Help! Frag This Survey!

I got my NRA magazine this month and it's readily apparent that the NRA is already circling John McCain's butt and is moving in for the smooch. They had a big interview with the "maverick" Senator and tossed him softball questions, while bashing the Democrat candidates.

I'm okay with them bashing Barack and Billary, but McCain belongs on gun owners' "Up Yours" list right along with them. To see why gun owners should NOT endorse McCain, check out Gun Owners of America's article about McCain here, or for more in depth coverage read their web page dedicated to him here. (You can also contrast these with Ron Paul's record here.)

A few days after getting my NRA puffpiece on McCain, the NRA-Political Victory Fund (the NRA's political action arm) sent me a survey that you could fill out and compare your answers with the three big presidential candidates. As luck would have it, John McCain had answered every single question correctly (i.e. pro-second amendment).

This survey is also available online here. I urge all gun owners to go there and respond to this survey. The most important question is Question 14 which asks, "Do you think the NRA should endorse any particular presidential candidate at this time?" You can vote for McCain, Clinton or Obama. Since none of these three scumbags deserves to be endorsed by America's gun-owning community, I hope you'll choose the fourth option which is, "NO, the NRA should not endorse any presidential candidate at this time."

I think the NRA should send a message that we will not reflexively endorse anyone just because they have an "R" after their name. Please complete the survey and let the NRA know not to endorse the "least" of three evils.

BARACK OBAMA; LIKE DAN QUAYLE, ONLY DUMBER

BBB: Trying to make good after calling them bitter, racist gun-totin' Jesus Freaks, Barack Obama goes for the rural and

agricultural vote in Fly-Over Country

Remember way back when Vice President Dan Quayle misspelled the word potato? The Mainstream Press ridiculed him for months and stuck him with a permanent reputation of being dumber than a box of rocks. Years afterward, they were still making swipes at him for the gaffe. To this day, people continue to pelt him with dictionaries every time he appears.

Meanwhile, the Media’s darling, Mr. Change, the Uniter, the Messiah, Barack Hussein Obama keeps making stupid mistakes Dan Quayle would have been positively crucified for and getting a complete pass on his gaffes. In fact, most people who rely on the Drive-By Media for their “information” haven’t even heard of them.

Perhaps his best gaffe was in Oregon when he spoke of campaigning in, “I think”, 57 states, with only one left to go.

Barack, apparently, cannot tell the difference between Sunshine and Sunrise Florida, nor Sioux Falls, SD and Sioux City, IA. He blames his primary defeat in Kentucky on Clinton’s Arkansas background, making her known in “that part of the country”. Never mind the fact that Obama’s home state of Illinois BORDERS on Kentucky.

After being criticized for not being patriotic when he uncomfortably apologized for wearing an American flag lapel pin, Obama has suddenly found his super patriot status and is becoming quite the hawk. Though he can’t even get that right.

At a Memorial Day speech, Barack said, “On this Memorial Day, as our nations honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes—and I see many of them in the audience here today--.” Apparently he doesn’t know the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day, or perhaps he actually sees dead people like that kid in The Sixth Sense.

Barack himself never served in the military, so now his ancestors have became flag-raising Audie Murphy super commandos during World War Two to make up for it. As when Great Uncle Barack “liberated” Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Never mind the fact it was liberated by the Red Army. Obama is such a socialist, maybe his Great Uncle really was fighting with the Communist forces. Obama, before that, mentioned his ancestor’s role in liberating both Auschwitz AND Treblinka, the latter having also been overrun by the Reds.

The would-be future Commander-in-Chief also said, in Missouri, that the military’s Arabic translators are being stretched far too thin, since they are all stationed in Iraq, leaving none of them available for vital duties in Afghanistan. Never mind the fact that the Afghanis don’t even speak Arabic.

Instead of pointing out this fumbles and bumbles and gleefully making him out to be a moron like they did Dan Quayle, the Drive-by Media continues to make excuses for him. If Juan McStain had made even half these statements, he would have long since been branded a doddering, drooling, senile old fool. But some animals are more equal than others, so the media reports Barack was either “tired” or “misspoke”. No sir, no bias in their ranks.

