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.

Don't Let The Door HIt You

 Lyin' Joe is giving his farewell speech tonight, and I can't wait until this national nightmare is over.

Everything that Joe has done has been despicable, misguided, or felonious.  The simple fact is that our elected president is a demented old fool who can't tell the difference between fact and fantasy.  If he were a simple old curmudgeon, it might be understandable, but he lies about everything.  

A week or so ago, President Trump took a page from Ronald Reegan's playbook and told Hamas to release the hostages before he takes office.  Or else. Today, Hamas wisely announced the release of the hostages.

As sure as God made little green apples, Joe is going to try and take credit for that tonight. The fact is that Hamas knew that Joe is an empty vessel, and they didn't want to find out what manner of hell Trump was about to rain on them. Joe had nothing to do with this.

The next few days will be about waiting for the calendar to run out, and Joe to leave the national stage.  He's over, done, kaput. And not a moment too soon.

Hey, Joe!  Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

Surgery

 After not going to the eye doc for about five years, I decided in December that I needed new glasses and made an appointment. He told me that I had cataracts and scheduled surgery.  We did the right eye two weeks ago and the left eye yesterday..  I have a follow-up today.

For the surgery I was mildly sedated, drifting in and out.  I talked to the doc during the surgery, but I was woozy.  In recovery, they told me not to drive for 24 hours, and Belle heard them say that.  She was a registered nurse for well over 40 years and won't let me drive until tomorrow.  So, she'll take me to the doc today.

I'm getting really good at putting eye drops in my eye, and skill I never wanted to acquire.  It's all part of getting older, which heats the alternative. In another week, I'll get a new glasses script and can go buy a new set.  I am amazed at how much better I'm seeing things now, but I'll still need lenses. Something about astigmatism that I have had since childhood.

From talking with friends and family, this is pretty common at my age.  Lots of folks have these problems, and the eye docs are pretty good at this kind of thing.  The reason I'm telling you about this is to boost the signal.  If any of you old farts have been putting it off, talk to your friends and go get an eye appointment.  It's not that big of a deal.  Just another pain in the ass and we know how to deal with those.

Oh, Why Not?

I've been busy today with doctors appointments, so why not listen to a little C.W. McCall?

Water Management

 Talking with my sons today about the California fires.  One son runs the water for a city of 50K, the other runs a small rural water district.

Both of them told me that in the event of a catastrophe, they had about three hours of water in the tanks available for use.  A large fire, for example, with multiple trucks pumping from hydrants, about three hours before supplies became critical.  If the electric power was lost that runs the well pumps or the booster pumps, that would cut into the supply because they couldn't refill the storage tanks that feed the pressure to the hydrants.

Elder son says that what scares him the most is a "freeze event", where a big freeze hits the area and many small 1/2" lines burst.  He said that if he had a couple of hundred small lines burst, the effect would be like losing a large line.  He told me that the water folks in Los Angeles have a particular problem because all those structures that have burned, all had water going into them.  As the turn the systems back on, someone is going to have to go around and close the valves at the individual meters.

It was interesting listening to the boys talk across the table today at lunch.  Today was meatloaf, potato salad and yeast rolls.  I learned a lot about water management and what the worker bees in California are going through right now.

But, just so you know, your water system, the one you use to wash dishes and take a shower, is always three hours from catastrophe

DEI Picks

 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  The spawn of Affirmative Action from the '70s is the latest effort of the Democrat party to promote lesser people into positions of influence.  It had nothing to do with merit or ability, simply a checklist of grievance or mediocrity.  The clearest example I can think of is when Joe Biden promised to pick a black woman as his VP.  Not a capable person with a resume of excellence, just a black woman.  We got Kamala Harris, a failure at everything except self-promotion.

This may be unfair to hundreds or thousands of good people who were hired or promoted in the past four years, but when the stated objective of any organization is to promote DEI, then we can fairly assume that anyone hired or promoted filled the boxes of DEI.

It's not just government or private companies, it is the voters too.  The example of the people of Los Angeles voted for Karen Bass, probably the most inept mayor in office today. The very fact that the people of Los Angeles have not risen up and forcibly overthrown her is simply an example of good people being kind to the retarded.

The people that Bass hired are also shaded by the pall of DEI.  Fairly or not, her stated hiring practices were aligned with DEI.  We cannot assume that they were competent, only that competent people were passed over for the golden idol of diversity.

Don't blame us if we call it out when we see it.  For better or worse, DEI was a stated policy and we can only assume that the hiring practices were in line with it.

