Cycles

A club member came over yesterday.  His Colt clone was broken.  It's a Cimarron PP410, a very nice revolver.  He bought it last year, before Louisiana State in April.  I recall helping him shortly after the pistol came in, replacing the stock main spring with a Wolff reduced power mainspring. (Brownell's 969-322-850WB).  Wolff makes very nice springs; they are a staple of gunsmiths everywhere, both amateur and professional.

A quick diagnosis, the hammer was flopping around, and I suspected that the main spring had turned loose.  We removed the grip frame, and sure enough, there's your problem right there.

I keep a couple of those springs handy, but we removed the bottom grip frame and gave the inards a good cleaning before we installed the new spring and re-assembled the gun.

Springs fail through cycles of use.  With just a little detective work, we decided that this particular spring had somewhere north of 9,000 cycles before it failed.  That is NOT the springs fault.  Cowboy shooters put a lot of stress on their guns, simply through the nature of the game.  We snatch on them pretty hard, and sometimes springs turn loose. 

Before we decry the flat mainspring in the Colt reproductions, we have to understand the nature of the game.  The Ruger New Vaquero is a very robust handgun, and a favorite in the Cowboy games, but I've seen them break, too.  We put a lot of stress on our guns, even if we are firing very light squib loads.  In the past several months I've replaced a fair number of springs in both Colt repros and Rugers.  It's part of the game.

Grammy's Lemon Icebox Pie

When I was a mere stripling youth, my paternal grandmother made a lemon icebox pie that is simplicity itself.  She claimed that she got the recipe from a can, but she never told me what can.  But, I ate a bunch of this pie over the years.  It was a staple around her Sunday table.

Grammy's Lemon Icebox Pie

Ingredients:
2 cans (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate
2 tubs (8 oz) ready-made whipped topping (Cool Whip)
2 store-bought graham cracker crusts

Instructions:
In a big bowl, mix sweetened condensed mild, lemonade concentrate, and whipped topping.  Mix until smooth.  Divide mixture into the two graham cracker crusts.  Chill until firm.

Seriously.  Mix, freeze and eat.  There is nothing to this pie, and it's a crowd-pleaser, which is why it makes two pies.

Peppers and Sausage

I wanted something savory on a rainy Monday.  Peppers and sausage.

Ingredients
1 lb good smoked sausage
4 big bell peppers
1 large onion
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
Olive oil
1 T minced garlic
Salt, pepper

Cook it.
Chop onions and peppers into strips.  In a large skillet, brown the sausage and set aside.  Put olive oil, peppers and onion in the skillet, turn fire to medium-low, and cover the skillet.  The peppers and onion will start to "melt down".  Add browned sausage.  Salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a hoagie bun, or over rice, or just put it on a plate and eat it. 

Legal Arguments

A compelling legal argument from professor Alan Dershowitz on the legal standard for impeachment.  It's an hour, but if you enjoy a vigorous legal argument, well worth the time.



As I understand the argument, it boils down to simply that an impeachment is based on a crime as defined in law.  What Trump may have done might be despicable, but not a crime defined in law.  All the rest are political arguments that can be made for consideration at the ballot box, but those acts don't rise to the level of an impeachable offense.

God Bless Rednecks

Our Missouri grandson, Louis, woks on an itinerant crew, maintaining cell towers.  They work all over a four-or-five state area, and he let us know that he would be passing through town.  In a crew cab dually, pulling a 32-foot gooseneck.

We live on a parish (county) road off of a major state highway.  Our road feeds several subdivisions, so while it's bot really busy, the traffic is regular.  When Louis got here, his crew tried to back that trailer into the driveway in front of our ship, and promptly pu the truck into a ditch, high-centered, stuck.  Completely blocking the road.

I heard them stick it and walked outside to survey the problem.  Yep, it was stuck.  That truck wasn't going anywhere without help, and they had managed to block my truck in so that I couldn't get out to help them.  But, I was not worried.   We live in redneck-central, and I knw that someone would be along shortly.

