The Remington Model 1858

The thread from a couple of days ago generated a bit of research.  It seems that Remington, in 1858 launched a revolver that was quite successful.  The Remington Model 1858 was manufactured in a variety of conditions, and stayed in production until 1875.  This revolver was the first factory revolver to use brass cartridges, both in rimfire and centerfire production.  In 1868, Remington paid the royalty on the Rollin-White patent and beat both Colt and Smith and Wesson to the market with a cartridge revolver.

If the numbers in the Wiki page are accurate, Remington made about 200,000 of these revolvers, many y of them with a cartridge conversion.  While they might not have been the most common revolver on the frontier, it would seem with numbers like these, they were  not uncommon.  Every-damned-one of them had an octagon barrel.

Famously, one of the most well-documented Remington revolvers was owned by no less than Buffalo Bill Cody, who gave the revolver to a ranch foreman, with a note "It never failed me."

Bill's revolver is a percussion model, but there is no reason to think that he would have been unfamiliar with cartridge conversions.  Buffalo Bill was a forward-thinker in a lot of ways.

We tend to forget that the period from 1850-1900 was a huge time for firearm innovation.  We went from cap-and-ball muskets to smokeless powder and reliable repeating firearms.  It was a time of great innovation, and manufacturers large and small were making firearms for the market.  I suspect that there were also gunsmiths all over the country making conversions from percussion to cartridge revolvers.  Many of these firearms may be lost to history, and examples are hard to find, but even Remington and Colt found a market for conversion revolver.  It is not unreasonable to speculate that gunsmiths all over the frontier were converting old-fashioned firearms of every type to the new ammunition.

We know for a documented fact that Remington was producing the 1858 as a cartridge revolver as early as 1868, long before Smith and Wesson and Colt   This was an iconic firearm, the first of the new evolution, and I suspect that it was not uncommon to see it on the frontier.  Even such  a luminary as Buffalo Bill carried one.

UPDATE** Thanks to commenter, Nate, it seems that the Buffalo Bill Center for the West has a very nice example of a factory cartridge conversion in their collection.

That is a very nice example of a factory cartridge conversion.

Saturday and Paperwork

Belle and I are doing the paperwork for Louisiana State.  Making raffle boards, checking banquet lists, going over registrations.  It isn't bad, and we're taking it easy, not doing any of the back-breaking grunt-work that is recently past and will soon visit us again, when we move everything to the church.

We're also puppy-sitting an old grand-dog, my daughter's chihuahua, Pedro.  He's an old man, and basically, all he wants to do is be in the sun.

It's kind of a laid-back Saturday.  Just exactly the kind I like.

Ammo

Two weeks ago, I picked up a bunch of empty brass from the folks who hosted Texas State.  We are going to use the brass for Louisiana State, and pass it off to Oklahoma for their shoot in early May.

Not all of the ammo at Texas State was shot, so I brought home some loaded ammo, and I inadvertently  left a few hundred rounds with the club in Texas.  They'll bring the remainder when the come to Louisiana next week.

For the last two weeks, the club has been loading ammo, and just about everyone got in on the action.  This morning, Zach and I went out to the shop to make the final push, and I've loaded every piece of brass I can find.  By my primer count, we loaded  7800 rounds of wax bullet ammo in the past two weeks.  Zach and I alone, loaded 1100 rounds today.

Those boxes contain 9600 rounds of wax bullet ammo.  That should be sufficient for our state shoot next week.  Now, to begin checking lists to get everything to the church.

Looking for Examples

You guys get on your thinking caps and help a fellow out.

I am looking for examples, any example, of a cartridge revolver (or a conversion of a percussion revolver) from the 18870-1880 era that had an octagonal barrel.

I'm pretty sure that someone in the Old West was carting around an octagonal barrel revolver, but for the life of me, I can't find any documentation.  I've even thought about writing the NRA Museum.

If you come up with something, let me know.

Donald and Stormy

Who cares, really?

At some point in the past, Trump may have hooked up with Daniels.   Stormy Daniels, of course is a porn star, and Trump is now the POTUS.  But, I don't know what arrangement Trump has with his wife, and I'm sure that whatever arrangement Donald and Stormy made was mutually agreeable to them at the time.

Yep, adultery is a sin.  But, I don't consider the POTUS of any stripe, Republican or Democrat,  to be an authority on morals.  What happens behind closed doors, as long as it is mutually agreeable, should stay behind closed doors.

This Stormy-gate think is a huge nothing-burger. 

A Balanced Budget?

Congressional Republicans have lost their damned minds.  They are living in an abject fantasy  According to Hot Air, they now want a balanced budget amendment.

In some quarters, this would be considered irony, if not satire. In Washington DC, it’s called “election season.” Jake Sherman reports in Politico’s Playbook that House Republicans plan to introduce a constitutional amendment requiring balanced budgets when Congress returns from its current recess. It comes a fortnight or so after passing a massive, deficit-dripping omnibus bill for FY2018:world. 

I'd be happy if they would simply pass a budget, rather than these endless rounds of spending bills.    Of course, from my latest reading of the Constitution, there is nothing in the world stopping them from passing a balanced budget right now, except for their own inability and lack of political backbone.  They don't need a constitutional amendment to pass a balanced budget, they just need to do it.