Obama should watch his six, though. Hillary was once the smartest woman in the world and the media’s darling; now she’s at the bottom of the heap. It took sixteen years for it to happen, but even Billy Jeff Clinton is taking hits from the press corps these days. “Maverick” John McCain, as a RINO turncoat, desperately fawning for media approval, will find out just how faithful the media really is soon as the Democrat nominee is settled for good.

Maybe it will take 16 years for them to finally open their eyes and actually report Obama’s failings and failures, but the Mainstream Press is as warm and cuddly as a barracuda and someday they will smell his blood in the water, too, and come in for the attack.

Meanwhile, you say potato, I say potatoe.

Tornado Levels Several Iowa Towns

Many of you outside Iowa might not have been following this, but on Sunday, May 25 an EF5 tornado (the highest rating, Iowa's first such tornado since 1976) tore through Northeast Iowa. The small town of Parkersburg (photo above) was all but wiped off the map with 100 to 200 homes destroyed, five people dead and many dozens injured. The tornado cut a 43-mile path of destruction across Butler and Black Hawk counties, causing damage to the towns of New Hartford and Dunkerton and many farmsteads in between. The twister lifted before entering Buchanan County, but still had enough oomph to do significant damage to the Buchanan County towns of Fairbank and Hazleton. When the dust settled seven people were dead and many more were injured.

Anyone who wishes to help can donate money to the American Red Cross Hawkeye Chapter or the Salvation Army. Checks can be dropped off at Fidelity Bank and Trust, Community Bank of Oelwein, Regions Bank or Veridian Credit Union in Oelwein. You can also call the Iowa Concern Hotline at 1-800-447-1985.

KCRG.com reports: "An emergency distribution site has been established at Bethel Lutheran Church, 701 3rd Avenue, in Parkersburg. Pastor Ruggles has agreed to provide this temporary Goodwill site for distribution. The church can be reached at 319-346-2028. Mr. Boyd said, 'We will load trucks at our various Goodwill sites in Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Independence, Dubuque, Oelwein and Decorah and we will truck merchandise to those people in need. Two temporary collection centers have been set up in Grundy Center at the Grundy National Bank at 603 7th St. and 529 G Avenue. We recognize that many of these families have also lost their transportation. So please respond to this emergency call as soon as possible, aid must be brought to them. Drop all donations at any Goodwill site and it will be transferred to those in need.'"

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families affected by the storms.

Happy Memorial Day

Thank you to our veterans!

Bob Barr/ Wayne Allyn Root Libertarian Ticket!

From the official Libertarian Party website:

For Immediate Release May 25, 2008

Libertarian Party selects Bob Barr as 2008 presidential nominee

Former Congressman plans to take the White House as Libertarian candidate

Denver - The Libertarian Party has nominated former Congressman Bob Barr as its candidate for president for the 2008 election.

"I'm sure we will emerge here with the strongest ticket in the history of the Libertarian Party," Barr stated in his victory speech shortly after being selected as the Party's nominee. "I want everybody to remember that we only have 163 days to win this election. We cannot waste one single day."

More than 650 Libertarian delegates met in Denver from May 22 till the 26 for the 2008 Libertarian National Convention. After six rounds of voting Sunday afternoon, Barr was selected as the Party's presidential nominee.

"We're proud to present to the American voters Bob Barr as our presidential nominee," says Libertarian Party spokesperson Andrew Davis. "While Republicans and Democrats will fight for their own power in November, Libertarians will fight for Americans. Bob Barr is one of the strongest candidates in the Party's 37-year history, and we look for him to have an enormous impact in the 2008 race. Republicans and Democrats have good reason to fear a candidate like Barr, who refuses to accept the 'business-as-usual' attitude of the current political establishment. Americans want and need another choice, and that choice is Bob Barr."

Wayne Allyn Root selected as vice presidential candidate

Libertarian Party fronts Barr/Root ticket for 2008

Denver - Wayne Allyn Root was selected on Sunday as the 2008 nominee for vice president at the Libertarian National Convention. Root will join former Congressman and Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr on the Libertarian ticket in Nov.

Endorsed by Barr following the selection of the presidential candidate, Root was selected as the vice president after two rounds of voting.

"Root brings a rarely seen excitement to the political process," says Libertarian Party National Media Coordinator Andrew Davis. "His fire and passion are sure to ignite voters who are bored with the stale politics of the two-party system. Root's spirit combined with Barr's political experience creates a dynamite ticket that will blow apart the status quo politics of Republicans and Democrats."

The Libertarian Party is America's third largest political party, founded in 1971 as an alternative to the two main political parties. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party by visiting http://www.lp.org/. The Libertarian Party proudly stands for smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom.

HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS

HOW TO DIG A FENCE POST HOLE


ORDINARY CITIZEN’S METHOD

Get shovel. Dig hole.

FEDERAL AGENCY METHOD

Fill out Form SF-2371-2, Request to Do Assessment on Necessity of Project. GPS hole location. Submit hole specs. Review hole specs with Engineering Office. Change hole specs. Do a NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) study on the possible impact of hole on endangered three-toed mugwort. Wait for 90-day public comment period on hole. Extend comment period 45 days. Complete feasibility study. Do Equal Opportunity, Civil Rights and Sexual Discrimination Study to determine if anyone has been in any way remotely offended by possible hole construction. Contact Regional Office to send Hole Supervisor to review project. Designate Contracting Officer, Contracting Officer’s Representative, and Inspectors to represent Hole Supervisor on the ground. Have OSHA Inspector review project and examine hole site for possible hazards. Develop and write a 15-page Job Hazard Analysis. Make 127 copies of JHA; distribute to everyone even remotely related to project. Complete computer-based training course and qualification process. Make 17 copies of qualification certificate from completing “paperless” computer-based training and file on record with 16 different bureaucrats. Complete Form FS-27-2-3A, Request for Shovel Procurement. Procure Digging Instrument, Shovel, Spade-Type, Wooden Handled, Manually-Operated, M374-2C through government contractor for $754. Hire a seasonal worker to actually dig hole. This process takes approximately 8-10 weeks, at which time a computer glitch loses the only prospective candidate who bothered to apply. Repeat hiring process. Approve overtime, travel & training, and hazard pay for supervisors up to 12 GS levels above seasonal worker. Disapprove seasonal worker’s pay scale; say he or she is only qualified to be a GS-2. Charge seasonal employee $217 per week to live in un-maintained bunkhouse built by CCC in 1935. Friends of Post Holes Environmental Coalition files suit in Federal Court to block project. Immediately fire seasonal worker. Request increased budget for next Fiscal Year to complete project. Repeat process.

Isn't that how you would like your Health Care System managed? As I always say, If more government is the answer, it was a stupid question.

Ol' Doc Paul's Constitutional Elixir

Friend and Neighbors,

Try

Ol' Doc Paul's

Constitutional Elixir

Ol' Doc Paul's homegrown remedy works to restore the Constitution to its original, healthy condition. A strong dose of constitutional principle has been known to

Cure:

Depression (and recession)

Bloating of Government

Shrinkage of Paychecks

Ruptured Borders

Swelling of Political Egos

Emptiness of Gun Cabinets

Apathy

Beware of over-priced imitators, such as:

"Nanny Obama's Big Government Cure-all"

or

"Cap'n Johnny's Thermonuclear Solution"

Only Ol' Doc Paul's remedy is made with 100% genuine, American made, constitutional principles, from a recipe handed down for generations.

Ol' Doc Paul's

Constitutional Elixir

will cure what ails us.

Ol' Doc Paul has hung out his shingle at

www.ronpaul2008.com

See yah there!

NEW CAMPAIGN COMMERCIALS IN THE WORKS

Once more going boldly where no man has gone before, our blog secret operatives have gone deep behind enemy lines to infiltrate both the Obama and McCain campaign headquarters. There, they managed to secure and smuggle out these new campaign commercials, still in development. Let’s take an inside look at what really makes these candidates tick.

OBAMA CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL, TAKE ONE: “I’m Barack Obama and I am a breath of fresh air. Just listen to all the stimulating and visionary new ideas that no one else has ever thought of that I have pioneered. (Consults pandering checklist) Environment…blah blah blah…tax the rich…blah blah…big oil…blah blah…more hand-outs…blah blah blah…socialized medicine…blah…change…blah blah blah…more taxes…blah blah.”

McCAIN CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL, TAKE ONE: “Commercial? The hell you talking about? I am OWED the Presidency! You hear me?!? OWED! I am the anointed one and I will tolerate no dissention in the ranks. I am KING, do you hear me, KING?!?! Vote for me now! Right now!”

OBAMA CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL, TAKE TWO: TYPICAL AMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENT “Um, like, I support Barack Obama, um, because he’s, like, for change and, um, like, change is, like, not the same as what we, um, like, have now, like, you know. And, like, um, change is different, um, and, like, different is good because, um, like, I heard that on TV once. So I’m, um, voting for Barack Obama, um, like, for the difference of change.”

McCAIN CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL, TAKE THREE: “Hey, listen up. Conservatism is what we Globalist neo-cons say it is. Conservatism means reaching across the aisle to Congressional Democrats to pass bloated socialist big-government programs. Conservatism means not having to worry about almost 10 Trillion bucks in national debt; we’ll print more. Conservatism means squashing civil rights to keep us “safe” from terrorists. Conservatism means martinis and amnesty bills with Teddy Kennedy. Conservatism means getting bogged down for eternity in endless insurgencies the Mid-East.”

OBAMA CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL, TAKE THREE: ANNOUNCER DRESSED AS CLOWN AND HOLDING BALLOONS "Obama good. Obama friend. Obama give you num-nums. Num-nums good. Mmmmmm. Vote Obama.”

McCAIN CAMPAIGN COMMERCIAL, TAKE TWO: “Oh alright. I stand for all things conservative (smrrrk, guffaw). I am solidly pro-life, or pro-choice, whichever brings me the most votes (snicker). I’ll protect your gun rights (snork, titter) just like George Bush did. Unless you vote for me, we’ll wind up with a socialist police state (choke, HAR, chortle). I’ll keep America safe by securing the bord…HAHAHAHAHA, HOHOHOHO, HAR HAR HEHE! Stop! Stop the tape! BWAHAHAHA! Cut!”

Persecuted Preacher In Commie Clink

(AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
In April, Ben and Bawb's Blog reported about an American pastor who'd been thrown in a Russian jail for having a box of hunting ammo in his luggage. It turns out that this might not be just another example of the government harassment of gunowners that we've come to expect in foreign communist regimes like Russia, North Korea and California.

The section-chief of our Russian Bureau reported to Bawb and I that this is, in fact, part of a larger systematic harassment of Christians by the government. It seems that KGB thug-turned-president, Vladimir V. Putin has made the Russian Orthodox Church the de facto state religion of Russia. Representatives of other denominations (especially those yucky western ones) seeking to spread the gospel in Russia can count on the Russian government stepping on their toes in any way possible. You can read more about this religious persecution in this New York Times article.

Gun Owners of America still has a website where you can send a pre-written email to Bush Administration officials, urging them to pull their thumbs out and help get this preacher out of the Kremlin's hoosegow.

Rest assured, Ben and Bawb's Blog operatives will be working day and night to find out more information on this story.

OBAMA V MCCAIN

OK, a hard-core Neo-con over at Frugals has finally convinced me there are huge differences between Obama and McCain. He has not yet frightened me into the "lesser of two evils because the other side will destroy the country in 10-12 seconds after inaguration" vote, but I have done some addition research. To my surpirse, there are still vast differences between the two parties, that are important enough to alter one's decision. Listed below are the sweeping differences I have discovered between the Republikrats and the Democlians. Check it out for yourself.

Bob Barr For President?

I'm still supporting Ron Paul and will until the GOP convention. It will be interesting to see how much monkey-wrenching Ron and his merry band of supporters can pull off at the convention, but it looks like the party has decided to drink the McCain kool-aid rather than Dr. Paul's sweet constitutional elixir. Since Paul has said he won't run as an independent or third-party candidate, I've been looking at the Libertarian Party's candidates for when McCain officially gets the GOP nod.

I wasn't too excited about any of the Libertarian Party choices. They all had good libertarian credentials, but no name recognition outside of libertarian circles. The previous forerunner was a sports-handicapper and Z-list celebrity named Wayne Allen Root. But the possible entrance of GOP congressman-turned-Libertarian Bob Barr has changed that.

