Sunday, March 31, 2019

Monkey Shoulder

Regular readers know that I love my bourbon, but recently I decided to branch out a bit, to try Scotch whiskey.  I bought a bottle of Monkey Shoulder, a blend from the Speyside region of Scotland, a blended malt from Balvenie, Glenfiddich and Kininvie distilleries.  I've found it very nice sipping whiskey indeed, and introduced tow people to it this weekend.

The first was my brother-in-law, Pat, yesterday.  He's a Scotch dinker from way back, and I showed him the bottle and offered hi a pour.  He took it and pronounced it very nice indeed.  Later I caught him mooching a dram to mix with soda, which is perfectly okay with me.
The second was daughter-in-law Melissa who told me several months ago she wanted to try good Scotch.  She had tried a pour several years ago at a local bar and said that it "tasted like dirt".  I poured her some Monkey Shoulder and she decided that he likes Speyside Scotch.  Light, fruity, with a nice clean finish.  She likes it very well indeed.
If you are a Scotch drinker and haven't tried Monkey Shoulder, I suggest you give it a try.  It's a very friendly malt whiskey.  Locally, it's abot $30.00 a bottle.   I still love my bourbon, but this Scotch has me re-thinging my whole wheelhouse.

Weekend Update

It's been a family weekend.  Yesterday, Belle's folks were over here and we had a blast.  Today, all o my kids were here under the same roof, a feat that occurs only occasionally, when the starts align and .... well, you understand.  We took the opportunity for a photo.

L-R: Joey, Michelle, PawPww, Matt, and Barrett.
They must have put me in a hole.
Today was a day for divestiture.  SIL Greg (Michelle's husband) told me several months ago that he wanted to make venison with my Sharps.  So, today I told him to take it and learn to shoot it.  I also sent along several dozen rounds of my reloads, both smokeess and black powder loads.  He'll figure it out.

Son Joey told me several months ago that when I was through messing around with my A2 carbine, he wanted to play with it, so I handed it over today.  It's an old-style with the carry handle, and I'm not so good with irons anymore, so I sent it home with him.

Son Barrett doesn't have one of my duty pistols yet,   He had been jonesing or a Glock .40 SW and I happened to have one in my holster unti I retired on Friday.  So, I passed along the Glock to him, along with several hundred rounds of ammo  Now, I'm out o the .40 SW business.  He's thrilled, and I'm down one caliber.

Each of my sons now has a handgun that I carried on duty.  Joey had the MOdel 60 Icarried in plainclothes, Matt has the SW M&P in .45 ACP that I carried for several years, and Barrett has my Glock 22.

This whole weekend was consumed by family, and it was very well spent.  Now, Belle ad I are enjoying a cocktail while the washing machine spins, and we'll have another before bed.  It's been a very good weekend, indeed.

What? No Way!

I'm having trouble believing what I'm reading.  It seems that two Chicago police officers were in the middle of a routine arrest, when it became anything but routine.
As the Chicago Tribune reported, on March 20th, two tactical police officers from the Chicago PD were in the process of arresting a suspected drug dealer on the city’s west side. After securing the suspect and confiscating a bundle of drugs as evidence, placing them in the patrol car,
Sound pretty routine.  Spot drug dealer, arrest drug dealer.  Confiscate evidence.  Then, the story turns.
 the officers were surrounded by a group of men who began to threaten them. At least one claimed to be armed and demanded the suspect be released or he would shoot the cops. Someone in the mob stole the drugs from the patrol car and fled, with one officer giving pursuit. The threatened violence surrounding the patrol car escalated and the cops wound up releasing the suspect and leaving the scene.
What?  They released the suspect to the mob?

I understand that the cops were in a bad situation, with threatened violence before an ostensibly armed mob, but you never release a suspect to a mob, even at threat of violence.  That should never happen.  It's unheard of, it's unspeakable.

There is a local reporter covering the story, and he tries to speak truth to power.
If the cops had fired their weapons, news media would have been all over them, metaphorically skinning them alive. Politicians would have demanded their heads. Democratic presidential candidates, and the two campaigning for mayor, would have held repeated news conferences.
 But this? Nothing.
Chicago needs to get behind the police department, and decide to take back the streets.  Evidently, right now the gangs own the streets to the point where the police are ineffective, and the politicians ad good people in the neighborhoods are okay with this arrangement. 

I'm not going to judge he two officers.  I'm sure that they did what they thought they had to do, but this incident speaks volumes about the culture that the Chicago PD is operating in.  In this day and era of constant video, I'm sure that someone, perhaps the officers themselves have video evidence from this event, and I hope that indictments are swift and punishment severe.  Chicago needs to get control back.

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Family Gathering

Belle's family gathered in the shop today to enjoy each other's company.  As usual, we took a family picture of the matriarch and her children.  Miss Reba (Memaw) is 97 years old and still keeps her own house. 