Repeal the 2nd? I Doubt It

Retired Associate Justice John Paul Stevens has lost his damned mind.  Speaking of Heller, he says:

Overturning that decision via a constitutional amendment to get rid of the Second Amendment would be simple and would do more to weaken the N.R.A.’s ability to stymie legislative debate and block constructive gun control legislation than any other available option.

Repealing the 2nd would be simple?? Only if you consider civil war a simple solution.

I seldom agreed with him while he was on the bench, but now that he's retired, I'm convinced that he is completely daft.  Of course, I'd really like to see the Democrats adopt this plan as a campaign plank in 2018 and 2020. 

This Is Interesting.

From one of the headlines at Hot Air.

“The rumor mill is that Paul Ryan is getting ready to resign in the next 30 to 60 days and that Steve Scalise will be the new Speaker,” Amodei told Nevada Newsmakers, referring to the Majority Whip.

Steve Scalise, of course, is the current majority whip, and serves as representative for Louisiana's 1st District. 

Scalise was shot last year, during a practice for the Congressional Baseball Game.  He has since recovered, but I don't recall any Democrats marching or calling for gun control.

Beau Is Found!

Belle called at lunch today.  Beau is alive and well.  A lady down the road (and it's a long road) found him and called her.  It seems that one of the grandkids left the gate open on Saturday and he took the opportunity to go adventuring.

When Belle called, she was on her way to recover him.  I bet that she is going to put him on a tight leash for a while.

He will be home when I get home today.

Monday - Oh, My!

Beau is still missing.  Both Belle and I are in mourning. 

Someone had an anti-gun march this weekend.  Lots of coverage everywhere.  It won't change my mind.

The Cowboy Fast Draw Association has come out with an approved list of acceptable six-guns for competition.It's a multi-page document explaining which guns are acceptable, and all the why's and wherefores.  I understand what the association is trying to do, and I get it.  They're trying to keep the guns we use in CFDA competition to be faithful reproductions.  If you go to the list linked above, you can read all about it.

The problem, as it affects me, is that there are two guns I regularly carry are not on the list.  The Cimarron El Malo is not on the list because it has an octagon barrel.  I understand that the octagon barrel was not originally offered on 1880s era revolvers.  Thee other gun is one that I've been using for three years. is simply omitted.  It was made by Uberti, but marketed by Stoeger for a short time.  Mine us marked Stoeger, but in all respects it is identical to the Hombre sold at Bass Pro Shops.  It has an oxide finish and brass grip frame.

I understand what the Association is trying to do,.  They don't want to allow unlimited modifications to the guns, and want to keep the guns we use as faithful as possible to the originals in outward appearance and function (no short stroke guns). 

The problem is that I have a couple of club members who use El Mals.  I bought one last year to tinker with, and they tried it, liked it, and bought one for their own use.  Now, it's not on the approved list, specifically because it has an octagon barrel.  And, Louisiana State is two weeks away.  I've seen the El Malo's used at recent CFDA competitions, but that was before the Association published the list, specifically forbidding them.  I've got to figure this out, pronto.

But, Beau is still missing.  And that makes me sad.

Weekend

Great weekend.  I feel like I'm sliding in sideways to Sunday afternoon, getting ready for the coming week.  We did lots of work on the state tournament coming up, and we went to Jena today to meet with Belle's family.

The one downer to the weekend, and it's a huge one, is that our little dog, Beau, is missing.  We had a lot of movement in and around the house yesterday, and when everything settled down in the late afternoon, we couldn't find him.  He's an old dog, going blind, and normally stays close.  But, we're unable to locate him, and at this point, we fear the worst.  He's been with us for ten years, and he's a family member.

I'll talk more about it later, but right now I'm not able to.  We're still wondering where he is, and we're devastated.  Beau is gone, and we're left without a clue.  Belle cried herself to sleep last night.

Gene Hill once said, "In the whole universe, there is no place so dark, so empty, so void, as that place where the dog used to sleep, when he's sleeping someplace else, forever."

I'll let y'all  know something when we know something.

Church Diversity?

A good article, at PJMedia, on church diversity.  Is the poll that they cited asking the right questions?

Diversity has become quite the buzzword. It's even captured the imagination of the vast majority of Protestant pastors. According to a new survey conducted by Lifeway Research, "93 percent of pastors—including 80 percent who strongly agree—say every church should strive to achieve racial diversity." The same survey reveals that diversity in this country's Protestant churches is, indeed, growing.

That's good, I guess.  But diversity is not what I am looking for in church.  Let me explain.

I look for two things in a church.  1) A pastor that preaches the absolute truth and authority of the Holy Bible, and 2) the salvation of Jesus Christ.  Those are the only two things that matter, and those are the things that pastors should preach.

Having said that, I believe that congregations should be welcoming, should make everyone feel comfortable and at home.  The example and teachings of Jesus say that salvation is available to every person, regardless of race, creed, or national origin.   We should love everyone who comes through the door, and we should invite everyone to attend.  That is what Christ requires of us.  To love one another.

Act Like Republicans

The Congress is controlled by Republicans, but you wouldn't know it from the numbers in tn the spending bill. 

You can also expect Republicans and President Trump to spin this as a “huge” victory for their team. After all, isn't it a sign that they can govern? Sure, if you tolerate massive deficit spending, being irresponsible and pushing all that liability down the throat of future generations. I don’t, because I actually care about the well-being of my kids and grandkids….

