New Optics

I bought an AR last week, and we talked about that.  It came with no sights, and a crappy little BSA red dot on it.  Okay, fine.

I was casting around for a nice red dot sight, and was searching around YouTube ad stumbled upon something called the SPRC-AR from Vortex.  I had a couple of tabs open looking for he best price and MidwayUSA had one of those ADD TO CART FOR PRICE things.  I clicked on it, and immediately proceeded to checkout.  The price was very favorable.  Very favorable indeed.  Lit $131.00 in the door, with the NRA roundup.

It came in today and I am favorably impressed.  Easy to mount, it was almost effortless.  It used an AAA battery in the riser.  It's not a Trijicon, or a a NightForce, but it is a nice little $200 red dot, and Vortex has a forever guarantee.  I'll take it out in the ext week or so and establish a battlesight zero.

Everyone needs an AR around the house.  If nothing else, it pisses off the leftists.

Disclosure

I spent the day filling out Disclosure forms and sending them to the state Ethics Board, and going over all the reports that will be due.  Disclosure is important, but it really takes all the fun our of campaigning.

On the up-side, I did start the morning with a radio interview on a small radio station in Alexandria.  That was a lot of fun.



I don't know how many viewers this guy has, but at this stage of the game, every vote counts.

Opening a Bank Account

Grandson wants to open a bank account, ad I think that is a fine idea.  I opened mine when I was a mere youth, a student account at the local bank.  I simply walked into the bank and opened a pass book account.  Remember those?  I didn't even have a driver's license.  They took my word and my money.

So, we went to the bank today, and Oh, Hell No.  He can't open a account unless he has a parent or guardian (and legally, I am neither), plus a valid picture ID and a Social Security card.  He's bummed out ad so am I.

We'll get this done in a few days, but in the interim, it sure is hard to open a bak account these days.

Why Do You Need?

It's a favorite question that gun-control guys ask "Why do you need an AR-15?"

It's an odd question in light of the consumer economy that we all live it, and especially the up-scale reporters who ask that question.  Many of us own things that we demonstrably do not need, but which make life easier, or more pleasant .  No one would dream to ask why we need two SUVs and a pickup truck.  No one would dream to ask why I need a big shop.  And, I certainly won't look in my wife's closet and ask whey she needs all those shoes.

The question itself is arrogant and overbearing.  It appeals to a certain percentage of the population who seems to believe that they can dictate what you or I need.  It pretends to frame the question is a way that makes us seem unreasonable.

This weekend, reporters asked Lindsey Graham that question, and he replied with a reasonable, thought-out answer.

“Here’s a scenario that I think is real: There’s a hurricane, a natural disaster, no power, no cops, no anything,” the Republican lawmaker told reporters aboard Air Force One.

A reporter asked if he meant looters.

“Yeah, people, they’re not going to come to the AR-15 home,” Graham responded. “Well, I think if you show up on the porch with an AR-15, they’ll probably go down the street.”

It's a reasonable answer, I guess, but I much prefer to give them another.  I fix them with and icy state and simply say, calmly and coldly, "To shoot tyrants and their lackeys."

There generally is not a follow-up question.

Conspiracy Theories

I have heard more weird conspiracy theories than I imagined I'd hear over the past 24 hours.

I'm going to finish this cup of coffee and head out to the shop.  The crew will be over for lunch and we're having beef tips.  I plugged the crock pot in last night, and I bet it time to stir them.

Epstein Dead

Everyone is reporting that Jeffery Epstein, the accused pedophile, was found dead in his jail cell this morning of an apparent suicide.  Evidently, he hanged himself. He had been on suicide watch.

Epstein is famously a friend of Bill Clinton, and he and Bill reportedly palled around.  Bill was reportedly a frequent flier on Epstein's private jet.

I don't know how the NYPD dos a suicide watch, but when I was working the jail, an offender on suicide watch had to be personally viewed by a jailer every 15 minutes.  I've done a lot of suicide watches, and it put a lot of stress on the jailers.  But, I never lost one on my watch.  Most folks think of hanging as the way it is portrayed as a punishment, where the whole bdy dangles from a rope.  That's not the way inmates do it.  All that is necessary is something around the neck, tight enough to restrict the blood flow.  When the body loses consciousness, the body slumps, increasing the pressure on the neck.  I've seen cases where a person hung themselves from a sitting position.  However, this method takes longer, which is why the 15-minute suicide watch is effective.

Enchiladas

I've been cooking lunch lately for the two teenaged boys in the house, and I had about run out of menu ideas, so I asked grandson Quinton what he might like.
"Enchiladas".

Now, I've never cooked enchiladas, so I went to Btty Crocker and found an easy enchilada recipe.  It looked easy enough, so I went to the grocers and got the stuff I needed.  I substituted green chilis for the green onions to give it a little kick, and I used a rotisserie chicken from the store.  And I used extra cheese that was hiding in the fridge, because.... cheese.

I think that they turned out pretty good for the first go-round.  I'll have to start experimenting so I don't have to rely on cans, but in the meantime, this works.

I always "cook big" for lunnch and put the rest away for the evening.  The boys can nuke whatever they like for supper.

More Idiocy

It sounds like the opening to a bad bar joke.  "So, this guy walks int a Walmart wearing body armor and a rifle."

It's no joke.  Some jazzbo walked into a Neighborhood Walmart wearing body armor with a handgun on his belt and a rifle slung around his neck.  Then started taking video of the ensuring panic.  Luckily an off-duty fireman was carrying and held him at gunpoint until police arrived to arrest him.

The incident at the Missouri Walmart comes hours after police in Florida identified a man they were looking for who they alleged told a Walmart salesperson in Port St. Lucie that he was looking for something "that would kill 200 people."

I need to go to Sam's Club later today to pick up a few things.   I will not be causing panic.  But, I will be very alert.  It looks like the crazies have fixated on the Walmart stores.

Florida Man

So, this gun-violence-prevention-activist walks into a Walmart in south Florida and asks if they have anything that will kill 200 people.

He saw a "white-nationalist looking guy" buy a gun, and he got mad.

The mind reels.  These are the people who we try to have reasonable conversations with.  They are so convinced of their own righteousness that they are willing to look foolish or angerous to make a point.  My mind boggles.

If any red-flag laws (which I think are a horrible idea on constitutional grounds),  existed in Florida, this guy would be the poster child.  If you walk into a gun shop and ask for something that will kill 200 people, the clerk is absolutely beholden to deny the sale and call the police.  Which is what happened here.

