Thursday, August 30, 2018

Well now, isn't this an odd thing......

Read

I find such coincidences somewhat odd, don't you?

Remember, the Feds have "Not been able to examine" the weapons used in the Vegas massacre yet.....


Gah!

I am growing tired of having to share the road with people who are less intelligent than week old lettuce, less situationally aware than an overripe tomato, and have the nervous response time of wilted broccoli. This makes for bad drivers...

And that is, of course BEFORE they start driving while using a cell phone to distract them and block fully 50 percent of their peripheral vision.

'Tis a good thing I am not subject to Road Rage....Just Sayin'. 

Monday, August 27, 2018

And I thought the Gun Fora were bad

I mean, anyone can buy a gun, all you need is money.

But I was trying to do some research on airplanes for a possible purchase and ended up on several airplane forums ....

Damn.

I mean one might expect some level of disagreement, but the thing is, there is a minimum level of intelligence required to be a pilot, right?
Right?

The same infighting, the same unreasonable defense of one brand over another, the same unreasoning hatred of the "other" brand... the same illogic, the same defense of what that person had purchased...

I mean, you can substitute 1911 for Cessna and Piper for GLOCK and see nearly identical arguments (and then sub Mooney for FN to get the REAL argument started)

And the rumors and untruths repeated by people that have never experienced that product,  But they know it is true because they heard it from a friend of a friend of a cousin of the brother of the guy who shares the next hangar over....

I guess, no matter what the forum topic, people are people.
And topic discussion fora are really not reliable sources of data. The same level of noise to signal exist there as well.




Sunday, August 26, 2018

McCain dead

He were a senator, and was a prisoner of war after being shot down in Vietnam....

As for the Eulogy:
(My Momma taught me that if I can't say something nice, to say nothing at all):










.
I do hope his passing was painless and quick. 

Friday, August 24, 2018

Public service announcement

Just in case you ever think of it....

DO NOT step on the carpet tack strips in stocking feet.

I was pulling them up  to putting down new flooring the phone rang...so I stopped what I was doing and answered the phone.

Upon returning to the job at hand......I stumbled and recovered with one foot upon said tack strip.

Yikes, that hurts.

No major damage, but holy shit those things are sharp. 

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Point of view:

So was talking, along with a few others,  with two gunsmiths today....one professional, one a gifted amateur.

The amateur and I were discussing gun oils and CLP type products.

Most were acceptable to him for the purpose to which most people use 'em. Cleaning and preventing rust, and lubrication.

Then one other person brought up WD-40....

The amateur gunsmith stated that that was the worst product he had ever seen. The pro stated that loved it....Most of us turned and stared at him:

Then he smiled and said fully 20% of his work would go away if folks stopped using WD-40 as a cleaner and lube...."It "gunks" up more guns than even 3-In-One oil.".....the first thing he does with most malfunctioning firearms ts strip 'em and clean 'em with a solvent bath and a brush.... Fixes about half the issues.

Best to choose a product intended for the use to which it is intended, I guess....

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

The police are the problem

In Chicago, according the the folks on the South Side. Especially those folks who listen to the activists.....

"They are killing all those people"

Of course, "those people" shot 48 folks this weekend...and the police shot no-one in that time frame.

And of those shootings? 'twasn't whites, or asians, nor native Americans, nor even mexican immigrants doing the shooting either.... .

But it isn't the fault of the black people. They tell us so, so it must be true.

It's all Whitey's fault. And the white police especially.

Monday, August 20, 2018

Darwin missed

Both father, and Son.

What kind of an idiot waits that long before leaving in the face of a forest fire? Waits until the fire is on the road? Especially when there is only one way out?

Video shows father, son driving through forest fire in escape from mountain

Damned lucky there was someone with a boat to take 'em to safety.

I hope the insurance company denies their claim for the car.....

Gheah



So, after flying to meet Aaron for lunch yesterday, I met some other members at the Range and pulled some video cables yesterday...through conduit. 10 video cables through 250 ft of 2" plastic conduit.

I had engineered things such that I would be able to pull straight up....using my legs more than my arms. (I was the youngest and in best shape so they guided the cable from the other end as it went and I did the pulling)

And we used plenty of wire pulling lube.

