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Monthly Archives: November 2012

Who Needs A Budget?

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Apparently Congress doesn’t need one says Patty Murray…

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) confirmed Thursday that she will seek the chairmanship of the Senate Budget Committee next year but told The Hill that she cannot commit to doing a budget.

This opens up the possibility that Senate Democrats will avoiding passing a budget resolution for the fourth year in a row.

Why doesn’t everyone just give up operating within a budget.  Since government doesn’t need to, why should I?  Hell the government can increase their debt limit too!  The credit agencies should just allow me to borrow as much money as I want.  If it isn’t a problem for the government why is it a problem if I do it?

Seriously, someone answer the question.  How is it OK for the government to keep writing check, using my name I might add for part of the bill, but they don’t need to have a budge to live within.  Not only do they not have a budget, but when they run out of money they just borrow more.

Most people I know are tightening their belts.  It appears Washington has decided to go Robb Allen and ditch the pants and belt.  Obviously they missed the part where Robb doesn’t do debt which is why he doesn’t need a belt.

For Tam…

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So I’ve been a little bit quiet, not because I don’t care, but because I really hate cancer.  Doubly so this time of year…

For those who don’t know because they’re not wrapped up in the gun blog world.  Tam is knows as the mistress of snark.  She is extremely witty, wonderfully smart, and just a down right awesome person from everyone I’ve ever talked to that’s met her.  If you’re wondering how witty she is, some bloggers have a ban on quoting her because otherwise no one else would ever get quoted.

Well it ends up that my online friend has a touch of Basal Cell Carcinoma.  As she puts it:

… if you have to get cancer, is probably the way to get it. Hell, it’s barely even cancer; it’s more like cancer’s farm team.

Never the less cancer is still down right scary no matter the form.  It’s even scarier though when you’re doing it without insurance since you’re a self employed writer.  Enter the gun blog-o-sphere which has rendered Tam speechless which is honestly saying a lot.

Why is she speechless, bloggers are raffling stuff off in an effort to raise money for her.  Not only are we sending her funds, but we’re incentivizing others to give to her as well.  I’m going to focus on the concentrated raffles here:

So check out this page from Jay G, which lists off a bunch of the different raffles as it first started.  Since then it’s been concentrated to make life easier. 

If you look on the list of packages to win, you will notice a hat being offered from the wife.  We will custom embroider a design or logo and personalize the hat for the winner.  If they are unsure of a logo, the following will be used in it’s stead:

 

MolonLabeSnake-Gun

The location for the writing will probably shift as this was being laid out for a polo, but you get the idea.  So if you haven’t gone to help Tam, please do.  There are plenty of prizes to choose from, but the best prize is helping Tam because honestly she’s that awesome.

SSCC #458–I.C.E.

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Anthony V. Mangione, who headed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s South Florida office for four years, possessed up to 150 images of child pornography, some depicting the "extreme abuse of children," according to federal prosecutors.

He was busted while still working for ICE.  This one’s bad and I’m not going to comment on it.  This one makes the count because:

As the Special Agent in Charge of ICE’s South Florida office, Mangione supervised more than 400 employees in nine counties. He was regularly at the forefront of arrests of child pornography suspects, vowing to see them punished.

State Sponsored Criminal #458: Anthony V. Mangione

Because there are monsters in this world.

Ear Worm Wednesday – 11/14/2012

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I had a couple ideas for today finally I decided to just let Slacker Radio decide it for me.  The song it started playing was from Clutch, yes I like them.

Clutch – Careful With that Mic

Typical of Government…

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Spend money in droves to solve a problem when they could be making money instead.  What am I talking about?

Killing seven members of a wolf pack that repeatedly attacked a Northeast Washington rancher’s cattle cost about $76,500, according to preliminary state figures.

You cannot obtain wolf tags within the state of Washington.  Not even depredation tags which would allow the wolves to be taken as they’re a problem to live stock.  Think about that for a second, instead of allowing the public to hunt, control, and otherwise reign in this problem, the state spends almost a half million dollars a year on the problem.

The best part is they aren’t even really maintaining the status quo, overall they’re loosing and the problem is getting worse.

Idaho finally got the right idea and made tags dirt cheap because odds are you won’t see a wolf, they’re too damn smart, but if you do see one, shoot the bastard!  As usual animal rights activists I’m sure will end up in an uproar because they live in places like LA or Seattle where they don’t get to experience the problem first hand.  If we could relocate the wolves so the animal lovers could live with the problem I’d be in full support.

As an FYI my buddies who went elk hunting in Idaho this year informed me the hunts were a total bust.  Why?  Wolf tracks were on the tail of any elk tracks they found.  The packs are out of control and decimating wildlife.  Remember though, according to the animal rights folks, all will work itself out.  Never mind there is no other predator to hunt the wolf, I guess their solution is the extinction of the elk and deer herds.

Lets not forget increasing the state deficit in Washington by having to pay farmers for damaged stock and then the state trying to hunt them down.  Know what’s easier?  Hunters will pay you for the opportunity.  Hell I would go out of my way a few times to go wolf hunting.

Truth as Drawn by Gabe and Tycho

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That right there is a heaping dose of truth.  My inbox has been full of “Black November” deals.  There are a few things I would like to get, one of which I would like to order enough in advance so I have it prior to a business trip just after Thanksgiving.

