One of the many things I’ve programmed into her is a function to my credit union.  To see when a deposit appears.  And when it does, my cell phone instantly alerts me.  It’s nice to know when I’ve a little more money.  Or any money.

So, the other morning, I’m working on the blog, and she makes noise.  I investigate.  A deposit for a small amount has appeared in my account!  Cool.

Wait a minute?

I wasn’t expecting any money.  And, it’s not my usual payday, and it’s a small amount…hmmm.  Maybe some kind person hit my PayPal link on the blog sidebar? (hint-hint)  (It has been known to happen!)  So, I check my PayPal account, no dice.  No money either.  Hmmm.

Then it hit’s me – what if someone compromised my account number and was testing it, waiting for my next disability check to post, then WHOOSH – siphons it all away?  Crap.

Next, I contemplate calling my Credit Onion to determine the source of the deposit.  But first I need to get worked up and worried.  (Remember When in Danger or in Doubt?)  There are protocols for such things.

Suddenly it occurs to me.  The State of Arizona owed me $25.00 from my income tax filing last month!  That’s it!

Whew.

Nope, not paranoid.  Just neurotic.

A Barbecue Gun is a sidearm or handgun that has a pleasing appearance.  Not just s tool of self-defense, but a work of art.  Sometimes engraved, jeweled and emblazoned with custom wood stocks, made of rare or exotic woods.  In a custom holster.  Ostrich?

Something a gentleman (or lady) would wear to a barbecue, with their nicest snakeskin boots.  A showpiece.

Now, back-in-the-day, when I owned a small collection, I had one or two guns that might have made the cut.

An electroless nickel Colt Gold Cup, with Colt rosewood stocks.  Elegant in her simplicity.

A Smith & Wesson Model 39, in bright nickel, also with smooth rosewood stocks.  A beautiful presentation, but approaching passing BBQ gun into the realm of pimp gun.

A Smith & Wesson Model 24, 3 inch barrel, round butt.  with standard smooth, finger-grooved S&W stocks.

As I had rare occasion to O.C. at  any BBQ, I never got to get all gussied up and carry one of them.  And, of course, now they are gone.  :-(

I imagine it’s not unlike getting to arrive at the BBQ with a tricked-out 1957 Cadillac for all to see.

30 years ago, you’d just assume that anything that wasn’t obviously contrary to morality was legal. That is, you’d have a built-in default setting of assuming liberty. And that assumption of liberty would then propel you to take actions.

But now, you have to assume that many things that aren’t contrary to morality are illegal anyway. And so you now have — quel coincidence! — a built-in default setting of assuming prohibition. And that assumption that many of the things you’d like to do are illegal and criminal thereby reduces your desire to take any action at all.

Can you name all of the crimes in your state that are felonies? Can you name all of the crimes in your state that are misdemeanors? Have you ever uttered the words, “Is that legal?” without actually being able to intuitively guess whether it is or not?

Welcome to the club. And the problem.

You should go and read the whole thing.  It’s well worth your time, and even has some Latin words in it!

The Country for whom I would have probably died (in Vietnam – had I not been a disabled 4-F) no longer exists.  She does on paper (The Constitution), but that was long ago, and like Benghazi, is no longer relevant.

Did you know The United States has more prisoners per capita than any other Nation?  How many of these folks zigged when they should have zagged?  Or were caught with weed.  Or carrying a gun for protection?

Lets stop electing people to legislatures to pass more incomprehensible laws.  Lets elect them to remove laws.  And hold those accountable who messed everything up.  THEY are the people who should be afraid. And incarcerated!

A proud California State Attorney General

Of course, anyone familiar with this kind of ‘technology’ and gun control legislation knows that it’s expensive, extremely flawed, and can be defeated.

But that never stopped the rights-control freaks, previously.

C.D. Michel, the NRA’s West Coast regional attorney, had a much grimmer prediction.

