Cat Nap

I'm not generally a cat person, but... He's 13. He's Siamese. He gets certain liberties.

Unemployment Rates: US vs Germany

Via John Lott who notes that Germany refused the Obama styled stimulus.

Toss Out ALL The Bums!

That's what 65% of Americans say about the current Congress says Rasmussen:

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 65% of Likely U.S. Voters say if they had the option next week, they would vote to get rid of the entire Congress and start all over again. Only 20% would opt to keep the entire Congress instead. Fifteen percent (15%) aren’t sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Correspondence Chess Update

My last game finished on my birthday last August with a win. That win tied me for first in the event (WS/H/227) and qualified me to move up another class (ICCF Master Class). I haven't registered for any new events as I've been exhausted with by life/work/chess/etc... I needed a break. I typically spend between 10-20 hours per turn per major line researching databases for similar positions and exploring lines for traps once we approach the middle game.

The last couple of years I've also been turning in loads of overtime at the J-O-B because of our downsized staff yet upsized workload. The other day I was told that the J-O-B overlords had decided that paying OT was more loathsome than paying part-time minions.

Heh. We'll see if the part time unskilled types can put in the quality effort that this skilled and tested full time seven year slave has given. Plus, the other J-O-B seeking continues and looks promising. But, I digress...

Another thing became apparent as I played the Higher class events: My repertoire needs an update. These guys in Higher have mine down cold (plus, I suspect a high percentage do like me and research the oppo opening rep). The Master class would have it frozen. I've been looking at a amalgamated type Sicilian based on the Taimanov to go along with my favored Caro Kann. But, that's not where the problem lies. My Black response to 1.d4 and my White choices need a boost. I'm leaning a few directions on both but I'm not decided. Until I am decided I won't be moving up in class or starting new events. With White I'm almost sold on using a combination of QG and Catalan/Reti. My choice(s) Black against 1.d4 is still very up in the air.

I'm up to 2107 in the latest ratings list. I get the impression that is waaaay inflated (see chart at the left). In addition to the tie for 1st in WS/H/227, in WS/H/195 and WS/H/187 I finished in a tie for 2nd, and in WS/H/171 I finished 4th. Incremental progress, at least.

NRA and GOA endorsements

Via David Codrea (@dcodrea):

Hmmm...evidently the NRA pick:

• Voted NO on prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers. (Oct 2005)
• Voted NO on prohibiting suing gunmakers & sellers for gun misuse. (Apr 2003)
• Voted NO on decreasing gun waiting period from 3 days to 1. (Jun 1999)

And he was also one of those unanimous votes for Pelosi as Speaker.

The GOA backs the other guy (Chip Cravaak who is A-rated on guns). NRA endorsed Jim Oberstar (D-MN)? He's D-rated, obviously.

Again, the R in NRA may not stand for Republican, but the A does not stand for America, either. The A in GOA apparently DOES stand for America, by contrast. SayUncle and Snowflakes, please take note.

SW 642 Finish Wear

MArooned has a post that asks about wear on the finish of Smith and Wesson 642 snubbies. It does happen... This 642 was is about 2.5 years old and is pocket carried almost exclusively. The wear is all on the backstrap area.

Vote GOP

MarcoRubio explains why.

Wish I could have voted for Rubio instead of the goofballs on my ballot...

Police Harrassment? Las Vegas Police and Erik Scott's Survivors

@ConfederateYank and his co-blogger report:

So she got a few tickets. What’s the big deal? I refer, of course, to Samantha Sterner, Erik Scott’s girlfriend and arguably the most important witness in the upcoming civil trial regarding the metro police shooting of Scott on July 10, 2010. In Update 7 (the archive with all Erik Scott related posts and is available here.) I wrote of the fact that Sterner had recently received two traffic citations and several friends had been followed by the police for such distances that mere coincidence was not a credible explanation. The common factor was that all of the vehicles involved displayed a red, white and blue Erik Scott memorial ribbon on their rear surfaces.

