You whiney little pissants:

Seems that the folks being asked to leave Cabrini Green in Chicago (some after 30 years) are unhappy that they are being moved.

Moved.

Moved by the city.

The city is paying for the move.

After living cheaply (or no payments at all) for years and years and years.

Yet they bitch.

About someone paying for their move from a place where they paid no rent to one where they won't.

And we wonder why the country is broke. It's not like they have paid rent for....you know, some of them up to 30 years.....If they don't like it, I see them as free to choose their own apartment or house AND PAY FOR IT THEMSELVES! Or stop bitching about what is given to you.

I'd throw them out on their ass.

RINO hunting:

Did yer senator vote for this?

Mine did. (at least mine until the next election).

Is there a bag limit on RINOs?

Me, I think that there should be open season.

Again, it is a good thing that dueling is against the law.

What caliber should you use for RINO?


U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 111th Congress - 2nd Sessions compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate


Vote Summary

Question: On Passage of the Bill (S. 510 as Amended )

Vote Number: 257

Vote Date: November 30, 2010, 10:09 AM

Required For Majority: 1/2

Vote Result: Bill Passed

Measure Number: S. 510 (FDA Food Safety Modernization Act )

Measure Title: A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the safety of the food supply.

Not Voting - 2

Bond (R-MO)

Brownback (R-KS)

Vote SummaryBy Senator NameBy Vote PositionBy Home State

Grouped by Home State

Alabama:Sessions (R-AL), NayShelby (R-AL), Nay

Alaska:Begich (D-AK), YeaMurkowski (R-AK), Yea

Arizona:Kyl (R-AZ), NayMcCain (R-AZ), Nay

Arkansas:Lincoln (D-AR), YeaPryor (D-AR), Yea

California:Boxer (D-CA), YeaFeinstein (D-CA), Yea

Colorado:Bennet (D-CO), YeaUdall (D-CO), Yea

Connecticut:Dodd (D-CT), YeaLieberman (ID-CT), Yea

Delaware:Carper (D-DE), YeaCoons (D-DE), Yea

Florida:LeMieux (R-FL), YeaNelson (D-FL), Yea

Georgia:Chambliss (R-GA), NayIsakson (R-GA), Nay

Hawaii:Akaka (D-HI), YeaInouye (D-HI), Yea

Idaho:Crapo (R-ID), NayRisch (R-ID), Nay

Illinois:Durbin (D-IL), YeaKirk (R-IL), Yea

Indiana:Bayh (D-IN), YeaLugar (R-IN), Yea

Iowa:Grassley (R-IA), YeaHarkin (D-IA), Yea

Kansas:Brownback (R-KS), Not VotingRoberts (R-KS), Nay

Kentucky:Bunning (R-KY), NayMcConnell (R-KY), Nay

Louisiana:Landrieu (D-LA), YeaVitter (R-LA), Yea

Maine:Collins (R-ME), YeaSnowe (R-ME), Yea

Maryland:Cardin (D-MD), YeaMikulski (D-MD), Yea

Massachusetts:Brown (R-MA), YeaKerry (D-MA), Yea

Michigan:Levin (D-MI), YeaStabenow (D-MI), Yea

Minnesota:Franken (D-MN), YeaKlobuchar (D-MN), Yea

Mississippi:Cochran (R-MS), NayWicker (R-MS), Nay

Missouri:Bond (R-MO), Not VotingMcCaskill (D-MO), Yea

Montana:Baucus (D-MT), YeaTester (D-MT), Yea

Nebraska:Johanns (R-NE), YeaNelson (D-NE), Yea

Nevada:Ensign (R-NV), NayReid (D-NV), Yea

New Hampshire:Gregg (R-NH), YeaShaheen (D-NH), Yea

New Jersey:Lautenberg (D-NJ), YeaMenendez (D-NJ), Yea

New Mexico:Bingaman (D-NM), YeaUdall (D-NM), Yea

New York:Gillibrand (D-NY), YeaSchumer (D-NY), Yea

North Carolina:Burr (R-NC), YeaHagan (D-NC), Yea

North Dakota:Conrad (D-ND), YeaDorgan (D-ND), Yea

Ohio:Brown (D-OH), YeaVoinovich (R-OH), Yea

Oklahoma:Coburn (R-OK), NayInhofe (R-OK), Nay

Oregon:Merkley (D-OR), YeaWyden (D-OR), Yea

Pennsylvania:Casey (D-PA), YeaSpecter (D-PA), Yea

Rhode Island:Reed (D-RI), YeaWhitehouse (D-RI), Yea

South Carolina:DeMint (R-SC), NayGraham (R-SC), Nay

South Dakota:Johnson (D-SD), YeaThune (R-SD), Nay

Tennessee:Alexander (R-TN), YeaCorker (R-TN), Nay

Texas:Cornyn (R-TX), NayHutchison (R-TX), Nay

Utah:Bennett (R-UT), NayHatch (R-UT), Nay

Vermont:Leahy (D-VT), YeaSanders (I-VT), Yea

Virginia:Warner (D-VA), YeaWebb (D-VA), Yea

Washington:Cantwell (D-WA), YeaMurray (D-WA), Yea

West Virginia:Manchin (D-WV), YeaRockefeller (D-WV), Yea

Wisconsin:Feingold (D-WI), YeaKohl (D-WI), Yea

Wyoming:Barrasso (R-WY), NayEnzi (R-WY), Yea

Will we think this way soon?

