Plenty of Reasons

 Early in November, the nation was gripped by the drama coming out of Moscow, ID, where four students were killed in their beds.  The nation wants answers, and the parents want closure, and I understand all that.

Megan Fox looks at four reasons why the police have not publicly named a suspect or made an arrest.  

1) The crime scene is amazingly complex.  I have spent hours doing crime scene for a single murder in a fairly pristine crime scene.  I cannot imagine what a four-murder scene would be like to work.

2) Small town police departments don't often see this type of crime.  This isn't a criticism of the police in Moscow, but the simple fact is that they don't work this type of crime very often.  They know the theory, but putting it into practice takes experience.  They want to get it right, so they called in help, from the Idaho State Police and the FBI.  This is common practice.

3) Thanksgiving happened.  Moscow is a small, college town.  Many students left town after the murders, and the Thanksgiving break put many more out of town.  Investigation like this need basic, shoe-leather work.  Knocking on doors, taking statements, interviewing people.  When everyone leaves town, it gets more complex and slows everything down.

4) Don't let the killer know what the police know.  You don't want to publish a profile or release a name until you have the suspect in cuffs.  Save it for the arrest warrant. The last thing the investigators want now is more publicity.  There will be plenty of time for that later.

 “For the sake of the families who just lost four beloved children on the cusp of their adult lives, this is a developing story that should be handled with extreme care. Already, just nineteen days into the investigation, the parents are starting to question the forthrightness of the police and their emotions are raw going into the first holiday season without their children. It would be helpful for them if the true crime die-hards didn’t fan the flames of upset for clicks and views. I’ve spent the day going over the facts of this case and to me, it’s looking like very good police work in a very difficult situation.”

They are going to catch this guy.  It's just a matter of time.  I once worked a murder that took 22months between the deed and the arrest, then another year before the conviction.  We all have to be patient.

That's Brazen

 First, they steal a car, then use it to crash into a gun shop to steal guns.  That is fairly brazen.  From the local TV station.

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - Alexandria Police detectives are investigating the burglary of a gun shop on Jackson Street that happened early Tuesday morning after a vehicle crashed into the building.

Around 6:50 a.m., APD arrived at The Gun Shop on Jackson Street in reference to a vehicle crashing into the building. The vehicle was identified as a 2017 Infinity Q80 SUV, previously reported as stolen. The suspect drove the vehicle into the business and went inside, stealing several firearms from The Gun Shop.

The woman who owns that shop is an acquaintance, and I bet she is livid.  I know that she had crash posts in front of her shop, and I'm trying to figure out where they crashed the building.  I'll bet that she is about to spend more money on crash barriers.

Boudin

 Boudin is a south Louisiana thing, a meal in a casing.   Normally a rice mixture, the meat inside can be pork, or beef, or poultry.  Even seafood.  But, normally pork.

Belle sent me to thr grocers this morning.  She wants to make brisket poboys later today and I was sent to get ingredients.  On the way home I had "a craving flung on me", so I stopped at Guillory's Specialty Meats for a bit of boudin. Guillory makes a solid, workman-like boudin.  Not the best I've ever tasted, but certainly a nice boudin.  And, it's just on the way home.

I like to put my boudin on a cookie sheet, or a black iron skillet and run it under the broiler for a few minutes.  Turn it over and run it back under the heat.  This crisps the casing, and it will snap when you bite it.

This works as an appetizer.  Belle had a link or two, I had a link or two, and I suspect that the pup got a taste as well.   We'll make poboys later, but in the meantime, it's boudin as a late breakfast.

Lame Ducks

Joe knows that he doesn't have the votes in the lame duck session between bow and January to enact any sweeping legislation, but that is not keeping the left from fantasizing about it.

Rp Jim Clyburn (D-SC) has determined that legal gun purchases are racist.  More specifically, they conflate with slavery. It's a ridiculous argument coming from a ridiculous man. I don't know what the people of South Carolina were thinking when they elected this buffoon.

Tucker: It's hard to believe this is real

Speaker

 Who is going to be the House Speaker?  Kevin McCarthy is the House minority leader, but that doesn't mean that he has the 218 votes necessary to take the gavel.

From Instapunit:

“McCarthy launched his effort to be House speaker earlier this month in a closed-ballot vote by his conference. At the time, he only earned 188 of the 218 votes necessary to become speaker, with 31 votes going to his surprise challenger: House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-AZ). Biggs is one of the dozens of Republicans who have refused to support McCarthy’s speakership bid. That opposition, combined with a less-than-stellar turnout by Republicans in the 2022 midterm elections, is jeopardizing McCarthy’s chances of securing the gavel.”

Other foks are noticing. 

While it is just like the Republican Party to make things ridiculous like this, I’m not sure we’re going to get there. It may be more than enough to simply scare Kevin McCarthy into not being a squish. For those who think this is pollyannaish, understand that McCarthy’s majority will be so slim that he can’t afford any hiccups. He will need all of the cooperation he can get.

