Not a chance

That I will join the crowds of lemmings people shopping at the "Black Friday" sales. I hate crowds of people normally, and the mentality of the Black Friday folks is weird.

If you choose to go, I applaud you. But there are no bargains great enough to get me shopping, standing in line, having to battle for parking, etc. 

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you are happy, spending this Thanksgiving day with family or friends.

I hope that each of you has much to be thankful for...even if life is not as we might like it to be at times.

I am thankful for many things. No, life isn't perfect, but I would bet that 92+ percent of the folks in most other countries would change place with me in a heartbeat. I remember that every day, but especially today.

For those who are forced to work today. I am sorry. For those walking a beat or standing a post, I am  Truly thankful for you and your work as well.

And for those who feel the need to go out and look for bargains this evening:
 Remember, it is because of you and folks like you that some clerks have to work instead of spending it with THEIR family or friends.

Socialism is the real reason we have Thanksgiving

Remember, the original Plymouth colonists were socialists, with food and other supplies held in common and distributed as needed and as determined by the colonies leaders.

So, essentially, working harder got one nothing. Few men worked harder, and few women worked harder to process the foods and fruits of the men's labor.

Why should they? Harder work, more work, less work, it all remained the same. One did not get more if one worked hard. Others could work as little as possible and still get their "Fair Share" of the harvest, the hunt, or whatever. 
There was no incentive to work harder, as there was no way to get ahead.

And that is the reason the colony was near starvation....and why they were so thankful for the help of the "Indians" that led to what we consider to be the first Thanksgiving. Of course, removal of the whole commune bit helped as well. Allowing people to hold their own supplies allowed them to actually gain from their hard(er) labor. Which made for a much more prosperous colony.

But without the failure that the socialist model caused, there would have been no reason for the thanks. And no reason to thank the Natives whose help made them prosperous.

"Come help me move a body"

"Bring some rope and a tarp if you have one".

Seriously, that is the phone call I got about 3 pm on Wed.

Now, Bobby is a good friend. Great guy. Outstandingly generous.

But he brooks no stupidity, and has a temper.

So it IS possible that he needs my help to "move a body".

(I'd not expect the call to come at 3 pm...more like in the middle of the night, but with Bobby, you never know....)

Anyway, he gave me an address that was only about 5 miles from where I live....

So I went, if only to see what was going on....

Many thoughts crossed my mind on the way.....

Was it a joke?
If not, what do I do? Help him move the body? (yeah, he's that good of a friend) or suggest he call the po-po......


As I drive there, I realize that I had been there once before....It's Ed's house....This could be good or bad.....

I exit the truck, and wander over to where Bobby is standing, just almost in the back yard...

And there is the body.
Of a Deer that had been hit by a car and had died in Ed's backyard....

Whew.
OK.
Well, then.

"Asshole" I said.
"yeah, but you showed up" he answered.

Took the three of us to load it into his truck. Bobby isn't young anymore and Ed is kinda crippled...Not that I am as healthy and strong as I was when I was 20 either....But it is loaded (and he has a DNR  tag for it) to dispose of, rather than letting it be eaten over the next few days by coyotes in Ed's backyard.

So now he knows who he can call, if and when....

I got some odd friends though...

Real WInd Damage:

A lady I know had a large limb come down and damage her Lincoln SUV while she was loading for a trip.

Might well total her car.

Pushing 60

MPH winds,

The local airport AWOS says gusts of 52 knots. (ETA Now 58 knots)

Luckily I (so far) only lost one small tree and just a bit of damage to the barn upon which it fell. It did not, however, do the 3 pt backhoe (dismounted) that it fell on any good.

Nothing likely enough to overcome the deductible, or t least not enough to make claiming it worthwhile. I will check further when it ain't so windy outside....like Tomorrow or Friday.

The one day a year I get to wear this T-shirt

Context HERE if you don't know

Passing of a Great

Today is the anniversary of the death of John Moses Browning.

Arguably the father of the modern auto pistol, as well as many other firearm designs.

An excellent point:

HERE

Burisma is getting what they paid Hunter Biden for....

Likely (but it will never be proven) with help from hiz daddy.

Ukraine Wants to Probe the Company That Paid Hunter Biden. But It's 'Too Sensitive'



And it is "Time" so you know there isn't a right wing bias....

This won't end well

I mean, if he has actual useful knowledge, then I would expect something bad to happen before he can tell his story....

I'm thinking "Arkancide" Also known as being "Fostered"

Jail guard  in Epstein "suicide" to cooperate fully with investigation

Just sayin'

(and there are a LOT of folks besides the Clintons who could (and would have a reason to) do this...wealthy and powerful people who have a LOT to lose, if the stories of Epstein's parties are true)

overflow into personal space....

