Monthly Archives: December 2015

Article – Americans stock up on weapons after California shooting

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Many Americans agree and are stocking up on weapons after the country’s worst mass shooting in three years. Gun retailers are reporting surging sales, with customers saying they want to keep handguns and rifles at hand for self-defense in the event of another attack.

This doesn’t come as a surprise to me, nor should it come as a surprise to anyone who can think critically. After the 9/11 episode, we were introduced to the ‘security mom’…a Linda Hamiltonized version of the Soccer Mom. Her concerns about getting her kids to soccer practice and keeping the up with Cub Scouts was supplanted with concerns over Homeland Security Threat Levels, bottled water, flashlights, and, in some cases, firearm proficiency.

Time-750821Now that we have people wandering into crowded areas and whipping out guns/knives, it seems rather reasonable to expect that a large part of the population is going to arm themselves ‘just in case’ regardless of the overwhelming odds against them ever being caught in such a situation. But…PowerBall is still a couple hundred million to one against winning, and, as they say, someone has to win. Same story here…you may not be the victim of terrorists, but someone will be. It doesn’t hurt to have your .38 tucked in your pocket when you head to the mall, football game, or WalMart.

Living here in tropical Montana, the likelihood of Sudden Jihadi Syndrome (h/t Tam) is pretty slim. Oh, we have a university here and a fairly reasonably sized group of foreign students from other countries, but whenever they cause problems it usually involves alcohol and stupid coeds…and it is often resolved by the foreign exchange student quickly grabbing his passport and suddenly finding a reason to return home where Montana law can’t get ahold of him. The notion of one of them shooting up the concerts in the park…well, thats pretty unlikely.

Now, with the sudden, and misdirected, focus on ‘gun-control’ (which is just the warm up act for gun-registration and gun-ban, usually in that order), folks are thinking it’s high time to buy that AR, AK, and case of magazines before the .gov does it’s usual trick of screwing with the gun rights of people who had nothing to do with the event.

So it appears there are plenty of folks out there that are making their purchases now, rather than later, because they believe there may not be a later. This is good, but they really should have had this sewn up back in 2004 when the ban expired. Better late than never, though…until it gets to be too late.

Hypocrisy in action

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I am amused that the mainstream media is aghast at Trumps suggestion to ban all Muslims from entering the the country. Unconstitutional actions taken against an entire group is the wrong response to the action of a miniscule portion of that group, they argue.

And then in the same breath the want to take guns away from the people who didn’t shoot anybody.

Hypocrisy much?

Pearl Harbor Day

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It’s Pearl Harbor Day.  A day that should remind everyone that the sneak attacks that mess up your life can happen anytime…and from any source.

The day after Pearl Harbor was attacked, this nation set itself onto a war footing. This would lead to rationing, scrap drives, concentration camps for certain ethnic/racial groups, Victory gardens, shortages of staples like rubber, butter, meat, fuel, etc. In short, you went to bed on December 6 in a world that you were familiar with and one week later you were knee-deep in one of the 20th century’s most defining events.

The lesson? “It” can happen anytime. It can be Japanese torpedo bombers, a pink slip from your boss, a spot on your chest x-ray, a process server on your doorstep, that little stick turning blue, or a sudden sharp pain in your chest. The Pearl Harbor that catches you off guard and forever changes your life can look like a lot of different things. Might be a good idea to have some of your ducks in a row so that when it does happen (And it will, be assured) you’re not down for the count with just one punch.

Of course, if you are prepared, you can sometimes give back as good as you got…and then some.

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Article – 6 Instant Meals-On-The-Go – Just Add Boiling Water

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I rather liked this article.

MRE’s have a place in the world of portable food, but while theyre okay they aren’t the tastiest rations in the world. They’re a really good option for when you want something that you can just eat right away with minimal prep, but they’re heavy and bulky. Freeze drieds are awesome but they tend to be expensive.

The link in the first ‘graf goes to a DIY article on making your own freeze dried meals utilizing freeze dried foods that you can find at (usually) your local market.

The selection of freeze dried meals available these days is actually pretty good, but it’s nice to have the option to make your own to get exactly what you want.

The drums of…ban

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A couple days ago, a nice, middle-class, married couple had an episode of what Tam calls “Sudden Jihadi Syndrome” and shot up an office building before getting their tickets punched when the cops finally caught up to them and started a bullet party. Once the dust settled, and Mr & Mrs al-Smith had their home tossed, it came to light that this couple was building bombs in the garage and doing other things that would give the local HOA the vapors. So..to recap…married couple with suspiciously Irish names shoot up the joint, re-enact the end of Butch And Sundance, have a home full of bombs, are connected to overseas extremists and, naturally, the issue is…..guns.

The media, of course, went full tardcore and turned the whole story into one about the evils of guns. The administration, never one to rush to the reasonable conclusion, initially decided that if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, and has a garage full of pipe bombs like a duck, it’s definitely…..not a terrorist duck. Eventually the public mockery became too much and the story devolved into ‘Well, they were plotting terrorist stuff but they got pissed off at the guys at the Christmas party and decided to shoot it up.’

So, instead, we get treated to more of the same from the usual idiots. The promise of ‘executive orders’ to address this obvious gun-violence issue is trotted out. And, in a tiny little corner of Texas, someone at CTD gets the USB drive containing the 100dollarpmag.exe algorithim out of the safe.

Which brings us to…magic. Wanna see a magic trick? Ready? Here we go….(Does Carnac the Magnificent routine)….

Answer: “Not enough.”
:::Tears open envelope and withdraws question:::
“How many magazines do you have?”

Ta-daaa! Thank you, thank you…I’ll be here all week. Tip your waitress.

Amazing, right? But not that amazing… people are naturally short-sighted. We don’t like to think of the bad possibilities in our future, and instead we tend to see only the good, or neutral, possibilities. Unfortunately, when you’re looking on a timeline that could go on another thirty years or so until you hit room temperature, there is a lot of room for things to go wrong. If you think that the ten magazines you have for your AR are ‘plenty’, then you really need to change your way of thinking. And you’re an idiot.

This is *exactly* the sort of event that nudges The Powers That Be into doing stupid things like 1994 Assault Weapons Ban: The Next Generation. Even if it doesn’t, its going to push gun/mags/ammo price and availability into the red zone. So…if you still haven’t gotten around to buying everything that might not be available at a later date….this is your reminder that crap like this, as tragic as it is, will always be used to tie your hands further when it comes to buying those useful guns and accessories.

Between domestic terrorism, Hillary, President Sanders, lame-duck Obama, and all those other things, there’s plenty of strong arguments to say that next week may as well be never when it comes to getting those things you need. Get ’em now and get a lot of them. You can buy a jet ski next year, can’t say the same about a CZ Evo or a Glock happystick.