Yet Again............

There was a church shooting in Knoxville recently. My heart goes out to the folks and their families. Thankfully, some brave souls took the guy down while unarmed. And they say that courage is dead in our increasingly lazy, selfish, and materialistic society.....

And now, I'm waiting for the inevitable fallout (thanks to the anti-gun media and lobbyist).

If there isn't, considering the fact that odds are good that a "progressive" (i.e. "modern" liberal) will make it into the White House (with a strongly Democratic Congress), I will be shocked. Blood is good for totalitarian agendas, who sometimes hide their true intent with "good intentions".

However you, dear readers, won't ever see me hold my breath, hoping that the whiners who bleat for Big Brother and Big Mommy will ever get it. More infringing gun laws aren't the answer. But politicians will continue to shovel "feel good" bullshit to the sheeple, to secure votes and their political positions of power. It would be nice to see an honest politico come right out and say that there are no easy answers, and some things can't always be prevented, no matter what steps you take to stop problems before they happen.

But "honest" and "politician" are oxymorons.

And bad things happening to good people, while sad, is a part of life. Deal with it.

Nutcases flipping out, and committing acts of violence, have been around forever. And while instances of something like this are thankfully rare (although the media would have you believe, in their sensational reporting, that stuff like this is an "epidemic"), it's going to happen. And in the most unlikely of places. The only thing we can do is have law enforcement be prepared for it, and that law abiding citizens take measures to ensure their defense against such criminals.

But unfortunately, the Establishment keeps it's head up it's big fat ass. We still have "gun free zones" (aka: "criminal safety zones"), many of our schools still have poor security, and there are still many places where lawful CCW holders can't carry. As if the crooks, dopers, and crazies will abide by such restrictions. That leaves the decent people in those areas perfect targets for the perpetrators of illegal violence. Just like that father in Minnesota who had his head bashed open, when he tried to stop six head of punks from fondling his twelve year old daughter. The mall in question proudly proclaimed that it was a "gun free zone".

I apologize for sounding so fucking callous today. But the truth isn't always pleasant. However, people want something/someone to blame. And in these cases, it's guns, gun ownership, honest gun owners, and the "Evil Gun Lobby". It's easier to pass blame, and infringe on the rights of the honest folk, than to admit that there are no easy answers and actually WORK to solve (or reduce the impact of) the root causes of such crimes/tragedies.

No rampant anti-gun propaganda, due to this tragedy, has reached my ears as of yet. But consider this a "preemptive" rant of a sort.

Wake up America, and actually use the brains that God put between those ears. THINK and use COMMON SENSE. We are supposed to be a proud nation of strong people. And a thinking people are a powerful people.

Guns aren't the problem. Gun owners aren't the problem. The NRA and other gun rights groups aren't the problem. It's the lack of individual responsibility and decay of character resulting from societal decay and/or change. Let's work on these problems America, and quit passing the buck and believing in quick and easy fixes for every fucking thing. Life isn't about convenience.

A Little Shooting Recently.......

Been getting a little trigger time in here at the farm (don't freak out all you "progressive" pussies out there).

It's been a long time since I've done any serious shooting. But with a cut in hours at my shitty job, and BLET coming up August 25th (no need to look for another job right now), I need a little extra to kill time. I figured since I needed to catch up on my gun cleaning, I might as well shoot the damned things while I'm at it.

I'd forgot how tough the ol' Mosin Nagant was on the shoulder, even that monster M39. My 1891/30 felt even more mule-ish. It was something of a relief to finally run out of ammo, and switch to the SMLE. But I still love the old "Moist Nugget".

I broke out my grand daddy's old Remington Model Four. I tend to be a sentimental turd at times, especially with the influence he had in my life. My eyes watered up as I wiped it down before shooting it. It's the only thing of his I have in my possession. Everything else is just happy memories.

And every time I use this weapon, whether on the range or in the deer woods (and it's been a while since I last hunted), it's almost like I feel his spirit with me.

