Guffaw in AZ

Or rather, a leather, plastic, rubber, Kydex or composite bleg.

My roomie recently acquired a SIG 1911.  With the 3.2 in barrel, night sights, and Nitron finish.  She does love her .45s.  Needless to say, I’m envious.But I also have been pressuring gently urging her to carry on her person, instead of with the satchel cum handbag cum tablet bag she usually uses.  Because sometimes, it’s just too damn heavy or inconvenient – or so I’m told.  And she’ll go places unarmed where she really shouldn’t.

But, she’s a female and, well, curvy, voluptuous, feminine in structure well-rounded .  And she rarely wears a pant belt.  And it’s many times too hot for a shoulder rig (which she does own).  When she does wear a belt, she especially likes the convenience and utility of the Yaqui Slide.

My bleg is this – does anyone make a Yaqui Slide designed for beltless wear?  Or could someone make one?  Or at least a beltless IWB for this weapon?

Designed with a female shape in mind?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Please respond in the comments or via email.  Thank you.

My Dad was a very complex individual.  He certainly had courage, but he had his unresolved fears, as well.  He had amazing will power, but not in all areas of his weaknesses.  Guess that’s why they’re weaknesses.

My Dad did a stint ‘working on the railroad’ back in the forties and fifties.  He was still living in Connecticut, and his father (the former Marine sharpshooter) was a Lieutenant in the NY,NH & H Railroad Police (The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad).  This was long before AMTRAK.

I’m certain, at least in part, my father obtained the RR police job through nepotism.  That doesn’t mean he wasn’t qualified, but getting a railroad job was exceedingly difficult.

One late night, he was on a platform awaiting another train’s arrival.  The platform was basically empty.  Suddenly, two drunken sailors appeared and approached my dad.  And proceeded to beat the living crap out of him.

As he told the story (being a macho former college football lineman) he tried to defend himself as best he could.  Have you ever been in a physical confrontation?  Against multiple assailants?  It can’t be easy, given just one can be problematic.  And these two guys were fit Navy guys.

Ultimately, he found himself down on his hands-and-knees, covering his face and eyes with his hands, and his ribs with his arms, while being kicked by two men.  At least one had brought him into that position by kicking him in the crotch.

And there he was, awaiting death.  And appealing to God to give him the strength to survive.

Suddenly, there was a break in the pain and nausea, and he lunged sideways, tackling one of his assailants.  After banging his head on the platform (I assume multiple times), he faced the second sailor.  He threw him off the platform and down onto an empty track.

Then he somehow made his way to a railroad room where he could lock himself away.  There was no such thing as instant communication and backup in those days.

After returning to work, he found out two sailors had reported having been assaulted on the platform.  One with a concussion, the other a broken back!  No one connected my father to the injuries.  Or at least tried to make the connection.

A couple years later, I was born.

Fast-forward about 20 years after that, my Dad was officiating a Pop Warner football game.  And one of those events that seems to be more common these days occurred.  Some kiddie-footballer’s dad took offense to a call and began physically attacking the officials!  And a melee ensued.  Fans and officials fighting all over the field!   A buddy of my father’s, another official, was being choked by one of the irate fan fathers.

And, here comes my Dad, 20+ years after the sailor fight.  He was able to pull the attacker off his friend, and then was blindsided by a second idiot, having his eyeglasses broken for the effort.  He was obviously much older and overweight.  The end result was three crowd members were arrested, fortunately, no officials.  And no serious injuries.

My dad’s friend presented him with a trophy, a football in a kicking tee with a plaque reading COURAGE.

He certainly had that.  And he left us way too young.

He died six years before Molly was born.  He would have revelled in her.

I no longer have my Dad, nor my daughter.  I still have the trophy, somewhere.

I’ve not been a credit card fraud investigator since January 2009.  And I’ve not been licensed private investigator since September 1986.

Much of what I used to do was classic, old-school.  A 35mm camera with a motor drive and a telephoto lens.  Driving from government building to government building.  Paying for hard copies of reports, photos, assessor and court records.  And what was provided wasn’t always clear.

