Whut??

 In April of 2020, I bought a new car.  For myself.  Probably the first new car I had purchased since 1975. In my world, the lady drove the nice car, the man drove a clunker, probably a pickup truck.  My current ride is a 2020 Honda Odyssey.  It's been a good ride, and it's carried Belle and I to lots of cowboy shoots.  It hauls a lot of gear and I've been happy with it. It is still under warranty.

Today, I started getting some weird codes. Error messages on the dash.

Weird stuff like that.  Odd.  It all happened at once, and I'm getting about five error codes. Confusing.  I"m going to get up at 0-dark-thirty and have it sitting in front of the Honda dealer tomorrow morning when they open the doors.  I don't know what the issue is, but Honda will figure it out.

Eggs

 I worked the grocers list this morning while doing errands and noticed that the price of eggs have dropped.  Belle and I normally buy the Grade A Large eggs and that's what I looked at today.

$3.93 is a lot better that the ~$5.00 they were earlier when I checked. We don't eat a lot of eggs, but I needed them for lunch.  I fried some nice pork steaks and used an egg wash to help the breading stick to the pork.  

When I get ready to cook chicken fried steak, or chicken fried pork, I season the meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder, then run it through some all-purpose flour, then an egg/milk wash, then into crushed saltine crackers.  Hot oil at 350F, fry till golden brown.  It helps if you have the butcher run those little pork steaks through the tenderizer.

I don't fry chicken. Popeye's is just down the road, and I can't seem to get the motivation to fry chicken anymore. So, today's lunch was chicken fried pork, with mashed potatoes and a cream gravy.  

Torpedo Bat?

 The sports world is abuzz about the Yankees winning a ball game with something called a "torpedo bat". It's actually nothing new. Every kid who ever played sandlot ball knows that some bats work for you and some don't.

Evidently, the batting coach did some analytics and found that each hitter is different and had some bats made that match the hitter.  Good analytics, because it worked for him. But every kid who ever played baseball knows that a bat has a sweet spot, and when you connect that spot with the ball, magic happens. That same kid knows that if you can get to West Main Street in Louisville, the factory will make a bat designed just for you.

Baseball will survive the torpedo bat, just as surely as it survived lights on the field. Every good pitcher knows his hitter, and if he's hitting low and away, then give him high and inside.  Work the corners and keep him guessing.

Wisconsin?

 State Supreme Court races are normally as interesting as planning commission meetings, but somehow, this race in Wisconsin is being hyped as the harbinger of doom for the Republic.

I don't get it. Democrats, after their ignominious defeat in November, are searching for their muse, their path from the wilderness, and Republicans are having a good time watching them try.  But, this race has garnered a bunch of attention and a whole lot of money. It seems that this race, like all races, will be based on turnout and whoever gets more voters to the poll will win. That is all political races.

I would think that there are far more important races, like the congressional special elections in Florida.  Those might flip the House to the Democrats, or make it harder to sustain a majority later.   Maybe I'm not looking at it in the right vein, but a SUpreme COurt seat in Wisconsin?  I really don't get it.

Gun SHopping

 I stopped by the local gun shop today to look thru his used gun rack. Specifically J-frame Smiths.  He had one used Model 640 at over MSRP, and one Model 38 Airweight for over $900.00.  I told him that I had seen a lot of things in my time, but I had never seen a $900.00 Airweight. I am  not going to pay over MSRP for a used gun, it ain't happening.

I've been jonesing for another J-frame.  I gave my last one away after a cerakoting and rebuild, and my daughter-in-law fell in love with it. It rides with her now. The model I'm looking at is the Model 60 3". In .357 Magnum, it might be quite a handful, but I like that longer barrel and the adjustable sights. And, I can get it for less than the local shop wanted for the used 640. I may have to order it closer to BAG day.

Well, How About That?

Reading the news this morning, I was on an article abut ICE detainees being housed in Louisiana, specifically  Mahmoud Khalil, that asshole who has been stirring up Columbia University.  So, I started Googling around, and found an article that tells us where the facility is located.

Turns out, it's Jena, the hometown of my lady, Belle. From the article.

Since last week, Khalil — a Syrian-born Palestinian and permanent U.S. resident— has been locked up in the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, a privately-run immigration lockup with an average daily detainee population of nearly 1,200.

So, I turned and asked Belle, who is sitting on the couch.  "Yeah,", says she. "That place is behind our old house on a little road that winds through the country and eventually comes out at Olla, LA.  There ain't noting out there but pine trees." 

I know generally where she is talking about and it is just about as remote as you can get and still be where sunshine can hit you. It may not be in the middle of nowhere, but you can see nowhere from there.

That is interesting.  When ICE wants to send someone to purgatory, it is my wife's hometown.

Do The Maintenance

 I took my EDC out today, took all the ammo out of the mag, and decided to give it a good cleaning and lube. I carry a SW Shield in 9mm, but haven't shot it in a year or so.  Carry lots, shoot seldom.

I was amazed at how bone-dry it was, and how much dust and grit was in the innards. A half-hour with rags and oil and I feel a lot better about it. It's ready now for another period of carrying. I really need to get out to the range and do a little.  But life and winter got in the way. I also have a .22 carbine I need to shoot.  We'll make plans for both of those to go to the range, one day next week.

Signal Timeline

 Much ado about the Signal timeline, with more details leaking out.  Goldberg is trying to do as much damage as he can before becoming entirely irrelevant.  It seems USAToday has a timeline of the chat.

According to USAToday, Pete Hegseth revealed at 11:44 am that an attack would be ongoing.

Two hours later, at 1:45 pm, the attack occurred.

Okay, we are just seeing a summary, so we don't know exactly what had been revealed.  If it was a deep, dark secret at 11:45, within two hours, the Houthis knew that they had been attacked.  It was no longer a secret.  Everyone knew.  Even if the Houthis were plugged in to the chat, I doubt they could have done much in two hours.    Talking about national security on Signal is probably a bad idea, and including a leftie journalist is a terrible idea.  I'm sure that the principals have learned a good lesson from this debacle.

I'm reminded of the greatest national secret ever kept.  When the Allies invaded Normandy on June 6, 1944.  Ike and his generals kept it a secret until the evening before, but when the paratroopers started landing, even the Nazis suspected that something was happening.  By daylight, they know what was happening. Military secrets don't last long when the bombers or missiles are overhead.

Signal

 It seems that there is this app called Signal.  From what I've learned, it is an encrypted app that lets users send reasonably secure messages over the interweb.  It seems that it is also approved for government work.

Recent news indicates that a group of Trump officials was using the app for a test chain, and somehow a rabid left wing reporter got included on the chain.  Of course, he waited till the most inopportune moment to reveal that he was party to the messaging, and the Democrats lost their minds.

When we learned years ago that Hillary was running a server out of a broom closet, the Republicans list their minds.  Fair enough.  What goes around comes around. It appears from testimony, this most recent brouhaha revealed no classified information, unlike Hillary's broom closet server.

Oh, the Democrats are outraged, as we might expect and this should serve as a learning opportunity for Hegseth, Gabbard, Radcliff and others. The interweb is a poor place to discuss government matters. To misquote Shakespeare, "Get Thee to a SCIF."

How this rebid lefty reporter got added to the chain is a bit of a mystery, and I'm sure they will sort it out.  But the happiest guy in Washington today is Chuckie Schumer, because the heat is off him for a little while. 

Prices

 I was forced to go the big Wal Mart today, something I am generally loathe to do.  While in there I went by the dairy case and checked egg prices.  Roughly $5.00 a dozen for the large white eggs.  If you want brown, organic, pasture fed eggs, be prepared to pay a bit more.  For myself, we are still eating eggs from a neighbor, so I passed on any eggs.