We didn't send Republicans to Congress to increase the debt, or engage in deficit spending.  We expect Republicans to control spending, set priorities and make tough choices to balance the budget.  That is what families have to do,  Money is a finite resource, and we expect that Congress will live within their means.  Otherwise, we're just Democrat-lite.

From what I'm reading today, this spending bill is a stinker.  Go back to the drawing board, and get it right.

Paul Is Right, Ya' Know

I understand that spending bills are huge, but this one is huge-er, and Senator Rand Paul wants to read it before he votes on it. 

"We don’t want leverage. We want a real process and time to debate, amend and vote," a Paul aide said. "It’s not too much to ask but [Senate leaders] refuse to do it, time after time."

And, he's right.  The budget process shouldn't be a hurry-up affair.  There should be time to debate, to make changes, to reflect the desires of the people.  But, when Republicans are in power, they act like Democrats, both in the nature of the process, and in their spending habits. 

It's not too much to ask.

Random Thoughts

Mueller was appointed My 17, 2017.  How long is this circus going to go on?  If, in a year, he can't find evidence of collusion, maybe he's looking in the wrong places.  Or it isn't there at all.  Either way, he should be competent enough to know when to call in the dogs and go to the house.

Why do people think that a random cop, standing on a street corner, knows the address, location, and phone number of every business within a 20 mile radius?

I hear that YouTube is blocking/taking down pro-gun channels.  Maybe it's time to regulate Google, Facebook, and YouTube as common carriers. 

It's Thursday, so salad for lunch.  There's this church down the road, where the ladies make great salads and deliver them. 

The Sacremento PD shot Clark 20 times.  Standing in his grandmother's backyard, holding a cell phone.  What an horrific tragedy.  I never liked foot chases trough residential neighborhoods.

Good Pic

Another picture of me and my gal, taken by the inimitable Miss E, at Texas State.

That was a good shoot, but I don't have time to reflect on it.  Louisiana State starts in 15 days.

Ain't Quite As Dead

He ain't quite as dead as he seems.   This Romanian fellow left home to go to Turkey to make a living.  Came back 20 years later and found out that he had been declared legally dead.

He's in the middle of a bureaucratic nightmare, because he's dead.  But he's walking around.  Trying to convince the courts that he is still alive.

You would think that the Romanian authorities would be more sympathetic.  They do have a history of the dead walking around, don't they?

I'm just sayin'.

Value

A nice video about value, money, and the price we put on things.



I like explaining to people that the value of gold never changes.  The value of the money we use to buy or sell gold changes, but the value of gold remains constant.

Often, I get perplexed looks when I explain that.

Dr. Hanson, on modern Democrats

The inestimable Victor Davis Hanson, reflects on the similarities between the modern Democratic progressive culture and the antebellum South.

Progressives, in fact, seem to like the protocols of the old Confederacy in lots of ways. Southern antebellum chauvinists once claimed that the culture south of the Mason-Dixon line was innately superior to the grubby, industrial wasteland of the north. A two-class system of masters and slaves allowed an elite the leisure and capital to pursue culture without the rat-race competition of a striving middle class. So blinkered was southern arrogance that its pre-war youth insisted that southern manhood, with its innate moral superiority, could defeat a much larger, richer, and more industrial North — a myth dispelled early on at Shiloh.

It's damned fine writing, dipped in the strength of understanding history.

One more snippet, for fun.

Once a region, a state, or a group of people becomes racially obsessed and prefers the culture of two rather than three classes, they turn absurd. Soon they stop listening to reason and fall into predictable mythologies of cultural superiority, regional chauvinism, and ultimately secession as proof of their moral supremacy.

What follows next never ends well.

Go, as they say, and read the whole thing.  It's well worth the ten minutes you'll spend.

Good Job, Slick!

It seems that there was a school shooting in Maryland this morning.

CNN reports:

An armed student who shot two other students at Great Mills High School in Maryland on Tuesday morning has died, according to St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron.

The sheriff said the school resource officer engaged the shooter and ended the threat, which occurred in a hallway just before classes began. The officer fired a round at the shooter, and the shooter fired a round as well, Cameron said.

The shooter was later pronounced dead, and the officer was not injured, the sheriff said. A male student, 14, is in stable condition and a female student, 16, is in critical condition, he said.

And, that's the way it is done.  I'm sure that we will learn more in the coming days, but it seems like the SRO took care of business.  Our prayers and concerns are with the injured students.

That Ain't Good

It's a pretty good balancing act, though.

Hat tip:  Wirecutter.

Tired

We dragged in last night after midnight, fell into bed and had to sleep quickly.  Four hours later, up again to begin Monday.

Texas State was a great shoot, put on by a great club.  Ninety-eight (98) shooters total. 55 men, 35 women, and 8 youth. We shot age-based categories on Friday, the Main Match on Saturday, and speed-based Brackets on Sunday. 

Akarate Zach took 2nd place in Category, and 4th place overall in the main match.
Belle took 2nd in Category, and stayed alive till the 6th round of the Main match.  Eh also shot well in Brackets, staying alive long past where she thought she would be.
Major D participated.  However, I stayed alive in the Main match until the 9th round, where I lost simply because I couldn't find the target.  I never touched steel during that entire match.  I blame myself, the other guy gave me plenty of opportunities. 