We are, after all, slowly heading in the same direction.

"And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?... The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin's thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If...if...We didn't love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation.... We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward."

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

We do, however, have the second amendment. If we choose the time and place to use it, should that time come, that line be crossed.

But I ask you, where is the line? Is it distinct enough to see?

Or will we allow ourselves, like the frog, to be boiled slowly? Will we even notice the increasing temperature?

Will we one day wake up and see the line, sharply focused, behind us?

Will we lament as he did, too late?

Question:

Does the TSA have police powers? Can they arrest, or even legally detain you? Or do they have to refer cases to the local police?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Book sale

If yer interested in this sort of thing, Ferfal has his BOOK on sale.

Since Argentina is where we will likely be in 5 years or so, I think its worth reading. You might too.



If not, please disregard this posting.

Holding a grudge

Is like letting someone live in your head..


Rent free










YMMV

Why "busting" down MY door at any time would be a bad idea

Because when SWAT or the FBI or ATF acts like this, I would have a hard time determining who was real and (as in this case) who was not.

I would assume that ANYONE entering my home without being invited would be someone such as these folks.

And act accordingly.

I am sure that were the invaders actual LEO, I would find myself either dead or seriously wounded (and up on charges). But how does one tell real criminals breaking down your door from police acting in a criminal manner? (who had better have a damned good reason to invade my home and put my and officers lives at risk....)


Likely never happen at my house. I am (for the most part) law abiding. No drugs, no shady deals, nothing that should interest the "authorities.

But if you enter my house at any time without my permission, especially if you "bust" down my door, it won't turn out well for any of us.


Just please, don't shoot my dog.

for all you folks who hate America

First of all, go fuck yourself with something large and preferably sharp edged....


But I digress.......



2nd....Read this. From someone who has a bit of a decent perspective. Who is insightful. Who (with the exception of thinking that a GLOCK is the finest firearm in the world) is quite intelligent and lives OUTSIDE of the US.Who sees the good and the bad in the US, but has enough experience to weigh them in balance and make an informed judgement.

If you hate the US, feel free to leave. Find a socialist paradise if you wish...There are many from which to choose, in many different flavors. Feel free to wallow in the equality and egalitarianism (while it lasts).

BUT LEAVE MY COUNTRY ALONE.

Leslie Neilsen

Has passed.

I will never forget his humor:

And thus, it begins:

So it would seem that people are pissed off at the Muslim community which fostered Mohamed Osman Mohamud, the attempted bomber at Corvallis OR.

Until the Muslim community purges themselves of practicers of radical islam (is there any other kind??? I mean, seriously, can you be a good muslim and interact well with infidels?)) there will always be hate, and intolerance, and suspicion. Until there are ZERO muslims who attempt this, or at least until each and every one is turned in by other muslims, then incidents like this will continue to happen. I don't justify it, but I understand it.

It's not like jews or christians or bhuddists attempt to commit mass murder in the name of their religion often (ever?) lately.

I was raised to be tolerant of others culture. And I am....until your culture fosters those who would harm my countrymen. Then all bets are off.

Your Mileage May Vary.

ETA: Seems the Europeans are feeling the same way......

Go Willie:

While weed isn't my thing (ahem).No, really. I can't even drink anymore. I'm old, and my party days are behind me.

I really admire the fact that Willie Nelson just feels that he can tell the LEOs to go to hell.

And when he is caught, he mans up and deals with the consequences.

Go Willie!

Looking for volunteers!!!

.
Seriously....

I'd like to find 4-6 people.

I need a team for a "pick-up" game of basketball.

We probably won't have to play more than 10 or 15 minutes....

I promise not to elbow anyone in the face......Lower perhaps, but not in the face.

Yep

That makes me and one other who notices a pattern. (actually a LOT more of us are beginning to notice, or already have).

One day the FBI will miss one, and then there will likely be a significant (and bloody) backlash.

Were they seriously against this violence, they'd purge themselves.

But they haven't, and they won't.

And thus it begins

Seems that Russia and China have decided that they no longer need the dollar to trade amongst themselves.

Could it be because the dollar is worthless worth less each and every day?

Scary.

Question(s):

Are TSA agents considered Law Enforcement? If so....

Do they take an Oath to Support and Defend the Constitution?

If so, how can all the kerfuffle be happening??????

eulogy

How to do it. 

Seems I have dust in my eye or something.

AlGore

You lying, cheating son-of-a-bitch.

Were the world a just place, you'd be in jail right now.