Fuel has come down a few cents.  Your standard 87 octane ethanol blend is $2.41.9 at the Murphy pump in the Wal Mart parking lot.  These prices are in central Louisiana this morning.

Not too bad, maybe with time, it will come down another 50 cents.  That would be nice.

Irony

 Sent by Termite.

And, they are planning it all on X, which is run by... Elon.  I'm getting my popcorn ready for March 29th.

Declaration

 A top Houthi official says that "we are at war with America".  I don't know if that constitutes a formal declaration, but if I were he, I'd be careful with my verbiage.

The Houthis have been messing with our boats, and a cursory study of history shows that the US is generally hostile when a foreign power touches our boats.  Ask Japan how that worked out for them.  Or, recall that the whole "shores of Tripoli" thing was about our boats.

Many say that Iran is pushing the Houthis to touch the boats.  I admit that I am torn about the Iranians'.  I had a dear friend, back in the 70s, who was an Iranian army officer.  He was in the Shah's army, back when the Shah ran the place.  He was a professional officer and a good friend.  He was funny as hell, had a good sense of humor, with a lovely wife and young daughter.  We had much in common.  Professional, kind, generous to a fault, I learned a lot from him.  He hated communists.

But, I digress.  If he is still alive, he did not fare well under the Mullahs.  The Houthis claim that they are at war with us, and I'm not sure what legal status that places upon us.  Not that we care.  Don't touch our boats.

ProActive

 I was listening to the news, and just heard that the Molotov-tossing, spray-painting leftie lunatics are planning a day of protest against Tesla on March 29th. Over 500 protests at dealerships all over the US.

It's time to get proactive.

If I owned a Tesla dealership, I might be hiring some Roof Koreans. It worked in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots. Armed men with shotguns on the roof of a building tends to calm down protests in a big way.  Let them protest peacefully, but the first guy that waves a Molotov gets a wad of double-ought in the chest. If you are in the protest near that guy, you may have to deal with flyers, and the fact that he just dropped the firebomb at your feet. That is a motivator for retreat,

I'm just saying.

Here We Go

 President Trump today signed an executive order that will dismantle the Department of Education.

President Carter cranked it up in 1979, and it has been a huge drag on the education center ever since. I beleive that it will take and act of Congress to fully dissolve it, but there are lots of things the administration can do to hasten that end.  I mean, if a department has no staff, is there any reason to keep it?

Dolphins

 This is a cool photo.  Dolphins near the SpaceX capsule in the Gulf after it touched down.

The chyron says that the dolphins are celebrating.  I doubt it. They are probably wondering, "Where the hell did this come from?"

Overreach

 I haven't been paying attention to the judiciary lately.  I'm retired and other folks are tasked with that function.  I'm no lawyer, but I can read English, and from my limited understanding, the Supreme Court is responsible for the supervision of the lesser federal courts. To my way of thinking, that puts John Roberts squarely in the supervisors role.  It seems that he has abdicated that role.

It seems that a number of unelected, lifetime, local district judges think that they can tell an elected President what to do. Some folks are agreeing.

We’ve had a federal judge order President Trump to rehire 30,000 federal employees he laid off. We’ve had more than one order him to spend money which violated an executive order he’d given.

And over the weekend, one of the silliest and most corrupt judges in America, James Boasberg of the federal district court in Washington, D.C., actually ordered the Trump administration to turn planes around that were in the process of deporting Tren de Aragua gang members to a prison in El Salvador.

I agree and understand that the federal judiciary has a role in upholding the rule of law.  We are a nation of laws.   But, courts have jurisdictions and federal district courts have limited jurisdiction. I fail to see how a lower court judge thinks that he can tell an elected, sitting President how to do his job.

After this latest kerfuffle, President Trump posted, in a moment of peeve, that this judge should be impeached.  Chief Justice Roberts is quoted as saying that impeaching a federal judge is "inappropriate".

Perhaps impeaching a federal judge is inappropriate, but it is also Constitutional.  It's written right there in the document. What might be appropriate is for Chief Justice Roberts to exercise his supervisory role and instruct his lower courts on something called judicial restraint. If John Roberts is concerned about the reputation of the Courts, perhaps he should start by reining in local judges who want to assume the role of President.

CBP Home App

 The Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) has launched a new app for migrants.  It's designed to make it easy for illegal immigrants to self-deport.  Linky Here.  President Trump says that if an illegal immigrant uses the app to go home, they may be able to later return to the United States legally.

I think it is a great idea, and I'm simply boosting the signal.

Alleged gang members deported from US arrive in El Salvador mega prison ...

So, this happened over the weekend.  Tom Holman and crew scooped up a bunch of illegal alien gang members and deported them to the mega-prison in El Salvador. The warden in that prison doesn't play.

They got haircuts and deloused, and a hard bunk.  I didn't notice a lot of swagger among the detainees. They know that life just got real hard. As an old prison hand, this video warms my heart.

Home Safe

 We made it home safe, getting to our acre sometime around 8:00 last eve. It was a great weekend, spending time with our shooting family. 

That may seem like hyperbole, but the Cowboy Fast Draw community is a close-knit bunch, focusing on safety and fun before competition. In most cases, the competition is stiff, but a shooter will generally call a rule violation on themselves, or if there is a question about fairness.  I've seen individual matches stop and reset if the shooter that is ahead feels like he or she may have gained an unfair advantage.

I had a problem rear its ugly head this weekend, something the CFDA call a "boot shot". That is when a shooter trips the trigger before the gun has cleared the holster. We shoot wax bullet ammo, and have deflectors on our holsters, so it generally causes no injury, but we still consider it a safety violation. It caused me to lose three matches this weekend. I need to re-work my draw so that I can stay off the trigger until the gun is level. We go fast, but shooting the floor is considered un-cool.  I need to work on that, and I'll start that proto

Catching up on the news, I see that the Midwest and Deep South suffered major tornado damage this weekend, with upwards of 40 souls lost. That is both a community an individual tragedy, and I'll pray for the hand of a loving God to sooth the hurting.

Texas State

 Belle and I are in Richmond, TX for the Texas State Championship of Cowboy Fast Draw.  We shot a minor match today, to warm up, but we'll be back tomorrow morning for the main match. We're shooting in a big arena at the historic George Ranch, southwest of Houston.

It's nice, but not as nice as the place where we will shoot Louisiana State in May.

After driving in Houston traffic, I feel like I have been ridden hard and put away wet.  We're at the hotel now, and I don't think I"ll sart another engine until tomorrow.

Update

Remember earlier this week, we talked about a truck my son has bought?  It turned out both of them got an old fixer-up.  I have no doubt these two will get these old trucks running.

Uncertainty

 When I was in graduate school, I took an economics class, Decision Making Under Uncertainty.

There is no certainty in the business world.  The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry.  But, there are ways to minimize uncertainty  Basically, when things don't change.  Stability tends to minimize uncertainty.

Here comes Trump, with a mandate to shake thigs up  Tariffs, border policy, DOGE. Things are changing daily, sometimes hourly, and the market responds. The market hates uncertainty, which is why it so volatile. Those of us who played the long game recall that the DOW was below 1000 until 1972 and didn't crack 10,000 until Microsoft and Intel were listed in 1999.

All that is happening right now is short-term volatility based on uncertainty.  Play the long game and you will be fine.

Campus Jihad

 So, in the wake of anti-Semitic activities at Columbia University, it seems that ICE has arrested one protestor, a Syrian on a student visa, and is holding him in a facility in Louisiana.

That seems a bit harsh, moving him to Louisiana, but I'm okay with it. Other students are planning walk-outs in support.

I taught at the college level for a couple of years, Into to Law Enforcement, very basic stuff. I was never faced with protests, but I was asked once how I would deal with a student missing a test.

"That is simple", I replied. "If you miss a test, you get a zero for that test.  The only excuse I will accept is if I happen to look out the classroom window and watch you get run down by a garbage truck.  But, I will also require documentation from the emergency room that treats you."

If students want to protest, let them protest.  It is their right.  But, I would schedule a major exam on those days to help them choose.

Egg Prices

 At the grocers today.

It's an advertised sale price, but they are coming down.

Watching The News

 Watching the news, and I am flummoxed, confounded, dismayed at the Democrats lack of a plan.  All they have is vitriol and profanity.

Instead of bemoaning an ungovernable bureaucracy, they are on the side of the bureaucrat.

Ratner that being outraged at government waste, they are infuriated at the guy pointing out the waste.

Rather than promoting a strategy, they are trying to defend failed strategies.

I'm willing to let them rant and curse and cray.  It makes good TV, and we should never interrupt an opponent who is making a fool of himself.

Old Trucks

 Elder son was looking for a towing tuck. Something that he could hook to anything and bring it down the road. Not a daily driver, something that he could use when he needed capacity.  

He landed on a 1977 Ford F600.  It has a gasoline engine, the 330 CID carbureted industrial engine.  Manual transmission, dual-range rear end, flat bed, with a PTO winch.  The engine starts and the running gear will get it down the road. According to his research, it is rated at 8 tons.  It ain't fast, but it us heavy.

I haven't seen it yet, but it will be interesting to see how this project turns out. 

Spring Fling Jackpot Shoot

 Our club hosted its Second Annual Jackpot Shoot this weekend.  22 shooters from Louisiana and Texas were able to make it.  We broke the entry fees down and divided them between the winners. Nothing like going home with a little jingle in your pocket.

IT was a great time and I'm glad that everyone had a good time.

Y'all don't forget to "spring forward" tomorrow.

Bonded

 Bonded whiskey, or bottled-in-bond is a category of whiskey with certain legal criteria.  A bonded whiskey must be made by the same master distiller in the same distilling season, must be barreled for four years in a bonded warehouse, and must be bottled at 100 proof.  The word BONDED on a whiskey bottle means something.

The Buffalo Trace distillery has a line of economy whiskey called Benchmark.  lower-shelf stuff. And yes, it comes in a Bonded version  I picked a bottle up today. $19.99 for a 750 ml bottle.

We'll crack this one open for Happy Hour this afternoon.  I'll bet that it will make a good mixer with Coke.

Friday Prepping

 We are hosing an invitational shoot tomorrow, and prepping for our guests today.  Sweeping, strightening, hauling off trash, PawPaw is fully engaged.  Catching the news during breaks. Belle is at the grocers, getting some pork butts for me to cook later.  Pulled pork is the main attraction for the menu tomorrow, and those things take time.  Not much bother, but they do take time.

I have to run an errand later on, mainly to pick up lunch.  During the Lenten season, the Knights of Columbus do a fish fry ever Friday and we're going to pick up a couple of plates.

I hear Belle in the driveway, so I'd best look like I am busy.

Anniversary

 Most historians agree that by the time you are reading this (about 7:30 am), the fighting was over, and the cleanup had begun.  Some non-combatants were found in the chapel. Some historians believe that a small group of Texians were captured alive and were later killed on orders of Santa Anna.

Most historians agree that Santa Anna interviewed Susanna Dickenson before allowing her to leave San Antonio.

The fight for Texas independence would culminate in a swampy field outside what is now Houston, TX on April 21, 1836.

Sour Grapes

 Congressional Democrats really showed their asses last night.  During Donald Trump's address to the joint session, they couldn't stand up and applaud for cancer patients,  or the Riley family.  Rep Al Green was ejected from the floor for causing a disruption. The entire display was simply sullen and juvenile. They hate the President, so no one else should be happy, either.  It's quite disingenuous.

I didn't watch the speech, only catching highlights on the morning news, but it seems as if the Dems are a sullen lot. If I have time later this week, I'll write my Dem congress-critter a note, telling him to remove his head from his ass and start representing the people 

In the meantime I have life to live, so I'd best get on with it.

Milking Goats

 Having an afternoon cocktail, and surfing YouTube, I was watching Mike Rowe milk goats, and I was reminded of the time I milked goats for a few months.  Well, one goat, at least.

When the kids were small, we had a hobby farm, and with the cows, and later the horses, we had a few goats, mainly to control the brush.  Goats are hell on brush, especially the kind of brush that has stickers. For example, a goat will eat a rose bush right down to the roots.  Ask me how I know that.

Anyway, during what I call our Earth Mother stage, we had a few goats.  One of them, a sweet little doe with floppy ears.  A nubian.  Someone told us that she would make a great milk goat.  So, we bred her for milk.  About that same time, an infant was born down the bayou who did not tolerate cows milk.   We arranged a swap with the parents so that we would trade one days supply of goat milk for one days supply of cows milk.  They were milking a nice Jersey cow.  This worked out for a while, and we were overloaded with milk.  The infant thrived, and we did too.

If you have never made biscuits with milk straight off the doe, you don't know what you are missing.  Goat milk is naturally homogenized, that is, the bitter fat does not separate from the milk.  Anytime you make biscuits with 20% butterfat, the biscuits are magical. So are the pancakes, and any other bread you might like to bake.

Mardi Gras

 It's Tuesday, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras.  Across Louisiana, couriers are roaming the countryside, begging for chickens, rice and veggies to make a big gumbo. In New Orleans, the festivities are ramping up to a fever pitch that will culminate at midnight, when the parties will be over and the Lenten season will begin.

Heavy weather across much of Louisiana night dampen the parades, but it certainly will not dampen the festivities.

Belle and I will stay, for the most part, on our little acre today.  We will leave the reveling for the younger set. Even though we don't participate, we are with them in spirit.

SSA

 I was in town this morning and head to swing by the Social Security office to take care of a little business.  What a clusterfuck.  Evidently, you need an appointment to get anything resembling prompt service.  The office had eighteen (18) numbered windows for customer service, and there were no more than a dozen of us waiting.  They were using exactly two (2) of those windows for customer service.  After an hour-and-a-half, I simply left.  Had other things to do.

I'm busy the rest of the week, but I'll call them when things calm down and make an appointment.

I ought to DOGE their asses.  

Finding OUt

 There is a lot of finding-out going on today. Ukraine President Zelenskey came to the White House today. He found out that Trump does not suffer fools lightly. A while new chapter in US diplomacy began today. FAFO.  I think it is encouraging.  Encouraging Zelenskey to get his head out of his ass, and 

I also did a little finding-out today, in the liquor store.  For a couple of years, my go-to house bottle was Evan Williams Bottled in Bond.  It's an altogether workman-like whiskey, just what you would expect from a four-year-old bourbon.

Decades ago, I drank Benchmark, the economy brand of Buffalo Trace.  Today in the liquor store, I was perusing bottles and saw a Benchmark Single Barrel.  The hell you say. At $25 and 95 proof, that may not be a bid idea.

We will crack that one open tonight and see how it fares.  I doubt I'll be disappointed.

Carnival

 It's Mardi Gras season in Louisiana, and the final days are upon us. Ash Wednesday is next week and so is Fat Tuesday.