Seated, Miss Reba.  Standing L-R: Belle, Barbara, Harold, Tammy, and Bill.
We had a big feed, with chicken, beans, 'tater salad, and lots of other fixings.  Everyone took a plate home, and we still had a ton of leftovers. 

It was a great day, and everything is cleaned up.  Tomorrow, we start over, with the normal Sunday feeding.  I'm realy ooking orward to it.

Party TIme

Belle has four siblings, and they all live in Louisiana, some close but the furthest is only two hours away.  They get together once a quarter to spend the day together, cook a meal, and hang out with each other.  And the spouses, of course, and anyone else who wants to gather.

Today's the day and the family will be gathering here.  I have to go to the barn shortly and move some stuff around so that we can party comfortably.  It's one reason that I built the barn.  It's a place for people to gather and enjoy each other.

The skies are cloudy and the weather weenies are telling us that we have a 60% chance of rain.  But, we have a large building under roof and we'll be just fine.


Friday, March 29, 2019

Retired and Running

When I went into the Sherif's office this morning to do the final paperwork, the secret was out.  more than one person asked me if I was running for Sheriff.  The election is't until October, and I have time to get my message out.

The message is simple.  Ope, honest transparent leadership.  I know how to do this job because I've run a police agency before.  The Sheriff's job is a bit more complicated, but I have the training, experience, education, and ability to make it happen.



I still have a big shoot planned in two weeks, but after that, I'll be campaigning across the parish getig to know the people of Rapides Parish

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Busy, Busy

My last official day of duty was busy, busy.  Big goings-on at the School Board and I didn't even take the computer out of the case today.  Nothing to worry about, just some high-level interest that (frankly) didn't amount to a hill of beans

Home now, and I have the tumbler going with brass for the upcoming match.  I've got a couple of hundred rounds to load, so in another fifteen minutes I'll get busy with that.

Tomorrow, I turn in gear.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

New Targets

We're doing something every day for Louisiana State.  Today was target work.  I had six brand new targets made a couple of months ago,  I installed new light glass (lexan, or polycarb)  then had a club member do the welding necessary.  Tonight after work I assembled them and installed hit sensors.


Now, it's past my bedtime, but I think I'll have a small drink before I lay down.

What Just Happened?

It's Chicago, baby!
Yesterday, prosecutors inexplicably dropped all the charges against suspected hate crime hoaxster Jussie Smollett. Earlier this year, Smollett claimed that as he was walking to get Subway at 2 a.m. on one of the coldest days of the year in one of the coldest cities in the country, he was assaulted by Trumpsters who shouted anti-gay Trumpy things at him, sprayed liquid on him and put some sort of noose around his neck. People went bananas as they do when there might be a Trumpy crime. Everyone knows that racist Trumpers skulk around in sub-zero temperatures with nooses and noxious liquids in case they come face-to-face with a viable hate crime target. Plausible. Two men who worked with Smollett and were his trainers came forward and admitted that Smollett had paid them to beat him up. There is video of these gentlemen buying the material used in the "crime." A grand jury indicted Smollett on numerous felony counts. And then it all went bye-bye, down the memory hole.
Evidently, some Obama acolytes got involved and the case went away.  Everybody is pissed, everybody except Smollett.  This has the potential to turn into one helluva mess.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Thinking About The .270 Winchester

A family member was asking me about the .270 Winchester cartridge.  While I have no personal experience with the cartridge, except for three shots I fired with a Howaa 1500 back in 2009, I do know folks who use it and do well with it.

I do know that the .270 Win was much beloved by Jack O'Connor and thousands of folks who read his work.   It's a serious game caliber, and nothing to sneeze at with good bullets and loads.  It seems to be inherently accurate.

Both my brother-in-law and my son-in-law shoot the .270 and have no trouble keeping venison in the freezer.  BIL tailors handloads using Reloder 22 powder and Nosler BT bullets.  He makes neck shots on deer because he doesn't like tracking, and his kills are usually a bang-flop.  He tells me that with a full case of RL22, he gets a little better than 3000 fps from his barrel, and low pressures.  Alliant powder lists 58 grain of RL22 as the max load with a 130 grain bullet at 2947 fps. 

With a good rifle and decent glass, that would let you sight in 1.6" high at 100 yards, be dead-on at 200 yards and down just 6.6" at 300.  That means a fellow could hold on hair all the way out to 300 yards and hit one of our smallish whitetail deer with no problem.  That's about as far away as I'd want to send a bullet at a game animal.  Your mileage might vary.  There are lots of fine long-range shooters out there, but I'm not one of them.

A fellow could do a lot worse than the .270 Winchester for most North American game.  It's not the newest or the flashiest, but it gets the job done. 