You should be forced to give back all the money you made on AGW hype. And repay all the monies that the taxpayers of this country have been forced to pay out in subsidies for ethanol and other "green" initiatives.

You should be horsewhipped and beaten.

Good thing dueling is against the law.

You gotta love the Internet

It is where you find stuff like THIS.


I especially like "We've handled more balls than Barney Frank"

Oh: TSA?

All you whiny fuckers who were so officious, who were so formal, firm and unyielding in your drone like useless jobs ? You folks who have used petty tyranny to retaliate at the complaints when you go too far by making people endure even more rigorous searches The ones who are, at best, failed mall cops and Fast Food rejects,...You who do a non- productive job (and you have to know it), who replaced folks in polyester jackets being paid minimum wage......You useless money wasting child molesting assholes. You who garnered such praise as "Thousands Standing Around"....You 47,000 totally useless government workers.

Yeah, I am talking to you...Mr. or Ms TSA agent.


Now you are whining about how the flying public hates you, and makes your job so stressful, because those potential terrorists taxpaying passengers are calling you names, like "pervert", "molester", "creep" and worse:

The public put up with your stupid rules about cuticle scissors, and nail files on toenail clippers. They accepted, grudgingly, the restrictions on liquids. They decided it wasn't worth arguing about taking off their shoes. We put up with your stupid rules because we just weren't willing to fight over an inconvenience even though we knew that it was never going to stop even a single act of terrorism.

But if you think that for one minute that they think you have made even ONE flight safer, have stopped even ONE potential terrorist, if you think that they feel that you are anything but a waste of manpower, salaries and blue uniforms, then you are mistaken. If you think that the flying public feels that you are worthy of anything but derision, and have felt that way for a while, then you are mistaken. If you really knew what the public thought of you, your department, and the job you fail to do, you'd slit your wrists. If you knew how hard we laugh at you, even as we put up with your bullshit, you'd have to move and change your name.

Don't like your job? Feel that it is stressful and demeaning? TOO FUCKING BAD. Where is your self respect? Would your mother and/or father be proud of you? Participating in a farce? Groping people just because you are told to? Willingly trampling on peoples rights just to get a paycheck?

Your boss said that if we didn't like flying, we were free to choose another method of transportation.


So, by that same logic, if you don't like your job and the accompanying derision, you can try to get your job at the mall stroller office back....Or see if Burger King will hire you.

Like your boss, we really don't care.

And you and I both know that if you all quit, we would be just as safe, just as secure, and a lot happier.

Weather:

It is raining here. Cold, dreary hard rain. I hate it.

And yet:

The weather is unseasonably warm for the week of Thanksgiving. Today we had a high of 67. Were this a "normal" winter, this weather pattern would be dropping a foot or more of snow.

There will be days in the not too near future where we will dream fondly of days like this.

But I got caught in the rain, and I am just wet and cold. And not thankful right now.

I guess it is all a matter of perspective.

So true:

"If you ask 10 gun owners what is the best .45 you'll get 9 answers and some asshole telling you that you should buy a pistol in 9mm instead...."

Seen in comments on an EZBoard site

The next level:

So he would like to " raise the TSA to the next level" and "Fully integrate the TSA workers into us government efforts"

Next will be trains, subways, busses, etc.

Of course that will require an additional 47,000 (or so) workers on the government payroll.

And you thought TSA stood for "Thousands Standing Around"....soon it will mean "Ten thousand".

Delusions of Grandeur? You betcha. But how else can you explain how you need an ever increasing share of an already bloated government budget?

"If you cannot be strong everywhere, then be strong where your enemy is weakest"

I mean, think about it....We spent the Soviets into the ground to destroy them and end the cold war......Perhaps this is what AlQueda has planned all along?

It is no wonder they think we are weak and scared.....That is the message that our government is giving them.

Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon. Really, when the searches are everywhere, you will soon get used to them.....

I mean, really Der Leader has spoken:  "at present naked body scanners and pat down searches bordering on sexual molestation are the best way to prevent Muslims in caves from attacking the American people." Or something like that.....

Yup.

What he said.

It doesn't get much plainer than that.

In case you missed this:

Professor LaPaz would be proud:


Via Insty, you can read THIS.

I think it is a Good Idea. While tampering with the Constitution is best approached with caution and forethought, this idea, to have another hold on our federal government's power, sounds like a good idea.

This will allow states to have the power override the power currently held by the political parties. (See also: Obamacare). It would give the states (should there be a 2/3 majority agreeing) the power to overrule our legislative and executive branch. While this may end up not turning out to be a Good Thing, I really at this time do not see the downside. After all, the state legislators represent us too, right? 

In fact, one wonders why it should be a 2/3 majority? If you cannot find enough people who will be satisfied with a law, and can, instead find a simple majority of states which oppose it, is the law really a Good Law?

While very Heinleinesque in form, it does have the possibility of turning out well. And I really don't see the downside.

(and if you don't understand the Heinlein reference, order this book and you will. If you haven't read it, you should)

Conspiracy?

