the far southern US.  Those ants want to survive, so they will form floating balls, the ones underneath will drown, but the nest will survive and they'll float along the surface until they reach land, where they will colonize a new area.

Floating balls of fire ants.  Charming, just charming.  Other critters who inhabit the rivers, lakes, sloughs and streams are also on the move.  Their habitat has expanded with the flood water, and they're out looking for food or new homes.

Suburban gators.  What a lovely way to start the day.

All of east Texas is going to get a lot of rain today.  Along with all of Louisiana.  But the downstream water courses are all full, at max capacity, and all that water is going to stack up, with nowhere to go.  Here's a pic from rural Texas, about an hour north of Beaumont.

Normally, down that lane, about 200 yards, there is a pretty little creek.  Picturesque, it's a lovely place.  But, with all the water that has hit the ground, it's got nowhere to go.  And, today it will get a lot more rain.   Downstream, the folks that are already flooded will eventually see this water come across their areas too.  The flooding in south Texas and south Louisiana may last for weeks.

When I lived in rural Natchitoches parish, I was flooded out of my house twice.  It never flooded during the weather event, it flooded two days later under sunny skies, when ll the creeks, bayous, lakes and sloughs backed-up.

This ain't over by a long shot, and it might linger for weeks before the water starts to recede.

Harvey - Again

That slow moving migrant bastard Harvey is still meandering aimlessly.  He's driving the NOAA crazy.  Here's the latest cone.  It looks like he might quit destroying Texas and finally get a move on.

That looks like what a storm cone is supposed to look like.  It appears that he is finally going to get a move on.  The only trouble is that he's supposed to come right across us at 1:00 a .m. Thursday.

I really don't look for much.  According to reports I'm seeing right now, we're talking about wind gusts up to 25 mph and lots of rain.  At least my buddies in Texas will start to dry out a little bit.

When I left work today, the School Board was still trying to decide if we need to open school tomorrow.  I'll check their website later.

UPDATE** School is in tomorrow.  PawPaw will check again about 5:00 a.m. to see if I actually have t put my boots on.

DOUBLE UPDATE** They closed schools.  The wind is picking up and the rain is blowing sieways.  Tomorrow, I'll be watching grandkids and that's okay, I didn't have anything planned anyway.

C'mon, Texas

I've been hearing reports that looters and other n'eeer-do-wells are causing havoc in Houston.  PJMedia reports.

The highly acclaimed Louisiana Cajun Navy was forced to “stand down” in Houston Monday after looters tried to steal their boats and took potshots at them.

The Cajun Navy is a group of volunteers who go into flooded disaster areas and try to help.  Most of these guys grew up operating small boats in congested waters, so navigating flood zones is second nature to them.  During last year's flooding in and around the Baton Rouge area, they saved hundreds of people and collected tons of relief supplies.  They are people helping people, with no expectation of  reward.  Helping people is ll the reward they want.

“Looters decided to pose as people needing rescue and they attempted to overtake the boats and there were shots fired at the boats,” the post said. “I repeat they are all safe. Looters must have not wanted our boats in the water for rescues.”

In fairness, natural disasters bring out the best and the worst in people.  As law enforcement and first responders become overwhelmed, the looters come out, taking what they can steal.    The Texans I know, from Beaumont to Amarillo, are fine, salt of the earth people.  Generous to a fault, ready to help anyone who needs help.  Those are the people that I call Texas.

Parts of Houston ain't like that.  Some of those looters may have been Katrina trash that floated in after the deluge in New Orleans.  My heart goes out to the good people of Texas who are suffering an unprecedented disaster.  Houston my be the most diverse city in the US.  While the fine people of Texas are working through this catastrophe, some folks are trying to capitalize.  I'm sure that Texas will sort it out when the water recedes.

Houston, you have a problem.

Well, Rules are Rules

From my buddy Mike.  (I know lots of Mikes.)

Heh!

Drenched

The slow-moving disaster that is now tropical storm Harvey seems to have moved east overnight and is now camped on our doorstep.   The weather radar screen shot from earlier this morning.

Not much wind, just copious amounts of ran.  Most of the conversation centers on what is to come,   The general consensus  is that we're in for really crappy weather over the next several days

But, in the meantime, the government offices are operating, the schools are open and life goes on.  At this stage of the game, it's just rain, and we know how to deal with rain.

Houston, You Have A Problem.

Cultural reference there, but it's true.  Houston has a huge problem.  This image from earlier today.

No American city can absorb over 12" of rain in one 24 hour period.  I have friends in the Houston area, in Richmond, in Vidor, in Lumberton, and I'm worried about each and ever one of them.

