An horrific automobile accident involving family, and a grandson in the hospital. I've been a little busy the past twenty-four hours talking to family, getting updates, trying to make sense of what happened and getting advice from associates. Grandson moved today from ICU to a ward room and we're hesitantly optimistic that the worst is over. There is a better than average chance that he'll get out of the hospital tomorrow and that he can go home and begin the recovery phase. He's getting great care and that's what's important. The rest is just sheet metal. They're making new cars every day.
PawPaw's been busy being a PawPaw, taking care of family and helping things sort themselves out.
It's funny how life can go from the reloading bench to the emergency room in the space of an hour. I think I'll go get that brass out of the tumbler.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Sunday, April 08, 2012
The Mud Chimney
There is a legend in Cajun Country about the crawfish mud chimney. When the Acadiens were expelled from Acadie and traveled south to find home and refuge, the lobsters they fished followed them. Those big lobsters got tired and hungry on the voyage and shrank in size till they were about four inches long. When the Acadiens settled in Louisiana and became Cajuns, those lobsters set up homes and became known as crawfish. Those crawfish tried to emulate the Cajuns, and when the people built their homes and their mud chimneys, the crawfish built chimneys, but got tired, crawled into the little chimney and slept.
Today, walking the dog, I spotted a crawfish chimney in the ditch in my yard. Because I've got a lot of Cajun in me, I saluted the little mud chimney and left it alone. Some poor crawfish has taken residence in my ditch and that's okay with me. I'll leave him alone as long as he wants to stay.
That's a crawfish mud chimney, in the grass of my ditch. It's about five inches tall and tells me that a crawfish has buried bimself in the mud. It's probably part of his life cycle, and I'm sure I could Google the science, but the legend is good enough for me.
One more picture, from another perspective.
Ain't that something?
Today, walking the dog, I spotted a crawfish chimney in the ditch in my yard. Because I've got a lot of Cajun in me, I saluted the little mud chimney and left it alone. Some poor crawfish has taken residence in my ditch and that's okay with me. I'll leave him alone as long as he wants to stay.
That's a crawfish mud chimney, in the grass of my ditch. It's about five inches tall and tells me that a crawfish has buried bimself in the mud. It's probably part of his life cycle, and I'm sure I could Google the science, but the legend is good enough for me.
One more picture, from another perspective.
Ain't that something?
Dwight's Conversion
Back in the old days of the intertubes, there was a forum, Kim duToit's Nation of Riflemen and a bunch of us hung out over there. One of the posters was a guy named Dwight, and yesterday I checked my email and found that he's looking for capital for a new project, a conversion that turns a 1911 .45 ACP into a .22 LR with only two parts. The barrel and the magazine.
He's got a You Tube video and it looks like it works. Looks like it works good.
That's the damndest little kit I've ever seen and if he could manufacture them, he'd make a killing. If I were Dwight,I'd contact someone like Choate Machine & Tools and see if they'd be interested in working out an agreement. You regular readers look at the video and then, in comments, give me some ideas that I can give to Dwight.
He's got a You Tube video and it looks like it works. Looks like it works good.
That's the damndest little kit I've ever seen and if he could manufacture them, he'd make a killing. If I were Dwight,I'd contact someone like Choate Machine & Tools and see if they'd be interested in working out an agreement. You regular readers look at the video and then, in comments, give me some ideas that I can give to Dwight.
Sunday Morning Dawg
The dog loved feral water, we've established that fact in this series. With all the rain we've had lately, there is no shortage of mudholes to drink from, and we get this picture from one of our afternoon explorations.
Notice the culvert at the top of the mudhole. Yeah, that's the culvert that runs under my driveway. Notice the brownish-green cast that the water shows in the picture. Lots of good minerals, along with runoff from God-knows-what. It's the best water a dog can have. Let's not forget that he's got a clean water bowl near his bed, and another on the back deck. That's not good enough for this dawg. It's got to be feral for taste!
Notice the culvert at the top of the mudhole. Yeah, that's the culvert that runs under my driveway. Notice the brownish-green cast that the water shows in the picture. Lots of good minerals, along with runoff from God-knows-what. It's the best water a dog can have. Let's not forget that he's got a clean water bowl near his bed, and another on the back deck. That's not good enough for this dawg. It's got to be feral for taste!