Via Insty we have THIS.

With a warning that you might want to wear a tinfoil hat, I think it is worth reading.

I have wondered for a while if we, as a people, are being conditioned. These scanners are just one example. TV shows are always setting an example of a Law Enforcement agency chasing the Bad Guy, and easily looking at his telephone, cell phone, and internet records without a warrant. They just enter his name in the computer and find all the incriminating evidence. Think about this. It isn't reality....Yet. But it is always shown in a good light, as helping catch the Evil Bad Guy.The invasion of privacy is a Good Thing when Law Enforcement does it.

But the movies for many years showed similar scanners in a good light, even before they were real (or at least implemented).

Yet now we have the move to cow us into accepting an invasive scan. How much of this is fumbling on the part of the TSA, and how much is it an experiment to see if we are conditioned enough to accept it? (And how much of it is motivated by profit?).

Just something to think about after you get your shiny hat adjusted.....

Sadness

Go here. Think good thoughts.

The time is coming, soon, when I too shall have to help an old loyal companion to the Bridge.

I fear very little, but I fear that day with all my being.

I hope and pray I will have the same courage when it is my task. 

something to remember:

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. -- Thomas Jefferson, founder of the Democratic Party


Where do you think we are right now???

"Draining the swamp" lite edition

Rangel gets punished.....sort of.

It's not like he's gonna do time or anything.

Where is the downside to his behavior?

Thought so.......

Gunsmithing

So I bought the Llama Micro Max a few weeks ago at a gun show. I have a friend who has one, and I like 1911 pattern firearms, and a guy at the gunshow had one, and I really needed another small carry gun and I had the cash and it was a screaming deal, so......

Anyway, the firearm was likely fairly new, as it had apparently had very few rounds through it. Not even enough to make a ring in the bluing where the barrel meets the bushing..So, the week after I bought it, I put 100 rounds of assorted ammo through the thing at my local range. It fed nearly everything except some hollowpoints, but it had case ejection issues with many of the brands....And it beat up the mouth of the brass that it did eject.

The magazine was dirty, gritty, and the follower didn't want to let you load the first round, as it jammed every time at the top of it's travel. The trigger was decent, but needed a bit of work. The frame rails and the slide itself were terrible, almost as if the final deburring had not been done at the factory. The final polish was obviously skipped...... for the safety, grip safety, and the slide release were sharp enough to cut skin. The ejection port was damaging my brass, and the ramp was needing a bit of work.....

Now, this thing looks like (and mostly is) a true 1911 pattern firearm, with the exception of the barrel link..... It is not a true 1911 as the operation is blowback rather than a locked breech, but close enough. The engineering which must have gone into this is incredible. Shamefully, the finished product did not come near the potential this firearm had.

Ok, so I detail stripped the thing, and began to remedy the failure of the factory to finish the machining on the frame and the other moving parts....

 (klik to embiggen)

I began with 600 grit paper. Yes, 600 grit, as the burrs were that bad on the frame rails. Moving through to 800 grit, then 1000 grit, then oiled 1000 grit, then 1500 grit, 2500, then a Dremel with rouge, I got the thing smooth enough for my standards. Now the action moves and slides nicely.

I opened up the ejection port (polished and lowered it by about 1/10 of an inch) to prevent the brass from being damaged and to aid the ejection issues....

Polishing the internals took a bit more work, and a lot more time with the Dremel. The sear, hammer,  and disconnector took the most work. Getting the edges sharp and smooth was a bit of a pain, but I got them done to my satisfaction (no. I did not use a Dremel on the sear!). Polishing the feed ramp and the face of the slide took a bit of work to manufacture a polishing wheel that was the right size, but no real hassle. Polishing the holes and the pins and safety and slide release took a LOT of time, as I did not want to change clearances, but rather just polish. So, slowly was the theme for the day. Besides, those pins are hard to hold while polishing....and they get HOT! Eventually, I was finished.

After washing all of the parts in soapy water to get the remaining grit off and then drying with a clean towel,  I coated everything with Strike-Hold CLP to protect and lube things and then began the reassembly.

The only issue with this pistol is the size of the parts! I can reassemble a 1911-A1 with my eyes closed, even  from a detail strip. But getting things reassembled is a bitch when the parts are so small!  I had issues getting the firing pin back into the the slide, and getting the sear, and disconnector back into place was so difficult that I actually thought that I was assembling it incorrectly. I actually disassembled a full size 1911 enough to see if I had misremembered the way that the parts fit together. (I hadn't). After a lot of work and cussing and finally getting a pair of tweezers, I got the thing reassembled.I need smaller fingers to work on this size firearm.

WOW. This is actually a VERY nice firearm. It has a 5.25 lb trigger, which breaks cleanly, (and I think it will lighten up a bit as things wear together. The hammer moves better, the safety and slide release work smoothly and well, and it will all but chamber an empty case.

This is what the designer no doubt envisioned when he did the engineering on the thing in the '90s.