100 (more or less) squats later, the wire was pulled through the conduit. the last 30 feet was a lot of resistance (a long sweep bend that we simply could not get any lube into, so lots of friction)

All was well last night and this morning. I was actually surprised at how well I felt (I don't normally do TEN squats in a day, much less a hundred(ish) with resistance. Pretty much no stiffness when I arose from my slumber.... No pain other than normal aches and pains. Old friends, as it were.....My legs were fine, my calves and ankles were good....I had expected my forearms to hurt, as gripping the rope was something I no longer do on a regular basis...But no

Then, around noon, it began to hurt. Calves, thighs, glutes.  I can barely hold a covefffe cup in my hands

I normally walk about 12,000 steps a day. I might make 8K today. Maybe.

Where did I put the 'Vitamin I" ?

This gettin' old is a bitch. I may have to have to crack open the bottle and have some liquid muscle relaxer later, over ice.



Low clouds and haze

But that did not stop either of us, just delayed us a bit.

I met Aaron of the Shekel about halfway for lunch on Sunday. He's out of the greater Detroit area and I am out of NW Indiana....so we each flew about 90 miles.

I had to delay departure for about a half hour due to visibility issues at KOEB (our destination). But other than the last 20 miles or so, it was awesome. Vis was +5 Miles all the way... I flew east-northeast at 5500 feet, 500' (more or less) below the clouds with flight following from South Bend (and then Kalamazoo) approach. At Sturgis, MI I had to descend because the wall of clouds went up to about 10K and the bottom was a little below 4000. So I flew my last 20 miles at 2500 feet MSL. Approach was standard downwind entry.

Oddly, moments after  I called my base to final turn for Rwy 25 at OEB, Aaron transmitted his "10 miles out" call. Couldn't have worked it out much better. I got to watch him do a very smooth touchdown. I don't even think he chirped the tires.

Other than parking at the wrong parking area, it was perfect...but we both needed that half mile walk after flying for most of an hour anyway.....


The restaurant wasn't the best, but it was good enough. The food was decent (Bacon, Mushrooms, and Swiss burgers) (Plus Tater Tots!!) and the service was attentive. Sadly, until now, Aaron and I had only met in meatspace once. It was cool to talk to him in person. We had a great time chatting, and then, because he was looking at less-than-ideal weather moving into his area sooner than planned, he did a preflight and taxiied to the runway and took off. (I wondered why he did rwy 22 until I too left shortly thereafter).

After he did his departure and turned for home, I preflighted and fired up the rental 172 and taxiied out and also was confused by the signage, and I too found myself taxiing to the end of 22.....Which wasn't a big deal 'cause the winds we 16 at 4, so it was an acceptable departure runway.

'Twas bumpy on the way back, and a bit of a headwind (which, in a 172 is not a minor consideration!) so I used a bit more RPM's than I normally do. Not quite "Full Rental Power", but more than the recommended 70% throttle...

I arrived at home just in time to change clothes and go to the range to meet some other members where we cut and pulled (manually) 10 pieces of 250 feet of video cable. Which pretty much wiped me out.

But again, I am reminded that I need a faster airplane....and not a rental, either. Maybe an R182? I dunno.

I will let Aaron post the pics, he has the better software to clean 'em up, but here are 2 so you can see what a dashing airman he is....



Plus, of course, a pic of the proverbial (but more expensive than that) "$100 hamburger".









As always, click to embiggenify


Heh

Here. Might wanna swallow first though. 

Sunday, August 19, 2018

I tell ya, it's the culture:

There area LOT of folks on the South Side of Chicago that are decent...who just want to live their lives and have a bit of fun and a decent life.

But there is a subset that are violent....that just don't care.

Friday into Saturday there were over 25 people shot....40 so far this weekend in that paradise of Gun Control and Democratic rule.

And Oh! the Irony!...3 shot at a "Peace Picnic".

THis doesn't happen in other neighborhoods where the Demographics are of a different sort.

Yeah, it is an uncomfortable fact that no one wants to face, but it is true.

Cries of "Raciss" will be ignored with derision. I'm just pointing out the facts here.  