McCarthy needs to make peace with the Freedom Caucus. 

Trending News

 It seems that Alyssa Milano is getting a ration of crap for the tweet she posted about  trading her Tesla for a Volkswagen.  Because she hated Musk.  Or something.

Everyone knows, or should know, the history of the Volkswagen.  It was the People's Car of the late 1930s German government.  You knw, the one that Hitler ran?

That aside, I owned two of them.  The first, I bought off the ad-hoc lot on the parking lot of the PX at Fort Knox.  Paid $500 for it.  Drove it for three years as a work car/hunting car, so my wife could use the family sedan.  When I left Fort Knox, I put it back on that same lot and got my $500 back.

Bought my second one when my elder son  needed a car.  Fixed it up and he drove it to school and work.

The VW Beetle was a great little car.  Nothing fancy, but a lot of fun to drive.

I don't have a problem with Milano learning her history, and I don't have a problem with the VW Beetle.  If I could find a nice example today for $500, I'd probably buy it.

Smoked Turkey Gumbo

 We have a smoked turkey every year for Thanksgiving, for two reasons.  First, because everyone expects it and second, because I want a gumbo.  On Friday, I took that turkey carcass and all the leftover bits and put it in a stock pot.  Boiled it for an hour or so to make stock, then took the bits out, peeled the meat from the bones and let the stock cool before I put everything away and cleaned up my mess.

This morning I put that turkey stock and the meaty bits back in that stock pot and put a low fire under it.  Then, I cut up some good smoked sausage, browned it in a skillet, then drained it and that sausage went into the gumbo pot.  I used the drippings from the sausage to make a roux,   Added it to the pot, then sauted some onions and poppers with a little garlic 

It's on a low fire now, bubbling happily.  About 11:00 I will put on a pot of rice.

Gumbo is an inflation fighter.  I already had the leftover turkey, with the onions, peppers and sausage, I figure I have about $10 in that pot, and I'll feed a dozen people at lunch.  That less than a buck a plate.

Sunday Morning Dawg

 

At The Liquor Store

 I dropped by the liquor store today to pick up some wine for Belle.  I found it and took it to the counter where I encountered a fresh-faced young man at the register.

Him: "Anything else?"

Me: "What you got?:

Him: "We have everything."

Me: "Let's see.  Ardbeg Dark Cove?"

Him: "No."

Me: "Bruichladdich Port Charlotte?"

Him: "No"

Me: "Well, I guess you don't have everything, right?"

To be fair, I didn't expect him to have those, but if he had, I would have bought a bottle.

Scaup

 My father called them Butterballs. other folks called them Blue Bills.  The lesser scaup is a duck species native to North America.  They are diving ducks.

The last time we got into a flight of scaup was a day much like today.  A front moving through, low clouds scudding at treetop height.  A misting rain.  Dad and I were in a blind in the Catahoula swamp and as daylight broke, the scaup started flying.  We knocked down our limits in about 15 minutes of shooting, collected the ducks and were walking out of the lake as the other hunt3rs were coming in.  This was pre-1980.

I tell you all this because not 15 minutes ago, I was drinking coffee on my back porch and a flight of scaup came over, looking at the lake that is in the center of our subdivision.  They made two passes, then departed to the northeast, probably headed for that very same lake that Dad and I hunted in all those years ago.

But, it is time for me to get busy with my day, and shooting ducks has no part in it.

This And That

 A Headline

Biden Education Official Says Democracy—And Everything Else—Is White Supremacy

My Thoughts

 WHen everything is "whte supremacy", nothing is "white supremacy".

Suspect Shot

 It seems that another upstanding citizen tried to harm a police officer and got shot for his trouble.  In this case, the suspect will survive to explain his actions before a court.  According to the local station:

Louisiana State Police has taken over the investigation. LSP investigators shared in their initial report that at around 12:30 p.m., APD received a complaint that a man was running into traffic on Rapides Avenue. When an officer got to the area, they came in contact with the man, identified as 34-year-old Jason Shackleford.

According to LSP, Shackleford then initiated a lengthy physical altercation with the officer. During the physical altercation, LSP shared that Shackleford “gained control of the officer’s baton and began choking the officer from behind with the baton.” That’s when the officer fired his gun and shot Shackleford.

Shackleford was transported to a local hospital for treatment. In its update, LSP shared that he was last listed in stable condition. The officer was also transported to a local hospital for treatment, but has since been released.

 Choke an officer, catch a bullet.  It sounds to me like a good shoot.

You might recall that earlier this week, we covered another incident where a suspect tried to disarm an officer and caught a bullet for his trouble. There seems to be a pattern here, and the street idiots need to take both these incidents as object lessons.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 While enjoying the moderate temps outside an hour ago, I heard squawking overhead and noticed a big flight of snow geese headed south.  Which prompted me to open an ap and look at the surface map.