This slow-moving bastard, Harvey is continuing to dump prodigious amounts of rain on the Houston area, and it's moving toward Louisiana on the I-10 corridor.  I hear from Facebook friends that the streets in Sulphur, LA are beginning to flood.  Harvey ain't voer by a long shot, and we've got to put up with his crap for three or four more days.

Which reminds me, I need to go put a raincoat in the car.

Saturday Shooting

The Peacemakers shot yesterday at the outdoor range at the church.  How many churches do you know that have a shooting range, right net to the rodeo arena?  Yeah, we're a cowboy church.  The rain held off, and while we prayed for our brethren in Texas who  are catching Harvey, we also took advantage of gentle breezes and cloudy skies to get a little shooting in.

That's Cookie in the foreground, and Squirrel Girl in the background, going head-to-head shooting 5-Card.  It's a fun match that simulates shooting from a card table.

Here, PawPaw in the blue shirt, vs Big Bill in the red shirt.  We're shooting doubles and it's a strategy game.  PawPaw is using two guns, one strapped on each hit.  Big Bill is using one gun, opting to  "take his time, in a hurry" to engage two targets.

And finally, a little informal practice.  That's Blue Eyed Belle on the right, then Fast Fred and Big Bill.  Just foolin' about with six-guns.

Yesterday was a great day, and we're hunkered down now for slow-moving Harvey.  It truly apears that he will devolve into a rainfall event, and not affect central Louisiana much at all.

Gluing Cards Together

In Cowboy Fast Draw, we play a game called 5-Card Draw.  Based on the cowboy legend of playing cards in a bawdy house, it's a fun game that's played like this:

Sitting at a table, holding a hand of cards.
Your revolver on the table in front of the cards.
On the command, drop the cards and engage two targets 15 feet away.
Your time is the time you hit the second target
If you miss a target, you get a 1.5 second penalty added to your time.
Whoever has the lowest score wins.

It's a lot of fun, and there are variations to the game.  Still, it's a fun match.  Tomorrow, weather permitting, I"ll introduce the Peacekeepers to the game.

There is video of us shooting it at Thorn Valley last year.   Jump ahead to about the 5:00 minute mark to get the part of the video where we're shooting 5-card.



To that end, I've just glued some cards together.  We've found that it helps to have the cards glued, because when the gunfighters go for their revolvers, the cards are likely to get scattered.

One of them is a pretty good hand.  The other, I don't know if I'd play.  If I had aces and eights, I'd probably just fold.

Hurricane Harvey

Sometime today while I wasn't looking, they upgraded Harvey to a hurricane.

They're still not sure where it's going, and some models put it going ashore in Texas then turning and re-entering the Gulf.  Wouldn't that be a kick in the ass?

But, they're pretty sure about the rainfall amounts, which look to be torrential.

That shows my acre getting somewhere between six and ten inches of rain.  My gunfighter buddies in the Houston area are hunkering down, prepping, and getting ready.

As mariners might say, we're going to keep a weather eye on this thing.

Edit to add:  They don't have a clue where this thing is going.

Geez!  Stay tuned for updates.

Here Comes Harvey!

The big news, weather-wise, is tropical storm Harvey.  It's supposed to come in tomorrow and dump copious amounts of rain on south Texas, but I've watched these things before and they tend to head northeast once they make landfall.  That puts us square in the path, here in central Louisiana.

The National Hurricane Center is predicting that we'll get six inches or so of rainfall, with the associated wind.  The forecast should firm up today and tomorrow, but it looks like we are in for a weather event.

This weekend might be a good time to hunker down.

Reminds Me Of A Gal.

Megan Fox, over at PJMedia, gives singles some good advice.

Forget About Divorce. Don't Marry a Hillary Supporter in the First Place

That's good advice, but it reminds me of a gal I dated in 2000.  We'll call her Margaret.  She was a high-class dame, lived in an upscale condo, but had no money of her own.  I met her at church.  After we had dated a few times, I came to know that she was a dyed-in-the-wool liberal.  She supported Al Gore over  George Bush

She was a pretty little gal, but after the election, I knew it would never work between us.  She was an urban liberal and  I am a redneck conservative, and as much fun as it was to peek through the looking glass, I knew that I had no business in her world.

I bailed.

The next month, at a Super Bowl party, I met the gal of my dreams.  You know her now as Milady, or Belle.  She is the love of my life, and I can't imagine living without her.

Everything works out for the best.  Just don't marry a liberal.

Who's a Nazi?

Who is a Nazi?  Republicans, evidently.  One former Democrat Senator actually came out and said it.

...former Democratic senator for Wisconsin Russ Feingold clarified what all this controversy about white supremacists and Confederate statues is really all about: Republicans are Nazis.

 That's odd, because I seem to recall from my history class, and from my experiences in the '60s that all Confederates were Democrats, the Jim Crow laws were written by Democrats, fire hoses were turned on civil-rights marchers by Democrats, and even today, the places where minorities suffer the most are run by Democrats.