Thinking Out Loud

 Thinking about the fires in L.A., and I'm guessing that there are a whole lot more homeless people today than there was last Saturday.  With all those houses burned, lots of folks are sleeping in unfamiliar situations.

Many of these folks will recover.  They are not the kind of people who will remains homeless for long.  No sleeping in tents on the sidewalk or under a bridge. They have networks, family, friends, assets that they can use to start to recover.

Los Angeles still has the homeless that they had last week, but those folks are not so much homeless as helpless. No place to live, no place to go, they are simply a drain on the taxpayer.  When we subsidize something, we get more of it, and I'm not sure that Los Angeles can afford to subsidize them anymore.  Let then either move or starve, it's an easy choice.  

The fires are still raging, and L.A. simply will not have the revenue to solve everyone's problem.  Better that the available money be spent on taxpayers instead of those who bring nothing to the community.

Trump Sentenced

The kangaroos were bouncing all over the courthouse today as the derelict judge sentenced president-elect Donald Trump for a series of misdemeanors that were somehow elevated to felony status.  The judge sentenced Trump to "unconditional discharge" which seems to mean that there are no penalties, but the conviction stands.

The president is sure to appeal this travesty.  Surely, during the appeal process this thing will be tossed, both the trial, the verdict, and the sentence. In a world with accountability, both DA Bragg and the judge would be forced to forfeit their legal licenses and be charged with malfeasance.

I'm not an attorney, but I sat through a lot of court proceedings during my career, and some of the crap I saw in this case would not stand in any decent court with a principled judge.

But, the sentencing phase is done and the case can move forward to the appellate levels where certainly, more reasonable analysis will prevail.

Winter Storm

 We have a winter storm coming.  It looks like our friends in north Texas are catching it right now.

The weather-weenies are telling us that we will stay just south of the freeze line.  We will be okay.  SOme rain, but no ice predicted. The red beans are in the crock pot, and Belle will make corn bread closer to the noon meal.

California Burning

 Like many of you, I have been watching the fires in California move across the landscape.  Many of those people are left with nothing.  It's heart-rending, and our sympathy goes out to them. Some have no fire insurance because the insurance companies have been canalling coverage in fire-prone locations.

The fire departments are catching hell because budget cuts and political decisions have left them unable to respond to widespread catastrophe. Political decisions from years ago have culminated in dry fire hydrants.

The Santa-Anna winds are entirely predictable. The result of poor forest management policies and low humidity are entirely predictable. Political decisions that result in dry fire hydrants are entirely predictable.  It's no wonder that the insurance companies are loath to write fire insurance policies in some areas.

Louisiana has the same type of problem, but rather than fire, our problem is hurricane.  Many companies refuse to write policies south of I-10.  The risk is too high.  Or, they write a policy that covers everyting except hurricane.

The one saving grace for some of those Angelos is that if they have evacuated and have nothing left but the clothes on their backs and the vehicle they evacuated in, they have nothing to go back to. They can go anywhere.  Tuscon or Tennessee, Austin or Asheville. They are free to go and start over.

Starting over is the story of America.  It's part of our shared experience. I've done it twice, coming out of a bad experience with little more than the clothes on my back. It's do-able..  And, it makes us stronger.

This And That

 I went to see the eye doc this morning. I had cataract surgery in late December, and they've scheduled the other eye for early next week.  Everything is great, nothing to worry about, but there is this thing called the Medicare deductible.  I got whacked with that this morning.

The weather weenies are predicting another winter storm for tomorrow, and they are cautioning us that we might get some ice.  Oh, Joy!  I stopped at the grocers on the way back from the eye doc, and picked up some sausage and dried red beans.  Those will go into the crock pot before bedtime.

I'm not worried so much about the ice.  Hopefully it will be less than I use to ice the beer in the summertime.  It looks like it's going north of us, but it never hurts to be prepared, and it has been a couple of weeks since we did red beans and rice.

Boudin Shop

 BobF asked in comments about shipping boudin.  Something I had never thought about. But, with shipping these days, it's worth a try.

My local shop is Guillory's Specialty Meats.  I know they ship some things, but I don't know about boudin.

My younger son and son-in-law swear that Kartchner's in Scott has the best boudin. I've eaten it, and it's great.

Other maintain that The Best Stop has better boudin.  I don't know about that but sell a lot of it.  

Some folks say that Billy's has the best flavor.  Let's not argue about it.  It's all good.