More on that Collusion thing

The media and the liberals (but I repeat myself) are all butt-hurt over the Mueller report.  From The Hill:
The breathless coverage amplified the sense that Trump and some of his family members would go down for crimes, yet in the end, Mueller reported that he found no evidence of a conspiracy.
Yet some of them want to keep digging.  Some congress-critters and media types are all "Well, we haven't seen the full report, and there might be something there that hasn't been fully explored.? or words to that effect. Yeah, right.  I'm no fan of Mueller, but he conducted an expensive, wide ranging investigation, and I'm sure that he left no stone unturned.  After millions of dollars, hundreds of witnesses, and thousands of pages of documents, he could find nothing that led him to believe he could successfully prosecute Trump, his family, or the campaign.

It's over, and all the butt-hurt in the world isn't going to change that.  Now, I'm seeing calls for healing and unity.  That's great and if the media and liberals (again, I repeat myself) want to get counseling and get on the Trump train, that's great.  We'd love to have you.  But, don't expect the rest of us to bend-over-backwards,  after you tried to bend us over forward.

Aggravation

Left the house at 5:00 this morning for a health screening.  Not from the docs who worry about my various maladies, but from my employer, who provided my insurance. Don't get me wrong, I like my insurance, but my personal doc saw me last month and my cardiologist will see me next week.  Spending money on a health screening for me is redundant.  

But, I was ordered to go, so I went.  Just one more aggravation behind me.  With three duty days left (today, tomorrow, Thursday) I guess it's not so bad.  I'll turn in my gear on Friday and clear all my hand receipts.  

Monday, March 25, 2019

Martins

I've been worried about the martins, those little birds that migrate here every year from South America.  They are normally here the first two weeks of March, but I hadn't seen any and I was starting to get worried that they met with some disaster.

No worries, I have at least one pair in the house over the corner of the yard.  PawPaw feels much better.  I love watching those little aerobats swoop and swirl across the sky.  They're master fliers and lots of fun to watch.

No Collusion

Mueller has finished his investigation, probably the most expensive, detailed, far reaching investigation in the history of our country against a sitting president.  His conclusion?  No collusion.  Trump is exonerated.

It is easy to hold your opinion until the report comes out, and my readers have seen me caution in other matters to wait till the investigation is complete before coming to conclusions, bu the media obsession with this thing would not alow for rational relection.  Take this one example of fair, unbiased reporting.



We all remember her telling us that Donald Trump could not POSSIBLY win in a general election against Hillary, then after he won against Hillary, her incessant harping that the RUSSIANS rigged the election.    She's wrong again.

Maddow has been wrong on so many occasions that it's hard to believe that anything she says resembles the truth.  She's like the cranky old guy down at the barber shop who spouts nonsense incessantly.  Or, the homeless guy on the corner souting unintelligible garbage. 

Bless her heart.  I"m amazed that she still has a job.  Maybe, by the ed of the day, she wont.  That would be a fitting end to a totally mistaken career.

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Chicken Spaghetti

We made chicken spaghetti today for lunch.  Quick, easy, filling, alwas a hit.

We started by de-boning a rotissserated chicken.  Then put some seasoning blend veggies (onion, bell pepper ad celery) into a large dutch oven with a big dab of chopped garlic..  Sauteed that for a while.  Then added two cans of cream of chicken soup, two cans of rotel, cut up a pound of velveeta, and 16 oz (2 cups) of half-and-half.  Added the chicken, and it looked like this.

I could drink this stuff with a straw.

Boiled a couple of pounds of spaghetti then put it into two casserole dishes, poured the sauce over it, ad covered it with shredded cheese.  Ran it into a 350 oven until the cheese melted.

Serve with garlic bread.    We fed an even dozen people for lunch, and we barely have leftovers.

Yesterday's Shoot

The Cross Branded Peacemakers held their monthly match yesterday, and some friends from a neighboring club came over to shoot with us.

1st Blue Eyed Belle, 2nd Squirrel Girl.

Normally, the ladies shoot separately, but as there were only two of them, they opted to shoot with the men, and let their standings come from overall match placement.

1st Big Mark, 2nd Cajun Greg, 3rd Akarate Zach
We shot a 3X Nevada 8 match.  The Nevada 8 is a match format that is designed to speed things along.  All matches are decided in 8 shots or less.  We had 12 shooters in each round, and shot 10 rounds in just under two hours to determine match standings.  We shot the whole match in just under two hours.  Each shooter had to lose three matches before they were eliminated.

Saturday was a lot of fun..

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Club Shot Today

We move away from the weekly, workaday world to the weekend, and we have a club shoot today.  I've already been out in the range, sweeping and straightening, and making sure that we have what we need for a successful shoot.  Getting ready to make a run to the Dollar Store for some supplies.

I look forward to these club shoots.   Maybe I'll put up some photos later.

Friday, March 22, 2019

Embrace The Suck

It's a title, a book by retired soldier Austin Bay, and a mantra for so much of what we do, both in the military and in police work.    What we do, in large part, sucks.  But to succeed in our chosen field, we have to work through the bad times and maintain our professionalism, take care of the unit, and take care of our personal growth. 