Since that post, Sterner has received a third ticket. Bill Scott’s more detailed account of these recent developments can be found here. In brief, Sterner has received three tickets, two by Henderson officers, one by a Metro officer near her workplace, and as I mentioned in Update 7, others have been harassed--there is no other word for it--as well. So what’s the big deal? Lots of people get tickets, right?

Something stinks in southern Nevada.

My Knife Has a Safety

No, really. See that red thing right beside the cord cutting Groove™ in the pic below? That's the unsafe indicator that means the blade can be opened. Click the little lever closed and the blade won't open. I typically don't like mechanical safeties (God gave us brains and hands for that purpose). I picked up SOG Trident for the kid and decided I liked it so much - despite the safety - that I got one for myself. Good thing, too. As my wife was retrieving the Trident from the mail box the Winchester clip folder (seen here) that I have carried for seven or so years lost a screw from the clip. Synchronicity...


One reason I like the Trident is the Groove™ allowing cords and other stringy things to be safely cut with a closed blade. The wife ordered it in Tiger Stripe since that style was on sale.


Speaking of the Winchester, it will probably be relegated to a tool box somewhere as I have no idea where to get the missing screw. I periodically tightened the screws on it but... Still popped to who knows where. I had a Buck folder clip do that, too. It became a lightweight belt knife. I know, Buck will supposedly replace the screws and clip, but it works well on a duty belt already loaded with other crap tools. So, the Trident replaces the Winchester in the SayUncle Pockets Meme.

From the SOG web site:

The SOG Trident uses our well-proven means of delivering a knife blade to the open position with S.A.T. (SOG Assisted Technology™) Now using our patent pending Arc-Actuator™, the Trident locks stronger and releases easier. There is also a built-in safety to lock the blade closed. When it shows red, you are ready to go.

What also makes the Trident so unique is the patent pending Groove™ in the handle, which allows the operator to cut paracord, fishing line, etc. without having to open the blade. The handle also includes a Digi-Grip™ variable pattern for coarser grip in areas that require it. Our bayonet style clip is easily switched for right/left hand carry or removed for pouch storage.

And there is a cool video review of the Trident.

How Does a Felon Own Guns and Gun Companies?

Via Bob Owens (@ConfederateYank) comes this stranger than fiction story of a convicted felon who not only has guns and at one time had a concealed carry permit, but has owned three firearms companies. As a felon the man could serve ten years in prison for just touching a firearm. Owens has published a picture showing him holding two pistols.

If all or even most of the allegations made by various sources are true, Lee Franklin Booth should be behind bars. If these allegations are accurate, Booth is guilty of possessing hundreds of firearms, operating three firearms companies that each had firearms inventory, and receiving a CCW permit.

According to the Pajamas Media item, Lee Franklin Booth "was convicted of second-degree kidnapping on September 24, 1981, and was imprisoned from that date until his early release on December 30, 1985." He was also arrested "for communicating threats and simple assault." So how does he acquire Detonics USA Industries, how does he start and obtain a Federal Firearms License for Victory Arms, and then acquire Templar Consulting - a company licensed to build select fire weapons and machine guns?

Owens asks a lot of questions about how state and federal agencies turned a blind eye to these matters. What good are laws intended to keep weapons out of the hands of felons if they are not enforced - or worse - enforced only selectively?

[UPDATE]
In the interest of fair play, Quoting in entirety from Bob Owens' "Correction and Clarification" item posted 5 NOVEMBER 2010:

On October 22, 2010, Pajamas Media.com published an article by Bob Owens about legal restrictions on the ownership of guns and gun companies by felons.

• The article stated:

“Imagine that this same felon then started another gun company from scratch, and then used that company to acquire a third company that was licensed to build machine guns.”

In fact, the “third company” in question was not, at the time of its acquisition, licensed to build machine guns. That company subsequently obtained such a license.

