Hospitals Bankrupt

It seems that three hospitals in Central Louisiana are filing for bankruptcy.

 The company that owns Oakdale Community Hospital, Winn Parish Medical Center and Avoyelles Hospital filed for bankruptcy, now many in those communities are worried because the next nearest hospital is around 30 miles away in each community.

That ain't good.  These facilities are vital to their communities, but the simple fact is that Obamacare has changed the way that we get our medical care.  The days of the friendly, horseback doctor making the house calls is long gone.  This article tries to explain the impact that the ACA has had on medical care.

 In 2013, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed.  Also known as Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act set out to cover the millions of Americans without health care.  The affect however has not yet been fully realized and it’s too early to know how it will affect the bottom line of hospitals.  Patients on the other hand, have learned that despite health insurance, medical bills continue to rise for various reasons.  Ultimately, when hospitals find too many of their patients in situations where they can’t pay for services rendered, it can likely lead to hospitals filing bankruptcy themselves.

Bankruptcy does not always result in the business closing its doors, but hospitals are generally thought to be steady, rock-solid bulwarks of the community.  Many people don't consider medicine as a business model, but the simple fact of the matter is that if you've got to hire orderlies, nurses, dietitians, doctors and administrators, there has to be a cash flow so that you can pay these people.  Somebody has to pay the light bill, somebody has to mop the floors, and they're not going to show up for work for free.

Medicine is a business and free medical care simply doesn't exist.

Backyard Shooting

I went out to my wax bullet range this afternoon, to continue my frustration with the long gun.   Getting that long barrel out of the holster is a challenge.  I'm still not ready to hook up the timers yet, concentrating on draw, cock, fire without doing anything dangerous or picking up any bad habits.  After about 30 rounds, I went down, cleaned the target, then set up to shoot 10 more shots.

If I'm counting right there are seven (7) hits on that target.  There are two below the target that you can't see, and that one over to the right at 4:00.  Must have pulled that one, but shooting 70% is a good place to quit, so I took off the revolver, walked into the pool house, and retrieved a beverage.

Yeah, after shooting in the sun in 93F temps with 50% humidity, I was ready for a beer.

I noticed that the martins were busy, swirling around the corner of the yard.  Some folks have asked if my wax bullet shooting bothers the birds, and I can't actually say that it does.  Today, it appeared that they were teaching fledglings to fly, so I took out my video phone, and took a quick vid.   You can see the corner of my backstop in the lower right hand corner of the frame, and it doesn't look like the birds were bothered at all.



We've been shooting there all summer, and the martins don't seem to be concerned about it at all.

LDWF Seeking Agents

I see in the local fish-wrapper that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is seeking to hire some new Agents.  We called the Game Wardens back in the day.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is looking for people who want to be field agents.
It's taking applications through June for up to 23 cadets. The six-month class begins in September at the Waddill Outdoor Education Center in Baton Rouge.
The Law Enforcement Division's head, Col. Joey Broussard, says they're looking for men and women who love the outdoors, want to enforce conservation laws and can make it through demanding physical and academic training.
Cadets train to enforce the state's recreational boating laws, the state and federal wildlife and fisheries laws, and general law enforcement work on the state's many wildlife management areas. The academy also covers general law enforcement training required for all state law enforcement officers, plus search and rescue procedures.

I worked closely with the game wardens in Natchitoches Parish when I was a Parole Officer.  In the rural parishes of Louisiana, everyone either hunts, fishes, or traps, and often does all three.  Some of my better stories include the guys I called "Possum Cops" as the main protagonists.  Matter of fact, one of them in particular asked me one night to help him root out some night hunters in the Red Dirt Preserve, just a mile or so back of my house.

We went out to my barn, got some tomato stakes, some duct tape and some bicycle reflectors.  In the space of thirty minutes, we had cobbled together a device we could stick in the ground behind a yaupon bush that looked for all the world like a deer when you put a spotlight on it.

We went out, found a likely spot near a paved road and stuck that thing in the ground.  In the space of about four hours, we arrested three different parties of poachers who couldn't stand to drive by a pair of gleaming eyes without shooting at it.

If I was a young man, I might consider signing up with the Possum Cops, but since I'm an old, decrepit fart, I'll leave it for the young'uns.