So the School "Punished" the students with a 2 day suspension...

For doing something not on the school grounds, not done during school hours.

Student punished for "racially insensitive" ad posted on craigslist. 
(The ad advertised "Slave for sale" with a photo of a black classmate)

This ad was in poor taste, but other than the fact that the photo was taken at the school, there is no connection to the school. How is it that the school and the administration gets to discipline a student for this? What gives them the right to punish for free speech? Is this just social conditioning?
Where are the parents? Or is the school doing the parenting?

And now he is charged with a "Hate Crime".

I call BULLSHIT. Bad judgement? You betcha. Insensitive? Damned straight. Stupid? Yes. Bad taste? Yep. Despicable? Pretty much.

But, in the end, it is Free Speech, not a chargeable offense.

Punishment for this strikes me as RightSpeak.

Pretty much the same story in every DNC controlled environ:

Rotting infrastructure, Failure to replace or repair....

Woman struck by falling downtown light pole that rusted through at base.

Just walking along and the pole (which was rusted through at the bottom) fell on her. Subsequent inspection showed 4 other poles on the same block that were a danger and were removed.

It keeps happening. 4 Times (that we know of) in 2019, and apparently more last year.
 They've spent all the money on "Social Safety Nets", allowing people to sponge off the hard work (and thus taxes) of others, Instead of spending money maintaining the infrastructure that was paid for by taxpayers 30 or 40 or 50 or even more years ago, they simply ignore the maintenance and spend the money elsewhere for another year or 6.... Hoping that they will get by and it will be problem for someone else....

Which is ok, until the infrastructure fails and someone gets hurt....

From the CBS Evening News:

"Testimony by "Apolitical Public Servants"". 

One wonders what, exactly they are smoking and where can I buy some? 

perhaps Lush Rimbaugh was correct:

'Cause a WHOLE BUNCH of folks are hearing the headlines and thinking that the "Impeachment Hearings" are showing that Donald The Orange Bad Man Trump personally told the Ukranians to find some dirt of Hunter Biden in order to ensure his rule for life or something. I mean, anyone who believes that Trump is about to be impeached must be one of those "Low Information Voters"

I've watched and/or listened to a fair bit of the "testimony" at the hearings. While I can't say it shows the President in a good light, neither does it show any "Smoking Gun" or other evidence of the (current meme of the day as to his bad behavior) "Quid Pro Quo" (yesterday it was "bribery", before that is was somehow "campaign contributions" or something.
If you only looked at or listened to what the Media was telling you, you might believe that the testimony was damning. So far, what they claim is "Damning Evidence" is a bunch of innuendo, supposition, and finger pointing, but little hard fact nor unimpeachable evidence.

So really, despite the Spin placed upon the reporting, I haven't seen any more reason to believe the current charges than those of the "Collusion" charges.

And have you noticed that no one is trying to find a way to excuse (or explain) the payments to Hunter Biden? And not one of the DNC folks seems to think that there SHOULD be any investigation as to that whole bunch of folks, Biden, Burisma, (apparently) all the other DNC leaders children, etc....? Why is that? What are they trying to hide? 

only whites can be racist

Black college students could never be racist.

Because black people can never be racist.

Only whites can be racist. At least that is what I have been told for all these past years.

Yet here we have some proof that that just isn't so.

Black students demand ability to select roommates based on race. 

Now, I understand that black kids would be more comfortable rooming with another black kid. They'd feel more comfortable with someone of similar culture.

Yet if a WHITE kid said that he'd prefer a white roommate...well now, that is, of course, racist.

Funny how that works, innit?

INteresting:

So this keeps coming up:

HT Feral Irishman
And it is, apparently, true.

Odd, innit? Perhaps this is the reason the DNC types are working so hard at the Impeachment....

They wanna hide the fact....

Door Day

So the original steel door, installed in 1983, at the Range building had warped. It no longer sealed, and had a mechanical 5 digit lock (state of the art in 1983!) and needs replacement.

So...

Today is supposed to be the day, a high quality steel door and frame, and a Trilogy electronic lock.
Of course, this door and lock come with the proper panic hardware, so the Fire Department will be happier...they won't have to try to find a way to overlook the lack of any panic hardware on the previous door.

There should be 5 of us, so it shouldn't take too long. I already have the lock programmed with a basic set of codes.
It oughta be a good day. Rainy, but at least warm. 