Whether you are standing a lonely guard post on a cold, rainy midnight posting, or dispatched to an in-progress domestic incident, or yet even assigned to a boring desk job, our work sucks.  It's all vital, it's all necessary, and it's not always what we want to do.  So, embrace it.  Remember that we're here to serve something larger than ourselves.  We're doing what we do to preserve freedom, to serve the community, to serve justice.

It is very nearly a Buddhist concept.  Whatever life throws at us, we're here to do a job, and the lesson comes from the way we do it.  One day, if we're lucky, we'll get to reflect on it, to realize that what we've done comes from, and makes us, what we are.

Ten years I worked in an inner-city high school, and for most of that time, I thought that it sucked.  There were very few days that I can recall that were pleasant, jovial, and memorable.  The vast majority of those days were not.  Yet, I've run into students who graduated from that high school, and they remember me, even if I don't remember them.  They are young adults now, productive citizens in all walks of life, and I can take pleasure in knowing that they remember me, many of them fondly.

In just a few days, my associates are going to give me a retirement reception, and perhaps that's why I'm being introspective.  I'll probably be asked to give a few remarks, and I'm trying to figure out how to wrap up a nearly 40 year career in two minutes or less. 

The world will not long note, nor probably even care, but it matters to me.  So, it's well that I put my thought together.  This too will suck, but I'll embrace it.  I have too much riding on it to do otherwise.

Sir Robert Peel

Robert Peel is often considered to be the father of modern policing.  His principles are taught in academic circles and have great weight in the matter of the proper  use of police management.   Years ago, I taught Principles of Police Work a t the local college, in the Sociology department, before they had a criminal justice program, and Peel consumed the first chapter of the text I then used.

The reputation of the police agencies in this country have taken a beating over the past few years.  Most famously in the Obama era, but we continue to struggle with our general reputation, in some part because we tend to forget who we actually serve.   A review of Peel's work will help us to re-focus out efforts in a manner that serves the greater good.  One of my favorite of his principles is:
The police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence. 
The police are the public and the public are the police.   This is the foundation of civil police work.  We are simply members of the citizenry who are paid full-time to focus on crime and disorder.    We are no better, or worse, in large part, than the citizens we serve.

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Made For Idiots

My dad called them idiot lights, and I'm starting to believe it.  I found this little icon o my dash board when I started for work this morning.


Evidently, my washer fluid is low.  What a tragedy.  The first car I ever had didn't even have a windshield fluid reservoir.  My second car had one, but it had a manual pump that you had to pump to get water on the windshield.

Now, the car tells you when the washer fluid is low.  They are making cars for idiots.

Florida Man

It's a meme.  Google "Florida Man" with your birthday and see what pops up.  I got "Florida man captures record 18-foot Burmese python, the largest in the state"

New Zealand Convulses

I admit that I know very little about New Zealand, except that I have heard it is a beautiful country.  But, the liberals are in charge and they suffered an horrific crime last week.  Now, they're convulsing.
All military-style semi-automatic weapons, assault rifles and high-capacity magazines will be banned in New Zealand following the mass shootings at two Christchurch mosques that killed 50 people, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Thursday.
I wonder, while they're at it, if they are going to ban murder?  Quite honestly, I don't believe that they have thought this through.
 "Every semi-automatic weapon used in the terror attack on Friday will be banned," Ardern continued, adding that she hoped the law would be in place by April 11. "This legislation will be drafted and introduced in urgency."
I'm always skeptical of  anything produced in urgency. 
As a result, many people who legally owned certain firearms will no longer be able to possess them on their existing license conditions.
An amnesty will be put in place for weapons to be handed in from Thursday. Cabinet has directed officials to develop a buyback scheme, and Ardern said that further details would be announced "in due course."
In due course?  That is never a good thing to hear from a politician.  I hope that the gunners in NZ are paying close attention, it appears that the NZ politicians are tying to make felons from law-abiding citizens.

Thank God, we have the 2nd Amendment.  Still, we have to defend it every day.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Great Discussion

A great discussion from two very well known gun guys about why the 1911 is still a dam fine pistol.



Hat tip: Knucklegraggin'

Black Pocket Tee Shirts

I had a doctor's appointment this morning, so I took a sick day.  I have a lot of sick time saved, and I'm going to lose it all next week, so rather than take the few hours the appointment needed, I took the whole day.  For, you see, I"m retiring.  My last duty day is March 28th.  On March 29th, I'll turn in my gear and begin the weekend.  My first day of paid retirement is April 1st.

I was doing laundry this afternoon, folding a big pile of black, pocket, tee-shirts, and realized that I have worn these for several decades because that's what uniform comps wear.  They are getting somewhat shabby, and they'll be converted to shop rags soon, but I'll have to decided wht to wear every day, something that I haven't had to do since I met Belle.