Saturday, August 18, 2018

And Political Dubble Stadardz

Seems that John Brennan required the Beghazi veterans, those me who fought to save all of the folks that were attacked when the "Rebels" rioted and killed the ambassador....Yeah, those folks...

Yeah, he made 'em all sign Non Disclosure agreements or be fired.

And, oddly enough, was the promoted by Barry the First to Director of the CIA.

First he claimed they had no need to talk about the incident.

Then he denied forcing them to sign the documents.

Odd, that. And now he thinks his continued security clearance is a Right?

Seriously? He claims that losing his security clearance is a violation of his First Amendment rights? What about those folks he silenced (and got promoted for silencing them)? Or are there two standards?

We all know the answer....If he has his security clearance, lots of folks will hire him to "consult"....If not, he is unemployable.




Friday, August 17, 2018

Dubble Standardz

If a white man said "Vote for me because I am white" then the cries of racism are loud and strident.

But it is, apparently, OK for a black woman to say " it disgusts” her seeing black people holding signs for “these Asians” and not supporting “their own people.” "...

Racism, in any form, is wrong.

But it is odd how the standard is different, isn't it? Negroes can be as racist (and are, generally) as much as white people.

Unless, of course, you are a Democrat...

And there you have it:

So, I mentioned an issue with the training department at the NRA....
Which was discussed at the monthly meeting at my club last night.

This opened the door to discussion of the NRA and the services they (allegedly) offer. And the discontent in a hundred members who are angry at the NRA.

I was, quite frankly, shocked at the amount of anger and discontent directed at the NRA organization...

There were complaints about failure to follow up with Life insurance (2 incidences...one 2 years old now and still unresolved) and complaints about gun insurance (one member STILL has not gotten any response ...not even an email or phone call, despite having put in a claim after a house fire 9 months ago.....and repeated emails, phone calls/voicemails, even a registered letter for his claim on the 25 or so firearms that were destroyed in a house fire)...But, as he pointed out, they have people call him weekly to ask for more money....

At this point, the club is investigating alternatives for insurance and is seriously considering cutting ties with the NRA after a 48+year association with that organization. The only reason we can see for continuing is the discounted insurance ... And those of us who have cautioned patience and waiting and not acting rashly.....

It appears from the discussion last night that everyone who has dealt with the NRA has come to the same feeling...that the NRA is openly working only for the NRA, not the members. That it sees the members only as a profit center, and that it's mission is to squeeze as much money out of that membership,  rather than serve their interests or promote the shooting sports.

There was a lot of talk about GOA and Second Amendment Foundation, and the fact that those organizations have done more in the courts for Gun Rights in the past 10 years than the NRA has done in the past 30....(on the other hand, I pointed out that the NRA has done significantly more in the political arena with our legislators )...Still, the discontent was there, and came to a head

Where does YOUR club get it's liability and other insurance to operate?
Please, feel free to email me if y'd rather not say so in comments. (TheMiddleoftheright@Gmail)


Thursday, August 16, 2018

Aretha

Has passed.

Damned good performer.

I hope it was peaceful and quick. 

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Not on a watch list:

So can we trust anyone?

Police are SURE that it was terrorism....But so far, no name admitted. And, of course "Terrorism" but no one says "Islamic".  But the failure to give a name tells the story, doesn't it?

Are the police in the UK that inept? Or are there that many "Lone wolves"? Or what?

And it is, again, just a matter of time until this sort of thing happens with bigger vehicles (again) with a greater loss of life (again).

So far, it hasn't happened here. in the US....yet. I think it is because, legal or not, our immigrants HAVE to assimilate (even just a bit) and we don't make it easy...so only the smart ones get into this country...and smart people don't waste themselves killing or injuring only a few people....


Monday, August 13, 2018

Hey, it's a start:

But this single firing won't fix the FBI's image. There are a LOT more folks that are not living up to (or even TRYING to) the FBI's ideal.


FBI official Peter Strzok, who played a lead role in both the Russian meddling and Hillary Clinton email probes but became a political lightning rod after the revelation of anti-Trump text messages, has been fired.

Remember, he was part of the team that did their best to exonerate Hillary Clinton's mishandling of Classified (and higher) documents via her unsecured private email server.