I ordered 2 new magazines, and when they get here we will see if I solved the ejection and feed issues.

If so, then I have other issues:

I have to find a holster..... preferably IWB, small of back.

I may have to try a Mini-Max in 9mm soon.

Once Upon a time

 I thought....

That Eric Arthur Blair was an author of fiction...

Now, I realize he was a prophet.

And that disturbs me greatly. Even more than when I read his works the first time.

HEH

"FTC Disclaimer – To the fine folks at the FTC, I’m sure you can drop by my place and play TSA. I’ll “refuse the backscatter scan”, and you can “test my buttocks for hidden explosives with your lips”."


Found HERE.

Wish I had thought of it....

Real "security theater"

Sadly, this isn't a joke.....



This shows the poor logic used by the TSA. Poor thinking and circular arguments.  Whoever is in charge (and I mean those who report to the Political hack Napolitano) needs a swift kick in the ass. One wonders what the rest of the world thinks of us, that we allow such stupidity.



Via Anarchangel and nearly everyone else....

Like I have said several times:.....

yer being trained.

Each and every time they (Yeah, I know, the faceless "they") make a new rule and we as a people decide that we will put up with it because to fight every little attempt to erode our freedoms is too tiring, we become a little more willing to be led, like sheep.

Nice to see that others notice as well.

Now if I could just do something effective to stop it.

Y'know....

If the TSA really believes that the scanners are no big deal, and the scan is not invasive and the pictures it takes are not in any way revealing, then they should show the images in real time at the entrance to the scanner iself.

I mean, rather than the words of our esteemed TSA director being taken for a liar and all....

Good point:

Go here...Read.

You decide.

I think he is correct. Although I disagree about Mr. Reynolds.

Still no answer:

I mean, seriously: If the threat is real then why are we not doing the more invasive search at those airports where the scanners are not yet implemented?

For some reason, no one is asking this question. Why not?

If there is a real, valid threat, one worth spending $165 MILLION on, and worth having to deal with a very pissed off flying public, then why screen only at the major airports, and why only recently? Why not since the threat was recognized?  Why do we not have everyone at any airport where the scanners are not yet available be subject to the pat-down?

Otherwise, this is merely playing at security.

For the truly dedicated....

There is always this option to show your objection to the TSA's procedures:

2) Another stickier approach is to don incontinence pants under your (old and baggy) trousers, and fill the plastic skivvies with your choice of chocolate or tapioca pudding immediately before entering the TSA security area. Indicate that you'd prefer a pat-down, rather than the milliwave machine. As you are groped, some of the pudding will ooze somewhere, at which point you should nonchalantly reach into your pants, scoop some with your finger, and taste it. Pronounce it "yummy" as the blueshirt retches....


You'll have an uncomfortable flight, but what memories!

It would be even better should you wear a kilt or a short skirt, so they get a real feel......


Personally, when I get groped by a TSA "officer" I intend to give them the same attention. If he touches my junk (or my ass), I intend to give him (or her) a similar squeeze gentle fondling.....and, if there is enough to do so, a good heft. I'll make it lingering too. With a smile and a wink. Women should heft, squeeze, and fondle the breast(s) of their TSA screener....and give your best come hither smile....Maybe even ask for a phone number.... Yeah, they will claim "Assault!" but really, what legal leg can they stand on? If their behavior is not assault, then neither is yours. If yours is assault, then so is theirs.. And that is a precedent they really don't want to set.

I wonder what the cheapest round trip ticket is from Midway? I'd like to try this out.

The light is better over here....

The safest airport in the world.

I got news for you.....It ain't in the US.

This is why.

What the TSA is;  is theater. Very expensive theater. Playing at security. By mall cop rejects and wannabes.At best a jobs program.

Yeah, they are professional (most of them). But the whole thing is a joke. We could get twice the security for half the money, and half the people.

Follow the money

and, of course, the conflict of interest.

"cause the TSA only has your best interests at heart.

Sure....that's it. Yeah.

or something.

Thought for the day

---

"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences." 

I'm just sayin. 

ouch

Email scam:

See this at the Freeholder.

Trust me, worth the visit.

Draining the swamp

A House ethics subcommittee found longtime Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel guilty Tuesday on multiple violations of House rules.

more HERE


About time.

Non-TSA

Tam has an interesting link.

We don't need the TSA

Really....We Don't.

"The 2001 law creating the TSA gave airports the right to opt out of the TSA program in favor of private screeners after a two-year period."

Via UNC

Security theater

Just in case you think that those who feel that the TSA is wasting out money and travellers time and patience:

Read this: "If I were a terrorist, and I’m not, but if I were a terrorist—a frosty, tough-like-Chuck-Norris terrorist, say a C-title jihadist with Hezbollah or, more likely, a donkey-work operative with the Judean People’s Front."

Then ask yourself if the guy groping the nun is really doing anything to make you or the flying public (or those on the ground, for that matter) safer.