I had retired when I met Belle and was doing contract work but went back in uniform shortly after we met.  I've been a cop for most of my adult life, over 37 years behind the badge, and it will be over very soon.  Next week is going to be bitter-sweet, but I intend to work my last duty day just like I worked the first one.  When my shift is over, I'm sure that it will hit me, but right now, it's just something I have to do until next week is over.

I have two huge projects coming up in April, which is why I'm retiring now.  The nearest one is the shooting match I'm hosting, the second weekend of April.    The other is a project that I've been planning for six months, but that I won't talk about until April 1st.

Stand by.  We're going to have a lot of fun.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Seattle Is Dying

That is the name of a documentary by KOMO TV in Seattle, Washington.  They have reported on the intersection of the homeless/addiction/mental health/criminality problem.

My wife, the lovely and talented Belle has been a Mental Health/Developmental Disability nurse for over 40 years and puts the blame on the Clinton Administration, who started shutting down mental health hospitals because of yada, yada, yada, civil rights, these-people-deserve better, their rights to live in the community trump your rights to live in a safe, pleasant environment.

It's a problem for the police all over the country, especially if you work in an urban environment.  Even in this small city in central Louisiana, we have the same problem, to a lesser extent.  Where I happen to work, in the downtown area, we have a magnet for the homeless, but it is not just confined to the downtown area.  I talk regularly with the homeless coordinator for the schools, and we have approximately a thousand homeless children in the area.  She works tirelessly trying to insure that these children have a safe place to live and the things they need to succeed, and her work is never-ending.  It's a problem everywhere, and kudos to KOMO for highlighting the problem.

It's a great documentary, and I'm going to leave it right here so that I can find it later.



We need to get a handle on this as a society.  This is a police problem, but it is not a police issue.  By and large, we're doing our job.  This is a problem that other agencies need to address.  Seattle estimates that they spend a billion dollars a year on the problem.  Across the US, there is no telling how much we spend.  And, since 1992, it's been an abject failure.

Monday, March 18, 2019

That Venezuelan Military Video

I heard about it just this morning, and cannot testify as to the provenance, but it's a great meme, and it's priceless.



I'm trying to decide if the commentary is better than the video, or vice-versa.

However, there is a classic Stripes reference to this whole sorry debacle.



Exit question:  Does art imitate life, or the other way around?

Texas State

We rolled out Thursday afternoon, headed to Needsville, TX, for the opening of the competition season at the Texas State Championship of Cowboy Fast Draw.

I had to drive through Houston, a traffic nightmare of high speed and road construction.  A country boy like me doesn't do well in Houston traffic.  We shot all day, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The Louisiana Contingent.  L-R: Chief Runamuck, Pistol Pearl, Southern Belle, Big Mark, Moon, Big Bill, Akarate Zach, Major D,  Blue Eyed Belle, and Dixie Rose.
After the awards ceremony on Sunday afternoon, we collected out gear and headed home, back through Houston.  We rolled into the driveway last night at about 2300 hrs, and hit the sack,   Now, it's Monday and we're back in the real world.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Rosenburg,TX

We're in Rosenburg, TX (just outside of Houston).   I just drive through downtown Houston, at night.  Finally got off the never-ending road construction (jersey bouncers after dark) and one stoppage for an accident at the Brazos river, then the GPS put us out in the middle of a bean field.

Finally found the hotel, and the counter guy tells us that the GPS takes everyone to the bean field.  It's quite common.

Houston traffic sucks, even after rush hour on a Thursday night.   And, are they ever going to finish that bridge over the Houston ship channel?

Tomorrow, we'll get into a gunfight.

Crime Boss Slain

It seems that a reputed Mafioso was slain yesterday in New York city.
A man said by federal prosecutors to have been a top leader of New York's notorious Gambino crime family was shot and killed Wednesday on Staten Island.
Francesco “Franky Boy” Cali, 53, was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his body at his home in the borough's Todt Hill section just after 9 p.m.
Any murder is police business, but cops from time immemorial have recognized that there are generally four types of homicide.  Felonious, Accidental, Justifiable, and Admirable.   What we need to realize is that when something like this happens, something else is going on.  Someone just made a bid for power, and Franky Boy was in the way.

I'm sure that the cops are on it.

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Sauce For The Goose

An old saying I used to hear around the house was "Sauce for the Goose is sauce for the gander."

Or, "What goes around, comes around."

It seems that President Trump is proposing cuts to Medicade, Medicare, and other entitlement programs.  Oh, the Dems are up in arms, and want Congress to reign him in, but it seems that others have been doing the same thing for years.  Executive over-reach is executive over-reach, regardless of who does it.  But, the current poster-boy for executive over-reach has a particularly short memory.