I'm not into name-calling, but people in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks.  Someone might come along to correct the record.  Rather than go down a laundry list, we'll click over to Bill Whittle who did a masterful job a while back on the very question.



And, for those folks who think it is cool to punch other folks, be c very careful.

The Professor Nails It

Glenn Reynolds says it much better than I.

 As I keep saying, if the press and the political opposition — but I repeat myself — were just sober, straightforward, and honest they could beat Trump easily. But then, if they were capable of that, we wouldn’t have gotten Trump to begin with.

The press worked so hard to promote Trump during the primaries, so that Hillary wouldn't have to face a principled Republican candidate, and there were several good ones in the field.

Then, they worked hard to get Hillary her coronation (because she deserved it) and the nation under the rules in place at the time, decided that Trump was the lesser evil than Hillary.

Somewhere, the adults have to be in charge and the Democrats aren't showing me any adults, anywhere.  You want more Trump?  This is how you get more Trump.

Bored By Fake Drama

Kurt  Schlichter says he's bored by fake drama, and I guess I am too.  That sums up my feelings about the national news, lately.  Like many Americans, I'm more concerned about the day-to-day that affects me and mine.  

Statues:  I personally couldn't tell you what statues are within five miles of me.  Just couldn't tell you.  As far as yanking them down, I recommend that due diligence should require establishing ownership.  If it ain't yours, leave it alone.  If it is yours, do what you like with it.   Just establish ownership before you get yourself in trouble.  Americans have been pulling down statues for years.  Ask Saddam Hussein.  We pulled his statues down.  Or Adolph Hitler.  You probably won't find any statues of him standing.  We pulled them down.

Speaking of Nazis.  Yeah, they're bad.  Everyone seems to act like this is new news.  I thought we reached that consensus back in the early 1940s.  The thing is, though, that you can't say right-wing Nazi and be anywhere close to correct.  Nazis were socialists, which is left-wing.  Right-wing people are normally peace-loving folks who cling to their Bibles and guns.  I'm just saying.

Kim Jong-Un?  Spiled fat boy, crazier than an outhouse rat.  Meaner than a copper headed rattle moccasin.  His generals haven't figured out what to do about him, and those that are left (he's killed several) are too scared to do the right thing.

Speaking of generals, our Joint Chiefs won't lete Trump do anything stupid that hurts the country.  And, our Congress won't let Trump do anything smart that helps the country.  And, Congress can't do anything.  They've demonstrated that over the past year.  We need a whole new legislative branch.

In the long run, I suspect we'll be okay unless the sun goes out, which will happen over a large swath o f the country today.  Don't look at it.  Don't be scared, it will be okay.

But, for me, I'm going to focus on taking care of my family, doing my job right and helping as many people as I can.  Tonight I'll go to church and pray for our country in general.    I have two major projects in the planning stages and I'm simply bored with the constant news cycle.

DIY Sunday

Today was a day for those little DIY projects that crop up from time to time.

First, Belle needs a tiny little screwdriver to get into a tight spot on her sewing machine.  Elder son was consulted when he came over for lunch, and he came up with this elegant solution.

An apex tip out of  a screwdriver, a bottle cap off a soft drink, and some epoxy.

If that screwdriver isn't small enough to get into that tight space, none of them will be.  It's 24 hour epoxy, so it will be ready tomorrow, after curing.  It's small enough that Belle can drop in in her sowing kit, and it should serve her form many years.  homemade tools are always the bet, and we'll call this the micro-stubby.  Total cost, almost -0-.  The apex bit might  have cost me a quarter.

Next, we  considered the problem of wires hanging off a standard CFDA target.   If a wire is hanging down off the target, some jazzzbo is going to shoot it, sure as God made little green apples.   Many folks, and I have as well, simply use a piece of tape, and tape the wires behind the stand, but that's not real elegant.  So, we started brain-storming and came up with the idea of using PVC pipe.  Two zip ties, and the pipe is affixed to the stand and will easily accompdate CAT5 cable that runs the electronics.

 side view.  PVC pipe zip-tied to the stand.

Here's a view from the shooter's perspective.

I think that is going to work just fine to protect my cables from wax bullets.  It's lightweight, inexpensive, and easily fixed in the middle of a match, if need me.  It's a great DIY hack.  For the record, that's 36" of one-inch schedule 40, and two Harbor Freight zip-ties.  It doesn't get any cheaper than that.

Next, I needed a rope with an eyelet in it.  I learned to splice rope at my father's knee.  I haven't spliced a rope in almost three decades, but in just a few minutes, with a false-start or two, it all came flowing back to me.  Even with my tired old eyes, I managed to get a fairly nice eye splice.