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Two Bullets
This morning I went to the range to play with a couple of rifles. My Ruger 77 in .25-06 and my Model 10 in .308. Working up loads for the Ruger, I loaded two different bullets with the same powder charge. The 117 grain Hornady SST and the 117 Sierra Gameking. I loaded them both with Reloder 19 and Reloder 22 powder.
So, I Loaded the same brass with the same primer and powder and seated two different bullets. The first load was 46.0 grains of Reloder 19, half seated with the Hornady, half seated with the Sierra.
Then I loaded another series with the same brass and primer, but used 50.0 grains of Reloder 22. Half seated with the Hornady and half seated with the Sierra.
Then I pushed them over the chronograph. For reasons I haven't divined yet, the Hornady bullets flew faster than the Sierra with both powders.
117 Hornady, 46.0 RL19, 2728 fps
117 Sierra, 46.0 RL19, 2667 fps
117 Hornady, 50.0 RL22, 2870 fps
117 Sierra, 50.0 RL22, 2797 fps.
Who'd have thought that changing the bullet would change the velocity by that amount? Not the weight of the bullet, but the brand? That's the beauty of this hobby; you learn something new every time you go out, and just about the time you think you know what you're doing, you find something new that makes you scratch your head.
So, I Loaded the same brass with the same primer and powder and seated two different bullets. The first load was 46.0 grains of Reloder 19, half seated with the Hornady, half seated with the Sierra.
Then I loaded another series with the same brass and primer, but used 50.0 grains of Reloder 22. Half seated with the Hornady and half seated with the Sierra.
Then I pushed them over the chronograph. For reasons I haven't divined yet, the Hornady bullets flew faster than the Sierra with both powders.
117 Hornady, 46.0 RL19, 2728 fps
117 Sierra, 46.0 RL19, 2667 fps
117 Hornady, 50.0 RL22, 2870 fps
117 Sierra, 50.0 RL22, 2797 fps.
Who'd have thought that changing the bullet would change the velocity by that amount? Not the weight of the bullet, but the brand? That's the beauty of this hobby; you learn something new every time you go out, and just about the time you think you know what you're doing, you find something new that makes you scratch your head.
Friday, April 06, 2012
Defacto Registration
From Instapundit, we get a link to this little bit of nonsense.
“Anchorage gun shops are being visited by BATFE agents that are requesting the shops 4473 forms as far back as 2007. They claim they want to make copies of the “book”. This is de facto registration, against the law, and BATFE knows it. Please inform everyone you know about this and notify any gun dealers you know that they don’t have to comply. Contact your congressman and senators and demand a full investigation. Don Young and our Senators have been informed about what is happening. Congressman Young is acutely interested but our senators seem to be indifferent. You can go to their websites to find their email forms.” Make the jump for contact details. (bolding mine)BATFE knows that it's forbidden for them to make a registry. Period. This is the same BATFE that instituted the Fast and Furious program that ran guns into Mexico. As far as I'm concerned it's another rogue agency that needs its wings clipped; a full defunding and being abolished should send the message that we won't sit still for a government agency running roughshod over Americans.
Good Friday
I got up early this morning and finished manicuring the lawn for the Easter weekend. I've got two cases of catfish filets thawing in a cooler and in another hour or so I'll go outside and finish trimming them and slicing them into manageable portions. Then load the truck with my cooking gear. We'll eat fried fish and all the fixin's at 6:00 sharp, then a small worship service.
This is my penance for the Lenten season. I tell the ladies at the church that this is the only time of the year when I fry fish without a beer in my hand. I will have an ice chest full of diet Dr. Pepper for liquid refreshment.
I've got to go get propane, then double-check my list.
This is my penance for the Lenten season. I tell the ladies at the church that this is the only time of the year when I fry fish without a beer in my hand. I will have an ice chest full of diet Dr. Pepper for liquid refreshment.
I've got to go get propane, then double-check my list.
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Yet Another Reason
No less a personage than Glenn Reynolds gives a reason why the Department of Homeland Security should be abolished. In an article he links to, we find:
Our homeland will not be secure by these rascals. They played agency games, abused the people they are to serve, and violated their oaths to support the Constitution.”Don't get me wrong, I love cops. I've been a cop for thirty years and I think that law enforcement is a high calling, like nursing and teaching. I think that law enforcement has forgotten that our highest obligation is to serve the people, to help people who need our help. From what I've seen of Homeland Security, they've certainly forgotten that imperative, if in fact they ever learned it.