First, there was this:
2013: John Kasich circumvents Ohio's legislature, unilaterally puts hundreds of thousands of able-bodied, working-age, childless adults on Medicaid
Now, there is this:
2019: Kasich becomes a comically fake crusader against executive overreach
It it is okay for an executive to unilaterally expand a program without legislative approval, it should be okay for another executive to dial it back.  If Congress wants to pass laws, Congress should get busy passing laws.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Getting Interestinng

Our long-time Sheriff is retiring, and the candidates are lining up.  So far, three have come out formally.  All three are known in the local LEO community, and all three have a history with the Sheriff's Office. 

Alphabetically, they are:

William "Clay" Brister

Ronnie Sellers

Mark Wood

Those three are about half of who we expect to announce.  PawPaw isn't making any endorsements yet.  All three of these are good men, and we have yet to see any platforms.

In the next month or so, this should start to get interesting.  The primary election is on October 12, 2019, so we have the whole summer, and I"m certain that at least two other candidates will ammounce in the coming weeks.

Tilting Toward Socialism?

Over at PJ Media:
Amidst the welter of good and bad news we are assaulted with every day, by far the most dangerous long-term are the new polls showing America's youth tilting significantly toward socialism.
Not surprisingly, these same young people haven't the slightest idea of what socialism really is, its history or what it entails, which is suicidal for them more than anyone else. They are the ones who will suffer most if the USA turns into Venezuela.
History may not repeat itself, but it certainly rhymes.  As I look into the idea of socialism, it's a long string of failure, marked by human misery and broken dreams.   It's entirely possible to vote yourself into socialism, but it's also likely that you'll have to shoot your way out.

All that having been said, Paul Harvey warned us, years ago.



We've been warned.

Police Radar

Interesting story here about a California cop catching an F-16 fighter on radar.

Which reminds me:

Years ago, a Louisiana cop was running radar on LA Highway 1, south of  Natchitoches, LA.  LA Hwy 1 was the major north/south road in the area, a two -lane highway that served the agricultural area of the Red River valley.  The road was fairly straight for miles with gentle, broad sweeping curves connecting the long straight miles.  It was tempting to speed on the highway and the cops would find a convenient spot on the shoulder.

Not much traffic on this particular day.  The cop wasn't hidden, and the cars that went past were well within the speed limit.  As the cop sat looking down the road, his radar unit registered something moving at 27 mph, well below the posted 55 mph speed limit.  The cop looked down the road and didn't see anything.   The cop didn't see anything in front of him, indeed, nothing on the road at all.  So, he tested his radar unit, and it again popped up with the 27 mph indication.

Then, the cop spotted a lone crow, flying down the middle of the road.   LA 1 had its share of road kill, and the crows were frequently seen.  The cop could only imagine that the crow as looking for a mid-afternoon snack before the late afternoon traffic made the idea hazardous.

That was a long time ago.

Monday, March 11, 2019

Quesadillas

Got home this afternoon, feeling peckish, and remembered that I had some leftover taco meat in the fridge in the shop.  Told Zach that if he was hungry, vittles were in the shop.

Flour tortillas, taco meat, shredded cheese, and salsa.


Thta's how we roll on Monday afternoons around here.

Really??

It seems that the student government at UC-Santa Barbara has called for the disarmament of the campus police.
The resolution not only called on the university administration to disarm campus police of “lethal and military-grade hardware” but also resolved that its president send a letter to the school’s chancellor detailing various “dangers presented by an increasingly militarized police” to the student body, according to student newspaper 
You may recall that UC-Santa Barbara was the scene of a mass shooting in 2014, where 20 people were killed.   Hopefully, the adults are still in charge of the school.

Saturday, March 09, 2019

Saturday Running-Around

Got up this morning to clean the range.  Earlier this week we had been making trophies for Louisiana State.  Sanding cypress to a nice finish to make plaques.  Sawdust everywhere.    Belle spent about four hours in there yesterday, and I spent a couple of hours in there this morning, but the trophies are 99% done.

Then, hosted a club meeting.  We shot for a while, prayed for a little while, and talked about the things necessary for a successful state championship.  One subject of contention was the inclement weather plan.  I didn't have one , so we put one together.  Rain is always a distinct possibility.

One club member was looking at her phone and told me that Harbor Freight had the 10ft X 20ft carports on sale.  These are used all across the CFDA for rain abatement.  Normally, they're $120.00, but today they're $90.00.  Helluva deal on ab absolutely essential picce of equipment.

After the meeting Belle ad I did some errand running, then went to Harbor Freight to see how many they had on hand.  Then we went home, I jumped in the truck and we high-tailed it over there.


We now own five (5) portable carports.  In the coming days, I'll make the modifications that the CFDA uses to put these things together.  We've learned that a club can make a few simple mods and mae these things really easy to erect.  A group o experienced CFDA shooters can put one up in about five minutes aft after the mods are made.