Sure enough, inside of five minutes a guy pulled u in a one-ton crew truck, asking if we needed help.  He needed to get past us, and we needed to get the truck out o the ditch, and in just a minute, he had turned his truck around and we had it rigged to pull.  Easy-peasy.  In less time than it takes to type this sentence, we had the problem solved, the truck out of the ditch, the trailer out o the travel lane, and we were drinking beer in the shop.

I didn't even get the name of the fellow who pulled it out.  But, I'd do the same for him, ad have many times for other folks.  Rednecks live for stuff like this.

Busy Weekend

Yesterday, we hosted the shooting club for our regular Monthly Match.  We love this game and the people associated with it, and had a ball shooting yesterday.

Toady, we did our normal Sunday lunch, but got word this afternoon that a Missouri grandson was passing through from one job  to another.   We made a jambalaya ad re-heated the crawfish etoufee and bed his crew late this afternoon.   Belle got to spend an hour with him and was mighty pleased to see him.

It was a great weekend.  I'm going to hit the shower and get ready for Moday morning.

Lake Peigneur

An interesting bit of Louisiana history.  When an oil rig penetrated the Diamond Crystal salt mine on Lake Peigneur.  I didn't see it, but I watched it on the 6:00 news.

The Merlin Engine

Jay Leno owns a Merlin engine..



That's just cooler'n hell.

The Primary Election

Louisiana's primary election, for both Democrat and Republican will occur on April 3, 2020, and out Secretary of State has published the sample ballots for that election.  I am surprised to find that a number of people have qualified to run as Republicans in the presidential primary.

Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente Republican

"Bob" Ely Republican

Matthew John Matern Republican

Donald J. Trump Republican

Bill Weld Republican

Interesting.  I've never heard of most of these guys.  Trump I've heard of, and I'll pull the lever for him.  I wonder what those other guys are thinking?

The Schiff Show Continues

Pencil-Neck Schiff continues his assault on the American republic.

Now, he's claimig that we can't possibly allow President Trump to stand for re-election because we can't be sure that the election will be fair.

Really, Adam?  What do you consider fair?  Massive voter fraud?  Illegals voting?  As long as the Democrats win, it's fair?

I recall Hillary Clinton asking Donald Trump is he would respect the results o the election.  And, since the election, the Democrats have been throwing a monumental hissy-fit because they lost.  It was Russia!  It was Ukraine!

No, Pencil Neck, it was the Electoral College, the greatest bit of political genius that the Founders put into the Constitution.  It was designed to work precisely the way it worked.  That's the way we elect Presidents.

Schiff deserves censure.  More importantly, he deserves ridicule.  He, along with Nadler, Schumer, and Pelosi deserve the contempt they have so richly earned.

Wintry Mix

They're telling us that we're liable to get a wintry mix of precipitation in another hour or so.

Oh, Joy!  I'd best get cracking on my errands before everything turns to s*it.

Sharing What The MSM Won't

Notes on the Virginia Rally

Some notes on a remarkable rally in Virginia today.

The tyrant Northam put peaceful citizens in cages.

The State Police supervised those citizens in the cages.

Many thousands of citizens who refused to go into the cages were heavily armed,  Arguably, more heavily armed than the State Police. (I even saw one Barrett M85 being toted about.).

No one was injured, no one was harmed.  Peaceful citizens exercising both the 1st and 2nd Amendment.  Yet, the tyrant Northam wanted to put them in cages.

Virginia deserves better.  And the message is clear, We Will Not Comply.

Errands

The boys needed to swing by Wally-world, and I needed fuel,so I dropped them off at the front door and swung around to the Murphy Station adjacent.  They recently remodeled, and I haven't stopped there since the remodel.  I was surprised to find that they offer ethanol-free fuel.

I don't mind burning ethanol in my vehicle, all the new ones are set up for corn, and whatever you think about the moral imperative of burning corn in a vehicle, it is ubiquitous.  Those of us who want ethanol-free in our small engines have to seek it out, and now I have one other place to get it.