Pore ol' Joe

Pore ol' Joe Biden.  He is known for his gaffes and yesterday while I was out politicing, he knocked one out of the park.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, the 2020 Democratic primary frontrunner, made another gaffe Thursday when he told a crowd in Iowa that “poor kids are just as bright and talented as white kids.”

Huh ?  Say what?

You gotta love this guy.  His heart is in the right place, but his brain runs in weird circles.  If he hadn't gone into politics, he might have been a very successful stand-up comic.

The Lever Carbine

On a discussion of a new M4-Clone I bought yesterday, Anonymous says inn comments:

As popular as the AR-15 platform is, I think the more practical version of the American Rifle is a lever action .357 carbine or trapper.

Oh, I concur, sir, you are preaching to the choir.  I've been a lever gun aficionado for several decades. I particularly lie the Marlin 1984c in .357 magnum.  I have some very nice loads for that particular setup that makes the little carbine into an effective 100 yard rifle, perfect for slipping though the pine trees and hardwood bottom of the woods I used to hunt.

I'm probably the only LEO who qualified with a levergun as a patrol rifle in Louisiana in the past 20 years.  This blog post from 2010 gives some particulars on the capabilities of the little carbine.  That particular rifle lives in New Mexico now, where my son uses it as a trail rifle, to keep whatever critter he needs to keep at bay.  A 180 grain bullet at 1600 will thump something hard enough that it will stay thumped for the interim.

Those particular rifles are still available, and I recommend them to whomever might like one.  Several companies make them.  I prefer the Marlin although by buddy, Junior always lied the Miroku clone of the Winchester 92.  Junior and I had many campfire discussions over the relative merits of each carbine.

Back to the M4.  The young warrior has been infatuated with that rifle, learning the intricacies of the mechanism.  I bet he has disassembled it several dozen times today.

America's Rifle

With all the hoopla over the weekend, I realized that I didn't currently have an AR in the stocks.  I've given them all away.  Each of my sons has an AR that I gifted to them, but the old man didn't have one in the cupboard.

So, this morning after qualifying for the Sheriff's race, I stopped by a local merchant to see what he had in stock.  I picked up an entry-level M4 clone  Pretty much everything on this rile sucks, but the price was very okay.  So, I brought it home.

Came home and laid it on the kitchen table, preparatory to giving it a good cleaning.  Grandson Quinton walked through the kitchen and expressed interest.  He's a soldier who hasn't yet been to basic training, so I thought it might be a good idea to expose him to the rifle he'll be carrying.  We went out to the shop where the cleaning gear is stashed.

Exploring the mysteries of the AR bolt assembly

He's fairly well versed, having disassembled and re-assembled it a half-dozen times.  He'll get more experience when he gets to basic, but I think that he has a firm understanding.

Today has been a very good day.

KSYL Radio Interview

I was interviewed by a local radio station, KSYL radio in Alexandria, LA, about the Sheriff's race and my candidacy.  They posted it online as a podcast, and the audio is here if anyone wants to listen to it.

Click here for the interview.

It was a lot of fun, and I hope that I get to talk to these guys again.

Qualfying

Today is the first day of qualifying for the various statewide and parish races in Louisiana.  All over the state, ccandidates are making their way to the courthouse to file the necessary paperwork to be included on the ballot.

Today was the first time I exercised this particular right and privilege of American citizenship.  I am now a qualified candidate for the office of Sheriff for Rapides Parish.

Listening to talk radio on the ay to and from the courthouse, I stopped by my local gun shop and picked up another AR.  This one is a flat-top M4 clone.  Nothing, fancy, nothing special, but BATF seems to be backed up on approvals.  Mine took about 45 minutes

Here We Go Again

Already, the strident voices calling for mass gun confiscation are shrieking into our homes.

Realistically, a gun control plan that has any hope of getting us down to European levels of violence is going to mean taking a huge number of guns away from a huge number of gun owners.

They do not want to open that Pandora's box. They really do not want to go there.

Weekend Updaate

So, as expected, we hear that President Trump is to blame for the mass shooting in El Paso.

Okay.  Who is to blame for the continuing casualty count in Chicago?

I don't believe that President Trump was either in El Paso or Chicago this weekend.  I doubt that his security detail would let him shoot up either place.

Haters gotta hate, blamers gotta blame.

The Great Taboo

If you like Scotch whisky, you've probably discovered Ralfy.  He talks about Scotch and does whisky reviews.  He's one of my go-to channels when I'm researching whiskeys.

In review 454, he talks about the Great Taboo.



Ralfy is a lot of fun, and he knows his whisky.

There is another channel that oes whiskey reviews that I lie, the Whiskey Tribe.  They are out of Austin, TX and have a lot of content.  They also do a thing called Dry Week, where once a quarter, they take a week off from consuming alcohol, for a lot of good reasons.



Moderation, guys.  It's always a good idea.

The Two Dollar Bill

There is a meme going around the Book of Face, lately.  A nostalgic meme.

Uh, yeah, I've used a $2 bill. 

Back in the late '70s I was stationed at a major Army installation in central Kentucky.  The Commanding General went to a local Chamber of Commerce meeting where the locals heartily bitched about the GIs who used local services.

The CG came back to the post and had a staff meeting to go over the complaints.  But, he wanted to demonstrate the economic power of the GIs in the local economy, so he directed that the paymaster put a single $2 bill in each pay envelope.  Direct deposit was an emerging technology, and a sizable number of soldiers were still getting paid by cash.

By early the next month, the local economy was awash in $2 currency.

That shut them up.

Mass Shooting at Wal-Mart

Multiple sources are reporting a mass casualty event at a Wal-Mart in El Paso, TX this afternoon.

Horrific news out of El Paso as authorities have told KTSM that 18 people have been killed at a local Walmart store.
Police are on the scene and there are some reports of "multiple shooters." A photo from a local police source shows at least two men entering the store armed with long rifles.

This is still breaking, and we will learn more in the coming hours and days.  It is way too early to draw any conclusions, and everything is rumor at this point.

It Ain't Hurting Business

A small gun shop in North Carolina put up a billboard mocking AOC and the rest of the "squad".

Free speech, First Amendment, etc.  I don't believe that this billboard will hurt his business, because folks who like those four ain't likely to buy guns, anyway.

Source article here.   Hat tip, Wirecutter.

Comey Again?

PJMedia is reporting that former FBI director Jim Comey broke the law protecting classified information and leaked information in violation of that law.  Of course, no one is going to prosecute it.

According to Solomon's sources, the IG report will conclude that Comey "leaked classified information and showed a lack of candor," but DOJ prosecutors declined to bring charges because they didn't think they had enough evidence to prove that Comey intended to violate the law.