My late father-in-law always maintained that Wilson and Campbells, near Turkey Creek had the world's best boudin.  He bought a lot of it, and I helped him eat it. They closed up a year or so before he died, and that might have been one of the causes.  Without good boudin, life loses some of its allure.

Laissez les bon temps rouler.

Carnival

 Mardi Gras season is officially here.  It started today, January 6th and concludes on March 4th, 2025.

Louisiana has a lot to celebrate, if for no other reason that we can't let the terrorists win. If we keep celebrating, they lose.

King Cake is a Mardi Gras tradition, and lots of bakers put their own twist on it.  Some are stuffing the cake with things you might not expect, like boudin.

Check out Gerald Gruening, who ordered a boudin King Cake topped with jalapenos, Steen's syrup, bacon bits, and spicy Blue Plate mayonnaise.  It's a thing, I tell you.

I've been jonesing for some boudin, lately, and a real good boudin ship is just down the road, so I have no one to blame but myself.

Laissez les bon temps rouler.

Winter Storm

 I'm watching the weather and I see that from Kansas to Virginia they are under a winter storm.  I feel sorry for those folks. We in the Deep South understand storm disaster, but at least in a hurricane we don't worry about freezing to death.

I recall my time at Fort Knox, the only time I really had to worry about thigs like blizzards.  The storm that hit in late January 1978 was a doozy.  I was a young Company Commander running a training company.  I had roughly 300 troops and a dozen cadre.  We lost heat and the water was freezing in the toilets. I was never so miserable, trying to keep the troops warm and fed.

AsI thik back, the blizzard that hit in Feb 79 was a problem too.

For all my friends in the Frozen North, I'm thinking about you.  Keep a fire lit, and stay warm. This too will pass, but you have to keep breathing until Spring.

Beef Stew

 The weather weenies told us that it is going to be cool and rainy today, so last night, I put some good beef chunks and some carrots into a crockpot, along with some brown gravy mix.  Put on on LOW and let it go all night. After church this morning, I peeled and chopped some nice potatoes and added them to the mix, the adjusted the spices.

While I was doing that, Belle started proofing some yeast rolls.

In another hour, those potatoes will be fork-tender and we'll make a pot of rice.

I know that my friends up north are suffering under a load of ice, snow, and other wintry conditions. Y'all stay warm and we'll be worrying about you.

Planning and Preparation

New Orleans has a lot going on in the next 60 days, with the Super Bowl on Feb 9th and Mardi Gras on March 4th.   The parades for Fat Tuesday will kick off shortly after Super Bowl, and the New Orleans Police Department has a huge role to play in each of those events.

The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) has a troubled past, with was highlighted during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.  Those problems led to multiple suits and court actions that resulted in a consent decree with DOJ that has cast an organizational pall on the department.

Those of us in law enforcement here in Louisiana used to quip that NOPD stood for Not Our Problem, Dude.  The current leadership of that department engenders no confidence that much has changed. When called out about obvious flaws in her execution and planning, she gets testy. She didn't know that New Orleans had barricades.  Why would she know these things?  Not Her Problem, Dude.

Don't get me started on that dimwitted Assistant Special Agent in Charge who flatly proclaimed that a ramming incident by a guy carrying an ISIS flag was not a terrorist event.  We'll let Kash Patel short her out in early February. She should be an object lesson for all the DEI folks in the FBI.

I am pleased at the street cops who ran towards gunfire.  Shamdude didn't make two steps from his wrecked truck before he was well and truly ventilated.

I will be neither at the Super Bowl, nor at Mardi Gras in NOLA.  I used to love going the Big Easy to take in the cuisine and the architecture, but since Katrina, the city has lost all allure for me.

Vegas Incident

 So, I'm wondering.  This Vegas incident.

This guy is reported to be an active-duty veteran with eighteen years, a senior enlisted soldier who is Special Forces qualified.  He wore the Green Beret.  And he shows up outside the Trump resort in a rented pickup truck filled with fireworks?

I'm not a demolitions guy, but I can build a better bomb than that.  Anyone can buy Tannerite at Academy Sports.  I've watched the videos several times and it doesn't look like an explosion. It looks more like a rapid conflagration.  If his intent was really to blow up the Trump building, he really did a poor job.

It looks like he lit the fuse, committed suicide, and what...?  Made a helluva mess in the valet parking?

I admit, I'm baffled.  If this was a terror attack, it was poorly executed.  If it was a common suicide, it was poorly executed. I feel like this may have been a mental health issue and this guy didn't get the help he needed.  And that's a damned shame.

Lagniappe

 The Cajuns have a word, lagniappe, (lan-yap) that means "a little something extra".  I found some lagniappe this week.

On Tuesday, Belle wanted a pizza, so I called our local pizza joint and made our usual order, large sweep, no anchovies. We enjoyed the pie and the next morning, breaking down the box, I found some lagniappe printed on the back of the box.  A target.

That is knowing your customers.  BJs Pizza serves Pineville and Ball, LA.  Most of their patrons are fond of the shooting sports, or simply need to sight-in a rifle occasionally. Putting a target o the back of the pizza box is a nice way to say thanks to their customers.

New Attack

 It seems that a CyberTrucl exploded in Las Vegas this afternoon, outside a property owned by Donald Trump.  From the New York Times:

At least seven people were injured, the authorities said. The authorities said they believed it to be “an isolated incident” but have not ruled out a connection to the attack in New Orleans.

Elon Musk says that there were explosives or a bomb in the bed of the truck.  The truck was a rental vehicle.

Is this related to New Orleans?  Lots of questions.

Bollards

 If you don't know what a bollard is, you have walked past them many ties.  Bollards are those pipes sticking up out of the ground to prevent vehicle traffic.  They can be fixed, or portable, or mechanical.  You might see them in front of a grocers or a bank.

The asshole in New Orleans who started all this bullshit, Shamedude from Jabar (not his real name), drove past the bollards on Bourbon Street by driving on the sidewalk. I was last on that corner ten years ago, and I don't remember bollards specifically on that corner.  But, I may not have noticed them because we were walking.

What we do know about Shamedude is that he is a US citizen, living in Texas.  He may have had accomplices and they may have been scattering pipe bombs around the area.

New Orleans was supposed to host the Sugar Bowl today, but that has been postponed.

NOLA

 What the hell is going o in New Orleans? Ten dead, thirty+ hurt, some are saying terrorist.

The FBI is taking the lead in the investigation, and reports are contradictory right now.

New Years Eve

 It's after dark on New Years Eve, a beautiful night in central Louisiana.  Clear skies, moderate temps, and the fireworks are progressing apace.  Lots of rednecks celebrating.

I'll sit up with a terrified dog, in my recliner, watching TV and napping until the artillery falls silent.

2024 was a bit of a burden, and I can only pray that 2025 promises to be a better year, filled with health and laughter and love.

As is Belle's habit, the black-eyed peas are in the crock pot with the ham bone left over from Christmas.  Tomorrow, we'll make a cabbage dish, along with a pork tenderloin and corn bread.  We always start the New Year with peas and cabbage, pork and corn bread.  Humble food to remind us that we are here only for a little while and dependent on God's blessing and each other.

Happy New Years, everone.

Carter Dies

 Belle is telling me that Jimmy Carter has passed away.  At age 100.

I was in Carter's Army, and I don't know if the morale plunge came from our disastrous retreat from Vietnam, or the abysmal leadership of Carter.  He truly sucked at being President, surpassed only by our current dementia patient.

Carter did good work after he left office, building houses for Habitat for Humanity.  He will lie in state for a while, then they will bury him. Yada-yada.

Pitted Iron

 Several years ago, Ibougt a stack of cast iron skillets at an auction.  A stack of three.  When I noticed them on the block, I didn't have time to inspect them, and won then on a fairly low bid.  I use cast iron for cooking every day.  It's my go-to pan on the stove top.

I got those skillets home and discovered that two of them were quite nice, the other was a bit rough.  It was rusty and after giving it a thorough cleaning, while drying it on the stove top, found that it is warped.  It will not sit flat on the stove top. Not a good skillet, being heavily pitted and warped is a death-knell for cast iron.  But, I seasoned it and put it in the stack.

I believe that it is an unmarked Wagner that was once used as a hound's feeding dish.  Several years after buying it, I find it is the skillet I grab when I an going to do something sketchy,  This morning I founds some leftover boudin that I wanted to heat for breakfast, so I put that boudin in the skillet and ran it into a hot oven.  I'm not worried about damaging it, it is already pitted and warped. It 's good for things that I might not want to put in one of my better skillets.

I have good, high-dollar cast iron, and I have this one.  This one gets used a lot more than you might think.

Poor Taste

 A fellow was telling me today that way-back-when, a fellow hung himself on Christmas Day.

Out of respect for tradition, his wife didn't take him down until after New Years.

Okay, then.

Saturday Already?

 It's been a crazy week.  Good crazy.  Lots  of family and friends, and the odd medical appointment.  I always thought that docs took off during the holidays, but evidently not.  With the advent of corporate medicine (thanks, Obama) there are lots of technologists who need a paycheck and layers of managers who demand a profit. Can't take off the week between Christmas and New Years, it would mean a loss of year-end revenue.

I logged on this morning to simply let you guys know that I am still kicking.  We have another gathering here at noon, and I'm sure that Belle has a punch-list to be filled before the cotillion commences. I'll try to check in later, but who knows?

Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krauss - The Wexford Carol (Video)

Merry Christmas

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

Deer Slayer

 Remember that commercial Mauser that I bought last year?  It made meat yesterday.

Grandson Lucas took his first deer with it yesterday, a 115 pound doe, just before sunset.

I thought that the rifle would be the key for out deer here in central Louisiana.  Chambered in 6.5X55, it's a proven caliber.  Lucas, at age 13 is o the local 4H rifle team and is a proven marksman.  According to Lucas, the deer stepped out on the shooting lane just before dark yesterday and he pegged it right behind the shoulder.   Bang-flop.  Ten minutes later, his Dad arrive to help load it onto the 4-wheeler for the rife back to camp.  The deer is dressed and hanging in the camp cooler  It will be processed tomorrow for the table.

Congrats, Lucas.

Chili Weather

 Currently 37F and sunny, Belle is in the mood for a pot of chili. So, I took out three pounds of deer meat.  This deer was harvested last year and donated by a good friend who needed freezer space. I keep a freezer on the car port for times when friends and family want to store wild game, with the proviso that I get to plunder it from time to time.

I'm not going to post the recipe, because it is a very basic chili recipe, simply substituting venison for ground beef.  Beans or not, I don't care.  I'm not going to get involved in that argument.

I did get an interesting gift, a bottle of Jimmy's Texas bourbon.  I admit I have never heard of the distillery,  Kiepersol, out of Tyler, TX.  This bottle is a four-year-old straight bourbon, bottled at 45%.  Texas has been doing some great thigs with bourbon over the past several years, and I'll crack this bottle over the holidays. It may be very interesting indeed.

I'm going to be really busy over the next week, so posting may be irregular. Y'all have a Merry CHristmas.

Where's Joe?

I'm watching the nonsense in the Congress right now, trying to avert a government shutdown.  Speaker Mike Johnson is running the negotiations, but Donald Trump and Elon Musk are weighing in, as is the right of every citizen.  The arguments and positions of Trump and Musk certainly have weight, but we must not forget how we got here.

Joe Biden is still the president. The Democrats could have done something about that at any time in the past four years, but they waited until mid-June before staging a half-assed cop that nocked Joe out of the race. They could have invoked the 25thAmendment, but they didn't.  Joe is still the President, and Joe is in chare.  He will be in charge until Trump takes over in January.

Joe Biden is in charge, along with Chuck Schumer, and ... dare I say it.... Kamala Harris.  The Democrats could still administer a political coup de grace and put Kamala in charge, but for reasons of their own, they still let Joe's had stay on the rudder.

Joe Biden is in charge, and it is no one's fault but the Democrats.

Trip Around The Sun - Martina Mcbride Jimmy Buffett

It seems to be that time of year.  I have made another trip around the sun.

If my math is correct, this makes 71. I can't hardly wait to see what happens next.

Thursday Notes

 I found a notice from Blogger that a pervious post has been deleted because I violated the Community Guidelines.  Sorry abut that.  I had no idea.  I reviewed the post, and cannot imagine what the problem was, ecept that we talked about a particular gun that may or may not have been used in a particular crime.

Coming home from an appointment this morning, I saw my very first Tesla pickup truck.  It's an odd looking beast, very distinctive.  I don't believe I'll be in the market for one. I prefer my vehicles to be more subdued.

I'm sipping hot chocolate because the weather demand it.  Cool and clammy in the mid 40s, it seems colder than the thermometer registers.  This is the cold that gets down in your bones.

Odd

 Suddenly, certainly in the past month, I have begun getting text messages from the transportation department at our local School Board.  Messages about buses running, or alternate routes.  I worked at the School Board for six years and never got a text message, but now five years after retiring, they are blowing my phone up.

I have to be on that side of town tomorrow, and I might drop by and get my number taken off the list.

Or, I might not.  I haven't made up my mind yet.  Not that I care if Ms. Vercher's bus is running tomorrow, but I know that my phone works.

In other news, I tried my hand at making Chex mix today.  It's okay, and certainly as good as the store-bought stuff, but I don't have my recipe nailed yet. I started the seasoning with one stick of melted butter, with one tablespoon each of Worcestershire, Tabasco, and garlic powder. I'm thinking red pepper flakes, but I want to proceed with caution.

Underwhelmed

Another video on the new Ruger RXM, this one from Colion Noir.  He seems underwhelmed with the pistol, which is refreshing.  Everything does not have to be the latest and greatest.   Sometimes a good thing is just a good thing, without having to make a statement.

It drives me crazy when a manufacturer changes a product just because they feel a desire to change.  If it works, it works, and there is no reason to change it.  I'm not one to tell someone else what they need, or don't need.  Freedom is fun, but there are certain items that have always baffled me in the firearms industry.  For example, the forward assist on the AR platform.  I started with that platform in 1973 when my Uncle Sam handed me one.  Never used the forward assist.  Likewise, a flared magazine well on a 1911.

As an acolyte of Jeff Cooper, I long considered the 1911 the finest fighting pistol ever devised.  Over the years my stance has softened, and I considered the Glock 19 on par with the 1911.  But, Glock keeps improving teir pistols and we're into what... Gen 5 now?

Sometimes, Good enough is simply perfect.

Ruger RXM

 Evidently, Ruger just ginned up a shit-storm with their new Ruger RXM pistol.  From all accounts, it is made in collaboration with Magpul and is virtually a direct clone of the Glock 19.  Patents expire, and Gaston is rolling in his grave.

Street prices are under $400.00.  From what I understand, Magpul is making stuff for this pistol and it should be very weel supported.  I admit that I am tempted.  I've been thinking about a new carry pistol and this one might make the cut.

My younger son, who is a cop in New Mexico, bumped me about this pistol today.  I admit that I am both amused and intrigued.  I've never been a Glock fan-boy, but I do own several Ruggers.  Generally, I like Ruger firearms.  I'm a fan of the Ruger Model 77, and of course, the Blackhawks and Super Blackhawk, and the Vaquero series.  My daughter takes deer with a Ruger American that she adores.  And, my younger son has a Ruger #1 that he hunts with.

My very first centerfire handgun was a Ruger Security Six that I carried until I got my Model 66.  The one Ruger handgun that I don't like much is a little Ruger LCP that has been problematic at best.  But I don't maintain it, and I don't shoot it much.

I may have to look more closely at this new Ruger offering.

Drones Over New Jersey - National Security Threat?

I've learned to trust this guy to give us the straight answers when he has the answers, and here he talks about the drone problem.

Airspace

 We talked earlier this week about the drone problem in New Jersey, and I was listening to the Moon Griffon show this morning, where he talked about the same problem.  And the question came up, can we shoot these things?

U don't think that the "deadly force" question applies to an unmanned drone.  I can't kill something that is not alive.  But, I might be held liable for property damage. So, the question evolves to property rights.  I know that I own the surface rights to 1.3 acres in Louisiana.  I know I own the mineral rights to that same property.  But, what of the airspace rights?

I live two miles from an airport, and I am routinely over-flown by private and military aircraft.  I don't have a problem with that, as it has never been a problem, but how much of the airspace avoce the property is mine?  I own a bird house that is 13 feet tall.  My shop is 15 feet tall.  I know I own that.  Bow far up do my property rights extend? 100 feet?  1000 feet?  At what point does an unmanned drone become a trespassing concern?

My shotgun, properly loaded, will take down geese at 120 feet.  Do I own that much airspace?

Fuel Prices

 Fuel is getting a little Trumpier around here.  This morning, running errands, I stopped at my local dealer and filled the tank.  $2.339. That's the cheapest I've seen in a while.

Looking back through the archives, I see that I have paid as much as $4.30 per gallon under Biden, but when Trump left office in Jan 2021, local prices were under %2.00.  We'll see if it gets that low next month.

Drones Over New Hersey

 I've been watching this for a couple of weeks, and I'm not really sure what to say.

Reports of drones as big as SUVs?  The government is mute or unresponsive.

Conspiracy theories abound in the absence of transparency.

WTF?

Chatting

 Termite, a frequent commenter and long-time friend came by the shop yesterday.  As we do, we talked about the United Healthcare assassination, the Daniel Penny verdict the M3A1 submachine gun, and a host of other topics.  All while we mounted an optic on  a rifle for his daughter.

One topic that came up was the Ruger 10/22 and why Ruger doesn't offer a blank magazine well inletted into the toe of the stock as a place to carry a spare magazine.  I've always thought that would be a good idea, and I'm certainly not the only person who has thought about that.

Termite had picked up a really nice little Ruger for his daughter.  What they call the 10/22 carbine.  Synthetic stock, no sights, with a scope base installed.  Really light little rifle, noticeably lighter than the standard 10/22 that lives in my gun case.

I first met Termite's daughter in January 2012, where we introduced her to handguns. She has other challenges now, specifically concerning a fox and a hen house.  I think that 10/22 will go a long way toward solving that problem.

Ghost Gun

 I see that the old canard of the "ghost gun" has risen in the wake of the United Healthcare CEO shooting..  A suspect was arrested in Altoona PA, and the NYPDd says that the murder weapon may have been printed on a 3D printer.  No kidding.

The suspect in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson may have used a so-called "ghost gun" he made from a 3D printer, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.

Wow!  Ghost guns and 3D printers in the same sentence.  That is double-scary.   While the NYPD is patting itself on its back for catching this guy, I would remind then that the true detective in this tragedy of errors is an anonymous McDonalds employee who recognized the killer and called the police.

Ghost guns, 3D printers and McDonalds.  Someone call Sherlock Holmes.

Question

 So, we lean today in the aftermath of the Penney decision, that Jordan Neely's father, Andre Zachery, is saddened about the verdict.  But, we have to ask, if Andre Zachery loved his son, why he didn't pass along the family name?  If he so loved his son, why didn't he do a better job of parenting?  If he so loved his son, why didn't he get him the help he so desperately needed?

The tragedy that was the life of Jordan Neely cannot be laid at the feet of Daniel Penny.  Neely's life was a failure of he culture, of the mental health system, and a failure of parenting.  It's a tragedy that he died, but I don't want to hear anything from his father.

Not Guilty

 Fox News is reporting that Daniel Penny has been found Not Guilty in a unanimous verdict in the tragic death of that crazy guy on the New York subway.

This is the proper verdict.  If a nut case goes around threatening people and a stalwart individual stops him, then death is a possible outcome.  It is not preferred, but it is certainly on the menu. Penny stepped up and stopped the threat.  No criminality can flow from that decision.  The jury called it correctly.

Assad Un-Asses

 It appears that Syrian dictator Assad has left Syria in the face of rebel advances. All reports are that the rebels have taken over, and that curfews have been imposed.

Last I heard, we had forces in Syria, and I hope that they are hunkered down and can stay safe.

We don't, or shouldn't have a dog ii this hunt. We should let the Syrians figure this out, maintain a low profile, and keep our forces safe.

Day Four

 We learn this morning that the FBI is stepping in to help with the manhunt for the killer of the United Healthcare CEO.  That makes sense if the gunman has fled.  The first thing they will do is get an interstate flight warrant.

I got a couple of interstate flight warrants during my career and the FBI was extremely helpful in running these guys down.  They found one of my warrants in the US Virgin Islands. You can run, but you can't hide. That guy, when we got him back, was very helpful during his interrogation.  Sang like a canary, he did, and helped us solve a number of cases, to include the prosecution of a sitting Sheriff.

Day Three

 Today is day three in the hunt for the healthcare CEO who was gunned down in New York.  Lots os speculation about the firearm used.  It seems that the shooter had trouble with the gun and that has led some to believe that it was a particular type f firearm.

I haven't yet found the raw video of the malf, but more likely, the gunman was simply unfamiliar or unpracticed with the gun/suppressor combo.  I have virtually no experience with suppressors, but I can understand that being unfamiliar might cause a malfunction.

NYPD thinks that they are closing in on this guy.  Hopefully we will learn more over the weekend

UPDATE;  A Welrod?  That would be archaic.  I doubt it.  More likely a modern pistol with feeding probems.

Whacked

By now, I'm sure that you have all heard of the murder of the United Healthcare CEO yesterday in New York. Someone wanted him dead, and planned the assassination very well.

The police are, rightfully so, going though the process of gathering evidence.  I heard this morning that they found a Starbucks cup the guy used, so they may get DNA evidence.  The shooter had the getaway planned, going through Central Park on an e-bike. We are not yet 48 hours into the investigation, and the police are combing the area for evidence.  We'll see what they come up with.

I worked only a handful of murders during my career, and don't pretend to know all the tradecraft at this point.  Still, it will be interesting to follow the investigation.  The cops know three of the big five, they know the What, When, and Where.  They are searching for the Who and Why.  I'd think that one of the first thigs they would want to do is to set up a geo-fence and they to learn how many electric devices were in a given area, then try to find those devices. The gunman may have been smart enough to leave his cell phone outside the crime scene, or he may not have.