After the Wally trip, I took the boys to a local lunch place for a calzone.  These two were born within 6 months of each other and have been close cousins their whole lives. 

The one on the left graduates from high school in May.  The one on the right graduated in December and leaves for Fort Jackson tomorrow morning.  This may well be the last time they are together for a while.

All Eyes On Virginia

All eyes are on Virginia today.  It seems that the tyrant Northam, has been sending out police officers to question citizens about their intent for Lobbying Day that will commence in a few hours.

These two cops are in a bad situation.  But, it's a situation of ther own making.  At some point, every police officer needs to determine where his loyalty stands, even at the risk of his paycheck.



I am sure that these two cops think they are "just doing the job".  Likewise, I think that that the poor infantryman who marched out of Boston that beautiful morning in 1775 were just doing their jobs.  Just following orders.  Yet, before the day was over, their regiment was decimated and they had ignited a firestorm that consumed a continent.

Northam doesn't have any "regulars", but he does have his police officers.  Those fine young men and women should keep their heads abut them this morning, and remember their oaths.  If things go horribly wrong this morning, it won't matter who is signing their paychecks.  All that will matter is how the free world assesses their conduct.

Poor Ol' Harry

I'm not one to follow the travails of the Royal Family in Britain, but you'd have to be blind not to see that young Harry, beloved grandson of the Queen, has crapped in his own mess-kit.

This dude, an elite only by virtue of his birth, had the world by the nuts.

This time a year ago, Prince Harry had the world at his feet. He was a handsome prince with a beautiful wife and a healthy male heir on the way, plenty of money, a free, five-bedroomed ‘cottage’ in a piece of England’s finest real estate, a dashing war record from two tours in Afghanistan, bags of honorary titles — including Captain General of the Royal Marines — all the cachet of being a senior player in the world’s grandest Royal Family but little of the responsibility (his big brother William is heir to the throne, so the pressure is off there), with plenty of spare time for frequent private jet jaunts round the world to hang out with celebrity chums like Sir Elton John.

Now, he's pissed off grandma, been booted out of the royal family, and owes the taxpayers of Britain, 2.4 million pounds.  He's in his mid-30s, relatively healthy, and moving to a new country.  He'll be fine.  Lots of folks have started over at that age, and I wish him the best of luck.  He's going to need it.

Little Ribeyes

Grandson Quinton is shipping out for Basic Training on Tuesday.  He's been living with us since August, and we're going to miss him when he goes.  We've been spoiling him a little bit this week.  He told me that he wanted a good steak before he left, so yesterday I went to the butchers and had him cut some nice little 20 oz ribeyes.  Seasoned them up good, let them come to room temp, and dropped them on a very hot iron griddle.

Of course, we had to saute some mushrooms.  And keep some herbed utter close by to assist in basting.  Belle had baked some potatoes.

One plate for the steak, one for the potato

 He's heading to Fort Jackson, SC for basic, thence to Fort Lee, VA for training in MOS 91F (Small arms repairman).

Dialect

It's how we talk, and certainly we talk differently across regions of the US.  From the wonders of the intertubes, we come upon a neat little quiz to determine where your particular dialect is centered.  Go here to stat the quiz.

I took the quiz, and the results put me squarely in Louisiana, which isn't much of a stretch.

Red, more likely.  Blue, less likely

It's interesting, some of the choices they give you.

Liberal Hacks

I saw this exchange yesterday and found it unremarkable, but lots of folks are remarking on it, so what the hell.  This reporter tries to ambush Senator McSally in the halls of the Capitol, and she shuts him down.



The reporter in question is known for doing hit pieces to make conservatives look bad, while ignoring the antics of of Democrats.  But, the larger question is if McSally insulted him?  Probably not.  He knows he's a liberal hack and revels in it.  Where is the insult?

I tend to agree with Instapundit.

Personally, I think it’s okay to talk to reporters any way you want. I’d call them whores, but that’s an insult to the professionalism of prostitutes.