I'm no lawyer, but I didn't know that intent was an element of the classified information law. If I were a DOJ prosecutor, I'd be looking hard at the law to see if intent is even covered.  Some laws require intent, some don't.  If this one doesn't, then what we're seeing is another attempt to shield a perful person fromm the consequences of their actions.

Whut? You've Never Heard This Song?

Free Bird (or Freebird) is an American power ballad first performed by rock band Lynard Skynard in 1973.  It quickly became an iconic recording.  Over forty hears later it still resonates.

Some folks have never heard it.



Heh.

The Things We Talk About

Belle's a nurse, and while shes strict on patient privilege, she's also apt to talk  shop with me on the back porch.
"The patient is on dilaudid, sublingually, in a hospice environment.  Which means we have to be really strict on medication documentation."

What do I hear?  'Yada, yada, strong medicine, someone has to be on their game."

Cops and nurses make good partners, because out jobs are remarkably similar.  We both deal with serious issues on a daily basis, working with people who may or may not understand what is happening to them.   Nurses and cops also tend to have the same perverse sense of humor..

Belle is leaving in the morning, going to Missouri to be with a family member who is having surgery net week.  This will probably be one of the longest separations we've had sine we were married.  It's okay, and I'm perfectly capable of cooking for myself.  But, I am going to miss her.

Big Tree

I spent the day at my buddy's ouse, thrying to help him get a big tree off the structure, after it feel in a wind storm.

The root ball.  Mark is at least 6'4" tall.

We cut branches, trying to assess the damage.  Mark lives in a trailer and the main trunk didn't get to the trailer, but we were cutting branches that were 6" thick.  It knocked the hell out o his place, and I suspect the little trailer will be totaled.

There were four of us working, and we're all old, retired LEOs.  I bet that none of us will be able to move tomorrow.  We'll all be spavined.

Town Folk Alley

A Town Folk Alley (now called Try Cowboy Fast Draw) is an event where a club sets up a range and lets anyone try the game, under supervision of an experienced shooter.  This is a great way to introduce new shooters to the game, and is very productive at giving folks a taste of what Cowboy Fast Draw is all about.

But, occasionally, someone will show up and pull you r leg.  In the video below, our good friend Delta Whiskey, a seasoned Cowboy Fast Draw shooter (and a champion in his own right.  He is currently the reigning Louisiana State champion,) showed up a a Town Folk Alley in Colorado and got in line, pretending that he was a neophyte.  At the time, he was the reigning Texas State Champion.

Then he started snatching 3s, which is champion level shooting.  Just watch the whole thing from the beginning.



This has become a classic cideo, and

Illinois is Anti-Business

TTAG and others are reporting that over half of Illinois gun dealers went out of business this week.  It seems that a new law went into effect that adds burdensome regulations to gun dealers inn Illinois.  Evidently, the new law requires a state license in addition to the normal BATfE dealers's license.

Previous Governor Bruce Rauner saw the writing on the wall and refused to sign the bill. However, our new Gov. Pritzker, along with the bill’s sponsors, see driving off dealers as a feature, not a bug.

I'm sure that this new law will result in an immediate, measurable decline in gun crime in Illinois, especially in that mecca of peace and prosperity, Chicago.   I bet that the immediate decrease in gun crime will save so much public money that it will offset the economic impact of driving business out of the state.

If you believe any of the above paragraph, I have a bridge I'd like to talk with you about.  Until then, we have our monthly gun match today, and I really need to start prepping for the gunfights that are sure to occur.  Peacefully and safely.

The Squad?

It appears that some freshman congress-critter proposed a boycott of Israel.  It amazes me that anyone listens to her.  hat is more amazing to me is the characterization of four young, female, leftists as a squad. 

This is no squad.  It's not even a parody of a fire team.  I understand that the President dubbed them The Squad to mock them, but he's giving them way too much credit.  Here is what a rifle squad looks like in today's Army.

I'm glad I could clear that up for you.

Political Ads

I'm making political ads ad running them on social media.  It's a whole lot cheaper than road signs or billboards, and the ads seem to reach a lot of people.  Whether or not they'll be effective in getting elected is yet to be seen.

But, there has been a learning curve.  An adviser told me that it would be best if I could do the ad in one take, without editing transitions.  And, I'm okay with that, I just have to keep shooting until I get it right.  With setup considered, it takes me about ab hour for each minute of video.  And, I have a lot of interesting out-takes.  I'm thinking about clipping them all together and making an out-take video after the election.  That might be a lot of fun.

Here's my latest.  It took about an hour and a half to get this done.



Vote Dezendorf!

Insurance

What a nut-roll.  I've been thinking about switching auto insurers, and we've got two grandsons living with us.  One has a DL and one will soon have a DL.  They can't drive my vehicle, an old Ford F150 until they are insured, so it behooves me to get some quotes.

Forty years ago, I was insured with USAA and thought I'd give them a chance.  I've been both on the phone ad online with them for over four hours, answering their questions, and being switched from one rep to another. 

It seems that there is a system glitch, because they can't figure out that two guys with the same name, but with different ages and SSNs want to insure with the same company.  It's frustrating, and when you add the fact that grandson was covered on Dad's policy and now I want to cover him on Granddad's policy, the whole system goes into vapor-lock.

About four hours into this nut-roll, after having been through at least nine reps, the lady asks me for Belle's DL number.  Not a clue.  I have her name, R/S, DOB ad SSN, but I have no clue of her DL number.    I almost lost it, and told her we'd try again tomorrow morning.

They wonder why I drin.

Suppressors, Etc.

In lieu of actual content, a good review of the history of the law concerning suppressors.  I didn't know, for example, that Hiram Maxim patented the first one.



And now, ya know.

Celebration

The family is gathering today, here at PawPaw's house.  Miss Reba, the matriarch of Belle's clan is celebrating her 98th birthday.  Family and friends from all over the state will assemble in the shop to celebrate.

This is one of the reasons we built this venue.  It's a place to gather and celebrate, and we can accommodate plenty of guests.

As soon as I finish coffee, I'll go out to the shop and make final preparations.   Move the lawnmower out, do a final sweep, and ice down the beverages.  We're expencting 30-40 people today, and it's going to be a lot of fun.

What Is a Ton?

Not the unit of weight, but the measurement of BTU energy?  We have been talking a lot about air conditioning in the heat of the summer, and I (just this week), added another AC unit to the shop.

But, the conversation wove around to the unit of measurement that measures the cooling capacity of an air conditioning unit, and why do they call it a tom?  Just a little research and we find that it's an archaic term that is based on the amount of energy needed to melt a ton of ice.