Bob Barr was the U.S. Representative for Georgia's 7th District from 1995 to 2003. He played a key role in the impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton and was a rare GOP critic of George Bush's abuses of privacy rights and other civil liberties. He now runs a consulting firm in Atlanta. He also is on the Libertarian Nat'l Committee and the board of the National Rifle Association.

Barr has some political baggage that might lose him support from libertarians. Barr was one of the GOP's more strident drug warriors as well as supporting the GOP's stance against gay marriage. He has since backed off on both. Another ding on his record is that he voted for the Patriot Act (like just about every other congressman, except Ron Paul), but only after demanding a sunset provision in the bill. He now says he regrets voting for it.

These things might annoy libertarian purists, but they won't much bother disenchanted paleo-conservatives driven out of the Republican tent by the stench of Juan McStain and his flock of big-government neo-conservatives. Bob Barr would seem to be an ideal candidate to siphon off votes from the GOP's former base.

Reason magazine expects big things for Barr at the Libertarian convention.

I can see myself comfortably voting for Bob Barr. Then again, the Libertarian Party could run a syphilitic chimp and I'd vote for him over McCain or Obama.

BARACK ATTACK

So I’m driving down a Montana highway the other day, mindin’ my own business, when here comes this commercial for Barack Obama on the radio. The narrator is supposed to be a typical Montanan, obviously as conceived by an East Coast marketing expert.

NARRATOR: “Whoo-eee. After a hard day down on the ol’ Montana ranch, shuckin’ turnips and milkin’ the chickens, there’s nothing me and the boys like more’n havin’ a few pulls off the jug and then goin’ up the holler to spotlight some deer. And lemme tell ya, you shore do have to snuff a passel of Bambis to feed sixteen toothless web-footed chil’ren. But seriously folks, that’s why I endorse Barack Obama…”

Then I incredulously hear just how much Barack Obama cares deeply about hunting and fishing and having guns right here in Montana, and how he’ll work hard to protect our right to do every one of those things once he’s elected.

It almost brought tears to my eyes. Just imagine lil’ Barack and his daddy sitting on the Eisenhower Expressway Bridge fishing for bluegills in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. Teen-age Barack posing proudly with the ten-point whitetail he shot down on East Wacker Drive. And adult Barack behind the podium in Daley Plaza, raising a rifle and shouting, “From my cold, dead hands!”

Could this be the same Barack Obama who voted anti-gun on 8 out of 9 bills that came before him in the Senate? Is this the same man who both the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America give an “F” grade to on his firearms legislation record? How about the Obama who, speaking to the liberal elite on the Left Coast, basically said us hicks out here in Fly-Over Country are nothing more than a bunch of bitter racists clinging to God and our guns?

I honestly don’t know the demographic Barack was aiming at with this commercial. Is he trying to capture the Extremely Stupid & Gullible Sportsman vote? There might be one or two people in the state dumb enough to buy that load of tripe, but they are not allowed to play with the pointy scissors, let alone vote. I have heard some real whoppers in my time, but this one takes the cake. It’s worse than Juan McStain promising to build the border fence.

Just to make the point clear, you, Mr Obama, are no Jack O’Connor and no Bill Dance and you sure as hell are no Charlton Heston. Go back to Chicago and leave us alone.

IGNORE YOUR PEOPLE; THEY'LL GO AWAY

Once upon a time, there was a certain tree-related federal agency that was productive, mostly paid for itself by harvesting a renewable resource, benefited the local and national economy, and was well-liked by the public. Somehow it turned into a ponderous, faceless, bureaucratic for-shit do-nothing federal monstrosity.

The so-called leaders of this agency were puzzled by this, so they spent lots of money having outside, private agencies do “studies” of themselves for them. In government acronym-ese, the results showed that USDA FS was FUBAR. These are some of the actual comments they received from their employees.

When asked what advice they would give their “leaders”, some folks said:

Do what is right for the resource, not what’s right for your career.
Don’t focus so much on process. Focus more on the needs of the public and the day-to-day operations at the district level.
Lead! Be a supervisor! Be the boss!
Admit you can’t do the job.
Probably time to retire.
Support lower paid, on-the-ground workers. Less planning and more action.
Care for the land and serve the people.
Hire the right people for the job, not the right diversity candidate.
Find a way to start moving the overall atmosphere from a severely negative one to a more positive one.
Listen to employees and public and incorporate their suggestions and comments. Don’t just give “lip service.”
Really listen to the district folks and remember that is where the real work is done.
Consider your lower-level employees and what they contribute to the forests and districts. They seem to be overlooked.