CNN is fake news, and this guy is the worst of the lot  He asks stupid questions, trying hard to break a non-story.  There was a time, thirty years ago, when I trusted CNN.  It was playing in the common area of the Provost Marshall's station the entire time I was assigned at Fort Polk.  I haven't trusted CNN since the beginning of George W Bush's term.  They really turned the corner during the Obama era, carrying his water at every opportunity.  They're hacks.  The whole bunch of them.

Dear Virginia

I see that there is a big 2A rally planned in Virginian on Monday, Jan 20 to protest planned gun control efforts in that state.  I also see that pro-gun goups are cautioning their folks to be on the lookout for agitators.

In an alert sent by one of the groups leading the “lobbying day” effort, supporters were advised to look the other way should counterprotesters challenge them.

 “If someone tries to provoke you, smile and walk away. There is probably someone secretly recording the interaction, with the intent of capturing some kind of inappropriate reaction on your part. Don't take the bait. It's not worth the bad press,” said the alert from the Virginia Citizens Defense League, which has conducted annual lobby day events peacefully since 2002.

We have to be on our best beavior, folks, we don't want to give the tyrants any excuses.  We're using the 1st Amendment on Monday.

I see that the governor has declared a state of emergency.  How very prescient for his tyrannical plans.



If you're going to the protest, be on your best behavior.  Don't give them any reason to over-react.

Thursday Morning Connectivity

Over the past several days, we've been having problems with internet connectivity.  It drops of-line several times a day. My personal, teenage grandson tech support suspects that the problem is the internet modem, which we've had for about eight years.  With two teenagers in the house, who each drag hard o that modem, I suspect that my tech support is correct, but before I spend the money, I want another opinion, so I call the company tech line.  The conversation goes like this:

Them: "Thanks for calling.  What's the problem."
Me: "Internet connectivity."
Then: "Let's reset the modem."
Me: I've done that four times today."
Them: "Let's do it again"

We reset the modem.

Them: "It looks good from here."
Me: "Okay, if my modem is fine, why does my internet keep dropping?"
Them: "The modem is fine."
Me: "Okay, if the modem is fine, is the problem on your end, or my end?"
Them: "The modem is fine."
Me: "Great, let me speak with your supervisor." 
Them: "We don't have a supervisor here."
Me: :You don't have a boss?  Am I speaking to the CEO?"
Them: "No, I am not the CEO."
ME: :Great!  You work for someone. Put him on the horn."

Needless to say, I didn't speak to a supervisor.  But I'm retired now and my internet provider (Suddenlink Communications), has a business office/plant operation just a few miles up the street.  My plan this morning is to drop by and give the lady at the front desk an opportunity to trot the manager out and let him explain to me what the problem is.

LSU Wins

Our beloved LSU Tigers took the national championship last night in the NCAA Championship game against Clemson.  President Trump attending the game with the First Lady.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

It was a rousing championship game to end a phenomenal season. 

All of Louisiana is celebrating today. 

Monday Morning Notes

It's a rainy day here in central Louisiana.  I've pushed the grandson out the door for school, and Belle will soon begin her routine to leave for work.

The entire state of Louisiana is cocked and locked for a football game tonight.  The LSU Tigers meet the Clemson Tiers at the Super Dome tonight for the championship game.  The betting line (depending on who you watch) shows LSU winning by a touchdown.

Anyone who thinks that Iran general Soleimani was beloved of the Iranian people is either daft or a damned liar.  From what I've read, that huge funeral crowd was lashed into the street by the theocracy and their henchmen.  Many Iranians didn't give a flying flip about him and most of the others actively despised him.

Pelosi continues her derangement.  While I agree that RUSSIA tied to meddle in the election, it seems that they backed the loser and Trump won against their best efforts.  She can't stand it, so she lashes out.  It's a poor example for a Speaker of the House, but it is certainly amusing.

I have quite a laundry list of things to do today (including laundry), so I'd best get started.

Iran Fesses Up

It seems that Iran has admitted that their air defense forces shot down the Ukrainian jet liner earlier this week.