Spectacles

It's time for new spectacles, and PawPaw has an appointment with the eyeglass doctor in a couple of hours.  It's been too long, and at my advanced age and decrepitude, it's something I'll have to schedule regularly from now on.  When I was working for my Uncle, it was something that he took care of regularly, but in the intervening years, it's something that I let slide.

One thing that I will not do is choose frames.  I look through spectacles, not at them, so I really don't care what my frames look like.  The Army used to issue me black, horn-rimmed glasses and those suited me fine.  Milady knows that if left to my own devices, I'd pick out the cheapest, ugliest frames on the wall.  She'll meet me for lunch and we'll pick out some frames that she isn't ashamed to be seen in public with.

I've successfully resisted bifocals so far, but over the past year I realize that my reading-distance vision is fading.

Getting old ain't for sissies.

Monday Meanderings

It was a basic Monday, with a to-do list, which I accomplished early.  Laundry, check.  Errands, check.  Pool maintenance, check.  Everyday things that we all do.

But, I've got an anniversary coming up, and I had asked Milady what she might like for her anniversary gift.  She normally leaves me to my own devices, but she told me she'd think about it, and this afternoon after work, she dropped the hint.  She wants a hat, so I had her look on several sites and she found one she'd like to go with an outfit she's making for fast draw banquets.

It bills out as a Victorian Black Satin Teardrop Hat, and she found it at the link.  A little time on the keyboard, and I'm done.She's making an outfit for the shoot in Kentucky in September, and she thinks that this will go nicely with it.

And, I'm off the hook for our anniversary.  I might find a little something to surprise her with, but the pressure is off.

Trailer Update

We took another step on the Town Folk Alley trailer this week.  This is going to be a portable range for wax bullet work, to introduce people to the sport.  The key is portable, easy set-up, and easy tear down.  Several clubs have these trailers across the country, and while some of them are able to dedicate a trailer to the activity, our club is small and broke at this time.

So, we're making do.  Last week I went and bought some 1" Schedule 40 PVC pipe and today my son and I started playing with it.  I had also bought some Harbor Freight drop cloths last week, and while they're really nice unbleached fabric, they're simply not big enough.  To cut the PVC to the length necessary to use the drop cloths, simply doesn't leave enough circumference on the curve.

So, after cutting the PVC pipe to a pleasing length that gives ample space for shooting (16 feet), I remembered a tarp that I had bought for another project.  It's 15'2" X 19'6", and I also found it at Harbor Freight.  It's big enough and will certainly keep a wax bullet from getting out.

It looks more like a greenhouse than a Conestoga trailer, but it will suffice for the purpose.  The silver fabric gives enough light in the trailer that we're able to see easily.

I've got some tweaking to do and some more material to buy, but I think that this tarp will work fine. Remember, it's not going down te road with the tarp installed, it will be installed once we get to the shooting site.  I need to go pick up some ball stretch cords and see how many bungee cords I have on hand, but this thing is going to work fine.

I still have wings to build and targets to make, but we've turned the corner on this trailer and I can see the project reaching completion.  This is goin to be fun.

Sunday Morning Dawg

It's been a while since I posted a Sunday Dawg, but the dog is doing well, getting older, a little slower, and he's still deathly afraid of thunderstorms.

Yesterday afternoon, we got one heck of a thunder-bumper on our acre.  The dog, of course, didn't know what to do, so eventually he decided to lie on the kitchen floor and shiver in abject fear.  It was quite heart-rending.

It's hard to console a little dog who is inconsolable.

Saturday Morning Surfing

It's been raining for the past two days, and the weather-weenies tell us that another drenching is on the way.  So be it.  The Thorn Valley Shootist Society is not meeting today, due to the weather.  We shoot in an enclosed barn, but the road in to the range is sketchy at best.  We've decided to let it dry out before we try to get back in there.

So, I'm surfing about, and someone on the Book of Face led me to a page concerning Buck Taylor, an artist and actor who has been making his living for several decades in front of a camera.  Lots of folks may not realize that Taylor is also an accomplished fine artist, with drawings and paintings to his credit.  Some of us may remember him mainly from his acting career.  Some recall Newly, from the Gunsmoke series, and others recall him as Turkey Creek Jack Johnson from the movie Tombstone.

Which leads me to one of my favorite clips from that movie, which introduces us to his character.



It's a great little clip with tons of magnificent dialogue. "He crawfished a bet and called me a liar."