Now, much of this information is made available online.  Usually for a fee.  The problem with the new found technology is many times one doesn’t know how old it is.  Or how valid it is.  Has the information been updated, but that information isn’t reflected in the database?

Sometimes, you need to go to the place.  And stand in line.  And pay a fee.

However, modern technology is amazing.

After jumping through a few free hoops on line, I can now (as if I’m going to these places, anymore) utilize my Smartphone, scan the document (plat book, fiche reader, computer screen or take a picture) sharpen the image for clarity sake, save it on my phone, AND transmit it wirelessly to my home printer for hard copy purposes.

SURE, they develop this AFTER I retire…

Where was this technology when I was wearing out tires and shoes?  And paying fees?

(Michael Corleone – Godfather III)

Siddhartha reminded me (by commenting on recent post) about the seduction of certain foods and chemicals.  Drugs – certainly.

Coffee – the low end of the speed spectrum, I grant you – George Carlin

Some years back, I was on a ‘health food’ regimen.  The specifics aren’t important, but one of the many things I denied myself (after years of thoroughly enjoying it) was caffeine.

Withdrawal was, what’s the quaint phrase?  Hell-On-Wheels.

But after about six week of withdrawing from pretty much everything I liked, I suddenly awakened feeling better.  And speaking of awakening, I slept like a rock, no interruptions, and awakened refreshed and energized!

This was not the insomnia-ridden, no-bladder-control, wake up tired experience I was used to!

And it was marvelous.  For a few years.

But, all good things must come to an end.  One of the things I’d NOT denied myself was television.  And with television came commercials.  With all her sexy, image-laden taunts of cheeseburgers, doughnuts, steak, ribs, french fries, and pizza.  And most importantly coffee and soda.

And soon I had another troop of chemically-laden, empty-caloried monkeys on my back!  Caffeine (and other things) in all her glory.

I’ve been thinking about giving it up again.  At least the caffeine.  Certainly all the diet soda I consume cannot be healthy for me.  (Not to mention the chemicals).

But, not today!

God give me chastity.  But don’t give it yet – Saint Augustine

(Now, seriously – where else will you see images of The Godfather and St. Augustine in the same essay?)

People need to do the work to get it right.  Computers cannot make those kind of judgements.  -  Joe Mannix

Remember MANNIX?

If you’re 50 years old or more, you probably do.  It was a popular TV show, starting in 1967, about Joe Mannix, private investigator.  As I became a PI, myself, in 1974, it was one of my many media influences.

The first year of the show focused on Joe’s old-school, shoe leather approach versus his employer’s data-mining use of new technology – computers to do the work.  It seemed almost every week Joe had a shouting match with his boss over this very issue.  The subsequent years of the series he went out on his own , more Rockford-esque.  And was knocked unconscious something like 55 times during the show’s run.

Many of us are concerned about the data mining having been done and currently being done by the NSA, FBI and other alphabet-soup agencies of government.  The anti-Fourth Amendment rights abuses are legion in these matters.  And wrong.

Not just wrong because of the blatant abuse of privacy,  but wrong in the potential for inaccuracies.  Joe Mannix was right!

The NSA may be monitoring my email right now.  If I use the word GUN. or TERRORIST, or BOMB, or AIRPLANE it may generate additional attention, even from a live person instead of a computer.  The same may be said of my telephone conversation content.

There is no more PRIVACY.  When did the FBI/NSA et al become the Stasi?

And herein lies the problem.  Not just the intrusion, but the misuse or misinterpretation of the intel gathered by the machines.

Joe Mannix was right.  And the government doesn’t have enough shoe leather to verify the intent of all the data it is gathering.  Before the jack-booted thugs come a knockin’.

Or NO-KNOCKIN’.

Hopefully, I will just be knocked unconscious.

Regardless, someone will be watching, listening and reading.

re-dons tin foil hat and skulks away…