Belle decided to make a King cake for lunch. King Cakes are normally sweet pastries, but Belle decided to make this one savory.  She used canned crescent rolls as her dough, then stuffed it with a mixture of boudin and cheese.  Gave it an egg wash, then put it in the oven.  When it came out, she topped it with red pepper jelly and topped that with bacon bits.

Sweet and savory in the same bite, it was a nice lunch.

I heard a pundit today call the Democrats the Party of Government Excess (POGE).  They are a bunch of poges, and I need to write my Dem congressman.  He needs to do a better job of representing me.

Doxxing ICE

 I'm sure by now, you have all seen the outrage over the ICE agents pictures being circulated and tacked to telephone poles.  It's tacky.  And, it may be illegal, I don't know.

I worked in small -town law enforcement for 37 years.  And, before you consider it like Mayberry RFD, consider that I carried three of my buddies to their graves.  Small-town law enforcement is still dangerous. There was no reason to doxx us, everyone in town who cared knew who we were.  It was no secret, our wives, our children, out homes.  Not a secret.

Sometimes my kids would wonder why I didn't have their pictures on my desk.  I had to explain that I didn't want to make it easy for the bad guys.  It was no secret, but there is no sense making it easy.

I do have the feeling that today's law enforcement is too scared.  I know the job is tough, but it is the job.  If the doxxing is illegal, charge the ones who do it. Simply cite the law, get a warrant, and put their asses in jail. Then, get on with doing the job.

Landman

 Have y'all be watching the series Landman? Billy Bob Thornton plays a landman in the Permian Basin.  A lot of it is drama and bullshit, but some of it is pretty good.  Hard truths.

There is a great clip here about alternative energy.  It's something to think about.

Accountability

 Watching the federal workers freak out over basic accountability is both amusing and disheartening.

This ain't that hard, folks.  When I was a cop, I had to fill out a patrol log every day.  I got my screwing-off time like everyone else, but I had to account for my time.  In my plain-clothes assignment, I was still accountable for the miles I put on a vehicle and to keep my supervisor off my back.

Even in the military, as an enlisted soldier, I had to keep my sergeant happy.  As an officer, I had to keep the colonel happy and supervise the sergeants. I didn't have to be an asshole, but I knew how to be when it was necessary.

The idea that federal employees are unable to provide basic accountability is both amusing and an indictment of their supervisors. Federal employment is not an entitlement program. This ain't hard, folks.  Earn your paycheck.

Changing Tires

 I'm a grandpa, first and foremost.  This blog nods to that with its name.  I remember my grandpa, who would drop whatever he was doing to help me out of a bind.  It's our job.

Grandson Zach came to me this afternoon as I was lounging in the shop.  He had a flat, in my driveway.  Too bad, so sad.  Zach knows how to change a flat.  He wanted to change it in the shop, where we have floor jacks and air tools.  Okay, but we need to air the tire so that you are not running on a rim.  I gave him a small compressor that would run off his battery.  Air the tire and bring the car around.

I prepped the shop, moving stuff so that he could get his car in the door.  In a few minutes, he came around and drove the car into the shop.  He knows how to do this, but I sat on a stool and coached him through the job.  He used my tools to change the tire, then we went through his trunk, made sure that he had a jack and a lug wrench and a jack handle.

He needs new tires, and he is gainfully employed.  I'll be a pain in his ass until new rubber is between his car and the road. If necessary, I'll get his grandma involved.  He does not want that.

DOGE Meme

 Fox News is reporting that the liberal swamp-dwellers are continuing to cry about Elon and his DOGE wizards.  President Trump, always the master troll, is promoting this meme.

That is funny, and probably ore than a little bit true.

Sunday Shorts

 Sorry about the light posting.  I've been quasi-busy for the past couple of days, and my efforts have been elsewhere.

The Pope is in a bind with medical issues.  He's 88 years old, and having respiratory issues.  Love him or loathe him, he is the Pope, and deserves our prayers. If I were a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic church, I'd have a bag packed and I'd be checking airline schedules to Rome.  It seems that there might be a conclave in the immediate future.

Elon Musk and Co continue to cut government.  Not with a finely hones scalpel, but with a chainsaw. I understand that federal employees will be getting an email asking them to detail what they accomplished last week.  Falure to respond will be considered a resignation.

I don't want to hear any crying or whining about federal workers losing their jobs.  It happens.  More locally, we learned last week that the paper mill in Campti, LA is closing.  That mill employs hundreds and for the past 50 years or so, it has been cranking out paper and issuing W2a to hundreds of workers.  That's over now, or will be shortly. It happens in the public sector and in the private sector.

I had an old pipeline welder tell me once that every time he quit, was layed-off, or run-off a job, it was the best thing that ever happened to him.  There was always something better around the corner.  That is the right attitude. Losing a job sucks, but you stand back up, dust off your britches, and get on to the next thing.

Mitch is Leaving

 I see today that Mitch (the bitch) McConnell is retiring from the Senate.  Thank God!  He is the worst of the old RINOs, never seizing the initiative, never promoting Republican principles, never using the power that we had to promote the agenda.  He has even voted against some of Donald Trump's cabinet members. He is despicable.

It pains me to say this, because Mich represents Kentucky, a state that is close to my heart,  Kentucky is the state that I started my military career, living there for three years, soaking up the geography and culture.  It's a beautiful state, with good people.  They deserve better than Mitch.  The United States deserve better than Mitch.

The new Republican party is a whole helluva lot better than the old one, and Mitch needs to go home and putter in the yard.

Ruger RXM Torture Test: 1000 rounds in one day!

My sons have a YouTube channel, and I've shared some things that they put up.  Recently, younger son bought one of the new Ruger RXM pistols and decided to put it through a torture test. He ran 1000+ rounds through it in three hours with zero malfunctions.  That is pretty good for any pisto

I'm helping them boost the signal, but I think it's a darned good review.

Winter Storm

 The big news today is a winter storm that hit us last night.  Down here in the Deep South, it's not snowing, but temps have dropped considerably since sundown yesterday.  At one point yesterday afternoon, I was wearing only a pocket tee shirt, but today I'm wearing several more layers.  Temps are hovering around freezing and I doubt they will climb much today.  The weather weenies tell us that temps will be in the teens overnight.

Grandson Zach works for a major shipping company and he tells is that the truck from Memphis failed to arrive at the docks this morning. 

I made a big gumbo last night, and leftover gumbo is on the menu for lunch.  It's always better the next day, and a big bowl will hit the spot around noon.

Auditing The Gold.

 Rumors are flying that Elon Musk is going to take his team to the US Bullion Depository at FOrt Knox to audit the gold.  I can't tell you the last time that place was audited, but the last inspection I am aware of happened in 1974 by members of Congress.

The inspection by Members of Congress on September 23, 1974, of U.S. gold stocks stored at the Fort Knox (Ky.) Bullion Depository marks a unique departure from the long standing and rigidly enforced policy of absolutely no visitors, Mrs. Mary Brooks, Director of the Mint, announced today.

When I got there in 1976, the place was still abuzz about the inspection, and the rumors about what they may or may not have found there.  We know that they stored some crown jewels from eastern European nations that were then behind the iron curtain. 

The security around the Depository is probably the tightest in the nation.  Easily seen by travelers on US Highway 31W, it looks like a small building sitting in a field.  Don't let that deceive you.

At one time I was tasked with providing a platoon of tanks on two-hour notice to protect the Depository in case of a national emergency.  They would test us occasionally, and yes, one day I drove a platoon of tanks up to the gate before Treasury came out, told us we did good, and sent us away.  That screwed up a Sunday afternoon.