After the match was over, I gathered the brass and loaded it in the van.  I have 10K rounds of shotgun primer brass that has to be loaded for Louisiana State in 19 days.  We pass this brass around from club to club to use for large sanctioned shoots, and thankfully, the host club kept the tumblers going till the last minute.  I have very little dirty brass to clean.

Kudos to the Lone Star Gunslingers, who hosted the Texas State Championship.  They did a great job, put on a fine match in a great facility.

Now, the focus turns to Louisiana State.  During the Texas match, I had the opportunity to get face-time with a bunch of folks who are going to help with Louisiana State.  I filled a number of organizational slots that our little club is incapable of filling, and took notes about things that I have to do to make Louisiana State a success.

I also got firm commitments from a number of shooters, with registration fees pad.  Right now, we have shooters coming from WA, TX, OK, AR, KS, WI, IL, KY, GA, and FL.

Here we go!

Texas State Day 2

We're doing good, still alive after seven rounds.  Belle went out in the 6th round, but feels good about it.  Zach is seeded 5th in the youth, and I'm still in it, but I'm bleeding bad and dragging a leg.

Tomorrow is brackets.  That should be a lot of fun.

But, trying to get a picture with my gal today, my buddy Delta Whiskey photo-bombs us.

Ain't that a shame?  See what w have to put up with?

Texas State Day 1

We did some shooting today, Categories.  Categories are based on age.  I, for example shot in the Senior Men's Category.  Belle shot in the Super Senior Wome's Category.  Zach shot in te Youth Category.

Belle took second in her category.
Zach took second in his category.
I was just there.

Tomorrow starts the main match.  We all get to shoot again.  I don't look to take any trophies in the main match.  If I'm still alive after the 8th round, I'll consider it a wonderful day.

Nutra and Subsonics

Nutria are a rodent, an invasive species in Louisiana.  They love water, and they've been here long enough that we consider them part of the landscape, but still.  They dig holes in levees, undercut banks, and generally make a nuisance.

My son is a sewer systems operator, responsible for the sewer treatment of a small town in Louisiana.  He has ponds that treat the water.  I don't know the details, but he has it down to the science.  Turning dirty water into clean water.  And nutria is a problem.  If they get into your ponds, they'll undercut banks, dig tunnels in weirs, and generally create turmoil.

So, he was telling me a story. "We had a nutria infestation and decided that the best way to control them was to shoot them.  So, we got some .22 rifles and one of the crew brought some subsonic ammo.  Less noise.  So, early in the morning, we set up on one side of the bond, and watched the opposite bank.  In a few minutes we saw some nutria come out."

"The pond is about 100 yards across it, and I took a good sight on a big ole rat.  I hit him solid and he just kind of flinched and looked around..  So, I popped him again.  Same story.  At a hundred yards, I think those subsonics had run out of steam. "

"So, next morning, we're back with good hi-velocity ammo.   When the nutria came out, Bang, flop.  Next one comes out.  Bang, flop."

I asked him if they had controlled the population.  "Yeah," he replies.  "We've got them on the run.  But we learned that subsonics might be good for some things, but not for long-range nutria."

I'm just passing this on for the general knowledge base.

Outt'a Here

About the time y'all read this, Belle, Zach and I will be heading southwest.  Tomorrow is the first full day of shooting of the Texas State Championship of Cowboy Fast Draw, hosted by the Lone Star Gunslingers.

Upwards of a hundred shooters are meeting in Needville, TX for three days of shaking hands, hugging necks and gunfighting.  It's going to be a heck of an event, and we wouldn't miss it for the world.  As a matter of fact, I need to be there to pick up some supplies that we are going to use in Louisiana State.  But, I'm mainly going for the fun.

I'll try to post this weekend, but no promises.

On Being Armed

I've been carrying a firearm almost every day for the past 38 years.  Much of that as a cop, but even on weekends, holiday, and leave time.   Pretty much constantly, I'm armed.  And, I've learned a few things.  Concealed means concealed.  Proper dress is mandatory if you don't want to scare the citizens. 

School safety is the hot-button topic these days, and some have said that one way to help safety is to arm some of the teachers.  That's another hot-button topic, and I see that Baltimore teachers have threatened to walk out if any of them are armed.

My question is:  How would they know?  Really.  Concealed means concealed.  I have no doubt that I could dress in business casual attire, walk into any classroom in the US, and teach a class, spend the day in the school, talk with the principal and interact with everyone there, and no one would know that I am armed.  As long as I didn't have to pass through a metal detector, I'd be golden.

Concealed means concealed.  There is no profit in talking about it, touching it, letting other folks know you have it.  It's only use is to be there when you need it.    No one else needs to know about it.

Conchos

A concho is a bit of metal or leather that was used (and still is) to embellish a piece of working gear, to give it flair or add strength.  We find conchos used historically on saddles and bags.  But, these days they are almost purely embellishment.

As such, the shooters (especially the young shooters) in Cowboy Fast Draw like to have conchos on their leather.  Especially if those conchos were earned at a match.  To that end, I had some conchos made up for Louisiana State.  I'll give them to the Youth and to selected folks who might want to commemorate the match.  They have a screw back and should be easy to attach to a belt.

They came in today.

I think that they came out pretty nice, and they look a lot better than my photography skills.