“This is not going to help solve crimes,” he said. “It’s easily defeated, easily wears out and can be used to lead police down false alleys” if the serial numbers are altered.

Worse yet, Michel said, manufacturers will be unwilling to add this expensive feature to guns sold in a single state, and will instead keep manufacturing weapons for the other states, where demand already far exceeds supply. The effect, he said, would be a ban on new semiautomatic handguns in California, which the NRA will challenge in court.

And, I predict (parodying the President’s statement regarding his energy policy) that the sales of revolvers in California will necessarily skyrocket!

h/t SF Chronicle

It took the Federal Government taking Associated Press telephone records to FINALLY get the attention of the Fifth Estate that THIS Administration is up to no good.  Guess they know where their bread is buttered.

• Not Benghazi or the ensuing cover up.
• Not selling radical Islamic fundamentalist government folks in Egypt our fighter jets, and giving them the monies to overthrow the previous dictator in the first place.  While ignoring government-sponsored wholesale murder of Christians there!  And abuse of women (Sorry, not supposed to mention that, because they’re allowed to have their own culture, you know.)
• Not Fast & Furious aka Gunwalker and deaths of their own agents directly attributed to government-sponsored ‘walked’ guns.
• Not the continuing and ongoing assault on The Bill of Rights, especially the First, Second and Fourth Amendments.
• Not labeling the Fort Hood mass-murderer as ‘workplace violence’.  After all, witnesses have testified he was yelling Allahu Akhbar while killing his fellow soldiers.  Must be an OSHA violation.
• Not giving tacit approval to the OWS movement and the New Black Panthers to do as they wish, including mayhem, destruction of property and voter intimidation, while branding the Tea Party folks racist, on scant evidence.
• Not the IRS targeting conservative groups for ‘special attention’, whilst ignoring ‘community organizations’  and unions friendly to the President, like ACORN and SEIU.
• Not demanding we citizens have a National I.D. Card and health insurance, while claiming illegal aliens undocumented workers being asked to produce voter identification is racist. 

I could go on, but, I would overdose on my antacids.  And that would probably bring me to the attention of the FDA…

And I wouldn’t want THAT.

I was intrigued.  After all, I’m on disability and Medicare, and any help with things medical and insurance would be welcome.  I cannot afford any ‘doughnut hole’ coverage.

So, I began to peruse the envelope’s contents.  Basically, it appears to be coverage for cancer, and will pay up to $300,000 CASH directly to the policy holder (eligible NRA members) in case of such a diagnosis.  They even include a plastic membership card!

AND, the fees are quite reasonable.  Even I can afford them!  ($6.77/month at my age)

But, alas…

The not-so-fine print states I cannot apply if I’ve been diagnosed and/or received treatment for CANCER, Leukemia or Hodgkin’s Disease within the past 10 years.  They do allow skin cancer (which I also have had)!

And I had lymphoma, which was treated with chemotherapy, within that time frame.

No cancer coverage or soup for me!  I do still have Medicare, though (?)

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Sadly, there does seem to be an escape clause in the Amendment.  (but in a manner prescribed by law)

And there was even one relevant case -  Engblom v. Carey, 677 F.2d 957 (2d. Cir. 1982)

In 1979, prison officials in New York organized a strike; they were evicted from their prison facility residences, which were reassigned to members of the National Guard who had temporarily taken their place as prison guards. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled: (1) that the termowner in the Third Amendment includes tenants (paralleling similar cases regarding the Fourth Amendment, governing search and seizure), (2) National Guard troops count as soldiers for the purposes of the Third Amendment, and (3) that the Third Amendment is incorporated (that is, that it applies to the states) by virtue of the Fourteenth Amendment.^[4]