• The article stated:

“After the Templar/Victory split, it is suspected that the FFL acquired by Victory was revoked….”

In fact, it appears that the federal firearms license was not revoked. It was not issued in Mr. Booth’s name.

• The article also suggested that Lee Booth acquired three gun companies. Mr. Booth, through legal counsel, has informed us that he never acquired three gun companies.

In fact, Mr. Booth owned only one gun company, but had substantial involvement in and apparent control over two other gun companies.

• The article posed the question: “How come a felon owns guns and gun companies?” Mr. Booth, through legal counsel, has cited exceptions to the state and federal laws prohibiting convicted felons from owning guns or controlling gun companies and has stated that he is not prohibited from such activity. While we stand by the original opinion, based on an analysis of relevant statutes and regulations, that Mr. Booth is not permitted to own guns or have control over gun companies, we note here that this issue remains open to legal debate and differing opinions.

Pajamas Media and Bob Owens regret these errors and apologize to Mr. Booth.

..

Moral Politics Quiz

@SayUncle took it. I wasted a couple minutes on it (quiz here)...


Well, they did get correct who I voted for in '04 and '08, and they got correct that I am a conservative Republican who identifies most with President Reagan. Not sure how they did that reliably, though, since I didn't answer about a third of the questions as none of the answers fit.

Should Tennessee Enact Arizona Style Immigration?

The Nashville Business Journal wants to know what you think. Go take their poll.

NPR and Editorial Standards

Via @IrishSpy comes this gem from NPR on the firing of Juan Williams:

NPR said in its statement that the remarks “were inconsistent with our editorial standards and practices, and undermined his credibility as a news analyst with NPR.”

Yep, we've suspected for quite a while that reality and truthfulness were inconsistent with NPR's editorial standards and practices.

[UPDATE]
Codrea: "Note to NPR CEO Vivian Schiller--please take up issues of profiling and prejudice with that infidel-killing group who identify themselves as the true representatives of their religion."
Power Line: Appeasing the Lefty base?

Blog Fatigue

I'm not the only one to experience it. Frank James is taking a break.

Bankrupting America

Via Blue Collar Muse is this video of just how dire a ditch Obama has driven the economy into reflected in the true unemployment rate...

They Heard us, They Ignored Us

On November 2nd they will ignore us no more. Ken Buck hits it right. From PowerLine.

What to do in a Self Defense Incident

Shut the heck up. Crimefile has the details.

Gun Free Zones Kill Innocent People, Even in Restaurants

Cases like this are well documented. From Suzanna Hupp's ordeal at a Luby's in Texas to Nikki Goesser losing her husband to a stalker at a Nashville bar, tales of disarmed citizens being killed in gun free zones when they could have easily defended themselves litter the landscape of the hoplophobes' zeal to abolish our natural right to self defense. Via SayUncle comes another tale of disarmed citizens in a restaurant being terrorized and murdered while the means of their defense had been removed by the state.

The story ends, like every other mass shooting ends, because of the bullet of an armed person. You see, “active shooters” as they are called today, stop killing either when they get shot by someone else, or, seeing themselves trapped by armed people, turn the gun on themselves. Jeff vividly recalled for me sitting on the floor with his back to the gunman, dead friend on one knee and pregnant friend on the other knee, seeing the cop charging in shooting over Jeff’s head. From start to finish the ordeal lasted 20 minutes.

When I asked Jeff last year what he would have done if he had a gun he said “I’d have drilled that bastard like a he was a two-by-four. “ Instead, disarmed by US Army policy, and by the North Carolina’s lack of Concealed Carry licenses, he spent the longest 20 minutes of his life clearing his friend’s airway and trying not to look at her boyfriend, dead on his other knee. The hospital helpfully sterilized his pants for him and offered to give them back, complete with bloodstains.

Open Carry in Cali

Codrea wonders about the bigotry.