A ton is the cooling capacity of an air conditioning system. One ton is equal to the amount of heat required (288,000 Btu) to melt one ton of ice in a 24-hour period. A one-ton air conditioner is rated at 12,000 Btu per hour (288,000/24). A two-ton unit would be rated at 24,000 Btu per hour. Typical residential central heating systems provide up to 5-tons of cooling. Commercial systems can range anywhere from small, three-ton rooftop units, to 1,500-ton chiller systems. Why a ton of ice? The term is leftover from the days before mechanical cooling when ice was an essential part of refrigeration.

So, if a ton is equal to 12,000 BTU/hr, then I have 4.5 tons of cooling hanging in the wall of my shop. (Three 18K units) 

So, now I know what a ton of AC capacity is:  Basically, 12,000 BTU.

Aftermath

Barry is over, which is a good thing.  Now, the aftermath.  There is not a lot of clean-up because as tropical storms go, Barry was a wuss.  He did drop a lot of rain, and we'll have to deal with that for several days as everything dries out.  With temps in the 90s and humidity in the 90s, Louisiana will be a sauna for the next several days.  T here is a lot of water on the ground that needs to evaporate.

Flooding will continue for several days.  As the water that hit the ground during the storm finds its water-course, the streams ad bayous will fill up and backwater will become an issue.  All that water has to go somewhere.

We're planning a party for Belle's mother this weekend.  We're celebrating her 98th birthday.  There is a certain amount of prep work to be done to get ready for the festivities, and I have a crew coming in this morning to help with the installation of another air conditioner to help make the shop more comfortable on a hot summer afternoon.

John Chapman, USAF

John Chapman was a US Air Force combat controller.  These guys work closely with units on the ground to help deliver assets to the battle. (That's a gross over-simplification).

Early in the Afghan unpleasantness, Chapman was assigned to the theater, and was present at the battle for Takur Ghar, and was involved in an action in which he was killed, and for which he first received the Air Force Cross, and was ultimately up-graded to the Medal o Honor.

What is amazing, other than the valor and intrepidity of Sergeant Chapman was that the entire engagement was caught on film.

Trigger warning.  This is combat footage where men fight and die.



Amazingly, there was another Medal awarded for this action.  Navy Chief Britt Shabinski was also awarded the Medal for this action.

I am in awe of men like this.

Tropical Storm Humor

We're still in the midst of this thing, but if Louisiana knows how to do anything, it is how to weather a storm.  This slow-moving disaster ain't over by a long shot, the center of circulation is somewhere south of me as I type this, but it seems that we may have dodged a bullet.  So ar, it's not nearly as bad as was predicted.

Still, the weather is crappy, and many of us are indoors, having a Saturday afternoon drink which leads me to this weather graphic.

I'm sure the blood alcohol levels are elevated everywhere.

Here's another good one that came out a couple of days ago in the run-up to this train wreck.

They say we're going to get the worst of it tonight.  We'll see.

Decision Making in Uncertainty

That verdamnt storm, Barry, is still wobbling in the Gulf.  We're starting to see squalls in central Louisiaa, but the wind is moderate.  The weather-weenies admit that they're still trying to nail it down, and it's like trying to nail jello.  The current track seems to put it right on top of us, and I'm going to continue to watch, as long as the power company lets me do so.  I'm not expecting a problem, but it would be follish to totally discount the probability that we won't have challenges.  This is a big-frikiing storm, and the entire state of Louisiana will be affected, from the coast, eventually to the Arkansas border.

In other news, second grandson Quinton has his very first drill today wit the Louisiana National Guard.  He doesn't have a vehicle yet, so PawPaw dropped him off at Beauregard this morning in time to make 0645 formation.  The young private is making his very first drill in a tropical storm.  I hope that this is simply an event, and not an ominous omen concerning his military career.

The Louisiana Guard pays tuition at state universities, making it a very attractive option for young people who want to go to college.  He plans to graduate from high school in December, then attend basic training in January, thence to tech school in the spring.  His chosen field is MOS 91F, Small Arms Repairman.

Belle got a little teary-eyed this morning.  Her grandkids are growing up.

Roberts Strikes Again

I've said for years that Chief Justice John Roberts is no conservative.  He's a swing-vote, and sometimes he allies with conservatives, except when it really matters.  It seems that recently, he gave President Trump another solid screwing over a question on the census.

Progressive left interest groups sued the administration and for some inexplicable reason, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the nutters. Do you ever wonder if "certain people" have some dirt on Roberts? He sure delivers for the left on really important issues. I digress. 

No, I don't believe anyone has dirt of Roberts.  He gave us Obama-care not once, but twice.  Under his leadership, he gave us gay marriage.  Not that I care, from a libertarian standpoint, and I know that he dissented, but it happened under his watch.  The man is a liberal, plain and simple.  I do believe that he took the job under false pretenses.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  If I ever have the opportunity, I will spit on his shoes.

Barry

The big news this morning is Tropical Storm Barry.  Louisiana is firmly in the bullseye, and we are sure we are going to be affected, but we're not sure just exactly how it is going to play out. 

Is it going to go more east, or more west?  Generally, if you are on the west side of the storm, you're in better shape than if you're on the east side of the storm.  It's a matter of degree, but sometimes those degrees matter. 

We'll be okay, here in central Louisiana.  Yeah some tress will blow over, and some folks my lose shingles, and there will be some property damage, but that's part of the joy of living here.  Other folks have to worry about other natural disasters, we worry about hurricanes.

It's going to be okay, just a huge pain the butt.

Potential Tropical Cyclone 2

This thing still hasn't formed up, but the National Weather Service is warning that we might well have a bona fide storm on out hands by Saturday.

Oh, joy!  This is just what I need.   The church had a rodeo planned for Friday night, but that's been cancelled.  The normal Thursday night events have been cancelled as well.  I have a club shoot Saturday morning.  It's just practice, and I haven't cancelled it yet.

It's probably too far along to hope that this thing just goes away, but we can still hope that the weather folks are over-estimating the effect of this thing.  It's not even a named storm yet. 

I recko it's time to hunker down.

Plain, Filling Fare

With two teenage boys in the house, my food bill is going up, sure as God made little green apples.  That isn't a problem, because my grandparents and parents taught me how to cook.  And I love to cook when I have a reason to cook.  My problem is that I've never learned to cook for two, but now, it's changed.

The cooking rules in our house are simple.  I cook once a day.  Normally, a lunch, and the leftovers go in the fridge.  If the boys get peckish at dark, they're free to nuke whatever they can find.  Belle keeps a certain amount of what I call freezer-food on hand (hot pockets, etc), so they have options, but there are leftovers there too.