In an earlier case, United States v. Valenzuela, 95 F. Supp. 363 (S.D. Cal. 1951), the defendant asked that a federal rent-control law be struck down because it was “the incubator and hatchery of swarms of bureaucrats to be quartered as storm troopers upon the people in violation of Amendment III of the United States Constitution.” The court declined his request. Later, in Jones v. United States Secretary of Defense, 346 F. Supp. 97 (D. Minn. 1972), Army reservists cited the Third Amendment as justification for sitting out a parade. Similarly far-fetched arguments in a variety of contexts have also been denied in a number of court cases.^[4] Thus, Engblom v. Carey remains the only significant Third Amendment case law.  (Wikipedia)

You should go and visit the Wikipedia page, and perhaps do some other research on your own.  Every Amendment in The Bill of Rights has been, and continues to be under constant attack by those who think they ‘know better’.

We need to stand firm not just on the Second, but the entire Bill of Rights.  Tyranny is insidious.

“A desire to resist oppression is implanted in the nature of man.” - Thomas Jefferson

We need to maintain vigilance.

I like to cook, and am not half bad at it – traditional American fare:  lasagna, deep-dish pizza, steak, hamburgers, hot dogs.  Baking.  Some sugar-free stuff.  But, with my various infirmities, standing and cooking usually isn’t a pleasant experience.  (I need to eat more salads, anyway).

So, I’ve taken to finding foods I like near my new digs.  Mexican food, bar & grills, pizza.  Usually accompanied by alcohol (or diet soda ).  Much depends on how close it is to ‘payday’.

We used to frequent a pizza place near my old house.  Our favorite waitress appeared to be a recovering tweaker from Boston – always pronounced beer as beah, so we adopted that.  For fun.  (Yes. sarcasm and mockery are our stock in trade!)

Of late we (my roommate and I) have found a couple new places.  One had excellent burgers and fries – at steak prices, and 52 craft beers available.  We took immediately to Mr. Pineapple Ale, then found out the craft beer was $7.00/pint!

As much as we liked the food, we went on the hunt to find Mr. Pineapple, and found it at another place we have been known to frequent.  For $4.50/pint!  Have three beers and you’re saving money!  (see what I did there?)

The problem is, the food at the cheaper beer place, while good, is not as good (or as costly) as the expensive beer place.  They do have 1/4 pound BACON-WRAPPED hot dogs, though!

A friend recently gifted me with a fine single-malt Scotch.  Perhaps I should just stay home with that.

I’m certain my doctor would agree.

Probably without the dark chocolate, though…

FTC – San Tan Brewery gives me nothing.  Now go away!

Recent Pew Research of Gun Violence in America found gun violence has dropped at an incredible level between 1993-2010, however, in spite of these FACTS, 56% of American’s believe gun violence is higher than 20 years ago.

The primary findings of the research center on these salient points:

1. Homicide rates are down 49% using a time-series analysis between the years of 1993 and 2010.

2. Victimization rates for violent crimes with a firearm are down 73% during that same time period.

3. Despite incredible decline of gun-related violence, 56% of those surveyed (which was a scientific representative sample) 56% of American’s believe gun crime is higher than 20 years ago.

GEE, how did THAT happen?

Public mass shootings are rare crimes that account for less than one percent of gun homicides. They are a matter of great public interest and concern. The mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., and Tucson, Ariz., were among the public’s top news stories in recent years.

And, of course, the number of States with licensed concealed firearms carry or Constitutional Carry have increased.  And the Clinton Assault Weapon Ban went away.  Then how could this perception be?

Can you say there’s an agenda in the mainstream media (sorry Biff).  Sure you can.  Visit his link and read the rest.  If you dare0

The issue is NOT gun violence – the issues are crime and terrorism.  And Constitutional rights.

h/t Sean Linneane

The statistics speak for themselves:

What is the risk of a six year old dying from an accidental gun shot?

Lisa Maxbauer recently wrote a piece in the New York Times worrying about her six-year old visiting homes of gun owners.  Here are some numbers from the CDC for both six year olds and those under age 10.

For other ways of accidental deaths, the numbers are as follows: