I mean a month!
To be fair, it was a crazy month. I got sick. My kids got sick. We had several out of town trips (soccer, backpacking trip, family reunion) and I really wasn't at home for much of August.
So here I am, back and the kids are finally in school. Time to breathe. Wahoo.
So here are a few things on my mind:
1. Carrying guns at health care rallies. This happened in August and the media went all apoplectic (yes, I love that word, and it fits). Personally, I see two sides: 1) people should see people exercising their rights with guns but 2) you'll look like a whacko to anyone not plugged into gun rights. Deadly weapons are *not* kosher for the unwashed masses. They see them as scary. Dangerous. More scarier. And so parading around with them makes them think we're barking mad. Of course, maybe they'd stop thinking that if they saw more of them. So yes, I get the point and I respect what some are trying to do here. Where do I fall? Not sure.
2. Healthcare debate. Sheesh. I read alot of conservative blogs nowdays - mostly gunny stuff - but I'm really a bit fed up with the blathering on healthcare. I wanna read your blog to learn about shootie stuff, not your weirdo conspiracy theories on how Obamacare will put mom on an ice flow. I lived with Canadian healthcare most of my first 20 years and it rocked. It was awesome. And it still serves my parents wonderfully. The one thing that puzzles me though, is people who say its the US government that can't do it right, even if others can. Huh, that is an odd thought. Not sure if I see this as realistic or a cop out.
3. Van Whatever his name is. More political crapola. You yanks get all tied up over partisan politics and don't realize that your two party system is broken. Its broken big time. You get corrupt republicans on one hand and corrupt democrats on the other. Money makes them all do the same things for the same backroom dealers, regardless of the rhetoric. We lost power decades ago and its now just a game for the big men. Too bad we don't have a parlimentary system that lets alternate voices have an actual say instead of waste time/effort/money and votes. And yes, I'm very familiar with the downsides of such a system, but they are easier to handle than the wreck of a democracy we have now. Sigh.
4. Obama talking to your kids. Sheesh. Seriously? This is tying you up in knots? The outrage I've been seeing over this from people I otherwise respect is just insane. Do you really think Obama is going to sit down and indoctrinate lil' Billy, reading directly from Mao's little Red Book? Seriously? Hell. Back here in RealityLand, he's just going to tell them to work hard and get good grades. And they released the text before hand so you could stop hyperventilating. The way people were freaking was almost like we were headed for a Killing Fields style camp for reeducation instead of an inspiring (ok people, ignore the politics, look at what he's done/overcome - he's our first black president with a dad who hearded goats!) story to help an increasingly lazy and incapable youth. And yes, I *know* the many of them are weak, lazy and ill prepared to handle freedom - I'm a scout leader and I see first hand the results of parents who don't expect anything from their kids, give them everything and let them fiddle with their stupid X-box paddles as their only chore. No expectations. No work ethic. Just soft and lazy pudding people. I wish this wasn't true, but it is.
Ok, so lets turn the tables. I was a major George Bush hater. I really dislike the guy, but I wouldn't have minded him talk about banalities and maybe tell an inspiring story or two to my four kids in school. Shrug. Like he'd make them read Kristol or something. Ok, maybe the "what you can do for your president stuff was a bit silly" though...
5. Politics. Feck! Forget it. I bought another gun today. I finally rounded out my arsenal with a Mossberg 500 20 gauge shotgun. Got the 20 because its a bit easier for kids/the wife to handle. And because Mas said it was a good choice on ProArms awhile back. I got the two barell kit (field, home defense) for $279 at Big 5. I'd gone to the local armory and they only had 12's in stock. So I had to go to the big box store. Ugh. But that isn't a bad deal. Sweet. So now I have a sweet home defense shotgun that I gotta get to know.
6. Took my Mosin Nagant to the range a few times in the last few weeks. Here is the short rundown of my travails: 1) Shot 20 rounds, didn't even hit the target at 100 yards. Scared me. I have a 22 LR that I shoot like a champ, so I was concerned. Went home frustrated. 2) Went back. Finally hit the target at 50 yards. Was all over the place. managed to put a few holes in at 100 yards too, but it looks like crap. I was concerned I had a bad bore (no idea how to tell really, I'm a newbie remember) or the crown was crapped up. I decided to put it back in the original wood stock (had it in an ATI synthetic stock - a moment of weakness in Cabelas in July). Maybe that would help. 3) Went back and after a few poor shots noticed I was flinching when I shot. I then analyzed what I was doing and I was flinching like a madman. I mean, really bad. The rifle has alot more recoil than I've been used to with my 22s or handguns, so I was jumping at it. I forced myself to calm down and voila (yes I speak French) things stared to settle down. The rifle shoots a bit high, but I pulled a 2" group at 50 and an 7" group at 100 yards. Not perfect, but much better. Turns out all my worry about a bad gun/bore/crown blah blah was due to me acting all goofy when I pulled the trigger. Controlling myself changed everything.
I have much to learn...
7. Monster Hunter International - this book oozed fun. I really enjoyed it. I had a really hard time with the first chapter though. Let me get this out - I'm a total literature snob. I read. A lot. And I like appreciate literature. Thus, I hate reading poorly written stuff. Why waste time when there are so many great books out there. And yes, I'd flog Dan Brown if I ever met him. I like Steinbeck. I love Nabokov. Willa Cather. Mark Twain. Joyce. But sometimes they don't write stories about vampires, so I read other stuff (aka slumming it). I loved World War Z (after I made fun of someone for reading it), so when I read about MHI somewhere (Gun Nuts?) I bought it for my iPhone and ended up really liking it. The first chapter really didn't impress me and I almost put it down. But in the end I persevered and the writing got better and the story line sucked me in. My only other complaint was that the shootie stuff was too much. I respect that he knows what he's talking about. I respect that he does not talk about 1911 revolvers and "everything is an Ak", but the shooting parts were overdone. I mean, worse than Mac Boland bad. And the shooting hardly does anything good anyhow. So maybe I'd mellow on the tacticool descriptions a bit.