Not too shabby for an old blind man.  I'm sure that a modern day rigger could find fault with it, but it won't be carrying a load, and I'm sure that it will suffice.  Some things we never forget.

Finally, the most pleasing DIY project today is that I was hungry for pork chops, and Belle induled me with her pork chops and rice.  With purple hull peas and cornbread.

Pretty good groceries, right there, and one of the big reasons why we do DIY projects for our ladies.  Because they know how to make pork chops.

It's been a very productive Sunday.

Saturday Morning

It's Saturday morning, and the news is utterly depressing.  The President fired someone and that person thinks that his being fired is double-plus-un-good.  Inagine that.  Most people who get fired think it is a bad thing.  I've been fired.  It sucked.

On a more local front, PawPaw got up this morning and fired off a couple of small engines.  The grass is cut.  Every bit of clothing I am wearing is soaking wet, but I know where the shower and clean blue jeans are.  This is a short-term problem.

Belle and I are going to the range in a couple of hours.  That is also good.

Talking at work yesterday, some of us were discussing the upcoming eclipse.  Here in central Louisiana we are going to have about 75% coverage.

One of the support staff (who happens to be blonde and female) commented.  "Well, that's all well and good, but I don't know if I can stay up long enough to see it."

But, today is progressing nicely.  It's time to jump in the shower, load the  guns i the van and get started with the fun part of the weekend.

Look what the association sent me this week.

This week was a very good week.

Fantastic Friday

Easy day at work.  Got home, checked me mail, and found an envelope I've been waiting for.

Very good news.  Very good indeed.  More on that later as the plans firm up.  But, the plans will firm up very nicely now.

Went to AWs and got a couple of fish plates.  Came home and celebrated with Belle

Drinking whiskey now and listening to some of my favorite music.



I watched Lonestar play this one at concert in Houston in 1999.  They were opening for Kenny Rogers at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.    They put on a good show, but we were there to listen to Kenny Rogers.


Today has been a very good day.  I'm going to have one more drink and toddle off to bed.

The Cost of Freedom

I've heard it said before that the antidote to hate speech is more speech.  It seems that the ACLU is wrestling with the problem.  Should they support the rights of groups whose principals are antithetical to them?

It was 1934 and fascism was on the march not only in Europe but in America. People who admired Adolf Hitler, who had taken power in Germany, formed Nazi organizations in the United States.

The American Civil Liberties Union, represented by lawyers who were Jewish, faced an existential question: Should the freedoms it stood for since its founding in 1920 apply even to racist groups that would like nothing more than to strip them away?

Back then, the ACLU decided that the defense of free speech was mote important than the political values of the speakers.  They are wrestling with the same choices today.

The national organization said Thursday that it would not represent white supremacist groups that want to demonstrate with guns. That stance is a new interpretation of the ACLU’s official position that reasonable gun regulation does not violate the 2nd Amendment.

 We note that the white supremacist group that was attacked my Antifa in Charlottesville last weekend had guns.  We also note that no one was shot.  And this sums up my problem with the ACLU. They don't like the Second Amendment.

In the 1930s the ACLU made the proper decision that the rights of Americans extend to everyone, and that they would work to protect the rights of all Americans, regardless of their political leanings.

Yesterday, they decided that the rights of some groups are worth protecting.  If you are not one of the favored groups, your rights are not worth protecting.

Many Americans are starting to realize that the (alt-right, Neo-Nazi, white supremacist...pick your descriptor) group in Charlottesville did it right They got a permit and came to the park to engage in free speech.  They were attacked enroute by left-wing Antifa who wanted to shut them down.  When attacked, the right-wing group (some of who were armed) displayed remarkable discipline.  No one was shot.  Antifa came looking for a fight.

The ACLU has made the wrong choice here.  The First Amendment rights of all Americans must be protected, as well as the 2nd Amendment rights of all Americans.  The antidote to bad free speech is good free speech.

I am the NRA and I am freedom's safest place.

The .45 Smith and Wesson

One of the archaic cartridges from the late 19th century is the .45 Smith and Wesson.  Also called the Schofield, it was designed to fit the Smith and Wesson #3 American revolver.    Oh, heck, I'll let Wikipedia tell you about it.

The .45 Schofield or .45 Smith & Wesson is a revolver cartridge developed by Smith & Wesson for their S&W Model 3 American top-break revolver. It is similar to the .45 Colt round though shorter and with a slightly larger rim, and will generally work in revolvers chambered for that cartridge. US government arsenals supplied .45 Schofield cartridges for the Schofield revolver and the Colt Army revolver to simplify their armament needs.[1] 45 Colt cartridges cannot be used in .45 Schofield firearms, since the .45 Colt is a longer cartridge.

It's interesting that back in those days, different manufacturers made small changes in cartridge dimensions to satisfy legal concerns.  This time was before SAAMI, and cartridges were proprietary. Still, a look at the drawings shows us the almost minuscule  differences between the two.

First the Colt.

Now, the Smith and Wesson

The Smith and Wesson is a fairly moribund cartridge today but the drawings still exist, and ammo is available, so we know that brass is available.

Proprietary cartridges were a problem in the late 1800s and they are a problem today.  Sometimes, contractual restrictions get in the way of real progress, so workarounds become necessary.  I realize that I'm being obtuse, but there are good reasons for that.  The question remains, though;  If we can't use .45 Colt brass, why can't we use Schofield brass?

This is a question that deserves an answer, and I'll have to look further into this.   Exit question:  Who besides Starline makes brass in the US and might be amenable to a fairly large custom order?

I'm going to leave this right here so that I can find it later.

The Krewe Ball

Mardi Gras is celebrated in different ways all across the state, but one constant is the Krewe.  A Krere is a group of like-minded folks who join together to participate, to make a float, to parade, and generally to celebrate Mardi Gras as a group.  One of the traditions is that each Krewe hosts a ball.  A formal ball where the ladies sparkle, the men are elegant, and the company is pleasant.  Some of the Krewe balls are legendary.

Belle and I have been invited to a local Krewe ball.  We have accepted, and as it is not until January, we have plenty of time to plan our attire.  We're told that it's formal, and that the men must wear black and the ladies can wear any color but white (which is reserved for the court).

I'm thinking about tails, in the manner of the 1880s late Victorian style.  Something like this:

With an appropriate vest, I believe it might create the proper atmosphere.  It might be quite dashing.  Or, I could go with a Gunfighter coat from the same era, with  an appropriate vest and stting tie.

Properly done, 1880s attire is quite formal, and the effect is quite stylish.  It should suffice for a Krewe ball.  Mardi Gras is about costuming, after all. The effect would be something like my buddy Skagway Sam, a master of period attire.

What say ye?  At any rate, I'm going to need to go to the PX and buy some new dress shoes.  The ones I have simply will not do.

This might turn out to be a lot of fun.

Where Does It Stop?

President Trump makes a good point.

"This week it's Robert E. Lee, I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down," President Donald Trump said on Tuesday. "I wonder, is it George Washington next week, and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You have to ask yourself, where does it stop?"

No thinking human can defend slavery, or racism, or the Confederacy, but the current view seems to be distorted, as if we are looking through a prism.   I'd be very cautious about  tearing down any historical monuments, simply because setting that precedent might lead to unforeseen  consequences later on.

The rhetoric is getting just a little over-heated.  No good can come to that.  It's just a small jump from baseball bats to firearms, and no one wants that sort of thing.  We can certainly denounce racism and bigotry without defending intolerance and violence.  This is not a binary choice, and to say that both groups who came to blows in Charlottesville are beyond the pale of polite society is not a stretch.

Everyone needs to calm down and take a deep breath.

TALO - Limited SAA Offering

It seems that TALO distributers will soon be offering a limited run of Colt SAA revolvers.  Not many details are knon at this time.  According to The Firearm Blog.

According to information posted on Talo’s website, Colt’s Manufacturing made a limited run of SAA revolvers for the company. This specific one is limited to 50 guns and will be heading out to the wholesalers shortly.

 The gun is finished in royal blue and has wooden stocks. This SAA has a 5.5″ barrel. No pricing information was provided by Talo. Since this revolver is a limited run that was likely made by the Colt Custom Shop, I would expect them to retail for more than the standard SAA guns. Standard Colt SAA revolvers chambered for the .357 Magnum and .45 Colt start at $1,799.

It's a nice looking gun, as all Colt SAA revolvers are.

 The .32-20 is one of Belle's favorite calibers.   Her go-to revolver is an old Colt Police Positive in that caliber.  While this new offering is interesting, it's not interesting enough to drop MSRP on the debit card.

Bill Whittle - Surprise.

Who Had The Permit?

Reading about the horrific nonsense that happened in Charlottsville, VA this weekend, I'm struck by several questions.  First and foremost, who had the permit to hold a rally in a public park?

In every event I've ever seen in a public venue, a permit is required.  It puts the authorities on notice that something is going to happen, and requires the event organizers to do certain things.  But, that permit allows them to be there.  Peacefully.  Lawfully.

Reading the New York Times article from this morning, it appears that the white nationalists had the permit.  As execrable as their message might have been, it appears that they had the permit to hold the rally, and that's what free speech is all about.

Those other groups that showed up, did so unlawfully.  Or, at least I doubt that they had a permit. So, why were they there?  Simply to cause trouble?  From all appearances, that's what happened.