More dubble standardz

See, the Media and the Democratic People's Party (or is it the Democratic Party of the People.....or the Peoples's popular Democratic Party.....or whatever...sorry, I digress...) have conveniently forgotten the uncomfortable fact (for them) that ALL of GW Bush's appointed Ambassadors were summarily dismissed in 2008 by Barry the Obama.....And little (if any) protests were registered......Because, at the end of it.....The Diplomats all serve at the pleasure of the President. And, like it or not, Barry was the duly elected President (eligibility for the office aside)....he won his office even over and above any doubt about the "Margin of Fraud" (at least the first time) and was, therefore, able to legally place whomever he wanted as the Ambassadorial Representative of the United States under his rule tenure as President.

Yet, oddly, they seem to think that Trump's dismissal of the Ambassador to the Ukraine is somehow unusual and illegal.

Strange how that works, innit? 

The coverup oughta be.....interesting

Cops never carry "Drop Guns". Never.

and all those guns that are turned over to police in "Buybacks" are always destroyed....
(Hint: ALWAYS get a receipt with a serial number WHENEVER you sell a gun, to cops or anyone else)

Via Insty:

Gun from Chicago buy-back program found near dead gang member in police shooting

I am SHOCKED to find out that a Chicago area police officer might do such a thing. Shocked.
This is my shocked face.

I'm not sure if I should ever fly it again:

This was the tach after I shut it down after flying yesterday, just before pushing it into the hangar:

Yeah, look at the time on the Tach:

666.0 Tach Time  on the engine.

So tell me

What, exactly, does the fired ambassador from the US to Ukraine, who has no firsthand knowledge of the "Quid Pro Quo" call,  have to contribute to the impeachemt hearings?

Yes, she has been an ambassador for several presidents, yes, she has been in some somewhat sketchy countries. Yes, being fired was likely devastating.

At the end of it all, any ambassador serves at the pleasure of the President of the United States. Period. Said President can fire any ambassador for any reason.

So, besides, "Trump Hurt my Feelings" what testimony did she give?

Why did they waste our time (and money) with her testimony? 

Good advice:

I need a sign like this on the door of my shop. 

Hearsay

So I heard that Uncle Joe Biden like to fondle women without their permission. And that he has paid off several of them/
Does this mean that we can toss him out of the running for president?

I mean, really, So far, all I have heard is a whisper campaign and a bunch of repeated gossip and allegations, (much like a bunch of 9th grade girls) but no solid testimony and no first hand knowledge. 

Why is hearsay accepted as evidence here?  

Armor

I was researching body armor....

There is a LOT of vendors out there, with plate carriers and plates made by many firms, from many different materials. Ceramic plates are, apparently, the best....but they are a lot more expensive ...but lighter. Steel is cheaper and a bit heavier for nearly the same performance.

One thing I find interesting is that MANY of the steel plates offered are made from AR400 or AR500 steel. Lots of references to those two numbers. Fully 2/3 of the steel "Ballistic Plates" offered are advertised to be made from one of those two alloys. Being the type of person who likes to learn things, I researched these two steels (as well as a bunch of the others that are offered)

But, sadly, neither of those commonly used steels are intended to be used as Armor Plate....they don't have a great deal of penetration resistance, nor are they intended to be used as "Armor". Instead, they are meant to be "Abrasion Resistant"....and dent resistant...Neither of these steels is supposed to be "Armor". They aren't much better for "armor" as we think of it than general cold rolled steel.

Why do "armor" vendors sell plates made with non-armor steel? More importantly, why do people buy enough of them that they are even for sale?

Brrrr

11 degrees F outside. One one. *We didn't get to single digits, but they did a few miles from here)

And it ain't even Thanksgiving yet.

I can't handle much more of Mr Gore's Glowbal Warmeinzing.

Oh, yeah, I forgot, when it is record cold it is just "weather".

Whatever. Still cold. It's warmer in Anchorage.
Ah don't like it aytall. 

71 %

The people of Tucson voted overwhelmingly for the rule of law...and against an invasion of non citizens.

Liberal City of Tucson, AZ Overwhelmingly Rejects Sanctuary City Proposal

Watch the video in the article.
She seems to think that just because someone has family here in the US they have reason to flaunt our immigration laws....that they have the RIGHT to be on US soil without permission. That they have the right to work. That they have the same rights as citizens of the US.

The people of Tucson felt otherwise. Good for them. 

Say "Thank You"

Today, here in the US, it is Veteran's Day.

Take time today to thank all of the Veterans you know, or that you come across today. Their service, whether in peacetime or war, no matter what branch of service,  is what has kept this country free.....Kept your way of life possible.

Do say "Thank You". Honor their service. Buy 'em lunch or pay for their coffee. At least give your thanks.

Personally, all year long I thank every vet I meet (those that I can identify, anyway) for their service to the citizens of this country. I buy a fair number of lunches and such. I think it is worth it as a token of my esteem for those who signed up to serve.

The Witch of November

Nov 10th, 1975.

29 crew gone.