Rednecks
We're a redneck crew, we really are. With just enough Cajun thrown in to appreciate things like jambalaya and gumbo. Of course, Cajuns like 4-wheelers too. They're very important for traversing the swamps, sloughs and hill country around here. The lead picture this morning from my daughter-in-law's blog is my second son with two of the grandkids, all astride a 4-wheeler.
That's second son with his boy in front and a nephew in back. Just another redneck afternoon. Good stuff!
That's second son with his boy in front and a nephew in back. Just another redneck afternoon. Good stuff!
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Momma's Tiller
My Mom has been a gardener all her life and many years ago she and Dad bought a tiller. A simple Sears tiller. There is no telling how many acres of ground that thing has tilled over the years they've had it. Dad was always a stickler for maintenance and the tiller was just one of the many machines he maintained over the years.
A couple of weeks ago, one of the ladies at the church was asking how she could borrow a tiller, and I mentioned that Momma had one. She talked to Momma and they decided that it might not start, as we lost Daddy five years ago and can't remember the last time it was started. I told her I'd look into it.
I went to Momma's house this morning, drained the old gasoline from the tank and replaced it with fresh gas. Tried to crank it. No-Go. Piddled with it for a little while, then loaded it in the truck to bring home. I could get it to fire when I put gas in the breather, but it wouldn't pick up gas from the tank. I called my mechanic son, and we agreed that I should clean the carburetor.
Before I embarked on that pain-in-the-butt task, I decided to try an old trick. The new gas had been in the tank for several hours, and had been sloshing around in the back of the truck. I squirted a little WD-40 into the breather, pulled on the cord and it started right up. I shut it down, cranked it again. No problem, it cranked right up. Did that a half-dozen times and every time it starts on the first pull.
Whoo-Hoo. I love it when a plan comes together. Now, the church can have rejuvenated flower beds.
A couple of weeks ago, one of the ladies at the church was asking how she could borrow a tiller, and I mentioned that Momma had one. She talked to Momma and they decided that it might not start, as we lost Daddy five years ago and can't remember the last time it was started. I told her I'd look into it.
I went to Momma's house this morning, drained the old gasoline from the tank and replaced it with fresh gas. Tried to crank it. No-Go. Piddled with it for a little while, then loaded it in the truck to bring home. I could get it to fire when I put gas in the breather, but it wouldn't pick up gas from the tank. I called my mechanic son, and we agreed that I should clean the carburetor.
Before I embarked on that pain-in-the-butt task, I decided to try an old trick. The new gas had been in the tank for several hours, and had been sloshing around in the back of the truck. I squirted a little WD-40 into the breather, pulled on the cord and it started right up. I shut it down, cranked it again. No problem, it cranked right up. Did that a half-dozen times and every time it starts on the first pull.
Whoo-Hoo. I love it when a plan comes together. Now, the church can have rejuvenated flower beds.
No GM or Chrysler in the bunch
Don Surber takes a look at a survey and notices what people are not driving.
Damn! Ford comes in with four of ten. And, you'll notice that there's not a GM or Chrysler in the bunch.
Back when I was in the cattle business I'd do un-scientific surveys of what people drove, simply by watching what was in the field or driveways of the country folk. In town, lots of Chevy Silverados and Dodge Rams, but once you left the city and ventured into the country, it was Ford by a 3-1 margin. When a guy or gal depended on a truck every day to haul trailers, carry loads, start every time and get them home for supper, the working-folk chose Ford, almost every time.
Still, it surprises me that in this top-ten list there aren't any bailout companies. I guess that accepting government largess has consequences.
Democrats
1. Honda Civic Hybrid
2. Volvo C30
3. Nissan Leaf
4. Acura TSX Wagon
5. Ford Fiesta Sedan
Republicans
1. Ford Mustang Convertible
2. Audi A8
3. Mercedes GL
4. Ford Expedition
5. Ford F-150
Damn! Ford comes in with four of ten. And, you'll notice that there's not a GM or Chrysler in the bunch.
Back when I was in the cattle business I'd do un-scientific surveys of what people drove, simply by watching what was in the field or driveways of the country folk. In town, lots of Chevy Silverados and Dodge Rams, but once you left the city and ventured into the country, it was Ford by a 3-1 margin. When a guy or gal depended on a truck every day to haul trailers, carry loads, start every time and get them home for supper, the working-folk chose Ford, almost every time.
Still, it surprises me that in this top-ten list there aren't any bailout companies. I guess that accepting government largess has consequences.
Impeach the Justices
The liberals assault on the Supreme Court continues, today as seen in this article by David Row.
Further, many of us maintain that mush of what passes for the legislation since FDR is plainly unconstitutional, and that Justice Owen Robert got it wrong when he caved to Roosevelt. President Obama is using some of the same tactics as FDR in trying to intimidate the judiciary, and that's just wrong. We don't live in a democracy; we live in a Republic (if we can keep it) and the job of the Supreme Court is to rule on those issues that most affect the Constitution. Their job is to moderate the national conversation and to make sure that what we're doing is consistent with the founding principles of this nation and the mores of the people.
Supreme Court Justices have long been controversial. I remember, as a child, seeing Impeach Earl Warren billboards in the segregationist Deep South where I was raised. I might remind my Democrat friends that most of the deep seated animosity against the Court in those days came from the Democratic Party as well. They were wrong then, and they're wrong now. At least in those days they had the good sense to wait until the Court had ruled before calling for impeachment.
The Obamacare suit proceeds apace. It's been submitted and a divided nation awaits the outcome of the nine Justices. Let's wait until they rule before we begin a verbal assault on them. I'm sure that however they decide, half of us will think that they are wrong.
Hat tip: Instapundit.
The problem with the current court is not merely that there is a good chance it will strike down a clearly constitutional law. The problem is that this decision would be the latest salvo in what seems to be a sustained effort on the part of the Roberts Court to return the country to the Gilded Age.No, Mr. Row, the problem is that an increasing majority of the American people see the Affordable Healthcare and Patient Protection Act as an overreaching violation in direct violation of the Constitution. We don't agree that it is clearly constitutional, indeed, we maintain that it is plainly unconstitutional.
Further, many of us maintain that mush of what passes for the legislation since FDR is plainly unconstitutional, and that Justice Owen Robert got it wrong when he caved to Roosevelt. President Obama is using some of the same tactics as FDR in trying to intimidate the judiciary, and that's just wrong. We don't live in a democracy; we live in a Republic (if we can keep it) and the job of the Supreme Court is to rule on those issues that most affect the Constitution. Their job is to moderate the national conversation and to make sure that what we're doing is consistent with the founding principles of this nation and the mores of the people.
Supreme Court Justices have long been controversial. I remember, as a child, seeing Impeach Earl Warren billboards in the segregationist Deep South where I was raised. I might remind my Democrat friends that most of the deep seated animosity against the Court in those days came from the Democratic Party as well. They were wrong then, and they're wrong now. At least in those days they had the good sense to wait until the Court had ruled before calling for impeachment.
The Obamacare suit proceeds apace. It's been submitted and a divided nation awaits the outcome of the nine Justices. Let's wait until they rule before we begin a verbal assault on them. I'm sure that however they decide, half of us will think that they are wrong.
Hat tip: Instapundit.
Anti-Lock Brakes
My buddy David sends me this one. If you drive a car these days, you probably have anti-lock brakes. However, lots of folks don't understand how they work and this graphic is probably a good explanation for the non-mechanically inclined.
That'll do, dog, that'll do.
That'll do, dog, that'll do.
March Madness - The Final Four
The Final Four of Deer rifles is up, and as in all brackets we've got some weirdness coming in to the championship.
The Winchester Model 70 is paired against the Savage 111. I'm a Savage guy and have been since 2002 when I bought my first one. Since then I've bought a half dozen, mostly as pawn shop rifles. They're invariably accurate, easy to work on, lots of aftermarket support, and very reasonably priced. I've got a Savage on layaway right now as a gift to a grandson. There's lots to love about Savage rifles. Did I mention accurate? We've got three heavy-barreled Savages in the family, in 7mm Rem Mag, .308 Winchester, and .17 HMR. Each of the three will make bugholes at extreme yardage, depending on the caliber. They're not great looking rifles, but they're great shooting rifles.
But, they're paired against the Winchester Model 70. The Winchester Model 70 was Jack O'Conner's favorite rifle, and his writings were rife with examples of how it is truly The Rifleman's Rifle. From the early '80s till 2006, Olin manufactured them under license, and some believe that quality suffered. Nowadays, they're manufactured by FN, the great Belgian gun maker, under license at their plant in South Carolina. They're great rifles with a loyal following. Jack would have approved of the new Model 70s and they're still considered the very best. When you say Model 70, you think deer rifle and they're leading the left column of the bracket.
On the right side of the paper are two other iconic rifles. The Remington 700 and the Ruger #1. The Ruger #1 is an American original, one of the great designs built by Bill Ruger. It's a single shot falling block rifle and is still manufactured in a large variety of options and calibers. From the lightweight .223 Remington to the bone-crushing .458 Lott, and in weights from seven to nine pounds, there is a Ruger #1 for every hunter. I'll tell you plainly that the Ruger #1 is on my short list of bucket rifles and the kids will have to draw straws for it when I'm gone. Unfortunately, in this semi-final, it's paired against the Remington 700 and going from a 7-seed to the semifinals it's shown staying power, it'll probably fall to the Remington.
Last of the rifles to consider is the Remington 700. Probably the most beloved, purchased, and written-about rifle of the bunch. I've owned several and a short-action in .308 Winchester sits in my locker. It got the nod last year as my deer rifle, simply because I like the wood stock. It's light, deadly accurate, easily gunsmithed and has a huge aftermarket support. No self-respecting deer camp will be without at least one when hunters gather to stand around the fire and argue about such things. For the last 30 years, the Model 700 is the bolt rifle that everyone else competed against and the success of the Model 700 is in large part whey we have so many fine rifles on the gun shelves today. It's had enough flaws that other manufacturers thought they could compete against it, and it has had enough success that they wanted to compete against it. Nothing succeeds like success and the Remington Model 700 has been hugely successful. It's a great rifle and deserves to be in the quarter finals.
Should my predictions hold true, next week we'll see the championship between the Remington 700 and the Winchester Model 70. The Savage and the Ruger will have fallen by the wayside to two truly magnificent rifles. This week is easy to predict, but next week will be a showdown between titans.
The Winchester Model 70 is paired against the Savage 111. I'm a Savage guy and have been since 2002 when I bought my first one. Since then I've bought a half dozen, mostly as pawn shop rifles. They're invariably accurate, easy to work on, lots of aftermarket support, and very reasonably priced. I've got a Savage on layaway right now as a gift to a grandson. There's lots to love about Savage rifles. Did I mention accurate? We've got three heavy-barreled Savages in the family, in 7mm Rem Mag, .308 Winchester, and .17 HMR. Each of the three will make bugholes at extreme yardage, depending on the caliber. They're not great looking rifles, but they're great shooting rifles.
But, they're paired against the Winchester Model 70. The Winchester Model 70 was Jack O'Conner's favorite rifle, and his writings were rife with examples of how it is truly The Rifleman's Rifle. From the early '80s till 2006, Olin manufactured them under license, and some believe that quality suffered. Nowadays, they're manufactured by FN, the great Belgian gun maker, under license at their plant in South Carolina. They're great rifles with a loyal following. Jack would have approved of the new Model 70s and they're still considered the very best. When you say Model 70, you think deer rifle and they're leading the left column of the bracket.
On the right side of the paper are two other iconic rifles. The Remington 700 and the Ruger #1. The Ruger #1 is an American original, one of the great designs built by Bill Ruger. It's a single shot falling block rifle and is still manufactured in a large variety of options and calibers. From the lightweight .223 Remington to the bone-crushing .458 Lott, and in weights from seven to nine pounds, there is a Ruger #1 for every hunter. I'll tell you plainly that the Ruger #1 is on my short list of bucket rifles and the kids will have to draw straws for it when I'm gone. Unfortunately, in this semi-final, it's paired against the Remington 700 and going from a 7-seed to the semifinals it's shown staying power, it'll probably fall to the Remington.