The Dowager from Chappaqua

Yeah, she's back in the news.  The failed politician, the enabler of her sex-abuser husband, the gal who lost not one, but two huge elections to political newcomers.  Yeah, she's upset.  We failed her.  She goes outside the US to make speeches about how badly we failed her.

She's lucky that she is free.  In a just world, she'd be in prison for mishandling classified information, but the law only applies to little folks, not to her.   Her tenure as Secretary of State is also marked with failure, the murder of four great Americans on her watch.  She racks up failure after failure, and expects us to commiserate with her.  Not likely.

We're moving forward, and we're doing it (thankfully) without her.  She is a loathsome, evil woman.  Luckily, she has Secret Service protection.  If we ever get a judge to issue warrants, she's just a phone call away.

Great Photo

Another great photo from Strategy Page.

From the caption:

BEAUFORT SEA (March 10, 2018) The Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN 22) and the Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) break through the ice March 10, 2018, in support of Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2018. ICEX 2018 is a five-week exercise that allows the Navy to assess its operational readiness in the Arctic, increasing experience in the region, advance understanding of the Arctic environment, and continue to develop relationships with other services, allies and partner organizations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication 2nd Class Micheal H. Lee)

My step-son was a submariner.  He says that he traveled the world, but say very little of it.  It all looked like the inside of a steel tube.

Bombs in Austin

Someone is sending package bombs in Austin, TX.

Police and federal investigators continued searching Tuesday for answers about a string of packages that have exploded at homes in Austin this month, killing two people, seriously injuring two others and unnerving the city at a time when it is flooded with visitors for the South by Southwest Festival.

Evidently this is someone who knows his way around explosive ordnance.

 “When the victims have picked these packages up, they have at that point exploded,” Manley said on KXAN, an Austin television station. “There’s a certain level of skill and sophistication that whoever is doing this has.”

Interesting, and scary as hell.  Hopefully the investigators will find the culprit soon.

Back In The Day

This post reminds me of a story.

Once upon a time, I had a snitch come to my office.  He wanted to tell me about a marijuana growing operation in a small rural community about twenty miles from the office.  I listened for a while, and told the mope to get in the car. 

We drove out to the community, and he directed me down a couple of gravel roads, some dirt roads, some logging trails, and eventually we got out of the car, walked through the woods and came to the backyard of a small, well-kept farm house.  With a small vegetable garden in the back yard.

"Look there," says the mope.

"Where?" says I?

About that time an old man came out of the house with a sack in his hand, proceeds to the garden patch, and starts picking okra.

The mope says "Look, he's picking it right now!"

I motion the mope to back off and we quietly walk back through the woods to the car.  When we got back to the car, I tell him that we were looking at okra, and that he's the world's largest dumbass, and I don't let dumbasses ride in the car, so he has to walk home.

I got in the car, started it, and put it in reverse.  When I got to a suitable turn-around, I turned it around and drove back to the office.  Anyone in Chinquapin parish, especially a dope snitch, should know the difference between cannabis and okra.  Those who don't, can walk home.

Distracted

Politico magazine has an article on Congress getting distracted.

Every time it seems the president has zeroed in on an issue, and appears determined to see it through — guns and immigration are just the two latest examples — he moves on to something else. And Congress, which isn’t designed to respond swiftly to national events and the wishes of the White House even in the least distracted of circumstances, simply can’t keep up.

Yeah, well... Congress is supposed to be different than the executive branch.  They're supposed to be a deliberative body.  As in... deliberate?  They're supposed to do things like pass budgets, debate laws, oversee government.  They're not supposed to jump o every current event and solve it, they're supposed to be deliberate.  Maybe if they would focus on what the Constitution tells them that they are supposed to do, rather than making it up as they go along, they'd actually get something done.

I'm just saying.

Believe

A song written by  Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennen, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray and Timothy Powell, it was recorded and released by Cher in 1988.  Cher recorded her version for thepop-disco-electronic venues in the late '80s, but the song is stronger enough to be performed across musical genres.  It's one of my favorites.

Compare and contrast.

The first version I remember.


Next a version performed o Britian's Got Talent


And finally, a studio version with guitars.

Sunday Saturation

We're going to catch a big downpour in another hour or so.

The good news is that this didn't come yesterday (as predicted) and we're ensconced inn the house.

The kids will be over after church for lunch, and the worst part should be over by then. 

At The Range

The Cross Branded Peacemakers had a great range today.  We were practicing, just clowning around, but serious about hitting the target.  Five of our shooters (fairly new shooters) hit new personal bests today.
Two Step Cookie - 0.832
Cajun Greg - 0.534
Brother Fred - 0.556
Dustin - 0.642
Big Bill - 0.542.

Mind you, that time includes drawing, cocking a single action revolver, firing the cartreige and the bullet flight.  we don't get a time unless the bullet hits the target.

It was a very good shoot today.  We're prepping for the competition season, which begins next weekend in Needsville, TX.  Belle, Zach, and I are leaving Thursday to begin shooting o Friday.

Para-Rescue

An airman practices a para-rescue drop in Afghanistan.

Great photo!  From the caption:

An Air Force pararescueman conducts a high-altitude, high-opening free fall jump working during training at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 4, 2018. The airman is assigned to the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. Air Force courtesy photo

Gotta Be Kentucky

Or maybe Arkansas.

Yeah, that's a two-story trailer.