The ship sunk.

So tragic a maritime accident that there were ballads composed about the loss.

The Edmund Fitzgerald.

Gordon Lightfoot did the most famous telling of the story, I think.

pretty much all the wrong things:

From September 7th....The NTSB has just released the accident report:

 So, a single seat airplane, carrying two people,  with 2500 or so lbs of "Pink Water"....flying low and slow.

What could go wrong?

Plane crashes during "Gender Reveal" stunt. 

Pretty much everything that they taught me not to do,

In other words, fucked up by the numbers.

Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

But stupid, poorly planned stunts usually lead to stupid failures.

At the end of the day, one has to realize that cropduster pilots are insane and take terrible risks. (They are also pretty good pilots, at least normally). 

IF the colors were reversed,

People would be crying "Racism" and such.

Possibly even "Hate Crime"

Teacher brutally beats student. 

Not a proportional response. If a teacher can't handle things better than this, they should not be allowed to be  teaching students.

In the day, a parent or another adult family member would have handled this sort of issue and there would be a lesson learned. And people would have expected things to happen that way. I'd insist on jail time were that my kid. 

Records:

Gonna be cold the next week to 10 days..

Really cold.
Near record cold, Like at or near single digits here in the greater Chicago area.

I call Global Cooling.

We MUST produce increased amounts of Methane, CO2, and other greenhouse gasses in quantity to prevent an ice age. It is a crisis. There may well be a consensus of affected people.

This isn't just weather here, folks.

Update: It appears the arctic air will (likely) set records across the US, from the Central Plains all the way to the Deep South.

But no worry? It is just "Weather" not "Global Warming" "Climate Change"....

'Twas pointed out to me yesterday evening

That it is time to do Christmas Decorations...and I had better get started:

" Because, unlike Epstein, they won't hang themselves"

I had no cogent reply to that. 

Winter planning

Pulled the gas out of the chainsaws yesterday. filled 'em each with a teaspoon full of a mix of Coleman fuel and the appropriate amount of oil, and ran them dry.

All the other 4 cycle equipment that won't (probably) be used until spring got a similar treatment (minus the oil, of course) Run empty, refilled with a bit of fuel that will evaporate and not leave residue or varnish behind, and run until completely empty.

This ensures they will start when needed after sitting for months.

I recommend this for all gasoline powered equipment.
Especially stuff you might need in an emergency.

Proper storage matters. 

You gotta wonder why....

Many restaurants have really bad coffee. Like they only buy floor sweepings from a Starbucks roasting plant or something....

And they know it, you can tell. They take really bad coffee and make it really strong. So you end up with coffee that is mostly undrinkable. (perhaps so they never get asked for refills??)

Its like the Liberals.and their programs..something doesn't work, a government program returns shitty results, so we should do it more.....only harder.

Same same with coffee.
Coffee isn't hard, one simply needs to start with a good product, and do it right...proper proportions brewed correctly.....which makes for a good cup.
Shitty ingredients are NOT improved by heavier dosing.

Thought for the week:

You only have the right for which you are willing to fight (And possibly die).







We have a Ballot Box. We SHOULD be using it.
Yet the lies, cheating, and fraud make that box much less effective than it should be.

We have other boxes, but when to use them? 

Thought for the Day

"The Harder You Work, the Luckier You Get..."

Joe Ricketts, founder, TDAmeritrade.

Analysis: True (in most cases)

Gonna be a long day

We are doing a Hunter Ed course today at the range.

27 kids registered. Plus likely 4-6 walk ins. (We don't ever turn anyone away as long as we can fit 'em into the classroom)

I'll be working 'til 5 or 6.

But it is paying it forward, and all that. 

It occurs to me

That the Democrats must really, really believe that each and every one of their candidates would lose against Trump in 2020.

Otherwise they would not be spending so much political capital in their efforts to drive him out of office with their push to impeach the man.

He must really scare them, and they must realize how badly they will lose against him in an election where they cannot manipulate vote counts easily. Trump won against them, beating the "Margin of Fraud" once, and they know they cannot manipulate the votes to the same magnitude the next time. 

Just a point:

If you watched Blade Runner, then realize this:

It is NO LONGER THE FUTURE.

Blade Runner was set in....November 2019.

Also, if you knew what "Blade Runner" was referring to, then you ARE old.

Still no flying cars though. 

A climate record

The most snowfall on Halloween:

A 96 year old record smashed. Yet no claims of "Climate Change" since it doesn't fit the meme of Thermageddon.

But, according to the "Climate"Experts"", this is just weather, not evidence that the climate is cooling or anything.
Of course not.

Odd how records that are broken to the warm side are "evidence" of Global Warming....But those that show (possible) cooling are just weather.