Some folks think that the TSA is just a method of getting everyone used to being compliant about searches for "safety". Then, soon, it slips over into the same idea on "government" roads, sidewalks and buildings. Not me, I keep my tinfoil hat on tightly....But what if they are right?

Question: Why do my Constitutional rights end at an airport, federal courthouse, police station, state or municipal building?

Has anyone challenged the TSA (or any other restricted non private space) regarding the legality of the enforced searches?

Penn gets it.

As in Penn and Teller ...

Via Walls of the City I found this little gem.

Read it. Penn has more status that most of us, and yet the TSA flunky had an attitude.

"Once you cross this line, I can do whatever I want".

Srsly.

Think about it. History has a LOT of examples of institutional behavior like this.

Start with folks in say, the thirties in a european country that begins with "G"....

Question:

If the danger of terrorists smuggling explosives in their underwear or elsewhere on their person is so great that we have to have these new strip search machines backscatter scanners in order to detect the aforementioned explosives, then why did the TSA  wait until now to begin the strip searches if a flyer does not want to enter the scanner? Why are we not doing the more invasive search at those airports where the scanners are not yet implemented?

Why did we not strip search everyone from 12/25/09? (the day of the unsuccessful underwear bomber) Why now, after nearly a year, are we implementing searches that could/should find explosives concealed inside clothing/worn next to the skin? Why not on 12/26/09? If the danger is so great, then why wait nearly a year?  Why did the TSA ignore the danger for months and let all those potential bombers slide past without a search?

If this is really something other than a jobs program/pocket lining exercise for equipment suppliers (and let us not forget the ongoing training and maintenance programs above and beyond the (exorbitant) purchase price, then why didn't we begin the groping hands on searches shortly after 12/25/09? If the threat was/is real, then those searches should have been implemented immediately, or the TSA has put untold millions of passengers and thousands of airlines at risk in the intervening months.

The thing is, many firms have sold many backscatter scanners, resulting in millions of dollars in profit. And once you have purchased them, you gotta use them, in order to justify the cost and in order to justify the purchase of more machines. Therefore the alternate searches are made to be as humiliating and irritating as possible, in order to cow the rest of the waiting passengers into taking the trip though the scanner.

But think about it. If the threat was real, if there was any significant need for these scanners, then as an interim solution, people should have been felt up ever since the "need" materialized nearly a year ago.

Why wasn't it? And if the threat of a bomber is real, why should we not expect them to change their plans and carry their explosives internally? Breasts, anal cavities, uterus, all can carry enough explosives to do enough damage to an airliner. think of the damage a "fat" man could do with 20 lbs of explosives rather than fat in his belly.

And what is to prevent a terrorist from detonating him.herself either in line for the scanner/search, or at the scanner itself (especially during a busy time when things are exceptionally crowded)? The result would be the same as an exploded airliner.....terror, death/injury of hundreds, and further paralysis of our air travel system. Think of the headlines and the fear if they did so at a place like....Orlando FL? All those kids and their parents....Just the result they'd like to get from the media and the public.

Or am I missing something?

Stuff you never thought you'd see

Yet here it is.

4 tons of firewood

We moved that this morning. Friend of my parents had a dead tree cut down, and we moved (some of) the pieces to our yard to be split later. All told between 8 and 9 thousand pounds of wood. Thank god I have the Kubota to help me move it. I now have wood for the next 2 years , and well into the third..... oak, oak, and oak.

Of course, I have to split it now, after I get the last of it out of the man's yard.

at least I will not have to pay the gas company their exorbitant prices per "therm".

Not that it'll work but

If you fly regularly, you might want to check out National Opt Out Day So that you can send a message to the ever burgeoning, power grabbing, bureaucracy that is the Testicle Squeezing Authority  (or is it Total Sexual Assault?) Transportation Security Administration.

I fly very little, and have no nudity taboo, so these new regulations make no difference to me....except for the precedence which it sets for the future.

It's not like the TSA has ever actually accomplished anything except to make a new government bureaucracy (and more union members). The new (and ever increasing) regulations are poorly thought out, and reactionary, but not terribly effective. The TSA cannot face facts, and therefore still persists in checking "everybody" just to pander to the sensitivities of a minority. Like Obamacare, if they inconvenience many to make a few feel better, then that is ok.

And let us not forget the tremendous cost of these scanners.

Update on the kid with the flag

and the asshole school administrator who made him take it off his bike...

Seems that the good citizens have made their displeasure known....and now the school administration has made a hairpin turn and decided that the kid CAN have his flag....

Perhaps there is hope for Kalifornia after all.

Note from (Formerly Great) Britain:

Armistice Day ceremonies. (Remembrance Day)

People behaving badly.

And the fact is that the protesters did not have the living shit beat out of them. Which shows why Great Britain is circling the drain.

You may say they are "civilized". I say otherwise.

Well DUH!

you'd think this would be obvious.

But not to the Democrats in Washington socialists. The great "levelers"....

"Economic growth means not just richer rich people, but also less-poor poor people"

Read the whole thing....