Fort Knox is no longer the home of Armor, but I see that they have a smattering of units, to include the 4th Cavalry Brigade, along with some Engineer units.  I bet that those guys have the same mission we did back in the 1970s.  Protect the Depositoory.

Teutonic Order

 It looks like Germany is cracking down on hate speech, that is, anything that might offend or insult someone.  Especially politicians. Insty covers it here.  And CBS 60 minutes highlights it here.

Watching the 60 Minutes segment was chilling.  The German prosecutors say that a large portion of the German pubic has quit engaging online because of hate speech.  More likely, a large portion of the populace has quit engaging because they don't want the police banging on their door in the early morning.

Hate speech is free speech. It may be deplorable or detestable, but it is free speech.  The only antidote is universal condemnation, not pre-dawn police raids.  Germany has tried that once.  They called it Kristallnacht, followed by The Night of the Long Knives.

Germans should know that history often rhymes.  They should be very careful about criminalizing speech.

Questions Answered

 A couple of questions about the post below, where I'm tumbling brass in a concrete mixer.  Juvat asks:

Just a bit of a question, what is walnut media?

Walnut media is a fine abrasive made from ground walnut shells. I get it at Harbor Freight.  It's great for cleaning and polishing brass. 

Rob asks:

4,000 rounds? How long will it take you to reload all 4,000? Heck, how long will they last when the shooting starts? I'm just curious...

That's just what I'm cleaning today.  I already have 6000 cleaned. This is specialty ammunition used in Cowboy Fast Draw.  CFDA rules require that at sanctioned shoots, all competitors use the same ammunition.  One rule of thumb is that the host provide 100 rounds for each competitor.  All this ammunition will be shot in three days at the Texas State Championship to be held in Richmond, TX on the second weekend of March.  Through an inter-club agreement, we are supplying the loaded ammo and they will replace the wax bullets and primers.  Then, we will clean all the brass again and reload it for Louisiana State, which will be held in Pineville, LA over Memorial Day weekend.

We're having a club meeting tomorrow night to load ammo.  We'll be done in about three hours, then we'll eat gumbo and potato salad.

Everything you might want to know about Cowboy Fast Draw is in the video below.

The sport is a lot of fun.  If you are interested, go to Cowboy Fast Draw for more information.

Presidents Day

 It's Monday, which is traditionally the day to do laundry, and I've done two loads.  Belle and I agreed years ago that we married each other for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. The vows included nothing about laundry.  She does heres, I do mine.  It works out well for us.

It's also Presidents Day, a day that is a federal holiday, a day to reflect on a purely made-up holiday that allows government workers to take the day off.  It's always on a Monday, which led my father to declare it George Birthington's Washday.  

The dog and I are out in the shop now, and I'm tumbling brass.  I have just over 4000 pieces of .45LC brass to clean for a shoot next month.  We've found that the best way to clean large batches of brass is with a concrete mixer.  2000 pieces of brass, 25 lbs of walnut media and two hours.  They come out clean and shiny.

Yep, that is a trick I learned five or six years ago.

Tank Names

 Younger son sends this proto of a bunch of what appear to be Abrams tanks with tank manes.  Anyone who folows WWII  movies has probably seen the movie Fury, which focuses on one tank crew during the latter stages of the European theater.  Tank names, traditionally, are based on the unit that the tank is assigned.   Traditionally, tank companies are assigned to Company A, B, C, or D.  Whereas cavalry troops are assigned to Troop E, F, G, or H.  That tells me that the fictitious tank "Fury" was assigned to a cavalry unit and was in F troop.

I digress.  The photo my son sent me is below.

It seems that these tanks are assigned to Company A and B of some unit, and someone has a sense of humor.  The tank with the red arrow is "ASVAB WAIVER".  That is funny.

My first tank, and M60A1 in 4/37th Armor was "Cap'n Crunch".  Naming tanks fell out of favor in the '80s and I didn't see much of that.  In my last unit, 1/156 LANG, we could name tanks, but I was in a staff position and didn't have a tank.  However, on dark night during gunnery, our Batallón Commander stuck his tank in the pre-dawn hours and got off it to let the Master Gunner retrieve it.  When it came out of the ditch sometime around dawn, it had been renamed "Ditch Witch".  The old man laughed it off, he had a good sense of humor.

Naming tanks is a morale thing.  Good commanders laugh it off.

Bulk Primers

 Reloading ammo is a huge cost savings and many of us enjoy had-crafted ammo f or better accuracy, cost savings and more range time.  Running a Cowboy Fast Draw club, I buy a lot of shotgun primers for the club and sanctioned events.  If any of you are buying primers in bulk, eventually you will run into something that looks like this.

That box contains 10,000 shotshell primers.  Not in nice boxes, but in trays of 1000. They look something like this.

That is one tray of 1000 primers, all neatly in their little holes.  The big box holds 10 trays like that, but tray number 1, on top, always gets bobbled in shipment and comes out looking lie tis.

Pain in the butt.  You have to take all the trays  out of the box and find the loose primers that got rattled out of their tray during shipment.  I've never lost a primer, I've always been able to fill all the little holes, but it's just part of a large primer shipment.

Nitrogen Hypoxia

 CBS News is reporting that Louisiana has scheduled its first execution in 12 years, settling the debate over lethal injection.  The method used will be nitrogen hypoxia.

There are technically three execution methods approved in Louisiana. Lethal injection is the default method, and electrocution and nitrogen hypoxia are alternatives. State legislators last year authorized nitrogen hypoxia, an experimental procedure tried just four times before in the nation's recorded history, as a means to execute death row prisoners. Their decision came shortly after Alabama introduced the method to the public in January 2024, during the controversial and disputed execution of Kenny Smith, whose death was described by several witnesses, including reporters, as potentially torturous.

Nitrogen is an inert gas, composing the majority of the atmosphere we breathe. 

Wednesday Weirdness

 I see that the US Mint is thinking about stopping production on the US penny coin.  It takes 2 cents to make one.  They literally cost more than they are worth.

Pete Hegseth, or SecDef, has renamed Fort Bragg. He found a US Army Private First Class named Roland L Bragg who earned a Silver Star and a Purple Heart during the Battle of The Bulge.  For a PFC to earn a Silver Star, that is some hero activity right there.  Good on Hegseth.  Now, if we can find a hero named Polk, or Hood, maybe we can start setting things right.

I see breaking news that Tulsi Gabbard has been confirmed as DNI.  The very idea that Lieutenant Colonel Gabbard was a Russian plant was lunacy.  Lunacy, by the way, tends to define the Democrat party today.  Now, let's get RFK confirmed.  He is a Democrat and confirmation should be a shoo-in, but again, lunatic Democrats.

UPDATE:  How could I overlook this?  Federal retirement paperwork is done manually, on paper at a mine in Pennsylvania.  Elon talks about it here in the early part of the interview. An old limestone mine with manila folders. Truly archaic

70/30

 Like many of you, I've been watching the first three weeks of the new administration and I've come to believe that President Trump is tackling issues that I like to call 70/30 issues.  Issues that a vast majority of Americans want to see solved.

Immigration, for example.  I believe that 70% of Americans want something done about immigration.  Like him or hate him, but President Trump is doing something, and most Americans are on his side.

Likewise, government waste.  Most Americans are tired of government, and Elon Musk with his merry band of tech wizards are opening the books and making recommendations to curb waste.

Just yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order to bring us back to plastic drinking straws.  I think he is trolling the left, but many Americans believe that paper straws are simply silly. Yet, some Democrats are losing their minds.

So, the Democrats are now for paper straws, illegal immigration, and government waste.  These are 70/30 issues, and they are on the wrong side.  Still, they wonder why they lost.