Family

The power of family has always been my super power.  My grandfather and father, along with uncles, taught me that a family that works together can accomplish anything.

Couple of months ago, I had to change home owners insurance, because my company decided to leave Louisiana.  The new insurer told me that the old rotten deck in the back yard was a hazard and that I could either repair or demolish it.  A quick survey told me that demolish was my cheapest choice, and I had family that I could call.  We scheduled a Saturday, and my boys showed up.

A couple of weeks later, son-in-law had a retaining wall collapse under water load from a huge rainfall, and he called family.  Call family first.

Elder son thought it would be a good idea to set up the cameras, and recorded the events.  IN the case of the deck removal, from the time we took out a section of fence until we replaced the sectioon of fence, it was about three hours.

Here is the power of family with the proper equipment.  The mini-excavator belongs to second son, the Kubota tractor is technically mine, but the boys move it around from property to property.

Nothing beats the power of family.

Catching Hell

 I see that Pete Hegseth is catching hell over his nomination for SecDef.  It seems that when he was going through a divorce, he slipped the chains a bit.  The holier-than-thou club in the Senate is being reticent.

Fox News and others are reporting that Trump is considering alternatives, but as of todays midday news, Hegseth is still the pick.

I remember when I was going through a divorce and single. I readily admit, I played the field.  None of them complained that I am aware of, and the police never showed up at the door. Each of those ladies were grown-ass adults and understood the game we were playing.

I hope Pete makes it through, I really do.  Getting laid should not be a disqualifier.

Well, Damn

 I see that Chris Donahue has been promoted to full general, 4-star earlier this week.

This asshole oversaw the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and was the last soldier on the ground in that country.  Of course, Biden and Milley promoted him to 3 star and made him the commander of an Airborne Corps.  Now, he's been promoted to 4 star.

In my humble opinion, he should have been cashiered after the Afghan disaster, but no one has been held responsible or accountable for that debacle.  If Pete Hegseth wants to clean house at the Pentagon, he could start by making an example of Donahue.

Chris Donahue was the commander of the biggest disaster since Pearl Harbor.  There is no way he should have been promoted.

Wondering

 Watching the drama unfold over the Biden pardon, I'm wondering what an intelligent prosecutor might do  with that fact. Hunter is untouchable for the time period, which means he cannot incriminate himself  His 5th Amendment protections just went away.  He is still subject to subpoena, contempt, and perjury..

In the borader scope of the Biden Crime Family, Hunter was only the front-man.  This leaves the Godfather and the consiglieri wide open. Hunter knows it all and can be forced to testify.  With Pam Bondi as AG, and Cash Patel running the FBI, there is no telling what they might choose to investigate.

I'm sure that Biden's advisors are at least as smart as on old retired cop in Louisiana.  Surely they have gamed the possible scenarios.  The possibilities are endless, and intriguing.

I was watching a clip of Cash Patel yesterday, where he said that he wants to send the 7000 FBI agents in Washington out to the field offices to become cops.  You know, solve crime, work warrants, do investigations.  That sounds like a capitol idea.

Interesting

 Termite asks in comments:

Don't pardons generally come AFTER a conviction? Hunter has been convicted of anything, just charged/indicted.

Yes, generally.  When I was a Parole Officer I would occasionally do a clemency investigation for the Pardon Board.  These offenders were serving time, or had completed their sentence and were looking for some time of legal relief.

However, there is precedent for summarily pardoning an offender.  Those of us old enough to have been at Woodstock recall when Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon following Nixon's resignation.  No charges, no conviction, no sentence.  Just a "Get Out Of Jail" card.   It happens.

I was excited this morning to hear that Biden is headed to Angola.  Then I remembered that there are two Angolas.  One, a country in Africa.  The other, the main prison for the Louisiana prison system.

I was last at Angola during the late '80s for training.  At the time, the horse guards on the farm were still using Winchester lever guns in the fields.  Back in those days, if you wanted to rank the worst prisons in the US, among the top ten would be Angola in Louisiana, Parchmanin Mississippi, and The Walls in Texas.

Hunter Pardoned

 It seems that our lamest-of-duck president has pardoned his wayward son, Hunter.  This comes as no real surprise.  Joe is never running for anything, ever again.  His political capital is shot, He is a pitiful husk of a man with no future.  What does he have to lose?

Joe's entire political career was smoke and mirrors, the perfect machine politician, and lying to the public was his stock in trade.  He's lied to us about everything.  What does he have to lose?  The big story is that this is a story at all.