When asked for a single example of something they were proud of in their agency, the employees said:

I haven’t felt pride or accomplishment in a long time. Our new motto: “Neglecting the land and serving the computer.”
Helping external customers get through the government regulations to work with this difficult agency.
None.
District post and pole program for 14 years until it was ruined when (blank) Project was back-burnered.
Don’t feel like I’ve accomplished anything. I have a do-nothing job and supervisor who won’t let me do anything.
Can’t think of anything. My job impacts nothing.
Learning not to take job personally.
Just happy to get work done despite personnel work, electronic training, software support I need to get. Don’t know how long I can keep it up.
Providing a decent quality recreation program despite little or no management support.

When the “Leadership” Team, which consisted of fat-ass bureaucrats whose only functions were to hold down desks and generate meaningless paperwork in feeble attempts to justify their high-paid positions, saw these results, chaos reined.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” the Big Cheese shouted. “We must do something to protect our phony-baloney jobs! Immediately! Immediately! Immediately!”

“Harrumph!” Responded the “Leadership” Team, in unison and three-part harmony.

“Let us descend from Mount Olympus and placate the masses,” said the Big Cheese. “But be careful not to touch them. They are dirty from actual work.”

So the Big Cheese and the “Leadership” Team descended upon the peasants. In accordance with the rules, they provided a sign language translator.

“Peasants, peons and assorted working vermin!” The Big Cheese welcomed them grandiosely. “I come before you to say that we have heard your voices crying out in the wilderness and wish to say…”

The Big Cheese droned on for several minutes. The translator listened for a long time, then signed, “Meaningless platitudes, delivered in a condescending manner, meant to appease you. There is absolutely no substance to be found in these statements.”

Then one of the Big Cheese’s little cronies in the “Leadership” Team went into a driveling spiel starting with, “We know there may have been a few minor teething problems with the new systems we have introduced but….”

She then droned on for more long few minutes. The translator signed, “The system is hopelessly broken in all areas. Absolutely nothing will be done to fix it. At best, a superficial name change may be enacted to trick you into thinking you may be dealing with a different entity. Your support system is a pathetic joke; it does not work and will never work, but you are stuck with it because none of your ‘Leaders’ would dare to rock the boat and point out that the emperor has no clothes. You are all screwed. Get used to it.”

Then another “Leader” took time out from stabbing another “Leader” in the back to enlarge his own personal little fiefdom, and began, “In the interest of inspiring meaningful dialog and addressing the needs of our employees, we seek to open the lines of communication to…” The translator made grossly exaggerated pantomime jerking off motions.

Finally, the “Leaders” ascended back to Mount Olympus, making sure to wash their hands before leaving. After all, they were important and had great things to contemplate. Like why they could not get any young people and college graduates to come work for their agency, why anyone who had half a chance was retiring early, why their employees were quitting and seeking work elsewhere, and why the ones who stayed were apathetic and indifferent.

“I know!” Said the Big Cheese. “We can solve all these problems by hiring a more diverse, but completely unqualified, workforce!”

The “Leadership” Team clapped and harrumphed in unison and three part harmony.

THREE FORKS APPLESEED

With a gracious host by the name of Shootimus Maximus, the Revolutionary War Veterans Association hosted one of their fine Appleseed training shoots near Three Forks, MT this past weekend. There were about thirty people there, including a half a dozen ladies and one lady marksmanship instructor. Men, women and children, young and old, veteran hi-power shooters and neophytes, all learning new tricks and losing bad habits together under the Big Sky. The weather was beautiful, considering it was 17 degrees when I woke up at home on Saturday morning, sunny and in the 70's. Maybe spring has actually, finally, arrived in Montana.