Southpaw Actions

 I'm left-handed, but I'm right-eye dominant, so I learned to shoot shoulder arms from my right side.  My dad started me off on the right side, and it has never been an issue, but I have one son who is purely left-handed and two grandsons who are purely left-handed, so when I was outfitting them, it was necessary to pick bolt guns that work from the left side.  Back in the day that was an ussue, but things have gotten better.

If I were looking for a brand-new, out-of-the-box bolt gun today, my choices would boil down to Ruger or Savage.  I have nothing against the other manufacturers, but those two have put me in meat more often than the competitors.

On a post yesterday, Sailorcurt was talking about left-hand rifles, and today I took a peek at the current offerings.  Wow!  Ruger has a bunch, to include left-hand Ruger 10/22 models. Savage has a sizeable collection as well.

When I'm browsing used gun racks, the one I'm always on the lookout for is a left-handed Remington 870.  I could probably order one, but it's something that I've always looked for.  Along with a Ruger No 1 in 7mm Mauser or in 250 Savage.  That would be something to find.

Electricity Saving Boxes?

 During a club meeting on Saturday, the conversation turned to electric bills and possible savings.  Several of the members talked about a little box that plugs into an outlet and is supposed to save energy.  Ostensibly, it uses a capacitor to smooth the flow, making the house more efficient.

Color me skeptical, but before I knew what had happened, Belle found a four-pack at Amazon and ordered some. They were in the mail box this morning, and I plugged them in.

I'm still skeptical, but the four-pack was under $25.00 and I don't tell Belle how to spend her money.

It has a light to show when it is operating, so it uses energy.  Whether or not it will save any money is subject to claim.  We will see, I guess.

Monday Weather

 I wore a short-sleeved button-down to church yesterday and considered turning on the A/C yesterday afternoon while entertaining in the shop. The weather changed overnight, and I'll be wearing flannel today and burning propane in the shop.

Over coffee just now, Belle observed, "That north wind is cold, I don't care which direction it is coming from."

It's February and the weather will be playing with our heads for another month or so.

Load Development

 During the first decade of this century, I've done a lot of load development.  For several rifle and handgun calibers, and worked up loads for a dozen or more individual rifles and handguns.  In this sort of work, you need a chronograph to know your numbers out of your barrel. For all of this load development, I used a Shooting Chrony, a neat little device that we would put o a tripod and fire the bullets over the seceens.

Doing that gives invaluable data, but it also violates Jeff Cooper's Rule 2:  Never point your gun at anything you are not willing to destroy.  Or, maybe I was willing to destory it.  I knew the risk and the risk was worth taking.

Having said all that, Second Son borrowed the chrony to do some load development for a new rifle he recently bought in 6.5 Creedmoor.  And Rule 2 snuck up on us.

It was inevitable, I guess. The shot took out both screens.  It may have been a blessing.  Technology has advanced and there are better chronographs on the market. So, I went over to MidwayUSA and ordered this one.  It used doppler radar to measure the speed of the bullet, and will bluetooth to your phone. It sits beside the rifle rather than downrange of it, and shooting it will be a whole lot more difficult.

We made the upgrade.  It will be here in a week or so, and load development can proceed apace.

A Masterclass In The Collapse Of Woke Culture With Anson Frericks

Many of you know that I'm a fan of Mike Rowe.  Here he discusses woke culture and the fall of Bud Lite in the broader context of American corporate culture.  Fascinating.

Compare and COntrast

 

Hat Tip: Instapundit

Superb Owl

Watching Democrats freak out is becoming my morning news break.  I understand that the big freak out this morning is the idea that the Department of Education may be on the chopping block as we discussed yesterday.  There is no doubt that some f the money spent by Dept Edu is worthwhile, but much of it is administered by local officials in school districts across the country.  The program that administers the lunch program is probably the most visible of the good programs. It used to be run by the Dept of Agriculture, but nowadays is part of the Edu purse.

However, many of the past programs like No Child Left Behind, or Common Core, were bureaucratic nightmares and almost impossible to administer.  It didn't help that the Edu folks seemed to be intent on dragging the goalpost up and down the field.

I am reminded that this weekend is the national holiday that I am calling Superb Owl.  It involves two groups of men chasing a weird ball o a marked field. I have nothing against this holiday, and indeed have some remarkable history with it.  I met Belle at a Superb Owl party in 2001.

Y'all enjoy the game, if that is your  jam.  I'll be doing other things.

Crawfish Season

 Running errands this week, I happened to drive past Belle's favorite crawfish place and noticed that it is open.  Crawfish season in Louisiana has arrived. Locally in central Louisiana, the crawfish joints aren't open year-round because live crawfish aren't available year-round. The season runs, basically, from late January until mid-June. Depending on weather and rainfall.

Belle's favorite joint is Tom's Seafood in Pineville.  When I run errands this morning, I'll time my trip so that I can be at Tom's shortly after 11:00.  That will make Belle very happy, and my main function in life is to keep Belle happy. This looks like it is going to be a good season, because it appears that prices are down a bit from last year.  I'm sure these are farmed crawfish because the wild crawfish won't start coming out of the Atchafalaya Basin for another month or so.

It's crawfish season in Louisiana.

Sunlight

 The Democrats are losing their minds over Elon Musk and his group of data wizards who are shining raw sunlight on the spending in the US government. Very questionable spending, contrary to the wishes of most citizens.  We don't want money spent on gender issues here in the US, much less in Tanzania.

In 1961, Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act and President John Kennedy subsequently established USAID by executive order. What can be established by executive order can be dissolved by executive order, and it appears that President Trump has done so.  Perfectly legal.

While I agree with the idea that Congress controls the purse strings, I also agree that an executive should be able to pause some expenditures to make sure that they comport with the interests of the United States.

I also believe that elections have consequences, and we elected Donald Trump to make changes. Prograns come and programs go.  If that were not true, we would still have the CCC program.

If you really want to start a hissy-fit, look into the formation of the US Department of Education.  You can believe that our president is looking into it.  I'm not sure that Congress had anything to do with that or not.  If it can be created by executive fiat, it can be dissolved by executive fiat.

Wednesday Wazzup?

 My calendar tells me it is Wednesday.  Tax season, and like all Americans, I'm dealing with that bullshit. One of the two inevitables.

I see that Pam Bondi got confirmed and sworn as Attorney General.  Good for her Good for us. I hope she does a great job.  We'll see.

What is this nonsense I see about Trump saying that the US will take over Gaza and help to rebuild it?  Our national interest is closely tied to Israel, but I don't see how we should be involved except to help Israel guarantee its security. Hamas has to go, root and branch.  From what little I know about the real estate, it might make a great resort area, but unless the governing authority is absolutely peaceful, I don't see much hope for the place.  Maybe I'm wrong, but we don't need to waste much blood over that place.

I have a huge reloading project looming, so I'd best get at it.

Psycho Bill

 I see that RFK Jr. got passed out of committee today for his DHH Sec job, and everyone is patting Bill Cassidy on the back for doing the right thing.  Just stop.  We conservatives in Louisiana have a very low opinion of Senator Bill Cassidy.  He's been dubbed Psycho Bill by one pundit, and most of us think that is appropriate.

As an ostensible Republican, Bill's whole job was to get Trumps cabinet through.  He did the right thing and deserves no praise.  The way he stabbed Trump in the back during the impeachment fiasco was a blot his record that includes the fact that Psycho Bill voted twice to impeach.

Since becoming the senator for Louisiana, Bill has become a full-fledged member of the swamp.  When he runs for Senator next year, he will be primaried, and I give him a 1:3 chance of surviving the primary, because it will be a closed primary and the Republicans in Louisiana are done with him.