And, what city bureaucrat let two groups with competing messages show up in the same park at the same time?

As the white nationalists massed in the park, Ms. Caine-Conley and other members of the clergy locked arms in the street. Behind them were hundreds of protesters, including black-clad, helmet-wearing members of the far left known as antifa.

Sound like a recipe for disaster, doesn't it?  And, that's just exactly what happened.   In the final analysis, what happened is that the City let two hate groups converge at the same place in the same time.

Of course, now the police are being blamed.

It's interesting to note that almost everywhere Anrtifa shows up, there is violence.  Example, Seattle.  Fascism is facism wherever it rears its ugly head, and if you are trying to shut down free speech, you're a fascist.

Red Beans

We've talked about red beans before, but today, that's lunch.  Yeah, I know it's August outside, but I've been jones-ing for a big pot of red beans, so last night before bedtime, Belle washed two pounds of good Camellia red beans, added spices, water, and sausage and turned on the slow cooker.

This morning I awoke to the kitchen smelling like heaven.

In another hour, we'll put on a pot of rice, and mix cornbread for the oven.

Red beans and rice with cornbread.  It's what's for lunch.

Peacemakers First Match

The Cross Branded Peacemakers shot their first match today under cloudy skies, and a threat of rain.    It was a simple Nevada Eight match on our four-lane range, and it worked well.  We shot Men, Ladies, and Youth.

Youth.  1st, Little Cajun.  2nd, Misty Blue  3rd Akarate Zach

Ladies.  1st, Cookie.  2nd, Blue Eyed Belle.  3rd Squirrel Girl

This was Cookie's first ever match.  She shot well, well enough to come out on top.  She told me that if she thought that she was going to win, she'd have dressed better.

Men's.  1st place, Big Bill.  2nd place Major D.  3rd place Cajun Greg.

This was Big Bill's first ever match.  It became obvious that he's been practicing with his laser.

All in all, a very good day.  Shooting at the church is not something that everyone gets to do, but here at the Peacemakers, we get to shoot at the church.

Little Fat Boy Kim

I notice that the little fat boy from the North, Kim, is back in the news.  Making threats, acting like the spoiled brat that he is.  Suffering from a severe case of overactive hyper-stupidity disorder.  I mean, c'mon, he can't even keep the lights on.

There is no sense bombing them back to the pre-industrial age.  That's about where they are right now.

It would be best to ignore the little pissant, and send back-channel messages to his generals.  If little Kimmie meets and untimely demise, we'll see what we can do to help with lights and indoor plumbing. That would be much better than what they have now.

Like A Hero

Someone at Wal-Mart put a back-to-school display on the gun rack.

Twitter is , predictably, freaking out.

Hunting season opens next month, and for many of the schools around here, the beginning of squirrel season is an out-of-school holiday.

Timers

In the Cowboy Fast Draw community, there are two main types of timers.  Timers are important because that's where we get out scores, and basically, both timers systems work the same way.  They start a clock and stop it when the bullet hits the target.    We get a time, down to the thousandth of a second.

Quick Draw Electronics, out of Montana is one manufacturer of timing systems.  For several years, he made a timer that he called the Shooting Sports Timer II, and he still supports that timer.

It's a great timer system, and a lot of clubs use it.  It is easily configured into a multi-timer setup that can run a standard six-lane range.  Basically, you slave one timer against another.  It works well,   The company has redesigned the system and he is in [re-production of the new system, which is causing quite a buzz in the Fast Draw community.  Simpler, cleaner, less expensive,  I hope he gets the bugs worked out, because it looks like a nice set up.

The other system of timers currently on the market is the system marketed by the association.  They call it the Gunslinger timer and it works as advertised.  You slave one timer (or a group of timers) to the master timer, and you can run a multi-lane range.

Both systems work as advertised and both systems will run a match.  They have different features, different strengths and weaknesses, and two solid camps or supporters.  The discussion around the tables at a match are not unlike the caliber discussions around a hunting camp.

When Belle and I set up the club at the church, we knew we'd need timers and spent a lot of time trying to decide which to go with.   We finally made a decision and wrote a check.  The timers should ship next week.  And, no, I'm not going to endorse one system over the other.  They both have drawbacks.  I'd really like to combine the two and make a system with no drawbacks, but electronically that doesn't seem to work.   I've tried.

We made the decision that seems to be best for our purposes, and we'll live with it.  I did put a bug in the ear of an electronics tinker-er and hopefully he'll have a great idea that will upgrade the system we chose, but we'll have to wait and see about that.

In the meantime, these two systems are the state-of-the-art in Cowboy Fast Draw systems.   As the old men used to say, "You pay your money and you take your chances."

Jumbled Weather

This is the weirdest August I can remember.  So far, rain every day, the current surface map is a jumbled mess.