Setting the bar low

Seems that a 1.9 inch target at 50 yards 5 times with deer rifle is considered "sharpshooter" level in Will County IL. Fifty long yards.


That might be good shooting there, but here it would be barely acceptable (with a bow or an air rifle).

I can do that all day, with open sights with nearly any rifle in my inventory...offhand. On a good day, with a pistol. And I ain't really that good. Most of the folks I shoot with can do significantly better than that.

2"... 50 yards..... 5 shots. "Sharpshooter"....

Jesus.

Via SCC

You are welcome to leave

at any time if the US flag offends you.


Seems that some hispanic students feel that the US flag is offensive

Administration solution? Ban the US flag.

If we allow this sort of thing to continue to happen, we will soon follow (once Great) Britain down the sewer.

One more tribute

I have posted this before....But it bears posting again.

4 hours he stood there.....

Think about it.

By the way....

WhereInTheFuck was Obama during all of the Veterans Day Ceremonies?

AWOL, as usual.  Could not be bothered to either schedule his trip around, nor to interrupt his trip to be home to honor our veterans. He took a side trip to S. Korea for a wreath laying ceremony as a last minute afterthought.

The S.O.B. can't even honor those who protect his ability to to hate and denigrate them.

Mr. Obama:  You are not fit to shine their shoes.

I think you are an asshole.
Your inability to even go though the motions of being a president shows your true character.

ETA: Other feel differently: "Obama being absent from celebrations for our vets is like Michael Jackson being absent from a ten year old boy's slumber party"


And, it seems that he could honor the Indonesian veterans and heroes. Just not those of his own country....if it is his....

Last of a breed?

On the 11th hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month we have the opportunity to reflect on men like this

Frank W. Buckles. 


Theer ain't any more of 'em after him.

Veterans Day

 .


"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with lots of pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."


Woodrow Wilson, 11.11.1919


The holiday was originally "Armistice Day", made a national holiday by an act of Congress in 1926.


In 1954 it became "Veterans Day", still on the date of Nov. 11.


Luckily, it has not become a movable holiday, like Labor Day. Those on Labor would have you believe that Labor day is as important as Veterans Day. It is not. Veterans Day has not become a holiday where the date is flexed in order to let people have an extra day off, or a long weekend, but remains a special day. The date remains fixed. If for no other reason than the fact that Banks and Government offices are closed on this day, whatever day of the week it falls on, and despite any inconvenience those closings might cause, this day is special to those of us who bother to understand the reason for this day. For the rest, we can hope that the inconvenenince makes it a day that is special, not just one to grill out or to drink beer with friends because there is no work on that day. Those in Labor who equate their work to your have no inkling of the value of the work our veterans do just by being where they are and doing what whey do.


For any vet who reads this, no matter if you are a vet who served in war or in peacetime:


Thank you.....from the bottom of my heart. I am writing this in english because of you and your predecessors, and I can write what I do on these pages because of the freedoms which your service protected. 


Again, I thank you.





And if you are not a vet, and are reading this, then take the time to find one, and say "thank you".


We take this day to honor your work, strife, and sacrifice.

Coming soon to a city near you

From where Great Britain used to be:

Seems that the socialist state has run out of money and people are unhappy about this:

No more free lunch.

And people wonder why we dislike the Obama and DNC socialist agenda?

Now that the economic chickens are coming home to roost, and all the money has run out, people are becoming agitated that they are not getting their fair share of freebies. Apparently, there are no courses in economics in Britain (not Great) anymore than there are here.

Higher taxation and yet fewer and fewer benefits each year. Protests and riots. yet no one asks "Who will pay the bill"?

The socialists have won in Britain. It is no longer "Great" any more.

How long until this happens here?

Mystery solved.

Tam has the details.

Me: Mass hallucination is my guess. All those folks wearing rose colored glasses (it is LiberlLand, after all) must have caused some kind of refraction in the reflection of the sun from those self same glasses.

Or something.



I like Tam's explanations better, but who knows???

ETA: Via Insty we get this, a much more rational explanation. Sadly, the military seems clueless about this idea. One would think that they could have pulled radar records and matched this flight fairly quickly.

Then again, perhaps they want to keep everyone guessing.

And 235 years ago today

the Marine Corps came into existence.

Thank a Marine today, and say "Happy Birthday".

35 years ago

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank into the cold depths.


Sadly, few of us would remember were it not for the song by Gordon Lightfoot.

Take the time to read the pages and learn the story.

Remember that people still ply the lakes daily.

And the water and wind will try very hard to kill you on occasion.

"cause we are all racist teabaggers and all that

Evidence of the racism of the Tea Party is to be found HERE.

I, for one, feel badly about this.

How many did the DNC promote...support, or finance?



Thought so.

If love is blind.....

Then why is lingerie such a big seller in the world?

Interesting thought for the day......

Go HERE.

Shows how well thought out the whole administration agenda is.

Range day.

Had a range session. My friend returned a pistol he had tuned for me, and I had to try out my new Llama .380.