Psycho Bill Cassidy is the senior senator from Louisiana, but Bill only represents himself.  We'll be glad to cull him.

Schumer Whines

 Chuck Schumer, that execrable senator from... same damn place, is complaining that DOGE is doing the job he should have been doing all along.

An unelected shadow government is conducting a hostile takeover of the federal government.

DOGE is not a real government agency.

DOGE has no authority to make spending decisions.

No, Chuck, what DOGE has the authority to do is shine a bright spotlight on government waste, fraud, and abuse.  And, to make specific recommendations to the elected authority. 

What actually happened, Chuck, is that the American people staged a hostile takeover of the federal government.  As is our right and privilege.  Then we asked DOGE to look at the books and tell us where we are wasting money.  DOGE is doint a great job, and the rats are running from the sunlight.

Sure Is Monday

Watching the news this morning, I saw a video of our new DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem, on the southern border.  In jeans, riding a horse and sporting a white hat. It was a good look for the Secretary, and I was struck by the difference between her and whatshisname Mayjerkus.  I bet that boy has never forked a horse, or gone to a border.  He was about a worthless sum'bitch.

I went to get glasses this morning.  This journey started in December, and after two cataract surgeries and the resulting follow-up appointments I finally got a new prescription.  I see much better now. Pre surgery I was seeing about 20/150.  Now, I'm 20/60 and new spectacles will clean that up.  I'll pick them up in the morning.

The big conversation around the dinner table yesterday was immigration and egg prices. The big conversation on the radio this morning was immigration and tariffs. I think that Trump is going the right thing on immigration, and I hope that he doesn't hurt us with the tariffs.  I don't buy many avocados anyway, but the little Mexican avocados' make really good guacamole.

Lear Jet Med Evac Crash KPNE 31 Jan 2025

Juan Brown breaks down the Philly jet crash from yesterday.  I'm just boosting the signal here.

Update** Another guy I trust, Captain Steve, breaks it down here.

Anniversary

 I see over on Instapundit that five years ago today, Covid-19 was declared a public health emergency in the United States.  I do recall that Belle and I were at a shoot in Oklahoma when we learned that schools were shut down and toilet paper was in short supply.

2020 was a nightmare and showed how fragile our civil rights are. Perhaps we should start working on legislation that a government can never again declare a public health emergency. They can cajole and educate, but never again declare an emergency that limits personal rights.

A History of American Barbecue

February has come in like a lamb, and I know that winter isn't over, but it will soon be time to fire up the pit and cook under the trees.

Updates

 I sat down at this computer at 4:30 to take care of a few things.  It told me that it needed to update, so I clicked the restart button and let it begin.  It's now 8:05 and I'm able to get to a browser.

Unbelievable. This is the newest of three computers I own, and the others can update in about fifteen minutes.  This one take three hours.  Wow. The others are ASUS Chromebooks and they are rally much faster than this dog that lives in the house.  For the record, it's an HP, about three years old.

I'd upgrade, but I honestly hate to spend the money.

Speculation

 I was horrified to hear of the Army helicopter that had a mid-air collision with an American Airlines flight.

I was nearly as horrified to hear our president speculate on what may or may not have been the cause of the accident. The speculation certainly does no good.  The blame will fall where it falls, and creating ripples in the pond of confusion certainly does no one any good. Somewhere between the controllers and the pilots, something went terribly wrong. We have to find out.

My thoughts and prayers to out to those affected.

F35 Crashes

 I saw this morning that yesterday an F35 fighter crashed at Eielson AFB in Alaska.  The pilot successfully ejected and the plane turned into a fireball.  Video clip here.

I'm glad that the pilot survived, but I bet this is going to cost the Air Force a few bucks.  I understand that the MSRP on an F35 is something north of $82 million and from what I saw in the clip, the frame is a total loss.  They'll be dragging what is left off the tarmac with skid loaders.

Just damn.

Authorized

 Karolyn Leavitt, the new White House press secretary, said in her first presser that the drones we say over the past couple of months were all authorized by the FAA for a variety of reasons.

That doesn't answer a lot of questions, but she did tell us that the flights were not enemy action.  That's good news, I guess.

I like this gal, she is a bit of a gangster.  Straight up, no nonsense, she doesn't suffer fools lightly.  I particularly liked her one answer about some "law-abiding" migrants being swept up with gang-bangers during the ICE raids.  She said that coming in to the US illegally is a crime, and she understands that this definition is a culture change from the past administration, but that is just the way it is.

What amazes me is the absolute ignorance of the press on the time it takes for economics to change.  They wanted to know why egg prices were not coming down after a week of Trump being in office.  Well, for starters, the egg producers have to get more laying hens in the hen house after Biden ordered a bunch of then killed, then feed prices have to moderate, and fuel prices have to come down.  That is going to take a couple of months to get done, but those over-credentialed idiots are totally ignorant on egg production.

I guess it is too much to expect a highly educated reporter to do a little research before they ask a question. Some say that there is no such thing as a stupid question, but I've heard a lot of stupid questions.

White Perch

 I went to the barber shop this morning, got there at 9:00 and was already 5th in line.  Adn, probably the youngest at age 71.  The topics of conversation were Donald Trump and white perch.

White perch, also known as white crappie, or sac-a-lait is a game fish common to Louisiana. They tend to spawn in late winter.  Fishermen tend to keep their honey-holes a secret, but the conversation this time of year inevitably turns to white perch.

The general consensus at the barber shop is that the white perch will be running soon, that Donald Trump is doing a good job, and that we are due for another winter storm. 

Deportation

 The news over the weekend was that Columbia refused to allow deportation flights from the US to land.  Their president got fairly bellicose, and Trump showed him how the cow eats the cabbage. Columbia is now accepting deportation flights.

The US has a fleet of cargo aircraft, mainly C17 and C130, and they are al rigged for parachute operations.  We also own a lot of parachutes.  If a nation wants to be reticent about accepting their own citizens, it would simply be a matter of proper rigging, use the static lines, and push then all out from about 1500 AGL.  At bayonet point if necessary.

I have heard that the US used this method at least once during the past century to return a person to their home country.  This may be urban legend, but it is a fascinating tale.  I'm just saying.

Hegseth Confirmed

 I see that Pete Hegseth has been confirmed by the Senate and sworn in as our new Secretary of Defense. This is great news for the country and the military.

I bet that in the Pentagon today, there are lots of folks who can see the light at the end of the tunnel and know that it is an oncoming train.  The supply room will have to lay on an inventory of empty boxes so that the top-heavy bloat can empty their desks and retire before they are fired.

This is good stuff.  Pete is going to do a great job.

Boot Hooks

 Couple of years ago, I realized that I was having trouble putting on  boots.  I don't wear lace-up, preferring the slip on Western boots.  It a boot had a soft upper, it was especially challenging.  The last time I was in Shepler's, I picked up a set of book hooks and put them in the van.

I took them out of the van this morning and used them to put o a pair of boots.  What?  I should have bought these years ago.  If you're like me, old and decrepit and not nearly as limb4r as you used to be, a set of boot hooks my be just the ticket.  If you don't have a Shepler's or a cowboy store nearby, Amazon will send you a set.  

You are welcome.

Ruger M77 PSA

I follow Mark Novak and his Anvil channel.  He talks today about a Ruger M77 that came into the shop.  The shooter had fired a .308 Win in a gun chambered for .270 Win. and demolished the rifle.  Headspace is out over 16 thousandths.  Which means that the over pressure either stretched the receiver or compressed the locking lugs on the bolt, or some combination thereof.