Before I met Belle, I dated a girl from East Texas.  She, her mother, and her brother all lied in 14X70 trailers, on the same half-acre.  The trailers were connected by little walkways so that a person could go from one trailer to another in air-conditioned comfort.  She was a lot of fun for a while, but I couldn't see getting tangled up in something like that.  Oh, and she was a natural red-head too, so there was that to deal with.

Friday NIght

It's Friday night, and my workday came to an end at 3:00 pm.  I left the school, went to Tom's Seafood and picked up supper.  Crawfish for Belle and I, and shrimp for Zachary, who is spending the night here.

Belle, working on her second platter of mudbugs.  The platter on the right is where she puts her heads and sjhells.

Zach perfers boiled shrimp.  These re cajun boiled, with all that good seasoning in the water.

After supper, Zach and I cleaned the range, then made sure that the revolvers were clean and we had sufficient ammo for tomorrow's practice shoot.  The Peacemakers will meet here at 10:00 am, rain or shine.  It's great having an indoor range.  We don't care if it rains, anymore.

Kennedy Retiring?

Is Anthony Kennedy retiring this summer?  That's the rumor.

If so, it would give President Trump another opportunity to appoint a staunch conservative, hopefully one strong enough to balance the four lock-step liberals.

Can you imagine the drama?  Four staunch conservative, four dyed-in-the-wool liberals, and that dickhead John Roberts.  That would be great.  It would expose Roberts for the closet liberal that he really is.

If I ever get the opportunity, I'm going to spit on his shoes.

Thanks, Mr. Obvious

Some studies are laughable, solely on their obviousness.

A Norwegian study has proven the obvious: women are more likely than men to regret having no-strings-attached sex. In order to find a reason behind this baffling statistic, the study asked nearly 800 people to fill out a survey to reveal their feelings about their last random sexual encounter. The study’s author, Dr. Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair (who has a lot of names for some reason), said the study suggests that “women are more worried than men about pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and their reputation.” Shocking!

I hope that they didn't spend much government money on this bit of research.

In other obvious news:

Why More Men Than Ever View Marriage as a Bad Deal

I've been married twice and like the idea.  I can't imagine NOT being married, but having said that, I can see why it's not right for a lot of men.  Based on my  observations, if a marriage goes bad, it's normally a lot harder financially on men than on women.  The Courts traditionally are more apt to take the woman's side, and if the man is a stand-up-guy, a divorce can be financially devastating. 

Besides, casual sex is pretty easy to find,  (See the paragraph above).  I can't tell women what to do about their quandary, but it seems to me that casual sex and marriage being a bad deal for men is somehow linked.  Maybe we need another study.  We either need a complete turn-around in societal mores, or individual women could conclude that casual sex is bad for their marital  prospects. 

Blue Wave??

I keep seeing nonsense about a blue wave in Texas, like suddenly blood-red Texas is going to turn blue in the next election cycle.  These people are still in denial over the recent presidential upset.

I'm no political pundit, and frankly, when I awoke following the last presidential election, I was surprised that Trump had won. 

But, now I'm seeing these same political pundits telling me that Texas is going to be a demovratic stronghold.  Yeah, right.

The only way that Ted Cruz is going to lose the upcoming election is if they catch him in bed with either a dead girl or a live boy.

Know Your Topic

So, Adam Weinstein at WaPo is upset because his arguments are erroneous.

The phenomenon isn’t new, but in the weeks since the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., a lot of gun-skeptical liberals are getting a taste of it for the first time: While debating the merits of various gun control proposals, Second Amendment enthusiasts often diminish, or outright dismiss their views if they use imprecise firearms terminology. Perhaps someone tweets about “assault-style” weapons, only to be told that there’s no such thing. Maybe they’re reprimanded that an AR-15 is neither an assault rifle nor “high-powered.” Or they say something about “machine guns” when they really mean semiautomatic rifles. Or they get sucked into an hours-long Facebook exchange over the difference between the terms clip and magazine.

Well, Adam, it's hard to talk about guns or gum policy if you don't know what you are talking about.  Whether it's terminology, mechanics, or policy, if you spout nonsense, we are going to correct you.  And, the instances you talk about are the ones that will get you "gunsplained" in a hurry.

There are no "assault weapons".
The AR-15 is not "high powered".
Machine guns have been strictly regulated for decades.
There is a huge difference between a clip and a magazine.

If you didn't know that before, you should know it now.  I've just told you.  And, I'm sure that the Washington Post has editors and fact-checkers that proof-read your work.    If you're going to alk about gun stuff, get your facts straight.  Or, be prepared to look like a dumbass.

Know your topic.  It's okay to have an opinion, but if your opinion is based on myth, legend, or popular culture, be prepared to be mocked by those who have the facts.  In the gun debate, it seems to us that you have an irrational fear of something that doesn't exist, and we'd be happy to show you the error of your ways.  We'd also be happy to let you explore gun culture just a bit.

Gunsplaining, though, is always done in bad faith. Like mansplaining, it’s less about adding to the discourse than smothering it — with self-appointed authority, and often the thinnest of connection to any real fact.

No, Adam.  Gun-control is always in bad faith.  It's not about addressing the problem, it 's about the bad guys, it's about putting additional sanctions on law-abiding people.  I could argue (and frequently do) that the entire gun-control debate is about smothering discourse.  We already had this discussion, as a nation.  In 1994 we tried it.  We tried it for ten years.  We found it didn't work.  You guys keep bringing up failed policy.  That's bad faith. 