But, I'm looking at his hat, which seems to be a campaign hat of some kind.  We know that the movie is set in Tombstone, AZ and the clip occurred historically sometime before October 1881.  Here's another picture of Taylor wearing that hat.

I'm looking at the crease on that hat, familiar to many of us as the campaign crease, or Mountie crease, or the Smokey the Bear crease, and I''m wondering if it was authentic to the early 1880s?

The quandry comes in because I'm looking for a tan hat correct to the period, and I'm not sure what crease, if any, was used on common hats of the period.  What do y'all think?

An Orange Bra

It seems that yesterday was National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and no one told the J-frame that rides every day in my pocket.  Of course, it didn't hurt anybody yesterday, just as it hasn't hurt anybody any day, and I pray that it doesn't have to hurt anybody today.  Yet, it's there to end gun violence in the manner that it is intended to stop gun violence.

Dozens showed up in Austin to celebrate the cause.  Dozens.  I bet that none of them were armed, trained, and ready to actually end gun violence.

Orange, evidently, was the color of the day.  Some celeb posted a pic of herself in an orange bra in solidarity.  Never heard of her, but I don't follow popular entertainment culture.  It's too shallow and self-aggrandizing for my tastes.  Click on the link if you must.

It's sad actually.  They've lost the argument and they're unable to see the result.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have guns to clean and ammo to load.  Let Freedom Ring.

The New York Times and the M3A1

Surfing around yesterday, I came to a piece in the New York Times, recommending that all guns in the US become NFA items.  Strict registration, with fingerprints and mug shots for every gun owner.  For those of you unaware, the National Firearms Act of 1934 was enacted to strictly regulate machine guns, destructive devices, short barreled rifles, and other items, like suppressors and hand grenades.

The author claims that NFA34 has been wildly successful, and I suppose that from his perspective, it has.

Leaders of the National Rifle Association rarely talk about the firearms act, and that’s probably because it imposes precisely the kinds of practical — and constitutional — limits on gun ownership, such as registration and background checks, that the N.R.A. regularly insists will lead to the demise of the Second Amendment.

But, his perspective is seriously in error.  It's an infringement that makes gun owners howl.  There have been a number of consequences, not the least of which is that the number of legal, transferrable firearms is strictly limited, to the point that prices are artificially high, by several orders of magnitude.

You see, in 1986, the registry was closed.  No new guns can be added to the registry.  The market is very limited, and the loss of supply drives prices atmospherically.  For example, the simple little M3 submachine gun.  Originally put into suervice in 1943, some 700,000 were made.  It's a simple little device, crude, inaccurate, but a hell of a lot of fun to shoot.  The government paid about $20..00 apiece for them.  Nowadays, if you'd like to buy one, the selling price would be north of $7500.00, and the M3 is not a particularly nice machine gun.

What the National Firearms Act has done, is made owning a machine gun a rich man's hobby.  I certainly can't own one on a workaday paycheck.

We could talk about suppressors, simple little devices that muffle the sound a gun makes.  In many countries they're allowed as hearing protection.  Yet here in the United States, they're NFA items.  Any reasonably competent home tinkerer could make one in his garage.  Indeed, one device in particular, the oil filter adapter, lets you put a suppressor on a gun for less than $100.00.  Of course, you'll have to pay the $200 tax and register it with the BATFE.  Here is Hickok45 using one.



The NFA is an abomination that should be neither emulated, celebrate, nor advocated.  It's a pox on the 2nd Amendment.  This little adapter is a automotive part, available at Amazon.com, but possession of it with a firearm and a filter is a felony, unless you have the tax stamp.  That's an infringement.

I would remind the members of the press that talk about gun control to remember that the founders thought the press was a fixed device to print a limited amount of paper.

Should we limit the press to that technology, or should we let Freedom Ring?

I'll pick freedom every time.  Now, if you'll excuse me, I have chores to accomplish.

Uberti's New Cattleman II

Uberti has come out with an "improvement" that they're touting on all the social media.  A "floating firing pin" that lets you carry the revolver fully loaded.  Heck, I'll show you the video.



Ruger perfected transfer bar ignition, a system that works great.  The original Colt pattern, of course, was unsafe to carry fully loaded.  A strike to the back of the hammer would ignite a cartridge in the chamber.  That's why all of us who carry single action revolvers long ago learned to keep the hammer down on an empty chamber.  It's worked great since 1873 or thereabouts.