As with any Appleseed, a great many people learned a great many things. Even this old dog learned some new tricks, as always. The first trick was not to depend on pimping out my weapon in lieu of practice. I had the old Garand topped off with a new scout scope and mount, and shooting some sweet re-loads that left one ragged hole at 25 yards when fired from the bench. They did pretty good for me on the standing and sitting positions at the Appleseed, too. Then I discovered something one can't by sitting at the bench...in the prone position, I could not get a cheek weld, or even a chin weld, with the stock of my rifle. I actually scored better from the sitting position than the prone. If only I had PRACTICED shooting from field positions like I should have I would have known that ahead of time and added a cheek pad to the stock. I have done so now, cleverly closing the barn door now that the horse is gone.

I suspected one other lesson, that the doctor confirmed today. I need (expletive deleted) EYEGLASSES! Geez, ya turn forty and poke one eye out with an S-hook on a broken bungee cord, and the next thing you know you're falling to pieces.

This does, however, give me great hope that I will do much better at the NEXT Appleseed I attend, for I will be attending every one I get the chance to. It seems when shooting aperture sights, I could get great groups on the 100 and 200 yard targets but the 300-400 yard targets made my groups explode all over the paper. Now I know why even when I did my best to keep that dim fuzzy blur atop the front post I still couldn't hit it.

Still, a good time was had by all. Our hosts were most gracious in hospitality and in letting us all use their private land as a range. One of the guys, Smilin' Dan, who attended the week-long Appleseed Boot Camp prior to the weekend shoot showed us all how much benefit he got out of his training. Using an open-sighted M1A, he got snuggled down in the prone, dialed in the dope on his rear sight, and put 3 or 4 (it was hard to tell at that range) out of 20 shots into a man-size silhouette target at 980 yards!

I sure hope the RWVA has another Boot Camp at a time and place I can attend. Maybe with my new glasses, even I can learn to "bang the gong" at a thousand yards. For now, though, I am relegated back to "Cook" status.

An Open Letter To "Divided We Fail"

To: DividedWeFail.org

Dear Socialist Wienies:

You say you seek to get government to “put partisan gridlock aside” and get things done on, what you say are, the most pressing issues facing the country, namely healthcare and retirement security. I haven’t been around as long as the oldsters in AARP who are helping you push this socialist agenda, but I know one thing already: When the Democrats and Republicans agree on anything, I better not bend over.

I pray everyday for gridlock in Washington D.C.! It’s the closest thing to fiscal discipline that our government can muster. The only thing that Congress enjoys more than spending money like whores in a crack house is stealing liberty from the people. I’ll take partisan bickering over them “getting things done” any day, because “getting things done“ usually involves separating me from my money and/or freedom.

There are numerous reasons why I’m opposed to the rest of your agenda of federal meddling with healthcare and “financial security.”

Firstly, it’s unconstitutional. The U.S. Constitution grants Congress no authority over healthcare nor retirement in Article 1, Section 8. To “dummy-proof” things further, the 10th Amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” No doubt you think that the interstate commerce clause or the general welfare clause gives the federal government power to do whatever it wants. I find it puzzling that these two clauses would negate the entire rest of the Constitution.

Secondly, we can’t afford it. As of April, the total U.S. federal debt was approximately $9.5 trillion, about $31,100 per U.S. resident. Of this amount, debt held by the public was roughly $5.3 trillion. If unfunded Medicaid, Social Security, etc. promises are added, this figure rises to a total of $59.1 trillion. You want them to spend more money? I know, I know, we don’t have to go further in debt. We can just raise taxes, right? Again, separating the American people from their money is clearly your goal.

Thirdly, the federal government can’t handle it. The federal government couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were on the heel. What is it that the federal government really does well? I can’t think of anything either. I’d say stealing my money, but they’re not even terribly efficient on that. It already has too many pokers in the fire and has become a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. In a few years these new programs will be teetering on the verge of collapse like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the rest of the big-government socialist “safety net” and will require huge transfusions of taxpayer money to “save them for future generations.”

One thing that I have NO problem with is your logo. You’ve cleverly spliced together the rear of the Democrat donkey and the front of the Republican elephant. That, at least, is a fitting representation of your socialist plan: Part bloated behemoth, part jackass.

Sincerely,
An Angry Crank
http://www.benandbawbsblog.blogspot.com/

QUOTES FOR THE DAY

'My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it.' -- Barack Hussein Obama

That one is actually true. For a couple I just made up...

"Damn, my broom won't start."--Hillary

"Can we print these ballots in Spanish?" Senator Juan McCain