This particular rifle is toast, but it speaks volumes about the ruggedness of the M77 action.  The shooter was unharmed.  I'm boosting the signal here to remind us all to check that the ammo we use is compatible with the gun we're putting it in.

Let's all be careful out there.

Shut It Down

 Listening to Fox this morning, I hear that President Trump has directed that all DEI offices in federal agencies be shut down by 5:00 today.  All DEI contracts are cancelled. In short, no federal money for anything DEI related.

I was also listening yesterday to the National Prayer Service, when I heard a liberal female Bishop lecture trump about mercy and fairness. She said that some lesbian, gay, or transgendered people are fearful for their lives.  Why?  There is no evidence that anyone intends to hurt members of our LGBT community..  We're simply not going to spend money on it. That's quite the difference.  I also note that the Bishop quoted no scripture in support of her lecture.

I might recommend to the bishop that she study 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 for her future sermons.  But, that might throw a kink in her plans to give future sermons.  This scripture may not be fashionable these days, but it is scriptural.  And, it is New Testament.

Pretty Much Over

 We awoke this morning to 15F, but we took measures last night to keep the popes from freezing.  We're okay. Grandson Zach went to work this morning, which tells me that the bridges are open and the roads are passable.  Temps today will get up near 40 and most of the snow will be gone by late afternoon.

It was an historic storm, but it will be gone within 24 hours and we'll return to a more familiar weather pattern. I enjoyed the hysteria on the news channels and the absolute amazement that we here in the Deep South don't invest in snowplows that we would only use once in a decade.  Some areas got historic snow amounts, and that's cool.  Some people saw snow for the first time in their lives, and that is cool too.

It was interesting, but by the end of the day, it will be pretty much over.

Military Matters

 It seems that the top Coastie has been relieved by the Trump administration.

Fox News first reported Fagan’s termination, citing issues with recruitment, operations concerns and a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion as the reasons for her relief. An ALCOAST, which is a message to all members of the Coast Guard, announced the relief.

As a full admiral, this probably puts the swan-song on her career.  She should trot down to the DEERS office and put in her paperwork to retire.  She's done. 

In other matters, I see that Trup declared the border a national emergency and is sending troops down to patrol the border and assist the Border Patrol.  I wonder if the 1st Cavalry Division has gotten the warning order yet?  This seems like a great mission for First Horse.

Snow

 The weather-weenies were right.  At 4:00 a.m., it is snowing in central Louisiana.

We'll wait till daylight and see if it is sticking.

UPDATE** At 7:00, still snowing.  Beginning to accumulate. No wind, just light, fluffy snow.

The Big Freeze

 Along with the weather forecast for wintry precipitation across south Louisiana, the weather-weeniest are also predicting record low temps.  Between now and Thursday, we'll get down in the low teens.  While this is not shocking for most of the nation, it will take many of us by surprise, mainly in the form of broken pipes. And dead car batteries.

The weather guys are forecasting that we will get 2-4 inches of snow, but that we are on the north of the snow line and that coastal south Louisiana will get more than us.  One forecast I've seen today says that New Orleans will get 6-8 inches in blizzard-like conditions. That would be an unmitigated disaster. New Orleans has absolutely zero snow experience or equipment.

Belle and I are going to be okay.  This is not our first rodeo. We'll simply stay home and eat soup until itis over.  She and I, in pat lives, lived in the Frozen North.  We know how to do this.  We don't like the cold, which is why we live in sub-tropical Louisiana, 

This will be over in a few days.  They are predicting temps in the 60s by Sunday.

Besmirched

 It seems that Joe Biden has given a hearty "screw you" to faithful members of his administration.  For example, General Milley, the past chairman of the Joint Chiefs. While we may disagree with him, I don't believe that he did anything criminal. Except, maybe, when he called his Chinese counterpart.

The withdrawal from the Afghan adventure was a disaster, but I assume that Milley was under orders.  Certainly nothing that would sustain a conviction under the US Code or the UCMJ. Why would he need a pardon? Why besmirch the honor of a career officer without good cause?  Milley is now hopelessly besmirched. He has neither honor nor dignity.

While these pardons protect the crew criminally,  it also removes their 5th amendment protections.  They can still testify.

Inauguration

 Well, we made it.  Today marks the end of the long national nightmare of the Biden crime family. Fifty years of public corruption comes to an end, not with prison sentences, but with a demented old crony politician stripped of dignity and shuffling off the national stage.  No one is going to miss the old bastard.

He's not dead yet, but his family is in mourning.  They are basically unemployable.  They can no longer trade money for the favors that Dad can bestow.  The money dried up today. There is no more, and the family brad is so tainted that the stench of corruption can be smelled up-wind.

The nominal news today is that Donald J Trump will be inaugurated for his second term, and that is good news for the country.  The better news is that the Biden crime family becomes irrelevant.

When I look at the Biden family, I am struck by the history of the Old West.  The tales of a figure who escaped justice, the bad man who got away, but was found later dead a the base of a tree, or was found trampled in a stockyard.  Karma seems to replay itself like a scratched album.

TikTok

 I understand that TikTok is off line.  I don't know, I've never used it, but from what I hear, it went down this morning. I absolutely do not have a dog in this hunt.

Congress passes a law, and the president signed it, and it was challenged in court, and the Supremes said that when Congress passes a law and the president signs it, that's the way it is supposed to work, and unless something is terribly askew, they ain't getting involved.

So, if you want TikTok back online, it's time to apply some pressure. White your Congress-critter.  That's the way it works.

UPDATE**  That didn't last long.  I understand from my daughter that it is up and running again.

Storm Watch

 Termite reminded me this morning that the weather-weenies are updating their predictions for Monday-Tuesday with a winter storm watch.  It's going to be snow-mageddon in central Louisiana. They tell us that the low  will get down to 16F, which is 20 degrees colder than we like it this time of year.

For much of the country, that amount of snow wouldn't be much of a challenge, but we don't get snow down here in the Deep South.  I  have one grandkid who was born in 2002 and didn't see snow until 2010.  According to my archives, the next snowfall was in 2019.  That was a huge pain in the ass, because it was mostly an ice storm.

Louisiana has no snowplows, or ice removal equipment.  Weather like that comes once in a decade.  The highway guys will put sand on the bridges, and everyone else will stay home. In less than 24 hours, most of it will melt and we'll go back to running the roads.

We'll be okay.  I have food in the pantry and the propane bottles are all filled.  Extra gasoline in case we need the generator. We'll be fine.

I see that Trump has moved the inauguration indoors, and that seems like a smart move.

Timber

 Watching the wildfires in California and struck by the loss of property and lives.

Driving to town yesterday I followed a log truck.  Not unusual, we have lots of log trucks in Louisiana, but what struck me about this load was that there were only four logs on the truck. And, it was a full load. As I looked closer, the logs looked like hardwood, easily six feet at the base.  Someone is going to get some beautiful slabs out of those logs.

And I wondered.  California is going to need a lot of logs to rebuild, and the wildfires are in forests.  Why not cut the logs that are standing and use those to mill into lumber.  Institute good forestry practices and treat the forest as the renewable resource that it is?

As a young man, I had to know the native pine species in Louisiana Basically, long leaf, short leaf and loblolly's.  As the pines were cut down and reforested, the Southern White Pine replaced most of the native species, but I still see the native species.

There is no reason California can't manage its forests, except that it seems they can't manage water or power either.  We'll see what the next elections reveal about Los Angeles.  Has the disaster changed enough minds that forest management is no longer a foreign concept.

If you want to build houses, you gotta have lumber, and it's standing right there in the forest.