Iran finally admitted Friday night to the incontrovertible evidence that it had shot a Ukraine jetliner out of the sky less than two minutes after it took off.

I was horrified when I heard the initial reports,  It seems that a whole bunch of Canadians were on board, and I admit that mystified me.  What the hell were they doing in Tehran?  And, what was the pilot thinking?  Didn't he know that he was flying in what seemed to be contested air space?  How did the ground controllers let him take off in the first place?

Somewhere outside Tehran, a young officer had a crew at a missile site.  They were expecting an American response to their missile launches into Iraq.  This young officer saw a bogey on his screen and launched a missile.  The missile did just exactly what it was designed to do.

It's a tragedy, but it seems to be a cascading chain of events that lead this Ukrainian jet to be over a missile site that was cocked-and-locked for incoming air traffic.  A blip on a screen, and war has begun.

New ATF study

It seems that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and whatever else, EIEIO, is conducting studies trying to figure out how many firearms and how much ammo is in the hands of law-abiding Americans.  My first reaction was that the ATFEIEIO guys have more to do than tally numbers, but if they are doing that, they aren't abusing good Americans.  THey are wastinng tax money, but we've come to expect that.

My second reaction is that their numbers are abysmally low.

Newly released figures from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives shows that there are now a whopping 422.9 million guns in the hands of Americans. The number equates to 1.2 guns for every person in the country.

 The figures also reveal that the most popular firearm in the country is the much maligned sporting rifle, often mis-identified as an “assault rifle”, the AR-15 being one of the more popular models.

They also estimate that 8.1 billion rounds of ammo were produced last year.  I have no idea about that, but I bet that they didn't take into account the hundreds of thousands of us who produce our own ammo.  I suspect that the amount of ammunition in private hands exceeds their numbers by a significant margin.

Disclaimer:  I can't attest to the veracity of the linked article, only noting it for the purpose of discussion.

Thanks, Termite!

My buddy Termite works in the Gulf i the oil field.  He is a recovering professional aviator turned amateur, but we've been shooting together for years and we've done some trading and swapping.

Yesterday he called and told me that he had some good, fresh Gulf shrimp for me.  Five pounds, head on.  He brought them over and later I processed them.  It isn't hard to process shrimp, and these were beauties.  In less than an hour, I had a gallon zipper bag full of fresh, Gulf goodness.

Belle is already plotting what to do with them.  I suspect that they won't be in that bag by nightfall.

Thanks, Termite!

Our Justice System

I learned a long time ago as a cop that it wasn't my job to try and convict criminals.  It was my job to arrest and provide evidence.  I couldn't get my feelings hurt, if for whatever reason, the District Attorney chose not to prosecute.

That's the nature of our system, and Nancy Pelosi is learning that.  The Constitution is clear.  The House begins the impeachment process and the Senate finishes it.  The Speaker does not get to negotiate the rules.  Her job s finished when she sends the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate.  Mitch McConnell made that perfectly clear yesterday.

"If the Speaker continues to refuse to take her own accusations to trial, the Senate will move forward next week with the business of our people," he said. "We will operate on the assumption that House Democrats are too embarrassed to ever move forward."

That seems fair to me.  If SanFranNan doesn't send the articles over, the Senate can't try them, and should move forward as if they never existed.

Thursday Morning News

We awaken Thursday to a mixed bag of news.

First, the weather.  It looks like east Texas, central Louisiana, and parts of Arkansas are in for another round of hateful weather over Friday and the weekend. Oh, joy.

In national political news, it seems that the Democrats are disappointed in Trump's reaction to the Iranian temper-tantrum.  It seems that they actually wanted him to bomb Tehran, which seems odd.  Certainly, they didn't want a new war simply for crass political concerns did they?  It seems that SanFran Nan was all set to vote on a war-powers resolution.  But now, there is not going to be another war and she is deflated.  I swear, Pelosi and Schumer are so far behind the power-curve, they will never catch up.