But I digress.  The rule growing up was Christmas was a forbidden item until the day after Thanksgiving.  After that we could put up decorations and the like.  For the most part when I was real little that was even avoided.  One we had a live tree so the longer it was in the house the more likely it was to combust.  The other reason was to provide a demarcation line between my birthday and Christmas.

Overall the obsession with sales the day after Thanksgiving has always bugged the hell out of me.  Even more than that with it now encroaching on Thanksgiving dinner itself it just seems all sorts of wrong.

One, I don’t like masses of people, especially if something spooks them its a great way to end up in a bad situation.  The other is you know what I really would rather do that try to buy the newest Tickle Me Elmo?  Sit around with friends and family, chat, drink, and enjoy each other’s company.  If you’re so obsessed with buying something that you forget the little things, try living in a house where layoffs usually occurred around Christmas.  It certainly helps you realize what the real priorities are.

Gabe nailed this on the head, people who shop on Thanksgiving are monsters and should not be encouraged.

SSCC #457 – Pinellas Park

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Try to stop the flames of a fire from reaching your house because the fire department still hasn’t arrived, the police will tase you for it.

But after a few minutes passed without firefighters arriving, a frustrated Jensen stepped forward and leaned down to grab the skinny gray garden hose once again.

That’s when he heard the order.

“Hit ’em! Take him down! Tase him!”

The claim is that by attempting to defend his house from the fire he was endangering the officers and supposedly himself.

Well if the officers don’t want to get dirty, stay the hell back.  Second there was 10 feet between the fire and his house, plenty of room to maneuver.  My personal favorite though is this claim by the department.

Pinellas Park Capt. Sanfield Forseth told the Tampa Bay Times authorities could have even charged Jensen with obstruction, but decided against it.

Uhh, listen sparky, I can tell you exactly why the prosecutor, not your deputies, refused to press charges.  No jury in the world would convict or sympathize because what he was doing does not fit the legal definition of obstruction.  Tell me, how was he interfering with officers of the court?  Was he attempting to lie, give false information, or otherwise inhibit the investigation of a crime?

At best you could attempt to hold him for contempt of cop except honestly your officers didn’t have authority there either.  Personally if this guy is married, his wife should have grabbed the AR and shot every last one of them.  Seriously, that was uncalled for and unnecessary.

Personally had I been an officer there I would have helped keep the fire from his house, since if it spreads fighting it gets a lot worse.  This is what happens when you create monkeys who only know how to pull a trigger and are trained not to think.

What really pisses me off:

He said that when they arrived on the scene, they told him to back off and let insurance take care of it. He did for a few minutes but grew impatient and irate. He picked up the hose again because he thought firefighters weren’t getting there soon enough.

Hey assholes, some things are irreplaceable and there’s still this thing called a deductible   But it’s not your money right?

State Sponsored Criminal #457: Officer John Doe

Because a man attempting to prevent loosing his house to fire is an immediate threat to the public and requires the use of force to a level of which involves incapacitating him and could still be lethal.*

*It’s less lethal, not non-lethal there idiots.

h/t Uncle

Wounded Warrior Foundation Puts Foot In Mouth…

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So it appears the Wounded Warrior Project went and shoved their foot in their mouth with regards to a large segment of the population which graciously throws money at them.

“WWP does not co-brand, create cause marketing campaigns or receive a percentage or a portion of proceeds from companies in which the product or message is sexual, political or religious in nature, or from alcohol or firearms companies.“

Screenshot in case they memory hole the end statement.

In case you didn’t read the first link, this includes doing interviews with firearm related talk  radio.  Given that it would also prevent firearm events raising funds for their cause,  including donations of firearms to be raffled to raise funds.

Now they are free to do whatever they would like, just the same I am free to send my funds to groups as I would like.  I will say that refusing to talk on a radio show because they are gun related show isn’t probably the brightest thing to do.  In the grand scheme it certainly feels like a snub, especially when someone is going out of their way to give them free publicity.

So instead from now on when I would normally give to WWP I will instead send it to Soldiers’ Angels.  Honestly this is where I send most of my support anyway.  If you would like to continue donating to the WWP, that is your call and I am not knocking their cause or mission.  I will say I am offended that they would politicize a stance over a fundamental right and use their mission and purpose as a screen.  It appears that I’m not the only one thinking about cutting WWP off from their wallet either.

If the WWP wants to discriminate against gun owners or otherwise snub our overwhelming generosity to those who need it, especially those in uniform, we will find someone else who does want it.  It’s what we do.

I will say that Soldiers’ Angels was at the Gun Blogger Rendezvous this year and the fundraising was directed at them.  Patti Patton-Bader’s youngest son was there as a representative of the group and had a blast shooting steel and even got him interested in USPSA.  We even got him hitting the steel out at 950.

So at least it appears that Soldiers’ Angels has their head on straight and realizes that it doesn’t matter where it comes from, what matters is the mission and the cause.  It pains me that I even have to think about it, but they made the choice not me.  So, if you’d rather not donate to WWP but still want to support wounded troops, Soldiers’ Angels works, quite well I might add.

You don’t just have to donate money, there are many options from sewing to writing letters to support the troops.  Honestly, when you consider it, Soldier’s Angels has the benefit of being much more personal in their approach, especially for the wounded.

I’ve spoken my piece. Wounded Warrior Project will no longer get a cent out of my wallet.  Instead I will send that and more to a project fully focused on the mission of providing support to wounded warriors as well as their brother’s in arms.