Self Defense Mentality

I often see items from various self defense gun bloggers/writers about what to shoot, how to shoot, why we need to be able to shoot, where to go to learn how to shoot... And very seldom on the mental attitude needed when one decides to provide the basics for one's self defense.

One video that Buford Tune at APPS shows every concealed carry course and every armed security officer course is of a self defense expert speaking (someone told me it was John Farnam but it didn't LOOK like Farnam)* about the mentality needed to carry a firearm for self defense and what to do when the firearm is needed versus an armed opponent.

*[EDIT: It IS a very much younger Farnam!]

The end of the video is striking: The expert describes a self-defense situation where you have just used your firearm to defeat the bad guy. The bad guy is on the ground. He slowly grasps his handgun and begins gradually raising it toward you.

What does this mean?

In a stern, authoritative voice the expert states: It means you have not shot him enough!

In the video the four D's of self defense gun fights are explained. When confronting the bad guy:
Divide his focus.
Disrupt his plan.
Disable his body.
Destroy his will to fight.

In the above scenario it is assumed you have accomplished the first three D's. However, if the bad guy is still trying to fight, the fourth is still unfulfilled. The fight is only over when all four have been checked off the list. Here is where we come back to the mentality needed to carry a firearm for self-defense. Those who choose to carry must have the will to follow through on all four D's. You must be willing to destroy the opponent who means you and your loved ones harm.

Another video shown is that of the 1998 murder of Deputy Kyle Dinkheller (Caution: the video is very disturbing) during a traffic stop in Georgia. Dinkheller stopped a pickup truck for failure to display legal tags. Noting a large dog in the cab of the truck, Dinkheller asked the driver (who will be nameless in this blog) to step to the back of the vehicle. The driver was immediately confrontational. When Dinkheller initially was able to get the driver to come to him, the driver attacked Dinkheller and was repulsed by use of an Asp baton.

The driver retreated and began acting irrationally, jumping around and shouting "Shoot me, Shoot me!" and declaring that he was a Viet Nam combat veteran. All the while the driver was maneuvering back to the driver's side door of his vehicle. During this Dinkheller was repeatedly ordering the driver to come back to the rear of the truck, stop what he was doing, etc...

When the driver reached the door of his truck he retrieved a .30 caliber rifle (in the video it looks like a M-1 carbine) and began loading it. Dinkheller can be heard screaming for the driver to put the rifle down. Dinkheller fired the first shot in the ensuing gun battle. The driver can be seen using cover and combat techniques to isolate and expose Dinkheller. The driver shot Dinkheller in the arms and legs to disable him - areas not covered by a vest - before finally killing him with a close up shot to the head.

The driver sustained one wound to the stomach. He was sentenced to be executed in a 2000 trial and has been appealing since. He is still scheduled to be put down.

In the after math and investigation it was revealed that Dinkheller had just prior been reprimanded by superiors for his demeanor during traffic stops. He was told to be nicer.

The video demonstrates that bad guys can and do use the Four D's just as well as we can. It is incumbent upon us to make sure we have the proper mental outlook to make sure we succeed and not the bad guys. After seeing that he could not defeat Dinkheller unarmed, the driver made the decision to escalate the encounter an armed fight and acted upon a plan to win.

The driver: Divided Dinkheller's focus and Disrupted Dinkheller's plan with erratic behavior and statements. Once armed, he Disabled Dinkheller's body and Destroyed his will to fight.

Meanwhile, evidently because of the reprimand and his youth (Dinkheller was 22), Dinkheller made plenty mistakes in the encounter that led to his death. And, no, I'm not speaking ill of this murdered officer, I'm trying to illustrate that we can learn from his mistakes. I'm sure that he would understand this. His first mistake was going out with a mind set that did not allow him to act on what was transpiring in the encounter. His mental attitude did not allow him to act aggressively enough, or to "bail out" when the situation went south.