In another heart-warming item, it seems that the youngest son of the presumptive Den candidate has been named the father of a child born to an ex-stripper.  Of course, stepping-up, taking responsibility and doing the right thing is not a trait that Democrats normally exhibit, so the young lovely had to take him to court.  DNA is a thing, and the courts have decided that Hunter Biden is the biological and legal father of the child in question. The infant will get a new birth certificate, and baby-momma will get child support.  As is right an proper. The young lady should have learned a life-lesson.  Never mate with Democrats.

All that aside, PawPaw has a busy day today.  Lots of stuff happening on several fronts and I'd best finish my coffee and get busy.  Y'all have a great Thursday.

Catamount

They're called various things.  Lions, panthers, cougars, catamount.  They are damned big cats for this part of the country.  The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries acknowledges that they exist, but cautions that they are rare ad protected.  Everyone talks about "black panthers", but they are not black.  The three I've seen range from tan to a chocolate brown.  A dark panther at night might look black, but I doubt it.

Whatever the color phase, their vocalizations are quite distinctive.  Below is a video that purports to capture a panther scream.  In my opinion, this one is hoarse.  The one that lived behind my house in the '90s was much more clear and disturbing.  It sounded like a woman in extreme distress and would make the hair stand on you head.


Hearing that on the way to the barn to feed horses in the pre-dawn would make you pick p your step and turn on all the lights.

Iran Calls The Thunder

It appears that the Iranians have lost their damned minds, and are attacking US bases in Iraq.

From senior US military source in Iraq:
“Under missile attack from Iran. These are either cruise missiles or short range ballistic missiles. All over the country.”

Other tweets indicate that this is revenge for the lawful, battlefield killing of whatshisname.

 Fars News agency in Iran says this is video of a missile attack that has been launched in Al Assad airbase in NW Iraq. Home to Iraqi and U.S. forces. In their own words  "Start of Iran's vengeful US retaliation / Moment of Iranian missile firing at US base in Ain al-Assad"

They may have called the thunder, but I bet that they are not willing to reap the whirlwind. 

Here we go.

Good For The Goose, Good For The Gander

It seems that majority leader Mitch McConnell has the votes to use the same rules for the Trump impeachment that the Democratic Senate relied on when it tried President Bill Clinton.

That seems fair to me.  Why should the rules of an impeachment trial change just because the players have changed?

Nancy Pelosi  wanted the change the rules to suit their own narrative and desires.  They want to make up the rules as they go along.  But, that ain't the way it works.

Maintenance

It's the New Year, and even though we are in the depths of winter, the mowing season will be on us soon.  So, we decided to do maintenance this morning.  Take the deck off of the lawn mower, give everything a once-over, change the blades and put everything back together.

Grandson Lucas happened to be here (he's practically nine, you know) ad was a big help, fetching tools, holding stuff, turning a wrench.  When it was over, I took him to Wendy's for lunch.

There is this sandwich called a Baconator.  It's a bacon double-cheeseburger,  Big honking sandwich.

He made short work of it.  That sandwich didn't stand a chance.

Quote For Truth

Lindsey Graham, the esteemed senator from South Carolina, appeared on Fox News yesterday to talk about the Iranian dynamic.  He also responded to criticism from an infamous has-been, washed-up football player who can't seem to keep his footing, especially during the National Anthem.

It's brutal.  But fair.

"He’s a loser on and off the field," Graham said Sunday on Fox News during an interview about the death of Qasem Soleimani. "He’s a racist. If you’re looking for racism in America, Mr. Kaepernick, look in the mirror."

Oh, snap!

Welcome!

We have a new CFDA Club-In-Te-Works.  This designation is an affiliate who isn't ready for full affiliation, but wants to be recognized as a club who has a plan for full affiliation with the Cowboy Fast Draw Association.

Based in Jonesville, LA in Catahoula parish, we wish them well and hope that we can partner with them to grow CFDA in Louisiana.  Their Facebook page is here.

Short Memories

Remember back when Obama famously said that eh had a "pen ad a phone"?

Remember the Iran deal where Obama shipped over US currency by the pallet-load without congressional approval?