No bias....We know because Strozk himself said so....


Coincidence....

Interesting that Ms Omarosa Newman chose to reveal the recording she made .....

Just before her book is scheduled to be released.

Coincidence?

Think the publicity will drive book sales? 

Sunday, August 12, 2018

22 and a big donation

So we had a Hunter Ed class at the range on Saturday.

"Twas good. The Indiana DNR gives us the materials and a class outline and allows us some leeway to teach.

Kids were attentive, interested, and pretty motivated. We instructors like that.

And, afterwards, had a man who was there with his son, come up and offer our Lead Instructor 5 (five) $100 bills as a donation,...because "I've taken this class over the years with all of my kids, and this was the best and most intereting".

22 attendees, and 22 who passed the test and got their cards issued by the Indiana DNR.

Hopefully 22 more informed kids who will be better, safer, more ethical hunters.



Friday, August 10, 2018

Interestinger and interestinger

HERE

Think about the scenario postulated.

What else makes sense?


Just about had it

With the bureaucratic assholes in the NRA training division.

It is sad what happens when you give a small man a little power.

This might be the break from the NRA for my club.

Someone in the NRA needs to realize just what kind of people they are hiring. . 

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

But shootings are down by 20% over last year!

Except that there were 12 people killed and over 70 shot....Mostly non whites.

And it is, of course, ALL WHITE PEOPLE'S fault.
Even though, it isn't white people that are doing the shootings, nor white people that are the victims. over a hundred thousand young people (white) attended the Lollapalooza concert....and yet there were no shooting (and almost no arrests!) at that concert...over 3 days....

And it isn't white people in those communities that "Didn't see Nothin' " and who fail to cooperate when questioned about what they saw.... ,nor is it whites who believe that the police are the enemy (Because they enforce laws and arrest black people when they break those laws) and who won't help fix the problem. Who protest every time the police DO try to stop the violence and enforce the laws.

But is IS non whites who insist that they need more of those hated police (right now, anyway) to stop the shootings...And it is whites (especially wealthy ones) who are blamed for the failures of the non-white communities.

Odd, that. No one is willing to look at the real problem...culture of black urban peoples.

Yeah, pointing this out makes me a racist in many people's eyes..... I no longer care.

ETA: It isn't a melanin level, it is CULTURE. 

Monday, August 6, 2018

Stealth mortgage on your home....

How healthy are the public pension funds in YOUR state?

Something to think about:

HERE

(As a rule, the bluer the state, the more difficulty the state has in funding and/or meeting the obligations of the pension funds.)

Might be something to consider. 

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Ghost guns? OMG!!!

Thing is, I've had these files for YEARS. (And, I am told by folks that I know (REALLY REALLY well ...Like all my life, IYKWIM) that this blueprint makes for a functional AR receiver. (I  have one set of prints that supposedly will accommodate an M-16 fire group, and the dimensions for those parts too, but I've never tried them.)

HERE ...available on the Internet for everyone to see..... (ETA: this is made from stacked sheet metal plates. all you need to do is cut them and drill them. Precision, yes, but average Joe garage level work)

And that receiver is, of course, unserialized....a  "Ghost Gun"as it were.

I also have blueprints for a Sten gun (never made one, that would be a fully auto one and I'm not gonna go to jail) although I am reliably informed by others that those prints make a functional firearm)....

And also a Grease Gun.

One cannot stop the signal.


One wonders.....

Darwin? or Murder?

I mean, Jesus (not the landscape guy,  the Jewish carpenter)... How can folks be this stupid?

Dry ice left in car leaves 1 dead, 1 in critical condition:

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

And again, Socialism fails when no one can pay for it....

Or, as Maggie Thatcher said: When you run out of other people's money.

Canada gives up on Universal Basic Income. 

It appears Norway is also gonna give up on that wonderful Socialisitic program. 

Of course, several DNC led cities in Califronia, and other larger cities around the US(also led by Democrats) can't seem to understand that failure means...failure.....are gonna make it work, if they Just Try Harder....

'Cause if there is one thing the Democrats seem to do well, it is to throw more money at a failed concept....."Beat that dead mule until it starts moving"....Especially when they can use someone else's money....