The Uberti Cattleman was a fairly authentic reproduction of the Colt Peacemaker.  I shoot a Uberti in Cowboy Fast Draw and like it very much.  This new Cattleman II increases the complexity of the mechanism, one that has worked well for everyone for over 100 years.  Personally, I don't see a need for this intrusion on the original device.  As a wise man said a long time ago, If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Butler Creek Mountain Sling

Some of you might recall that last year, shortly before getting in to Cowboy Fast Draw, I bought a Savage Scout rifle.  Old readers will know that I'm a fan of the Savage bolt rifles.  They're reliable, accurate, durable bolt action. magazine fed rifles priced popularly.  Fine rifles at a great price.

The one weakness I found in that rifle, right out of the box, was the carrying strap provided.   A simple piece of 1" nylon with an el-cheapo adjustment, it simply didn't fit the bill. It was simply too long, hard to adjust, and had the air of a piece of strap that Savage bought to put in a box.  I resolved to take that strap off the rifle and put it in a bottom drawer of my tool box.  It might be useful for something, but for riflery, it simply didn't fit the bill.

I also know that many people think that the only proper sling to put on a serious rifle is a Model 1907 sling for serious rifle work.  That's fine, and good leather is a joy, but I've never been trained on the 1907 sling.  I was taught riflery by the US Army in the mid '70s.  We didn't use 1907 slings.  I recall simple, cotton web straps.  Later, they became simple, nylon straps.  We learned to shoot quite well with them.

I also know that in this modern, tacti-cool age, lots of folks have invented alternate slings.  The Ching Sling, promoted by Gunsite Academy comes to mind.  There are also the single-point slings that were the rage a couple of years ago.  I have nothing against any of these devices, but little experience with them as well.  I do know how to use a conventional two-point strap.

A month or so ago, I was trolling through the sporting goods racks at a local box store, and came upon a nice, simple, nylon strap that seemed to be easily adjustable.  The placard said it was a Butler Creek Mountain Sling and the price was right.  Less than a good set of QD swivels, which were already attached.  I dropped it in the buggy and took it home.  Good, inexpensive straps are always a bargain.

I've installed it on the rifle, and adjusted it so that I can take a hasty sling.  This looks like it might be just the key to making this rifle complete.  Hopefully, next week I'll have the opportunity to get out and try it at the local range.

I'll keep you informed.

End of Watch

We lost a brother yesterday.  Evidently, Deputy Robert Johnson collapsed after roll call and died.  They suspect a heart attack.

I am praying of course, for his family.  Robert was a good cop, a friendly soul, and a fine man.  He'll be sorely missed in the department.

Update** Partial press release from the Sheriff's Office:

It is with deep sadness that Sheriff William Earl Hilton announces the line of duty death of Corporal Robert Johnson, Enforcement Division, SRO. On Tuesday evening May 31st, just after 5 pm, Corporal Johnson was loading his patrol unit at the Kolin Sub-station getting ready to go on patrol when he collapsed in the parking lot. A passing motorist saw Corporal Johnson down in the parking lot and stopped and notified deputies inside. The deputies and the motorist immediately started CPR and called for an ambulance which arrived within a few minutes. Corporal Johnson was transported by Acadian Ambulance to Rapides Regional Trauma Center where he was pronounced deceased a little after 6pm. Cause of death is unknown at this time but it appears to be heart related.
Corporal Johnson was 43 years old and had been with the Sheriff’s Office since January 1st, 1995. He currently served as a School Resource Officer at Ruby Wise Elementary School. 

Robert was 43 years old and leaves behind a wife and three small children.

Great Video

I was clicking around the Book of Face ad came to this little video by Pantaeo Productions, where Dave Spaulding talks about the current state of combatives training int he US.

What's interesting, is that he's echoing things that I've been saying for years.  The gun doesn't really matter, the trousers certainly don't matter, the brand of boots, or holster, or anything else doesn't matter as long as your equipment choices work for you.  What really matters is mindset.



If you've read much Cooper, or much PawPaw, we'll tell you that mindset is the key to surviving a lethal encounter.  Mindset matters.  Not what you're wearing, or whether you have a beard.

Garry Owen

Officially the marching song of the 7th US Cavalry, it's been adopted by the whole branch as our theme song.  Whether Armored Cav or Air Cav, or even line Armor, troopers turn and salute when they hear Garry Owen.