LOVE the newly tuned Ruger. A trigger like a breaking glass rod, and absolutely ZERO takeup. (be careful though!)

The Llama I bought last week? Gonna need some work. Shoots well, but the ejection needs a bit (likely a LOT) of tuning and the trigger neeeds some polishing (along with the rest of the firearm). The thing is a little junior sized 1911, so I will have no issues working on it.


Midwest Chick shot 200+ rounds of assorted ammo through her new Sig P238. Now that we have the sights pointing to point of impact, it's a sweet shooting pistol. Finicky though. I am gonna have to be real careful with sizing on reloads. Likes some ammo, hates others. Must be a really tight chamber.

All in all, it was nice to see the pile of brass at the end of the day.....

Recoil therapy is a Good Thing some weekends. This was one of those weekends.

Does a......

Damned straight

Start at about 25%.

Me? I think they should get a raise only after unemployment reaches less than 5%. Until then, reduce by 25% then another 10% each year until things turn around. 

Flurries

The forecast was for flurries. Light flurries overnight.

We got 'em. Wow, did we get 'em

2.5 inches of flurries.

So much for yardwork today.

If we cannot predict weather in the short term any better than this, how can we expect that the predictions for climate in the near long-term will be any better?

Truth in voting

see more Very Demotivational


Enough said

Hah!

Watch this set.

Via the Elector retards

Foockin' A

What she said.

More eloquent than I. Harder hitting than a nail gun.

Go, read....,,,,when you are finished nodding, pass it forward to others to read.

Via Borepatch.

It occurs to me

That one major reason that the Republicans didn't win more seats in the Senate is that only one third of the seats were open in this election.

2012 and 2014 will bring other changes to the other 2/3. (Unless the Republicans do something even more stupid than I think they will. I do, however, believe that the possibility of major league stupidity is there, especially with misguided morons like M.Steele at the helm.)

OK, GOP, you won

Big in the House, less so in the Senate.

NOW DON'T FUCK IT UP. Do not get cocky. Do not do what you did 1994-2006, or you will end up gone like last time. Do work to give us what we want...Less government, less regulation, less government power and interference in our lives. Find a way to cut spending. You can defund anything, do it.

Or, by God, we can toss your asses out as quickly as we tossed your predecessors.

DO NOT GET COCKY. DO NOT FORGET WHO GAVE YOU YOUR JOB.

ETA: “You may have been elected by accident, but you won’t be re-elected by accident.”

And: "Remember what the voters back home want—less government and more freedom"

Both of the above are good advice. Let us hope our new employees pay follow that advice.

Free at last, FREE at LAST!

no more election ads for at least a year.

And, as I get the Chicago stations, I get a break from the attack ads.

Thank you Jesus.

Something to think about

When watching the election returns and the enumeration of the votes.

'cause, you know, those voters are stupid

Seems that we can't even understand what they were doing....

What hubris.

Vote...

When you vote today, say a prayer for our nation. Yes, we will likely have a big change in our legislative makeup. Is this a good thing? Depends. Will we get folks who will actually begin to try to fix things? Will this attitude last? Will they remain willing to do the hard things necessary to repair the damage done to the republic?

Or are we merely substituting a disloyal (R) for a disloyal (D) ? Are we electing another representative who will choose party politics over the will of the people? Or will we get someone who will actually look at the will of the people and vote his/her conscience and do what they feel is right ??

IF the voting goes the way it is predicted, we might well end up with the opposite polarity from what we have now. And that might well be just as bad.

damned right

Lets hope these folks get this message.

The act is that the left won so big in 2006 and 2008 precisely because the Right rejected the folks we had put in charge.

If they screw this up in the next two years we are likely to get more of what we got in 2008. And I really don't know if I can stomach more of that.

Apparently there are many things which induce PSH*

Seems that the liberal educators (but I repeat myself) are afraid of nearly everything out of the ordinary.....Even horses.

Horses are dangerous, and apparently the"equivalent of bringing in a loaded firearm to school"

What do you expect from an urban liberal educator? (sorry for the redundancy) Anything non urban is clearly odd, dangerous, and must be stopped immediately! Way to go to damage the kinds "spirit" during "Spirit Week".

Mayhaps they were afraid the horse might bite someone with those wicked teeth designed to rend flesh? Oh, wait....

* "Pants Shitting Hysteria" : A condition often found in liberals when confronted by nearly anything outside of their experience or that plays into their fears. See also: Firearms, horses, independent thinking, anything to do with the Tea Party, or uppity minorities who might move into their neighborhood.

That oughta help the Dems next time

Seems Harry Reid has BIG BIG plans for the "Lame Duck" session of congress.

"All your illegals belong to us!"

I fear the lame duck session, really, I do. SO many legislators, on their way out, bitter, angry and upset that us peons chose to toss them out because we didn't knuckle under to the ruling class.

It is not a question of "if" they stick it too us, but rather a question of "How badly?".

Again, if the custom of dueling were still around, these folks would not act in the manner which they do.