PS. I also like it because the author is Mormon and I saw some mormon theology in there. I saw it immediately and loved it. I knew what I was reading and confirmed with some google work. You go Larry. I forgive you for that shaky first chapter and the gunny-McGunny focus somtimes.
Go get it.
8. Obama Joker. Its just that - a joke. I see no racist overtones here. Its also very clever. I like clever. Those people on the left who freaked out over this are just goofy. And no, I don't think Obama is a socialist. Or a communist. Not even close. That banter is just to rile up and distract one side. The other side gets riled up and distracted by something else. Maybe chickens in a cage or some sort of non-CFL lightbulb armageddon.
9. Little Black Book of Violence - a great read (part way thru) on avoiding violence and why. Very good when you walk around with a deadly weapon every day and want to avoid trouble. I love his advice on how to let things roll over and thru you. I'm getting older and certainly feel a bit wiser than that dumb 21 year old kid I once was. Pick your battles - and most are not worth fighting...
Posts
1. Good points.
ReplyDelete2. I do try to keep my blog gun/2A focused.
3. We understand our 2-party system is broken. But most people do not realize how many protections the 2-parties have put in place to prevent 3rd party candidates from having a chance. Corruption is rampant, and I fear there is little hope of it turning back around before it runs into the ground.
4. No, but I am getting tired of government sticking it's nose into everything. And I think this is essentially a paid campaign ad for Obama - at taxpayer's expense. But no, I don't think it's a big deal. Other than when Republican presidents did this in the past over things more innocuous (ie: Don't Do Drugs) it raised a fury on the left. But I agree it's being made into more of a big deal.
5. Sweet!!!!!! I'd like to get a 20 gauge, and yes I heard that podcast too. ;-) $279 seems like a pretty good deal. What's "Big 5".
6. I like my Mosin-Nagant. But yes, it kicks like a mule - at least to a new shooter like me. And at a 100 yards I think I could hit a barn. *lol* One question, do you shoot with the bayonet extended? As they were sighted in with the bayonet extended on most Mosin-Nagants.
I am curious, was there any difference in felt recoil with the Cabela's synthetic stock over the traditional wood?
Fritz,
ReplyDelete1. We need to get the word out to the people who won't go to a rally, who won't get involved in politics. Yep, there is a lot of coverage out there but it is working.
I've had 3 conversations with people who didn't "think" about firearms until they saw the coverage or read about it.
2. I've dealt with "single payer system" in the US. As a military dependent, as an active duty serviceman, as a son watching a father try to get health care from the VA. Sorry, I've seen the evidence the USA can't get it right. How much welfare fraud is going on? How much medicare/medicaid fraud is going on now?
So, explain to me why in addition to my city, county and state taxes being used to pay for other people's health care, why I should have pay at a federal level?
3. Obama promised it wouldn't be business as usual. He was right...more of his people are tax cheats or have other problems than even the Bush Admin...and that is an accomplishment. The main stream media didn't cover this issue, did it? Why not?
4. It wasn't President Obama talking to the kids as much as the manner in which it was handled and especially the "study material" passed out by the Dept. of Education. That is a violation of the law. Second, the content of that material reinforced the subservience expected towards our "leaders". That rankled, and rightly, many folks. Would you want Bush's people passing out school material asking students to write how they could help him?
5. Exactly the combination I'm looking for. Short barrel and 20 gauge.
6. Starting to work on my C&R licenses...it hurts being on 20% reduced pay -- I can't afford more toys.
Take a friend with you to the range. Have them load your rifle and give you an empty chamber randomly. That will show you any flinching and help you correct it. If your moose nugget is an m44 extent the bayonet or it will shoot to the left.
ReplyDeleteVinne:
ReplyDeleteIts a 91/30. But I did shoot it with the bayonet on/off and as far as I can tell, it makes a bit of a difference.
Saj,
ReplyDeleteYeah, government does stick its nose into too many things. I can honestly agree with that. I'm not sure if its just busy bodies getting worked up at other's expenses or if we're just too lazy/stupid to regulate ourselves anymore. I mean, looking at the kids we're producing today and I could see the latter being the case. Still, there are some pretty stupid rules out there.
As to the mosin and the ATI stock, its seems like it absorbed a bit more than the wood, but not measurably. I was hoping for lighter, but it wasn't. And I noticed that the front of the barrel wasn't always set down into the stock - maybe I was getting vibration and issues there (the wood stock has barrel bands).
Bob,
ReplyDeleteInteresting points. I know VA people who have both good/bad things to say about it. Honestly though, the current system that is tied to your job and corrupt insurance agencies is just broken.
Amen to the tax cheat stuff. It pretty much shows the whole thing for the Kabuki theatre that it is.
True on the school materials. They seem to have more due dilligence on that than picking non tax cheats to fill cabinet positions.
Saj,
ReplyDeleteMissed a few points:
Big 5 is a sporting goods store. Smallish, strip mall kind. I don't like going there, but we lost our other store (Joes) this spring so that is it without doing alot of driving.
Amen on corruption. We are a hollow shell of a democracy, with a very enthusiastic puppet-show audience. With the mall and the TV, they don't see much beyond what their corporate masters want them to think...