Yesterday, I cooked a big jambalaya for lunch.  Jambalaya is a Cajun food, with as many variants as there are cooks who have a big pot.  The variations are endless, and don't let anyone tell you that they have a hook on a definitive recipe.  A simple YouTube search will get you a dozen good recipes, white jambalaya, dark jambalaya, red jambalaya, they're all good.  Take your pick.

For myself, I like a white jambalaya.  That's what I cooked yesterday.  Plain, filling fare.

Chicken and sausage jambalaya

We each ate a bowl at lunch, and I put the rest away.  I looked in the fridge this morning, and it took a hit during the evening hours while I was in bed.

This morning I'm going to hook up the trailer, load the lawnmower and go to the church, where I'll knock back the Bahia grass.  At noon, I'm going to put on a big pot of spaghetti and meatballs.  Take some leftover hamburger buns and make garlic toast.

Plain filling fare.  It's what I'm good at.

Invest 92L

It loos lie we'll have a storm brewing soon in the Gulf o Mexico.  NOAAA is now giving it an 80% chance of turning into something bad.

The spaghetti models are all over the place, but they admit that it's early yet.  They're not sure where it is going.  Or what it might become, but all the weather-weenies on the Gulf coast are keeping an eye on this thing.

The next couple of days will tell the tale, but right ow it looks like it might go up the Sabine river, which never bodes well for central Louisiana.  On the other hand, it may turn in to a big nothing-burger, which is okay with me.  Still we need to keep a weather eye on this thing.

All of the weather folks will be watching this thing, and we'll learn more as the situation firms up.  KHOU, (Houston) is keeping an eye on it, as are all the weather media along the Gulf.

Air Conditioning

Air conditioning, in my opinion, is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century, and I lump all manner of refrigeration in that category.  From the fridge in the kitchen, to the big walk-in units at the warehouses, to the central air unit in my attic, to the window units in small homes everywhere.  Air conditioning and refrigeration makes life comfortable, safe, and healthy.

I grew up i a house with out AC.  It wasn't real common in the middle of the 20th century, but I've since become accustomed to it.

Memaw is Belle's mother.  She's seen a lot in her lifetime.  This month she will be 98 years old.  She still keeps her own house and her independence.  We are celebrating her birthday on July 20th, and the party is in my shop, which is also air conditioned.  However, I've noticed that we are having a hot June and July, even for these latitudes.  We had a heat advisory today, which would send many of my more northern readers into apoplexy.  We're flirting with triple digits and 80% humidity.  I've noticed that in my shop, the to AC units are struggling in the midday swelter.  They chug gamely along, but they are not quite able to keep up.  This will not do for Memaw's party.

Today I bought a third 18,000 BTU AC unit and contacted the fellow who built the shop.  He'll be along one day this week to frame up another hole in the wall for that unit.  We will be comfortable out there, and after the party, if I don't need that particular AC unit, I don't have to turn it on.

Full House

For the first time in many years, we're back to a full house.  Belle and I are quite happy.  Zach, of course lives with us, and has for over a year.  Today, Quinton moved inn.  Quinton and Zachary are cousins, born about six months apart.  Quin is the elder, and they're both going to be seniors in high school this year.

Quinton's dad is a level-4 water systems operator and was headhunted recently by a major food manufacturer in Roswell, NM.  They're basically throwing money at Dad to come to New Mexico and run their waste-water plant.  Quinton wants to finish school in Louisiana, and has signed a contract with the Louisiana Army National Guard.  He'll be graduating in December and going to Basic/AIT in January.  Then he plans to go to college locally.

We are thrilled to have hi in the house.  The guest bedroom is now Quinton's Lair, and life goes on.  This is going to be a lot of fun.

Pollock Fireworks

Just north of here is the little town of Pollock, LA.  The mayor, Jerome Scott is a close personal friend and has been for many years.  He's also a great American who is trying to bring sleepy little Pollock into a place where the residents can thrive.  He's doing a great job.

One of the things he's done (other than attracting business and industry), is to initiate a great fireworks display on the 4th of July.  He's been doing this for over ten years and every year it gets a little bigger and better.  This year was no exception.

Folks come from all over this part of Louisiana to watch the show.  Belle and I have been attending for years, and this year I took the time to do a little retail politics.  Pollock is not in the jurisdiction that I serve, but the voters come here to sclebrate America, so I took the opportunity to make friends.

As the sun went down, we all sat under the pine trees to watch a fantastic fireworks display.  This thing lasted 30 minutes, but I managed to capture one minute of the display.

Trigger warning.  If you have PTSD, you might want to leave this one alone.



This is small-town America at its best.

Corruption

In the middle of this Sheriff's race, there is an ongoing corruption investigation within the Sheriff's office.  While on the surface it seems to be a corruption investigation, it goes deeper than that.  The investigation highlights failures in leadership, from the basic low-level supervisors, to upper management.  So far, three low-level deputies have been arrested, and two others fired.

Over my career, I've been involved in a couple of corruption investigations.  One, in the early 80s, led to the arrest and conviction of a sitting Sheriff.  He did a stretch of hard-time for that debacle.

This investigation is getting interesting.  It may be that one of the major players is also a candidate in this race, and is the guy that the sitting Sheriff has endorsed to take his place.


Yeah, it is starting to get interesting.

The Morning Paper

In a blow to Kentucky Bourbon, I see where a Jim Beam warehouse is on fire, with 40,000 barrels of whiskey at stake.

A Jim Beam warehouse filled with about 40,000 bourbon barrels in Kentucky remains on fire Wednesday, according to officials.

That's bad, that's very bad.

Closer to home,  the Sheriff's race is heating up.  With seven (7) announced candidates, the historical kick-off for the local campaigns is the 4th of July.  We've been campaigning since April, but the public is starting to pay attention, and my personal calendar is filling up with events that  will further the campaign.

What is not helpful is that a local corruption probe is starting to make news, resulting in arrests and firings at the Sheriff's office.  Our local media is covering it, and it's causing a lot of consternation.  I was interviewed b the local station, and when that follow-up story breaks, I'll link it here.

Additionally, in the past several days, an anonymous smear letter has been circulating around social media, and the recriminations are beginning to fly.  Yes,I've seen the letter, and no I won't comment on it, except to say that I deplore this type of political assassination.  Some folks thrive on it, but I think it is the wrong way to get the story out.

Later today, and tomorrow, I'll be campaigning at local events.  Were focused on retail politics, shaking hands and talking to voters.  I'm looking forward to it.

Busy, Busy

It was a busy weekend and we're picking up speed for the week.

Saturday, hosted the club monthly match.  We had two new shooters this weekend, and we hope they come back and shoot with us.  As hard as we've worked over the past two years, the word still isn't out.   Both of these guys were amazed to find a fast-draw club in central Louisiana.

Sunday, went dancing with my gal.  Belle and I are members of a private dance club that meets the last Sunday of every month.  It's mainly an old-folks club.  We hire a band, start dancing at 4:00 and serve supper at 6:00.  The dance is over at 8:00, because we're old folks.

Belle and I, having fun.

I put Belle on the road at 6:00 this morning.  She still works (and loves her job), working as a registered nurse for a private company, dealing with home-bound patients.    She trains direct-care staff for people with problems, and today she is teaching a medication administration class in West Monroe, LA.  While shes out doing that, I'll be doing retail politics on the west side of the parish.  I do't have much of a foot-hold over there, so I need to get on that side, show my face, shake hands, and talk to people.

Notes From The Coffee Pot

The weather weenies tell us that it's hot in the Deep South.  During the summer.  We have a chance of a pop-up thunderstorm later today.    That's the standard weather pattern across the whole south for four months of every year.  In summertime, it's easy to be a weather-weenie.

DeBlasio quoted Che yesterday in Miami.  That didn't win him any votes.

The Democrat clown-car show continues.  I'm not linking any particular story. Take your pick.  I  probably won't pay much attention to this rolling debacle for the next several months.  Except, of course, to ridicule some of the more bone-headed ideas.

Belle is tracking a revolver on Grabagun.  She is a .32 fan, and a revolver fan, and she wants this one as soon as it is available.  Evidently there is a HUGE demand for this revolver.

I have to get some stuff done, so you'll excuse me.  I want to get it done before the hear of the day.

Uberti's Answer to the Transfer Bar

One of the design bugs of the old Colt SAA is that it is basically unsafe to carry with six rounds in the chamber.  For us old aficionados, we always carried five, with the hammer down on an empty chamber.  To carry any other way was to risk and accidental discharge if the hammer was struck, as the firing pin was mounted to the hammer.  We've known about this problem since 1873.

Ruger got around this problem with the transfer bar, and they've been very successful in the trade, but even with my Rugers, I always carried five (Load one, skip one, load four.)  It's an old habit.

Because we live in a litigious society, gun makers are all about saafety.  So, Uberti realized that they had a problem ad set about to fix it, while keeping the gun looking authentic.  Their solution was a floating firing pin that is only able to reach the primer when the trigger is held firmly to the rear.

My current favorite CFDA gun is a Cimoarron Model P, made by Uberti.  I bought it last year.  I noticed, out o the box that it didn't have a safety click on the hammer.  It's basically a 3-click Colt clone.  But I didn't think anything about it until I started a thread on Facebook about it.  Then I went digging through YouTube until I found this video.



That explains it.  And, I'm going to leave that video right here so that I can find it later.  It might come in handy the next time my gun is inspected at an equipment check.

I Love The M3A1

I was issued one as a tanker and lways liked the darned thing.  Simple as a gun can get, it shot the .45 ACP and did just fin for short range work.



It's a fun little gun.  Lightweight, reliable, and effective.

The Next "Trump Situation"

Google is a powerful company who all but controls what we see, hear, share, and follow on the intertubes.  With great power, comes great responsibility, and we all recall the sage wisdom of power being a corrupting influence.  Google powers almost everything we see on the internet, including the host of this tiny blog.

It seems that Project Vertias was talking with a Google executive who said that Google wants to prevent another "Trump situation".

Elizabeth Warren is talking about breaking up Google, like the government broke up the Bell System in the past century.  If Google is trying to prevent a "Trump Situation".

It seems that Google is trying to influence search results.  I know that Facebook and Google scan media that is uploaded to their platforms and target political media.  I am in a Sheriff's race in a small parish in  Louisiana, and I have to jump through hoops to make my campaign ads publish successfully.

Full video is available at the link above.  Don't search for it on YouTube because it has been deleted by Google.

Home

We're home and the van is mostly unpacked.   It was a great trip, and we needed to get away, but it sure is good to be home.  Northern Kansas is a long way from central Louisiana. Total road time home was about 18 hours and I'm glad to be sitting at my desk.  Tomorrow it's back to the world, but for today, I'm going to lollygag.

Mena, AR

We left Phillipsburg, KS this morning, heading south.  We made it to Mena, AR in a blinding rainstorm.  We're now ensconced in a comfortable Ozark Inn for the evening.  I'm bushed and Belle is exhausted. We've piled up in the comfortable room and won't move until morning.

That is all.

Kansas State The Banquet

We went to the banquet last night at Kansas State.  Good times and good people.  The ladies sparkled and the men wore their Sunday best.  In this outfit, I'm known as Major D (everyone in CFDA has an alias) and the lady that you know as Belle, is Blue Eyed Belle).

Major D and Blue Eyed Belle

They gave out awards to this point, to shorten the award ceremony on Sunday.

Major D took 2nd place in Men's Super Senior, losing to my good friend Diamondback Billy, out of Pocohontas, AR.  Billy shot the match clean, and the only fellow I lost to was Billy.  I had him 2-2 on two occasions, but he always managed to get to the target a little faster than I did.

Blue Eyed Belle won third in her category, behind Snake Charmer and Sky Queen, both fine ladies and great competitors.

L-R - Blue Eyed Belle, Snake Charmer, Sky Queen.

Northern Kansas is an interesting place.  We awoke this morning to cool temps and a nice breeze.  We're through shooting this weekend, and all the faster guns are finishing the main match.  We've decided that it's time to pack the van and head home.  Louisiana is 14 hours away and the more time we can spend southbound the better we'll feel when we get there.

Kansas Day 2

No photos today, we were shooting the whole day and I went to the seventh round.  We finished (Belle, Zach, and I) at about 2:0 so we packed up and went back tot he room.  We stopped by a tiny liquor store in this tiny town to see if we could find some of Belle's favorite wine.  The owner thanked us for coming to town, (we were still dressed in gunfighter garb), and I asked him if he had any interesting bourbons.

He walked around the counter and picked up a battle of Weller Antique 107.  I had never tried it, so I told him I'd take it.  He said that his distributor got it very infrequently, and that he only had two bottles.  I dismissed that as retail marketing.  Good retail marketing.  The price was $50.00, which is more than I usually pay for bourbon, but we are on vacation, and this is a special bottle, so I paid the tarrif.

We got back to the room and I did a Google search.  Evidently, this is much better whiskey than I suspected.  Retail prices are all over, from $30.00 to $300.00 with the vast majority in the $100 range. Some reviewers compare it to "Poor Man's Pappy", a blend that came out several years ago to try and replicate Pappy Van Winkle.

I'll take this one home, unopened, and sample it at leisure.

Kansas State - Day 1

We got to the range this morning and shot categories, which is an age-based competition.

Akarate Zach, our grandson took 2nd place in Men's Traditional, (under age 39), typically a very competitive category.  All the young guns shoot in that category.

Zach, in the American flag shirt, trying to get 1st place.  He finished at 2nd.  Not to shabby.

In the Super Senior category (age 65-69) the competition was stiff.  PawPaw shot steadily and consistently, hitting the target well. Toward the end of the day, I was called to the line, and there were two shooters left.  Diamondback Billy and I.  Billy is a friend from Arkansas, and he had shot the match clean (no loses).  I had one loss, in a 3-loss match.  We battled and he prevailed, and I took 2nd place in Men's Super Senior.  Not too shabby for an old man, shooting against stiff competition.

Phillipsburg, KS

We got up in Wichita, KS this morning, drank coffee, loaded up and headed northwest.  We got to Phillipsburg, KS at about noon.  Found the hotel, found the shooting venue, checked in with the match director, and went to get lunch.

We found a nice little cafe, Shelly Anne's on main street and decided to try it out.  There are thousands of little restaurants like this one across the nation.  A place where the locals eat, just down the street from the court house.

Nothing fancy, just plain good eating.  The special today was roast beef, so I tried that out.  Belle opted for a BLT with onion rings, and Zach went for the mushroom cheese burger.

We're in the room now, resting for the afternoon.  Unless Zach wants supper tonight, we're probably in for the day.  Tomorrow morning, they are serving breakfast at the range, and the shooter's meeting is at 8:30.  The elevation here, according to Wiki, is 1946 feet, which I find interesting.  It seems like we climbed a whole lot higher than that today.  There are some long hills in northern Kansas.

Wichita, KS

We pulled over after 12 hours and pitched camp in Wichita, KS.  By that, I mean that we're in a Super 8 motel, which bears a great resemblance to camping.

We will get up in the morning, pack the car, and head north to Phillipsburg, KS.So far, Kansas is just about like I remembered it.  Everyone thinks Kansas is flat, but that isn't so.  Kansas rolls.  It's great tank country, and there is plenty of cover for vehicles and dismounted infantry.  Kansas is really pretty, well watered, fertile, with interesting terrain.

We're in for the evening. Belle is sipping a glass of wine, and I'm drinking whiskey.  Zach is sucking up the wi-fi, and snacking on beef jerky.  Belle always packs a "snack bag" for these ventures, because the noon meal is often a grab-and-go affair.  The snack bag is legendary at these events, with all sorts of snacky goodness, both sweet and savory.  When Belle is finished packing it, it weighs about 10 pounds, and I'm sure that we'll stop at a grocers and replenish it before the weekend is over.

The snack bag could probably feed a squad of infantry over a 3-day exercise.  Whether or not it will hold a sixteen year old boy until Sunday is a mater for consideration

Packing

I've been prepping all day, getting everything ready for our vacation.  Tomorrow, we're leaving for Phillipsburg, KS, for the Kansas State Championship of Cowboy Fast Draw.

I really need to get out o town for a few days and play.  Getting into a gun fight seems like just exactly the right thing to do.  We'll be driving all day tomorrow, and getting to Phillipsburg on Thursday.

Laundry, and Funeral

Monday morning has become laundry day since retirement.  That's done now, but I have to get ready to attend a sad event, a funeral for someone who was lost tragically, accidentally, way too young.  Fathers should never have to bury their daughters and I am going to pay my respects to a father who is in a situation that I pray I will never be in.

Good Shoot

The Cross Branded Peacemakers hosted the Big Thicket Bushwackers today.  We asked them to come over, to help some of our members with the finer points of Cowboy Fast Draw.  They brought five shooters and with our club members had a good turn out, a total of 12 men and 7 ladies.

As things turn out, the practive/coaching session turned into an impromptu match.

1st, Texas Rose - 2nd, Two Step Cookie - 3rd, Blue Eyed Belle

1st, Whiplash - 2nd, Red Rock - 3rd Bi Mark

It was a great day, with food, fellowship, education and gunfighting.  We're all heading our own directions, with a lot of shoots on the near horizon.  Next weekend, Belle and I will be in Kansas, for the Kansas State Championship.  The Bushwhackers are heading to Colorado for that state Championship, and there are some minor shoots in Texas that other folks are headed for.  The competition season is in full swing, and lots of gunfighters are traveling.

Wholesale Politics

Busy day yesterday.  I cut a new campaign video.  It's amazing how much raw video it takes to make one two-minute campaign blurb.  Between shooting, cutting, re-doing the script and trying to make it look consistent, I figure it takes one hour for each minute of usable video.  I'm still not a pro, but I thin I'm getting the message out.



Yesterday evening, the good folks at the Deville/Buckeye Neighborhood Watch group invited all the candidates to a forum.  It wasn't a debate, but a forum to ask the candidates questions.  The local media covered it and you can watch the whole ting here.  It's an hour long, but you can skip ahead to about the 14:00 minute mark and watch my opening introduction.



Tonight, Belle and I are going to another event, one that is billed a purely social, but I'm sure that we'll indulge in a little retail politics.  Some like-minded folks are forming a dance club that will meet quarterly, and we're going to charter members; plank owners, if you will.  She has forbidden the white shirt tonight.  I took the white shirt and white hat as campaign gimmick, and white shirts are cheap.  I buy them by the stack at Wal-Mart.  And she's tired of looking at them.

I have to wear a little color tonight, but it's going to be a lot o fun.

Tracer Burn

Tracers are fun, and very useful from a military perspective.  But, they burn.

One of the big headaches with tracer burn was that, dropped into dry ground, they might ignite dry fuel laying on the ground.  Leave, twigs, etc.  And the unit conducting the firing was responsible for putting out the fire.  So, you'd have this cool live-fire going one and suddenly you'd be in fire fighter mode.

The tracer from the .50 BMG was notorious for this because it carried such a big tracer.  For some reason, tank-gun ammo, which carried a huge tracer, set a whole lot fewer fires than .50 BMG ammo.  Perhaps because when you're shooting the machine gun, you get so much more chances to start a fire.



Sometimes, it comes down a ong way from the range area.  As I recall, the tracer burnout on a .50 was 1600 meters.

Tuesday Tires

The brake issue yesterday turned into a non-issue.  Everything works, everything is fine.  The noise vanished, and I believe that it was simply the new shoes getting comfortable in the calipers.  My grandad was a firm believer that disk brakes needed a sort "break-in" period.  He may have been right.

I went to my tire dealer today ad bought new shoes for the van.  We're leaving on vacation in about ten days, and I wanted good brakes and tires.  I've been dealing with this tire store for a decade or so, and he treated me right.  While I was there I did some retail politicing.   That's my life, recently, talking to everyone who will stand still about my candidacy.  I think I picked u a few votes today.

Went to Harbor Freight while I was on that side of town, and got a couple of items  One impulse purchase was a new American flag.  Mine was tattered and faded, and it's time to retire it.  It will be July 4th pretty soon, and I generally change out the flag on Independence Day.

Long may she wave.  Tomorrow, I'll get up and do it all over again.  I believe we'll be mowing at the church tomorrow.

Monday Brake Job

I did a front brake job on the van today.  We're going to Kansas in ten days ad with almost 70K miles on the van, thought that it was time for a new set of pads.

The job went easy-peasy.  Almost too easy.  But, doing the test drive I heard a sound that I didn't like.  I had my mechanic drop by after work to diagnose it, but he was unable to nail it down.  We're going to meet at his shop in a couple of hours and put it on the lift.  Hes not even concerned that it's the brake job I did, but he's focused on the rear of the van.  We'll see.

If it ain't one thing, it's another.

Sunday Cooking

We decided to cook big today, so Belle set the menu.  Pork chops ad rice, purple hull peas cooked withh tasso, Cole slaw, okra and tomatoes, and cornbread.  We figured we'd be feeding a dozen people, ad wound up feeding thirteen, so there was plenty.

Belle working her magic on the pork chops.

Around here, we feed from youngest to oldest, and the grandkids are first in line. 

That's grandson, Lucas, building his plate with assistance from Dad.

Now, early in the afternoon, all the dishes are washed and the leftovers are put away.  We're getting ready for Moday.  It's going to be a big week, with lots to do.  Wed best get at it.

Already Planning

We're in the middle of the CFDA competition shooting season.  As I type this, over 100 of the top guns are shooting in Amarillo, TX, for the US National Championship.

Here in Louisiana, we've been looking for a better venue for Louisiana State next year, and it looks like we might have found a spot.  The downtown event center in our hometown of Pineville, LA.

Belle ad I went and measured it today, ad while it might be a little bit tight, we think we can make it work.  Originally built as  a bank, the City of Pineville has it now and uses it as an event center.

It's never too early to book a good venue.  It looks like we'll hold the 2020 Louisiana State Championship indoors, the first weekend in April next year.

History Made

Seventy-five years ago, the Allied Expeditionary Forces waded ashore in Normandy.  Many individual stories have been told, and each has its place in history. We have grown accustomed to these stories of heroism and resolve, but we can't forget that success was not a foregone conclusion.



It could have all gone horribly wrong.  But, it didn't.

Ex-Resource Officer Indicted

It seems that Florida has indicted the school resource officer who did nothing last year during the horrific school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement have charged Peterson with seven counts of child neglect, three counts of culpable negligence, and one count of perjury after a 15-month investigation, the agency said.
"The FDLE investigation shows former Deputy Peterson did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting that killed 17 children, teachers and staff and injured 17 others,” FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said in a news release. "There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives."

This is the correct conclusion.  I was a resource officer for the last 16 years of my career and the message was plain, from the Sheriff through the trainers, from our command, even among the peers.  You Go In. 

A resource officer has just one job.  End the threat.  I knew that my buddies would be along shortly, but that it was my responsibility to move toward the threat, engage it, and end it.

This may be the first time that a police officer has ever been charged with a felony for failing to do his job, and I'm sure that the police unions all over the country are going to have a collective aneurysm, but it is the proper conclusion.

Seattle Grapples

We talked, in March, abut Seattle's homeless problem.  It seems that the city's uber-liberal city council was trying to make Seattle a beacon for compassion for the homeless.

Compassion is easy at at distance, but it is hard up close.

The piece also profiles a tech industry worker who says he’s a fan of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. But he is bothered that he can’t take his kids to the local park anymore because it has become a tent camp.

 [Austen] Ruf uses the city’s Find it, Fix it app to report problems, but more often than not, he says, the requests are closed a few days later with the problems unresolved. Rather than walking their three daughters down to the spray park in the summer, Ruf and his wife load them in the car and drive to a park in another neighborhood.
“I’m an environmentalist,” Ruf said. “God that’s frustrating, that’s so frustrating.”

I dealt with the homeless issue during my last duty assignment.  It's frustrating, because we don't want to be stern with people who are down on their luck, but sometimes  you just have to tell them to Move Along.

Seattle is dealing with it on a massive scale because they've become they've subsidized it.  When you subsidize something, you get more of it.

Bureaucrats

Years ago, one of my bosses had a needlepoint on his wall.

Never Let The Bureaucrat Win

Belle has been fighting a bureaucracy for the past several months, getting more frustrated b the day.  It seemed like a Catch-2 involving two bureaucracies, and it was wearing her down.

This morning I took that bull by the horns, (metaphorically) and ran it in the squeeze chute.  In the space of two hours, I had it gentled and neutered, and it's ready for the slaughter pen.

I was not rude to anyone, but I was,,, assertive.  Bureaucrats exist to serve US, and occasionally they should be reminded of such.

Concerned Citizens

I was privileged to meet last evening with a group of concerned citizens to discuss law enforcement challenges in our parish.

This group encompasses leaders from the black community who are concerned about community safety, education, and are trying to make their neighborhoods a better place for their families to live, work and play.

There was a lot of discussion about local concerns, many of which impact the law enforcement community.  It was a very productive meeting.

Ribs

Belle decided to cook ribs today, thinking that we'd have a small crew.  We cooked seven racks of baby-back ribs, with beans, tater salad, garlic bread and lemon cake for dessert.  Of course, we wound hp feeding fifteen people, 10 adults and five kids.

It's over now, everyone is home and the leftovers are put away.

We're inside, taking advantage of air conditioning, and getting ready for tomorrow.

Road Trip

Belle ad I  took a little road trip over to Natchez, MS.  Her brother and his wife met us here and we drove over, matting her other brother and his wife.  So, six of us i Natchez, MS, d of course, the first thing I wanted to look at was the river.

We went down to the Magnolia Bluffs casino, which I knew was on the water.  We were able to get in, but the casino had a rubber dam holding the river back, over the access road.  The security guy at the front told us that if the river cme up another six feet, it would be in the casino, but from my perspective, if it comes up another foot, it will take the access drive and  the casino will be stranded.



We played for a little while then wet p the highway to Roux 61 and ate seafood.  We're back home now, safely on our side of the Big Muddy.  It was a very nice day hanging out with Belle's siblings.