I spent a while burning some old .270 ammo through it, and my Savage Model 111. Both shot some nice groups, despite being in the gun safe for so long. I'm not surprised, really. When it comes to my hunting rifles, I only use good quality glass. The scope makes the rifle in this case.

Two long guns that are the most fun for me is the Winchester M1894AE Ranger Carbine and WASR-10 (semi-auto AKM clone). I'm a big fan of the old .30-30 Winchester cartridge. And the Kalashnikov family of rifles ranks among my favorites. Both are time tested designs, rugged, and are extremely reliable. Can't ask for more. After last week's fun, it's time to restock the ammo.

I got some handgun time in too. I don't shoot the 686 and 629 Smiths too often. Ammo was pricey for me, even before the recent price hikes. But I felt the desire to get some practice in with them. The same goes for my two Glocks. The problem with the last two is that .357 Sig and 10mm is hard to find around here. Only one local gun shop carries these calibers. If they're out I have to drive forty miles out of my way to pick up a few boxes. Now factor in gas into the costs.

Oh, well. What can a gun owner do, but suck it up and take it like a man?

Tomorrow, I'm going to mess with my Beretta M950BS some. Got some old Hornady .25 XTPs I want to burn up. I may also shoot my great grandfather's .32 Iver Johnson some. Sure, it's an old "belly gun", but it has a certain charm to it. Next week, I'm going to see if Ken-Bo has some .32-20 WCF in stock. I've had this bug for a while to squeeze off some rounds through the ol' M1892 Winchester.

Microsoft Update And Firewall Programs

Sometimes Micro$oft annoys the hell out of me.......

My sister's computer was set up to receive automatic updates. Recently, a Security Update went out that wreaked havoc with firewall programs, causing inability to access the internet. Fortunately, it's an easy problem to correct. But future problems might not be.

I don't blame the software developers, who come up with excellent security programs (firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spyware/malware,etc.). Micro$oft needs to be aware that these programs are common among Windows users (some of them PAID programs), and be more careful in the future. Or at least, get the word out ahead of time to the public, so developers and users can take steps to prevent problems. I didn't know what the fuck the problem was, when everything (equipment wise) was working fine, but no internet.

It took a long, anger-inducing session of listening to shitty "easy listening", on hold waiting for Embarq Technical Support, to learn this.

Linux is looking more appealing every day.......

Mechwarrior Stuff

Got that Vanguard booster I ordered last week. Not a bad little mix of units. Netted myself a Davionista Towed Gauss Rifle and MHI Amphibious APC (with the Crucis Lancers standard, no less!). Also got myself a Dominion Clan Battlearmor piece for the collection.

I'm really happy with the 'Mech, a Wolf Clan Thor (with Alpha Galaxy markings). It's not a Unique, but I'm satisfied.

I received an email from the ebay seller I ordered my Poseidon battleforce pack from. It seems that the post office damaged it and sent it back. But the seller will make good on it, and ship another one out Thursday. I can't wait to get it, so I can do my Ares article on CBT Forums.

We Need More Rain

I'm glad to see the sky start to cloud up some. Hopefully, we'll get a nice, hard rain. Things are a bit dry around here.

We've had a fair amount in the last week. But usually, it was just enough to make the damn grass grow. What we really need is one good day and night of a steady rain. But that's not how it works. When we do get a substantial amount of water, it'll be too much.

Hello, flood warnings!

Heller Decision.

After many years of claiming that Miller vs. U.S. (1939) supported their claims that the Second Amendment was a "collective right" Amendment (which it actually didn't), the anti-gun lobby's position seems to have fallen flat. After decades of avoiding the Second Amendment, the high court finally stated what should be common sense to all Americans.

That's right.

It's an individual right.

What's sad is that it takes nine old coots in black robes to hammer in what any idiot reading the Constitution can see with their own eyes. But I guess the sheeple need a little prompting.