There was a vital point after he repelled the driver with the Asp that he either had to press the attack or retreat to wait for backup. His mind set did not allow either. On one hand, he had been reprimanded for not being nicer during traffic stops so he did not disable the driver and prevent him from going to the truck. On the other, the "macho" aspect did not allow him to get in his cruiser and get the heck out and wait for backup.

As concealed carriers we do not do traffic stops, but similar scenarios and incidents can happen to us. Will we have the mental attitude necessary to defeat the threat and save our loved ones and ourselves? We must answer that question every single time we put the weapon in its holster. If not, Dinkheller's sacrifice and the lessons taught in his encounter will be in vain.

And the bad guys will win.

That can not happen.

[UPDATE]
Linked by Codrea, who notes:

I have a similar strategy that also uses four letters, FUHU, with the last three words being:

Up
His
Universe.

No one sane wants a fight, but if one is forced on you, remember:

CUM ULLA SELLA IN PUGNO TABERNA

And it ain't over 'til you say it's over.

Also linked by Liberty Sphere, SayUncle, WarriorGeek ...

Pocket Revolvers

Like pocket revolvers as much as I do? MArooned has a post for you. I'm partial to the Smith and Wesson J-Frames.

One Cool Trooper

In Illinois, at that. Via @SayUncle... "How police interaction should work."



This officer's picture needs to be beside the definition of "peace officer" and we need more like him and less "law enforcement officers." Illinois, you have a great Trooper on duty.

Completed Review of Erik Scott - Costco Las Vegas Case

[UPDATE] The complete series from Confederate Yankee and MikeM:

My co-blogger at Confederate Yankee, Mike McDaniel, is a former police officer, detective, and SWAT operator, and has providing the very best analysis of this shooting anywhere, online or in print.

Here is the series of articles he has written so far:

1. Analysis of a Death: The Erik Scott Shooting
2. The Erik Scott Shooting: Update 2
3. The Erik Scott Shooting: Update 3
4. The Erik Scott Shooting: Update 3.2
5. The Erik Scott Shooting: Update 4
6. The Eric Scott Shooting: Update 5 (The Future)

In addition to Mike’s analysis I’ve added a few developments of my own, such as breaking the story that Scott’s fellow United States Military Academy graduates are bringing their power to bear to push for a federal civil rights investigation into the actions of the Las Vegas Police department, and not just in Scott’s case.

Over @ConferateYank. MikeM, a former peace officer, has been going over the elements of the case as the Las Vegas authorities conducted their *cough* inquest. His conclusion: "Erik Scott would likely be alive today if only one officer had used his most effective, dangerous weapon: His brain, in concert with his mouth. If the police had used proper, smart tactics, a single officer should have approached Scott at the right time and place and asked: ‘Pardon me Sir; could I have a word with you please?”"

The previous entries by MikeM are at the following links:
Update 1
Update 2
Update 3
Update 3.2
Update 4

Read them all and see if you can tell why I'll never go to Costco...

We are NOT Thankful, Barry

From RedState via @smitty_one_each...


The riposte of a title is in answer to BHO's remark at the end of the video.

LibTard Attacks Reporter at Rangel Event

Via @rsmccain ... First, the LibTard hits the reporter from behind, then uses profanity to object to the reporters presence, then attacks the reporter when the reporter videos the LibTard's behavior. The reporter clearly has grounds to have the LibTard arrested for assault. Dunno why she didn't.

Sorry, Vols. LSU Wins!

While closing up at work I was able to see the ending to this game.

My wife was at a reunion party and I left to join her after finishing up at work. We spent several hours with Vols fans who seemed fairly happy... While driving home I remarked upon their demeanor. My wife said, "LSU won? They think Tennessee won..." Seems they stopped watching after the botched snap.

Heh. Vol fans.

No Guns? No Business!

From WizardPC at Walls:

www.nogunsnobusiness.com

Go hit it up. It asks for very minimal information (first initial, last name, zip code for mapping purposes)

Via Insty

I registered. So should you.