It looks like we are in for some rain later today.  But that's okay, too.  The turkey and the ham are in the roaster, Belle is puttering around in the kitchen, and I have a good roof overhead.  Lots to be thankful for.  Family will show up in a couple of hours, and the feast will be amazing.

The big decision I have now is when I'm going to cook the traditional after-Thanksgiving gumbo.  This evening after the party subsides, I will break up the turkey carcass and drop it into a big stock pot.  That smoked turkey will lend an amazing flavor to the stock, and I'll use that as a base for a gumbo either on Friday or Saturday. I really enjoy the after-Thanksgiving gumbo.

Belle is banging pots in the kitchen, so I suppose I should go see what I can do to help.

Thanksgiving Prep

 The day before Thanksgiving, and we're prepping.  Belle has lots on her list, and by default, I have a list too.  I'm not sure how many people we are going to feed tomorrow, but 20 is a good working average. This is why I built the shop, so that we can entertain a crowd in comfort.

Whatever you may think about the traditions and history of Thanksgiving, it is a time to share with family and friends, to give thanks to our Creator and to enjoy a little time with people we don't see as often as we would like.

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

What Is The Play

 Something interesting is playing out.

It seems that CBS News now believes that the Hunter Biden laptop is real.  And the evidence on it is damning.

More from Fox News here.

One week after the Republicans flipped the House, and gave notice that they would start investigations, the liberal news organizations now believe that the laptop they dismissed as fake two years ago, now shows the corruption of the Biden family.

Leslie Stahl owes Donald Trump a big, fat apology.  If the laptop is real, then both Hunter and The Big Guy face a host of influence peddling charges.

Gavin Newsome is ecstatic.

Officer Involved Shooting Rapides Parish

On 11-06-22 a deputy with the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office was involved in a shooting following a traffic stop.  The Sheriff of the parish, Mark Wood, asked the Louisiana State Police to conduct a critical incident investigation.  The investigation is not concluded, but the Louisiana State Police has released what they call a Critical Incident Community Briefing to keep the community informed on the status of the investigation.

The briefing is below. It shows the incident from the perspective of the cruiser's dash camera, the officers body camera, and the perspective from a citizen cell phone.

On November 20, 2022, Colonel Lamar Davis of the Louisiana State Police provided an update to the initial briefing.

This investigation ain't over yet.

Back In Service

 My old Model 38, the Smith and Wesson Airweight is back in service.  I found this gun in late 2011 or early 2012, a pawn shop find.  Originally a nickeled aluminum revolver, I bought it very used and it became a pocket gun.  I've always been enamored of J-frame pistols.  A blast from the past.

Here is the old girl as she came from the pawn shop, wearing Herrett grips.

A couple of years ago during routine service, we found some problems with the nickel finish.  It was starting to peel.  My Smith mechanic recommended that we refinish the frame, and I put it on the back burner to fighure out what I wanted to do.

After a couple of years, grandson Zach is now a cerracote gguy at a local AR manufactory.  He took the frame in and stripped it, then coated it with what he calls Armorers Black.  My Smith mechanic was in town today and he reassembled the gun.  I wanted to keep the cylinder and crane nickeledd, with a black frame, to make it a bi-color.

It's back together now, with a new set of cocobolo grips.  This revolver has a pinned barrel, so I know that its date of manufacture pre-dates 1982.  In 1982, SW dropped the pinned barrel as an unnecessary production step.  The revolver is at least 40 years old, and is ready for another 40 years of service.

Chicken Fried Steak

Family is in for Thanksgiving, and the grandkids are out of school, so we'll be cooking all week.

Belle decided today that she wanted to cook chicken fried steak.  Our recipe is a lot like Kent Rollins, with one simple change.  Instead of double-dipping his beading, ours is a three-step process.  First dredge the seasoned meat in flour, then the eg wash, then we dip them in crushed saltine crackers.

About an hour before we cook, I'll put saltine crackers in a gallon size zipper bag, then roll them with her roller until they are a powder.  

Then, the process is seasoned meat (salt, pepper, garlic powder), into the flour dredge, then into the egg wash, then into the crushed saltines.  It gives us a better crust.  Below, Kent Rollins lays it out for you.

With mashed potatoes, cream gravy, and baby lima beans.  

The Labor Gap

 Our governor, the execrable John Bel Edwards (hack, spit) is trumpeting what he believes to be a touchstone in his damnable administration.  It seems that Louisiana has achieved an unemployment rate of 3.7%.  What John Bel doesn't tell you is exactly how many folks in Louisiana have left the labor force.  It's huge.

What he is not trumpeting is that Louisiana's Labor Force Participation rate is currently at 58.5%.  That tells us that  41.5% of the labor force is not participating at all.  Generous rounding tells us that 60% of the population is being dragged down by the other 40%.

John Bel can crow about these numbers, but the simple fact is that over 40% of our labor force is not working, not looking for work, or is living in the labor force black market.  Combine that with our out-migration and you have a recipe for disaster.