Last of the rifles to consider is the Remington 700. Probably the most beloved, purchased, and written-about rifle of the bunch. I've owned several and a short-action in .308 Winchester sits in my locker. It got the nod last year as my deer rifle, simply because I like the wood stock. It's light, deadly accurate, easily gunsmithed and has a huge aftermarket support. No self-respecting deer camp will be without at least one when hunters gather to stand around the fire and argue about such things. For the last 30 years, the Model 700 is the bolt rifle that everyone else competed against and the success of the Model 700 is in large part whey we have so many fine rifles on the gun shelves today. It's had enough flaws that other manufacturers thought they could compete against it, and it has had enough success that they wanted to compete against it. Nothing succeeds like success and the Remington Model 700 has been hugely successful. It's a great rifle and deserves to be in the quarter finals.
Should my predictions hold true, next week we'll see the championship between the Remington 700 and the Winchester Model 70. The Savage and the Ruger will have fallen by the wayside to two truly magnificent rifles. This week is easy to predict, but next week will be a showdown between titans.
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
They're Worried
The hearings last week at the Supreme Court have the left all in a tizzy. It seems that the arguments that they so dismissed so casually were actually taken as interesting, relevant arguments that had weight. Jeffrey Toobin weigh in, at the New Yorker, in an article dated interestingly enough April 9, 2012.
The whole point of enumerated powers is to set limits on the actions of Congress and the Executive. To my way of thinking, Supreme Courts in the past have strayed too far outside the paper boundaries of the Constitution, finding powers and rights that are only found by doing double-back-flips of judicial interpretation. I believe that the Commerce clause as we understand it today is a broad overreach of judicial activism.
I understand our President is bothered also by the case, and well he should be. If his landmark, signature accomplishment is tossed out, all he'll have to fall back on is a lousy economy and high gas prices.
In the meantime, it is interesting to watch the liberals worry themselves over what the Supremes might do. Were I a Republican congressman, I'd immediately propose a Constitutional amendment that all Supreme Court justices be elected to two-year terms by national election. That would take the issue of unaccountable, life-tenured judges out of the equation. I'm sure that the nation would immediately move to adopt it.
Hat tip: Hot Air.
and it is—or should be—a grave and unusual step for unelected, unaccountable, life-tenured judges to overrule the work of the democratically elected branches of government.Oooh! I see where this is going. Unelected, unaccountable, life-tenured judges. Yet this is where Toobin has it exactly wrong. The sole purpose of those unelected, life-tenured judges is to rule on the law and on the acts of Congress. That is their whole reason for being. They are supposed to be above the political fray, the original, unassailable Ivory Tower. They can make their decisions in a vacuum, and they should. The vacuum of law, but more particularly, the vacuum of the Constitution.
The whole point of enumerated powers is to set limits on the actions of Congress and the Executive. To my way of thinking, Supreme Courts in the past have strayed too far outside the paper boundaries of the Constitution, finding powers and rights that are only found by doing double-back-flips of judicial interpretation. I believe that the Commerce clause as we understand it today is a broad overreach of judicial activism.
I understand our President is bothered also by the case, and well he should be. If his landmark, signature accomplishment is tossed out, all he'll have to fall back on is a lousy economy and high gas prices.
In the meantime, it is interesting to watch the liberals worry themselves over what the Supremes might do. Were I a Republican congressman, I'd immediately propose a Constitutional amendment that all Supreme Court justices be elected to two-year terms by national election. That would take the issue of unaccountable, life-tenured judges out of the equation. I'm sure that the nation would immediately move to adopt it.
Hat tip: Hot Air.
Cool Snap
A fast moving storm rolled through central Louisiana yesterday, bringing cool temperatures and sunny skies. The temps on my back porch this morning were in the mid-60s, cool for this time of year. The air is crisp and clean, really a nice day to be outside. PawPaw is off work this morning because the schools are in spring break. I do have a ball game later this afternoon which spoils the day in that I have to put on a uniform and strap on a gunbelt.
As Easter is coming fast upon us, this is the pre-Easter cool snap. We've always got a couple of wonderfully cool days preceding Easter, a harbinger of the oppressive, sultry heat that is Louisiana in summer time. When we go back to school next week we've got just seven weeks until the end of this term. I'm still looking forward to the high-school theater season, the end of the baseball/softball season, the Prom, and graduation.