Friday, March 08, 2019

Police Admin Trivia

Just finished a conversation with the local rep for the local company who supplies police radios.  The big supplier of police radios is Motorola.  Motorola is huge in police/fire/industrial radios and communication technology.

Several weeks ago, a couple of old cops were talking and the subject of radios came up.    Particularly, the cost of radios, and I asked the rep how much (ballpark numbers) how much the radio I carry costs the department.  "About $2000.00.", he replied. 

Then I took out my cellphone and commented that a cell phone is simply a thousand-dollar radio.  The rep nodded, then started to tell me about some new things coming out that we should see in the next several years.  According to him, the technology is still "buggy" and they haven't worked all the glitches out, but we should start seeing a blending of technology across the traditional walkie-talkie / cellphone technology divide.  A radio is simply a device that transmits and receives data, and cell phone tech has gotten much better over the past decade. 

It was a good conversation, and police administrators should try to stay current on communications technology.  There are exciting things going on.

Poor Venezuela

According to Reuters:
CARACAS (Reuters) - A major power outage hit crisis-stricken Venezuela on Thursday, according to Reuters witnesses, a problem the government of President Nicolas Maduro quickly blamed on “sabotage” at a hydroelectric dam that provides much of the country’s power.
What did socialists use before they had candles?  Electricity.

Thursday, March 07, 2019

Thursday Music.

Just because I've always loved a slide guitar.

Tracers at Night

This is why range fans and impact areas have to be so large.  As beautiful and compelling as this photo is, it gives some indication of what happens to bullets when they strike something.  And, sure as gravity still works, they are going to come down somewhere.

OINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, UNITED STATES 03.04.2019 - Army Spcs. Dariel Barbosa, left, and Mitchell Bundy, assigned to Blackfoot Company, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Alaska, fire M249 light machine guns at night during live-fire training at Grezelka range, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, March 4, 2019. Utilizing the M249 light machine gun and M240L machine gun, the Spartan paratroopers honed their marksmanship skills by engaging multiple targets at varying distances. Barbosa and Bundy are natives of Fajardo, P.R. and Wilmington, N.C., respectively. (U.S. Air Force photo by Alejandro Peña)
Hat tip: Strategy Page

Keeping Current

I used to do this fairly often when I worked for Probation and Parole, and it was a lot harder to do during the pre-internet days.  But, it's revealing to look at these things sometimes.

If you go to the Division of Administration for the Gret Stet of LA, we find the Corrections services budget for the penitentiary system is $558838822.  Then we go to the LADOC Briefing Book and find that we house 33186 offenders in our system.  If we divide those two numbers, we get something like $16,839.59 which represents the cost to house one adult offender for a year.  Divide that by 365 and we get $46.14, as the cost to house one adult offender for one day.

Louisiana houses a larger percentage of hit's state offenders in local jails rather than sending them to the state penitentiary.  This saves the state a lot of money, but the state does reimburse the local sheriffs for housing those offenders, but at the rate of roughly $25 dollars a day.

Jails are cost centers, expensive cost centers, and they are a necessary part of public safety.  If you are a public safety administrator, these figures are good to have at your fingertips, so I'm going to leave them here so I can find them later.

Wednesday, March 06, 2019

They're Going To Need A Whole New Crew

Something is seriously wrong at a Taco Belle in Philly.
Several Taco Bell employees in Philadelphia were fired after they jumped over the counter and attacked customers who complained about the long wait time for their order last week. Now the Taco Bell has a "Help Wanted" sign on their door, and management is retraining employees so such a thing doesn't happen again.
I'm sure that they covered "Don't attack the customers" in the initial training.  But then again, maybe not. 

It's called Fast Food for a reason.  Actually, I'm rather fond of their tacos, although I realize that they bear only a slight resemblance to a real taco.  But then again, it's Taco Bell.

The Balancing Act

PJ Media reports this morning on what we are continuing to learn from the Parkland shooter, the aftermath of the tragedy, and how education policies shaped the environment that allowed such a thing to happen.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel has reported about a number of failures and missteps by the Broward School District. It has reported on a culture of tolerance that allows unruly students to have repeated second chances. [or third, fourth, fifth....] The district is now revising its discipline policies and the Promise program, which provides alternatives to arrests for some misdemeanor offenses, to make them less lenient.
The newspaper also identified how school districts in Broward and across the state under-report crimes, making their campuses appear safer than they are. The Sun Sentinel has also reported how the district failed to act on warning signs involving the Parkland killer, botched his special education services, failed to hold administrators accountable for actions related to the tragedy and has regularly hidden information from the public.
School Districts don't do themselves any favors when they fail to enforce those disciplinary issued that affect the safety of students.  So, there is a balancing act between the needs of an individual student and the safety of the student body at large. 

As a School Resource Officer for the past 17 years, I've seen it go both ways, I'm convinced that  school administrators try to get it right most of the time.  Generally, (and I"m talking in broad generalization here) a school reflect the community is serves.   If that community has a crime problem the school will reflect that problem.  School districts should not blanch at a particular school being a reflection of the community.