You want to talk gun control when it affects the right people.  You don't want to talk about it at all when it affects the inner-city dwellers of Chicago, or Baltimore.  That's bad faith.  You don't want to talk about it when Eric Holder runs thousands of guns into Mexico in violation of federal law.  That's bad faith.  You want to change definitions to suit your immediate argument.  That's bad faith.  You don't want to enforce the laws that are already on the books.  That's bad faith.

You spout platitudes using erroneous facts and expect us to play along?  Then you blame the NRA.  We are several million strong, and we didn't murder anyone last month.  We insist that people obey the law, we teach gun safety, we believe in every one of the Bill of Rights, and we don't intend to give up a single one, especially when your arguments are based on bad information.

So, Adam, if you want to have a reasoned discourse, get your facts straight.  Every time you come at us with lies, distortions, or errors, we're going to call you on it.  We've been having this discussion now for several decades and you should at least, by now, know the basic facts. If you refuse to learn even the basic facts, you should be prepared to be mocked.  Because without the basic facts, you really don't have an argument at all.

Looks Cold

Linking around, I found this photo of a field exercise in North Dakota.  When I clicked on the link, the picture surprised me.

The first thing I did was to look at the caption, thinking "that's a Huey!"  Sure enough.

A 54th Helicopter Squadron UH-1N Iroquois lifts a simulated casualty above the Turtle Mountain State Forest, N.D., Feb. 14, 2018, during a 91st Security Forces Group field training exercise. During the FTX, defenders vectored the aircraft to a landing zone and performed a simulated medical evacuation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman J.T. Armstrong)

According to Wikipedia, the the 54th Helicopter Squadron is an Air Force unit based in Minot.  And, they're still flying Hueys, (N-models these days).  The last Huey I flew in was a D-model, but that was over 20 years ago.  Honestly, I thought that they were out of the inventory.

The Culture Wars

Andrew Klavan pens an interesting piece on the two predominant cultures that currently predominate the political spectrum.  He contrasts a New York Times piece by David Brooks (who?) with another piece by liberal  Annafi Wahed in the Wall Street Journal.

The second piece by Ms. Wahed is interesting.  She reports on attending the recent CPAC, and finding that... well...

"I found myself singing along to 'God Bless the USA' with a hilariously rowdy group of college Republicans, having nuanced discussions about gun control and education policy with people from all walks of life, nodding my head in agreement with parts of Ben Shapiro’s speech, and coming away with a greater determination to burst ideological media bubbles."

That sounds to me, like the way political discourse should be handled.  Good natured, rowdy sometimes, but always with respect for the other side.

David Brooks, on the other hand....

 "progressives are getting better and more aggressive at silencing dissenting behavior. All sorts of formerly legitimate opinions have now been deemed beyond the pale on elite campuses. Speakers have been disinvited and careers destroyed... There are a number of formerly popular ideas that can now end your career: the belief that men and women have inherent psychological differences, the belief that marriage is between a man and a woman, opposition to affirmative action."

 "Silencing dissenting behavior".  That's a political platform.  Klavan uses the term "cultural fascism" and I have to agree with him.  Whenever one tries to silence a dissenting voice, he runs up against the First Amendment. Perhaps Brooks has heard of that principle, that concept,, enshrined in our Bill of Rights.  I may be out-voted, I may lose the debate, but I won't be silenced.    Cultural Fascists hold no sway with me.  Reasonable people can disagree, but trying to silence me (and those like me) is doomed to fail.

Brooks may have the New York Times as his amplifier, but I have PawPaw's House.  My readers may not be as numerous as Brooks', but they're a lot smarter.

Surprise, Surprise

For the last couple of months, I've been seeing US Postal trucks (the little mail delivery vehicles) moving around on Sundays.  I thought that was odd, because we don't normally get mail delivery on Sunday.

Last week I ordered a knife, and Amazon told me that it was scheduled for delivery on Sunday.  Sure enough, it hit my mailbox today and a mail carrier delivered it.  The US Postal Service must have a contract with Amazon.

At any rate, it's a nice little knife, a Kershaw Cyro.  It's a bit smaller and a lot less bulky than the knives I've been carrying around.

The thumb lever that opens the blade is an integral part f the blade metal and forms a nice finger guard when the knife is open.  I have a hunch I'm really going to like this little knife, and I'll use it a while before I decide if I want to move the pocket clip.  I generally like to carry a knife in the point-up position when the knife is closed, so I'm pretty sure that pocket clip is going to be moved.

Chip Trays

The trip to Natchez was a resounding success.  We met Bill's brother, and went to Roux 61, a restaurant on the south side of Natchez, on Route 61.    The food was good, the company was pleasant, and the ambiance was Southern Catfish joint.  Very nice menu.  The ladies started with charbroiled oysters as an appetizer, then moved to  softshell crab for the entree.  The men ate fried catfish, and it was very nicely seasoned.  The cole slaw was excellent.

After lunch yesterday, we went to the Magnolia Bluffs Casino in Natchez.  The ladies wanted to play the machines for a while, and I pulled a lever or two myself.  My first love in casinos is craps, the only game where the players determine the outcome (and one of the better games to play if you know the odds, which are some of the best odds in the house).