It's our song, and today is a fine day to listen to it.

Jeff Cooper

Very few people could tell a vignette with fewer words than Jeff Cooper.  In evidence:

Goblin shows up late at hamburger dispensary behaving obnoxiously. Management calls the cops. Cop shows up and challenges goblin, who begins shooting at him. Cop sustains several hits before returning fire and goes down with a broken femur. Goblin runs dry and, bleeding from three wounds, commences to reload. Two Navajos are trying to get their car started on the parking lot. Analyzing the situation, they move in on the goblin and pound him into the pavement, leaving him for dead. They then go back to the car and continue fiddling with it. All manner of cop cars show up, complete with flashing lights. County deputy attorney, who arrives with the cops, approaches the two Navajos and asks if they can use any help. The answer is, “Well, yes. You got a flashlight?” Cops furnish flashlight.

 Moral: Always carry a flashlight in Indian country.

 Jeff Cooper
Jeff Cooper’s Commentaries
Vol. 2, No. 3, 1 March 1994

Hat tip, Joe Huffman.

Francis, the One Eyed,Mountain Dog

This weekend, while the kids were over, I got to know Francis, the One Eyed Mountain Dog.

A female mutt, brindled, with overtones f some type bull dog or pug, but mainly mutt.  Son Joey's wife, Melissa, found her while they were visiting his mother in Eureka Springs, AR.  Whatever her story was before they found her, she was spayed and her eye had been stitched shut professionally.  When Joey and his wife found her, she was showing a lot of rib ad the collar she wore was so dry-rotted that it was almost ready to fall off.  Obviously a stray, we'll never know what happened to her previous owners.

With good care and regular food, she's "slicked-off" and is really a sweet dog.  She's also a bottomless pit.  Probably an artifact of the time when she was hungry and eating whatever she could find.  Francis is a good dog, gentle around kids, makes friends easily, fairly quiet, but she loves to eat.  She's also an affection sponge; she'll sit quietly and et you scratch her for as long as you're willing.

That's a good dog, right there.  Both she and Joey did good when they found each other.

Fish Fry

Every once in a while, I get hungry for a fish fry, and in my family a fish fry is a social event, so I gathered the fish and the ingredients and told everyone that I was frying fish, Sunday at noon.

Left to Right.  Son-in-law Greg, PawPaw, son Joey and Son Barrett.

Our fish frys generally require two burners, one for fish and one for everything else.  Potatoes, hush puppies, chicken strips for the kids who don't eat fish, and fried okra.  Most of the menfolk gather around the burners.

Those folks that aren't needed, stretch out down the patio.  At this point, the grandkids are either in the pool, or eating under the shade awning.

Yeah, there is most of them, under the shade awning.  All told, I fed 22 people fried fish for the noon meal.  And we had leftovers.  When you thaw fish out, you've gotta cook it.

Those are full-size steam trays, and that is leftover fish.  No problem, though.  I've been a cop for a long time, and I understand what it's like to work Sunday nights out of a rural substation.  So, I bundled all up and took it to the Sheriff's substation down the road.  I left it in the care of the dispatcher and she'll see that the boys get fed.

That's how we do a Sunday fish fry at PawPw's House.

Memorial Day

I'm getting in the mood, I really am, but I'm a little tired and a little busy, and after the family gathering tomorrow, I should have a chance to reflect.

In the mean time, I'm thinking about the guys I served with.

Heh!  Just Heh!

The Long Gun

My son took up leather working several years ago, and the quality of his work is increasing by leaps and bounds.  He presented me with a new long gun rig last night.  He lives in Baton Rouge and came up to see us for the weekend.  While we had talked about the long gun rig, and I had seen pictures of it, I hadn't yet been able to coon-finger it, to touch it, or even know if it fit me.

He brought it with him last night and I am blown away.

I am very pleased.  Very pleased indeed.  If fits like it is supposed to fit, it feels like it is supposed to feel, it's made of very good leather, and the detail work is magnificent.  The badge holder is a nice touch.  I talked about the rig two weeks ago, and it comes with a hand-forged knife with sheath, and a set of leather cuffs.  It's a very nice rig for our game.  It's based, of course, on the California pattern, or Slim Jim (if you prefer).

Milady and I will be going to the range in another hour, and I'll be trying to figure out my draw.  It looks like I'm going to have fun with this.  Thanks, son!