Tuesday, March 05, 2019

Ls Danse de Mardi Gras

All across south Louisiana today, this is the anthem of the Mardi Gras.



This isn't the New Orleans Mardi Gras, this is the Cajun version of he small towns along I-10.  Tomorrow, we begin Lent, but today, we party.

For myself, I'll be working in my shop most o the day.

Monday, March 04, 2019

Just Living In The World

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is drawing a lot of heat for her Green New Deal, ad rightfully so.  She has a gigantic carbon footprint.  But, she responds that she is "just living in the world."
Freshman New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded to The Post’s report on her giant carbon footprint by saying she’s just “living in the world.”
There is no problem with living your life, but if you want to change the way that I and most Americans live, perhaps you should lead the way, by example.  Americans respond favorably to folks who live the example of their philosophy, but tend to ignore those who espouse change on the masses without living the change personally.

It's like the global-warming glitterati who fly to Devos in their private jets and complain about my carbon footprint.  It smacks of hypocrisy.

The Future of Warfighting

This is a great video.



It explains stuff that we need to be aware of.

Monday Morning

Drinking coffee in the pre-dawn hour, I'mm off work today, ad I'll be watching a grandkid while his parents work.  It'll be cool.  He's a great kid and I enjoy spending time with him.    It's what PawPaws do.

I see that Alabama got hit with tornadoes last night,  23 dead and that toll is expected to climb as rescuers work through the day.  Just damn.

We'll be hanging out today.  Local weather is expected to be quite chilly.  February has been so wet that the entire central Louisiana is waterlogged.  The ground is rotten with water-soaked soil.  We really need to dry out, but it appears that drying is not in the immediate forecast.

Sunday, March 03, 2019

J-Frames, Gawd, I Love Them.

Back inn 1987 I began my love affair with the J-frame Smith ad Wesson revolvers.  It began with a used Model 60 that I acquired from a local judge.  I carried that gun, both on duty and as an off-duty piece,

I carried that Model 60 (in .38 Special) and stoked with with the Federal Ny-Clad ammo that was common in the day.  I still have a few cylinders of Ny-Clad left.  It served me well over the years, and had good reviews back in the day.  I carred that Mode 60 until 2012.  My daughter-in-law wanted a steel J-frame and I wanted an Airweight, so I happened upon a nice, clean Model 38 and gave her the old Model 60.  I never looked back.  I dropped the Model 38 in my pocket ad it has been a constant companion for over seven years.  It's a gun that is carried a lot and shot little, although I did qualify with it on the Sheriff's range three or four years ago.

Yesterday, my son did a detail strip on the Model 38 and we found some corrosion under the cylinder release, between the aluminum frame and the nickel plating.  Two sons inspected it, and declared that I should have the frame stripped and re-coated before putting it back into service.

Younger son is a pretty fair SW mechanic, and elder son worked for a while as a body-and-fender ma on aluminum aircraft.  They both recommended immediate repair and I trust their combined judgement.  So, my beloved Airweight is going to the body-and-fender shop.  Probably for a Duro-coat job.

As younger son was leaving, he handed me a replacement J-Frame.  "Here, Pop, carry this until your gun comes back from the shop."

"I've got carry guns, " I retorted.  "You might need this one."

"I've got two more at home." he said.  "I don't need this one right now."

So, I slipped it in my pocket and went about my business.  I noticed it was heavier than my Airweight, but that is the nature of steel vs aluminum.  It wasn't till this morning that I inspected it.  Holy-Moly.


This is the Model 640-1, in .357 magnum.  With Crimson Trace grips.  And, yes, the barrel is marked SW 357 Magnum.  It should be quite a handful if I ever have to touch it off.

On the other hand, it might be a lot of fun.  Thanks, son.  I'll try not to hurt it.

Sunday Bookkeeping

Belle and I worked on our projects this morning, under rainy, grey skies.  Today it's best to stay in where it's dry.  But, we're moving forward on Louisiana State, and another project that I will unveil in early April.

This is going to be a lot of fun.  The panning and prep, while frustrating at times, makes me go through the mental gymnastics necessary for a successful launch of the project.

Stand by.

Saturday, March 02, 2019

Leadership - On Duty

Duty then is the sublimest word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less.

I was taught this during officer's training.  Bonus points if you know who said it.

Also, a quote from Beccaria, who was one of the writers of the enlightenment.  It also applies to leadership.
every act of authority of one man over another, for which there is not an absolute necessity, is tyrannical.
I kept that one taped inside my briefcase for the entirety of my military career.

Friday, March 01, 2019

Do Not Resuscitate

Seen on the Book of Face


Heh!

Leadership

I've got a big project coming, and I'm thinking about leadership.


What is the essence of leadership?  Can it be distilled into a catch-phrase?