After a while of pulling levers, I noticed that they were opening the craps table, so I wanted over to get my preferred spot.  (2nd right, from the croupier.)  Dropped some money on the table and got some chips.  The game started slow, but eventually, the guy to my left got the dice, I spotted immediately that he knew what he was doing.  He set the 3V and had a very smooth flip.  He held the dice for about 40 minutes, rolling fives, sixes, eights and nines.  I was betting conservatively, and watched my chip tray start to fill.    It was one of those magical times on a craps table, where the chips were flowing away from the table boss toward the players.  He finally lost, ad the dice moved down to the next guy, on the left of the croupier.  He opened with a Yo, and on the next roll set the point at 8.  Then, he started hitting the outside of the line.  fours, fives, nines and tens.  Eventually, he hit another 8, then hit a 6 to set the point.  He continues rolling ont he outside, and simply stood there and watched my chip tray continue to fill.  He held the dice for about 40 minutes.

After he sevened-out, I looked at my watch and noticed the time.  The next guy hit an 8, but I sudenly got a bad feeling.  I had $37 on the table, $5 on the pass, with $10 odds, and $22 on the inside line.  I told the dealer who was handling my chips, "Turn my bets off.  I want to color-up".  She nodded, and the guy flipped the dice, and sevened-out.  Whew!  My bets were off.

I got my chips, and wandered over to the cashier, where I got my folding money.  I didn't get rich, but I payed for the trip, came out ahead of the house, and I won't have to hit an ATM this week.

I don't know how everyone else did, but Natchez treated me very well.

Natchez

About two hours up the road, Natchez, MS is a cool town.  Belle's brother told her about a restaurant he found there, and she dared him to meet us there for lunch.  He lives in New Roads, also about two hours from Natchez, so we're meeting there today.

Belle's near brother, William J. Go-To-Hell, will be here in a bit, and we'll ride together

My gal and I re going to slip off an have some fun.  We'll be back later  this evening.  Belle and I have poked around in Ntchez several times over our relationship and generally enjoy the plce.

Peace Officer

Greg Ellifritz  posts a great article over at Active Response Training.

In many states, cops aren’t statutorily designated as “law enforcement officers.”  They are more properly classified as “Peace Officers.”  We are charged with keeping the peace in the community and protecting our residents from both hazards and criminals.  We use the law as a tool to help us accomplish the goal of keeping the peace.  Cops who mindlessly “enforce the law” may or may not accomplish the goal of “keeping the peace.”  It’s a crap shoot.

I've found this to be true, especially in my role as school-house-cop.  Many times, when I go  into a room, whether it be a rowdy classroom, or an administrative office with an angry parent, I see that everyone takes a breath and softens their tone. I am the adult in the room, whether anyone else is or not.

They teach us, in the basic academy that our job is to use force, and the very first level of force is Officer Presence.  When we show up, things change. Yes, we are law enforcement officers, but out first mandate is to preserve the peace, and I'd much rather resolve an issue peacefully.

Unfortunately, a lot of police administrators don’t want to deal with “peace officers.”  Solving real problems involves a lot of work and effort.  Many bosses don’t want to do that.  They actively discourage officers from doing good work out of sheer laziness or fear that they will inadvertently allow an action that will later be criticized by the boss’ superiors or political controllers.

Wow!  That paragraph is so true. Every boss focuses on two or three things, and the officers under him or her tend to focus on what the boss wants done.  That's human nature. 

Cops quickly learn that they shouldn’t attempt to do anything significant at work.  It’s easier to write a few tickets and keep the bosses happy than it is to make political waves and get beaten down for genuinely trying to solve major community problems.

We all learn to avoid politics, especially if we work for politicians.    They don't want us solving problems, because many of those problems are of their making.

 Is the majority of your day spent fucking with people and generating inconsequential “stats?”  If so, you aren’t a peace officer.  You are a revenue generating cog in a political machine.  Your conduct will further undermine the public trust in our profession.  Stop it.

 Just wow!  The entire law enforcement community needs to read this whole article.  More at this link.

Ordered The Knife

Thanks, guys, for all your recommendations.  Of course, being the curmudgeonly, cantankerous sort that I am, I wound up not following any of them.  I started surfing around on Amazon this morning and made an impulse purchase.

The Kershaw Cryo.

At $20.00, I figured I couldn't go wrong.  It's inexpensive enough that if I don't simply love it, I can still order something else and put this one into my spares.  But, I like the blade profile, and I suspect that it will serve me for the next year or so, until I hang up my gunbelt next year.

A Dumpster Fire

Liz Shields covers a meeting that President Trump hosted yesterday.

Trump taunted lawmakers by telling them, "you're afraid of the NRA." He'll soon find out why politicians are afraid of the NRA during the 2018 elections if he doesn't walk back some of the insanity he was tossing about in that meeting.
Some of the ridiculous changes to firearm laws Trump seemed amenable to include outlawing private guns sales, raising the age to 21 to buy a long gun, and taking people's guns without due process. Like I said, what a dumpster fire. Not one of those things will stop criminal maniacs from getting a firearm.

Trump is fond of saying that he is not a politician, but he had better pay attention to the politics, or he's liable to suffer disastrous losses during the midterms.  And, he has every reason to be afraid of the NRA.  We've been taking down nitwits for several decades.  Ignoring due process, indeed.