Former national security adviser Ben Rhodes, the architect of the Iran nuclear deal, purposely structured the JCPOA as a treaty that was not a treaty because he and his boss, President Obama, had no intention whatsoever of doing with the JCPOA what the Constitution mandates for all treaties, which is to obtain the approval of two-thirds of the Senate. Rhodes and Obama simply rammed through what was in effect a treaty without seeking the approval of even one Senator.

Well, President Trump has a pen and a phone now, and the Democrats can't stand it.   They are truly pissed that he didn't seek Congressional approval before whacking that Iranian whatshisname. 

Democrats are flailing and weeping that Trump's action was a dangerous escalation and that Iran will become more dangerous to American interests.   Well, for damn sure, ol' whatshisname isn't a danger anymore.

Democrats don't like it much when someone else plays by their rules.

Louisiana State

The planning is already well advanced, and it is time to start checking lists and make sure that everything is in its place. Ninety days from today, we kick off the 4th annual Louisiana State Championship of Cowboy Fast Draw.

Big changes this year, we're making sure that it will be the best event ever.  The City of Pineville has partnered with us, allowing us to use the Main Street Community Center in Pineville.  This is a beautiful facility, in downtown Pineville, and for the first time, we won't have to worry about rain nor wind.  Nor heat nor cold.  We're indoors.

Here we go!

Soleimani? Who?

If you've never heard of him, don't worry about it.  Qassem Soleimani was a top general in the Iranian military.  He came up (militarily) in the Iran-Iraq war and the proxy wars that followed.  He was tight with the mullahs, and festered terrorism across the region, often behind the scenes.

He came to Baghdad recently to stir up shit, and was fostering the demonstrations there against the US embassy.  Donald Trump remembered the destruction of the US embassy in Benghazi several years ago and decided that he had smelled just about enough of this particular brand of bullshit.

In a targeted airstrike by US forces, Soleimani, along with several henchmen, bit off more than they could chew, and have now achieved room temperature.

You can read all the background here.

The killing of Soleimani will surely lead to a response from Iraq, and the good folks in US Intelligence need to keep their ears to the ground.  This isn't over by any rational estimate, but surely the mullahs get the message.

Only the Police Should Have Guns?

That's Michael Bloomberg's take on the White Settlement church shooting.  He doesn't believe private citizens should have guns.  He says so himself. "We just do not want the average citizen carrying a gun in a crowded place."



Colion breaks it down better than I could.  Bloomberg has made a lot of money in the financial world, but he doesn't know squat about guns, or freedom, or the 2nd Amendment.  The American voter should reject his campaign as idiotic.

Colt Bringing The Python Back?

TTAG is announcing that Colt is bringing back the Python. - Really?  Cool.

Colt was, for decades a leader in wheel gun technology.  But, as I recall, Colt decided at some point that revolvers were too expensive to build; the gun-buying public wouldn't spend the money.  And, I suppose, their 1911s and AR-15s were making the company plenty of money and those military contacts were important.

But, some time ago, they resurrected the King Cobra.  I haven't seen one yet, but I understand that they are out there.

For the past several years I have focused my attention on single-action revolvers.  The Colt is still a thing, it trades on the secondary market,and several of us watch the prices, and a fellow can still order a Colt SAA new-in-box, but he'd have to put down a healthy deposit and wait a year or more before his revolver is delivered.  They are all custom-shop jobs, and the waiting period is what it is.  Or, a fellow can pay double o triple on the secondary market.

Evidently, Colt has decided that the revolve market is still worth mining.

Happy New Year

Belle and I were engaged on New Year's Eve 2003.  So, New Year's Eve is a kinda-sorta anniversary for us.

We went out tonight, had a little fun, and came home before midnight.  I'm quite sure that the local constabulary would be out in full force, and as much as I like those guys and enjoy the opportunity to talk with them, New Year's Eve is not the night to do that.

We're starting 2020,, and this year I resolve to make no resolutions.  I'll take it as it comes.