There is nothing we can do about it.  But, it provides challenges in dealing with it.  Normally, August is hot, dry, and sunny.  So far, this August has been hot, humid, cloudy and moist.  The grass is growing like crazy and the air is like walking into a hot, wet blanket.

It is what it is, and we have to deal with it.    This weather pattern, like others, will change eventually, but until then, I give thanks to Willis Carrier, the inventor of modern air conditioning.

Humpday

Casting about for a Wednesday post, I figured I'd highlight my Model 38.  It is a hump-back, a vestige of an earlier time, and one of my favorites.  It's my everyday carry pocket revolver.

Some have said, from a purely logical, rational perspective that it is less than optimal to carry a small revolver.  With only five shots, I'd me much better served by one of the wondernines (and, I include there the various .380s, which are simply short 9mms).

But, in the final analysis, I'm probably less than optimal in lots of things, and the J-frame revolver has been a trusted friend for  about three decades, even if I've only had this one for six years.

Glen Campbell

Belle came home today and told me that Glen Campbell had died.

Sure enough.



Rest in Peace, Glen.

Pumps Out

If you follow Murphy's page, you know that New Orleans had some flooding problems this weekend.

As it turns out, some of the pumps were out.

The New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board said Monday that seven pumps were down for maintenance this weekend as the rain fell. They argued, however, that it wouldn't have made much of a difference in the overall performance of the pumping stations if the pumps had been operational.

Yeah, that's a problem.  New Orleans is below sea level.   If the pumps go our, or the levee breaks, New Orleans is screwed.  

I'm just sayin'.

The .357 Revisited

The younger generation is learning what we learned twenty-or-so-years ago.  The .357 magnum is a hoss when properly loaded and shot from a carbine.

Out of a Marlin 1894, the bullets shoot into the front sight (a 6-moa dot) with boring regularity, and they hit the steel plate hard enough to foul it on it's chains, necessitating going downrange to unwind the target from it's stand.

That bullet is a custom, 180 grain, tumble-lube, gas-checked, wide flat nose bullet that a bunch of us designed on the Cast Boolits forum several years ago.  It was designed for the .35 Remington cartridge, but several of us stuffed it into a .357 magnum case with a stiff dose of L'il Gun powder.  And something magical happened.

That bullet runs out of the Marlin at something over 1600 fps and that wide flat meplat hits like the hammer of Thor.  You'll note that the boy said they'd have to walk downrange to un-foul the target from its stand.   I know that particular range, and it's about 80 yards from the firing line to the gong.

It's a great load, out of a light, handy, short carbine that gives sufficient energy out to 100 yards for whitetail deer and hogs.  The .357 magnum and the lever carbine are a great woods-cruising combination.

Maxine Moments

Maxine Waters may be the poster child for Trump Derangement Syndrome.  That syndrome for the all-consuming, blind rage that became evident after Hillary was rejected in 33 of 50 statewide elections.  Maxine is also the elected representative for California's 43d  congressional district.

Evidently, there is something called a "Mazine Moment" where she comes so completely off the rails as to be laughable.  Of course, Mamma always told me that it was impolite to laugh at retards.  But, in Maxine's case, we'll make an exception.

Earlier today, we reported that Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) said that Special Investigator Robert Mueller's only job was to prove that President Trump colluded with Russia during the 2016 election. Now we've got two Maxine Waters moments in one day! On the syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club, she said that Trump would be impeached by December. As in four months! She also echoed Hillary Clinton's infamous remark (which may have done more to lose Clinton the 2016 election than any possible collusion) and called the president a "deplorable human being." Waters is fueled by so much rage, by so much animosity towards Trump, that she's blindly thinking that he'll be impeached by the end of the year.

The woman is demented, although it is arguable if she is the most demented member of Congress, or for that matter, the most demented of California's delegation.

Oh, The Drama

It seems that they have implemented campus carry in Texas, and one instructor had to make a visual protest.

Smith came to class on Tuesday dressed head to waist in protective combat gear - a bulletproof vest and helmet.

Heh!  His students weren't impressed.

 Others, took to describing the educator as "dumb," an "old fool" and a "f------ liberal."  

Some of his students probably wore that same attire earlier  in their career as a condition of employment.   If I were his Dean, I'd tell him to wear it at all times on campus, inside or out, hot or cold.  And, I'd make it a condition of employment.

That would break him of sucking eggs.

Another One of Those Gun Confiscations

Another case of those gun confiscations that never happen.  Hot Air has the dirt.

Yet another story has emerged from New York State detailing the travails of a citizen who had his firearms taken away by armed officers with a warrant. The NRA-ILA brings us the tale of Don Hall, a 70 year old Vietnam veteran who received an unpleasant visit from Sheriff’s deputies at his Talberg, N.Y. home. They informed him that the state had provided them with a writ to seize his firearms. Compliance was not voluntary and his weapons were taken.