As Easter is coming fast upon us, this is the pre-Easter cool snap. We've always got a couple of wonderfully cool days preceding Easter, a harbinger of the oppressive, sultry heat that is Louisiana in summer time. When we go back to school next week we've got just seven weeks until the end of this term. I'm still looking forward to the high-school theater season, the end of the baseball/softball season, the Prom, and graduation.
Monday, April 02, 2012
If You See Something, Say Something (TM)
Where did we get the idea that the bad guys wear hoodies? From the Obama administration, of course. Janet Neapolitano launched this video in 2010.
It looks like George Zimmerman was doing just exactly what Big Sis told him to do, until Martin found him and began to pummel him.
Bad guys wear hoodies. That's the message our President sends out.
Hat tip: Gateway Pundit.
It looks like George Zimmerman was doing just exactly what Big Sis told him to do, until Martin found him and began to pummel him.
Bad guys wear hoodies. That's the message our President sends out.
Hat tip: Gateway Pundit.
Monday Musings
If you don't read Victor Davis Hanson, you're missing out on some of the best commentary currently available. He deconstructs the Martin-Zimmerman narrative in an article published yesterday, and provides a telling indictment concerning the current civil rights leadership.
Americans, by and large are not concerned about race. We're past that. What we are concerned about is our ability to raise our children to be healthy, happy people and to leave a legacy of freedom to successive generations. We view the Trayvon Martin case as a simple tragedy and we're watching the race-baiters and hustlers turn it into a media travesty. We know that black-on-black crime is a greater problem in post-racial America and we know that Sharpton, Jackson Inc. largely ignore the huge failures of that culture. There's no money in it, so it never enters their faux outrage.
Sharpton, Jackson, Inc are in the same category as Wallace, Faubus, Inc. and deserve the same scorn. Thinking Americans are largely unconcerned with race any more. That time is passed and giving ink and airtime to racists is something I'll never understand.
Go read Hanson's whole article. It explains it a lot better than I can.
The majority, of citizens, however, sees the current civil rights hierarchy as much of the problem with, not the solution to, the Martin tragedy. No, it is worse than that still: the Martin case has evoked renewed interest not in disproportionate rates of black crime alone, but in the civil rights leadership’s apparent lack of concern about it.And there is the problem. The majority of citizens in the US today are unconcerned about race. The civil rights movement of the '60s has succeeded in lots of ways, the biggest of those ways is that todays Americans are largely unconcerend about race. We view the race-hustlers, ilk cut from the mold of Sharpton, Jackson, Inc. as throwbacks to an earlier age, much as George Wallace and Orval Faubus are seen as relics of a earlier age. Jackson and Sharpton's time has passed, just as the white racists time had passed. They are simply relics of a bygone time and are mere caricatures of the greats whose shoulders they stand upon.
Americans, by and large are not concerned about race. We're past that. What we are concerned about is our ability to raise our children to be healthy, happy people and to leave a legacy of freedom to successive generations. We view the Trayvon Martin case as a simple tragedy and we're watching the race-baiters and hustlers turn it into a media travesty. We know that black-on-black crime is a greater problem in post-racial America and we know that Sharpton, Jackson Inc. largely ignore the huge failures of that culture. There's no money in it, so it never enters their faux outrage.
Sharpton, Jackson, Inc are in the same category as Wallace, Faubus, Inc. and deserve the same scorn. Thinking Americans are largely unconcerned with race any more. That time is passed and giving ink and airtime to racists is something I'll never understand.
Go read Hanson's whole article. It explains it a lot better than I can.
Sunday, April 01, 2012
Palm Sunday
I just realized that this is Palm Sunday. I guess I better put on a tie.
Some conventions shouldn't be tampered with.
Some conventions shouldn't be tampered with.
Sunday Morning Dawg
The dog didn't want to participate this week, so getting a photo was interesting. Luckily, the magic of a long lens and computer editing software let me capture an image that might suffice.
Taken from across the room, he's hiding under Milady's computer chair. That's his little hidey-hole and when he doesn't want to participate in any given activity, that's normally where we can find him.
He's the Hiding Under the Chair, Sunday Morning Dawg.
Taken from across the room, he's hiding under Milady's computer chair. That's his little hidey-hole and when he doesn't want to participate in any given activity, that's normally where we can find him.
He's the Hiding Under the Chair, Sunday Morning Dawg.
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