Evidently, they had labeled him a "mental defective" to secure the writ, but the Sheriff's paperwork had many fatal errors, and Mr. Hall got a lawyer and hauled the whole bunch  of them to court.

As a 35 year police veteran, this pisses me off.   If given a detail like this, I believe I would have looked long and hard at the writ before I served it.    Every LEO I know took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.  This flies in the face of the Second Amendment, and now that Mr. Hall has prevailed in the local courts, he should consider suing the department in the federal courts for violating his civil rights.

I am the NRA, and I am freedom's safest place.

New Infantry Rifle?

The Firearm Blog is reporting:

The US Army has released a solicitation for a new 7.62mm infantry rifle to replace the M4. The Interim Combat Service Rifle program, known to be in the works since April of this year, would replace M4 Carbines in use with combat units with a new weapon in the 7.62x51mm caliber. The new solicitation requires companies to submit 7 weapons plus ancillaries for testing, and includes the promise of up to 8 Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs, non-contract transactions), leading to the eventual selection of 1 weapon for a contract of 50,000 units.

Interesting.  I'm not sure what the motivation for this project is, but it is interesting and pwill probably ignite the old caliber flame wars.The M16/M4 platform is a mature technology and is well regarded in many circles, but it seems that the body armor is an emerging technology and the Army wants something with more punch than can reliably be squeezed out of the 5.56mm.

At one point several years ago, I had opined that the perfect  service rifle would be a platform that used 6mm ammo in the vein of the .243 Winchester.  It would offer increased lethality over the 5.56, great ballistics, and lesser recoil than the 7.62mm.

Louisiana Crawfish Invading Michian

It appears that Louisiana's Red Swamp Crawfish are invigorating Michigan.  They're freaking out.

“Invasive red swamp crayfish (they're called crawfish, okay?) have been found in two Michigan locations,” media outlets reported this week with a warning from the state's nature department. The crawfish were found in a grassy area of a park and in shallow areas of a lake, prompting concern from the state of Michigan's Department of Natural Resources.

Lots more at the link.  There is a video here that I can't seem to embed, but it's worth it to click the link here. 

"The likely origin, black market food trafficking." (I rolled, laughing.  I did.)

I get it, invasive species are bad.    But these are really good to eat.  Go watch the video at the second link for some light humor.  LINKY HERE!

Air Bag Claymore

Seeon the Book of Face.

Yeah, if that airbag ever goes off, the paramedics will be wondering, "What the hell?"

Glowball Warmenig, Again

It seems that some Australian scientists have been caught red-handed fudging temperature data because it didn't meet expectations.  Wait.. what?

This is just bizarre. Meteorologists were watching in real time as temperature readings from, among other places, Goulburn, located in New South Wales vanished before their eyes. The reason given was that the temperature reading in the period under study was 13 degrees Fahrenheit (or minus 10 C) and that was simply too low. But their other records clearly showed that, while definitely on the colder than usual side, that spot had previously recorded temperatures as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Yes, that's right.  If you don't like the data, just erase it.    That's very scientific.

And people wonder why I don't trust much climate science.  

Lunch Time

It was a rainy, dreary day today.  I started mowing the yard at 7:00, and by 7:05 the bottom fell out.  I pushed the mover under cover and said the he hell with it.  I had plenty to do indoors, mopping and cleaning, and laundry, plus errands to run.

About lunch time, I started digging around in the freezer and found a bag of Tater-tots.  Tater-tots ain't nothing but hashbrown potatoes, shaped in kid-friendly morsels, so I got out a good black iron skillet and put a little oil in it.  I pan-fried those tater-tots like hashbrown potatoes.  I put hem on a paper plate and grated some sharp cheddar over them.

The, fried some eggs.  Over easy.  little salt and pepper, and I was done.

After lunch, the dog and I did our afternoon chores and we're waiting Belle's return home from work.  In another hour, I'll be in the whiskey.

Background Checks

It turns out that the "overwhelming support" for Universal Background Checks on firearms purchases is not as overwhelming as it appears.

From Hot Air:

When the issue was presented in context, the support for increased background checks was less than half of what is claimed by various gun control groups, and nowhere near an overwhelming majority of those polled. The majority (53 percent) of those taking part in the NSSF survey agreed that more restrictions were not necessary. These results are further bolstered by results at the ballot box, where restrictive background check laws have seen nowhere near the 90 percent support claimed by gun control supporters.

I personally always suspected that the question was framed in a way to get an expected response.

Remember, gun control is not about guns, it is about control.  Anyone who tells you that 90% of Americans want bigger government and more government control over their lives is lying to you.

I am the NRA, and I am freedom's safest place.